Stories for May '14
(Issue Story)Dealer-Auctioneer Cille Blackwood's Papers Go to Harvard
Cille Blackwood (1929-1981), when she was Cille March, circa 1950.
A Blackwood & Company auction. The runner to the right of the desk and about to help hoist it is Cille’s second son, Bill Blackwood. Today he is a builder living in Newbury, Massachusetts.
Bob Coviello said of Blackwood, “She was the ... (Read More)
|
(Issue Story)Exhibitions
Maine Antique Digest includes, as space permits, brief announcements of exhibitions planned by galleries, museums, or other venues. We need all press materials at least six weeks in advance of opening. We need to know the hours and dates of the exhibit, admission charges, and phone number and Web site ... (Read More)
|
(Feature)The Ivory Mess
Editorial
“I’m making sure that piano is gone,” an auctioneer said, pointing to an antique Steinway before a sale. We had asked what the effect of the presidential executive order banning the sale of ivory had been. The auctioneer added that he was taking no ivory consignments until the law was ... (Read More)
|
(Issue Story)Letter from London
Ian McKay, [email protected]
As I filed this copy in the last week of March, the London season had yet to get into full swing, but in addition to my report on the eclectic Stanley Seeger sale that was such a huge success for Sotheby’s during the first week of March, I ... (Read More)
|
(Fragment)Barn Star Productions Makes Changes for Its New Hampshire Antiques Week Shows
Frank Gaglio’s Barn Star Productions has changed the timing of its events during Antiques Week in New Hampshire in August.
The MidWeek Twilight Tuesday Antiques Show will be open on Tuesday, August 5, from 1 to 7 p.m. and continue on Wednesday, August 6, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., at ... (Read More)
|
(Feature)Dealer Wins Judgment in Lawsuit Filed over Missing Painting and Lost Potential Profits
Ellsworth Woodward (Louisiana, 1861-1939), oil on canvas, 20" x 15", estimated at $15,000/25,000, sold for $21,510 but still hasn’t been found.
A court in Louisiana has given an art broker a profit on a painting that she won at auction but never received and never sold.
In October 2013 the Civil District ... (Read More)
|
(Issue Story)John Hunt Marshall, Florence, Massachusetts
John Hunt Marshall (seated) with his son Leland. Marshall also has a 16-year-old son, Wyatt, who’s a topnotch soccer player. As for antiques, “He likes cap guns,” Leland said. Wyatt may have potential as a dealer, however. John said the young man bought a bought a cap gun and holster ... (Read More)
|
(Fragment)New York Bill Aims to Protect Art Authenticators
The art law committee of the Association of the Bar of the City of New York has recommended legislation that would amend New York’s Art and Cultural Affairs Law and would protect “authenticators in rendering independent, good-faith opinions about the authenticity, attribution, and authorship of works of fine art.” Senator ... (Read More)
|
(Young Collectors)A Philosophical Defense of an Old House
The Young Collector
So, after reading our column last month (“A Practical Defense of an Old House”), you’re not convinced you need to buy an old house for the satisfaction of learning how to remove plaster and replace insulation yourself? That’s fine. We’ve lived here for eight years now, and some ... (Read More)
|
(Book Review)Books Received
These are brief reviews of books recently sent to us. We have included ordering information for publishers that accept mail, phone, or on-line orders. For other publishers, your local bookstore or mail-order house is the place to look.
Collecting Kentucky: 1790-1860 by Genevieve Baird Lacer and Libby Turner Howard (Cherry Valley ... (Read More)
|
(Fragment)Wright, a Chicago Auction House, Opens New York City Space
Wright, a topnotch Chicago auction house specializing in modern and contemporary design, opened a gallery in New York City, at 980 Madison Avenue, in November 2013 to serve as a venue for auction previews, for selling exhibitions of art and design, and as a consignment office. It has already served ... (Read More)
|
(Fragment)Brian Lebel's Old West Show & Auction to Acquire High Noon Show & Auction
Brian and Melissa Lebel of Brian Lebel’s Old West Show & Auction have agreed to acquire the annual High Noon Show & Auction, held every January in Mesa, Arizona.
Linda Kohn Sherwood and Joseph Sherwood, as High Noon Western Americana, are spinning off their event business and will continue an active ... (Read More)
|
(Computer Article)Project Management Utilizing Gantt Charts
Computer Column #305
John P. Reid, [email protected]
Project management is important in big corporations and institutions. It is one of the subjects when earning an M.B.A. (Master of Business Administration) degree. On a smaller scale, project management is a part of many antiques activities.
Promoting an antiques show, opening a new shop, staging ... (Read More)
|
(Auction Law and Ethics)Bing's Lesson
Auction Law & Ethics
“Management is doing things right; leadership is doing the right things.” So wrote management guru, economist, and author Peter Drucker (1909-2005) on business and ethics.
We’ve spent the past two months looking at ethics—what they are, their origins, what they mean, and why they are important. This month ... (Read More)
|
(The Art of Marketing)Write That Book!
The Art of Marketing
This month’s topic is book writing. In this column I’ve been talking a lot about the business of promoting your business. Sometimes publishing your own book on a particular segment of the antiques market can show your in-depth knowledge on a subject and gain you instant credibility. ... (Read More)
|
(Fragment)Freeman's Sale of the Horst Collection Is “Perfect Storm”
Winter Sunlight by Edward Redfield, oil on canvas, 38¼" x 50", $710,500. Photo courtesy Freeman’s.
Marshes of Long Point by Frank Benson, oil on canvas, 36" x 44", $662,500. Photo courtesy Freeman’s.
On Sunday, March 30, Freeman’s in Philadelphia sold the George D. Horst collection of 63 European and American 19th- and ... (Read More)
|
(Fragment)Three Maud Lewis Paintings Bring $38,200
Can$15,400 (US$13,959).
Harris and Sons Auctions sold three paintings by Canadian folk artist Maud Lewis (1903-1970) in its March 29 auction at the Kings Theater in Annapolis Royal, Nova Scotia, for a total of Can$38,200 (US$34,625) (with buyers’ premiums).
A view of a train station, sight size 12" x 11½", that was ... (Read More)
|
(Fragment)Doll Sells for Whopping $302,400
A circa 1916 French character doll by sculptor Albert Marque sold for $302,400 (includes buyer’s premium) at a March 29 sale in Naples, Florida, conducted by Theriault’s, an Annapolis, Maryland, auction house that specializes in dolls.
The Marque doll was purchased by private collectors who will be sending it for exhibition ... (Read More)
|
(Fragment)Sunburst Snuff Jar Sells for $57,330
Sunburst snuff jar, made 1815-30 by Keene (New Hampshire) Marlboro Street Glassworks, sold for $57,330. It was the top lot of the auction. The rare bottle with a deep yellowish color and in excellent condition had come from the collection of Clarissa Vanderbilt Dundon, the daughter of pioneer collector Merritt ... (Read More)
|
(Show)The 57th Annual Fox Valley Antiques Show
Sam Scott of Denise Scott Antiques, East Greenwich, Rhode Island, is shown checking the drawer of a $1675 pine stepback open-top cupboard with original paint. Redware on the lower shelf ranged from a $145 bundt pan to a $65 pie plate and an $875 loaf pan.
Spring Hill Farm Antiques, Broadhead, ... (Read More)
|
(Issue Story)Winterthur's Philadelphia Furniture Forum: What Was Learned?
The Cadwalader family—John; his wife, Betsy Lloyd; and daughter Anne—by Charles Willson Peale in its traveling frame had just returned from a six-month trip to two museums in Korea and one in Australia. Bret Headley made the frame because the original frame was too fragile to travel, and it had ... (Read More)
|
(Auction)Few Fireworks but One Rarity Discovered at Americana Auction
“Paul Revere, patriot, silversmith, engraver, and artist?” That was the question some viewers asked auctioneer Steven Fletcher prior to the sale, he said. He told us that he answered them with, “Of course he was an artist. How do you think he laid out the designs on the many pieces ... (Read More)
|
(Issue Story)Doyle Mines Jewelry Sales
This circa 1900 Arts and Crafts gold, diamond, and pink button pearl ring with a 7/8" wide center sold for $5313 (est. $2000/3000). Doyle New York.
This antique silver, lapis cameo, and diamond brooch realized $3125 (est. $800/1200). Doyle New York.
This group of jewelry including a child’s jade bangle, carved jade ... (Read More)
|
(Auction)"The Fireman" Leads $2.4 Million Sale
This color study for The Fireman by Norman Rockwell (1894-1978) sold for $216,000 (est. $50,000/100,000). The 14"x 11" oil on paperboard was sold along with a photograph of the sitter, Howard Lewis.
The inscription on the Rockwell photograph says, “To Howard Lewis/ the fireman who came to my rescue/ sincerely/ Norman/ ... (Read More)
|
(Auction)Fruit-Eating Rat Leads Potomack Company Sale
The high lot of the Potomack sale was this Chinese ink on paper on scroll. The artist is Qi Baishi (Chinese, 1864-1957). He is known for what are often described as “whimsical” works in watercolor. This 31" x 9½" piece fits that description. The image shows a rat sitting on ... (Read More)
|
(Show)Heaviest Snowfall of the Year Fails to Deter Exhibitors at Cabin Fever Show
Susan Gault of Thetford Center, Vermont, brought the four-slat rocking armchair in flaking red paint, priced at $95. The stand, a cast resin stack of books, is a fun item that just caught her eye; it too was $95.
Mill Brook Antiques, Reading, Vermont, priced this 14" tall month and day ... (Read More)
|
(Auction)Fine and Decorative Arts at Auction
U.S. House of Representatives chair attributed to Bembe and Kimbel, New York, circa 1857, oak, three-star Federal shield surrounded by oak leaves carved on the upper crest, original black leather upholstery, original finish, 40¼" high, $18,000.
A match race at Newmarket by Francis Sartorius I (English, 1734-1804), oil on canvas, 18¾" ... (Read More)
|
(Show)A Healthy Heart Pumps Life into a Chilly Southern Weekend
Above a dry sink, B. Hannah Daniel of Athens, Alabama, placed this “Home for Thanksgiving” hooked rug for $1600 with its strong “over the river and through the woods” sentiment.
The folks from Dover House Antiques in Louisville, Kentucky, reported good results with a well-designed formal display. One important case ... (Read More)
|
(Show)Back at the Fairgrounds Again
David Allan Ramsay and David Woody of Lake Worth, Florida and Cape Porpoise, Maine, backed their space with an appealing set of flower-decorated gates for $3300. The folk art hooked rug winding a path across the floor chronicled the family history of a 1740 Camden, Maine, homestead in museum quality, ... (Read More)
|
(Auction)Shadows Uplifted: A "Curated" African-American Fine Art Sale
Joseph Delaney (1904-1991), Harlem, Sunday Morning, 40" x 21", oil on masonite board, 1942, $40,000 (est. $15,000/25,000).
William H. Johnson (1901-1970) used pochoir (hand-colored stencils) and screens to create On a John Brown Flight. The 16" x 24" print on cream wove paper from 1942-45 sold to a collector for $81,250 ... (Read More)
|
(Show)Fiddler's Antique Show: A Break in the Weather Benefits the Gate
John Melby of Eastport, Maine, has been coming to Nashville for 30 years and likes the homey quality at Fiddler’s. He’s learned how to completely transform his space into an attractive room setting. At center, a New Hampshire table with two-board top, rounded corners, and a deep skirt, just under ... (Read More)
|
(Fragment)The National Ivory Ban: What May Be Banned and How to Prove Antiquity
On February 11, President Barack Obama banned all import and export of African elephant ivory, except for “bona fide antiques.” He said the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (F&WS) would implement a nearly complete ban on commercial trade in elephant ivory.
“I’m opposed to the ban because it will be ineffective ... (Read More)
|
(Auction)Chinese Warrior on Horseback Captures Twenty-Eight Grand
This 4½" x 6½" Chinese silk painting mounted in a wide gold brocade mat led the auction at $28,750. Thomaston Place photo.
This circa 1960 large sternboard eagle by Rockland, Maine, carver Harold Simmons sold for $13,800.
Although the silver market spot price peaked in late 2011, the antique silver market has ... (Read More)
|
(Auction)Rock Solid Results for Rockwell and Others
Paris Theater by Everett Shinn (1876-1953) sold on the phone to a Connecticut dealer for $231,000 (est. $50,000/70,000). The 20¼" x 24" oil on canvas is in a Newcomb-Macklin frame. Schinto photo.
Park Promenade with Bridge by Lesser Ury (German, 1861-1931) sold on the phone for $79,950 (est. $20,000/ 30,000). The ... (Read More)
|
(Auction)Julia Gets $4.7 Million in Four Days
Thirteenth-century reliquary chest or chasse with six enameled figures, $183,675.
Some selections from the archive of paper, photographs, and militaria from Luis Emilio, captain of the 54th Regiment, Company E, Civil War, divided into two lots that sold for $59,250 and $148,125.
Pair of 19th-century Chinese cloisonné censers, 34" high, with lotus ... (Read More)
|
(Auction)William F. Cody Family Collection of Photographs
Cody family photo album including personal and professional portraits, Wild West shows, and Western scenery, 301 images on black album paper, $23,500. Garlow collection.
Indian chiefs and U.S. officials, including William F. Cody, at Wounded Knee, large-format photo, imprint of John C.H. Grabill of Deadwood, South Dakota, 9¾" x 12¾", light ... (Read More)
|
(Auction)Maritime Paintings and Decorative Arts
Emma Heather by William Pierce Stubbs (1842-1909) depicts the three-masted schooner Emma Heather, built in 1871 in Milton, Delaware, and sunk in a gale off the Delaware Breakwater in 1893. Stubbs’s work and the work of so many other artists flattered and idealized its subject. She was a coal carrier! ... (Read More)
|
(Auction)January Firearms Auction Earns $1.8 Million
Selling for nearly double its high estimate at $19,200 was a Smith & Wesson .44-caliber revolver known as the No. 3 First Model. Made in the early 1870s prior to the advent of the Colt six-shooter, these popular guns were carried by both lawmen and law-breakers. Its serial number is ... (Read More)
|
(Auction)Garth's Americana Auction
English spatter plate, paneled yellow border with a red-outlined tulip, second quarter of the 19th century, 8½" diameter, repaired outer edge, $4920.
English rainbow spatter pitcher in five colors with shell spout, second quarter of the 19th century, 9" high, with a 3" to 4" line in the body, a spout ... (Read More)
|
(Auction)Twentieth-Century Design
Rembrandt Bugatti (1885-1916) created Éléphant d’Asie en marche (grand modèle) circa 1909. Of patinated bronze this is number “1” from an edition of five, 17¾" x 27" x 8½", and signed “R. Bugatti 1909,” with stamp “Cire Perdue A.A. Hébrard” and numeral “1” and with a plaque inscribed “To William ... (Read More)
|
(Auction)Institutions vs. Collectors and Dealers at Poster Auction
A sought-after genre of vintage posters advertised cigarettes back when consumers hadn’t a clue to the detrimental effects of tobacco on the human body. Erich Muller (dates unknown) designed this 24" x 35½" condition B+ poster for the Hansom Cigarette. The repeated motif of a well-dressed woman, in this case ... (Read More)
|
(Auction)Design Sale at Sotheby's
Paul Evans, Sculpture Front wall panel with welded signature, lacquered and gilt steel, 48½" x 59¾" x 5¼", 1974, executed by Paul Evans Studio, Plumsteadville, Pennsylvania, sold for $149,000 (est. $50,000/70,000). It sold at Sollo/Rago on October 25, 2004, for $35,250.
Judy Kensley McKie, Faces cabinet, signed “JHM/ 1991” with copyright, ... (Read More)
|
(Auction)Modern Design Auctions Bring $11.1 Million
Alexandre Noll (French, 1890-1970) created this rare circa 1945 dining table and set of ten chairs of mahogany. The table is 28¼" x 98 5/8" x 34½"; each chair is approximately 34¼" x 16" x 17". They sold for $905,000 (est. $400,000/600,000). Noll was not an interior decorator; he was ... (Read More)
|
(Auction)Numbers Stack Up Quickly at Auction of American Brilliant Cut Glass
Even without an advertised pattern, a signature on a desired shape can edge bidding way above the highest estimate, as was the case with this signed Hawkes 6" tall and 11¾" wide punch bowl without stand from the collection of the Reverend Young. However, an ACGA member later identified the ... (Read More)
|
1 (800) 752-8521 • PO Box 1429 • Waldoboro, ME 04572
