Stories for May '21
(Fragment)Under New Ownership, Bath Antique Sale Scheduled to Resume in October
The Bath Antique Sale is scheduled to resume on Sunday, October 10, at the Bath Middle School in Bath, Maine. The show is now owned by Joshua and Rachel Gurley of Gurley Antique Shows.
“I’ve turned it over to them. They approached me, and I decided it was time,” said Paul ... (Read More)
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(Fragment)Bidding Overseas? Be Aware of a “Bid Limit”
Barbara Israel of Katonah, New York, a dealer in garden antiques, had her sights set on a carved marble figure by Pietro Tenerani (Italian, 1789-1869) up for auction at Sworders in England on March 30. Psyche in a Faint, 1860, about 45" high, was estimated at £5000/8000 (approximately $6875/11,000 U.S.).
“It ... (Read More)
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(Issue Story)The Realm of Rejected Values and Bad Behavior by Collectors (and Others)
It is comforting to think of collecting American antiques as a world of virtuous people. The courage and passion inherent in collecting bring a smile to my face. As a former academic I cherish the learning that takes place for any serious collector—learning history, learning what characteristics make a piece ... (Read More)
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(Issue Story)Letter from London, May 2021
No real preamble for this month’s Letter, just an expression of gratitude for the fact that though I continue to dip into provincial sales for my selections, the sort of London sales that this column thrives on have at last begun to make their way back into contention and selection.
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Churchill ... (Read More)
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(Issue Story)New Tech for Old Stuff
The Young Collector
Much of the news of late in the art world has been about the sale of NFTs—or non-fungible tokens. If you are like us, you may have been struggling to understand this. (Or trying to ignore it entirely. We have gone back and forth on this a lot.) ... (Read More)
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(Fragment)Deaccessioned Work Sells for $2.8 Million
On October 21, 2020, the Greenville County Museum Commission, the governing body of the Greenville County Museum of Art (GCMA), Greenville, South Carolina, approved the deaccession of the museum’s Alma Thomas painting Flower Garden.
The deaccession and subsequent sale were in keeping with the policy of the museum, the American Alliance ... (Read More)
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(Fragment)New Legal Battle for Morphy and Julia
In November 2019 Morphy Auctions LLC filed a lawsuit in the Chancery Court in Delaware against James D. Julia, Inc., and James Julia, the former Maine auctioneer. The suit alleged that Julia violated terms of the agreement reached over the 2017 sale of Julia’s assets (see M.A.D., February 2020). That ... (Read More)
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(Issue Story)Auction Prices Realized
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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(Fragment)LiveAuctioneers Suspends Montreal Auction House
On March 9 the Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center for Holocaust Studies (FSWC), a nonprofit human rights organization based in Toronto committed to countering racism and anti-Semitism, issued a press release calling for Madison’s Historical, a Montreal auction house, to “immediately remove disturbing Holocaust and Nazi relics—including a used Zyklon ... (Read More)
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(Issue Story)Hanging with Barbara Israel
Photos by Bree Moon
We are all spending much more time now in our houses and apartments because of COVID-19. Because we all might enjoy staring at someone else’s walls for a change, this column gives our readers an idea of what some of their colleagues, fellow collectors, and other readers ... (Read More)
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(Fragment)Spring Antiques at Rhinebeck to Return; Tickets Must Be Purchased Online
The Spring Antiques at Rhinebeck Productions, will open to the public on Saturday, May 29, and Sunday, May 30, on the show’s traditional Memorial Day weekend dates.
According to Frank Gaglio, the Dutchess County Fairgrounds will again host this event in three spacious and well-ventilated buildings that will adhere to all ... (Read More)
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(Issue Story)Humane: An Online and In-store Show
Old as Adam, Providence, Rhode Island
Photos courtesy Old as Adam
Some objects in Adam Irish’s latest collection, Humane: Objects of Kindness & Cruelty, need little elaboration.
There’s a painted pine and tin bird feeder in the form of a black cat with yellow eyes and white whiskers, inviting birds to sample seeds ... (Read More)
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(Fragment)Tabard Inn Library Bookcase Sells
An unusual Arts and Crafts-style revolving bookcase sold for £3380 ($4653) by English auction house Sworders in a sale held March 30 and 31. Made in the U.S. in the early years of the 20th century, it was once part of the short-lived enterprise known as the Tabard Inn Library.
The ... (Read More)
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(Issue Story)Kurau Family Offers Zamoiski Collection
William R. & Teresa F. Kurau, Lampeter, Pennsylvania
Photos courtesy William R. & Teresa F. Kurau
What does a dealer do when asked to disperse one of the very best collections ever put together in his special field? An auction would be a landmark sale, a rite of passage, and its printed ... (Read More)
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(Fragment)Judge Rules Union League Club Not Required to Sell Monet
On March 17 Judge Neil H. Cohen of the Circuit Court of Cook County, Illinois, ruled that the Union League Club of Chicago was not required to sell Pommiers en fleurs (Apple Trees in Blossom), an 1872 oil on canvas by Claude Monet (1840-1926). (See M.A.D., March 2021, p. 125.) ... (Read More)
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(Fragment)FBI Offers Reward for Information Regarding Stolen National Treasures
The FBI is offering a reward of up to $10,000 for information leading to the recovery of national treasures stolen 43 years ago from the Truman Presidential Library & Museum in Independence, Missouri.
Display of weapons before the 1978 theft.
On March 24, 1978, around 6:30 a.m. a car pulled up near ... (Read More)
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(Issue Story)New Straw for the Camel’s Back
New York State Senator Robert Jackson wants to create an art education fund to provide assistance for art education and art supplies at the kindergarten through 12th-grade levels at public schools in New York. It’s a worthwhile goal, but how it would be funded brings it to our attention.
Sen. Jackson ... (Read More)
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(Fragment)Tiffany Pond Lily Table Lamp Brings $138,000
Cottone Auctions’ March 27 sale in Geneseo, New York, brought in $1.6 million for just over 200 lots.
The top lot was a rare Tiffany Studios Pond Lily lamp from a Winter Park, Florida, collection that sold for $138,000 (includes buyer’s premium) via absentee bid.
Tiffany Studios Pond Lily table lamp, $138,000.
Sold ... (Read More)
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(Auction)Four Nakashima Lots Sold
Cox & Graves Auction Co., Fredericksburg, Virginia
Photos courtesy Cox & Graves Auction Co.
Readers may recall a report published on the M.A.D. website, “George Nakashima Furniture Sells Well in Virginia.” The story covered an August 7-17, 2020, sale consisting of six pieces of furniture from the studios of the legendary New ... (Read More)
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(Issue Story)Jewelry Auctions Thriving after Year of Uncharted Territory
Antique Jewelry & Gemology
Photos courtesy Fortuna Auction
All prices include the buyer’s premium.
Fortuna Auction in New York City has been holding live jewelry and watch sales without in-house audience participation about every 45 days since the beginning of the pandemic. Its March 19, 2020, sale, just days after New York City ... (Read More)
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(Show)The 64th Annual Spring Fox Valley Show—Online
Spring Fox Valley Antiques Show
All right everybody—let’s dance! Readers may be familiar with the twist, the frug, the jitterbug, tap, the lindy, break dancing, and more recently flossing. Newly emerging is the Melbourne shuffle. But we want to tell you that just recently we spotted a new move: the pounce. ... (Read More)
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(Auction)Schroeder Collection of Toys and Banks Tops $3 Million
Bertoia Auctions, Vineland, New Jersey
Photos courtesy Bertoia Auctions
Bertoia Auctions’ spring signature auction March 5 and 6 celebrated the collection of Aaron and Abby Schroeder, arguably one of the greatest toy and bank collections ever assembled. The weekend before, Morphy Auctions sold the superlative Bob and Judy Brady collection of toys ... (Read More)
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(Auction)Chew on This: A Gum Machine for $3450
Farrin’s Country Auctions, Randolph, Maine
Here’s a riddle: What does chewing gum have to do with the Battle of the Alamo? Rusty Farrin’s Americana auction in Randolph, Maine, on March 3 had the answer.
Thomas Adams (1818-1905) is regarded as the founder of the American chewing gum industry. He conceived the idea ... (Read More)
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(Auction)Diverse Sale at CRN
CRN Auctions, Inc., Cambridge, Massachusetts
Photos courtesy CRN Auctions, Inc.
Sales at CRN Auctions in Cambridge, Massachusetts, are always eclectic and always interesting. Karin Phillips and Carl Nordblom, who cofounded CRN Auctions, put together a sale that was exactly that. The February 28 auction brought to market some historical silver, unusual furniture, ... (Read More)
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(Auction)Figurehead Leads the Way at Thomaston
Thomaston Place Auction Galleries, Thomaston, Maine
Photos courtesy Thomaston Place Auction Galleries
Thomaston Place Auction Galleries, Thomaston, Maine, kicked off the year with a three-day, 1300-lot auction from February 26 to 28. Day one offered lots of country and folk-art furniture and accessories. Day two focused on fine paintings, prints, and marine ... (Read More)
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(Auction)Sports Cards Lead Evans Winter Americana Auction
Jeffrey S. Evans & Associates, Mt. Crawford, Virginia
Photos courtesy Jeffrey S. Evans & Associates
Jeffrey S. Evans & Associates’ winter Americana auction was held at the firm’s gallery in Mt. Crawford, Virginia, in three cataloged sessions, February 25, 26, and 27. During the three-day sale, more than 1900 lots crossed the ... (Read More)
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(Auction)Brady Mechanical Bank Collection Tops $2 Million
Morphy Auctions, Denver, Pennsylvania
Photos courtesy Morphy Auctions
Making connections with consignors has always been a staple of Morphy Auctions’ success. Dan Morphy and his father, Dr. John Morphy, are advanced collectors themselves and have developed many relationships with those having similar passions. When friends and colleagues find it’s time to pare ... (Read More)
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(Auction)Oil of Alexander the Great by Unknown Artist Tops Sale
Willis Henry Auctions, Inc., Hanover, Massachusetts
Photos courtesy Willis Henry Auctions, Inc.
Willis Henry Auctions bidders recognize the objects of local and historical interest that fill the auctions. The February 21 sale was held online from Hanover, Massachusetts, where Will and Karel Henry have opened a gallery in addition to their Marshfield ... (Read More)
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(Auction)Copley’s Best Winter Auction to Date
Copley Fine Art Auctions, Hingham, Massachusetts
Photos courtesy Copley Fine Art Auctions
Each time out Copley Fine Art Auctions outdoes itself. Its winter sale is normally held in Charleston, South Carolina, in conjunction with the Southeastern Wildlife Exposition. It was held virtually this year February 19 and 20 from Copley’s headquarters in ... (Read More)
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(Show)Dealers and Collectors Take the Floor
The Nashville Show, Nashville, Tennessee
For decades, when February’s sentimental holiday rolls around, collectors have headed for shopping in Nashville, Tennessee, a tradition that dates to the original Heart of Country Antiques Show tied to Valentine’s Day weekend. Even in this most extraordinary year of decisions, precautions, and vaccinations, two events ... (Read More)
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(Show)Fiddlers Antiques Show: Taking the Band Downtown
Nashville, Tennessee
Between the February 2020 edition and this year’s event, held February 10-13, the management of the long-running Fiddlers Antiques Show was taken over by veteran promoters Kay and Bill Puchstein, as reported in last September’s issue of M.A.D. The plan was to continue holding this show side by side ... (Read More)
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(Auction)Nevelson Sculpture Tops Barridoff Sale
Barridoff Galleries, South Portland, Maine
Photos courtesy Barridoff Galleries
In keeping with its usual modus operandi, Barridoff Galleries’ February 13 auction in South Portland, Maine, was a compact offering of only 200 lots. All but about 33 of the lots found new homes, and only a handful of the misfires came from ... (Read More)
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(Auction)$40,625 Rookwood Vase Tops “Art + Design” Sale
Treadway Gallery, Cincinnati, Ohio
Photos courtesy Treadway Gallery
A Rookwood Pottery vase took the top bid during the “Art + Design” auction held by Treadway Gallery of Cincinnati, Ohio, on February 7. In an Iris glaze, the 15" high vase was decorated by Kitaro Shirayamadani in 1907. Having a dozen poppies encircling ... (Read More)
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(Show)The Hybrid Outsider Art Fair 2021
New York City
The Outsider Art Fair (OAF), usually a long weekend event held at the Metropolitan Pavilion in Manhattan’s Chelsea neighborhood, pivoted to a ten-day, multivenue experience because of the pandemic.
A gallery-share model, along with an online viewing room, allowed participants to visit seven exhibitions in five locations throughout New ... (Read More)
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(Auction)Fresh, Colorful Americana Sold
Pook & Pook, Inc., Downingtown, Pennsylvania
Photos courtesy Pook & Pook, Inc.
The Thursday and Friday auction on January 28 and 29 at Pook & Pook in Downingtown, Pennsylvania, was offered without an audience in the salesroom, with absentee and phone bidding and live online bidding via Bidsquare.
The sale was all about ... (Read More)
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(Auction)Americana Sale at Stair Galleries
Stair Galleries, Hudson, New York
Stair Galleries conducted a two-day online Americana sale on January 28 and 29 at the company headquarters in Hudson, New York. The sale featured the collection of Zane Studenroth (1946-2019), a friend of the gallery. A spokesperson for the auction house said, “The auction was great. ... (Read More)
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(Auction)Eagle-Decorated Stoneware Jug Brings $28,320
Soulis Auctions, Lone Jack, Missouri
Photos courtesy Soulis Auctions
Americana from two sources was sold on January 23 by Soulis Auctions, Lone Jack, Missouri. Items from the Glenda St. John estate in Missouri and the collection of Jack Bernstein of Bellingham, Washington, dovetailed together nicely, having a complementing mix of antiques and ... (Read More)
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(Auction)Skinner Achieves 96% Sell-Through Rate
Skinner, Inc., Marlborough, Massachusetts
Photos courtesy Skinner, Inc.
Energetic interest across all arenas of Skinner’s January 22 auction of American and European works of artbrought about an impressive sell-through rate of 90% for paintings and sculpture and a total of $1,393,656. Skinner’s January 11-21 online sale of prints, photographs, and multiples achieved ... (Read More)
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(Auction)Outsider and Vernacular Art at Christie’s
Christie’s, New York City
Photos courtesy Christie’s
Christie’s offered 90 lots in its annual Outsider art sale, and at the conclusion of the three-hour online event on January 21 the auction totaled $2,137,750 (including buyers’ premiums), with 87 lots sold, for a 97% sell-through rate. The sale was offered as part of ... (Read More)
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(Auction)Tribal and Native American Art
Skinner, Marlborough, Massachusetts
Photos courtesy Skinner
Textiles were the order of the day at Skinner’s December 14, 2020, sale of tribal and Native American art in Marlborough, Massachusetts. The auction was put together by department director Michael R. Evans.
Many of the artifacts came from interesting and important collections, such as that of ... (Read More)
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(Auction)Thomas Moran Painting Tops American Art Auction
Heritage Auctions, Dallas, Texas
Photos courtesy Heritage Auctions
Artworks that capture of the spirit of the unspoiled West and the nostalgia of America during the first half of the 20th century attracted the most attention at Heritage Auctions’ December 3, 2020, American art auction. Collectors and art lovers were not deterred from ... (Read More)
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