Stories for September '14

(Issue Story)

E. E. Finch: A Puzzling Folk Artist
by Marius B. Peladeau

In our September article “Great Buckskin Shirt Brings Great Big Bucks” (p. 30-C), we pictured a portrait by itinerant portrait artist E.E. Finch, noting that “little is known about Finch, and even his first name is lost to history.”It turns out more than a little is known, as Marius B. ... (Read More)

(The Art of Marketing)

The Art of Being Found
by Al Kenney

The Art of Marketing Last month I covered the topic of automated bidding services for eBay. This month I’ll cover the importance of promoting your business. If your customers can’t find you through your marketing activities by either the products you sell or your business name directly, you are going to ... (Read More)

(Fragment)

Changes at James D. Julia, Inc.
by M.A.D. Staff

  William “Bill” Gage, department head of the fine arts, Asian, and antiques division at James D. Julia, Inc. in Fairfield, Maine, is assuming a new position. Gage, originally from Amherst, Massachusetts, will return to Amherst and serve as a special consultant and agent for the Julia auction company. Gage will ... (Read More)

(Fragment)

Morphy Auctions Acquires Victorian Casino Antiques
by M.A.D. Staff

Morphy Auctions of Denver, Pennsylvania, has acquired Victorian Casino Antiques (VCA), an auction house in Las Vegas, Nevada, that specializes in vintage gambling/coin-op machines and antique advertising. Terms of the deal were not announced. Victorian Casino Antiques’ long-established corporate name will be retained, with the new tagline “a Morphy Auctions ... (Read More)

(Fragment)

Invaluable Files Trademark Lawsuit
by M.A.D. Staff

Will Internet users confuse AuctionZing with AuctionZip? Are “zip” and “zing” synonymous? Yes, according to a lawsuit filed by Invaluable, LLC and AuctionZip, LLC against Storage Unit Auction List, LLC, which does business as AuctionZing and auctionzing.com. The suit was filed on July 21 in federal court in Boston. Invaluable (once known ... (Read More)

(Issue Story)

Robert Girouard, West Granby, Connecticut
by Frank Donegan

Rob Girouard with some of his favorite glass. Mid-19th-century conical amber quart bottle with pulled white loopings, attributed to the Whitney glass factory in southern New Jersey, $2000. Girouard said, “In all my years I’ve only seen one other. It sold at auction in south Jersey for about thirty-five hundred [dollars].” Midwestern ... (Read More)

(Computer Article)

Old Technology in a New World
by John P. Reid

A plug-in external hard drive can back up all files on an old or new computer in a few hours unattended. Computer Column #309 John P. Reid, [email protected] New developments in computers come so fast that there is danger of being caught with obsolete technology. Nowhere is this truer than in recordkeeping. The inventory ... (Read More)

(Issue Story)

Thistles & Crowns: The Painted Chests of the Connecticut Shore
by Jeanne Schinto

The cover of the catalog Thistles & Crowns features a detail of the Old Saybrook Historical Society’s chest. The 72-page softbound volume with 74 full-color illustrations is available from the shop at the Florence Griswold Museum, 96 Lyme Street, Old Lyme, CT 06371, or on line (www.FlorenceGriswoldMuseum.org). The price is ... (Read More)

(Issue Story)

Exhibitions
by M.A.D. Staff

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)

(Fragment)

New Show for Brooklyn
by M.A.D. Staff

On September 12-14, show promoter Marvin Getman will unveil his new show, the Brooklyn Antiques and Book Fair at the new Brooklyn Expo Center in Brooklyn, New York. “Brooklyn is a fresh hot market, and everyone seems to want a piece of it. Many of the 105 dealers from all over ... (Read More)

(Fragment)

Matching Grant for Cahoon Museum
by M.A.D. Staff

The Cahoon Museum of American Art in Cotuit, Massachusetts, has received a $1 million matching grant. This grant will double gifts to the capital campaign—but only until the deadline of August 30 or until the $1 million fund is gone, whichever comes first. To give, contact director Richard Waterhouse at ... (Read More)

(Issue Story)

How "Bucket Town," the Book and Exhibition, Came to Be
by David Hewett

The green-painted covered box is 6" long and was the first piece sold at the sale of the Richardson collection at Willis Henry Auctions on November 19, 2011. David Schorsch, on the phone, paid $3861 for the box. Derin Bray spoke about that piece recently. “The box that David acquired ... (Read More)

(Fragment)

The Big Flea Comes to the Big Apple
by M.A.D. Staff

D’Amore Promotions will hold its first NYC Big Flea Market on September 27 and 28 at Pier 94 in Manhattan. “Our shows are unique in that you can buy something amazing like a vintage handbag or jewelry for twenty dollars, or you can spend tens of thousands of dollars on a ... (Read More)

(Book Review)

Arts and Crafts Metalwork
by Lita Solis-Cohen

A Book Review   “These Humbler Metals”: American Arts & Crafts Metalwork from the Two Red Roses Foundation by David Cathers, Jonathan Clancy, and Susan J. Montgomery Two Red Roses Foundation, 2014, 280 pages, hardbound, $45 postpaid in the U.S. from Two Red Roses Foundation, (http://tworedroses.com/newbooksforsale.php) or (727) 943-9900; Florida residents add sales tax. “These ... (Read More)

(Fragment)

Six Major Auction Houses Join Forces to Launch Bidsquare, a New On-line Bidding Platform
by M.A.D. Staff

  On-line bidding platforms have been a boon to auctions, and a new player is joining the field. A consortium of six major auction houses has banded together to launch Bidsquare. Partners in the venture include Leslie Hindman Auctioneers, Rago, Skinner, Inc., Brunk Auctions, Pook & Pook, Inc., and Cowan’s Auctions. “We’re ... (Read More)

(Issue Story)

Letter from London
by Ian McKay

Ian McKay, <[email protected]> Early European glass and slipware; a pocket watch with a naughty Napoleonic association; a maternal model; cats and goats; fishy aromas; bats and baccy jars—all find a place in this month’s selection. My original plan was to include items from the latest round of Russian sales in London, ... (Read More)

(Auction Law and Ethics)

The Big Question
by Steve Proffitt

Auction Law & Ethics My Momma is forever asking me, “How do you think of all the things you write about?” Experiences, imagination, inspiration, news, requests, and you name it all play a revolving role in bringing topics to my attention that I share with you in my column. This month ... (Read More)

(Issue Story)

Dealer Does the Right Things, State Wrongs Him Anyway
by Clayton Pennington

Editorial New York City art dealer Richard L. Feigen & Company, Inc., in business since 1959, knows how to do the right thing. On September 9, 2003, Feigen paid $2,325,000 for a purported Max Ernst painting, Florêt;the signed painting came with extensive provenance and authentication written by Werner Spies, an Ernst expert. ... (Read More)

(Young Collectors)

Sorry for the Convenience
by Hollie Davis and Andrew Richmond

The Young Collector When Nora was born in 2010, Hollie’s coworkers at Prices4Antiques.com offered the very generous gift of diaper service. We were grateful, but we were initially also a little surprised. Now, that might shock some people who have us accurately pegged as folks who at least try to be ... (Read More)

(Fragment)

Former Chairman of Christie’s Takes the Helm at Phillips
by M.A.D. Staff

Edward Dolman has been appointed chairman and chief executive officer of Phillips. Dolman spent 27 years at Christie’s serving in many capacities, including chairman, CEO, managing director of Christie’s Europe, managing director of Christie’s Americas, and managing director of Christie’s Amsterdam. Dolman left Christie’s in 2011. He was appointed director of ... (Read More)

(Book Review)

Books Received
by M.A.D. Staff

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.   Clothing & Textiles of the Fur Trade by James A. Hanson, edited by ... (Read More)

(Fragment)

New Jersey Bans Ivory Sales--Antique or Not
by Clayton Pennington

On August 5, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie signed into law legislation that criminalizes “importing, selling, or purchasing any ivory or rhinoceros horn product” in New Jersey. The new law allows no exemption for antique ivory. The bill’s primary sponsor, Senator Raymond J. Lesniak, said, “There was tremendous thought given to ... (Read More)

(Fragment)

Suspects in Auction House Theft Arrested
by M.A.D. Staff

The Delaware State Police have arrested two suspects involved in a burglary at Wilson’s Auction in Lincoln, Delaware, on August 4. Within hours of surveillance photos of the two subjects being released to local news outlets and social media, their identities were revealed to detectives who began looking into the incident. ... (Read More)

(Fragment)

Non-Paying Bidders Sued
by M.A.D. Staff

On June 11 and 12, Peter Chang and Cheng Gang Cao, both of Los Angeles, California, were the winning bidders on 33 lots totaling $1,633,515.50 (includes buyers’ premiums) at Leslie Hindman Auctioneers, according to the Chicago-based auction house. The pair has paid only $162,500 and refused to pay any more, ... (Read More)

(Fragment)

Virginia Pie Safe Brings $102,500
by Clayton Pennington

Photos courtesy Burt Long. There are two punched tins featuring a profile of Andrew Jackson, flanked by two swords. Four of the tins in the door read “Hero! of Orleans.” A pie safe in blue paint with 12 tins, featuring the profile of Andrew Jackson, the owner’s name, “Hero! of Orleans,” and more, ... (Read More)

(Fragment)

Collectors of Americana Shop in London
by Lita Solis-Cohen

$7,051,842.   $826,795. Serious collectors of Americana found some treasures to bid on in London this summer. Gilbert Stuart’s portrait of Mohawk Chieftain Thayendanegea, known in English as Joseph Brant (1742-1807), sold at Sotheby’s old masters sale on the evening of July 9 to an American private collector for £4,114,500 ($7,051,842) including buyer’s ... (Read More)

(Show)

The Locust Grove Antiques Market
by Don Johnson

Construction on the brick house at Locust Grove began in 1790. It’s the centerpiece of the historic property, which hosts the antiques show twice a year. The house, outbuildings, and visitor’s center are open during the show. The parlor on the second floor of the main residence at Locust Grove features ... (Read More)

(Auction)

Neal Summer Sale: A Box of Surprises
by Karla Klein Albertson

Blue dogs have been turning up regularly at auction in the year following the death of Louisiana artist George Rodrigue (1944-2013). The Yellow Robe of Texas, signed and dated 1991 and 20" x 24", ranks with the most appealing. The June sale cover lot—first time a Rodrigue has appeared there ... (Read More)

(Auction)

Maritime Paintings and Decorative Arts
by A. J. Peluso, Jr.

James Buttersworth, the America’s Cup yacht Vigilant (with two spectator steamboats to the left and with the runner-up yachts to the right), oil on canvas, 20" x 30", signed lower right. Buttersworth’s best paintings may, indeed, be his largest, like this exciting panorama; it brought $305,000. Name board, Velocity, 6¼" x ... (Read More)

(Auction)

Bracket Clock Is a Real Show-Stopper
by Walter C. Newman

The high lot of the Evans sale was this unassuming bracket clock by Samuel Betts of London (active 1645-73). The clock features an engraved brass dial signed “Samuel Betts Londini,” with a double-fusee movement, dating from the mid-17th century. The case is ebonized wood resting on a separate base. The ... (Read More)

(Show)

The 42nd Annual Round Lake Antiques Festival
by Betty Flood and Casey O’Brien

Ken Woodbury of Keene, New Hampshire, exhibited more wind-up cylinder and disc phonographs than usual. “I brought a good variety of horns but ran out of space to properly display them,” said Woodbury. Three high-priced burl bowls were in the booth of Kay Riordan Roffe of Williamson, New York. The largest ... (Read More)

(Show)

Heart of the Shenandoah Valley Antiques Fair
by Walter C. Newman

Pete Turner hails from Concord, North Carolina, and trades as P & P Treasures. His booth offered an unexpected combination of vintage advertising signs and face jugs. Here is a selection of Turner’s signs: Chicago Southern Transportation Company, $175; Valvoline, $410; NFBPWC, $325; Martin Senour Paints/NAPA thermometer, $100; a square ... (Read More)

(Auction)

Rhode Island Auction
by Frances McQueeney-Jones Mascolo

The New England Queen Anne highboy, circa 1760, went for $7200. John Howard Benson’s drawing of the courthouse in Newport sold for $3600. The Massachusetts Chippendale chest sold for $5400 to the trade. Two Chinese export porcelain garden seats fetched $4800. Boston artist William Edward Norton’s ship’s portrait sold for $4800. An early pair of ... (Read More)

(Auction)

Skinner’s Andrews Sale Sets Unanticipated Records
by David Hewet

No one was terribly surprised when the first lot offered, this lidded wooden pail made in Canterbury, New Hampshire, brought $11,070. The pail has choice yellow paint and all the quality construction details Shaker collectors prefer. Skinner CEO Karen Keane, sitting at the rear of the phone bidders group, held ... (Read More)

(Show)

Burton Antiques Market
by Susan Emerson Nutter

Leisa Kirtley of Western Reserve Antique Shop, Canfield, Ohio, consistently presents a great mix in her dealer display.  A dough board with breadboard ends was $68. An early baker’s cupboard in red paint (back left side) with flour and sugar bins, wide cut dovetailing, and a pie safe top was ... (Read More)

(Auction)

Local History Boosts Folk Art and Furniture
by Mark Sisco

This oil on canvas portrait of an unknown subject was attributed to French Classical portraitist Jean-Baptiste Greuze (1725-1805). The attribution came from a pair of ink inscriptions on the back that also mentioned that the painting came from the collection of Professor Armando Perera of Rome, Italy. The painting clearly ... (Read More)

(Auction)

Twentieth-Century Design
by Lita Solis-Cohen

Paul Evans (1931-1987), Paul Evans Studio, New Hope, Pennsylvania, 1969, welded and polychrome steel, 23k gold leaf, laminate, welded signature “Paul Evans 1969 D,” 25" x 82½" x 19", from the collection of Dorsey Reading, sold for $219,750 (est. $100,000/125,000), a record for a horizontal Evans steel-front cabinet, the third-highest ... (Read More)

(Auction)

Half Bear, Half Bull Market for Bears
by Mark Sisco

This black mohair Steiff bear, with red-rimmed eyes, symbolizes mourning for the victims of the 1912 sinking of the Titanic. It sold for $35,550. This circa 1910 golden mohair Steiff teddy came with a fully functioning growler, a photo of the two children who first owned it, and a letter of ... (Read More)

(Auction)

Decorative Arts in Hatfield
by Lita Solis-Cohen

A collection of 474 early 19th-century plaster intaglios, mounted in 25 volumes in the manner of Giovanni Liberotti, displayed in half vellum volumes against green marbled paper, and each volume with a manuscript list inside the front cover, sold for $9945 (est. $8000/10,000). Paul Weber (1823-1916), Scene in Dolwyddelan Valley, ... (Read More)

(Auction)

A Roundup of Design Sales in June
by Julie Schlenger Adell

Bonhams held the first sale of the week. Sales from its 227 lots of decorative arts totaled $1,443,750. This circa 1910 Tiffany Studios Favrile glass and patinated bronze Laburnum table lamp, estimated at $250,000/350,000, sold on the phone to the trade for $425,000. Frank Maraschiello, director of the 20th-century decorative ... (Read More)

(Auction)

A Tale of Two Art Sales
by Jeanne Schinto

Truckin by William T. Williams (b. 1942) went to an unnamed institution for $137,000 (est. $75,000/100,000). The 84" x 60" (7' x 5') acrylic on canvas was signed, titled, dated 1969, and inscribed on the stretcher bars. June 10. Southern Landscape by Walter Williams (1920-1988) sold to a collector for $81,250 ... (Read More)

(Auction)

American Art Auction
by Lita Solis-Cohen

Daniel Garber (1880-1958), Wild Cherry, signed lower right, a 28" x 30" oil on canvas in a Newcomb-Macklin frame, $230,500. Painted in 1928, it had been acquired in 1931 by Mr. and Mrs. James Hillman of Pittsburgh. Garber wrote to James Hillman’s wife, Margaret, describing Wild Cherry: “The scene is ... (Read More)

(Show)

The June 2014 Heartland Antique Show
by Don Johnson

Butter molds: (top) cornucopia, $795; snowflake, $895; (bottom) Pennsylvania Dutch tulip, double-sided with star-in-circle on the back, $850; Pennsylvania Dutch heart, half round, $995, all from John H. Rogers Antiques, New London, New Hampshire. Continuous-arm Windsor in bittersweet paint, $1950, and New England tavern table, $2900, from Bruce Rigsby of Lancaster, ... (Read More)

(Show)

Winnetka Summer Antiques Show
by Danielle Arnet

Originally pendant lamps, the Murano table lamps were repurposed by The Find, Highwood, Illinois. They were $2400 the pair. Santo crowns on Lucite bases were $195 each, and a $225 Murano blue set plus a painted porcelain box, circa 1890, rest on a $750 vintage brass bamboo cart. Time Gallery, Highland ... (Read More)

(Auction)

Variety Attracts Buyers to Allen Estate Sale
by Susan Emerson Nutter

Thought to be an image of the Adirondacks, this 1860s Hudson Valley school oil on canvas of a camp in the mountains reached $1265 (est. $200/300). Dated 1871 and sporting an illegible signature, this oil on canvas portrait of a Confederate colonel is thought to be a likeness to General ... (Read More)

(Auction)

Blankets Catch Fire at Native American Art Auction
by Alice Kaufman

This Classic Navajo twill-weave manta of finely woven wool (variegated indigo ground with raveled lac-dyed red stripes) was the most expensive lot in the auction, selling for $112,500 (est. $40,000/60,000). The new owner is a private collector from the Bay Area. A 23" diameter Apache tray was a surprise hit, ... (Read More)

(Auction)

20th-Century Art and Design
by Danielle Arnet

Estimated at $1000/1500, this 1960s Op Art framed piece, with convex-mirrored raised panels, was the big surprise of the sale when it turned out to be a work by German artist Adolf Luther that sold for $36,600. Never underestimate the determination of a knowledgeable collector. Estimated at $2500/3500, the 18k triangular ... (Read More)

(Auction)

Books by Ben Franklin and Julia Child Make Sparks Fly
by Jeanne Schinto

Mastering the Art of French Cooking, Volumes 1 (1961) and 2 (1970), sold on the phone for $18,450 (est. $1000/2000). They were signed and inscribed to Avis DeVoto by coauthors Julia Child and Simone Beck (“To my so dearest chérie / Avis, avec toute ma / profonde affection,” Beck wrote ... (Read More)

(Auction)

Great Buckskin Shirt Brings Great Big Bucks
by Mark Sisco

Peter Libbey of coastal Maine is considered by some to be the preeminent master carver of marine eagles. This magnificent sternboard eagle grasping a coiled American flag banner spanned 57". The patriotic bird sold for more than triple the estimate at $8337.50. Thomaston Place Auction Galleries photo. Even without an artist ... (Read More)

(Auction)

The Renaissance in Cambridge
by Frances McQueeney-Jones Mascolo

The 36" high Italian polychromed stucco relief by an artist of the school of Donatello realized $84,000. The 16th-century oil on panel portrait of Mary and Child with Mary Magdalene, 37" x 28", attributed to Jacopino di Giovanni di Francesco (1495-1554), known as Jacone, sold on the phone for $84,000. A 16th-century ... (Read More)

(Auction)

Early Americana at Auction
by Charles Muller

Six single-finger oval boxes in old colored finishes sold from $187 to $330. This one in old dry white paint brought the highest price. Clum photo. The best basket of the day brought $198. This 7" long box in salmon and brown paint decoration was in excellent condition. An old receipt from ... (Read More)

(Auction)

The Ann Blakeslee Black Collection of Thimbles, Needlework Tools, and Vertu
by Danielle Arnet

The Danish silver gilt-mounted Royal Copenhagen porcelain necessaire from the second half of the 19th century is almost 4" high and larger than many items in the sale. It holds seven implements in a fitted interior, including a scent bottle. It was estimated at $300/500 and brought $2125. Six sewing compendiums ... (Read More)

(Issue Story)

Auctions in California and Canada Give Insight to Market Trends
by Mary Ann Brown

Antique Jewelry & Gemology Recent sales at John Moran Auctioneers and Dupuis Fine Jewellery Auctioneers tell us that Internet bidding is on the upswing. This has been a trend for some time, but the share of the winning bids via the World Wide Web is increasing in a meaningful way. John ... (Read More)

(Auction)

Gothic Revival Masterpiece Tops the Sale
by Karla Klein Albertson

On Sunday, longtime NOAG auctioneer Tessa Steinkamp was on the podium to auction the paintings of George Rodrigue (1944-2013) of New Orleans. Top dogs were the red and blue pair at center left, a 1996 painting, I’ve Learned to Be on Both Sides of Any Position, which brought $46,740. The ... (Read More)

(Auction)

Picasso and Company
by Jeanne Schinto

The print section’s top lot was by Paul Cézanne. It depicts one of his most iconic subjects, bathers. Les baigneurs— petite planche (alternately titled Les petite baigneurs) sold to a private collector in New England for $8610 ($8000/12,000). The second state of two, the unsigned color lithograph on chine volant ... (Read More)

(Auction)

Annual Ohio Valley Auction
by Don Johnson

Ferdinand Brader (Swiss/American, born 1833), graphite on paper drawing of the Residence of Hiram Steinmetz, Pike Tp. Stark Co. Ohio, signed and numbered 740, original frame, 37" x 51", $12,000. Historical blue Staffordshire platter depicting Detroit, from the “American Cities” series, English, second quarter of the 19th century, 20½" wide, $3900. ... (Read More)
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