Stories for November '21
(Issue Story)Auction Prices Realized, November 2021
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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(Issue Story)On the Market
Beneath the Surface
There must be something about humans that makes us like to critique other people’s choices and to see how ours compare. That’s the very essence of some of our earliest prehistoric interactions, such as games—comparing one set of skills against another. And what were acts such as putting ... (Read More)
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(Issue Story)Anna Pottery Monument at Crocker Farm
More than a century before the latest reckoning on racism in this country, potters Cornwall and Wallace Kirkpatrick were tweaking the consciences—and funny bones—of stoneware buyers and admirers. Frogs were positioned at the bottom of mugs. Pig-shaped flasks diverted liquids to the animals’ rear ends. Miniature chamber pots, complete with ... (Read More)
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(Issue Story)Hanging with Patricia Stauble
Longtime antiques dealer Patricia “Pat” Stauble has many stories to tell, and after over 50 years in business she continues to write new chapters.
Pat Stauble sits at a tall desk/drawer combination in original blue. On the wall are items from the kitchen of her late mother, Doris Stauble—a painted pumpkin ... (Read More)
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(Issue Story)Letter from London, November 2021
Ranging from modestly priced items seen in provincial sales to a curious 16th-century painting that made a million dollars in London, this month’s selection is most definitely a varied one—both in content and in the sums raised.
That painting, which was among lots from the collections of Jasper Conran, keeps company ... (Read More)
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(Fragment)Shelburne Museum Reattributes Shorebirds to Bunn
Shelburne Museum Reattributes Shorebirds to Bunn
In the “Bunn or Bowman” decoy debate, one major museum has made a choice. The Shelburne Museum in Shelburne, Vermont, has reattributed five shorebird decoys in its collection to Native American carver Charles Sumner Bunn (1865-1952).
“For nearly a century, there has been confusion and controversy ... (Read More)
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(Issue Story)The Supply Chain
In August I bought a clearance refrigerator from a big box chain at a significant discount. The sale of the floor model fridge was final—no returns. Tickled with the bargain I had gotten, I had it loaded in my Toyota Tacoma pickup truck, drove it home, and unloaded it by ... (Read More)
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(Issue Story)Exhibitions, November 2021
Ray Welch, Auction, oil on canvasboard, 22" x 28" framed. Robert Chase collection.
—Through December 18, 2021 —Springvale, Maine
Ray Welch (1915-1996), who signed his work “Ray-Welch,” was a mill worker in Sanford and North Berwick, Maine. He began painting watercolor scenes in 1957 and quickly moved on to oils. His ... (Read More)
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(Fragment)Vase with Missing Neck Sells for $2.45 Million at Doyle
The sale for $2,450,000 (includes buyer’s premium) of a “unique imperial masterpiece” at Doyle New York on September 20 created a sensation. The vase, 4 7/8" high x 4" wide overall, with a “missing” neck, attracted some 30 phone bidders to the lot, number 189 in the sale.
$2,450,000. Photo courtesy ... (Read More)
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(Auction)Photographic Pieces of the Past
One Source Auctions, Canandaigua, New York
Every buyer of an old home dreams of a “find,” a treasure in the attic, a rare piece of history. But to find an entire “time capsule” with hundreds of items untouched for 100 years from an American cultural movement and its historical figures, along ... (Read More)
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(Issue Story)Jewelry Spanning over a Century at Clars
Antique Jewelry & Gemology
Photos courtesy Clars Auction Gallery
The fine jewelry and timepieces sale on September 16 at Clars Auction Gallery, Oakland, California, “offered a beautiful selection of diamond, colored gemstone, and signed jewelry spanning over a century,” according to Lauren Della-Croce, director of jewelry. “Prices were strong for signed jewelry ... (Read More)
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(Auction)The Oppenheimer Collection of Meissen
Sotheby’s, New York City
Photos courtesy Sotheby’s
On Tuesday, September 14, in a Sotheby’s salesroom, 21 collectors and connoisseurs, including several members of the trade, and a lawyer from Tel Aviv representing the consignors of 117 lots of Meissen porcelain filled the chairs arranged in pairs, 6' apart, for social distancing according ... (Read More)
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(Fragment)Gentlemen, Start Your Bidding
A circa 1909 Märklin clockwork limousine, estimated at $7500/25,000, sold for $48,875 (includes buyer’s premium) at Stony Ridge Auction in Lemoyne, Ohio, on September 12. The buyer was Doug Prendeville of Train Collector’s Warehouse and Tin Toy Gallery in Parsippany, New Jersey. The underbidder was on the phone.
$48,875. Photo courtesy ... (Read More)
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(Auction)Premier Sale with Adjustments
Brunk Auctions, Asheville, North Carolina
Photos courtesy Brunk Auctions
Brunk Auctions’ “Premier” sale in Asheville, North Carolina, on Saturday, September 11, was a day when, in the words of American fine art specialist Nan Zander, the history of American painting was on display. In addition, major collections of American furniture and Delft ... (Read More)
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(Fragment)Record Price Paid at Wiederseim
An oil on canvas by Xanthus Russell Smith (1839-1929), estimated at $5000/7000, sold for a record-breaking $106,250 (with buyer’s premium) at Wiederseim Associates in Phoenixville, Pennsylvania, on September 10. We could find no other work by Smith selling for a higher price at auction.
The buyer, according to Ted Wiederseim, was ... (Read More)
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(Auction)A Southern Sale with Exceptions
Wooten & Wooten, Camden, South Carolina
Photos courtesy Wooten & Wooten
Jeremy Wooten displayed his Palmetto State pride at the beginning, middle, and end of the September 4 Wooten & Wooten online sale. He led with Depression-era artists from the South Carolina Low Country. Midway, he brought out a massive French chandelier ... (Read More)
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(Auction)The Second Half of Splendor
Thomaston Place Auction Galleries, Thomaston, Maine
Photos courtesy Thomaston Place Auction Galleries
From August 27 to 29, Thomaston Place Auction Galleries presented a marathon three-day sale that brought in over $3 million after several post-sale deals were finalized. Titled “Splendor, Part II,” the sale presented a wide variety of antiques and art. ... (Read More)
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(Auction)Evans Conducts Huge Summer Americana Sale
Jeffrey S. Evans & Associates, Mt. Crawford, Virginia
Photos courtesy Jeffrey S. Evans & Associates
When covering antiques and collectibles auctions, our reports often refer to the “wide range” of items that were offered “across many categories.” This is an attempt to give the reader an idea of the overall scope of ... (Read More)
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(Show)The 2021 Antique American Indian Art Show
Santa Fe, New Mexico
The Antique American Indian Art Show ran August 17-20 and closed out Antique Week in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Like its sibling show, Objects of Art, it ran concurrently with a companion virtual show (August 9-31) featuring material available at the show and online offered by dealers ... (Read More)
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(Auction)Maritime Arts Sale
Eldred’s, East Dennis, Massachusetts
Photos courtesy Eldred’s
Eldred’s maritime arts sale held August 19 and 20 under the tent at the East Dennis, Massachusetts, gallery brought historical objects to market from a variety of collections, including those of Ian R. MacKenzie and New Yorker Michael Gill, who acquired much of his collection ... (Read More)
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(Show)The 42nd Annual Whitehawk Show
Whitehawk Antique Indian & Ethnographic Art Show, Santa Fe, New Mexico
“The first day was one of the best openings we’ve ever had,” said Fullerton, California, dealer Joseph Tuzzolino. Still decorating the booth on day two, this Pendleton limited-edition Cheyenne-design eagle blanket, 591/1200, has a Beaver State label, dating it to ... (Read More)
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(Auction)Folk, Outsider, and Self-Taught Art Plus Americana Online
Toomey & Co. Auctioneers, Oak Park, Illinois
Photos courtesy Toomey & Co. Auctioneers
Don’t you just love it when auction houses go off the rails? We’re talking here about changing direction. Trying a new option. Opening eyes to varied tastes. And shattering expectations.
Toomey & Co. Auctioneers, Oak Park, Illinois, an auction house ... (Read More)
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(Show)The 2021 Objects of Art Show
Santa Fe, New Mexico
The Objects of Art show, which ran August 12-15 at El Museo Cultural de Santa Fe in Santa Fe’s Railyard District, was filled with happy people seeing each other for the first time since August 2019. The Objects of Art opening (and the opening of the Antique ... (Read More)
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(Auction)The Americana Collection of Deborah and Edward Dick
Garth’s Auctions, Columbus, Ohio
Photos courtesy Garth’s Auctions
Sometimes auction results provide more information than just market values and buying trends. That was the case with the recent single-owner, online-only sale that concluded on August 8 and consisted of 330 lots of Americana from the collection of Deborah and Edward Dick of ... (Read More)
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(Auction)Decorative Arts Auction
Treadway Gallery, Cincinnati, Ohio
Photos courtesy Treadway Gallery
Gertrude Abercrombie (1909-1977), painting of three conch shells, a compote with grapes, and a skull, oil on board, signed and dated 1944, 8¾" x 11¾" (sight size), excellent condition, $118,750 (est. $20,000/30,000).
Gertrude Abercrombie’s march through the art market continues unabated. During the decorative arts ... (Read More)
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(Auction)Sale of “Magnificent Polychrome Floating Sculptures”
Guyette & Deeter, St. Michaels, Maryland
Photos courtesy Guyette & Deeter
This mallard drake created by Charles Edward “Shang” Wheeler (1872-1949) of Stratford, Connecticut, shows the bird at rest, its head to the side and its beak tucked in, with comb painting in a tight herringbone pattern. Made around 1940, it was ... (Read More)
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(Auction)Crocker Farm Sale Is One for the Record Books
Crocker Farm, Sparks, Maryland
Photos courtesy Crocker Farm
The massive ovoid vessel by Dave Drake stands nearly 25" high with a circumference of 77". It survives without cracks but with four areas of loss to the rim. The poem jar went to the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Bentonville, Arkansas, ... (Read More)
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(Auction)The Stewart Collection of Western Art
Bonhams, Los Angeles
Photos courtesy Bonham
Specialist Katherine Halligan said she was “thrilled with the results” of Bonhams’ August 4 Los Angeles auction, “Portrait of the West: The Diane and Sam Stewart Collection.”
“We knew going in that the Stewarts purchased these paintings at the top galleries and auctions, but we believed in ... (Read More)
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(Show)Zoar Antiques Show & Artisans’ Tent Expands and Shines
Zoar, Ohio
Outdoor events continue to see an upswing in attendance numbers, and the same held true for the 2021 edition of the Zoar Antiques Show & Artisans’ Tent, located just on the outskirts of historic Zoar village in Zoar, Ohio. The show was held July 31 and August 1, and ... (Read More)
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(Auction)Massachusetts Americana Online
Willis Henry Auctions, Marshfield, Massachusetts
Photos courtesy Willis Henry Auctions
Marshfield, Massachusetts, auctioneer Willis Henry is known for interesting Americana, folky and formal, and Shaker material. The August 1 online sale brought to market objects of coastal Massachusetts history that bidders were pleased to buy. Stoneware, woodenware from Hingham, Massachusetts, paintings, instruments, ... (Read More)
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(Auction)Western Art Auction Tops $17.5 Million
Coeur d’Alene Art Auction, Reno, Nevada
Photos courtesy Coeur d’Alene Art Auction
It seems only fitting that while the U.S. Olympians in Tokyo were busy setting new world records, the same was taking place in Reno, Nevada, at the Coeur d’Alene 36th annual Western art auction. Continued interest in fine Western art ... (Read More)
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(Auction)Major Work by Local Artist Leads the Sale
Case Antiques, Knoxville, Tennessee
Photos courtesy Case Antiques
Being in the auction business is a continual learning experience, and no matter how much you learn there will always be surprises. Reviewing his firm’s successful summer auction on July 24 and 25, John Case of Case Antiques noted, “I’m very analytical. I look ... (Read More)
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(Fragment)MADA Grant Benefits Waldoboro Schoolhouse Renovation
The Maine Antiques Dealers Association’s Education and Community Grants program, established in 1998, exists to “promote education in, and knowledge of, historical Maine arts and decorative arts.” In order to qualify for the grant, a request must be submitted to the Maine Antiques Dealers Association (MADA).
Harry Hepburn of Harrison, Maine, ... (Read More)
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