Tom Hoepf, Author at Auction Central News

Luminous pearls light up the jewelry market

These antique platinum brooches are set two large pearls, each over 9 mm, surrounded by diamonds. The dazzling pair sold in Skinner’s Sept. 14 Fine Jewelry sale for $13,035. Image courtesy of Skinner Inc.

Lustrous in appearance and smooth to the touch, pearls top collectors’ wish lists because they are perfect for any occasion. Gloria Lieberman, head of Skinner’s jewelry department, sums it up: “Pearls are always correct. When you don’t know what to put on, you put on pearls.”

Pearls transcend politics as well. Both Michelle Obama and Cindy McCain wore pearls when they accompanied their husbands on the 2008 campaign trail. In the past two years, Mrs. Obama has made them a favorite fashion accessory in the first lady’s wardrobe.

Over 500 years ago, pearls were an important part of the treasure found in the Americas by the first explorers. Christopher Columbus discovered an abundant source off the coast of Venezuela in 1498.

From England to Russia, European royalty had a voracious appetite for the seaborne gems. News of an American pearl supply was greeted with enthusiasm back home, in part because it freed jewelers from their previous dependence on imports from Asia.

The most famous American pearls received special titles. “La Peregrina” – discovered off the coast of Panama or Venezuela in the mid-1500s – ended up in the Spanish royal treasury. A suitable match was found and the two pearls were made into earrings for the queen.

This tale is only one of the fascinating historical vignettes related in Tiffany Pearls (Abrams 2006), an excellent reference by John Loring, now design director emeritus of the famous jewelry firm. One illustration is the famous circa 1588 portrait of Elizabeth I of England. Large pearls outline her famous red hair, decorate the royal robes, and hang in multiple ropes around her neck.

In an interview before his retirement, Loring said, “When people see those historic portraits in museums of women covered with pearls, they think they are Oriental pearls, but they’re not – they’re American. Pearls enjoyed enormous popularity with painters because they were really the only gem that a painter could render accurately.”

He continued, “Pearls through much of their history were more highly prized than diamonds, so people took remarkable care of them. Queen Elizabeth II still wears some of the Hanoverian pearls from time to time. The Pope gave them to Catherine de’ Medici when she married the Dauphin who became Henry II, and she then gave them to Mary Queen of Scotts, who sold them to Elizabeth I.”

Leslie Field devotes an entire chapter to England’s royal pearls in her 1987 book on The Queen’s Jewels: The Personal Collection of Elizabeth II. The young Princess Elizabeth wore a pearl necklace – a gift from her father King George VI – when she married Prince Philip in 1947. The monarch has continued to favor pearl jewelry throughout her long reign.

During the 18th and 19th centuries, American women were particularly fond of jewelry set with hundreds of tiny seed pearls. The Peabody family pearls, now in the Peabody Essex Museum in Massachusetts, include a floral necklace, earrings, and multiple brooches made in 1845.

In an 1861 photograph by Matthew Brady, Mary Todd Lincoln is wearing a set of seed pearl jewelry purchased by Abraham Lincoln from Tiffany’s. This image and many others appear in the pearl chapter of Martha Gandy Fales’s definitive reference Jewelry in America, 1600-1900.

“Pearls traditionally were associated with purity and love,” she writes, and then continues, “Sets of seed-pearl jewelry, imported from England or made in America, became fashionable as wedding gifts to brides.”

This country’s fascination with pearls continued into the 20th century. Certainly no grand dame’s outfit was complete without waist-length strands of natural pearls. In 1902, Tiffany sold oil and railroad magnate Henry Morrison Flagler a notable pearl necklace for the then unheard-of price of $2 million, about $40 million in today’s dollars.

Pearls changing hands still make headlines. Designer Calvin Klein purchased pearls for his wife, Kelly, at the 1987 sale of jewels owned by the Duchess of Windsor. Twenty years later the Klein pearl collection sold at Sotheby’s New York for almost $5 million.

The pearls of Anna Thomson Dodge, who married into the auto family, were sold at Bonham’s in December 2008 for $600,000. Created by Cartier circa 1920, the three-strand necklace was composed of 224 pearls.

In March of this year, Skinner’s sold a double strand necklace of 154 semi-baroque pearls with a diamond clasp for $88,875 and a single strand for $71,100. Gloria Lieberman pointed out, “We had some very pretty natural pearls from old families, and the market is very heated for those things. Anything that’s a natural pearl just flies. The value depends on the quality, the size and the luster – how beautiful they are, how they reflect light. A beautiful natural pearl reflects light differently; it has a lot of depth.”

She continued, “One of the things we shouldn’t forget, in the first decades of the 20th century, we begin to see some wonderful cultured pearls. We just had a double strand in a sale we sent off to GIA [Gemological Institute of America] to have them tested to see if they were natural or not, we couldn’t tell. They were really that lovely.”

The perfection of the cultured pearl process is often credited to Japanese entrepreneur Kokochi Mikimoto. Pearls are created when the oyster coats a foreign irritant with layers of lustrous nacre. Pearl production can be encouraged by introducing irritants into the oyster’s insides. Lieberman added, “And of course the longer they left the pearls in the oyster, the thicker the nacre and the more lustrous the pearl.”

Whether natural or cultured, pearl quality and size determine the value. Lieberman says, “We see a lot of natural pearls that are small graduated strands from 3 mm to 7 mm. Once you get into a 4 mm to 9 mm, the price jumps.”

Lieberman has no trouble picking a favorite pearl lot in past auctions. In March 2000, Skinner sold a late 19th-century Tiffany brooch for $60,500 with buyer’s premium. The piece was designed by one of the firm’s most famous artists, Paulding Farnham, who enjoyed mixing pearls and gems of various shades.

“The brooch was made in the Indian style, very maharajah looking. There was a hot pink sapphire in the center, and it had natural colored pearls in different shades and colored diamonds. Paulding designed using nature’s palette,” she said.

Although Tiffany had many of the designer’s drawings for jewelry, the whereabouts of this particular brooch were unknown until it surfaced in the Skinner sale. Tiffany purchased the rediscovered work, and it appeared as the back cover image on the reference Paulding Farnham: Tiffany’s Lost Genius by John Loring (2000).

ADDITIONAL IMAGES OF NOTE

Found in varying shades of pink, conch pearls are formed naturally in the shell of the queen conch, which is found in the Florida Keys and Bahamas. A necklace, featuring 19 graduated conch pearls spaced with diamonds, sold in March for $51,000. Image courtesy of Skinner Inc.

Designed by Salvador Dali and executed by jeweler Henry Kaston, this 18-karat gold 'Lips' brooch sold for $13,035 earlier this year. Noting that poets dream about ruby lips and teeth like pearls, Dali turned the fantasy into reality. Image courtesy of Skinner Inc. — Designed by Salvador Dali and executed by jeweler Henry Kaston, this 18-karat gold ‘Lips’ brooch sold for $13,035 earlier this year. Noting that poets dream about ruby lips and teeth like pearls, Dali turned the fantasy into reality. Image courtesy of Skinner Inc.

This antique double-strand natural pearl necklace with diamond clasp came from noted jeweler Black, Starr & Frost and sold in March for $88,875. Image courtesy of Skinner Inc.

American Arts & Crafts metalworker Edward Oakes often used pearls in his jewelry designs. This gold cross by set with vivid green tourmalines and pearls brought a strong $34,075 in 2007. Image courtesy of Skinner Inc.

Once known only from the artist’s drawings, this Tiffany brooch designed by Paulding Farnham in the late 19th century is set with colored pearls and gemstones. Skinner sold the work back to the Tiffany archives in 2000 for $63,000. Image courtesy of Skinner Inc.

Rosseau, Wyeth paintings were on point at Brunk sale, Sept. 11-12

This Rosseau painting, ‘End of a Perfect day, Allen’s Flag and Queen, 1923,’ was acquired by Samuel Allen directly from the artist. It brought $75,000, topping the high side of its $40,000/$60,000 estimate. Image courtesy of Brunk Auctions.

ASHEVILLE, N.C. – “It is more difficult to paint dogs than men,” said Percival Leonard Rosseau (American, 1859-1937). His hard work with nervous hunting dogs paid off Sept. 11-12 at Brunk Auctions.

The first hunting dog painting by Rosseau was A Tripple Point: Bob, Prince and Ned 1924. The oil on canvas featured two dogs, Bob and Ned, that were favorites of railroad industrialist Samuel G. Allen, Rosseau’s benefactor and quail hunting partner. Signed lower right, the painting opened at its $35,000 reserve and sold within estimate to a phone bidder for $46,000 (all selling prices include a 15 percent buyer’s premium).

A few moments later, Rosseau’s End of a Perfect Day, Allen’s Flag and Queen, 1923 did even better. The signed oil on canvas opened at its $40,000 reserve and sold within estimate for $75,000.

The dog in A.B. Frost’s watercolor Summer Woodcock was unnamed, but that detail did not keep bidders from this remarkable painting. Scribners used this original watercolor for its series Shooting Pictures published in 1895. The 14” X 22” watercolor opened at $12,000 and sold to the phones for $55,200. A.B. Frost was noted for his illustrations for authors Joel Chandler Harris and Lewis Carroll and for Life magazine.

The star of the two-day auction emerged four lots later. Unlike Percival Rosseau, Andrew Wyeth (1917-2009) had no trouble painting men or women. Two of his lifelong friends, Milton Teel and Maine fisherman Walt Anderson posed for Shore Pine, his 1939 watercolor over pencil on paper. The painting was a gift to the consignor in 1955 and has been in a private collection ever since. The $60,000 opening bid was followed by vigorous telephone, absentee, Internet and floor bidding. Shore Pine sold for $117,300 (est. $60,000/$90,000).

Southern furniture was especially plentiful at the September sale and finished strong. Two full pages in the 336-page catalog were devoted to a very fine Southern desk and bookcase from Charleston, S.C., in the late 18th century. The 70 1/2” X 43 1/4” X 23 1/4” desk bookcase was distinguished by its elaborate inlay and highly figured mahogany veneers. Its feet were fully inlaid, a rarity in extant 18th century Charleston case goods. The desk bookcase opened at its $50,000 reserve and sold within estimate for $86,250. The consignor, York Place, a residential treatment facility for children and adolescents in York, S.C., was founded as an orphanage in Charleston in 1850. The proceeds from the sale of the desk/bookcase will help the nonprofit continue to serve young people in need of psychiatric hospitalization.

Inlays were delicate and elaborate on a single-case construction corner cupboard attributed to Shenandoah County, Va., 1800-1820. Its broken-arch pediment, tympanum, paneled doors, pilasters and skirt were all inlaid. The 93 1/2” X 51” X 23 1/4“walnut and yellow pine cupboard had descended in the Scott family of Virginia and was photographed for Antiques, The Magazine in 1954. The cupboard opened quickly at its $10,000 reserve. It sold to a Southern collector in the gallery for $35,650 (est. $15,000/$25,000).

In the top section of a walnut chest attributed to Rowan County, N.C., are two short drawers and one single deep drawer with false double front. Two long drawers were below. The 1800-1820 chest rested on a frame with shaped skirt, cabriole legs and trefid feet. It opened at $5000 and sold for $19,550 (est. $5000/$10,000).

It was hard to overlook the Herter Brothers inlaid cabinet from the 1870s. At 87 1/4” wide, it commanded the back left of the auction gallery. With original gilt and ebonized surface, a painted and gilt classical figure in the cabinet doors, pierced skirt, boldly carved paw feet and an impressed “Herter Bro’s” signature, the cabinet opened at its $12,000 reserve. Its selling price of $69,000 more than doubled the high estimate.

“European furniture has been particularly strong of late,” said Auctioneer Robert Brunk. The best example of that trend was an 18th century Continental Baroque secretary, believed to be Italian. In heavily figured walnut, burlwood and other fruitwood veneers with a single arched and glazed door in the upper case and three serpentine drawers below, it opened at a modest $1000. But it’s how they finish that counts and that was $18,400 (est. $2000/$4000).

In 2003, an 18th-century table with a micro-mosaic top by Giacomo Raffaelli (1753-1836) sold at Brunk Auctions for a record $400,000. At the September sale, Brunk offered another Raffaelli, a micro-mosaic bird in a tree. “It was an exceptional object,” said Robert Brunk. Signed, dated (1793) and inscribed, the tiny (2-5/8” diameter) framed bird opened at $2000 and sold for $10,350 (est. $3000/$6000).

For the past two years, some of the seemingly lesser Chinese and Japanese lots have attracted bidders willing to pay prices that are far above expectations. Two cases in the September sale validated that trend. A Chinese 48” X 27” textile panel from the 18th or 19th century with an estimate of $400-$800 sold for $9200. The panel was one of 12 Chinese items consigned by the estate of Florence Ueltzen of Fort Mill, S.C., Ueltzen was the owner of Fu-Ming-Fair, a Camp Hill, Pa, retail shop. An 11 1/2” Yuhuchunping cobalt blue porcelain vase from the Chinese, Guangxu period (1875-1908) that was expected to bring $2000/$4000 sold for $25,300.

The two-day, 1473-lot sale grossed $2.33 million including buyer’s premium. For more information, visit www.brunkauctions.com or call 828-254-6846.

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

ADDITIONAL LOTS OF NOTE

Standing 70 1/2 inches and 43 1/4 inches deep, this massive late 18th century Charleston desk and bookcase was recently conserved by David Beckford of Charleston, S.C. In highly figured mahogany veneers and elaborate inlays, this important piece of Southern furniture sold for $86,250 (est. $60,000/$90,000). Image courtesy of Brunk Auctions.

From a private collection in Tryon, N.C., this 86 1/2-inch X 34 1/2-inch X 22-inch two-part Continental secretary surprised many when it sold for $18,400, over four times its high estimate. Image courtesy of Brunk Auctions.

‘An exceptional object,’ was how Robert Brunk described this tiny micro-mosaic bird in a tree by noted Italian mosaicist Giacomo Raffaelli. It sold for $10,350 (est. $3000/$6000). Image courtesy of Brunk Auctions.

On the base of this 11 1/2-inch cobalt blue glazed Chinese vase that brought $23,300, is a six-character Guangxu mark. This vase brought $25,300. Image courtesy of Brunk Auctions.

One of the last items in the two-day sale, this 48-inch X 27-inch textile panel demanded near universal attention when it rose from a $300 opening bid to $9200. Note the pair of mandarin ducks swimming among lotus blossoms and the honeycomb border. Image courtesy of Brunk Auctions.

Gray’s Auctioneers to lead with furniture, decorations Sept. 30

Carved animals and stylized foliage cover this Gothic Revival carved oak cabinet on chest, which was made in the early 1900s. It is 100 inches high, 56 inches wide and 23 inches deep. It has a $1,000-$1,500 estimate. Image courtesy of Gray’s Auctioneers.

CLEVELAND – Gray’s Auctioneers will conduct its Fine Furniture and Decorations Auction on Thursday, Sept. 30 beginning at 1 p.m. Eastern. The auction features 276 lots with a concentration of English and American furniture produced in the 19th and early 20th centuries. LiveAuctioneers will provide Internet live bidding.

The sale will open with a stunning and rare Gothic Revival carved oak cabinet on chest. With carved animals and stylized foliage throughout, it features two sets of turned columns and beautifully carved animal motifs on two panel doors. This lot is estimated conservatively at $1,000-$1,500. Other furniture of particular interest include four finely carved mid-20th century pieces by Fundacao that include an Empire-style rosewood and gilt bronze writing table and a pair of Louis XVI-style mahogany marble-top and gilt bronze mounted console tables.

Outstanding among the decorative arts is lot no. 100, an extraordinary Rococo Revival bronze wall-mounted fountain. A beautiful blue-green patina enhances the stylized dolphin, shell and frog motif. It is estimated at $3,000-$5,000.

Among the finest of the rugs to be auctioned is lot no. 205, an early 20th-century wool Farahan Sarouk. Its overall floral pattern is complemented by mounted and standing figures woven in deep reds and soft blues.

Adding a touch of delicacy to the auction is lot no. 103, a striking pair of Continental carved ivory figures dressed in 17th-century fashion.

As Gray’s Auctioneers enters its fourth year, owner Deba Gray anticipates that the fall season will be an exciting one for auctions in general. Fine Furniture and Decorations is Gray’s 37th auction.

Auctions are held live monthly in Gray’s auction showrooms in Cleveland.

For details visit www.graysauctioneers.com or call 215-458-7695.

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

Made in the 20th century, this Empire-style rosewood and gilt bronze writing table is stamped ‘FUNDACAO, R.E.S.S. and has a $2,000-$4,000 estimate. Image courtesy of Gray’s Auctioneers.

Designed to mount to a wall, this Rococo Revival bronze fountain is 25 inches high, 34 inches wide and 13 3/4 inches deep. It has a $3,000-$5,000 estimate. Image courtesy of Gray’s Auctioneers.

Dressed in 17th-century fashion is a pair of Continental carved ivory figures that date to the 18th or 19 century. The 7-inch-tall figures have a $1,500-$2,500 estimate. Image courtesy of Gray’s Auctioneers.

Whittaker Collection puts spotlight on Sheppards Irish Auction, Sept. 28-29

Frederik Ebbesen Grue (American, 1951-1995), still life of Chinese vases, figure and fruit, signed oil on panel, inscribed verso: ‘The Arbour Collection,’ 36 inches by 29 1/2 inches, est. $19,888-$33,146. Image courtesy of Sheppards Irish Auction House.

DURROW, Ireland – Anyone reading the auction catalog for Sheppards Irish Auction House’s sale Sept. 28-29 will notice it is titled The Collection of Roger Whittaker, and will wonder, ‘Is that THE Roger Whittaker, and what has happened to the popular singer-songwriter who has sold millions of albums worldwide?’

The 74-year-old entertainer is alive and well, according to his official Web site, and has even booked a concert tour of Germany in March. Yet Whittaker and his wife, Natalie, like many couples their age, have decided to downsize.

Fine antiques and collectibles will be sold by Sheppards on Tuesday, Sept. 28, and Wednesday, Sept. 29, starting at 10:30 a.m. local time (5:30 a.m. Eastern) both days. LiveAuctioneers will provide Internet live bidding.

Some lots have obvious ties to Whittaker’s adopted home, including a death mask of Irish poet and novelist Patrick Kavanagh (1904-1967) by Irish sculptor Seamus Murphy. Mounted on a mahogany inverted cavetto plaque, the mask is one of three in existence. It has an estimate of $3,977-$6,629.

An important Irish 19th-century carved mahogany side table, more than 9 feet wide, centered by a cartouche depicting an easel with canvas, books, musical instruments, a sculpted bust and a Roman villa, is expected to sell for more than $19,000.

A George III period Irish pier mirror, 64 inches high by 37 1/3 inches wide, also has a $1,000-$33,150 estimate.

Paintings will include three still life works by California artist Frederik Ebbesen Grue (1951-1995), each with $19,888-$33146 estimates.

Whittaker’s upbringing in Kenya is reflected in a pair of bronze cheetahs he commissioned. Each seated in an upright position, the big cats are 40 inches tall and have a $6,630-$10,600 estimate.

Wildlife artist Ian Coleman’s signed oil on canvas, dated 2001, of two cheetah looking at a tortoise, 34 inches by 48 inches, has a $8,030-$12,050 estimate.

Relating to Whittaker’s music career is a Taylor limited edition six-string guitar, number 17 of 100, which was crafted circa 1991. It carries a $1,060-$1,590 estimate.

Among the estate jewelry in the auction is an 18-karat gold Jaeger Le Coultre reverso wristwatch with crocodile skin band and original box. This fine timepiece in the original box has a $3,977-$6,630 estimate.

The auction will be conducted at Sheppards Irish Auction House galleries at Durrow, County Laois, 90 minutes southwest of Dublin.

For details e-mail Michael Sheppard at info@sheppards.ie

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

Death mask of Irish poet and novelist Patrick Kavanagh by Seamus Murphy (Irish, 1907-1975), dated 1967, mounted on a mahogany inverted cavetto plaque, one of three in existence, 10 3/4 inches high, est. $3,977-$6,629. Image courtesy of Sheppards Irish Auction House.

Important set of 10 Chippendale-style dining chairs by Weir and Hamilton, circa 1900, by appointment to her Majesty Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother, each with an armorial inverted arched paneled back, est. $10,606-$15,909. Image courtesy of Sheppards Irish Auction House.

E. Ferrarini, bust of a young woman wearing a veil and a lace bodice, 22 1/2 inches high, est. $3.977-$6,630. Image courtesy of Sheppards Irish Auction House.

Nineteenth-century mahogany breakfront bookcase with three arched glazed doors, 91 1/2 inches high by 84 inches wide, est. $6,630-$10,606. Image courtesy of Sheppards Irish Auction House.

Rare Taylor limited-edition guitar, 17/100, six string, San Diego mother of pearl inlaid turtle motif, circa 1991, est., $1,060-$1,590. Image courtesy of Sheppards Irish Auction House.

Curtain to rise on cinematic collection at Mid-Hudson Auction, Sept. 26

Signed ‘Oliver Hardy’ and ‘Stan Laurel,’ a photo postcard of the comedy team is considered rare. The 3-inch by 5-inch French sepia-tone print carries a $600-$800 estimate. Image courtesy of Mid-Hudson Auction Galleries.

NEW WINDSOR, N.Y. – Mid-Hudson Auction Galleries will raise the curtain on Part VII of the Gene Andrewski Collection of Cinema and Rare Books on Sunday, Sept. 26, at 2 p.m. Eastern, The auction will include movie posters, lobby cards, autographs and photographs by the Hollywood celebrity photographers including Hurrell, Clarence Sinclair Bull, Otto Dyar, Willinger and Anita Harriet Louise. LiveAuctioneers will provide Internet live bidding.

Featured in the sale is an original MGM Wizard of Oz dialogue script ($800-$1000) and a four-page handwritten love letter from Judy Garland to Frank Sinatra on Garland embossed stationery, circa 1949 ($1,000-$2,000).

A collection of rare books from the Andrewski library will be auctioned first at 2 p.m.

Gene Andrewski was introduced to classic literature at age 7 by his mother. He would become the first managing editor of The Paris Review working alongside George Plimpton and others. A first edition of Dashiell Hammett’s Thin Man, New York, 1934, with dust jacket will be one of the highlights. It has a $200-$300 estimate.

Preview will be the day of the sale from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the auction site, 179 Temple Hill Road, New Windsor, N.Y., Suite 100B.

For details visit www.midhudsongalleries.com or call 914 882 7356.

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

‘Think about me because I shall be thinking of you always,’ wrote Judy Garland in this love letter sent to Frank Sinatra. The handwritten four-page letter on Garland’s personal stationery has a $1,000-$2,000 estimate. Image courtesy of Mid-Hudson Auction Galleries.

A shooting script of the 1939 MGM film ‘The Wizard of Oz’ is nearly complete at 107 pages. It has an $800-$1,200 estimate. Image courtesy of Mid-Hudson Auction Galleries.

Director William Wyler signed this title card for his 1955 film ‘The Seven Year Itch’ starring Marilyn Monroe and Tom Ewell. It has a $100-$200 estimate. Image courtesy of Mid-Hudson Auction Galleries.

A Joan Crawford autograph accompanies this George Hurrell glamour portrait of the Oscar-winning actress. The photograph measures 10 inches by 13 inches. The estimate is $300-$400. Image courtesy of Mid-Hudson Auction Galleries.

A first edition in dust jacket of Dashiell Hammett’s detective novel ‘The Thin Man’ has a $200-$300 estimate. Image courtesy of Mid-Hudson Auction Galleries.

Estates, institutions contribute to Pook & Pook’s fall wrap-up, Oct. 2

John George Brown (American, 1831-1913), oil on canvas, titled ‘The Monopolist,’ signed lower right, 24 inches by 36 inches, $35,000-$55,000. Image courtesy of Pook & Pook Inc.

DOWNINGTOWN, Pa. – On Oct. 2, Pook & Pook will host the second day of its fall catalog auction. The auction will encompass a myriad of objects to include fine art, American and Continental furniture, carpets, jewelry, American Indian artifacts and decorative accessories. Items from five educational institutions together with estates including H. Richard Dietrich Jr. of Chester Springs, Pa., Naomi David of York, Pa., Anna Deisher of Bowers, Pa., The Stottlemyer Homestead of Frederick, Md., and others will be sold. LiveAuctioneers will provide Internet live bidding.

The sale will begin at 9 a.m. Eastern on Saturday with 50 lots of fine art. On the cover of the catalog is a scene of three waifs by artist John George Brown (American 1831-1913). The painting, titled The Monopolist, depicts the boy seated in the middle with a cookie and pastry, the other two looking longingly on. It has a $35,000-$55,000 estimate. Four oil on canvas paintings by Yarnall Abbott (American 1870-1938) are from the William L. Clements Library at the University of Michigan. All are scenes from the New England shore, one titled Dry Dock Rockport and another Stone Cutting Halibut Point. From the Stottlemeyer Homestead comes a grouping of Impressionist landscapes and cityscapes by Edgar Hewitt Nye (District of Columbia, 1879-1943). A preliminary pencil sketch for work done at East Point Lighthouse, New Jersey, by Andrew Newell Wyeth is estimated at $5,000-$10,000. Several other examples of American art include an oil on board by William Aiken Walker, a coastal scene by Arthur Quartley, an interior scene depicting a Revolutionary War soldier bidding farewell to his wife by Jennie Augusta Brownscombe and a scene titled Little Nell and her Grandfather by Eugene Meeks. An oil and mixed media on board by Guatemalan artist Elmar Rojas (est. $4,000-$6,000) will attract attention. Other works include a landscape depicting Emperor Franz Joseph by Wilhelm Gause, an oil on panel of children playing by Giovanni Constantini, a still life by Hugo Charlemont and an interior scene attributed to Enoch Wood Petry.

Two 18th-century chairs will draw the attention of collectors, museums and dealers. An important Chester County, Pa., walnut wainscot armchair descended in the Lewis family and has a provenance of Titus Geesey, who purchased it in 1932. This chair has a boldly scroll-cut crest rail, arched panel back, exquisitely shaped and incised arms and turned front legs. Two similar chairs are in the collection at Winterthur and pictured in Forman’s American Seating Furniture 1630-1730. The chair in the Pook & Pook Inc. auction is expected to bring $75,000-$150,000). The other outstanding chair is a rare Chippendale carved mahogany hairy paw foot easy chair attributed to Charlestown, S.C., circa 1755. The front legs have extensive foliate c-scroll and bellflower carving with boldly carved hairy paw feet (est. $150,000-$350,000). Both of these chairs are considered important pieces of American furniture.

Thirteen tall-case clocks will cross the block during the session. A Philadelphia Federal mahogany example inscribed “Johnston & Lewis” has a broken arch bonnet and ebonized columns. A Chippendale walnut clock with a scalloped door and ogee bracket feet by John Michael of Hanover, Pa., and a Fredericktown, Md., clock inscribed “John Fesler” with a moon phase and French feet are two of the other examples.

Other interesting furniture items include a Philadelphia Federal mahogany canopy bed (est. $8,000-$12,000), a salmon grained Pennsylvania semi-tall chest (est. $6,000-$9,000), a Connecticut Queen Anne cherry highboy, circa 1765 (est. $5,000-$10,000), a pair of satinwood card tables (est. $4,000-$8,000) and a rare Baltimore Hepplewhite mahogany hunt board with paterae inlays (est. $4,000-$8,000).

Included in the sale are many fine objects from the estate of Aline B. Klussman of York, Pa. One of the highlights is a Lancaster County, Pa., dower chest dated 1794 attributed to the Compass Artist. The lid and façade are decorated with ivory tombstone panels featuring pinwheels and tulips on a red ground. This chest represents one of five known by this artist and is presently the only red example. It originally came from the collection of George E. von Nieda of Womelsdorf, Pa.

Much of the jewelry in the sale also comes from this estate. Sure to bring out the bidders is a platinum, diamond and emerald bracelet (est. $6,000-$8,000), a platinum and diamond engagement ring, Cartier rings and brooch, and several heavy gold charm bracelets. Other items from the Klussman estate are a pair of Isphahan carpets with wild animals and central sun medallions, a set of four China trade gouache on paper scenes of porcelain manufacturing, a Federal walnut tall chest and a Pennsylvania walnut slant-front desk.

A large group of American Indian artifacts from a Pennsylvania educational institution will be offered. This is the second collection of this material that Pook & Pook Inc. is selling, the first being a successful offering in June. These items include flint spades and spearheads, banner stones, ax heads, discoidals, plummets, pendants, catlinite pipes, slate bird stones and chert blades.

Contributions from nine estates represent a wide variety of goods. A group of silver from the estate of Diana Lucas, New England furniture and accessories from the estate of Gail Knapp, Dentzel carousel figures from the estate of Naomi David, wrought iron from the Dietrich American Foundation and furniture and accessories from the estate of H. Richard Dietrich Jr. are in the lineup.

Outstanding pen wipes from the well-known collection of Edwa Wise are worth noting. These ornate, whimsical pieces of folk art vary from a large pig to a mother and her pups to heart in hands and peacocks. A Hickory Dickory Dock mouse leather and felt wipe and a large turtle with penholder are great examples, together with an elaborate pen wipe with five birds perched atop heart petals.

A California textile collector is offering her fine group of chintz, Mennonite and appliqué quilts, and a Maine collector is offering a group of Worcester porcelain.

The accessory category is loaded with an assortment of diverse lots including Georgian knife boxes, painted folk art boxes, mirrors, Chinese export, Gaudy Dutch, weather vanes, Oriental rugs, redware, miniature stoneware and weaponry.

For details on this second catalog sale go to www.pookandpook.com or call (610) 269-4040.

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

Unusual star variant chintz quilt, late 19th century, with center and corner crewel needlework floral panels with triple chintz border, 75 inches by 78 inches, est. $500-$1,000. Image courtesy of Pook & Pook Inc.

Pair of English Adams satinwood card tables, circa 1790, each with a rectangular top with ovolo corners and burl veneer edge over a conforming frame with drawer supported by square tapering legs with painted bellflower chains, 29 1/2 inches high by 36 inches wide, $4,000-$6,000. Image courtesy of Pook & Pook Inc

srcset= — Carved and painted carousel giraffe, probably from the Dentzel workshop, circa 1900, 71 inches high, est. $5,000-$10,000. Image courtesy of Pook & Pook Inc.” title=”>Carved and painted carousel giraffe, probably from the Dentzel workshop, circa 1900, 71 inches high, est. $5,000-$10,000. Image courtesy of Pook & Pook Inc.” class=”caption” width=”530″ height=”669″ />>Carved and painted carousel giraffe, probably from the Dentzel workshop, circa 1900, 71 inches high, est. $5,000-$10,000. Image courtesy of Pook & Pook Inc.

Pennsylvania late Federal mahogany tall-case clock, circa 1830, inscribed ‘Johnston & Lewis, Philadelphia,’ the broken arch bonnet enclosing an eight-day works with painted face over a case with ebonized columns and turned feet, 103 inches high, est. $3,000-$5,000. Image courtesy of Pook & Pook Inc.

Main Street Waterloo seeks dealers for new Iowa antique show

WATERLOO, Iowa – Main Street Waterloo is seeking dealers for a new antique and collectors show, entitled At the Crossing Antique Fair. The show will take place Saturday, Oct. 16 at the downtown 5 Sullivan Brothers Convention Center from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Admission is $3 per person, children 13 and under will be admitted free.

Main Street Waterloo invites visitors to travel back to a time when Waterloo was called Prairie Rapids Crossing, when all roads led to Waterloo to cross the Cedar River.

As part of the antique fair, Sherryl Newton, GIA Graduate Gemologist and longtime doll collector, will be appraising showgoers’ jewelry and dolls for only $5 an item.

“I’m a trained gemologist, and my family owned jewelry stores all over Iowa for over 60 years. I have also collected dolls since the early ’80s,” said Newton.

Contracts for participating at the show can be downloaded at www.mainstreetwaterloo.org or by contacting the Main Street Waterloo office (329 E. Fourth St.) at 319-291-2038.

Proceeds from the antique fair will help support Main Street Waterloo, a private-public partnership dedicated to the revitalization of the city’s downtown center utilizing the Main Street approach.

Waterloo became a Main Street community in 1996, when Cedar Skyline Corp., the UpDowntowners, Waterloo Downtown Council, and the Waterloo Redevelopment Authority were combined into a single entity under the umbrella of Main Street Waterloo. Main Street Waterloo is an affiliate of the Main Street Iowa program, using the National Main Street Center’s “Four Point Approach” to downtown revitalization. The program stresses a public-private partnership and is utilized by nearly 2,000 communities in 42 states. Using this approach, 33 Iowa downtowns are working to strengthen the overall social and economic health of their central business districts, and re-establish their commercial districts as the community focal point and center of activity. Main Street Waterloo receives its funding from donations, rents collected, grants, sponsorships and revenue from events.

Gallery Report: September 2010

A first English edition of Gerard Mercator’s Atlas, 1636, sold for $25,380 at a Fine Books & Manuscripts Auction held Aug. 12 by Leslie Hindman Auctioneers in Chicago. Also, a three-volume first printing of the book set Lewis & Clark, History of the Expedition … to the Sources of the Missouri went for $46,350; a collection of antiquarian maps and atlases (including a first state of Henricus Hondius, Nova totius terrarum orbis, 1630, hit $6,344; and a handwritten Royal Naval Academy manuscript, circa 1800, made $3,904. Prices include a 22 percent buyer’s premium.

Kovels – Antiques & Collecting: Week of Sept. 20, 2010

Louis Wain designed this ‘Futuristic Cat’ planter. It is marked ‘Imperial Amphora, Austria.’ The 11-inch planter sold at a Rago Arts auction in Lambertville, N.J., for $6,100.

Surveys show that pictures of cats are more popular than pictures of dogs or horses. So it is not surprising that ceramic cats are popular with collectors. A famous illustrator of the 1880s named Louis Wain created popular scenes of anthropomorphic kittens and cats. The cats did human things like walk on their hind legs, dress up in human clothes or play games like golf. But Wain became mentally ill, and soon his cats became strange and even threatening. They had huge eyes, wild fur or square robot-like shapes. If you took an abnormal psychology course in the 1950s, you might have been shown pictures of the early sweet, cuddly kittens and the later frightening, malicious cats. It was suggested that Wain’s schizophrenia became more serious as the cats became less lovable. Today that theory is in doubt, but his many disturbing pictures and figurines of cats remain popular with collectors. Recently one of Wain’s futuristic cat figures sold for $6,100. His early illustrations and pictures on postcards sell for $5 to $100 each.

Q: A metal tag on the bottom of my wooden side table says it was made by Brandt Furniture of Hagerstown, Md. The top is octagonal and the four legs are convex — they curve outward from the top, then in again near the floor. Can you tell me when it was made and what it’s worth?

A: Brandt was originally in business in Hagerstown from 1901 to 1985. (A small group of former employees bought the company and reopened it in 1986; that company still is in business.) The nontraditional style of your table’s legs indicates it probably was not made early in the 20th century. Its value also depends on condition. If it’s in great shape, you might get $100 or more for it.

Q: I have a Stevens “49er” toy cap pistol in its original box. The cylinder revolves when the trigger is pulled. It was made by the J.&E. Stevens Co. of Cromwell, Conn. Does it have any value?

A: J.&E. Stevens Co. was founded by John and Elisha Stevens in 1843. The company is best known for its mechanical banks, but it also made cast-iron toys, hammers and hardware. “Firecracker” pistols were first made in 1859, and by 1928 cap pistols were the only toys J.&E. Stevens made. Early models were made of cast iron. The company closed during World War II because iron was scarce. After the war, Stevens made die-cast cap guns. Buckley Brothers bought the company in 1950. Cap guns gained popularity after World War II, when there were numerous TV shows featuring pistol-packing cowboys, cops and robbers, and other characters. Your cap gun probably was made in the late 1940s or early 1950s. Since May 5, 1989, any toy gun that’s shaped like a real gun and is sold in the United States must be brightly colored or have a bright orange tip over the muzzle. This helps prevent confusion with the real thing and an accidental shooting by a police officer. The only exception to the law is for guns used only in theatrical performances, movies or TV shows. In perfect condition, your cap gun could be worth $360.

Q: I have a printed picture of an old local brewery that made beer about 1905. It is a large (4 feet by 3 feet) color picture showing brewery buildings with smoking chimneys, horse-drawn carts on the streets and a few trees. Is it valuable?

A: Old color lithographed signs are selling for high prices. If your sign is in good condition, with few tears, creases or stains, and has not been trimmed, it could be worth more than $1,000. Collectors like large, attractive signs that picture events, buildings or people that obviously are from an earlier time. The name of a well-known brand of beer or a company with a local history gives added value. So does a picture of a flag, train, ship, attractive woman or historic event. Your poster shows buildings to impress customers with the stability of the company. The smoking chimneys prove people are working in the plant. Today it would be bad form to advertise with a billowing smokestack, but it was admirable 100 years ago.

Q: Could you please help me identify the maker of my small cast-brass tray? It’s 6 1/2 inches square and very heavy. The central figure in the cast design is a spread-winged grouse. The piece is marked on the back, “Copyright 1948, Grouse” alongside a monogram that looks like VM above a C topped by a flagpole. Any information you can give me would be appreciated.

A: The monogram on your plate was used by a Virginia Metalcrafters, which was in business in Waynesboro, Va., from 1890 to 2005. The company was founded as W.J. Loth Stove Co. and originally made cast-iron stoves and wood and coal heaters. It entered the giftware business in the late 1930s at around the same time it started using “Virginia Metalcrafters” as a trade name. By the early 1950s, the company was making licensed souvenirs for Colonial Williamsburg, Mount Vernon, Monticello and other historical museums. When the company was sold in 1953, the new owner changed its name to Virginia Metalcrafters. Some sources say the grouse dish was made from a mold designed by artist Oskar Hansen, who sculpted the winged figures on Hoover Dam. Your plate would sell for about $50.

Tip: Check the insurance coverage for your collections. Prices have gone down for some things, you may have new collectibles you bought this year or you may no longer own some of the items you originally listed. And some insurance companies will now “bundle” insurance for pieces of jewelry and other household items. Bundling should save you money.

Terry Kovel answers as many questions as possible through the column. By sending a letter with a question, you give full permission for use in the column or any other Kovel forum. Names, addresses or e-mail addresses will not be published. We cannot guarantee the return of any photograph, but if a stamped envelope is included, we will try. The volume of mail makes personal answers or appraisals impossible. Write to Kovels, Auction Central News, King Features Syndicate, 300 W. 57th St., New York, NY 10019.

CURRENT PRICES

Current prices are recorded from antiques shows, flea markets, sales and auctions throughout the United States. Prices vary in different locations because of local economic conditions.

Kool Cigarettes counter-display hanger, glossy two-sided illustration of Kool penguin with open parachute, die-cut flexible plastic, 1950s, 6 x 7 1/2 inches, $85.
Cat in the Hat talking doll, plush body, vinyl head, red fabric bowtie, red-and-white tall hat, Mattel, 1970, 24 inches, $100.
Joe DiMaggio glass, “Official All American Baseball Team,” logo on side, dates 1839-1939 on one side, “Baseball Centennial” on other, facsimile signature of Joe, 4 3/4 inches, $125.
Little Shoppers board game, 24 two-sided cardboard markers representing a variety of products, four players in Victorian outfits, Gibson Game Co., patented 1915, $205.
Yellow Kid stickpin, embossed brass, painted accents, holds newspapers under one arm, a satchel in other, blue eye dots, white buck teeth, large ears, circa 1896, 2 inches, $215.
Chinese Export tankard, blue and white, cylindrical body, twisted handles, leafy foliage by coastal landscape, 1800s, 5 inches, $240.
Cow Jumped Over the Moon cookie jar, flicker-flasher center of smiling moon with surprised look, figural cow lid, American Bisque Co., 1940s, 7 x 10 3/4 inches, $415.
Edwardian cut glass apothecary dispenser vase, arched lattice band over the word “Paris,” panel-cut cover, finial, brass spigot, 1825, 25 inches, $650.
Toy 1958 Oldsmobile two-door sedan, lithographed interior, red and white, chrome sides, tin, friction, Yonezawa, 5 inches, $1,500.
American Aesthetic folio cabinet, inlaid and ebonized, shaped crest, circular boss, gallery sides, slant lid, sliding shelves, open compartments, square feet, 1890, 57 x 25 inches, $1,555.

Kovels’ American Collectibles, 1900 to 2000 is here. It’s the best guide to your 20th-century treasures — everything from art pottery to kitchenware. It’s filled with hundreds of color photographs, marks, lists of designers and manufacturers and lots of information about collectibles. The collectibles of the 20th century are explained in an entertaining, informative style. Read tips on care and dating items and discover how to spot a good buy or avoid a bad one. And learn about hot new collectibles and what they’re worth so you can make wise, profitable decisions. The book covers pottery and porcelain, furniture, jewelry, silver, glass, toys, kitchen items, bottles, dolls, prints and more. It’s about the household furnishings of the past century — what they are, what they’re worth and how they were used. Available at your bookstore; online at Kovels.com; by phone at 800-303-1996; or send $27.95 plus $4.95 postage to Kovels, Box 22900, Beachwood, OH 44122.

Need more information about collectibles? Find it at Kovels.com, our website for collectors. Check prices there, too. More than 700,000 are listed, and viewing them is free. You can also sign up to read our weekly Kovels Komments. It includes the latest news, tips and questions and is delivered by e-mail, free, if you register. Kovels.com offers extra collector’s information and lists of publications, clubs, appraisers, auction houses, people who sell parts or repair antiques and much more. You can subscribe to Kovels on Antiques and Collectibles, our monthly newsletter filled with prices, facts and color photos. Kovels.com adds to the information in our newspaper column and helps you find useful sources needed by collectors.

Long-missing bronze salmon returns to Eugene, Ore.

An example of 20th-century sculptor Thomas Hardy’s work is ‘Garanuk,’ a stylized African antelope. Image courtesy of O’Gallerie, Portland, Ore., and LiveAuctioneers archive.

EUGENE, Ore. (AP) – After nearly 50 years a salmon has made its way home.

This one’s made of metal and was swiped from a downtown sculpture in 1961 as a prank by University of Oregon students. It was torn off the iconic bronze salmon sculpture in the downtown Park Blocks fountain at East Eighth Avenue and Oak Street almost a half-century ago.

Jane Harrison, a Eugene resident, read in the newspaper about the fountain sculpture being renovated and decided it was time to return the fish. Harrison says a college friend of her ex-husband took the fish and gave it to him.

“He said they were out partying,” Harrison recalled. “They ‘rorked’ the fish off.”

They in turn gave it to her mother in Coquille who kept it in her garden for years. While helping clear out her mother’s house last year, Harrison spotted the fish.

Harrison’s act has prompted the city to offer amnesty through Oct. 8 to anyone who turns in pilfered artwork, including other fish broken off the fountain sculpture.

It was 1961 and the elaborate and impressive artwork by Thomas Hardy, a University of Oregon graduate and internationally renowned sculptor, had only been in the fountain for two years, since the Park Blocks were constructed in 1959.

The alleged friend (whom Harrison would not finger) and others apparently had been drinking that night when they wrenched off and stole one of the 100 or so bronze salmon from the almost 19-foot-long sculpture.

Asked if maybe this was just a wild (fish) tale she was telling to cover her own long-ago crime, Harrison, who retired in 2001 as principal of Kelly Middle School, laughed and said no.

“I’ve ‘rorked’ other things, but not that one,” she said.

“Why (the friend) gave it to my ex-husband, I have no idea,” said Harrison, standing in Steve Reinmuth’s Bronze Studio in west Eugene, where Reinmuth has spent the past month refurbishing the late Hardy’s piece. He plans to reinstall it this week.

Harrison read about the renovation project and how for the second time in its life the sculpture had fallen into disrepair, and that Reinmuth had been hired to fix and refinish it this time since Hardy is no longer living.

A University of Oregon student at the time, Harrison and her ex were living in an apartment on Ferry Lane in 1961. They didn’t have the bronze fish in their possession for very long before they gave it to Harrison’s mother in Coquille. She put it next to a fountain in her garden, where it stayed until last year.

Harrison’s mother died in 2001, but her husband, Harrison’s 97-year-old stepfather, was still living there last year and gathering things to move into an assisted living center, when Harrison spotted the bronze fish in an empty planter box.

She thought the poor fish needed to come back to Eugene. So she brought it back with her. And when Harrison read about the renovation of the sculpture last month, she found Reinmuth’s Web site and sent him an e-mail wondering whether any fish were missing from the sculpture.

About five have disappeared over the years, actually, said Isaac Marquez, the city’s public art program manager.

“We were always told it was the lead fish (on the sculpture),” Harrison said.

Actually, the lead fish has been just fine all these years, said Reinmuth, who found a broken weld on the sculpture where he reattached the piece Harrison gave him. It’s a different color, a lighter shade, than the other pieces, he said.

“It’s been in a different environment,” Harrison said.

The salty sea air in Coquille would have had a different effect on the bronze over five decades, Reinmuth said.

“Fish out of water,” he said.

“I’m just glad that it’s back where it belongs with the rest of the fish.”

___

Information from: The Register-Guard,

http://www.registerguard.com

AP-WS-09-17-10 1803EDT

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