BUFORD, Ga. – Like many American folk artists, Edgar Tolson (1904-1984) would only achieve fame late in life after a fortuitous ‘discovery’ of his works as part of the Johnson Administration’s 1960s War on Poverty, which attempted to help raise the standard of living for those in the Appalachian areas of the eastern United States.
Born in rural Kentucky and receiving only an elementary school education, Tolson would become a carpenter and would father 18 children. He dabbled in carving, but after a stroke sidelined his professional career in 1957, he began his artistic endeavors full-time. Tolson labored in obscurity until his works were noticed by Ralph Rinzler, founder of the Smithsonian Folklife Festival. After Tolson’s carvings went on display in 1971, he was immediately approached by art dealers who wanted to represent him, and his career thrived for the remainder of his life.
The Crucifixion, circa 1973, is a classic Tolson piece focused on Christian themes, and is considered the better of two versions that are known to exist. Slotin Folk Art Auction estimated the piece at $10,000-$15,000. The lot began at $2,500 and after dozens of bids, finally hammered at $46,000, or $57,500 with buyer’s premium.
SUDBURY, Mass. – Freemasonry has been a part of America since its founding, with leaders such as George Washington, Benjamin Franklin and scores of those living in the colonies being members of the Masonic order. Masonry dates to the 15th century, but flourished in the 17th and 18th centuries on both sides of the Atlantic.
In those times, joining a Masonic lodge was considered a stepping stone to civic involvement and success. No doubt that was the case for Eliakim Morse (1712-1803), a member of a respected family in Medfield, Massachusetts and successful enough that his home still stands in that city, more than 200 years after it was built.
At some point in his Masonic membership history, Morse was awarded this medal, or ‘mark jewel.’ Made of Colonial American silver, it features amazingly detailed engravings of Masonic symbols such as the all-seeing eye (as featured on the $1 bill), the letter G and the square and compass. There are Latin phrases, such as (translated) silence, good manners and brotherhood, in a nod to Masonic insistence on member secrecy with regard to outsiders.
Appearing at auction only 17 miles from Morse’s home, with provenance by descent from the Morse family, the medal was estimated at $800-$1,200 by Tremont Auctions but hammered at $5,000, or $6,350 with buyer’s premium.
COPY GOES HERE
COPY GOES HERE
PITTSBURGH, Penn – Created in the late 1920s by Spanish aeronautical engineer Juan de la Cierva (1895-1936), the autogiro entered service in the late 1930s. Always keen to keep up with the latest in military technology, a 1:32 scale model was one of the last new designs produced by the Britains toy factory in London before it was mothballed following the outbreak of the Second World War.
None of the several variants are easy to come by, but the November 10-11 sale at Old Toy Soldier Auctions included boxed examples of two different models the factory produced in 1939-40.
Set 1392 is the Cierva C30 Autogiro, a civilian craft painted blue with cream detailing and the number G-ACIN. Considered ‘very good’ with a box that was described as ‘fair,’ it hammered for $2,100 and sold for $2,688 with buyer’s premium.
Rarer still is set 1899, essentially the same model painted with the livery of the U.S. Army Air Corps. Cierva autogiros were made under license in the U.S. by the Kellett Autogiro Company and a few served in the U.S. Air Force heading into WWII. Only a handful of these models are known – even playworn examples can bring close to $500 – with this one rated very good in a good box. Estimated at $3,500-$5,500, it hammered for $9,000 and sold for $11,520 with buyer’s premium.
EDINBURGH, U.K. – The artist of this 1898 oil titled Sidi is Paul Friederich Meyerheim (1842-1915), a German painter who chose animals as a subject after visiting the new Berlin Zoological Gardens as a boy. Martin Lichtenstein, the zoo’s founder, was so taken with his talent he allowed him to access some of the areas typically restricted to staff.
This painting of a black poodle shows Sidi impishly holding an early lawn tennis racquet in its jaws. Dated 1898, the canvas was exhibited the following year at the Kunst-Ausstellung in Berlin, in a show Meyerheim helped organize.
In the world of canine art, sentiment plays a significant part, and this picture certainly has the all-important ‘ahh’ factor. The most eagerly-contested lot in Bonhams’ Dogs in Art sale in Edinburgh on November 8, it hammered for £40,000 and sold for £51,200 ($64,200 with buyer’s premium) against an estimate of £6,000-£8,000.
