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Made by Anna Pottery in Illinois, this 9-inch-high stoneware snake jug is inscribed ‘Centennial 1876 Kirkpatrick Anna Pottery Anna, Ill.’ It carries a $20,000-$30,000 estimate. Image courtesy of Skinner Inc.

Anna snake jug, Wedgwood bonanza to highlight Skinner sale Jan. 7-8

Tom Hoepf
Tom Hoepf

Made by Anna Pottery in Illinois, this 9-inch-high stoneware snake jug is inscribed ‘Centennial 1876 Kirkpatrick Anna Pottery Anna, Ill.’ It carries a $20,000-$30,000 estimate. Image courtesy of Skinner Inc.
Made by Anna Pottery in Illinois, this 9-inch-high stoneware snake jug is inscribed ‘Centennial 1876 Kirkpatrick Anna Pottery Anna, Ill.’ It carries a $20,000-$30,000 estimate. Image courtesy of Skinner Inc.
BOSTON – Skinner Inc. will host an auction of European Furniture and Decorative Arts in two sessions on Friday, Jan. 7, and Saturday, Jan. 8, in its Boston gallery. The first of four European Furniture and Decorative Arts sales Skinner will host in 2011, this sale will offer more than 1,000 lots. LiveAuctioneers will provide Internet live bidding.

Approximately 500 lots of America and English pottery and porcelain will be offered, highlighted by nearly 400 lots of assorted Wedgwood wares. Featured in the sale are selections from the Benton and Beverly Rosen Collection, the Ron and Carol Glynn Collection, the Lotwin Collection, the stock of Earl Buckman and pieces from a private New York collection. Spanning the past three centuries, the selection will include a wide variety of jasper and dry body wares, studio pots and a large and varied assortment of Keith Murray wares. It will provide this auction something for every level of Wedgwood collector.

Also included in the sale is a nice assortment of wares manufactured by Minton, Worcester and Doulton as well as examples of Picasso pottery.

One notable highlight is a rare Anna Pottery snake jug from Illinos. This is a fantastic example of the imagination and exuberance of American pottery in the 19th century. Anna Pottery was run by the brothers Cornwall and W. Wallace Kirkpatrick in Anna, Union County, Ill., between 1859-1896. Their whimsical, imaginative and wonderfully bizarre creations were displayed at various venues, including international exhibitions such as the Philadelphia Centennial in 1876, and reflect the cultural and political nature of a mid-late American state. Anna pieces rarely appear at auction. Lot 3 is estimated at $20,000 to $30,000.

Also of note is a Vezzi teapot, a very early piece of European porcelain. Examples like this are seldom seen outside of museums. Not only is it an example of the infancy of porcelain produced in Europe, it is also a rare survival from a Venetian factory. Vezzi was the first Italian factories to make hard-paste porcelain, though the company was short-lived, founded in 1720 and closed in 1727 when it went bankrupt. At the time, the quest for producing true porcelain like that made in Asia was a frenzied one in Europe. Lot 632 is estimated at $20,000 to $30,000.

Other highlights include lot 680, a French Art Nouveau carved walnut sideboard attributed to Eugene Gaillard (1862-1933), a famous Art Nouveau designer. This piece displays classic Art Nouveau styling, with its use of sinuous, whiplash curves and naturalistic elements. It is estimated at $3,000 to $5,000.

Also up for bid is an Austrian cold-painted bronze figural boudoir lamp, lot 991, designed as cast by Franz Xavier Bergman, one of the most famous Austrian producers of these types of whimsical bronzes. This piece bears Bergman’s mark of the letter B within a stylized vase and shows incredible detail. The lamp is estimated at $2,000 to $4,000.

Previews for the auction will be held on Thursday, Jan. 6, from noon to 8 p.m. and Friday, Jan. 7, from noon to 8 p.m. Illustrated catalog #2532B is available by mail for $35 ($42 for foreign requests) from the subscription department at 508-970-3240. It is also available at the gallery for $32.

For details visit the website www.skinnerinc.com or call 508-970-3000.

View the fully illustrated catalog and register to bid absentee or live via the Internet as the sale is taking place by logging on to www.LiveAucvtioneers.com.

 

 

View the fully illustrated catalog and register to bid absentee or live via the Internet as the sale is taking place by logging on to www.LiveAuctioneers.com.

ADDITIONAL LOTS OF NOTE

Three Wedgwood Keith Murray design matte straw slip glazed items, circa 1935, two fluted vases, and a water pitcher. Estimate: $400-$600. Image courtesy of Skinner Inc.
Three Wedgwood Keith Murray design matte straw slip glazed items, circa 1935, two fluted vases, and a water pitcher. Estimate: $400-$600. Image courtesy of Skinner Inc.
Vezzi Porcelain bronze mounted teapot and cover, Venice, Italy, circa 1725, with molded acanthus leaf borders and paneled sides polychrome enamel decorated with flowers, green enamel trim lines, 5 inches high. Estimate $20,000-$30,000. Image courtesy of Skinner Inc.
Vezzi Porcelain bronze mounted teapot and cover, Venice, Italy, circa 1725, with molded acanthus leaf borders and paneled sides polychrome enamel decorated with flowers, green enamel trim lines, 5 inches high. Estimate $20,000-$30,000. Image courtesy of Skinner Inc.
Bergman cold-painted bronze figure, Austria, early 20th century, depicting a man kneeling on a prayer rug, stamped bag mark, 5 inches high. Estimate $1,000-$1,500. Image courtesy of Skinner Inc.
Bergman cold-painted bronze figure, Austria, early 20th century, depicting a man kneeling on a prayer rug, stamped bag mark, 5 inches high. Estimate $1,000-$1,500. Image courtesy of Skinner Inc.