Online auction Dec. 17 presents melting pot of Americana

NEW YORK – Like America itself, Americana is a melting pot of objects that not only originated in the United States, but also found their way here from other lands. Many of the antiques offered in a Jasper52 Americana and Folk Art Auction on Thursday, Dec. 17, have such varied disparate pedigrees. Bid absentee or live online exclusively through LiveAuctioneers.

One such item is a Grenfell Mission hooked mat (above) made in the 1930s and titled Hunter and Dog Returning Home. The Grenfell Mission was a medical mission active in Newfoundland and Labrador in the first half of the 20th century. British physician Wilfred Grenfell established a cottage industry known as the Industrial which produced the mats, famous for their scenes of the region. The mats were marketed in resort areas of New England and eventually in shops in New York City and Philadelphia. The hooked mat offered in the auction has an attached label that reads, “Grenfell Labrador Industries, Handmade in Newfoundland and Labrador.” It is expected to sell for $600-$900.

A British import that became popular in 19th century America was a heavy pottery line known as mocha, which was distinguished by its coffee-and-cream coloring and applied seaweed decorations. The 7 ½-inch pitcher offered in the auction is a later yellowware version decorated with the seaweed design in two colors (est. $1,500-$2,000).

Certainly made in the USA is a sampler stitched by 10-year-old Hannah Clap in Boston that is dated 1807. The stitched sampler depicts a two-story house flanked by numerous trees and fencing (est. $3,000-$3,500).

The easily recognizable heart in hand is symbolic of charity, given from the heart. Carved images of a heart held in the palm of a hand served as a symbol of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, a fraternal organization derived from English Oddfellows orders of the mid-18th century. The handmade wood carving of a heart in hand in the auction likely from an Oddfellows lodge. It stands 12 inches tall and dates to the late 19th or early 20th centuries (est. $1,500-$2,000).

Also dating to the late 1800s is a double-sided trade sign for a jewelry store in the form of an open pocket watch. The top and bottom are cast iron. The ring is cast in zinc and the face is carved wood. It is a rather small size: 20 inches by 12 inches (est. $1,500-$2,000).

Jasper52 will conduct the Americana and Folk Art auction on Thursday, Dec. 17, starting at 6 p.m. Eastern time.

 

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