Bronze polychrome and gilt decorated pedestal urn. Estimate: $4,000-$6,000. Image courtesy of William Jenack Estate Appraisers and Auctioneers. CHESTER, N.Y. – William Jenack Estate Appraisers and Auctioneers will conduct its end of summer sale with on-line bidding through LiveAuctioneers on Sunday, Aug. 22, commencing at 11 a.m. Eastern.
The sale will include a small collection of pocket watches including American Waltham coin silver open-face enamel dial pocket watch, 19th century, a gold-filled hunter case pocket watch with P.S. Bartlett movement, 19th century and many others. The collection of pocket watches was consigned by a descendant of the Frick family.
Notable artwork will be offered, including an oil on canvas by Regis de Bouvier de Cachard (French/California 1929-), Tramontane sur la Gudecca, signed and titled, 1965; George Ferro Legree (French 20th century), oil on canvas, city scene in winter, signed; Rico Tomaso, oil on canvas, a Spanish Beauty, signed; Keith Haring poster, 50th Anniversary of Peter and the Wolf, signed, 1985; Vladimir Cora, ink and watercolor on paper, Senorita por la Calle, No. 1, signed and titled; and several Bruno del Favero paintings, whose quirky works have caught the attention of many buyers.
A collection of 19th-century Victorian furniture including a diminutive medallion-back sofa, transitional Empire sofa, several carved walnut Victorian chairs, wonderful Aesthetic dresser with Chinese influenced design, carved oak hall seat, carved oak bookcase secretary with bonnet door, brass bed and many other pieces will be sold.
The sale will also offer a collection of jewelry featuring an 18K yellow gold compact with a gross weight of 120 grams, 14K white and yellow gold belt buckles, 18K gold and sapphire necklace, 18K gold child’s bangle bracelet, 14K yellow gold snake link bracelet and several more lots of vintage and antique jewelry items.
With the growing Chinese market and economy the demand for Chinese art and decorative accessories has soared. This auction will offer several lots of Chinese porcelain, pottery, jade and scrolls spanning the 18th through the 20th century. Notable lots include a carved jade dragon seal (chop) of the Ching Dynasty; Chinese archaic form carved jade royal seal; Jadeite bead necklace (108 beads); scroll paintings on paper one of a cat with flower, signed Sun Ju Sheng; Falcon, after Lang Shi Ning; a woman with dear, signed Huang Shen and a woman, signed Liu Ji You.
Rounding out the sale will be a collection of rugs, carpets and decorative objects.
For details contact (845) 469-9095 or email kevin@jenack.com.
750 yellow gold mesh design compact with sapphire clasp. $1,500-$2,500. Image courtesy of William Jenack Estate Appraisers and Auctioneers. Bruno del Favero, oil on panel, landscape with train. Estimate: $400-$600. Image courtesy of William Jenack Estate Appraisers and Auctioneers. Chinese carved jade figural seal, Chia Ch’ing. Estimate: $8,000-$12,000. Image courtesy of William Jenack Estate Appraisers and Auctioneers. Regis de Bouvier de Cachard, oil on canvas, ‘Tramontane sur la Gudecca,’ 1965. $700-$1,000. Image courtesy of William Jenack Estate Appraisers and Auctioneers.
MANHEIM, Pa. – Conestoga Auction Co. will sell Rodney “Scott” Sweger’s brewery and whiskey bottle and advertising collection, which took the Holtwood, Pa. resident 35 years to gather. The unreserved auction will be Saturday, Aug. 21, beginning at 9 a.m. Eastern. LiveAuctioneers will provide Internet live bidding.
Consisting more than 800 lots, the collection includes most known Lancaster County brewery bottles. Also included are many large whiskey bottles, script decorated stoneware, wicker-covered and paper-labeled bottles, various flasks and etched shot glasses, bitters bottles, apothecary bottles, back bar bottles, seltzer bottles and milk bottles. Advertising items include trays, calendars, signs, keg tap handles, pocket mirrors, corkscrews, bottle openers and early paper labels.
Among the rare items is a J.A. Sprenger zinc sign, which depicts a gladiator waving an American flag. The sign, 34 inches by 23 1/2 inches, is signed by the Kentucky manufacturer and has a patent date of September 1887. It is estimated at $1,000-$3,500.
Among the early beer bottles is from A. Reinochl, Lebanon, Pa. The cobalt blue applied top squat bottle, 7 1/2 inches high, has a $2,500-$5,000 estimate.
Advertising calendars include one from Sprenger Brewing Co., Lancaster, Pa., 1908 that pictures a beautiful young woman in beach attire, and a 1940 calendar that pictures a toddler with wearing large boxing gloves. Both are estimated at $1,000-$2,500.
For details visit the Web site www.ConestogaAuction.com or call 717-898-7284.
A. Reinochl, Lebanon, Pa., bottle, attic bottle, one of a kind, 7 1/2 inches tall, excellent condition. Estimate: $2,500-$5,000. Image courtesy of Conestoga Auction Co. Wacker Beer, Lancaster, Pa., 1940 calendar, artist signed Adelaide Hiebel, image size 27 3/4 inches by 13 1/2 inches. Estimate: $1,000-$2,500. Image courtesy of Conestoga Auction Co. John Horting half-gallon stoneware jug with blue script marked ‘John Horting, 142 N. Queen St. Lancaster, Pa.’ Estimate: $1,000-$2,000. Image courtesy of Conestoga Auction Co. Sprenger Brewing Co., Lancaster, Pa., 1908 calendar depicting a young lady in beach attire holding a bottle of Sprenger beer, image size 22 1/4 inches by 16 1/4 inches, framed and matted. Estimate: $1,000-$2,500. Image courtesy of Conestoga Auction Co.
Cinematheque Francais, designed by American architect Frank Gehry, holds one of the largest archives of films, movie documents and film-related objects in the world. Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons. PARIS (AP) – It may seem backward to travel to one of the most beautiful cities in the world and sit in the dark.
In Paris, there are seemingly endless rues and quais and museums and cafes to explore, which means visitors often hurry past one of the city’s greatest attractions: its cinemas.
They’re found throughout the French capital – and in particular the Latin Quarter. No city in the world boasts such a bevy of independent theaters, where vibrant repertory series and exciting selections play nightly.
New York might quibble, but most of its independent theaters long ago shuttered. Manhattanites can proudly claim the essential Film Forum, but Parisians can stand on the Left Bank and have nearly a dozen similar options within a five-minute walk.
Spending an entire trip among flickering projections would, of course, be extreme. But it does occasionally rain in Paris and sometimes a cool night at the movies is just the ticket after a day of traipsing around the attractions. And, unlike many destinations in Paris, no one – or perhaps everyone – is a tourist at the movies.
Your first move is to pick up your moviegoing Bible: the weekly Pariscope, which can be had for less than a euro at any newsstand. In it, you’ll find a detailed listing of every showing that week. It’s in French, but addresses, movie titles and show times are easily understood.
A key point: V.O. signifies version original (with French subtitles), whereas V.F. means version francais (dubbed in French). Now, if your French is poor, you are limited to movies in English, but this is only a slight impediment. Great, old American movies are plentiful and the odds are good that at any moment, a flick with Humphrey Bogart or Woody Allen is showing somewhere is Paris. As with jazz, the French are ardent celebrators of American filmmaking.
This is, after all, a birthplace of cinema. Here, it is the seventh art. So some history is in order, which means a trip to the Cinematheque Francaise.
Any film buff is well aware of the Cinematheque’s significance: Formed from Henri Langlois collection in the ’30s, its archives and constant screenings have long served as a kind of home base for Paris’ film scene. Many of the famed directors of the New Wave, like Francois Truffaut and Jean-Luc Godard, gathered here, though you can’t imbibe this history from its original location. It moved in 2005 to a beautiful, curvaceous building designed by architect Frank Gehry on Parc de Bercy in the 12th arrondissement.
Aside from several fine, modern theaters at the Cinematheque, you can also find the Musee du Cinema, which includes some truly magical artifacts from the history of cinema: Louis Lumiere’s 35mm projector, Thomas Edison’s kinetoscope, Robert Wiene’s expressionist sketches for The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, a copy of the robot Maria from Metropolis made for the museum, and much more.
There are also rotating exhibits at the museum, and the collections – film excerpts, stills and props – will surely whet your movie appetite.
Turning to your Pariscope newspaper, the advice is simple: Follow the movies. See what’s playing and go after what intrigues you.
I, for one, generally seek out the great films of the ’40s and ’50s, some of which found artistic renown through the French. The famed French film magazine Cahiers du Cinema, co-founded by Andre Bazin, was essential to trumpeting the artistry of American genre filmmakers like Howard Hawks and Nicholas Ray.
This is one reason Paris may be the best place to see a film noir, in all its black-and-white, moody, fatalistic grandeur. The films might feature fast-talking detectives in Los Angeles, but a film noir feels most at home in Paris.
The selection on any given week in Paris is usually exceptional. A recent week, for example, boasted an Alfred Hitchcock series, a new print of the Clark Gable-Marilyn Monroe film The Misfits (1961), an Al Pacino series, Charles Laughton’s The Night of the Hunter (1955), the fabulous but lesser known noir Fallen Angel (1945), Bogart’s The Enforcer (1951), Robert Mitchum in 1947’s Crossfire, Sydney Lumet’s The Offense (1972), the new, touring print of Michael Powell’s The Red Shoes (1948) and much more.
You’ll quickly notice some differences to the Parisian moviegoing style. Show times are often listed for when the ads and trailers start and for when the film actually begins. Popcorn is not something generally eaten at the art house cinemas: Moviegoing is serious business.
Certain theaters are worth seeking out. Le Champo, on the rue des Ecoles, is perhaps the quintessential Parisian art house cinema. First opened in 1938, its survival has at times depended on the support of protesters refusing to allow closure.
If you don’t like the selections there, you can always try one of the other fine theaters around the block on rue Champollion. Many of Paris’ independent theaters are only a stone’s throw from here, including the nicely programmed Action Ecoles. After a movie at the Champo, walk up the hill for a drink outside at one of the cafes on the pleasant, restful Place de la Sorbonne.
One of the oldest cinemas in Paris is the Studio des Ursulines, near the Jardin du Luxembourg on the rue des Ursulines. It was built on the site of a Ursuline convent from the 1600s, and made into a silent film art house in 1926. It now shows first-run movies, but its plush red interior is hard to beat.
On the Right Bank, Cinema Mac-Mahon will always be dear to me, since it was where I first saw Taxi Driver on the big screen. It sits in the shadow of the Arc de Triomphe, just off the Place Charles de Gaulle.
Studio 28, opened in 1938, is a lovely Montmartre theater and a good destination for Amelie fans. This is the place the beloved film’s heroine frequented, (and she did chomp on popcorn). If you can, time your visit to coincide with sunset, and from the top of Montmartre watch the lights turn on across Paris as the city dims.
There are other unique theaters, too, like the Pagoda on the rue de Babylone in the 7th arrondissement. True to its name, it’s styled after a Japanese temple. If you want a more modern view of Parisian moviegoing, try one of the MK2 theaters. The MK2 Bibliotheque at the Francois Mitterand National Library on the Quai de Seine, has 14 theaters and a futuristic vibe.
The Grand Rex is a movie palace built in 1932 and its main auditorium can seat nearly 3,000. The biggest theater in Paris, it’s a common spot for flashy premieres, so the selection is typically first-run films. Its exquisite Art Deco design gives it a fantastical aura, like a grand, fairy-tale cinema.
All of these theaters beam out wondrous films every night. As you exit to the street rubbing your eyes, you might think that the best part of all about moviegoing in Paris is that the city awaiting you outside is hardly less of a dream than the movies.
___
If You Go…
CINEMATHEQUE FRANCAIS: Parc de Bercy. 51 rue de Bercy, 12th arrondissement: http://www.cinematheque.fr/
LE CHAMPO: 51 rue des Ecoles, 5th arrondissement: http://www.lechampo.com/
STUDIO 28: 10 rue Tholoze, 18th arrondissement: http://www.cinemastudio28.com/
Max Factor’s 1932 so-called beauty calibrator looks like a prop from a Universal Studios monster movie. The only one in existence today, the device has an $85,000-$100,000 estimate. Image courtesy of Super Auctions. HUNTINGTON BEACH, Calif. – Super Auctions, on behalf of Hollywood Entertainment Museum, will present the Max Factor Salon Collection on Saturday, Aug. 28. The auction will consist of 175 lots related to the name synonymous with Hollywood makeup. LiveAuctioneers will provide Internet live biding.
The auction catalog states, “During Hollywood’s golden age, 97 percent of all film personalities wore Max Factor makeup and wigs.”
In 1908 Russian immigrant Max Faktor moved to California to supply cosmetics and hairpieces to the motion picture industry. In 1914 he convinced silent film comedians Charlie Chaplin, Buster Keaton and Fattie Arbuckle to try his brand of greasepaint. From this point Max Factor’s career took off.
A one-of-a-kind piece in the auction is a “Beauty Calibrator” designed by Factor in 1932. Super Actions’ catalog explains that “it combined scientific analysis, phrenology and cosmetics for this face measuring device, which revealed that the ‘perfect face’ was a myth and enabled Hollywood make-up artists to quickly pinpoint facial corrections that had to be made on some of the screen’s legendary beauties.” The rare device, which covers the subject’s face and head, is expected to sell for $85,000-$100,000.
The auction will include vintage advertising and images of many of Hollywood’s most famous leading ladies.
The auction will begin at 10 a.m. Pacific. For details call 714-535-7000.
Before Americans loved Lucy’s TV series, Lucille Ball was a Hollywood starlet in the 1940s. This 8-inch by 10-inch negative pictures Miss Ball in an advertisement for Max Factor makeup. It has a $75-$250 estimate. Image courtesy of Super Auctions. Hollywood legend Joan Crawford inscribed this 8-inch by 10-inch negative, "To Max Factor a Great Artist." The image has a $250-$700 estimate. Image courtesy of Super Auctions. Max Factor, famous for developing makeup for the movie industry, is pictured in an original self-portrait. The 23-inch by 33-inch framed portrait has a $1,500-$3,000 estimate. Image courtesy of Super Auctions. Another bizarre device from the Max Factor Collection is this "Kissing Machine," which was also used for Red Hot Chili Peppers’ Greatest Hits album cover in 2003. With noted damage, the Kissing Machine has a $25,000-$55,000 estimate. Image courtesy of Super Auctions.
Copper and brass lightship beacon with fresnel glass lens, hinged and vented top, triangular protective glass panels, 49 inches tall, 20 inches in diameter, estimate: $8,000-$12,000. Image courtesy of Kaminski Auctions
BOSTON – Ship ahoy! Kaminski Auctions announces its August Nautical and Antique Auction, which will be conducted Saturday, Aug. 28, and Sunday, Aug. 29. The sale features a wide selection of fine art, antiques, fine furnishings and a large collection of maritime antiques from across New England. LiveAuctioneers will facility Internet live bidder for the sale, which takes place under the tent at Kaminski Auctions, 564 Cabot St. in Beverly, Mass.
Bidding commences at 11 a.m. on both days and auction previews are scheduled Tuesday-Friday, Aug. 24-27, from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. and on the mornings of the sale beginning at 8 a.m.
Highlighting the sale’s maritime offerings is a fleet of museum quality cased ship models. Included in this collection is a circa 1978 model of Corona de Espana (est. $5,000-$10,000), a model of the presidential steam yacht Mayflower (est. $5,000-$7,000) and a circa 1980 model of the HMS Endeavor (est. $5,000-$7,000). Each of these high-quality pieces features fine details including scaled lifeboats, rigging, polished decks and hand-painted accents. In addition to these stunning ship models, the sale also includes shadow boxes, pond yachts, telescopes, marine paintings and charts.
A copper and brass lightship beacon ($8,000-$10,000) is also offered. The beacon features a fresnel glass lens, a hinged and vented top and triangular protective glass panels. Standing at 49 inches tall, this highly polished piece is sure to garner attention.
A wide selection of jewelry highlight’s Sunday’s auction. A platinum eternity band set with a total of 7 carats of Asscher cut diamonds (est. $12,000-$15,000) is the sale’s top jewelry lot. Additional jewelry includes a platinum, diamond and 3.06-carat ruby ring (est. $12,000-$15,000) and a graduated white South Seas pearl necklace ($8,000-$12,000).
Gearheads will rev up at the chance to bid on a 1978 Harley Davidson motorcycle (est. $12,000-$15,000). The motorcycle, a 75th Anniversary Edition Electro Glide, boasts a four-speed frame with extended wheelbase and low seating position. In running condition, the motorcycle has been expertly restored and is road-ready.
“Our summer nautical auctions definitely resonate with our North Shore audience,” said Frank Kaminski, owner of Kaminski Auctions. “We’ve seen a vast amount of new consignments come in over the past months, nautical and otherwise, many of which were discovered at our weekly free appraisal Tuesdays.”
For details visit www.KaminskiAuctions.com or call 978-927-2223.
Early 20th-century ship’s binnacle by Kelvin, Bottomley and Baird Ltd. of Glasgow and London, highly polished top and varnished base, 59 inches, estimate: $4,000-$6,000. Image courtesy of Kaminski Auctions Circa 1978 ship model of Corona De Espana, built by Maurice Bexgneux, 47 inches long by 42 inches high, estimate: $5,000-$10,000. Image courtesy of Kaminski Auctions Model of the presidential steam yacht Mayflower, 50 inches long by 15 inches wide by 55 inches high, estimate: $5,000-$7,000 Image courtesy of Kaminski Auctions Two J class yachts shown in tacking position under full sail with crew on deck, oil on canvas, signed lower right ‘D. Tayler,’ mounted in wood and gesso frame, 36 inches by 48 inches sight size, 46 inches by 58 inches frame size, estimate: $3,000-$4,000. Image courtesy of Kaminski Auctions
The 1926 Model T Roadster sports later leather upholstery, whitewall tires and two-tone paint. It has had only two owners. Image courtesy of Austin Auction Gallery. AUSTIN, Texas – Two antique vehicles – a 1926 Model T Ford roadster and an early 1900s vis-à-vis carriage – are expected to get good mileage leading up their sale at Austin Auction Gallery’s Summer Auction on Sunday, Aug. 22. LiveAuctioneers will provide Internet live bidding.
“The Model T is exciting because the consignor purchased it from the original owner,” said Ross Featherston, president of Austin Auction Gallery. In running condition, this Model T has seen light use in parades. It carries a $15,000-$20,000 estimate.
The vis-à-vis carriage is thought to have been made in Nappannee, Ind., because it is marked “Menno L. Kuhne,” a well-known buggy maker there.
“It’s like many of the carriages used in the wedding trade. We’re hoping one of those venues takes an interest in it,” said Featherston.
The white carriage is 92 inches high, 112 inches long and 63 inches wide. It carries a $4,000-$6,000 estimate.
Sterling silver in the auction will include an unusual and ornate silver water pitcher by Sanborns, International Royal Danish flatware and Towle D’orleans flatware.
Fifteen lots of G. Harvey limited edition prints, mostly Western themed, will be sold. “They’re highly collectible and affordable, considering his original works bring six or seven figures,” said Featherston.
Five Bill Mack (American, b. 1949) relief sculptures of nudes have estimates of $1,000-$2,500 apiece.
Contemporary collectibles include an estate collection of more than 30 Giuseppe Armani sculptures including large and retire pieces. Llardro and Royal Doulton figures will also be sold.
Additional items in the sale are African tribal statues including two ivory pieces, decorative bronze figures, British Colonial campaign furniture, a huge wooden chandelier, Waterford crystal lamps and stemware, fine jewelry, antique swords, and Chinese scroll paintings.
Featherston noted that Chinese scroll paintings have been selling well recently. “If you’re from China you’re buying back the things you sold us in the last 100 years,” he said.
Jewelry is highlighted by a fine 14K white gold, diamond and ruby bracelet composed of 11 faceted rubies enclosed by approximately 3.85-carats of round diamonds. The bracelet has a $4,000-$6,000 estimate and is accompanied by U.S. Gemological Laboratory Gem ID card.
The auction will begin at 1 p.m. Central.
For details visit www.austinauction.com or call the gallery at 512-258-5479.
"Menno L. Kuhne, Nappannee, Indiana" is marked on the vis-à-vis horse-drawn carriage, which has facing passenger seats. The early 1900s carriage has a $4,000-$6,000 estimate. Image courtesy of Austin Auction Gallery. A matching Renaissance Revival sofa and armchair are attributed to John Jelliff & Co. (New Jersey, 1836-1890). The two-piece parlor set has a $2,000-$4,000 estimate. Image courtesy of Austin Auction Gallery. Eleven faceted rubies weighing approximately 27.50 carats adorn this 14K white gold bracelet, which has a $4,000-$6,000 estimate. Image courtesy of Austin Auction Gallery. Bill Mack’s bonded bronze sculpture ‘Fascination’ is 32 inches high by 59 1/2 inches by 8 inches deep. It is an artist proof, no. 15 of 25, and has a $1,500-$2,500 estimate. Image courtesy of Austin Auction Gallery.
The top lot of the sale was this Washington Chief Gasoline double-sided porcelain sign, which sold for $20,900. Image courtesy of Matthews Auctions LLC. DES MOINES, Iowa – An outstanding 72-inch Washington Chief Gasoline double-sided porcelain sign with full Indian headdress profile for a graphic climbed to $20,900 at an auction conducted Aug. 6 by Matthews Auctions LLC. The sale coincided with the final day of the 2010 Iowa Gas Show and featured Internet live bidding through LiveAuctioneers.com.
The Washington Chief sign was the top lot of the more than 500 lots of petroliana – gas and oil signs, globes, cans and a collection of rest room signs – that changed hands that day. Headlining the sale were three major collections, consigned by Ray and Mary Sue Seider of California, the late Ace Feeks of Oregon and Ron Ueberhein of Lincoln, Neb. Other consignments were also featured in the auction.
“Petroliana and automobilia are alive and well as collectibles, particularly gas and oil signs,” said Dan Matthews of the Nokomis, Ill.-based auction company. “Globe prices were a little depressed and oil cans just held their own, but overall the auction was a big success. In fact, it was our largest one-day sale ever,” he said, adding that Internet bidding via LiveAuctioneers.com was very brisk.
All prices quoted from the auction include a 10 percent buyer’s premium.
The second top lot of the day was a rare Ace High & Wil-Flo Motor Oil porcelain thermometer, 38 inches tall by 8 inches wide. It went for $13,200. A pair of lots flirted with the $10,000 mark but fell just short. One was a Hood Tire Man with straight bow tie single-sided tin die-cut sign, which rolled to $9,900. The other was a nice Associated Gasoline “More Miles to the Gallon” single-sided porcelain sign, which reached $9,350.
A Dodge-Plymouth double-sided porcelain neon sign sold at $7,425; a Goodrich Safety Tires single-sided porcelain sign with Mountie logo, $6,600; a Hood Tire Dealer Man with straight tie single-sided porcelain die-cut sign, $5,500; a Red Hat Motor Oil Gasoline double-sided porcelain sign, $5,225; and a St. Helens Gasoline double-sided porcelain sign, $5,280.
A Mobiloil Marine double-sided porcelain sign with Pegasus graphic, 30 inches, garnered $4,400; a Little Bear Gasoline gill single lens in a gill glass globe body changed hands for $4,675; a Clipper with airplane image 15-inch single-lens in metal globe body coasted to $4,400; and a Red Rooster Fruit & Produce single-sided porcelain sign with great graphic, 36 inches, sold for $4,950.
A Richfield Richlube Motor Oil double-sided porcelain sign with open-wheel race car graphic, 24 inches, breezed to $4,675; a Veltex Company Fletcher Oil single-sided porcelain truck door sign, 18 inches, peaked at $4,400; a United Motor Service single-sided porcelain counter-top or window neon sign hit $4,950; and a Pure Lighted identification sign with two 48-inch lenses made $3,850.
A Mobil Pegasus cookie-cutter single-sided porcelain die-cut sign, 69 inches by 92 inches, earned $4,125. The same amount was realized for a Mobil Pegasus two-piece cookie-cutter single-sided porcelain sign; a Mohawk Gasoline 15-inch single lens in a metal globe body attained $3,850; and an RPM Motor Oil “A Knockout For Winter” one-sided tin sign with Donald Duck graphic fetched $3,850.
To learn more about Matthews Auctions visit www.matthewsauctions.com or call 217-563-8880.
Two-piece, early 19th-century fall-front desk with bookcase top and inlaid conch in the drop. Image courtesy The Specialists of the South Inc.
MARIANNA, Fla. – A major on-site auction featuring items from the estate of the Floye E. Brewton, 2006 Citizen of the Year in Marianna and former owner of the 1840 House Antique Shop there, will be conducted Saturday, Aug. 28, by The Specialists of the South Inc. LiveAuctioneers will facilitage Internet live bidding.
The sale will be conducted at 4359 Lafayette St. (U.S. Route 90) in Marianna, a town located along Interstate 10 in the Florida panhandle. The house is just one of many historic properties that Brewton bought and renovated during his long and fruitful life. It is known as the McKinnon House.
Brewton was originally from McDavid, Fla., but he adopted Marianna as a second home. He went there in the early 1980s to build a hotel on property he purchased near the interstate, but a dilapidated train depot caught his eye while he was in town.
The depot was identical to the one he remembered as a boy growing up in Florida, and seeing it in a deplorable state motivated him to want to save and restore it. And that’s what he did. But he didn’t stop there. Over the next couple of decades, Brewton purchased and renovated many other historic properties.
By the time he died in March, Floye Brewton had become one of Marianna’s most beloved citizens. Now, many of the items he acquired for his home and business will be available to the highest bidder. Also selling that day will be five storage units filled with Continental antiques that have been kept in a climate-controlled environment for five years.
Furniture items will include a 20th-century corner cabinet with string inlay, several French-style bombe commodes, an outdoor patio set with heart-shaped Gothic design, an 11-foot by 16-foot floral Kerman Karastan rug in the #747 pattern, and a tapestry piece from one of the storage units with a figural landscape design.
Artwork will include oil portraits of Fisher Gleason (1790-1846) and Sally Harley Gleason (1792-1853), thought to be the great aunt and uncle of Walter Cronkite, in wide gilt frames; a plaster cast plaque in Classical motif of a mother and child with cherub, 28 inches in diameter; and an oil on canvas of Walter Jacob Robinson (1820-1890) in an ornate gilt frame.
Other art will include four framed architectural engravings by Deneufforge, tagged original prints, Paris, circa 1900; a pair of metal sculptural “Wildcats” signed by T. Cartier, both 19 1/2 inches tall; a bronze scalloped vide-poche depicting sea gods, signed G. Michel, 10 1/2 inches tall; an original charcoal work by Alice Louella Fidler; and a watercolor by W. McGrath.
Orientalia will feature a pair of blue and white 19th century-style Chinese vases and a late 19th century-style Southern Chinese marriage chest, wood, with red and black lacquer and gilded carved inserts with figural motifs. Silver will include a Gorham flatware set in the Strasbourg pattern, and a repoussé sterling flatware set, 61 1/2 troy ounces, and a Reed & Barton carving set.
Decorative accessories will include an outstanding Federal three-arm girandole 19th-century mirror in a gilt wood and gesso frame with convex mirror surmounted by a carved spread eagle, spelter figurines, cloisonné, a trumeau-style mirror, a Victorian fire screen with carved pierced crest and tapestry inset, and a wonderful hand-painted ceramic desk set stamped “Orlik, Germany.”
Lamps and lighting will illuminate the saleroom. Expected top lots include a pair of candelabra with prisms and marble bases, a nice wooden floor lamp with a grid shade and a gorgeous lamp with a camel base.
Additional furniture includes a Federal-style oval table by Johan Tapp marked “707 1/2,” a refectory table with side and armchairs, a gold velvet tufted-back sofa, a marquetry top table with ormolu and a Victorian marble-top dresser with secret drawer.
The live sale will begin at 9 a.m. Central with a preview scheduled for 8 a.m.
For details visit the Web site www.SpecialistsoftheSouth.com or call 850-785-2577.
Federal three-arm girandole 19th-century mirror in a gilt wood and gesso frame with convex mirror. Image courtesy The Specialists of the South Inc. Trumeau-style mirror with period print after a painting by French artist Jean-Honore Fragonard. Image courtesy The Specialists of the South Inc. Mahogany 19th-century inlaid hunt board table with secret compartment. Image courtesy The Specialists of the South Inc. Bronze scalloped vide-poche figural work depicting sea gods, signed G. Michel. Image courtesy The Specialists of the South Inc.
Approximately 100 gold thimbles will be sold in multiple lots. The thimble on the left is by Simons Brothers and features five engraved stars, each containing a pearl-like stone. Image courtesy of Jeffrey S. Evans & Associates. MOUNT CRAWFORD, Va. – Jeffrey S. Evans and Associates’ auction Aug. 28 will feature the sewing collection of the late Fern I. Hill of Beaver, Pa. LiveAuctioneers will provide Internet life bidding.
Mrs. Hill was a charter member of Thimble Collectors International and this auction includes her extensive and significant collection of over 3,000 antique and contemporary thimbles, of which approximately 100 are gold and 1,150 are sterling silver.
The sale will begin at 9:30 a.m. Eastern with the sale of an excellent reference library on sewing collectibles.
Additional sewing-related material includes thimble cases and holders, work boxes, reel stands, figural needle cases and tape measures, chatelaines, sewing kits, sewing machines, a wide assortment of other needleworking tools, Tartanware, vegetable ivory, bone/ivory, enamel and sterling, Unger Brothers, and Tiffany & Co.
This auction will also feature a large collection of 19th-century and 20th century women’s accoutrements and objets d’art including hatpins, hatpin and stickpin holders, over 100 beaded and mesh purses, all types of small silver objects, poesy holders, pungent and scent bottles, a wide assortment of dresser articles, small boxes, porcelain half dolls and , vintage costume jewelry.
For details contact Jeffrey S. Evans & Associates at 540-434-3939.
A Russian silver and niello cigarette case from the turn of the 20th century is decorated with a winter troika scene. Bearing a stamped city hallmark and Cyrillic letter maker’s mark, the case carries a $100-$200 estimate. Image courtesy of Jeffrey S. Evans & Associates. Two Stuart Tartanware sewing containers (right), a pincushion and a spool holder, comprise lot 206. Also pictured are a thimble holder, included in lot 207, and a J. Duff Tartanware spool container, lot 204. Image courtesy of Jeffrey S. Evans & Associates. A collection of Victorian tussie mussie poesy holders will be sold at Jeffrey S. Evans & Associates’ auction Aug. 28. Provenance: Provenance: Hilda Fried estate, New York City. Image courtesy of Jeffrey S. Evans & Associates.
The Old Man of the Mountain rock formation, which collapsed in 2003, is not pinpointed on Charles Hitchcock’s giant relief map of New England. Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons. DURHAM, N.H. (AP) – The Old Man of the Mountain is gone for good, but 30 other fallen New Hampshire mountaintops have been restored – on a massive, historic relief map that captures northern New England’s geology and geography in vibrant colors that literally pop off the wall.
Geology professor Wally Bothner and a team of University of New Hampshire students spent the last year repairing and repainting the 12-by-16-foot wood and plaster map created in the late 1800s by Charles Hitchcock, one of New Hampshire’s first state geologists. The results of their painstaking work – which included replacing the top of Mount Washington and other peaks that had broken off over the years – are now on display at UNH’s James Hall, where the map soars over a staircase beneath a skylight specially designed to highlight its colors while protecting it from sun damage.
Bothner hadn’t done any restoration work beyond refinishing some antiques and fixing up an old house when he took on the project. But the timing was right: He had just retired, and the map was going to be taken down while James Hall underwent extensive renovations.
“It was going to be moved out, and there was some question as to what its future was going to be. So we just sat around the table and said, ‘Let’s get it fixed,’” Bothner said. “You just bite the bullet and say, I don’t know how to restore anything but I’m willing to learn.”
The map was removed in three sections and taken to a former warehouse for the restoration. Bothner and his team cleaned it, scraped off loose paint, rebuilt the peaks and valleys with pine and putty, smoothed the rough edges and covered the surface with artists’ gesso so the new paint would bind properly. They then carefully masked each town boundary line and painted the map using a color scheme Bothner said both represents Hitchcock’s original and is compatible with modern maps.
Weighing nearly 1 1/2 tons, the restored map covers Vermont, New Hampshire and the western edge of Maine. It features bright swaths of nearly 40 different colors representing different types of rocks. Red and pink hues denoting granite are spread across New Hampshire, while much of Vermont is covered in blues and greens representing softer varieties. Geographic features include the boundaries and names of nearly 570 towns, the major roadways of the 1870s and New Hampshire’s largest lake, which was then spelled “Winnipiseogee” instead of the current “Winnipesaukee.”
Hitchcock, who had served as state geologist in Maine and Vermont before coming to New Hampshire, was paid $200 to produce the map, according to UNH. After a decade spent traveling the region, he worked on it between 1871 and 1890 at Dartmouth College, where he was a professor.
“What impresses me most is the accuracy. Mount Washington is where Mount Washington is. Tuckerman Ravine is cut in. … Monadnock and Kearsarge stand out in just the right place, in the shapes that you would expect,” Bothner said. “There’s some detail, certainly, and there are some tributaries that are missing, of course, but it was an absolutely phenomenal accomplishment to characterize the topography and the geology so well.”
The map was moved from Dartmouth to UNH in 1894 and was repainted in 1933. In 1966 it was moved to the basement of James Hall, where it fell into disrepair and was even marred by graffiti as students marked their hometowns.
In completing the restoration, Bothner’s team resisted the urge to go beyond the original and mark landmarks such as the Old Man of the Mountain, the profile-shaped rock formation that tumbled from Franconia Notch in 2003, or the Statehouse, or UNH.
“After a while it would be just a pincushion,” he said. “And a lot of those things aren’t Hitchcock. We really want to represent what he saw.”
David Wunsch, the current state geologist, said Bothner and his team did an outstanding job preserving an amazing piece of work.
“When you consider that Hitchcock toured the state and did the entire map of the state of New Hampshire … back in the horse and wagon day, to have that detail and to find out now when we’ve got much better technology that he was pretty close in his determinations is really an amazing feat,” he said.
In addition to being useful to UNH students, Wunsch said he hopes the public will view the map and think about how different types of rocks affect the shape of the land.
“It gives people a feel for how the landscape looks and how it relates to geology,” he said. “When you drive your same route to work or whatever, you might never look at it quite the same because you realize, wow, that hill right there is a giant intrusion of granite.”
Copyright 2010 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
