Americana in New York City in January

by Lita Solis-Cohen

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The Auctions

Just prior to Americana Week, Stack's will hold an Americana sale on January 12-14 that will include a collection of medals awarded to Native Americans, early American glass, and late 18th- and 19th-century silver. See (www.stacks.com) or call (212) 582-2580 for more information.

Americana Week auction previews begin on Saturday, January 17. Hours are generally 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. (1 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday); call or check the Web sites to confirm: Bonhams, (212) 644-9033 or (www.bonhams.com/us); Christie's, (212) 636-2230 or (www.christies.com); and Sotheby's, (212) 606-7000 or (www.sothebys.com).

The auctions begin at Christie's at 10 a.m. on Wednesday, January 21, with a sale of Chinese export art. A rare Chinese export reverse painting on glass of George Washington is estimated at $25,000/40,000, and a Chinese export dish from a George Washington memorial dinner service, circa 1800, has a $10,000/15,000 estimate.

For the first time, Bonhams will sell American furniture in New York City in January. On Thursday, January 22 at 1 p.m., 200 lots of 18th- and 19th-century furniture will cross the block at the Bonhams Madison Avenue salesroom. A New York Federal sofa, attributed to Duncan Phyfe or one of his contemporaries, is estimated at $100,000/200,000. A cherry tall-case clock inscribed by its maker, Squire Millerd of Warwick, Rhode Island, who served as a captain in the Revolutionary War, is estimated at $40,000/60,000. A Pennsylvania walnut schrank is estimated at $40,000/60,000. A painted Berks County, Pennsylvania, dower chest, dated 1804, carries a $50,000/70,000 estimate. The sale includes a Boston wing chair (est. $30,000/50,000), a Philadelphia walnut dressing table with scalloped skirt and trifid feet (est. $20,000/40,000), and a Philadelphia flat-top high chest (est. $25,000/55,000).

The 17 pieces of Renaissance Revival and Aesthetic Movement furniture offered at Bonhams, made by Herter Brothers in New York in the 1870's, were commissioned by Milton Slocum Latham (1827-1882), a California politician, and railroad magnate Mark Hopkins (1813-1878). In 1942 the entire collection was purchased from Butterfields in San Francisco (now Bonhams & Butterfields) by Warner Bros. Studios. The American Renaissance parcel-gilt, carved, inlaid, and ebonized bed, circa 1872, commissioned for Latham's Thurlow Lodge in Menlo Park, California, is estimated at $300,000/ 500,000. A large mirrored dresser, a cabinet, a shaving mirror on stand, and two bedside stands from this suite are also in the sale. A sideboard from Mark Hopkins's Nob Hill residence in San Francisco is estimated at $150,000/250,000.

On Friday, January 23, at 10 a.m., Christie's will offer silver. A pair of silver salt cellars and shell-form spoons with the mark of Paul Revere, Boston, circa 1760, is estimated at $80,000/120,000. A silver gilt and ivory tankard with the mark of Tiffany & Co., New York, 1891-1902, carries a $200,000/300,000 estimate.

Christie's will sell furniture and decorations on Friday at 2 p.m. The star lots are the Quincy family plum pudding mahogany bombé chest of drawers (est. $2/4 million) and a William and Mary maple easy chair with Spanish feet, Boston, 1725-35 (est. $100,000/150,000). It is much like the easy chair that sold at a Blackwood/March auction in Essex, Massachusetts, on October 15, 2008, for $127,650 (see M.A.D., December 2008, p. 42-A). Christie's is also offering Charles Peale Polk's portrait of George Washington at Princeton, estimated at $300,000/ 500,000. A hanging box painted with abstract patterns, probably Somerset County, Pennsylvania, 1820-50, carries a $20,000/30,000 estimate.

At the same time, Friday at 2 p.m., Sotheby's will sell silver, Chinese export porcelain, and prints. Two pairs of silver beakers by Boston silversmith Jacob Hurd, 1728, are estimated at $70,000/100,000 each.

At 10 a.m. Saturday, January 24, Sotheby's single-owner sale of the property of Dr. and Mrs. Henry C. Landon III includes furniture, paintings, and decorations. The walnut bonnet-top high chest with carving attributed to Nicholas Bernard, Philadelphia, circa 1760, first shown at the Girl Scouts exhibition in 1929, is estimated at $200,000/1,000,000. It has its original cartouche and carving on the skirt. (Its companion dressing table, from the collection of Josephine and Walter Buhl Ford, sold in October 2006 for $84,000.) A set of Federal dining chairs with inlaid paterae, Philadelphia or Baltimore, is estimated at $50,000/150,000. A serpentine-front sideboard with inlay and carving, attributed to the shop of Nathan Lombard of Sutton, Massachusetts, is estimated at $80,000/ 160,000.

Sotheby's various-owners sale on Saturday at 2 p.m. includes Captain Edward Allen's mahogany bombé chest-on-chest, probably Salem, Massachusetts, circa 1780, estimated at $800,000/1,200,000. A new discovery, it has been on the North Shore of Massachusetts since it was made and has never before been published. A cherrywood tall-case clock with works by Christian Eby, Manheim, Pennsylvania, circa 1800, is estimated at $150,000/ 300,000. A dwarf clock with works by Calvin Bailey, made for Josiah Cotton, circa 1800, is estimated at $100,000/ 150,000. From the estate of Dr. William Boor comes a bonnet-top chest-on-chest signed by George Claypoole, Philadelphia, circa 1754, estimated at $80,000/120,000. A Queen Anne figured walnut tall-case clock with works by Benjamin Morris, New Britain, Pennsylvania, circa 1760, is estimated at $25,000/75,000; and a Philadelphia clock by John Wood Sr. in a walnut case is estimated at $50,000/ 100,000.

Also at Sotheby's, property from the estate of Peter Terian includes a Neoclassical figured mahogany marble-top pier table labeled by Charles-Honoré Lannuier, New York, circa 1818, estimated at $80,000/ 120,000, and a pair of Federal figured mahogany barrel-back armchairs, attributed to Duncan Phyfe, circa 1825, with a $40,000/80,000 estimate. Will the molded copper "Old Jake" fireman weathervane made for the Union Fire Hall, now the Charley Rouss Fire Company, Winchester, Virginia, bring the $3/5 million estimated? The 6' high figure had stood atop the firehouse since just after the Civil War. It is being sold to raise funds for new fire equipment and a new firehouse.

If a break from American antiques is desired, Doyle New York has an English and Continental furniture and decorations sale that includes old master paintings and drawings on Wednesday, January 28 at 10 a.m. The preview for the sale begins on Saturday, January 24. For more information, call (212) 427-2730 or see (www.doylenewyork.com).

The Shows

The auctions come toward the end of Americana week, after collectors, curators, and dealers have had a look at the shows.

The first show opens on Friday, January 16. Books at the 25th St. Armory, promoted by Mancuso Show Management, features 70 dealers of antiquarian and rare books, autographs, and ephemera. The show, held at the 69th Regiment Armory at 68 Lexington Avenue and 26th Street, will run for two days. Admission on Friday (5 to 9 p.m.) is $12 and good for both days; Saturday admission (11 a.m. to 5 p.m.) is $10. For more information, call (215) 862-5828; Web site (www.MancusoShows.com).

On Tuesday, January 20, the preview for Caskey Lees' tenth New York Ceramics Fair will be held from 5 to 9 p.m. Tickets are $90. Forty dealers will participate in the strictly vetted fair that continues Wednesday, January 21 through Sunday, January 25 at the National Academy Museum, 1083 Fifth Avenue at 89th Street. Hours are 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.; Sunday, noon to 5 p.m. Admission is $20 and includes a catalog.

There will be eight lectures during the four-day run of the show. Ron Fuchs II, curator of A Hidden Treasure: Chinese Export Porcelain from the Reeves Collection at Washington and Lee University, will lecture on the loan exhibit on Saturday, January 24, at noon.

The 40 exhibitors, leading dealers in porcelain, pottery, and glass in Europe and the U.S., include two new to the show, Cara Antiques, Langhorne, Pennsylvania, specialists in early 20th-century European and American pottery, and Polly Latham Asian Art, Boston, featuring Chinese export porcelain. German ceramic artist Hinrich Kroger will return to this year's fair after a year's absence. For more information, visit the Caskey Lees Web site (www.caskey lees.com) or call (310) 455-2886.

On Wednesday, January 21, The American Antiques Show (TAAS), which benefits the American Folk Art Museum, opens with a preview at the Metropolitan Pavilion, 125 West 18th Street, from 5 to 9:30 p.m. The $1000 ticket ($900 tax-deductible) allows early entry at 5 p.m., a VIP pass for select TAAS educational events, and priority coat check; the $650 ticket ($550 tax-deductible) includes a 6 p.m. entry; and the $350 ticket allows entry at 7 p.m. A $125 young collector ticket allows entry at 8 p.m.

All preview tickets allow unlimited re-admission and a catalog. Admission Thursday through Saturday, January 22-24, 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., and Sunday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., is $18 and includes a catalog plus a two-for-one admission to the American Folk Art Museum. Three-day passes are $45, and two-day passes, $30.

Eleven of the 46 dealers are new to the show this year. Brian Cullity of Sagamore, Massachusetts, deals in early American furniture and accessories and is a specialist in earthenware. Dalton's American Decorative Arts, Syracuse, New York, specializes in Arts and Crafts. Finnegan Gallery, Chicago, will offer 18th- and 19th-century garden furniture, statuary, and architectural ornament. Otto and Susan Hart of Arlington, Vermont, will offer American folk art, textiles, and painted furniture. Just Folk, Summerland, California, will offer folk art and Outsider art. Keny Galleries, Columbus, Ohio, deals in American fine art. Jeff and Holly Noordsy of Cornwall, Vermont, specialize in glass. Peyton Wright Gallery, Santa Fe, is known for 19th- and 20th-century American art, including Spanish Colonial, Native American, pre-Columbian, and American Modernism. Antique silver specialist Spencer Marks, Southampton, Massachusetts, will also offer reference books. Gary R. Sullivan Antiques, Sharon, Massachusetts, will bring American period furniture with an emphasis on clocks. Winter Works on Paper, Brooklyn, New York, specializes in folk photography.

Stacy Hollander, American Folk Art Museum senior curator, will lead a walking tour on Thursday, January 22, 9:30 to 11 a.m., before the show opens. Tickets are $80; students and seniors, $65. On Friday, January 23, 9:30 to 11 a.m., Brooke Davis Anderson, director of the museum's Contemporary Center, will lead a tour, "Considering the Contemporary at TAAS." Tickets are $55; seniors and students, $50. Also on Friday, beginning at 9:30 a.m., TAAS will offer an "Insider's Day of Art and Antiques: Exclusive Tours and Private Collections," a day-long excursion, including a private collection visit, a curatorial museum tour, and an insider's view of TAAS with curator Lee Kogan. For museum members only, the event costs $135. Lunch is not included, and the itinerary is subject to change. For information, call (212) 977-7170, ext. 346. On Saturday, January 24, 9:30 to 11 a.m., "A Dialog and Tour of TAAS with Curator Lee Kogan" will be held. Tickets are $55; seniors and students, $50.

On Saturday, January 24, 9:30 to 11 a.m., there will be an appraisal day. The cost is $45, seniors and students $40, and includes a light breakfast and admission to the show. Helaine Fendelman, David Gallager, and Jane Willis will offer appraisals. This event is sponsored by Country Living magazine. For more information, visit the TAAS Web site (www.theamericanantiquesshow.org).

To recharge your energy for the rest of the week, take time to visit The Seduction of Light: Ammi Phillips/Mark Rothko Compositions in Pink, Green, and Red at the American Folk Art Museum. It is illuminating, an escape from the frenetic week, and a memorable experience. Shuttle buses go between the show and the American Folk Art Museum on 53rd Street every half hour.

The 55th New York Winter Antiques Show preview on Thursday, January 22 benefits the East Side House Settlement. Tickets are $2500 ($2425 tax-deductible) and $1000 ($925 tax-deductible) for entry at 5 to 9 p.m., with unlimited daily admissions; $500 tickets for entry from 6 to 9 p.m. include six daily admissions; and $300 tickets for entry 7 to 9 p.m. include three daily admissions. The show continues through February 1 at the Park Avenue Armory, 67th Street and Park Avenue. The $20 general admission includes a catalog. Hours are noon to 8 p.m., except Sundays and Thursday, noon to 6 p.m. All tickets ordered after January 3 will be held at the door, and a photo ID is necessary for pickup and entrance into the armory.

Young collectors' night is Thursday, January 29, 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. Tickets are $175, $150, and for 30 and under, $125. All young collectors' night tickets will be held at the door. Tickets purchased at the door are $175.

Dealers new to the show include Arthur Liverant of Nathan Liverant & Son Antiques, Colchester, Connecticut, third-generation dealers in 18th- and early 19th-century furniture, paintings, silver, glass, and accessories and specialists in Connecticut furniture made prior to 1840; Kim Hostler and Juliet Burrows of Antik, New York City, offering Scandinavian design and decorative arts with an emphasis on studio ceramics, handwoven textiles, Swedish functionalism, and the Danish cabinetmaker's movement; Hans P. Kraus, Jr., a Park Avenue dealer in old master photographs, who will offer 19th- and early 20th-century photography; Cohen & Cohen, Reigate, Surrey, U.K., specialists in Chinese export porcelain, who are showing here as well as at the Ceramics Fair; and Julius Lowy, a framer, who will return to the show after a year's sabbatical.

Missing from this year's show are Elinor Gordon, Richard Philip, Jonathan Snellenburg, Richard Green, and Historical Design.

The loan exhibition, The Fragile Art: Extraordinary Objects from the Corning Museum of Glass, will present 50 works from four continents spanning more than three millennia and a full range of artistic ingenuity and technical innovation in glass. It is sponsored by Chubb Personal Insurance for the 13th consecutive year. The installation has been designed by Massimo Vignelli of Vignelli Associates. A series of lectures complimentary with show admission, to be held daily from Sunday, January 25 through Friday, January 30 at 2:30 p.m., range from goblet-making techniques to 1950's glass and include "Dining with the President: White House Table Settings" on Wednesday, January 28 with curator Jane Shadel Spillman.

Irene Stella's Antiques at the Armory has been a mainstay of Antiques Week since 1995. Stella Show Management fills the 69th Regiment Armory at 68 Lexington Avenue and 26th Street with 100 dealers. The show runs Friday, January 23 through Sunday, January 25. Hours are 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday. Admission is $15. Complimentary shuttle buses will run between the armory, the Winter Antiques Show, and TAAS every hour on the half hour.

The Outsider Art Fair has a new location and a new date. It opens on Thursday evening, January 8, at 7W New York, 7 West 34th Street, on the 11th floor, with a preview party to benefit the American Folk Art Museum. Tickets priced at $650 ($550 tax-deductible) include admission at 6 p.m. plus a ticket to the Visionary Award Ceremony on January 9, 8 to 10 p.m., honoring Raw Vision magazine, and admission to Uncommon Artists XVII, a series of cameo talks, on January 10, 2 to 4 p.m. These talks are open to the public for $35, or $30 for members, seniors, and students. A Supporter ticket at $200 ($125 tax-deductible) includes admission at 7 p.m. and one re-admission to the fair.

The Nathan Lerner Annual Lecture, "Collecting-Apart: Mass Media and the Home in the Art of Henry Darger," will be held Sunday, January 11, from 2 to 3 p.m. Price is $15; $10 for members, seniors, and students. Book signings include Friday, 5 to 6 p.m., Susan Mitchell Crawley, The Treasure of Ulysses Davis: Sculpture from a Savannah Barbershop; Saturday, 1 to 2 p.m., Brooke David Andersen, Martin Ramirez: The Last Works; and Sunday, 3 to 4 p.m., Ann Percy, James Castle: A Retrospective.

Sanford Smith produces this event for the American Folk Art Museum. For information, call (212) 977-7170, ext. 308, or visit the museum's Web site (www.folkart museum.org).

Gallery Exhibitions

Crossover II, the second annual collaboration of Fred Giampietro and Ricco/ Maresca Gallery, will open January 23 and run through February 21 at Ricco/Maresca Gallery, 529 West 20th Street. Hours are Tuesday through Saturday, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. The show will build on last year's show and continue an exploration of vintage objects, both two- and three-dimensional, produced outside the formal art historical continuum. For more information, call Fred Giampietro at (203) 787-3851 or Ricco/Maresca Gallery at (212) 627-4819.

Master Drawings New York will return to the Upper East Side for its third consecutive year, January 24-31. Over 16 dealers from the U.S., the U.K., and Europe will exhibit a selection of works dating from the 16th to the 20th centuries at galleries within walking distance from one another.

Based on the successful Master Drawings in London, which was launched in 2001, the week-long event will provide an opportunity to buy oil sketches, watercolors, and drawings in charcoal, pencil, and pen-and-ink, the common medium being works on paper. Participating galleries include L'Antiquaire & The Connoisseur, C.G. Boerner Inc., Margot Gordon, Nissman, Abromson, Ltd., Mary-Anne Martin/Fine Art, Trinity Fine Art Inc., Mia Weiner, Stiebel, Ltd., Crispian Riley-Smith, David Tunick, W.S. Fine Art Ltd., Jean-Luc Baroni Ltd., Dickinson, Stephen Ongpin Fine Art, Lowell Libson Ltd., and James Faber. For more information, check the Web site (www.masterdrawingsinnewyork.com).

On Wednesday, January 21, at 6 p.m., Bernard and S. Dean Levy, 24 East 84th Street, will host a reception for Historic Deerfield, an opportunity to meet director Philip Zea and museum staff.

Hirschl & Adler Galleries, 21 East 70th Street, will offer A Selection of American Folk Art, including a group of works by Ferdinand Brader, known for large pencil drawings of farms and dwellings in Pennsylvania and Ohio. Hours are Tuesday through Friday, 9:30 a.m. to 5:15 p.m.; Saturday, 9:30 a.m. to 4:45 p.m.

© 2008 Maine Antique Digest

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