DOWNINGTOWN, Pa. – Pook & Pook, Inc. will kick off spring with a 2-day, 2-catalog auction on April 15th and 16th . On Friday night, the pristine collection of Eugene and Dorothy Elgin of East Berlin, Pennsylvania, will begin the festivities. Saturday’s sale will continue with period furniture, fine art and decorative accessories from several educational institutions and three Pennsylvania estates including Paul Franz of Bethlehem, Helen McAleer of Valley Forge and Ruth Converse of Berwyn. LiveAuctioneers.com will provide the Internet live bidding.
Eugene and Dorothy Elgin were well-known, discerning collectors of Pennsylvania German folk art. Most everything in their collection came from country auctions or private homes in York, Adams and Cumberland counties. They bought excellent examples in exceptional condition. Their interests included furniture, redware, decorated tole and rye straw baskets. The sale will begin with an array of slip decorated redware, baskets and hooked rugs. A bright American hooked rug with two stags beneath a stylized floral tree is estimated at $1200-$1800.00. Several appealing rugs with a cat theme include a vibrant example with two cats flanking a potted flower (est. $1000-$2000) and if you are a cat person, there are two fine seated chalkware cats by the same hand, one is 10¼” tall and one 5¼” tall. From a massive Pennsylvania lidded rye straw hamper to a small openwork example with a footed base to miniature splint baskets, all forty five are in perfect or near perfect condition.
Stoneware lovers will enjoy a fine bank dated 1874 attributed to Peter Hermann of Baltimore, inscribed “Cora’s Bank” with double sided cobalt floral decoration estimated at $5,000-$10,000. A stunning group of small Pennsylvania wallpaper boxes will be offered having various rich blue and orange designs in sizes from 1 ½” to 4 ¼” high. Carvings include a Simmons parrot with polychrome decorated surface, a Schimmel painted rooster, an Albert Abelt rooster illustrated in “Just for Nice” by Machmer and painted and turned wooden canisters. A rare red tin tole lighthouse coffee pot with bold foliate and fruit decoration is expected to tempt many bidders (Est. $10,000-$15,000). A red tole tray is also expected to fare well together with two tole trays with crystallized center panels surrounded by vivid floral decoration. An unusual diminutive Chester County, Pennsylvania walnut linen cupboard has two raised panel doors and bold bracket feet. (est. $10,000-$20,000) and a two piece walnut Dutch cupboard with an old dry surface is expected to bring between $5,000-$10,000. Other items include fraktur by Peterman, Engraver Artist, Botz and Wertz, an Anthony Bacher sugar bowl, a cast iron giraffe form doorstop, tavern tables, Windsor chairs and many different appealing objects.
The Saturday session will begin with fine art. Lot number one is one of two landscapes depicting a fox hunt by American artist Charles Morris Young (Est. $8,000-$12,000 and $10,000-$15,000). American art will be interspersed throughout the sale. A New England landscape by Xanthus Russell Smith, a coastal scene by William Wilson Cowell, landscapes by William Rickarby Miller and Hugh Campbell are several of the pieces offered. Of special note is an oil on canvas landscape with an Indian hunting by Charles Craig, estimated at $4,000-$7,000, an oil on canvas winter landscape by Edward Willis Redfield, estimated at $15,000-$25,000 and an unusual still life with roses by Ben Austrian, estimated at $10,000-$20,000. Two works by William Aiken Walker depicting cotton pickers will garner attention.
Additional artworks include Louis Icart aquatints, a pair of oil on board street scenes by Netherlands artist Johannes Franciscus Spohler, nudes by Jan Boleslaw Czedekowski and Albert Insley, and a watercolor illustration by Frank Schoonover, to name a few.
William Somerset Maugham (25 January 1874 – 16 December 1965) was an English playwright, novelist and short story writer. He was among the most popular writers of his era and, reputedly, the highest paid author during the 1930s. By 1914 Maugham was famous, with 10 plays produced and 10 novels published. His somewhat autobiographical book “Of Human Bondage” written in 1915, initially received adverse criticism, but later became is most famous and best selling novel and has never been out of print. A scarce presentation copy of this book with suppressed version of the dust jacket showing the lead character, Philip Carey, with his club foot on the wrong leg, inscribed “for John Deltmos? From W. Somerset Maugham” is expected to attract buyers looking for this rare edition (Est. $25,000-$35,000). In addition, a number of other signed books by Maugham will be offered including “Liza Lambeth”, “The Razors Edge”, “The Moon and the Sixpence”, “Cakes and Ale”, etc.
A selection of furniture with pieces for every taste and collector are to be sold. A Chester County, Pennsylvania walnut tall chest with inlaid date of “1792”, line and berry and the initials “HH” is an important piece. With its bold ogee bracket feet and original brass hardware, it carries and estimate of $20,000-$25,000. Another Chester County walnut tall chest from the Queen Anne period has four arched drawers (Est. $20,000-$30,000). An American walnut Queen Anne easy chair, ca. 1760, possibly Virginia will be a popular piece. It has a curved crest rail, outward flaring arms and compass form seat supported by cabriole front legs and pad feet (Est. $20,000-$40,000). A Rhode Island Chippendale mahogany secretary desk, ca. 1795, made for Chief Justice Tristram Burgess has a broken pediment top with a flame finial above two scalloped sunken panel doors resting on a base with butler’s desk, drawers and ogee bracket feet. Another Chester County piece offered is a Chippendale walnut tall case clock, the works inscribed “Benjamin Garret Goshen” (Est. $5,000-$10,000). A Lancaster County, Queen Anne tall clock is signed “George Hoff Lancaster” retains an old dry surface (Est. $4,000-$8,000). An unusual miniature Pennsylvania Chippendale slant front desk has an inlaid date of “1793” (Est. $5,000-$10,000). A nice Lancaster County walnut dressing table will be sold. With a notched corner top, cabriole legs and ball and claw feet, it should fare well (Est. $8,000-$12,000).
There are several notable pieces of silver included in the auction. Highlights comprise an impressive pair of English silver sauce tureen, ca. 1811-1812, bearing the touch of Paul Storr, each having lion mask handles and engraved armorials (Est. $8,000-$10,000), a set of four Gorham wine coasters, ca. 1864 decorated with sea serpents and triremes (Est. $5,000-$8,000), a Gorham Martele silver bowl (Est. $4,500-$5,500), a pair of New York sugar nips bearing the touch of Simeon Soumaine (Est. $3,500-$4,500) and a New York silver ladle, ca. 1760 bearing the touch of John Heath (Est. $2,800-$3,200). A seven piece sterling silver tea and coffee service by Tiffany & Co., made for Martha Starkweather Dye in 1936 comprises a hot water kettle, coffee pot, teapot, covered sugar, creamer, waste bowl and small tray (Est. $4,000-$6,000). Other pieces include a sheaf of wheat pattern flatware service by R. & W. Wilson, Philadelphia, a set of six Boston tablespoons by Thomas Parkman, a New York flatware service by George Ladd, a New York ladle by Lewis Fueter and many more.
A exceptional selection of Asian articles will appeal to many bidders. Noteworthy lots include a pair of massive Chinese carved ivory figures of Quanyin (Est. $10,000-$15,000), a Chinese carved jade recumbent dragon figure (Est. $4,000-$6,000), a pair of Chinese carved ivory Buddhist lions (Est. $3,000-$4,000) and a Chinese pale celadon jade lidded urn (Est. $4,000-$6,000). Jade plaques, bronze urns, tsubas, ivory puzzle ball, carved jade landscapes and porcelains are a few of the other items offered. A pair of blue and white porcelain zodiac figures of an ox and horse are 33 ½” and 32” high (Est. $8,000-$12,000).
Some important folk art will be sold throughout the sale. Probably the most intriguing is a painted pine and poplar seed chest in wonderful condition by Joseph Lehn of Lancaster, Pennsylvania. The scalloped crest with three decoupage female portraits rests over a case with twenty red drawers with ivory and green striping flanked by sides with decoupage floral garlands (Est. $15,000-$30,000). A monumental Wilhelm Schimmel spread winged eagle was originally sold in the collection of Helen Janssen Wetzel, lot 1777 in 1980. A pair of watercolor folk portraits by Jacob Maentel depict Michael and Elizabeth Hellman, Michael a member of the Pennsylvania legislature. Several notable fraktur include two works by Westmoreland County artists Friederich Hagemeister and Johann Karl Scheibler, a ciphering book from 1766 belonging to Job Jones of Burlington County, New Jersey with various fraktur drawings and a vibrant birth record by Daniel Peterman of York County. An unusual double watercolor portrait by Joseph H. Davis of John and Hannah Rollins is an important addition.
There are many other appealing items of note in the auction. A rare silver key-wind pocket watch signed “Daniel Rose, Reading”, a Swiss rose gold quarter repeater chronograph pocket watch inscribed “E.D. Peter Horloger #27936” with hallmarks and moon phase aperture, several Nantucket basket purses with applied ivory whales, and a collection of pistols and rifles add to the fine offering.
For further information on any lot in the sale, call 610-269-4040.
View the fully illustrated catalog and sign up to bid absentee or live via the Internet through www.LiveAuctioneers.com.
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ADDITIONAL LOTS OF NOTE
