Stories for January '18

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Man Arrested for Antiques Theft
by M.A.D. staff

On December 5, 2017, Milford, Delaware, police arrested a 40-year-old Milford man in connection with a November theft that occurred at a residence on West Bullrush Drive. David A. Honeycutt, 40, was charged with one count of theft under $1500 where a victim is 62 years of age or older after ... (Read More)

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Director of American Folk Art Museum to Retire
by M.A.D. staff

Dr. Anne-Imelda Radice, the executive director of the American Folk Art Museum (AFAM), will retire in early March after five years at the helm of the museum. The board of trustees has designated Stacy C. Hollander, currently AFAM’s deputy director for curatorial affairs, as acting director, effective the day after ... (Read More)

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Recently Discovered L'Enfant Watercolor of George Washington's Verplanck's Point Camp
by Lita Solis-Cohen

Photos courtesy Museum of the American Revolution Philip Mead has been a collector since he was six. “Every evening as I am winding down, I go on Bidsquare, Invaluable, and some individual auction house sites to see if I can find something of interest,” said Mead on the phone recently. He ... (Read More)

(Issue Story)

Letter from London, January 2018
by Ian McKay

Ian McKay, <[email protected]> Yet again I have failed to find something suitably festive to kick off this Christmas issue, but in keeping with established tradition, may I wish M.A.D.readers, one and all, a Happy Christmas and a Good New Year. A record breaking Harry Potter first edition, one that is very unlikely ... (Read More)

(Auction)

American Paintings, Furniture, and Decorative Arts at Auction
by Julie Schlenger Adell

Doyle New York, New York City Photos courtesy Doyle Doyle New York has a loyal fan base for its semiannual American paintings, furniture, and decorative arts auctions. Its salesroom at 175 East 87th Street in Manhattan fills up a few minutes before the 10 a.m. start time with interested buyers, including a ... (Read More)

(Auction)

Design Sale
by Lita Solis-Cohen

Freeman’s, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Photos courtesy Freeman’s  A taste for modern design flourished in the Philadelphia area. By the late 1940s architects were commissioned to design flat-roofed low-slung modern houses, which were furnished with Knoll, Herman Miller, and Scandinavian modern, and also with furniture by local studio artists and craftsmen. Wharton Esherick was ... (Read More)

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The Main Line Antiques Show
by Lita Solis-Cohen

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania The 12th annual Main Line Antiques Show to benefit Surrey Services for Seniors was a different show this time. “I decided it should be a lifestyle show, not just an antiques show,” said Anne F. Hamilton, the enthusiastic cochair of the show, held in the gymnasium of Cabrini College ... (Read More)

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Frick Awards Biennial Book Prize
by M.A.D. staff

The Frick Collection’s Center for the History of Collecting has awarded its biennial book prize for a distinguished publication on the history of collecting in America to Making It Modern: The Folk Art Collection of Elie and Viola Nadelman by Margaret K. Hofer and Roberta J. M. Olson, with contributions ... (Read More)

(Auction)

African American Fine Art
by Julie Schlenger Adell

Swann Galleries, New York City Photos courtesy Swann Galleries A standing-room-only crowd assembled at Swann Galleries, New York City, in the midafternoon of October 5, 2017, and three and a half hours later, 124 lots of modern and contemporary African American works had been sold. The auction had estimates of $2,283,500/3,371,000; the ... (Read More)

(Issue Story)

James Castle Collection Loses Bid to Stop Book
by M.A.D. staff

A new children’s book—Silent Days, Silent Dreams, an “imagined biography” of artist James Castle (1899-1977)—includes works of art and drawings that are virtual copies of Castle originals. The James Castle Collection and Archive, LP, which owns all Castle copyrights, filed suit on October 27, 2017, asking the court for a ... (Read More)

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Heritage Sets New Movie Poster Record
by M.A.D. staff

One of just two surviving movie posters for the 1931 horror movie Dracula set a world auction record for movie posters when it sold for $525,800 (includes buyer’s premium) on November 18, 2017, at Heritage Auctions in Dallas, Texas. Dracula (Universal, 1931), one sheet (27" x 41"), style A. Before its recent ... (Read More)

(Auction)

Sunflower Chest Brings $32,400
by Clayton Pennington

Nadeau’s Auction Gallery, Windsor, Connecticut There was little doubt what the top lot at Nadeau’s 501-lot sale on October 21, 2017, in Windsor, Connecticut, would be. A Connecticut sunflower chest, fresh to the market, sat front and center during the preview, drawing both the curious and the desirous. The star of the ... (Read More)

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The Marburger Farm Antique Show
by Don Johnson

Round Top, TexasWhen it comes to the venues of the semiannual Round Top antiques festival, there’s nothing quite like the Marburger Farm Antique Show. Located on the west side of Highway 237 between Round Top and Warrenton, Texas, the show sits on 43 acres of slightly rolling farmland. Now in its ... (Read More)

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"Woven Strands: The Art of Human Hair Work" at the Mütter Museum
by M.A.D. staff

Five private collections of 19th-century Victorian hair artwork, never before publicly displayed together, will be exhibited at the Mütter Museum at the College of Physicians of Philadelphia from January 19 through July 12. The exhibition examines a domestic craft that employs human hair as textile in four distinctive art and ... (Read More)

(Auction)

A Great Thanksgiving Day Auction
by Peter Smit

Tim Isaac Antiques, Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada Tim Isaac had a great Thanksgiving Day auction on Monday, October 9, 2017, at the Saint John (New Brunswick) Trade and Convention Centre. This was Tim Isaac Antiques’ 48th annual Thanksgiving Day sale. In addition to seeing Tim and Liz Isaac, it was ... (Read More)

(Issue Story)

A Look at Collectors
by Clayton Pennington

Editorial UBS, the Swiss financial services firm, has released an “Investor Watch” report that asked wealthy individuals about their collecting habits and the management of their collections.  According to the report, collecting is rarely tied to investment. The number one reason cited for collecting is “It’s a passion of mine” at 57%, ... (Read More)

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2017 American Ceramic Circle Book Award
by M.A.D. staff

The American Ceramic Circle Book Award, established in 2005, recognizes English-language publications that advance the study of ceramics, present new scholarship and interpretations, and in doing so become important and standard references in the field. The ACC Book Award Committee identified Ceramics: 400 Years of British Collecting in 100 Masterpieces, written ... (Read More)

(Auction)

Small Is Big
by Fran Kramer

Cottone Auctions, Geneseo, New York Photos courtesy Cottone Auctions It was a hot day on the second day of fall in Geneseo, New York, and even the phone wires were hot as bidders from across the globe vied for their picks among 677 lots in Cottone Auctions’ art, antiques, antiquities, and modern ... (Read More)

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San Francisco Fall Art & Antiques Show
by Alice Kaufman

San Francisco, California Perhaps the last (in late October, although there were still two months to go) Bay Area tribute to the 50th anniversary of the Summer of Love, the theme of the San Francisco Fall Art & Antiques show, held October 25-29, 2017, was “Flower Power.” Flowers and floral designs ... (Read More)

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Americana Week Preview: January in New York City
by Lita Solis-Cohen

For three generations, a large conclave of collectors and curators has gathered in New York City in mid-January for an annual treasure hunt. The Winter Antiques Show (WAS) at the Park Avenue Armory has been the catalyst for 64 years. Beginning in the late 1970s, auctions and ancillary shows multiplied ... (Read More)

(Auction)

Autumn Estates Sale in Atlanta
by Karla Klein Albertson

Ahlers & Ogletree Auction Gallery, Atlanta, Georgia Photos courtesy Ahlers & Ogletree There are various ways of selling antiques, and the Atlanta firm of Ahlers & Ogletree—named for Robert Ahlers and his wife, Christy Ogletree Ahlers—has most of them covered. From their facilities on Miami Circle in the stylish Atlanta neighborhood of ... (Read More)

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The Carmine Dance Hall Antiques Show
by Don Johnson

Carmine, Texas “You can’t park there.” I had just pulled my rental car under a tree on a hot Texas morning and was walking toward a group of men tending a grill under a pavilion when Tom Drummond, one of the locals, stepped forward to address me. “You can’t park under that ... (Read More)

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Folk Art Dolls
by M.A.D. staff

Topsy-turvy doll, reversible black and white cloth figures, early 1900s. American Primitive Gallery, in association with John Molloy Gallery, will present Lost Figures & Found Dolls from January 4 to February 3 in New York City. Longtime dealers and collectors Aarne Anton of American Primitive Gallery and John Molloy have assembled ... (Read More)

(Auction)

The Engel Collection, Parts One and Two
by Nick Sabo

American Carnival Glass Association, Greenville, Ohio; Millersburg Glass Association, Millersburg, Ohio Photos courtesy Jim Wroda Auction Services The Karen and Doug Engel carnival glass collection brought a record of about $1.2 million in its first sale and realized another $300,000 in a second auction. The Engel collection was composed of about 600 ... (Read More)

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It's a Wonderful Life
by Hollie Davis and Andrew Richmond

The Young Collector During some recent travels, we stayed with dear friends with two little children, each almost exactly three years younger than one of our children. So, of course, their lives are still full of the overwhelmingly large feelings that lead to tears on the battlefields of early childhood—meals and ... (Read More)

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Exhibitions, January 2018
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 website for ... (Read More)

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Splash on the Wall, a Flash on the Hand
by Karla Klein Albertson

New Orleans Auction Galleries, New Orleans, Louisiana Photos courtesy New Orleans Auction Galleries What’s selling right now?” At any auction house carrying varied merchandise, the current answer to that eternal market question is “art and jewelry.” New Orleans Auction Galleries (NOAG) has demonstrated its faith in this fact by adding separate focused ... (Read More)

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Derik Pulito, Kensington, Connecticut
by Frank Donegan

In the Trade If you furnished your home with fine American country furniture 20 years ago, you’re probably not happy that those $50,000 highboys you bought are now selling for $20,000 or less, but Derik Pulito is. When we visited him at his restored center-chimney Colonial in Kensington, Connecticut, for this article, ... (Read More)

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Semple Kettle Stand Offered at Williamsburg Holiday Show
by Walter C. Newman

Along with offering booths filled with fine antiques, artwork, and collectibles, the 36th Annual Holiday Antiques Show in Williamsburg, Virginia, enjoyed the presence of a piece of American Colonial furniture royalty. Known simply as the “Semple” kettle stand or table, the carved mahogany masterpiece is attributed to Robert Walker of ... (Read More)

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Lawren Harris "Lake Superior" Sketch Brings $161,000 Canadian
by M.A.D. staff

The preparatory work for an iconic 44" x 49 15/16" oil on canvas, Lake Superior, by Lawren Harris (Canadian, 1885-1970) sold for $161,000 in Canadian dollars ($126,309 U.S.), including buyer’s premium, on November 23, 2017, at a Toronto, Ontario, auction conducted by Consignor Canadian Fine Art. The estimate was $20,000/30,000 ... (Read More)

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Witek Sentenced for Mail Fraud
by M.A.D. staff

Daniel Witek, 54, of Buffalo, New York, who was convicted of mail fraud, was sentenced to time served (six months) by Senior U.S. District Judge William M. Skretny on November 8, 2017. He was also ordered to pay $2100 in restitution. Witek was a volunteer at the Buffalo History Museum in ... (Read More)

(Auction)

Constitution Cane Tops Americana Auction
by Frances McQueeney-Jones Mascolo

Skinner, Inc., Boston, Massachusetts Collections from all over featured in Skinner’s November 4, 2017, Americana auction in its Boston, Massachusetts, gallery, where collectors and the trade vied for good American furniture and other objects. Stephen L. Fletcher, who wears many hats as Skinner’s chairman of the board, executive vice president, and ... (Read More)

(Auction)

To Arms! To Arms! The Greenbacks Are Coming!
by Mark Sisco

James D. Julia, Inc., Fairfield, Maine James D. Julia’s three-day firearms blowout in Fairfield, Maine, October 31-November 2, 2017, featured selections from about ten major estates and collections from across the country and brought in about $15.1 million from weaponry aficionados. A healthy 82% sell-through rate contributed to the success. But ... (Read More)

(Issue Story)

Freeman’s Sale of Rare Pendant Breaks Company Record
by Mary Ann Brown

Antique Jewelry & Gemology Freeman’s Sale of Rare Pendant Breaks Company Record; Debut of Freeman’s Live Internet Bidding Platform Photos courtesy Freeman’s The November 1, 2017, sale of a rare circa 1910 J.E. Caldwell and Co. Belle Époque diamond pendant, centered by a fancy vivid yellow cushion-cut 10.59-carat diamond, “was a home run” ... (Read More)

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The AADLA Fine Art & Antiques Show 2017
by Julie Schlenger Adell

New York City The Art and Antique Dealers League of America (AADLA) put on a new show October 27-30, 2017, at Wallace Hall that overlapped with TEFAF New York Fall, held 18 blocks south at the Park Avenue Armory. The show was managed for the AADLA by Brad Reh, a show promoter ... (Read More)

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Provenance Counts
by Frances McQueeney-Jones Mascolo

Northeast Auctions, Portsmouth, New Hampshire Northeast Auctions began as it meant to go for its fall weekend sale, October 28 and 29, 2017, in the Portsmouth gallery. Every seat and some extras were filled. Dealers and collectors were a large presence. The first lot of the first day was a southern ... (Read More)

(Auction)

The Millbach Sale
by Lita Solis-Cohen

John M. Hess Auction Service, Newmanstown, Pennsylvania Photos courtesy John M. Hess Auction Service The large sandstone and limestone house of the miller at Millbach in Millcreek Township, Lebanon County, Pennsylvania, is the finest and best-known example of Pennsylvania German architecture. It was built in 1752 by German immigrant Georg Müller (since ... (Read More)

(Auction)

Famous Faces
by Bob Frishman

R.O. Schmitt Fine Arts, Manchester, New Hampshire Photos courtesy R.O. Schmitt Not from Timemagazine or a Ken Burns documentary, these are the faces of more than 1000 clocks and watches. They were sold at the October 21 and 22, 2017, auction by R.O. Schmitt Fine Arts at the Radisson Hotel in Manchester, ... (Read More)

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Fall Collectors' Sale at Farmer Auctions
by Walter C. Newman

Farmer Auctions, Salem, Virginia Photos courtesy Farmer Auctions Farmer Auctions held its fall collectors’ auction on October 21, 2017, at the firm’s Salem, Virginia, gallery. The sale offered a wide variety and an excellent selection of lots from within the expected categories of antiques and collectibles. From a sheer volume standpoint, the ... (Read More)

(Auction)

Photos and Photo Books, Art and Storytelling
by Jeanne Schinto

Swann Galleries, New York City Photos courtesy Swann Auction Galleries “To collect photographs is to collect the world.” Susan Sontag, On Photography (1977) "Art & Storytelling” was the title Swann photography department head Daile Kaplan gave to the sale of photos and photo books that took place in the auction house’s New York ... (Read More)

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43rd Fall Fox Valley Antiques Show
by Danielle Arnet

St. Charles, Illinois The 43rd annual Fall Fox Valley Antiques Show was held October 14 and 15, 2017. It is an event that has become as much a reunion as it is a show, where for decades buyers have returned to see what their favorite dealers bring. Planned and manned by ... (Read More)

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New Show at Thompson's Point
by Mark Sisco

Maine Antiques Exposition, Portland, Maine After a false start or two, John and Elizabeth DeSimone of Goosefare Antiques and Promotions, Wells, Maine, finally got the Maine Antiques Exposition at Thompson’s Point in Portland, Maine, up and running on October 14 and 15, 2017. The building wasn’t ready for the first planned ... (Read More)

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Falling for Rhinebeck
by Fran Kramer

Rhinebeck, New York It was fall; the leaf colors were late; the weather was like summer; but one thing remained constant, the annual fall Antiques at Rhinebeck, managed by Frank Gaglio and Barn Star Productions. Great dealers, great knowledge, sexy merchandise—wait a minute, did I get your attention—yes, sexy. I do not ... (Read More)

(Auction)

Americana and International Sale
by Lita Solis-Cohen

Pook & Pook, Downingtown, Pennsylvania Photos courtesy Pook & Pook, Inc. The Americana in Pook & Pook’s Americana and international sale on October 7, 2017, was a good test of that market. There was plenty of what the trade calls “smalls.” Many smalls were Pennsylvania German, and some brought big prices. Thanks to ... (Read More)

(Auction)

“Exhilarating” Auction at Wolfs
by Susan Emerson Nutter

Wolfs Art Dealers & Appraisers, Cleveland, Ohio Photos courtesy Wolfs Michael Wolf, 71 years young, has no plans to slow down. Wolf, the owner of Wolfs Art Dealers & Appraisers in Cleveland, Ohio, was recently in San Francisco promoting several of the artists the gallery represents; this was only weeks after conducting ... (Read More)

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Original Round Top Antiques Fair Celebrates 50 Years
by Don Johnson

Round Top, Texas The Big Red Barn Event Center, home of the Original Round Top Antiques Fair, stands on a hill about five miles north of the town of Round Top, Texas, and half a century removed from the small antiques show that started a phenomenon in the middle of practically ... (Read More)

(Auction)

American and European Art
by Danielle Arnet

Leslie Hindman Auctioneers, Chicago, Illinois Wheeling into the parking lot for Leslie Hindman’s September 27, 2017, sale of American and European art, we saw that every space was filled. We know that the current market for 19th-century paintings is soft. What could explain all the Illinois and out-of-state license plates? Then ... (Read More)

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The Kids Are All Here
by Jeanne Schinto

World Maker Faire, Queens, New York  I went to what I thought would be the antithesis of an antiques show this past fall. The event, on the weekend of September 23 and 24, 2017, in Queens, New York, was the eighth annual World Maker Faire (www.makerfaire.com). For those who have not ... (Read More)
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