Tom Hoepf, Author at Auction Central News

Holiday spirit drives sales at West Palm Beach Antiques Festival

Talavera charger (blue and white). Image courtesy of West Palm Beach Antiques Festival.

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – West Palm Beach Antiques Festival owners Kay and Bill Puchstein reported over 400 dealers set up at the Dec. 3-5 edition of the event with all outside dealer spaces sold out to take advantage of the Chamber of Commerce weather. Attendance exceeded the previous month and visitors were in a holiday buying mood, said the promoters.

Dealers gladly accommodated the holiday shoppers with wide selections of tempting gift ideas like Steiff animals, silver items, vintage linens and mid century modern furniture leading the way.

In gearing up for the 2011 season the Puchsteins have installed free wi-fi computer access to aid dealers in searching for information for customers, and a new series of television ads aimed at attracting a younger audience has premiered in South Florida touting marbles, postcards, vintage handbags and modernism furniture and accessories dating from the 1930s to the 1960s. Everyone attending the show will appreciate the wide selection of estate jewelry and silver and investment quality art, said the Pucksteins.

One of the dealers who specializes in investment quality art is Michael Perez of Ellen & Michael Perez Art and Antiques. Michael was raised in New England surrounded by antiques and art, and Ellen has an art education. The business seemed to be a natural for them. They specialize in Asian art, American folk art, American and European art and tribal art. Michael has an affinity for sculptured objects in those categories and has begun some of his own works in the field.

The Perez’s typically display several hundred items in their booth at the West Palm Beach Antiques Festival including a display case of exquisite smalls. The inventory ranges in price from a few hundred dollars to a few thousand dollars and all of it is guaranteed to be interesting according to Michael. In fact he says “so many interesting things” is the most frequently heard comment in his booth during a Festival weekend.

The Festival is now on Facebook under West Palm Beach Antiques Festival and anyone is welcome to become a fan. The Puchsteins plan on posting photos of merchandise unloading during setup so fans can get a sneak preview of what to expect at each show.

The January edition of the West Palm Beach Antiques Festival will celebrate the New Year Dec. 31 through January 2. Festival hours are Friday noon-5 p.m., Saturday 9 a.m.- 5 p.m., and Sunday 10 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Early Buyer’s admission is Friday 9 a.m.-noon and the $25 admission is good for all three days. Adult daily admission $7, seniors $6. Anyone 12 and under is admitted free. There is no charge for parking at the fairgrounds.

The West Palm Beach Antiques Festival is held at the South Florida Fairgrounds located off Southern Boulevard in West Palm Beach, 1 1/2 miles west of the Florida Turnpike and 1 mile east of U.S. 441/SR7. For more information contact the West Palm Beach Antiques Festival at (941) 697-7475, e-mail info@wpbaf.com or visit the website at www.wpbaf.com.

ADDITIONAL IMAGES OF NOTE

Modernist bronze of woman. Image courtesy of West Palm Beach Antiques Festival.

Large Japanese Bizen Foo dog, brown ceramic. Image courtesy of West Palm Beach Antiques Festival.

Spanish colonial stirrup cup, silver over incised gourd. Image courtesy of West Palm Beach Antiques Festival.

African Lobi stool. Image courtesy of West Palm Beach Antiques Festival.

Manual typewriter is key to group of old-schoolers

Remington’s popular portable typewriter known as the Remie Scout Model sold at auction for $50 in April. It has a red and blue body housed in wooden case. Image courtesy of Austin Auction Gallery and LiveAuctioneers archive.

PHILADELPHIA – In an age of multitasking tech gadgets whose march toward obsolescence begins the minute they roll off the assembly line, a group is celebrating a mechanical one-trick pony built to last for decades: the manual typewriter.

A local business owner and enthusiast of everything analog has put out a call for typewriter enthusiasts to bring their working Underwoods and Olivettis to a city pub Saturday for what has been dubbed “Type-In: A Pleasant Afternoon of Manual Typewriting.”

“Against a backdrop of ringtones and whiny hard drives, the analog typewriter, which puts thoughts onto paper in a single step and waits silently while you’re thinking, gains charm by the minute,” said Type-In organizer Michael McGettigan.

“When someone hears you clicking away, they know you aren’t playing ‘Call of Duty,’ or watching a kitten fall off a pillow on YouTube or checking your schedule,” he said. “You are typewriting.”

The Type-In took place at Bridgewater’s Pub in Philadelphia’s historic 30th Street Station. One person who RSVP’d, planned to travel from Virginia with his trusty manual in tow.

Participants at the type-in were to receive typing paper, carbon paper — remember that? — and envelopes to compose a holiday letter to mail after the event. All were encouraged to bring along a spare typewriter or two to swap or sell.

Also planned was a typing competition using a passage from author Paul Auster’s ode to his vintage Olympia, “The Story of My Typewriter,” and a technician will be on hand to discuss the basics of typewriter maintenance.

What makes manual typewriters so special to aficionados?

First, McGettigan said, typewriters are gloriously incapable of multitasking. They do one thing and one thing only: They type.

Second, they weren’t made with planned obsolescence in mind — unlike the frustratingly brief shelf life of the average laptop. With a little routine maintenance, typewriters will continue to happily clack for decades and even outlive their owners.

“The closest comparison I can make is with playing vinyl records; it’s a little more fussy, there are imperfections, and most of the time, most people, including me, play MP3s,” he said. “Or maybe it’s like acoustic guitar versus electric — harder, but takes more thought, stronger hands, and is very satisfying.”

McGettigan, who owns two bicycle shops, said typewriters and bikes both attract people with an appreciation for things that are well-crafted and human-powered. Biking events and bike shops bring together a community of like-minded cyclists, so McGettigan said he created the Type-In because typewriter fans have no similar means to meet up.

“The best part about a typewriter is when you’re done and you pull that typed page out, it feels like you’ve really accomplished something,” said 16-year-old Matt Cidoni of East Brunswick, N.J., a musician, high school junior, and owner of several typewriters, including a 1926 Royal 10 and a 1959 Smith-Corona Skyriter.

His “Adventures in Typewriterdom,” is what’s known as a typecast blog: Each entry is first typed on paper, then scanned into place.

“I’m not by any means a technophobe. The Internet is a wonderful thing — it’s where I found out so much great information about typewriters,” said Cidoni, who planned to make the 60-mile trip south for the Type-In. “But there’s a whole generation who are still into writing the good way. There are thousands of typewriters still in use and there always will be people who want to preserve them.”

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Online:

Type-In: http://www.phillytyper.com

Adventures in Typewriterdom: http://typewritersite.blogspot.com

National Museum of Play buys earliest known Monopoly game

ROCHESTER, N.Y. (AP) – The Strong National Museum of Play has splurged $146,500 on the oldest known version of Monopoly handmade by inventor Charles Darrow.

The children’s museum in Rochester revealed Tuesday it was the winning bidder at Sotheby’s last week for the table-size board game created around 1933 with pen-and-ink and gouache on a circular piece of oilcloth. It contains 200-plus pieces, including playing cards, hotels and bank notes.

Darrow, an unemployed heating engineer in Philadelphia, produced 5,000 copies of the real-estate trading game and sold them through a Philadelphia department store. Parker Brothers bought the rights in 1935.

The game was part of the Forbes Collection of Antique Toys, which Sotheby’s sold last week. The game had a $60,000-$80,000 estimate.

The National Museum of Play boasts the world’s most comprehensive collection of games, toys and play-related objects.

AP-WF-12-21-10 2029GMT

Brother disputes sale of Lee Harvey Oswald coffin

Lee Harvey Oswald, 1959. Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.

LOS ANGELES (AP) – The brother of Lee Harvey Oswald said Monday a coffin that once held the body of the presidential assassin should have been destroyed years ago rather then being auctioned off and allowed to exist as a ghoulish keepsake.

Robert L. Oswald said he didn’t know the coffin still existed until he read in a Texas newspaper this month that it had been put up for sale.

Oswald, 76, said he attempted to contact a funeral home owner to halt the sale, but his call was not returned. He said a similar request was ignored by the Santa Monica auction house that handled the sale.

“This is not about money on my part,”Oswald said. “The coffin should have been destroyed years ago, and that is what I desire now.”

Lee Harvey Oswald was shot to death at a Dallas police station two days after President John F. Kennedy was assassinated in an open convertible. Although Oswald was never put on trial, authorities concluded he was the killer.

An anonymous bidder on Dec. 16 bought the water-damaged coffin that held the body of Oswald until it was exhumed in 1981.

The bidder agreed to pay $87,469 after a spirited round of bidding that Nate D. Sanders Auctions of Santa Monica, Calif., said continued two hours past the original closing deadline.

Robert Oswald said he bought the original coffin in 1963 and believes that makes him its rightful owner. He has no plans to sell it and no immediate intent to file a lawsuit, he said.

“We’re going to evaluate all the legal options and see what needs to be done,” he said.

The retired salesman who lives in Wichita Falls, Texas, said he never gave anyone the authority to do anything with the coffin.

Sanders was out of the office and unavailable for comment, but auction house spokesman Sam Heller said he was unaware of any ownership dispute.

Texas funeral home owner Allen Baumgardner, who put the coffin up for sale, did not return calls. He previously said he swapped the coffin with Oswald’s family for a new one when the body was dug up then reburied in 1981.

Robert Oswald said he never heard from Baumgardner at that time and didn’t believe anyone else in the family had, although he couldn’t say for sure if his brother’s widow had been contacted. He noted his mother had died a few months before her son’s body was exhumed.

Baumgardner kept the coffin in a storage room at the Baumgardner Funeral Home, saying he hoped someone interested in its historical significance would buy it.

The body had been dug up to lay to rest conspiracy theories that Oswald wasn’t buried in the grave. The body was identified through dental records then returned to Rose Hill Memorial Burial Park in Fort Worth, Texas.

Baumgardner said he put the body in a new coffin after it was discovered Oswald’s burial vault had cracked, allowing moisture to damage the original coffin.

AP-WF-12-20-10 2129GMT

Michigan woman auctions autographed baseballs for charity

CANTON TOWNSHIP, Mich. (AP) – Jane Bell has spent years fighting crowds and slipping into dugouts to expand her prized collection of autographed baseballs.

Now the 83-year-old suburban Detroit woman is letting charity benefit from all her hard work. On Saturday, 136 of her baseballs were auctioned off for more than $6,000, which will benefit St. Jude Children’s Hospital.

Recalling the hard work she put into collecting the balls, Bell decided to hang onto one last remnant of her hobby – a personalized gift from Detroit Tigers pitcher Jack Morris in 1986.

Morris wrote: “To Jane Bell, my best to you, to a loyal Tiger fan.”

The resident of Wayne County’s Canton Township started accumulating the baseballs in the early 1980s.

Over the years, she has fought crowds, negotiated hotel lobbies and maneuvered her way into dugouts and stadium press boxes to persuade baseball’s elite to sign memorabilia for her.

“People don’t understand the hard work that’s involved, and (everything) you have to deal with,” she told The Detroit News.

Bell said she hoped to bring in $3,000-$5,000 through the charity auction.

Randall Paul, an appraiser and auctioneer, said that’s a reasonable goal. He said he is impressed by Bell’s generosity.

“It’s really a wonderful thing,” Paul said. “To me it’s overwhelming.”

The most expensive autographed balls sold were ones with autographs of Mickey Mantle ($500), Joe DiMaggio ($400), Al Kaline ($350), and Yogi Berra ($200).

Bell’s collection was more valuable than others Paul dealt with in the past because it had each autograph on an official Major League Baseball ball.

Bell said she doesn’t collect autographed balls with the same fervor she once did. Her last autographs were of Miguel Cabrera and Ivan “Pudge” Rodriguez about three years ago.

She said she has been a Tigers season-ticket holder since 1984, attending all 81 home games each year. She said she expects to be in Lakeland, Fla., in a few months for her 26th consecutive spring training.

Bell said her loyalty has nothing to do with how the Tigers are doing any particular year.

“Listen, if I can sit through when they lost 119 games (in 2003), I can sit through anything,” she said.

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Information from: The Detroit News, http://detnews.com/

AP-CS-12-17-10 1353EST

Auction Gallery of the Palm Beaches to sell Rubinsteins’ property Jan. 10-11

French 19th-century gilt bronze and cut glass vase, 29 7/8 inches high. Image courtesy of Auction Gallery of the Palm Beaches.

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – Auction Gallery of the Palm Beaches will conduct a single owner, two-session auction on Jan. 10 and 11, offering the personal property of Florence Rubinstein and the late Irving Rubinstein. The Rubinsteins were the owners of the renowned Madison Galleries in New York City before retiring to Delray Beach. The auction will feature over 600 lots of antiques, fine art, and objets d’art that were previously in their home at 20 Sutton Place South in Manhattan.

LiveAuctioneers will provide Internet live bidding.

This collection was amassed over 70 years of dealing and collecting by the Rubinsteins. Their eye for antiques is clearly evident in the fine selection of items offered. Each object has a quality in execution and detail that is a testament to the Rubinsteins’ discerning taste.

Some of the highlights are a group of Russian bronzes including a large selection by Lanceray, a collection of Russian enamels, over 75 lots of silver, a collection of fine Japanese and Chinese ivories and bronzes, 19th-century figural bronze and Baccarat crystal vases, a Satsuma collection, a fine collection of 17 Pietra Dura plaques, three paintings by Johann Berthelsen (1873-1972 American), a 19th-century Pietra Dura inlaid cabinet on stand, a collection of fine English porcelain service plates, a fabulously large Meissen dog, 273 pieces of Tiffany sterling flatware set in the Castilian pattern and an amazing Tiffany glass vase 14 inches high, pair of Royal Sevres vases, 18th- and 19th-century Chinese porcelain and jade objects including an impressive 18th-century covered vase, coral carvings, a collection of European bronzes, European paintings and much more.

This auction will be an excellent opportunity for collectors and dealers to bid on an array of fine quality antiques and art that are fresh to the market, after seventy years of collecting.

Madison Galleries was founded by Florence’s father, Abe Ash, in the 1930s and its first location was on Madison Avenue in Midtown. As the gallery became more successful in the 1950s, Ash branched out and opened two locations in Atlantic City and expanded the Manhattan gallery to 45th and Fifth Avenue. As Madison Galleries continued to grow with new connections in Europe, the gallery became too small and relocated to 56th Street and Second Avenue.

By the time Irving and Florence Rubinstein took over the running of Madison Galleries from Abe Ash, Madison Galleries had become recognized as one of the major retailers in the antique industry. Their business was expanding and their reputation as a leading supplier of antiques to the retail and antique auction trade was flourishing. Madison Galleries became a recognized destination for collectors, designers, and decorators. In the 1980s, the gallery re-located to 840 Broadway and operated there until 1995 when the Rubinsteins retired to South Florida. Mr. Rubinstein passed away in 2004 and Mrs. Rubinstein now in her 90s has chosen to auction her extensive collection with Auction Gallery of the Palm Beaches Inc.

For more information, condition reports, and images of this outstanding collection please see the auction company’s website at www.AGOPB.com or call 561-805-7115 and ask for Mr. Leslie Baker or Mr. Brian Kogan. Preview will begin in the gallery Jan. 6. The gallery is at 1609 S. Dixie Highway, Suite 5, in West Palm Beach, FL 33401.

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

Evgeni Lanceray, ‘The Capture,’ bronze group, F. Chopin mark, 16 3/4 inches high x 25 1/8 inches long. Image courtesy of Auction Gallery of the Palm Beaches.

Russian silver gilt and enamel pedestal bowl by Anton Kuzmichev, 1899, 5 3/4 inches high, 9 7/8 inches long. Image courtesy of Auction Gallery of the Palm Beaches.

English silver Monteith bowl, London 1891, 75 ounces, 8 3/4 inches high, 12 1/2 inches diameter. Image courtesy of Auction Gallery of the Palm Beaches.

Massive Chinese 18th-century Famille Rose vase and cover, 32 inches high. Image courtesy of Auction Gallery of the Palm Beaches.

Northern Italian 19th-century Pietra Dura and gilt bronze cabinet on stand. Image courtesy of Auction Gallery of the Palm Beaches.

Showplace Antique & Design Center to hold online auction Dec. 29

Chinese carved white jade screen, 19th century, unmarked, 18 1/4 inches high x 13 3/8 inches wide x 5 1/2 inches deep. Estimate: $13,000-$15,000. Image courtesy of Auctions by Showplace Antique & Design Center.

NEW YORK – Auctions by Showplace Antique & Design Center will present a wide variety of fine paintings, drawings, prints, Asian antiques, American and European decorative objects, 20-century design and vintage furniture at its monthly on-line auction on Wednesday, Dec. 29.

LiveAuctioneers will provide Internet live bidding. The 655-lot auction will begin at 1 p.m. Eastern.

A featured lot consists of Chinese Qing cloisonné censers of brass and enamel. Standing about 19 inches high, the censers have Qianlong marks and carry an estimate of $35,000-$40,000.

A 19th-century Chinese carved white jade screen is another highlight. The jade has a finely carved figural scene and rests in a lacquer wood frame that stands 18 1/4 inches high. It bears a $13,000-$15,000 estimate.

Nearly 2,000 years old, a Tang Dynasty gild bronze mirror adorned with semiprecious stones is expected to sell for $12,000-$14,000. The mirror measures 8 inches in diameter.

In furniture an all-original 19th-century Korean chest of zelkova root and mixed woods is expected to sell for $8,000-$9,000.

A pair of mid-century armchairs designed by Finn Juhl and manufactured by France & Son has an estimate of $9,500-$10,500. The teak and leather armchairs retain factory tags that read, “FF France and Son, Denmark.”

Previews are by appointment only. In addition to bidding through LiveAuctioneers, bids may also be placed absentee or by phone. For information contact Martina Paonita at 212-633-6063 or go to Showplace Antique & Design’s website at www.

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

Large teapot or ewer with gilding and raised and incised embellishment, bronze, 19th century, unmarked, approximately 15 inches high x 14 1/2 inches wide x 5 1/4 deep. Estimate: $5,000-$6,000. Image courtesy of Auctions by Showplace Antique & Design Center.

Pair of cloisonné covered censers, enamel and brass, China, Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), Qianlong mark on bottom, one of two, about 19 inches high. Estimate: $35,000-$40,000. Image courtesy of Auctions by Showplace Antique & Design Center.

French onyx mantel clock, circa 1890, marked ‘Francois / Fiacre Clement Paris’ on the interior, 24 1/2 inches high, x 21 1/8 inches wide x 8 3/4 deep. Estimate: $20,000-$25,000. Image courtesy of Auctions by Showplace Antique & Design Center.

Chinese Tang Dynasty gilt bronze mirror with semiprecious stones, unmarked, 8 inches diameter. Estimate: $12,000-$14,000. Image courtesy of Auctions by Showplace Antique & Design Center.

New Year’s fireworks at Brunk Auctions’ sale Jan. 8-9

The ‘fluted pilaster group’ of which this North Carolina secretary bookcase is a fine example is discussed and illustrated in a 1981 issue of ‘Early Southern Decorative Arts.’ Image courtesy of Brunk Auctions.

ASHEVILLE, N.C. – Robert Brunk’s first sale of the New Year on Jan. 8-9 opens with three bright, loud and important sky rockets, one after the other. These important collections lead off a two-day, 882-lot sale. LiveAuctioneers will provide Internet live bidding.

The smallest collection of the three is expected to be one of the loudest. It consists of only four items with each a clear and dramatic standout. All were consigned by the grandchild of Elizabeth Russell of Connecticut. Most came from a larger collection that originated with Samuel Wadsworth Russell, the founder of Russell & Co. That enterprise was the largest trading house in China from 1842 until its close in 1891. With that pedigree, these Asian antiques are sure to brighten the skies over Asheville.

Topping the Russell collection is View of the Bund at Shanghai (est. $60,000-$90,000), a large unsigned oil on canvas circa 1855. It was purchased in Hong Kong and transported to the United States. The consignor bought the painting, attributed to Chow Kwa (Chinese, active 1850-1885), in 1993 at Sotheby’s New York. The painting is a finely detailed and accurate depiction of ships in the harbor including an American steamer. In the background are the Customs House, the British Consulate and the Augustine Heard & Co. building.

The earliest items in the Russell collection are two 17th-century Kano School six-panel screens (est. $5,000-$10,000). The paper screens are Japanese and depict Chinese court scenes with officials, horses and attendants. Each screen has a custom-made cedar-lined transport case.

Then there are the two circa 1900 silk and metal thread carpets from the Russell collection. Both are Imperial rugs in excellent condition. One depicts Imperial dragons in the central medallion and four corners (est. $12,000-$18,000); the other (est. $15,000-$20,000) is elaborately decorated with cranes, sea serpents, waves and clouds surrounded by a Greek key border.

The largest collection comes from Philip and Charlotte Hanes of Winston-Salem, N.C. All 41 lots were consigned from the Hanes’ residence, Middleton House, a late Federal period home that was moved from Clarks Hill, S.C., in 1930. The Hanes gifted the home to Wake Forest University in 1991. Some Middleton lots were purchased by Mr. Hanes on trips to London; others were family gifts.

Two furniture items illustrate the quality and significance of the Hanes’ collection: eight Charleston Federal dining chairs and a Catawba River Valley secretary bookcase.

“The Charleston chairs are indeed extraordinarily rare,” said auctioneer and senior specialist Andrew Brunk. “I know of only one other intact set in the collections of Bayou Bend at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston.” The set – six side chairs and two armchairs – was illustrated in the Raushenberg and Bivins classic, The Furniture of Charleston, 1680-1820. In mahogany with finely carved urn-formed central slats and fine modern horsehair upholstery, they carry the sale’s second highest estimate: $40,000-$60,000.

The largest Hanes lot at 115 inches tall is a cherry and poplar secretary bookcase from around the turn of the 19th century (est. $25,000-$35,000). The elaborate and flourishing inlays in its three drawers, its delicate sectioned glazed door and fluted pilasters, command attention from across the gallery. At its top is a tall original inlaid finial; on bottom are its original French feet.

Philip Hanes was CEO of Hanes Dye and Finishing from 1964 to his retirement in 1976. He and his wife are noted for their leadership and generous support of the arts in Winston-Salem.

The third bright light is the Bridge to Heaven jade collection accumulated by the late Pauline McCord Bishop in the late 1960s. The collection focuses on carvings extending from China’s Neolithic era through the Qing period. Included in the 29-lot collection are figures of buffalo, chimera, goats, deer, dogs, ducks and rabbits as well as various mythical beasts. Brunk devoted an entire page in the catalog and the catalog cover to a hu-form lidded vase (est. $15,000-$30,000). The flattened baluster form vase is in translucent “lychee white” with ducks, lotuses and flowering plants. Its walls are extremely thin with perforations on every surface except its pedestal base, handle rings and handle ends.

Four other lots deserve special attention:

Possibly the earliest item in the sale is an attic red-figure krater from 450-440 B.C. attributed to the Painter of Munich 2335 (est. $12,000-$18,000). Each side has three figures: a woman between two bearded male figures on one side and three young men on the other. A letter from an official at the Metropolitan Museum of Art verifies the attribution.
Dark Beauty (est. $10,000-$15,000), a signed and dated (1999) watercolor by Stephen Scott Young (Florida, South Carolina, b. 1957) depicts a young African-American woman looking directly at the viewer over a white board fence.
A signed and dated (1854) stoneware jar by John Siegler of South Carolina’s famed Edgefield District is estimated to bring $3,000 to $6,000. The jar was crafted one year after Siegler established his pottery on Shaw’s Creek.
A Harvey Littleton glass crown sculpture (est. $10,000-$20,000) is one of the few contemporary pieces from the Hanes collection. Created in 1984, the 12-part construction reflects pinks, yellows, blues and purples. Harvey Littleton was awarded the North Carolina Living Treasure award in 1993.

For more information, please call 828-254-6846 or visit www.brunkauctions.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

In ink, color and gold leaf on paper, each of the 17th-century Kano School screens measures 70 inches x 150 inches. Both were collected by Elizabeth Russell in the early 1900s. Image courtesy of Brunk Auctions.

This 8 1/2-inch attic red-figure column krater was sold at Sotheby’s New York in 1986. Dating from 450-440 B.C., it is one of the oldest items in the sale. Image courtesy of Brunk Auctions.

The Charleston side chairs are 37 1/2 inches x 21 1/2 inches x 21 inches. The armchairs are 2 inches wider. In excellent condition, the set of eight from the Hanes collection is expected to bring $40,000-$60,000. Image courtesy of Brunk Auctions.

The height of this Harvey Littleton glass crown sculpture varies from 6 1/4 inches to 21 1/2 inches and is estimated at $10,000-$20,000. Image courtesy of Brunk Auctions.

Note the reticulated Chinese Export frame on this finely detailed ‘View of the Bund at Shanghai’ attributed to Chow Kwa (Chinese, active 1850-1885). The oil on canvas carries the sale’s top estimate, $60,000-$90,000. Image courtesy of Brunk Auctions.

Latin American art brings top dollar at Morton Kuehnert

Signed ‘Raphael Coronel’ lower left and inscribed ‘De Paseo No. 456,’ this large oil painting, 48 inches by 39 1/2 inches, sold for $50,400. Image courtesy of Morton Kuehnert Auctioneers & Appraisers.

HOUSTON – One hundred twenty lots of Latin American art and antiques were on the block recently at Morton Kuehnert Auctioneers & Appraisers. Lot 6, Rafael Coronel’s De Paseo oil on canvas, was the frontrunner at the Dec. 12 auction, with a winning bid of $50,400.

The majority of the lots were the property of a private collection in South Texas. All prices listed here include the buyer’s premium.

“Morton Kuehnert is pleased with the results from our first serious Latin American art auction,” said Lindsay Davis, the auction house’s Fine Art Specialist. “The interest in the early religious art, as well as pieces from strong 20th-century artists, helps us chart a path for our Latin American art auctions scheduled for May and November 2011,” she added.

Morton Kuehnert and partner Morton Subastas in Mexico City are combining resources for the enrichment of Latin American art and artists, as Houston continues to garner national attention with the Museum of Fine Arts/Houston emphasis in that area.

Bidders’ choices included 18th- and 19th-century religious paintings in the style of the Mexican School, such as Lot 21, the Virgin of Guadalupe oil on canvas, selling for $7,200, and Lot 23, the Virgin of Guadalupe oil on burlap, selling for $3,300. Lot 28, Nino Muerto, an oil on canvas which sold for $9,000, was also of the Mexican School.

Elena Climent’s 2006 Shelf with St. Anthony and His Visions, Lot 1, sold for $6,600. Lot 38, an untitled 1948 Diego Rivera pastel and ink on paper of a young boy, sold for $36,000.

Lot 2, C. Anton Goering’s 1880 Venezuelan Scene watercolor on heavy paper sold for $7,800 and Lot 4, Guillermo Gomez’ Mayorga’s circa 1930s untitled oil on canvas of a view through a Mexico City gateway, sold for $10,800.

Lot 11, the oil on canvas of the Enthroned Madonna and Child, also from the Mexican School of religious paintings, sold for $4,800.

Lot 20, a circa 17th-18th-century religious oil on panel portrait from the Spanish Colonial School depicting Saint Nicolas de Tolentino, sold for $4,200. Lot 22, an 18th-century oil on canvas from the Peruvian School/Lima Academy titled Santa Rosa de Lima sold for $4,800.

Lot 80, a mid-century landscape of mixed media on paper entitled Patzcuro, Michoan Coast, by Alfredo Zalce, 1965, sold for $3,600. Lot 89, A. Orellana’s 1890 Pueblan Family oil painting on board sold for $3,600 as well.

Three oils on canvas by 20th-century Mexican artist Alberto Ruiz Vela were sold, including Lot 97, a cowboy herding scene, at $1,320; Lot 98, a town center scene, sold at $1,140; and Lot 99, a town scene, sold at $1,320. Lot 100, an oil on canvas by Pablo Almela, another 20th-century Mexican artist, entitled Guanajuaro, 1947, sold for $1,200.

Two oils on board by artist Sergio Bustamante sold, (Mexican, b. 1942) including Lot 65, an untitled painting Lions on a Rainbow, at $660, and Lot 66 of Lions in a Tree at $1,140.

Two Jaimes Murillo (Mexican, b. 1940) paintings sold, including Lot 69, an oil and sand on masonite entitled El Peluquero, 1983, selling at $360 and Lot 105 oil on canvas of an African Fertility Female, 1997, selling for $1,800.

Lot 53, a 19th-century hand-painted marriage cupboard, fetched $18,000 and Lot 16, a Bolivian silver censer, sold for $1,440.

Anyone interested in consigning Latin American art and antiques for Morton Kuehnert’s May 2011 auction may e-mail photos and descriptions to Lindsay Davis at ldavis@mortonkuehnert.com.

For information on Morton Kuehnert, please visit our website at www.mortonkuehnert.com or our Facebook page.

To receive announcements on Latin American consignments and auctions, please send your contact information to LatinArt@mortonkuehnert.com.

Click here to view the fully illustrated catalog for this sale, complete with prices realized.

ADDITIONAL LOTS OF NOTE

C. Anton Goering (German, 1836-1905) Venezuelan scene, 1880, watercolor on heavy paper, signed and dated ‘A. Goering 1880,’ 13 1/2 x 23 inches, $10,800. Image courtesy of Morton Kuehnert Auctioneers & Appraisers.

Mexican School, 18th century, ‘The Enthroned Madonna and Child,’ oil on canvas 49 1/2 x 37 1/2 inches, provenance: Christie's The House Sale, Oct. 1-3, 2007, lot 904, New York, $4,800. Image courtesy of Morton Kuehnert Auctioneers & Appraisers. — Mexican School, 18th century, ‘The Enthroned Madonna and Child,’ oil on canvas 49 1/2 x 37 1/2 inches, provenance: Christie’s The House Sale, Oct. 1-3, 2007, lot 904, New York, $4,800. Image courtesy of Morton Kuehnert Auctioneers & Appraisers.

A. Orellana (Mexican School, 19th century) Pueblan Family, 1890, oil on board, signed ‘A. Orellana 1890’ lower left, 12 x 8 inches, $3,600. Image courtesy of Morton Kuehnert Auctioneers & Appraisers.

Continental statues of Cleopatra and Judith bring $132,250 at Fontaine’s

Pair of carved early Continental alabaster and marble statues of Cleopatra and Judith, $132,250. Image courtesy of Fontaine’s Auction Gallery.

PITTSFIELD, Mass. – A pair of carved, early Continental alabaster and marble statues of Cleopatra and Judith, each standing 23 inches tall and having exceptional detail, sold for $132,250 at a cataloged antique auction held Nov. 13 by Fontaine’s Auction Gallery. The statues were the top earner of the more than 500 lots sold. Overall, the sale grossed about $1.4 million.

Around 300 people packed the Fontaine’s Auction Gallery showroom, located at 1485 W. Housatonic St., for the standing room only event. In addition, there were about 800 Internet bidders who participated online via LiveAuctioneers.com and the Fontaine’s website, www.fontainesauction.net. Phone and absentee bidding was also brisk all day long.

“It’s kind of refreshing that the market seems to be picking up,” said John Fontaine of Fontaine’s Auction Gallery, acknowledging that the antique business in general has ebbed and flowed over the last couple of years, ever since the financial crisis wreaked havoc on the economy. “Activity in all areas of our auction business has increased. People are bidding more freely and enthusiastically.”

Following are additional highlights from the auction. All prices quoted include a 15 percent buyer’s premium.

The sale’s top lot may have been statuary artwork, but vintage lamps and antique clocks dominated the list of top earners. A Tiffany 10-light Tulip lamp with pulled feather tulip shades on a signed Tiffany base, 21 inches tall, went for $40,250, while an E. Howard #71 regulator wall clock from the 1880s, 70 inches tall, black walnut with ebony trim case, garnered $25,875.

Keeping with lamps, a 16-inch Tiffany Studios Poinsettia shade with red flowers with blue, gold and green centers fetched $25,875; an 18-inch Handel Riverbed scenic lamp (#6752), artist signed “HB” (Henry Bedigie), and in excellent condition soared to $24,150; and a 16-inch signed Tiffany Studios Pomegranate table lamp with dichroic and mottled shade rose to $12,650.

Rounding out the category, a Handel Floral & Butterfly lamp (#6688), with an 18-inch reverse-painted shade showing apple blossoms and butterflies brought $11,500; an Anton Chotka Austrian cold-painted bronze lamp titled “The Jewelry Merchant,” 15 1/2 inches tall, hit $9,775; and a Duffner & Kimberly leaded table lamp with 21-inch fern pattern shade commanded $8,050.

A James Condliff astronomical clock with 12-inch silvered dial, inscribed on the movement dust cover (“Ino B. McFadden A.D. 1832”) coasted to $19,550 to a bidder from England, where the clock was made; a circa 1905 Waltham #14 ball regulator with quartered oak case, 74 inches tall, rose to $14,950; and a three-piece French figural gilt bronze owl clock set with 3-branch candelabra brought $10,350.

Other clocks that did well included an Elliott grandfather clock with great proportions and detailed carvings, and signed nine-tube movement ($10,350); a J.L. Ruetter perpetual Atmos desk clock featuring a nice chrome base with beveled glass ($6,325); and a Guilmet French industrial balance beam engine clock with painted silver and gilt brass base ($4,600).

Fine art included an oil on canvas portrait of a harlequin (jester) by Emilio Pettoruti (Argentine, 1892-1971), 22 inches by 28 inches ($8,625); a hand-painted 10-inch Royal Vienna 10-inch portrait plate after Bluthen, artist signed and in excellent condition ($3,737); and a pair of 19th- century carved marble angels, both shown kneeling and with long flowing robes ($7,475).

Dazzling pieces of estate jewelry were also offered. A lady’s 14K white gold platinum and diamond pendant with a main round brilliant cut diamond weighing 1.87 carats with VS-1 clarity garnered $13,800; and a lady’s 14K yellow gold handmade custom ring containing 16 square cut genuine rubies totaling 2.40 carats, with 17 brilliant round cut diamonds, hit $4,025.

Sterling silver pieces really got paddles wagging. Star lots included a figural repousse tankard by Emile Puiforcat of Paris, with a scene showing maidens dancing and playing music in a vineyard, 102.5 troy ounces ($6,612); and a circa 1910 Russian silver figural rhinoceros with diamond eyes by Julius Rappaport, a noted Faberge workmaster, weighing 6.56 ounces ($4,312).

Decorative accessories featured an exceptional American rosewood rococo chevelle dressing mirror with grape carved crest and elaborate legs with carved stretcher ($5,750); a Raoul Larche gilded bronze inkwell depicting a figural nude woman on a rock ($5,750); and a nice triform Daum Nancy cameo cut Dragonfly tray with green and yellow water lilies ($4,140).

Rounding out the day’s top lots: a fully restored 1894 popcorn and peanut wagon made by C. Cretors & Co. (Chicago) changed hands for $14,950; a matching set of 12 chairs from the Renaissance Revival period, including two armchairs, breezed to $7,762; and a set of six figural Stag Russian silver shot glasses, each one 3 inches high and marked “KL,” fetched $4,312.

For more information, or to consign an item, estate or collection, call 413- 448-8922 and ask to speak to John Fontaine. Or, you may e-mail him at info@fontaineauction.com. For more info, log on to www.fontainesauction.net.

Click here to view the fully illustrated catalog for this sale, complete with prices realized.

ADDITIONAL LOTS OF NOTE

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