Part Two of the John Long Estate | Maine Antique Digest

Hilliard & Co., Madison, Virginia

Photos courtesy Hilliard & Co.

Hilliard & Co.’s fall 2024 auctions consisted of two sales: a general “Eclectic” sale on October 19 and the second part of the estate of dealer, collector, and interior designer John Long (1932-2023) one week later on October 26. It’s safe to say that both sales offered eclectic items. The sales were conducted in real time and online only on the LiveAuctioneers platform from the firm’s Madison, Virginia, gallery.

The highlight of Hilliard’s October 19 “Eclectic” sale was this 1860 silk jugate political ribbon. The Constitutional Union Party was formed during the lead-up to the 1860 presidential election. It was conceived as a moderate pro-Union alternative to the deeply divided country, and its candidates were John Bell of Tennessee for president and Edward Everett of Massachusetts for vice president. The party dissolved following Abraham Lincoln’s election and the beginning of the Civil War. This rare piece of political history sold for $3750 (est. $3000/5000).

The high lot of the “Eclectic” sale was a rare piece of political history from the 1860 presidential election, a silk jugate ribbon promoting John Bell and Edward Everett, candidates for president and vice president from the Constitutional Union Party.

The Constitutional Union Party was formed in 1860 in part as a political alternative to the concerns from dissatisfied members of the Republican and Democratic Parties. That election saw candidates from four parties vie for the presidency: Republican, Democratic [Northern Democratic], Southern Democratic, and Constitutional Union. Republicans Abraham Lincoln and Hannibal Hamlin won the election. The Constitutional Union candidates won only three states, Kentucky, Virginia, and Tennessee. The party dissolved in 1861. The ribbon commemorating this short-lived bit of electoral history was estimated at $3000/5000 and sold for $3750 (including buyer’s premium).

The high lot of the October sales was this unsigned late 18th- or early 19th-century oil on canvas depicting Joseph holding the baby Jesus. The painting was professionally restored and relined in 2017. It is housed in a 19¼" x 16" carved giltwood frame. Accompanying notes indicate that the painting had been the property of Mary Maud Noble Harlan (1866-1932), wife of James S. Harlan (1861-1927), who was attorney general of Puerto Rico and chairman of the U.S. Interstate Commerce Commission. The painting sold for $13,750 (est. $200/400). October 26.

The overall high lot of the two sessions came from the second part of the estate of John Long. (Part one of the estate was covered in M.A.D., June 2024, pp. 98-101.) A late 18th- or early 19th-century oil on canvas depicting Joseph holding the baby Jesus sold for $13,750 against its $200/400 estimate. The artist is unknown, and aside from its subject matter and artistic execution, some of the painting’s appeal may have been its provenance.

Notes accompanying the painting indicate that it descended in the family of James S. Harlan (1861-1927) and his wife, Mary Maud Noble Harlan (1866-1932). James Harlan served the Theodore Roosevelt administration as attorney general of Puerto Rico and later as chairman of the U.S. Interstate Commerce Commission. His father, John Marshall Harlan, was an associate justice of the U.S. Supreme Court, and his nephew John Marshall Harlan II was also an associate justice of the Supreme Court.

Auctioneer André Hilliard noted that more lots from the John Long estate will emerge in future auctions. For additional information, call Hilliard & Co. at (540) 317-1947 or see the website (www.hilliardandco.com).

This lot consisted of two shadow box frames displaying antique Chinese snuff bottles fashioned from carved jade or hardstone, Peking glass, and porcelain. Each bottle has a lid. The two groups sold together for $5312.50 (est. $100/200). October 26.

This sculpture of a wolf stalking human footprints in the snow is after Charles Valton (French, 1851-1918). The wolf is patinated bronze, and the snow is white marble, mounted on a bronze and wooden base. The 7¾" x 14" x 4 1/8" figure sold for $1625 (est. $200/400). October 26.

This miniature Sheraton-style cabinetmaker’s sample chest of drawers, 10¾" x 11 x 6¾", is constructed of mahogany. There are four graduated drawers; the top drawer is divided. The pulls are original. The case and drawer fronts are outlined with scratch beading. The front legs are turned; the rear legs are cutouts of the side panels. The 1800-20 chest sold for $937.50 (est. $400/600). October 26.

This mid-19th-century sixth-plate daguerreotype from the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, studio of Charles C. Evans has an image of an unidentified little girl in a patterned dress holding a porcelain-head doll. The red velvet lining of the case is embossed with a large eagle, decorative scrolling, and the photographer’s name and address: “Evans / 380 Market St. / Philada.” There are some surface losses, but the image is undisturbed overall. The daguerreotype sold for $275 (est. $100/200). October 26.

This set of burnt-orange-glazed pottery consists of a covered tureen and eight matching covered bowls. All display the impressed “JUGTOWN WARE” mark used from 1923 to 1959 by the Jugtown potters, Seagrove, North Carolina. The double-handle tureen is 9" high x 9¾" diameter. The set sold for $125 (est. $80/100). October 26.

This clockwork pig is from the French toy manufacturer Roullet & Decamps, which specialized in automata. When wound and activated the 10" long hide-covered animal would move its head from side to side, oink, and walk, but it is not currently working. This 1900-10 example sold for $812.50 (est. $300/500). October 26.

The patinated bronze figure is a copy of an early Roman marble sculpture, itself a copy of a lost Greek bronze. The figure is Hermes, messenger of the Greek gods, depicted fastening his sandal. No foundry mark is evident. The bronze stands 25½" high and sold for $2500 (est. $400/600). October 26.

Here is an early to mid-19th-century tooled leather key basket. There is no identification of its maker, but it is most likely from the Richmond, Virginia, area. All the outer surfaces are heavily tooled with hearts, tulips, stars, leaves, vines, and geometrical designs. The handle attachments are covered with a large heart (one is missing). The interior displays overall applied red pigment. The bottom is detached; the surface is very dry; and sections of the handle wrap are missing. The key basket sold for $1875 (est. $3000/5000). October 26.

There are more than 100 antique hatpins in this bouquet. They include Russian enamels, Japanese Satsuma, Art Nouveau patterns, insects, jewels, and fanciful designs. The lot sold for $3250 (est. $400/600). October 26.

This 19th-century wooden box is from Maine. The dry surface retains what appears to be its original green paint and is decorated with a variety of applied shapes surrounded by brass tacks. The interior retains its original cloth lining. The 9¾" x 18" x 10" box, not fitted with a lock, sold for $375 (est. $80/120). October 26.

This 9¼" long 18th-century two-part bronze “dog nose” spoon mold was likely used to produce pewter spoons. It sold for $75 (est. $100/200). October 26.

This is not a hat, nor is it part of a hatter’s trade sign. It is a late Victorian-style cast-iron top-hat-form spittoon. Cast with an outer band and a painted interior band, the stylish cuspidor measures 6" x 12 3/8" x 10 5/8" and sold for $375 (est. $200/400). October 26.

This cast-iron still bank was manufactured by the A. C. Williams Company. During the first quarter of the 20th century, A. C. Williams became the largest producer of cast-iron toys in the world. This figure, known as the Sharecropper, stands just 5¼" high and retains its original paint scheme. It sold for $212.50 (est. $100/200). October 26.

The large two-handle Staffordshire loving cup displays hand-colored transfer decoration. The interior rim and handles feature a grapevine and leaf motif. The side shown displays a heraldic-style cartouche featuring various farming implements, a male and a female figure, and a farming-themed shield. Above and below are ribbons lettered “THE FARMERS ARMS / IN GOD IS OUR TRUST.” The other side is lettered “FROM A FRIEND” printed within a floral wreath. The cup measures 5½" high x 9½" across the handles and sold for $162.50 (est. $80/100). October 26.

The 18th-century Massachusetts Queen Anne highboy is constructed of cherry with walnut drawer fronts and white pine secondary wood. The molded cornice is applied flush with the top. The drops are replacements; otherwise it has had only minor repairs and no restoration to the surface. The 72" x 39¼" x 21" highboy sold for $2125 (est. $2000/3000). October 26.

The miniature American Empire chest, 1840-50, New England or upstate New York in origin, is constructed primarily of tiger maple, cherry, and mahogany. The case features an overhanging top drawer with turned columns above scrolled front feet. The rear legs are turned. There is some damage, but all parts are present. The 18¾" x 16" x 12¼" chest sold for $450 (est. $60/80). October 26.

This Victorian-era Heeley & Sons corkscrew has a brass plaque with a repoussé British royal coat of arms. Heeley & Sons was located in Birmingham, England, and became one of the most prolific producers of corkscrews in the world. This example is 6¼" long with a brass/copper barrel and a turned bone handle. The handle would have contained a bristle brush for cleaning the bottle neck before extracting the cork. The bristles are missing from this corkscrew. It sold for $187.50 (est. $60/80). October 19.

The circa 1820 one-drawer table constructed of tiger maple stands 29½" high and is raised on finely turned legs that terminate with a slightly compressed ball. The table is upstate New York in origin and sold for $575 (est. $200/300). October 19.