Stories for March '17
(Issue Story)The Devil's Dictionary of Antiques Collecting: Part 4
This is the last installment of “The Devil’s Dictionary of Antiques Collecting.” What a wondrous language we use. And perhaps more technical and mysterious than we realize.
Polychrome—This is one term that is relatively easy to parse. Poly means “many” and chrome (chroma) indicates “color.” So why not call a carved ... (Read More)
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(Fragment)Brandy Culp, New Curator of American Decorative Arts at Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art
Brandy S. Culp has been appointed to the position of Richard Koopman Curator of American Decorative Arts at the Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art in Hartford, Connecticut. She will begin work at the museum in late February.
“Joining the team at America’s oldest continuously operating art museum is an opportunity one ... (Read More)
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(Fragment)Two Arrested in Art Theft
Two men have been arrested in connection with an art theft that occurred in December 2016 at Art Avenue in Sarasota, Florida. Anthony J. Larson, 30, of Sarasota, and Rex L. Ballinger, 29, of Sarasota, were each charged with grand theft. Larson was recognized by a resident who called the ... (Read More)
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(Fragment)Sotheby's Learns of Fake, Refunds Buyer, and Sues Consignor
Sotheby’s filed suit in January in U.S. District Court in New York seeking to recover money paid to Lionel de Saint Donat-Pourrières of Luxembourg, who consigned a painting that has turned out to be a forgery.
The painting, Saint Jerome, was attributed to the circle of Girolamo Francesco Maria Mazzola, known ... (Read More)
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(Fragment)Cabot Mill Antiques Passes $1 Million per Annum Sales Milestone
Multi-dealer Cabot Mill Antiques in Brunswick, Maine, announced on December 31, 2016, that it had passed $1 million in sales per annum. Customers William and Kristen Wing, owners of Worth & Wing, an architectural and interior design firm based on Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts, purchased an 1891 Stanley brass-bound level, a ... (Read More)
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(Fragment)Long-Lost First Franklin Broadside Acquired by Penn Libraries
Aquila Rose, a 28-year-old Philadelphia poet and pressman, died in 1723. That same year Benjamin Franklin broke his indenture with his brother, left Boston, and stopped in New York to see if the printer William Bradford had a job for him. Bradford did not have a job, but he told ... (Read More)
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(Fragment)Lunders Give Another $100 Million-Plus Gift to Colby College
Colby College in Waterville, Maine, has received another gift of more than $100 million from Peter and Paula Lunder in support of the Colby College Museum of Art. The gift will add nearly 1150 artworks to the museum’s collection and will launch the Lunder Institute for American Art.
The institute will ... (Read More)
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(Issue Story)Marni Bakst, Oh Antiques, Verbank, New York
In the Trade
During the many years that we’ve published this feature, we have interviewed well over 100 dealers, yet we have never encountered one who, to the best of our knowledge, was a Ruby Lane seller. Now we have. She’s Marni Bakst, who sells from her early home overlooking a ... (Read More)
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(Issue Story)Letter from London, March 2017
Ian McKay, <[email protected]>
The longest piece in this month’s “Letter” mixes up one artist’s impressions of windy days in Tangier and on a Scottish golf course with another’s take on a curiously dressed young player of kolf.
Other items feature sunrise over Mount Fuji, a miniature selfie, papal rings, views of Manila’s ... (Read More)
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(Young Collectors)2016: The Year in Review
The Young Collector
We normally pause after the holidays and reflect on the year behind us. That’s not so much because it’s the end of the year, but mostly because we’re usually lying in bed sick, sure we’re going to die, and it seems like a good use of time to ... (Read More)
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(Computer Article)Three-Dimensional Printing and Antiques
Computer Column #339
John P. Reid, [email protected]
Three-dimensional printers controlled by a personal computer are well established. Owning one is the dream of many computer buffs, but there is surprisingly little mention of their use for making missing parts in antiques restoration. Perhaps there are reservations about the authenticity of such repairs, ... (Read More)
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(Fragment)Barn Star Will Manage Adirondack Museum Show
The 25th annual Adirondack Museum Antiques Show and Sale on September 15 and 16 will have new management—Barn Star Productions and Frank Gaglio.
Featuring more than 50 exhibitors, the event started over 25 years ago and has attracted collectors seeking rustic, camp, Native American, and Adirondack furnishings and accessories in an ... (Read More)
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(Fragment)Indy Ad Show Ownership Change
The Indy Antique Advertising Show has been sold, and the new owners plan to move the event out of Indianapolis this fall.
Bruce and Donna Weir of B & D Promotions, Effingham, Illinois, sold the show on January 7 to Mark and Nona Wilson of Northstar Collective, Park Falls, Wisconsin. Also ... (Read More)
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(Issue Story)The Big Comeback
Editorial
Americana staged a big comeback in January, much as the New England Patriots did in Super Bowl LI.
The auction numbers help tell the story. Sotheby’s brought 1300 lots of Americana to market in six catalogs and hauled in $19.378 million for its Americana Week totals, the highest number for the ... (Read More)
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(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 website for ... (Read More)
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(Fragment)Appraisers Association of America Honors Jeffrey Deitch
The Appraisers Association of America will present art dealer and curator Jeffrey Deitch with the 2017 Award for Excellence in the Arts at the 13th annual award luncheon on Wednesday, April 19, at the New York Athletic Club in New York City. Introductory remarks will be made by artist Jeff ... (Read More)
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(MAD News)Kenos Resolve All Legal Matters
Leigh and Leslie Keno, well-known figures in the antiques world, have resolved all four of the legal claims against them. The twins were involved in four separate lawsuits, each with a similar charge: the Kenos were accused of buying multiple lots at auctions and failing to pay the auction houses.
The ... (Read More)
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(Show)Three-Day Show in Third Year at Wallace Hall
Wallace Hall Art, Design & Antiques Show, New York City
In its third year, the three-day Art, Design & Antiques Show at Wallace Hall, held January 20-22, continues to evolve as a destination not only for those from the Upper East Side of New York City but also for visitors who ... (Read More)
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(Auction)Portrait by Ammi Phillips Leads Americana Auction
Christie’s, New York City
Photos courtesy Christie’s
When people walked into Christie’s salesroom on the morning of January 20, Barack Obama was still president. By the time they walked out hours later, Donald Trump had taken the oath of office.
Divided America outside. Divided Americana inside.
The headliners did just fine, but middle-level antiques ... (Read More)
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(Auction)The Parker Sale
Sotheby’s, New York City
Photos courtesy Sotheby’s
On January 19 at Sotheby’s sale of the collection of the late George S. Parker II, a “very fine and rare William and Mary walnut chest of drawers” made in Pennsylvania sold in the salesroom for $32,500 (with buyer’s premium) to Delaware dealer James Kilvington. ... (Read More)
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(Fragment)2017 Americana Week Roundup
When descendants of Alexander Hamilton realized that the musical Hamilton brought American history into pop culture, they knew it was time to sell their family archive of letters and documents and called Sotheby’s. The Hamilton papers became the theme of Sotheby’s Americana Week sales and gave a boost to a ... (Read More)
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(Fragment)Graves and Jobe Accept Wunsch Awards
On January 18 the Eric M. Wunsch Award for Excellence in the American Arts was presented to Leroy Graves and Brock Jobe at a packed ceremony at Christie’s in New York City. The annual award was created by the Wunsch Americana Foundation to continue the legacy of renowned collector Martin ... (Read More)
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(Fragment)Buttersworth Tops Doubleday Collection Sale at Doyle
Three marine paintings by James Edward Buttersworth (British /American, 1817-1894) and one pair attributed to him were part of the sale of the collection of Nelson Doubleday Jr. at Doyle in New York City on January 11.
This signed oil on canvas by James E. Buttersworth, Yacht Racing off Sandy Hook, ... (Read More)
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(Show)The Sixth Annapolis Antiques Show
Annapolis, Maryland
The sixth Annapolis Antiques Show was held January 7 and 8 at the Byzantium, an events center in Annapolis, Maryland. Thirty-nine dealers offering an excellent selection of antiques, fine art, collectibles, and curiosities set up in the multipurpose venue on the grounds of Sts. Constantine and Helen Greek Orthodox ... (Read More)
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(Auction)Foster Rings in the New Year
Robert L. Foster Auctions, Newcastle, Maine
Robert Foster opened the new year just as he’s done for the past several decades—with a January 1 auction in Newcastle, Maine. In a way, this one was an extension of his September 2016 auction, in that it was paced by a field of about ... (Read More)
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(Issue Story)Turnbull Jewels Perform Well
Antique Jewelry & Gemology
Photos courtesy Joseph DuMouchelle
Joseph DuMouchelle’s jewelry sale on December 15, 2016, was held at the Lotte New York Palace in New York City and simulcast to Birmingham, Michigan, where “twenty-five-plus phone workers” took the bulk of the bids, according to Melinda Adducci, G.G., vice president of the ... (Read More)
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(Auction)Cowan's Americana
Cowan’s Auctions, Cincinnati, Ohio
Photos courtesy Cowan’s Auctions
A grouping of mirrors offered in the last half-hour of a cataloged Americana sale held by Cowan’s Auctions in Cincinnati, Ohio, on December 10, 2016, were a good reflection of the strong bidding experienced throughout the day.
Described as primitive, the four mirrors included a ... (Read More)
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(Auction)Native American Art Auction
Bonhams, San Francisco, California
Photos courtesy Bonhams
All prices include the buyer’s premium.
When asked about the state of the market after the Native American art auction at Bonhams in San Francisco on December 5, 2016, department director Ingmars Lindbergs replied, “I could sell jewelry forever. Jewelry sales transcend politics and economic concerns.” ... (Read More)
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(Auction)American Art and Philadelphia Impressionists
Freeman’s, Philadelphia
Photos courtesy Freeman’s
Twice a year, in December and June, when Freeman’s holds American paintings sales, local collectors fill the salesroom. Some come to bid on the early lots of landscapes, still life, illustration art, and sculpture, but most of the early lots go to phone bidders or bidders online. ... (Read More)
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(Auction)The Louisiana Purchase Auction: History, Art, and Artifacts
Neal Auction Company, New Orleans, Louisiana
The Louisiana Purchase Auction is a special event on the annual calendar at Neal Auction Company in New Orleans, and collectors expect a lineup of great estates and six-figure fireworks. From December 2 through 4, 2016, the three-day sale offered more than 1200 lots. Although ... (Read More)
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(Auction)Noel Barrett and Pook Toy Sale
Pook & Pook and Noel Barrett, Downingtown, Pennsylvania
Photos courtesy Pook & Pook
Noel Barrett’s first toy sale in Downingtown, Pennsylvania, since he hooked up with Pook & Pook last summer was a mixed Santa’s sack that took two sessions to unpack on December 2 and 3, 2016, the first weekend in ... (Read More)
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(Auction)Painted Furniture at Hap Moore
Hap Moore Antiques Auction, York, Maine
When it comes to painted furniture, Hap Moore’s December 3, 2016, auction in York, Maine, could have been a primer on what’s hot and what’s not. Blue was red hot. Muddy brown was not. And red had a mild case of the blues. Size definitely ... (Read More)
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(Show)The 2016 Greenwich Winter Antiques Show
Greenwich, Connecticut
With its stone walls, front doors, store fronts, and barns lavishly decorated for the holidays, Greenwich, Connecticut, in December is an ideal place to hold an antiques show. Covering 50 square miles that reach from the Long Island Sound to the backcountry properties with multiple acreage, the town embraces the holidays with ... (Read More)
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(Auction)Some Softness at the Top
Seeck Auctions, Mason City, Iowa, and Kansas City, Missouri
Photos courtesy Seeck Auctions
When I contacted Jim Seeck in June 2016 to get a pulse on what might be his top carnival glass sale for the year, I was looking at the International Carnival Glass Association’s July 16 sale, a collection of ... (Read More)
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(Show)The 35th Annual Holiday Antiques Show
Williamsburg, Virginia
The 35th annual Holiday Antiques Show in Williamsburg, Virginia, was held at the Williamsburg Doubletree Hotel and Conference Center, November 25-27, 2016. The annual show is one of those seasonal events that is well worth putting on the calendar. The Holiday Antiques Show is always held the weekend following ... (Read More)
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(Auction)Americana and Nautical Estates Auction
Polly Warren Antiques, Rehoboth, Massachusetts
Eighty-four-year-old Polly Warren of Rehoboth, Massachusetts, has collected antiques for most of her life. As a child she spent summers in Chatham, Massachusetts, where she visited often with her summer neighbor Elmer Crowell in his East Harwich studio. She was permitted to watch him work but ... (Read More)
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(Auction)Mostly Nautical
Marion Antique Auctions, Marion, Massachusetts
Marion Antique Auctions moved its November 26, 2016, sale to the Music Hall across from the harbor in downtown Marion, Massachusetts. The setting was slightly crowded but appropriate to the antiques offered, as most had a local or coastal connection.
Once known as Veterans’ Hall, the 125-year-old ... (Read More)
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(Auction)American Art Sale
Bonhams, New York City
Photos courtesy Bonhams
Bonhams was the last of the auction houses to hold its American art sale right before the Thanksgiving break. Coming at the end of an event-filled week, the Tuesday afternoon auction on November 22, 2016, saw some competitive and active bidding in the salesroom.
“It felt ... (Read More)
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(Show)The Boston Home Decor Show
Boston, Massachusetts
For exhibitors and visitors at the Boston Home Décor Show, in its third year at Boston’s Cyclorama building in the South End, the theme was juxtaposition—the sublime mix of antiques with the contemporary. Antiques and art met contemporary home design. There was much evidence overall of such blending, and ... (Read More)
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(Show)Heartland Antique Show, Fall Edition
Richmond, Indiana
There was a problem at the fall edition of the Heartland Antique Show, held November 19, 2016, on the Wayne County Fairgrounds at Richmond, Indiana. A number of them, actually. But it wasn’t the show that was at issue.
The challenges, so to speak, were found in the booth of ... (Read More)
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(Auction)Shattering the $3 Million Glass Ceiling
James D. Julia, Fairfield, Maine
For the first time in the company’s history, James D. Julia’s lamp and glass section—now officially expanded to the lamp, glass, and fine jewelry division—held an auction that raked in over $3.4 million. They did it on November 18, 2016, in Fairfield, Maine, and they did ... (Read More)
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(Auction)American History
Cowan’s Auctions, Cincinnati, Ohio
Photos courtesy Cowan’s
Items related to early American figures, the American West, and the Civil War all drew considerable interest during the American history sale held by Cowan’s Auctions in Cincinnati, Ohio, on November 18, 2016.
The top lot at $36,000 (includes buyer’s premium) was a sixth-plate tintype of ... (Read More)
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(Auction)"Fall Start" Toy Auction Makes a $1.9 Million Landslide
Bertoia Auctions, Vineland, New Jersey
Photos courtesy Bertoia Auctions
Bertoia Auctions’ three-day “Fall Start” outing November 11-13, 2016, in Vineland, New Jersey, included highly diverse entries with pedigree. Continuing on an unabated hot streak, Bertoia Auctions saw estimates dissolve like snowflakes. This perennially popular fall classic happened to fall two days after ... (Read More)
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(Auction)Slotin Folk Art: A Mix of Art and Art Forms
Slotin Folk Art Auction, Buford, Georgia
Photos courtesy Slotin Folk Art Auction
Folk artists come and go, and collectors and buyers come and go, but the Slotin Folk Art auctions keep presenting a broad range of material ranging from masters that sell for five digits to new discoveries that sell for moderate ... (Read More)
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(Auction)Potomack Gets Presidential
The Potomack Company, Alexandria, Virginia
Photos courtesy The Potomack Company
The Potomack Company held its quadrennial auction of presidential, political, and historical material on November 5, 2016, at the firm’s gallery and showrooms in Alexandria, Virginia. While virtually all of the past presidents of the United States were represented, many of the ... (Read More)
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