Stories for February '17
(Fragment)Court Asked to Decide Who Owns a Tiffany Light Fixture
On February 28, 1976, five lighting fixtures designed and made by Louis Comfort Tiffany were stolen from the Belasco Theatre in New York City. The crime—reported to police—was never solved. Forty years later, one of the lighting fixtures may have surfaced.
In June 2016, Thomas Stein, a project manager for the ... (Read More)
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(Computer Article)Photo Editing and E-Mail Scams
Computer Column #338
John P. Reid, [email protected]
There is an impressive new photo editor on the market at a reasonable price. We will also describe websites that warn of computer scams. (Subscribers reading the digital edition can click on the cumbersome website URLs below.)
New Photo Editor
We often have said that photo editing ... (Read More)
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(Fragment)Heritage Auctions Sues Christie's
Heritage Auctions, Dallas, Texas, has accused Christie’s and Collectrium, a Christie’s company, of “scraping” the Heritage Auctions website to appropriate information and images without permission. It’s no minor manner. Heritage alleges that approximately 2.7 million of the more than 11 million listings that were on the Collectrium website have been ... (Read More)
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(Fragment)Cape Cod Antique Dealers Association Awards Cultural Enrichment Grants
The Cape Cod Antique Dealers Association (CCADA), a nonprofit organization dedicated to increasing the public’s knowledge and appreciation of antiques, has announced the 2016 winners of its Cultural Enrichment Grants.
Through its Cultural Enrichment Grant Fund, the CCADA seeks to promote a better understanding of Cape Cod’s history and heritage by ... (Read More)
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(Issue Story)Chris and Joe Brennan, Salisbury, Connecticut
In the Trade
Joe and Chris Brennan have clearly been successful in catering to the second-home needs of the New Yorkers who spend weekends in Connecticut’s prosperous Litchfield Hills. Their rambling home is stuffed with early furniture and blends comfortably with its well-appointed Colonial neighbors on Salisbury’s main thoroughfare. Chris is ... (Read More)
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(Fragment)Anna Pottery Discovery
Brothers Cornwall Elihu Kirkpatrick (1814-1890) and Wallace Kirkpatrick (1828-1896) began the Anna Pottery in Anna, Illinois, in 1859. They are famous for their pig-form flasks and snake-infested jugs incised with temperance inscriptions warning of the evils of alcohol. The community-minded brothers took their civic responsibilities seriously; they were active in ... (Read More)
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(Young Collectors)Objects Less Fortunate
The Young Collector
Last month we talked about poverty and the related stigma of being poor, speculating on how it might affect the attitudes of modern Americans toward antiques. Yet poverty and the reactions to it don’t happen in a bubble. As with racism and many other -isms, they become institutionalized ... (Read More)
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(Fragment)Bookbinder Booked, Convicted, and Sentenced to Prison
Michael Chrisman, an Ohio bookbinder, has been sentenced to one year and nine months in federal prison for stealing nearly $500,000 from his Atlanta business partner in a bookbinding project. The defendant sent false invoices claiming that he completed more than 70 sets of replica Gutenberg Bibles, but he failed ... (Read More)
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(Fragment)"Hudson Hewn"
Hudson Hewn: New York Furniture Now by Jennifer Carlquist, curator at Boscobel House and Gardens in Garrison, New York, is the catalog for the tenth annual exhibition at Boscobel, which was held April 16 through August 14, 2016. The annual exhibition usually focuses on the historic art of the region ... (Read More)
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(Issue Story)Jewelry Specialists Share Favorites from 2016 Sales
Antique Jewelry & Gemology
As an end-of-the-year wrap-up, we asked jewelry specialists what they liked best that sold at auction in 2016 and to tell the stories of those choices. We thank them for their thoughtful responses, which include stories of jewelry from a full spectrum of historical eras and a ... (Read More)
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(Issue Story)Letter from London, February 2017
Ian McKay, <[email protected]>
Antiquities are very much in evidence in this “Letter” and not all of them confined to the principal piece on “Antiquities….” Look out also for an Egyptian funeral boat and a well-documented but still mysterious Roman intaglio ring that made a huge sum.
A revolver that recalls an infamous ... (Read More)
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(Fragment)Alderfer Auction Has Been Sold
Sherry S. Russell is the new owner of Alderfer’s Auctioneers and Appraisers in Hatfield, Pennsylvania. “I could not be happier to pass the gavel to Sherry,” said Sandy Alderfer, CEO of Alderfer’s. “She will carry on the Alderfer legacy with a commitment to our local community and will be a ... (Read More)
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(Issue Story)What’s in a Name?
Editorial
We’ve heard all kinds of ideas to help revitalize the antiques industry, but Paul Fuller of Paul Fuller Promotions, Waldoboro, Maine, has a novel idea to help his 50-dealer event in Bath, Maine. He’s dropping the word “show” from the title, rebranding the event as the “Bath Antique Sale.”
Why?
“The change ... (Read More)
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(Fragment)Clifford Wallach to Curate Americana Auctions for Jasper52.com
Tramp art dealer and author Clifford A. Wallach has joined Jasper52.com (www.jasper52.com), a website featuring weekly online auctions of curated items from auction houses and dealers. Wallach, who has more than 30 years of industry experience, will be leading efforts within the Americana, folk art, and tramp art categories.
Founded in ... (Read More)
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(Book Review)Books Received, February 2017
These are brief reviews of books recently sent to us. We have included ordering information for publishers that accept mail, phone, or online orders. For other publishers, your local bookstore or a mail-order house is the place to look.
A Guide Book of Morgan Silver Dollars: Complete Source for History, Grading, ... (Read More)
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(Fragment)Morrison Heckscher Receives the Henry Francis du Pont Award
Morrison Heckscher, curator emeritus of the American Wing of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, graduate of the Winterthur Program in American Material Culture, and a longtime trustee of Winterthur, was celebrated at a festive dinner in the Winterthur Gallery Rotunda on December 3, 2016. The event was attended by approximately ... (Read More)
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(Issue Story)Exhibitions, February 2017
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)The Bertoia Sculpture Market
Harry Bertoia’s sculptures are more often sold at 20th-century design sales, but now, nearly 40 years after the artist’s death, Sotheby’s held a special Bertoia sale on November 16, 2016, at 3 p.m. on a Wednesday afternoon during the week of Impressionist, modern, and contemporary art sales in New York ... (Read More)
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(Issue Story)A Very Young Collector
She was a Chicagoan, who lived with her mother, great-grandmother, and a reddish-orange Pomeranian dog named Tiny Tim. Her name was Susan Parker, and in the spring of 1941 she developed a passion for Currier & Ives. She was ten years old.
While looking at material in an archive housed at ... (Read More)
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(Fragment)Experimental Glass U.S. Penny Sold for $70,500
The only known surviving intact experimental all-glass penny, manufactured in 1942 as a possible alternative to copper that was needed during World War II, sold for $70,500 (includes buyer’s premium) in an auction in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, by Heritage Auctions on January 6. The buyer was an American collector bidding by phone.
The ... (Read More)
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(Fragment)Freeman's Sells a Spice Chest
A small valuables chest, offered as the first of ten lots of furniture at the end of a sale of mostly paintings from the estate of Andre and Nancy Brewster of Maryland, was not overlooked on December 15, 2016, at Freeman’s in Philadelphia. Cataloged as a William and Mary spice ... (Read More)
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(Fragment)A Rare Bradstreet Table and the Italian Glass Record Holder
It is always news when a discovery is made. A John Scott Bradstreet (1845-1914) Lotus table with an elaborately carved square top, marked with Bradstreet’s painted emblem and the date 1903, was discovered in a Sotheby’s design sale catalog and bought for $125,000 (includes buyer’s premium) by the Leeds Art ... (Read More)
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(Auction)56th Annual Thanksgiving Auction
Garth’s Auctions, Delaware, Ohio
Photos courtesy Garth’s Auctions
There was a bit of a twist to the 56th annual Thanksgiving sale held by Garth’s Auctions, Delaware, Ohio, on November 25, 2016. While there was plenty of Americana served to a standing-room-only crowd, there was also something not usually on the plate—an unusual ... (Read More)
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(Auction)"Hands Up!" Goes Way Up
Christie’s, New York City
Photos courtesy Christie’s
Christie’s made a big bang with N.C. Wyeth’s “Hands Up!” when it sold for $4,951,500 (with buyer’s premium) at its American art sale on the morning of November 22, 2016. It established a world auction record for the artist.
The top lot of the sale, setting ... (Read More)
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(Auction)Keeneland and Cross Gate Gallery Collaboration Reaps Rewards
Lexington, Kentucky
Photos courtesy Cross Gate Gallery
Advertising. Social media. E-mail lists. The task of bringing the consumer to the product can take many paths. Every auction house’s advertising and marketing department takes on this challenge with each event.
“How do I get what I have for sale in front of those who ... (Read More)
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(Show)The American Art Fair 2016
New York City
With the suspense from the presidential election over, the four-day semiannual American Art Fair, held November 18-21, 2016, saw brisk sales and was well attended.
“It was a sea change,” declared dealer Thomas Colville of New York City and Guilford, Connecticut, who sold several things and kept adding more ... (Read More)
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(Auction)California and Western Art
Bonhams, Los Angeles, California
Photos courtesy Bonhams
All prices include the buyer’s premium.
“There still seem to be plenty of buyers,” said California paintings specialist Scot Levitt after his November 21, 2016, auction at Bonhams, Los Angeles. (The sale was also simulcast in San Francisco.) “They bid online, on the telephone, and in ... (Read More)
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(Auction)Sotheby's American Art
New York City
Photos courtesy Sotheby’s
There were about 75 people in the salesroom at Sotheby’s on November 21, 2016, for the American art sale. Buoyed by glasses of champagne and white wine, the crowd gathered a little before the 4 p.m. auction to chat about the state of the art market, ... (Read More)
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(Show)Nashville Big Flea Antiques Market: Strong Dealers, Diverse Offerings
Franklin, Tennessee
Even for well-established show organizers, debuting a new show in a fresh venue can be a challenge. But Marthia Shaw has the benefit of a strong background in the business, for she is the daughter of Joan D’Amore and has grown up amidst the family’s D’Amore Promotions events. The ... (Read More)
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(Auction)Thomaston: Its Own Tough Act To Follow
Thomaston Place Auction Galleries, Thomaston, Maine
Photos courtesy Thomaston Place Auction Galleries
It would have been a Herculean task for the Thomaston Place Auction Galleries in Thomaston, Maine, to top its August end-of-summer blowout, where a single-owner art collection copped over $1.5 million and boosted the total much higher than that. It ... (Read More)
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(Auction)Twelve Chairs and Some Meaty Portraits
Skinner, Inc., Boston, Massachusetts
Presidential election uncertainty hung over the salesroom at Skinner on November 19, 2016, for its Americana sale and inspired more than a few furtive glances around the gallery, where a decent audience was seated. The show went on and very well too, although one can’t help suspecting ... (Read More)
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(Auction)Americana
Freeman’s, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Photos courtesy Freeman’s
Twice a year, in November and April, Freeman’s, America’s oldest auction house, sells Americana. The sales are scheduled just after two major antiques shows that focus on American furniture and decorations, the Delaware Antiques Show in November and the Philadelphia Antiques & Art Show in April, ... (Read More)
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(Auction)Vintage Dresses and a Rare Discovery
Augusta Auction Company, New York City
Photos courtesy Augusta Auction Company
As part of an estate consignment of Chinese clothing, employees at Augusta Auction Company of Bellows Falls, Vermont, received the surprise of their lives. Upon emptying out the contents of a suitcase in a country house in Vermont, they discovered at ... (Read More)
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(Show)The Salon Art + Design 2016
New York City
Thirty-six hours after Donald J. Trump became president-elect, the fifth edition of The Salon Art + Design opened at the Park Avenue Armory. Located ten blocks and two avenues from Trump Tower, the armory was transformed by 55 exhibitors into a showcase of exploration for the November 10-14, ... (Read More)
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(Show)New U.S. President, New Location Complicate New York Art, Antique & Jewelry Show
New York City
The Palm Beach Show Group’s New York Art, Antique & Jewelry Show opened in a new venue the day after the U.S. elected a new president. It was an adjustment for all.
After being denied a contract to renew his show at the Park Avenue Armory, Scott Diament, president ... (Read More)
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(Show)Antiques Week in Central Illinois
Arcola, Arthur, and Tuscola, Illinois
Smack dab in the middle of practically nowhere, Antiques Week in Central Illinois has slowly been gaining a reputation in recent years. Not that there isn’t a bit of confusion in the midst of it all. Consider this: the semiannual event consists of five antiques shows ... (Read More)
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(Auction)Folk Art Cutwork Leads Evans Sale
Jeffrey S. Evans & Associates, Mt. Crawford, Virginia
Photos courtesy Jeffrey S. Evans & Associates
Jeffrey S. Evans & Associates held its 31st semiannual Americana and fine antiques auction at its Mt. Crawford, Virginia, gallery and showrooms on November 12, 2016. Over the past several years Evans has used this event to ... (Read More)
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(Auction)Collector's Collection Sells for Bargains
John McInnis Auctioneers, Newburyport, Massachusetts
There’s nothing like an on-site sale in a Federal house in a seaport town, especially when the owner was a collector’s collector. That’s what John McInnis Auctioneers delivered in three parts on November 11, 2016, in Newburyport, Massachusetts.
The house was owned by Frank E. Miller (1923-2014), ... (Read More)
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(Auction)Holiday Sale 2016
Humler & Nolan, Cincinnati, Ohio
Photos courtesy Humler & Nolan
Humler & Nolan’s holiday sale, held November 5 and 6, 2016, in Cincinnati, Ohio, was characterized by confirmation rather than surprise, as bidding followed a pattern well established over recent years.
“The low end’s dead. Good stuff sells,” said Riley Humler, the company’s ... (Read More)
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(Auction)Variety Spices Life
CRN Auctions, Cambridge, Massachusetts
Photos courtesy CRN Auctions
Karin J. Phillips and Carl R. Nordblom routinely put together an eclectic pastiche of antiques from the 17th through the 20th centuries for their CRN Auctions sales. Their November 6, 2016, auction in the Cambridge, Massachusetts, gallery was no exception. The results were equally ... (Read More)
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(Show)Winnetka Is a Winner
Antiques + Modernism Winnetka Show, Winnetka, Illinois
Hot dog and yee-haw! When we overheard a visitor at the November 4-6, 2016, Antiques + Modernism Winnetka Show in Winnetka, Illinois, ask her husband, “Do you think this will fit? We could move the table,” we practically levitated.
The exchange was electric because it ... (Read More)
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(Auction)Diversity Is King at Shannon's
Shannon’s Fine Art Auctioneers, Milford, Connecticut
Photos courtesy Shannon’s Fine Art Auctioneers
Fine art continues to be the go-to genre for American auction houses. While brown furniture still struggles and middle-of-the-road merchandise is soft, fine art (at all prices) seems to be consistently in demand. Because of that, the race is on ... (Read More)
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(Auction)Peale Portrait Prints Pop
Northeast Auctions, Portsmouth, New Hampshire
In a twist on auction events of late, Ron Bourgeault packed the gallery to the rafters for Northeast Auctions’ October 25, 2016, sale at the Treadwell Mansion in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. What’s more, it was just like the “old days,” beginning at 5:30 p.m. on a ... (Read More)
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(Auction)Horological, Jewelry, and Antiques Auction
R.O. Schmitt Fine Arts, Manchester, New Hampshire
R.O. Schmitt Fine Arts’ October 22 and 23, 2016, auction was the first under the complete ownership of Dan Horan. Former owner Bob Schmitt opened the sale—his last—before a fuller house than usual at the Radisson Hotel in Manchester, New Hampshire. After the sale ... (Read More)
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(Show)The Boston International Fine Art Show
Boston, Massachusetts
For 20 years the Boston International Fine Art Show (BIFAS) has brightened the fall calendar in Boston. During the October 20-23, 2016, event, just shy of 40 dealers, many of whom have done the show since the beginning, set up beneath the domed glass ceiling of the Cyclorama building ... (Read More)
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