Stories for July '21

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Annual Show Canceled, Tolland Historical Society Seeks Donations
by M.A.D. staff

For a second year the Tolland Historical Society, Tolland, Connecticut, has canceled its annual antiques show because of COVID-19 restrictions and the unsettled dealers market. “This is not a decision we take lightly,” said show director Mary-Pat Soucy in a press release. “This is our major annual fund-raiser, one which ... (Read More)

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Savage Joins Colonial Williamsburg
by M.A.D. staff

J. Thomas Savage, a lecturer, author, historian, and cultural site tour leader, is joining the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation as director of educational travel and conferences starting July 12. Savage currently serves as director of external affairs for Winterthur Museum, Garden and Library. According to Colonial Williamsburg, Savage will evolve and expand ... (Read More)

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Auction Prices Realized, July 2021
by M.A.D. staff

Here are a few notable prices of antiques sold recently at auction, as provided by press releases. All prices include the buyer’s premium when charged. We’re always looking for news of prices realized at auctions, particularly unusual or top lots. Send pictures, complete descriptions, and information to A.P.R., Maine Antique ... (Read More)

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New Dealers for NHADA Annual Show
by M.A.D. staff

The 64th annual New Hampshire Antiques Dealers Association antiques show will return to an in-person event, beginning Thursday, August 12, and running through August 14 at the DoubleTree by Hilton in Manchester, New Hampshire. Several new exhibitors have secured a coveted spot in the show. Added to the show this year ... (Read More)

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A Word of Advice
by Hollie Davis and Andrew Richmond

Beneath the Surface Andrew and Hollie are taking the month off, but they decided that after last month’s column, even more advice might be appreciated, so enjoy these letters to Aunty Eek instead. Dear Aunty Eek, I recently received some terrible news and don’t know what to do. I love my local auction ... (Read More)

(Book Review)

Art, Furniture, and Genealogy
by Bob Frishman

A Book Review "Buy the object, not the story.” This classic advice properly cautions antiques buyers against paying for questionable provenance or celebrity associations. Antique furniture, paintings, silver, and everything else should stand on their own aesthetic and historical merits, not on “granny notes,” family lore, or dealer anecdotes. But at the ... (Read More)

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Letter from London, July 2021
by Ian McKay,

A record-demolishing $2 million price in Scotland for a little medieval ivory casket from Paris was a last-minute entry to this month’s “Letter” but gets pride of place. Fearsome-looking suits of Japanese armour, bizarre birds and other appealing Martinware creations, a rare Saxon shilling, and a bidding race between a camel ... (Read More)

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Gifts to Bartow-Pell Mansion Museum Upgrade Collection
by M.A.D. staff

The Bartow-Pell Mansion Museum (BPMM) in the Bronx, New York, has received important additions to its collection of early 19th-century American furniture and furnishings. A Classical bronze-mounted mahogany center table with an original Thomaston marble top made by Isaac Vose & Son, Boston, 1820-24, has replaced an Empire Revival table in ... (Read More)

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Hanging with Heather Campbell Coyle
by Julie Schlenger Adell

Heather Campbell Coyle, chief curator and curator of American art at the Delaware Art Museum, Wilmington, Delaware, said she didn’t know she wanted to be a curator until she became one. Hired at the museum as a part-time research assistant during graduate school at the University of Delaware, she ended ... (Read More)

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“Horology 1776” Symposium in October in Philadelphia
by M.A.D. staff

Clocks, watches, and timekeeping in the American Revolution are the focus of “Horology 1776,” the 2021 educational conference sponsored by the National Association of Watch and Clock Collectors (NAWCC). Originally scheduled for October of last year but postponed because of COVID-19, this event will offer the public a first-ever examination ... (Read More)

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Only Known Rufus Porter Tall Clock Acquired by Museum
by M.A.D. staff

The Rufus Porter Museum of Art and Ingenuity in Bridgton, Maine, has acquired the only known Rufus Porter tall clock. The circa 1834 clock case was made by an unidentified cabinetmaker and houses a clockwork mechanism attributed to Porter. The museum acquired the clock from Bob Frishman of Bell-Time Clocks, Andover, ... (Read More)

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Anticipation and Collecting
by Baron Perlman

“Well,” said Pooh, “what I like best,” and then he had to stop and think. Because although Eating Honey was a very good thing to do, there was a moment just before you began to eat it which was better than when you were, but he didn’t know what it ... (Read More)

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Rendell Archive Gifted to Grolier Club
by M.A.D. staff

A collection relating to the detection of forged handwriting has been given to the Grolier Club Library in New York City from club members Kenneth W. Rendell and Shirley McNerney. The Grolier Club calls it “the most important and comprehensive collection on the subject known to exist anywhere.” Rendell, a leading ... (Read More)

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Freeman’s Sale Feeds Hungry Buyers
by Mary Ann Brown

Antique Jewelry & Gemology Photos courtesy Freeman’s Freeman’s jewelry and watches auction on May 19 contained antique and contemporary jewelry, including a large group from the collection of a prominent Philadelphia woman. Virginia Salem, vice president, head of jewelry and watches, said the group “was exciting to work with. We had sold ... (Read More)

(Auction)

Circa 1736 Silk Robe Sells for $15,000
by Kay Manning

Augusta Auction Company, Bellows Falls, Vermont Photos courtesy Augusta Auction Company A circa 1736 open robe of Spitalfields silk and “rare exuberant design,” the top seller in Augusta Auction Company’s May 12 online sale of vintage and couture clothing, fashion accessories, historical textiles, and other items, is going home—or close to it. ... (Read More)

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Fishersville Doesn’t Miss a Step
by Walter C. Newman

Fishersville Antiques Expo, Fishersville, Virginia Following a one-year pandemic-induced hiatus, the 66th semiannual antiques show in Fishersville, Virginia, opened for business May 7 and 8 at the Augusta Expoland. Formerly known as the Shenandoah Antiques Expo and newly branded as the Fishersville Antiques Expo, the show has long been one of ... (Read More)

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The 2021 Antique Garden Furniture Fair
by Julie Schlenger Adell

Bronx, New York Computer screens were awash with greenery during the online New York Botanical Garden (NYBG) Antique Garden Furniture Fair and accompanying plant auction, held April 29 through May 7, a yearly springtime event coveted by weekend gardeners, landscape designers, horticulturists, and garden ornament enthusiasts. Jeffrey Tillou Antiques, Litchfield, Connecticut, sold ... (Read More)

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Sale of the Niall Smith Collection
by Kay Manning

Stair Galleries, Hudson, New York Photos courtesy Stair Galleries In the pause after the bidding for two Regency giltwood and ebonized convex mirrors ratcheted up to $24,000 ($30,720 with buyer’s premium)—making it the top sale at Stair Galleries’ online auction on May 6—there was not a sound. No audible exhale of excitement. ... (Read More)

(Auction)

Hopper, Rosseau, and Jacobsen Pace Doyle Auction
by Mark Sisco

Doyle New York, New York City Photos courtesy Doyle New York Doyle New York presented its May 5 auction in New York City as a sale of American paintings, furniture, and decorative arts, but American paintings captured the lion’s share of the big numbers. It was an impressive sale, given that only ... (Read More)

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American and European Art
by Danielle Arnet

Hindman Auctions, Chicago, Illinois Photos courtesy Hindman Auctions As one of three spring fine art sales by Hindman Auctions in Chicago held on sequential days, an American and European art sale on May 3 achieved remarkable success. Realizing $3.2 million (with buyers’ premiums) for 136 lots, the American and European segment stood ... (Read More)

(Auction)

There’s a Lot of “HOPE” for Gamage
by Mark Sisco

Bruce Gamage Jr. Antiques, Rockland, Maine Bruce Gamage’s May 3 auction in Rockland, Maine, was only his second auction since the start of the pandemic shutdown. Last time around, in March 2020, he was all set to go when the shutdown forced him to cancel everything literally at the very last ... (Read More)

(Auction)

Rare Delft Charger Leads the Charge
by Mark Sisco

Hap Moore Antiques Auctions, York, Maine At Hap Moore’s offering in York, Maine, on May 1, the period furniture was handsome and colorful. But prices were kept in check by some refinishing and some later paint additions. Nevertheless, a few items from the smaller lots rose to the fore. The English delft ... (Read More)

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Cheers to Antiques at the Tavern
by Walter C. Newman

Antiques at the Tavern, Hanover, Virginia The third installment of Antiques at the Tavern was held April 30 and May 1 on the grounds of Hanover Tavern, Hanover, Virginia. The show is sponsored by the Hanover Tavern Foundation, the not-for-profit organization that oversees operation of the tavern and all of its ... (Read More)

(Auction)

Records for a Heron and a Fish Decoy
by Danielle Arnet

Guyette & Deeter, St. Michaels, Maryland First, we start with good news. Next, we’ll move on to even greater news. After selling fine and notable American waterfowl decoys and sporting collectibles each spring in St. Charles, Illinois, for more than a decade, and with COVID-19 driving the most recent two spring sales ... (Read More)

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The 59th Philadelphia Show
by Lita Solis-Cohen

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania The 59th Philadelphia Show, April 23-30, a benefit for the Philadelphia Museum of Art (PMA), was virtual for a second year. It may have been the last of the all-virtual antiques shows; it will be live on the East Terrace of the museum April 28-May 1, 2022, if all ... (Read More)

(Auction)

Marine Sale
by Frances McQueeney-Jones Mascolo

Eldred’s, East Dennis, Massachusetts Photos courtesy Eldred’s Maritime art and artifacts in Eldred’s April 29 and 30 marine sale were drawn mainly from area collections and estates. One exception was objects from California collector Richard Kelton, who had filled six spacious apartments in Marina del Rey with his prodigious collections before he ... (Read More)

(Auction)

The John “J.D.” Querry Estate Sale
by Karl H. Pass

Claystrong Enterprises, Chambersburg, Pennsylvania Photos courtesy Claystrong Enterprises Clayton Armstrong of Claystrong Enterprises, based in Fort Loudon, Pennsylvania, held a two-day sale for the estate of John Querry on April 29 and 30. The Martinsburg, Pennsylvania, collector and dealer, who went by “J.D.,” passed away on June 17, 2020, and had amassed ... (Read More)

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Americana at Freeman’s
by Lita Solis-Cohen

Freeman’s, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Photos courtesy Freeman’s Benjamin Franklin wrote to his daughter, Sarah Franklin Bache, on June 3, 1779, “...The clay medallion of me you say you gave to Mr. Hopkinson was the first of the kind made in France. A variety of others have been made since of different sizes; some ... (Read More)

(Auction)

Annual Spring Sale at Tremont Auctions
by Frances McQueeney-Jones Mascolo

Tremont Auctions, Sudbury, Massachusetts Photos courtesy Tremont Auctions Fine art, jewelry, and late 19th-century silver topped the action at Tremont Auctions’ annual spring auction, held online on April 25 from the Sudbury, Massachusetts, gallery. Dans le Jardin (above) by Vietnamese artist Lê Pho (1907-2001), an oil on fine linen canvas or silk mounted ... (Read More)

(Auction)

The Newman Collection of Games and Puzzles
by Lita Solis-Cohen

Pook & Pook, Downingtown, Pennsylvania Photos courtesy Pook and Pook A game by its very nature is competitive, and so was the sale of 272 board games and puzzles from the legendary collection of more than 850 that Bud and Judy Newman put together over a period of 45 years. Bud Newman ... (Read More)

(Auction)

African American Art Sale Totals $3.9 Million
by Julie Schlenger Adell

Swann Galleries, New York City Photos courtesy Swann Galleries Swann Galleries’ African American art department had its second-largest-grossing sale on April 22. Offering 220 lots, the sale totaled $3,985,760 (with buyers’ premiums) and had a sell-through rate of 91%, with 200 lots sold. Auction records were made for 13 artists, according to ... (Read More)

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$3.7 Million Sale of Fresh-to-Market California Art
by Alice Kaufman

Bonhams, Los Angeles, California Photos courtesy Bonhams The secret to the success of the April 20 Bonhams auction of California art in Los Angeles is not really a secret but a tried-and-true formula: quality material, much of which was fresh to the market. Many of those fresh paintings came from the John Janneck ... (Read More)

(Auction)

Canadiana and Folk Art: The Marty Osler Collection
by Kay Manning

Miller & Miller Auctions Ltd., New Hamburg, Ontario Photos courtesy Miller & Miller Auctions Ltd. "Let’s put it this way,” said Ethan Miller, co-owner of Miller & Miller Auctions. “In all the auctions we’ve had, you get a sense of when the community is excited about a collection, and this was just ... (Read More)

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Bunker Hill Visitor Logs Sold
by Frances McQueeney-Jones Mascolo

Three logbooks, long missing from the Bunker Hill Museum, Charlestown, Massachusetts, raced past the $7500/8000 estimate to sell for $21,250 (includes buyer’s premium) at University Archives, Wilton, Connecticut, on April 14. The logbooks contain the signatures of over 40,000 visitors to the Bunker Hill Monument during the Civil War, between 1860 ... (Read More)

(Auction)

Color, Form, and Surface Prevail
by Frances McQueeney-Jones Mascolo

Skinner, Inc., Marlborough, Massachusetts Photos courtesy Skinner, Inc. Eighteenth-century color, form, and surface prevailed in Skinner’s Americana sale that ran online from April 1 to 12. Two Connecticut collections of early New England objects and 18th-century furniture plus textiles, furniture, and decorative arts deaccessioned from Historic Deerfield, Deerfield, Massachusetts, gave bidders much ... (Read More)

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Country Antiques and Accessories
by Jackie Sideli

Flying Pig Auctions, Westmoreland, New Hampshire Country Antiques and Accessories "The sale was great!” said Roxanne Reuling of Flying Pig Auctions after the sale on April 12 in Westmoreland, New Hampshire. The 399-lot sale was primarily focused on American country antiques and appropriate accessories. An antique Oriental rug, 10'5" x 13'10", estimated ... (Read More)

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Midwest Antique & Art Show
by Don Johnson

Cedar Rapids, Iowa There were stories to be told at the Midwest Antique & Art Show, held on April 11 in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Stories of how a dog crate connected to a once-in-a-generation movie. Of a painting and the celebrity who once owned it. Of people, perseverance, and a shift ... (Read More)

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The Collector’s Eye
by Don Johnson

Cedar Rapids, Iowa Not long into the spring edition of The Collector’s Eye, a general-line antiques show held at Hawkeye Downs in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, on April 11, a couple stood near an open bay that separates the event from the Midwest Antique & Art Show. The sibling events sidle against ... (Read More)

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Exhibitions, July 2021
by M.A.D. staff

Peter Blin, court cupboard, 1685-1700, oak, maple, and pine. The Wallace Nutting Collection, gift of J. Pierpont Morgan, 1926. —Ongoing —Hartford, Connecticut Humans have an innate tendency to transform the shape and decoration of even mundane items in an effort to satisfy our aesthetic aspirations. Design in the American Home, 1650 to ... (Read More)
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