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(Fragment)Museum of Antique Coffee Mills Includes Coffee Bar
Cafe Museo, a museum of antique coffee mills in Clifton Forge, Virginia, that opened in 2020, is the only museum of its kind in the United States. Its name is Italian for "coffee museum."
The museum includes antique coffee mills from Judith and Stephen Sivonda's collection of more than 300 coffee ... (Read More)
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(Issue Story)Spinning a Nostalgic Yarn
The Young Collector
We are doing it again-we're guest co-curating an exhibition. What had started out as a small show about one Ohio folk artist has blossomed into a major loan exhibition scheduled for early in 2022 at the Decorative Arts Center of Ohio in Lancaster, Ohio. The folk artist in ... (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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(Fragment)Canceled Sale of Monet Prompts Lawsuit
Piommiers en fleurs (Apple Trees in Blossom), 1872, a 23 3⁄8" x 28 7⁄8" oil on canvas by Claude Monet (1840-1926), was accessioned into the collection of the Union League Club of Chicago in 1895. Judge John Barton Payne sold it to the club for $500.
Fast forward 125 years. The ... (Read More)
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(Issue Story)Hanging with Andrew Spindler
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 surround themselves with ... (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)Inaugural Western Art Sale a Success
Bonhams, Los Angeles, California
Photos courtesy Bonhams
Sales totaled $925,569 at the first dedicated stand-alone Western art auction at Bonhams in Los Angeles on February 26. Newly hired specialist Katherine Halligan said she was "really pleased" with the results of this "small" sale of 58 lots. "I came in late," she added, ... (Read More)
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(Fragment)Stolen Paintings Turn Up Consigned for Auction
When Cambridge, Massachusetts, auctioneer Carl R. Nordblom opened his copy of the February issue of Maine Antique Digest, he recalls, "I was shocked to see my pictures there." Photographs of the pictures-two small China trade paintings-ran under the headline "Stolen China Trade Paintings." They had been stolen in Portland, Maine.
Nordblom ... (Read More)
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(Issue Story)Highlights from the Philadelphia Museum's American Furniture Collection
A Book Review
The Philadelphia Museum of Art (PMA) has published some landmark exhibition catalogs that introduced the world to its unparalleled collection of Philadelphia furniture: Philadelphia: Three Centuries of American Art; Federal Philadelphia, 1785-1825: The Athens of the Western World; Worldly Goods: The Arts of Early Pennsylvania, 1680-1758; and Classical ... (Read More)
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(Fragment)Leland Little's New Sporting Arts Department
A root-head goose by Lawrence Howard (1891-1975) of Ocracoke, North Carolina, sold for $12,600 (includes buyer's premium), topping the first sale conducted by the new sporting arts department of Leland Little Auctions in Hillsborough, North Carolina, on February 25.
$12,600.
The catalog noted that "surviving root head decoys are rare and geese ... (Read More)
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(Issue Story)Letter from London
An explosive rat and a pair of candlesticks fashioned from a stag's feet are among the more bizarre entries in this month's selection, while a giant cicada, a wine jug in canine guise, and a ceramic menagerie add to that zoomorphic theme.
A record-breaking "Midshipman" jug, a Pre-Raphaelite Queen of Hearts, ... (Read More)
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(Issue Story)American Resilience
The COVID-19 pandemic has been a body blow to America. As of this writing, the United States has recorded over 27 million cases and 463,000 deaths. Businesses have shuttered, and the vaccine rollout is going slower than many had hoped.
Americans are a remarkably resilient people. Take a look around any ... (Read More)
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(Fragment)Americana Insights Launches
The new year in the antiques world got off to an auspicious start with the launch on January 12 of Americana Insights, a new e-publication focusing on traditional American folk art and Americana that provides open access to original articles, research, and resources. A compendium of short-form scholarly essays on ... (Read More)
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(Fragment)Freeman's Record Sale Topped by $4.7 Million White Interior
None of the 12 bidders competing for lot 56 at Freeman's February 23 sale had traveled to Philadelphia to inspect Carl Moll's painting White Interior. Eleven high-resolution images in the online-only catalog were enough to entice three of them to continue bidding past $3 million.
Auctioneer David Weiss opened the bidding ... (Read More)
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(Fragment)Americana Week in New York City during COVID-19
Photos courtesy Sotheby's, Christie's, and Keno Auctions
The auctions and shows in New York City in January were probably seen by more people than ever before but not in person. They filled computer screens, tablets, and phones with an enormous number of pictures of some very good things accompanied by yards ... (Read More)
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(Issue Story)Hennage Collection Goes to Colonial Williamsburg
Photos courtesy Art Museums of Colonial Williamsburg
A Philadelphia high chest made of mahogany, yellow pine, tulip poplar, and sabicu-sometimes known as horseflesh mahogany-that descended in the family of Sarah (Franklin) and Richard Bache, Benjamin Franklin's daughter and son-in-law, is just one of more than 400 objects that Joseph "Joe" and ... (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)London, Dublin, and Boston Stories at Brunk Auctions
Brunk Auctions, Asheville, North Carolina
Photos courtesy Brunk Auctions
The estate of New York City investment banker Robert Kyle Johnson (1938-2020) consigned 128 lots of 18th-century British and Irish furniture and silver to Brunk Auctions' February 12 and 13 "Premier" sale. All the consignments were from Johnson's home in Aiken, South Carolina. ... (Read More)
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(Fragment)Assets of Harold Cole to be Sold in Bankruptcy Auction
On February 13 the assets of longtime dealer Harold Cole will sell in an unreserved online auction. The sale will include antiques, paintings, weathervanes, decoys, and ceramics, according to court papers.
The auction, ordered by the United States Bankruptcy Court, will be conducted by the Hamilton Group, LLC, Clinton, Connecticut, and ... (Read More)
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(Issue Story)Four Auctions, One Winner: Life of a Small-Pocket Collector
In baseball terms, my interest in four items in four different recent auctions resulted in two passed balls, a missed swing, and finally a line-drive hit. All the action, as you can imagine, happened online (in my case, via LiveAuctioneers.com). But none of my decision making would have been possible ... (Read More)
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(Fragment)Sotheby's Seeks Dismissal of False Claims Lawsuit
On December 18, 2020, Sotheby's filed a motion to dismiss a lawsuit brought by New York Attorney General Letitia James alleging that Sotheby's had violated New York's False Claims Act. The case revolves around a collector using a false resale certificate to avoid paying sales tax (see M.A.D., January, p. ... (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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(Fragment)Troyan Living Trust Sues to Recover Collection
"Without Bob, all of this couldn't have happened. I put all my trust in him," Mitzi J. Troyan said on December 11, 2011, at the National Arts Club in New York City. The occasion was an exhibition of the work of artist Matthew Troyan (1913-2007), her late husband.
"Bob" referred to ... (Read More)
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(Issue Story)Letter from London, February 2021
The Aeneid, the 16th-century epic poem by Virgil, provided the inspiration for an extraordinary series of coloured enamel panels that feature in one of this month's reports-one that also includes a painted figure of the Virgin Mary that brought a much higher than expected sum.
A piratical painting, buried treasure, and ... (Read More)
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(Issue Story)To Price or Not to Price
The Young Collector
Even as you read this, doctors and nurses are administering vaccines. We can finally begin to believe that there is a life out there beyond the toilet-paper-hoarding fugue state that we have all been brumating in for nearly a year now. That life had stopped seeming like a ... (Read More)
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(Fragment)Stoneware Donation to New York State Museum
Stoneware authority William C. Ketchum Jr., author of Potters and Potteries of New York State, has donated his research library and notes plus 14 pieces of New York decorated stoneware from his personal collection to the New York State Museum in Albany.
Among the donated pieces are several early pieces from ... (Read More)
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(Issue Story)Auction Prices Realized, February 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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(Show)In the Cloud with the New York Antiques Show
The New York Antiques Show Online
It is a bit surprising to learn of an entirely new antiques event entering today's turbulent environment. But that is what occurred the weekend of January 29-31 when the inaugural New York Antiques Show debuted as an entirely virtual event.
This new New York Antiques Show ... (Read More)
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(Auction)Theus Portrait Bought by Family Member
Wooten & Wooten Auctions, Camden, South Carolina
Photos courtesy Wooten & Wooten
In 1740, at the age of 24, Swiss emigre Jeremiah Theus (1716-1774) was advertising his skills as a painter to the citizens of Charleston, South Carolina. For the next three decades, he was perhaps the only full-time portrait painter in ... (Read More)
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(Auction)Online Sale of Folk Art and Americana
Circle Auction, Kansas City, Missouri
Photos courtesy Circle Auction
The product of what started as a side business for Ezra H. Griffith, a soda company representative, more than 150 years ago in New York was the show-stopper for a Circle Auction sale on January 30 that otherwise featured many items typically found ... (Read More)
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(Auction)Hap Moore's Old-Fashioned Auction
Hap Moore Antiques Auctions, York, Maine
Hap Moore, bless his good ol' heart, is steering clear of online auctions and going with the now old-fashioned, in-person, in-your-face auctions. Even though current Maine COVID-19-related regulations restrict gatherings to 50 people, Moore still prefers them to online selling. "I will not do online ... (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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(Fragment)New Dates for Fort Worth Show
The Fort Worth Show of Antiques, Art & Jewelry has changed the dates of the 2021 show from March to April. Formerly slated for March 5-7, the event will now take place April 9-11.
According to promoter Andrea Canady, "After consulting with our exhibitors and attendees, the April date was highly ... (Read More)
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(Fragment)Buffalo Dealer Pleads Guilty to Violating Endangered Species Act
On New January 29 dealer Michael T. Merisola, 62, of Buffalo, New York, pleaded guilty before U.S. Magistrate Judge Chelsey M. Vascura in U.S. District Court, Southern District of Ohio, to charges related to selling a mounted leopard, an endangered species. Merisola pleaded guilty to one count of violating the ... (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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(Fragment)Rehs Galleries Nears Completion of Julien Dupre Catalogue Raisonne
Rehs Galleries Inc., New York City, is nearing completion of a virtual catalogue raisonne on Julien Dupre (1851-1910).
The project began in 1991 when gallery owner Howard Rehs noticed a lack of biographical information about the 19th-century artist Julien Dupre, whose paintings he was handling. According to Rehs, "As the artist's ... (Read More)
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(Auction)Shearer Desk and Weathervanes Are Highlights
Bonhams, Los Angeles, California
Photos courtesy Bonhams
How ironic that a desk made by a pro-Tory joiner who wrote and hid a letter within it referring to the British burning of the Capitol on August 24, 1814, should come to market the same month the second assault on our nation's Capitol building ... (Read More)
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(Fragment)Fireworks for Leleu Lots in the U.K.
The design sale held by Sworders in Stansted Mountfitchet, England, on January 26 included ten lots of work by Art Deco giant Jules Leleu (1883-1961), one of the largest groups of pieces by Leleu to come to market in recent years. The collection was consigned by the Greek descendants of ... (Read More)
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(Issue Story)Hanging with Marion Harris
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 surround themselves with ... (Read More)
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(Issue Story)COVID Cancels a Consignment
In December 2020 federal Judge Denise Cote ruled that the COVID-19 pandemic was a "natural disaster" and thus allowed auction house Phillips to terminate a contract to sell a Rudolf Stingel painting consigned by JN Contemporary Art LLC.
The contract, signed on June 27, 2019, called for the painting to be ... (Read More)
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(Fragment)United Flea Markets Acquires Texas Flea Market
Denver-based United Flea Markets, owner of the largest portfolio of flea markets in the country, has acquired a controlling interest of Cole's Antique Village and Flea Market in Pearland (Houston), Texas. This acquisition marks United Flea Markets' 15th property and the company's first flea market in Texas.
In mid-November, the company ... (Read More)
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(Auction)Two-Day Sarasota Auction
Sarasota Estate Auction, Sarasota, Florida
Photos courtesy Sarasota Estate Auction
On January 23 and 24 Sarasota Estate Auction, Sarasota, Florida, brought forth an online auction consisting of almost 1500 lots that totaled over $750,000. Owner and auctioneer Andrew Ford hammered down a robust collection of Tiffany lamps, silver, and fine art. But ... (Read More)
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(Auction)Five-Lot Sale Brings $930,470
Keno Auctions, New York City
Photos courtesy Keno Auctions
"We had a total of 642 registered bidders from 28 countries, including the 18 registered to bid by phone with Keno Auctions," said Leigh Keno after his five-lot white-glove sale on Saturday, January 23, that brought a tidy $930,470 (including buyers' premiums). He ... (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)"In Praise of America" Sale
Christie's, New York City
Photos courtesy Christie's
Christie's Americana Week sales totaled $9,202,500 and established five auction records. A rare contemporary 1776 broadside of the Declaration of Independence from the collection of Ambassador J. William Middendorf II (b. 1924) sold for $990,000 (with buyer's premium) against a $600,000/800,000 estimate. It was the ... (Read More)
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(Show)The 2021 Winter Show
New York City
It had been a tough year for art and antiques dealers. Shows were canceled, galleries closed, and travel restricted as the nation wrestled with the COVID-19 pandemic.
Auctions, with their strong online presence in place, expanded distance buying and prospered despite Sotheby's adding a 1% "overhead premium" and Christie's ... (Read More)
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(Auction)"Vineyard Dreams"
Sotheby's, New York City
Photos courtesy Sotheby's
Sotheby's January 8-22 online sale of the contents of a tastefully decorated summer house on Martha's Vineyard brought $310,716 and was 95% sold by lot.
What do you do with a collection when you sell your house quickly and need to empty it? If you bought ... (Read More)
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(Auction)Silver, Chinese Export, and Prints
Sotheby's, New York City
Photos courtesy Sotheby's
Sotheby's sold silver, Chinese export porcelain, and prints on Friday afternoon, January 22, in a timed online sale that began at 1 p.m. and added $1,141,938 to Sotheby's week's total. The sale of 98 lots was not over before Christie's John Hays appeared live on ... (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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(Fragment)Bingham Secretary Gifted to Chipstone
Folk art dealer Allan Katz has given the so-called Bingham secretary to The Chipstone Foundation in Milwaukee. "We made an unconditional gift, knowing it's in good hands," Katz said.
The Bingham secretary is a fake made by dealer Harold Gordon of Templeton, Massachusetts. Gordon sold it to Katz, and at the ... (Read More)
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(Auction)American Furniture and Folk Art
Sotheby's, New York City
Photos courtesy Sotheby's
There was no annual conclave of collectors of Americana in New York City in January. The auctions and the Winter Show had an online presence. Appointments were made to view the offerings at Sotheby's and Christie's and to see what was consigned during the year ... (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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(Fragment)Five Chairs Bring $498,150 at Nye & Company
John Nye said, "They're killer, huh?"
Nye, the president of the Bloomfield, New Jersey, auction house Nye & Company, was speaking about five mid-18th-century George II Anglo-Chinese huanghuali chairs, sold in three lots, that brought a total of $498,150 (includes buyers' premiums) on January 21.
The chairs were from the collection of ... (Read More)
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(Auction)Chinese Export Art
Christie's, New York City
Photos courtesy Christie's
Christie's has been selling the Tibor collection over the past several years. Formed over decades, it numbers more than 500 works and encompasses every category of Chinese export porcelain, from small, charming teawares to massive pairs of jars. The collection is named for the richly ... (Read More)
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(Issue Story)Heritage Examines the Current Jewelry Market
Antique Jewelry & Gemology
Photos courtesy Heritage Auctions
Heritage Auctions, based in Dallas, Texas, presented a discussion about the state of the jewelry market, "Fine Jewelry Virtual Market Commentary," on January 19 via Zoom. Jill Burgum, senior director of fine jewelry, based in Dallas, and Gina D'Onofrio, director of fine jewelry, based ... (Read More)
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(Auction)American Folk-Art Finds
New Haven Auctions, New Haven, Connecticut
Photos courtesy New Haven Auctions
Howard and Nancy D. Wagner of Beaver Creek, Ohio, were historians, collectors, and preservationists and were also the owners of The Yankee Peddler in Fairborn, Ohio. They had keen eyes and had gathered an impressive group of some 400 American folk-art ... (Read More)
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(Auction)Americana Sells in Los Angeles
Andrew Jones Auctions, Los Angeles, California
Photos courtesy Andrew Jones Auctions
Los Angeles is a notoriously difficult place to sell Americana, especially furniture, but on January 12 the almost 200 online and phone bidders participating in Andrew Jones Auctions' only such sale of the year snapped up 93% of the more than ... (Read More)
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(Fragment)Pandemic Forces Outsider Art Fair to Adopt Hybrid Model
The Outsider Art Fair (OAF) will move to a hybrid model offering live gallery exhibitions and an online viewing room when it is held January 28-February 7.
The fair utilized a similar model for its Paris edition held in October 2020.
The OAF, founded in 1993, has been owned since 2012 by ... (Read More)
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(Fragment)Case Auctions Opens Chattanooga Office
On November 30, 2020, Case Antiques Inc. Auctions & Appraisals opened a consignment office in Chattanooga, Tennessee. It is the third branch for the Knoxville-based company, which John and Stephanie Case (pictured) opened in 2005. Other offices are located in Nashville and Kingsport, Tennessee.
"We're grateful to be attracting an increasing ... (Read More)
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(Fragment)Riley Humler Joins Toomey & Co.
Riley Humler has been appointed head of the ceramics department at Toomey & Co. Auctioneers, Oak Park, Illinois. Humler has over 30 years of experience in the auction business, beginning with Cincinnati Art Galleries and then as founder of Humler & Nolan, a Cincinnati auction house specializing in American and ... (Read More)
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(Show)The Online Washington Winter Show
Washington, D.C.
The Washington Winter Show was founded in 1955 as the Washington Antiques Show. Over the years the show has been reinvented, its organization and name have been changed, and it has occupied several venues. Throughout, however, the event has remained true to its original goal: to raise funds in ... (Read More)
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(Fragment)Magda Grigorian Heads to Phillips
Magda Grigorian has been appointed chief communications officer for Phillips. Based in New York City and reporting to chief executive officer Edward Dolman, Grigorian will drive the auction house's global communications and public relations strategies and oversee all aspects of internal and external communications, the auction house said.
Magda Grigorian.
Grigorian has ... (Read More)
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(Issue Story)All We Have
The Young Collector
In trying times, we find joy in small or unexpected places. One of our unexpected joys in the past seven months (which have felt like three and a half decades) is a weekly video chat that our younger child has with his cousin by cell phone. She is ... (Read More)
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(Fragment)Birds, Bugs and Butterflies Wins 2020 American Ceramic Circle Book Award
The American Ceramic Circle (ACC) Book Award, established in 2005, recognizes English-language publications that advance the study of ceramics, present new scholarship and interpretations, and, in doing so, become important and standard references in the field.
The ACC Book Award committee identified the 2020 winner as Birds, Bugs and Butterflies: Lady ... (Read More)
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(Fragment)New York Sues Sotheby's Over False Tax Exemption Certificates
In early November 2010, during a conversation at the Manhattan coffee bar Sant Ambroeus, an unnamed collector asked his Sotheby's key client manager (KCM)-only three years out of college-why some people did not pay sales tax when they bought art. That's according to a lawsuit filed in November 2020 by ... (Read More)
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(Issue Story)Letter from London, January 2021
This latest "Letter" features something rather out of the ordinary, a monster machine called the "Super Lion," and an old French shoe and a reminder of Madame Guillotine. Here, too, you will find oak furnishings and a dog collar keeping company. There are ivory models produced as a guide to ... (Read More)
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(Issue Story)New Year's Day Rings in with Jewelry at Nadeau's
Antique Jewelry & Gemology
Photos courtesy Nadeau's Auction Gallery
Nadeau's Auction Gallery in Windsor, Connecticut, began its annual New Year's Day auction for 2021 with 203 lots of jewelry. Company president Eddie Nadeau said, "We always save our best jewelry all year to go into that particular sale. But this time, with ... (Read More)
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(Issue Story)Auction Prices Realized, January 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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(Fragment)"Net to You" Contract Spurs Lawsuit
At 5:45 p.m. on Sunday, October 27, 2018, at the TEFAF show at the Park Avenue Armory in New York City, Hirschl & Adler Galleries sold a full-length portrait of George Washington by Gilbert Stuart-the so-called Munro-Lenox portrait. The price was $12,000,000.
The venerable New York gallery didn't own the 95" ... (Read More)
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(Fragment)Gustav Stickley House Restoration Project Receives Grant
The Greater Syracuse Land Bank has received a $500,000 matching grant from the Department of Interior, National Park Service (NPS), funded through the Historic Preservation Fund and the Save America's Treasures grant program, for the interior restoration of the Gustav Stickley House at 438 Columbus Avenue in Syracuse, New York.
Gustav ... (Read More)
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(Issue Story)Hanging with Allis Ghim, CEO of Bidsquare
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 surround themselves with ... (Read More)
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(Fragment)New York City in January
For decades Americana Week has brought passionate collectors and curators to New York City in search of the best the market offers. They look forward to auctions, shows, and the ancillary events: museum visits, auction previews, lectures, cocktail parties, and dinners. They see it as a time to test the ... (Read More)
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(Issue Story)Collectors' Angst: What Will I Do with My Collection?
"To everything there is a season, and a time for every purpose under heaven." - Ecclesiastes 3:1
When in Manchester, New Hampshire, for Antiques Week in 2019, I talked with lots of collectors awaiting show openings. In my informal discussions one theme repeatedly emerged. Beloved objects that make up collections have ... (Read More)
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(Issue Story)Help on the Way
As Lita Solis-Cohen notes on pp. 126-127, the Americana Week auctions in New York City in January certainly have some delectable offerings. While bidding will be live online, at this time there's no plan to have in-house bidders. For all of us who love the dynamics and drama of a ... (Read More)
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(Auction)Five-Day Gun Battle at Poulin
Poulin Antiques and Auctions, Inc., Fairfield, Maine
Photos courtesy Poulin Antiques and Auctions, Inc.
It took five days, December 11-15, 2020, to bring up all 3393 lots in the Poulin Antiques and Auctions mammoth firearms auction in Fairfield, Maine. Colonial American weaponry, Civil War artifacts, and World War II armaments figured in ... (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)Ledbetter's Second Sale: Bringing Folk Art to Gibsonville
Ledbetter Folk Art and Americana Auction, Gibsonville, North Carolina
Photos courtesy Ledbetter Folk Art and Americana Auction
Most of the artists represented in Matt Ledbetter's second sale, December 12, 2020, were Outsiders. Some were homeless, several were black, and most were self-taught and now deceased. If French artist Jean Dubuffet (1901-1985) were ... (Read More)
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(Auction)Delayed American Art Sales Bring $12.3 Million
Sotheby's, New York City
Photos courtesy Sotheby's
Sotheby's fall American art sale of works by 19th- and 20th-century painters and sculptors usually comes before Thanksgiving, but in 2020 it was held on December 11, just before Christmas. The COVID-19 pandemic caused a backup of sales, so Sotheby's fall American art sale did ... (Read More)
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(Auction)African American Art at Swann Galleries
Swann Galleries, New York City
Photos courtesy Swann Galleries
Winding down 2020-a year filled with 28 online auctions and countless Instagram Live and Zoom events-Swann Galleries held its African American art sale online starting at noon on December 10. Always a standing-room-only event in previous years, it drew bidders vying for 211 ... (Read More)
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(Auction)American and European Art
Hindman, Chicago, Illinois
Photos courtesy Hindman
"It was a wonderful sale. There were no million-dollar home runs, but ninety percent of the lots found buyers, and hammer prices exceeded our presale low estimate by almost $300,000." That's how Joe Stanfield, director of fine art at Hindman, Chicago, described the December 10, 2020, ... (Read More)
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(Auction)Fine Art Dominates Doyle in December
Doyle, New York City
Photos courtesy Doyle
The auction at Doyle in New York City on December 9, 2020, showcased an attractive selection of furniture, silver, Chinese export porcelain, folk art, and rugs that brought a total of $847,969, with a strong clearance rate of 89% sold. But it was top-heavy with ... (Read More)
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(Auction)Modern and Historical Native American Art
Bonhams, Los Angeles, California
Photos courtesy Bonhams
Department director Ingmars Lindbergs was "pleased overall" but then described the December 8, 2020, modern and historical Native American art auction, held in Los Angeles, as "uneven." He explained that "it started energetically, but one-third into the jewelry (there was a LOT of jewelry)," the ... (Read More)
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(Fragment)Craft in America Awarded $100,000 Prize by Decorative Arts Trust
On December 8, 2020, Matthew A. Thurlow, executive director of the Decorative Arts Trust, announced that Craft in America was the recipient of the inaugural Prize for Excellence and Innovation. Established in 2020, the $100,000 prize recognizes scholarly endeavors undertaken by a nonprofit organization to advance the public's appreciation of ... (Read More)
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(Book Review)Book Reviews
"Wear the old coat and buy the new book" is a sentiment attributed to Austin Phelps. You'll find many interesting new antiques-related books in this month's selection. We have included contact information for books that you can order directly from the publisher or museum. We also encourage you to consider ... (Read More)
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(Auction)Freeman's Best-Ever Sale of American Art
Freeman's, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Photos courtesy Freeman's
Freeman's American paintings sale on December 6, 2020, was its best-ever sale of American art. Of the 124 lots offered, 115 sold for a total of $5,265,178 (including buyers' premiums). That is a 93% sell-through rate, and three of the six passed lots sold immediately after ... (Read More)
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(Fragment)Photograph of Ty Cobb Stealing Third Base Sells for $390,000
Charles Conlon's 1910 original photograph of Ty Cobb sliding into third base sold for $390,000 (includes buyer's premium) at Robert Edward Auctions in an online auction that closed on December 6, 2020.
$390,000. Photo courtesy Robert Edward Auctions.
According to the auction house, the consignor had acquired it at auction nearly three ... (Read More)
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(Auction)Royal Repeat at Leland Little Auctions
Leland Little Auctions, Hillsborough, North Carolina
Photos courtesy Leland Little Auctions
A service for 12 of Royal sterling silver flatware by French silversmith Puiforcat was the top lot at Leland Little Auctions in Hillsborough, North Carolina, on December 5, 2020. Nicolas Cornu designed Royal circa 1775 as an openwork double helix long ... (Read More)
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(Auction)New Jersey Stoneware Cooler with Incised Ship Sells for $252,000
Crocker Farm, Sparks, Maryland
photos courtesy Crocker Farm
"We were really excited about having three million-dollar sales in a row," said Mark Zipp of Crocker Farm following his family's late autumn online auction, which ran from November 20 to December 4, 2020.
"No one obviously knew what to expect when COVID hit, and ... (Read More)
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(Auction)The Road West: Steve Turner's Collection of African Americana, Part II
Cowan's Auctions, Cincinnati, Ohio
Photos courtesy Cowan's Auctions
The second and final installment of the sale of Steve Turner's collection of African Americana, held on December 3, 2020, by Cowan's Auctions, Cincinnati, Ohio, saw the same strong interest as the first sale, conducted at Hindman in Chicago in February 2020. The biggest ... (Read More)
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(Auction)"Tradition & Innovation" and "Art & Design" at Toomey
Toomey & Co. Auctioneers, Oak Park, Illinois
Photos courtesy Toomey & Co.
While much of the world was deep into a pandemic and many were depressed about social isolation and other issues, with a dismal year closing as retail tanked and hospitality industries closed in droves, let it be celebrated that a ... (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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(Issue Story)Auction Prices Realized, December 2020
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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