From fine art to folk art, the spring Americana and Decorative Art sale on Friday and Saturday, June 24 and 25, at Cowan's Auctions features two important Kentucky estates that contribute to a varied selection of American, European and Asian antiques.
Among the most highly anticipated lots is an Andrew Clemens (American, 1857-94) sand bottle. One side depicts an American spread-winged eagle carrying a 36-star flag, an image often used by Clemens, while the other is personalized with "Mary Grimm" over a floral garland encircling "Dayton, O." At 8.75-inches high, the sand bottle is estimated at $20,000 to $25,000.
An Iowa resident who became deaf as a child, Clemens is known for his unique and extremely meticulous artwork using multi-colored sands gathered at Pikes Peak State Park in McGregor, Iowa. Cowan's is the go-to auction house for Clemens sand bottles, having handled several dozen examples in recent years.
American artwork is also expected to do well, led by an untitled watercolor river scene by Paul Sawyier (American, 1865-1917). The summer depiction shows two figures on the far shore and is estimated at $15,000 to $25,000. A second watercolor by Sawyier, of a stream flowing past a single tree, is expected to bring $6,000 to $8,000.
Having painted in Cincinnati and New York, Sawyier is best known for his later work, done while living in Frankfort, Ky., during a period when he developed an aptitude for watercolors. Between the years 1908 and 1913, Sawyier was living on a houseboat on the Kentucky River, painting his surroundings. Collectors especially prize work from this period and subject.
Other American art includes “Society” by Clarence Coles Phillips (American, 1880-1927), watercolor, circa 1912 to 1914, the triangular image depicting a young woman kneeling in a dress and holding what appears to be a dance card. The lot is estimated at $8,000 to $12,000. An alumnus of Kenyon College in Gambier, Ohio, Phillips created the illustration for the 1914 Kenyon yearbook at the request of the publication's art editor. Included with the watercolor is a copy of the yearbook dedicated to Phillips, as well as a letter discussing the commission.
“Harvest Time” by Otto Stark (American, 1859-1926), oil-on-canvas laid-on-board, having figures near a field, comes from the Clarence and Mildred Long collection of Indiana Artists and is estimated at $8,000 to $12,000. A pastoral landscape by Jacob Cox (American, 1810-92), oil-on-canvas, dated 1891, a summer scene with a man and two horses, is expected to bring $5,000 to $7,000; a fall landscape by Louis Oscar Griffith (American, 1875-1956), oil-on-canvas, $5,000 to $7,000; a coastal scene by Edward Henry Potthast (American, 1857-1927), oil-on-canvas, likely Maine, $5,000 to $7,000; and a portrait of a British officer, attributed to Gilbert Stuart (American, 1755-1828), is estimated at $4,000 to $6,000.
Artwork outside the United States includes two important sculptures. “Jeanne d'Arc, Ayant Rempli Sa Mission, Offre Son Etendard A Dieu” by Arthur Marie Gabriel Compte du Passage is a substantial bronze of Joan of Arc on horseback, raising a banner and trampling a lion. Circa 1877, it is estimated at $10,000 to $15,000. At 33 inches tall, this depiction of Joan of Arc by du Passage is the largest known. An almost identical cast, smaller by 10 inches, is on display at the Joan of Arc Museum in Vaucouleurs, France.
Also of note is “Cossack with Two Borzoi” by Vassily Yacovlevitch Gratchev (Russian, 1831-1905), a bronze depicting a man on horseback, dated 1877, that is estimated at $10,000 to $20,000.
A rare China Trade painting of a teahouse, oil-on-canvas, circa 1840, is estimated at $3,000 to $5,000.
Showing the diversity of the auction, a 1961 Triumph TR3A roadster in cherry red is estimated at $10,000 to $20,000. Triumph sold more than 58,000 of the two-seat convertibles during the TR3A's six-year run, which began in 1957, but only 10,000 are believed to be on the road today.
Furniture includes a Rococo Revival bedroom suite attributed to H.B. Mudge Furniture Co. of Cincinnati. Consisting of a bed, dresser, washstand and commode, the set is estimated at $4,000 to $7,000.
In walnut with marble tops, the Victorian suite descended through the Mudge family. Founded in 1837, the H.B. Mudge Furniture Co. occupied a six-story building on West Second Street in Cincinnati. The company exhibited a set of bedroom furniture at the Cincinnati Industrial Exhibition in 1881. It is conceivable the bedroom suite being offered is the same one.
Other furniture ranges from an American Federal cellarette-on-stand, circa 1810, which was previously in the Virginia governor's mansion, estimated at $3,000 to $6,000, to a Louis XV-style parquetry writing table, Continental, late 19th century, said to have once belonged to U.S. Senator Stephen Benton Elkins (1841-1911) of West Virginia, estimated at $1,500 to $2,500. A Chippendale dressing table, Philadelphia origin, circa 1760, is expected to bring $2,000 to $4,000.
Among the ceramics, the mix ranges from a Chinese Kangxi beehive water pot, 18th century, to 97 pieces of Royal Crown Derby porcelain service in the Old Imari pattern, each lot expected to bring $3,000 to $5,000.
Glassware includes an important Cactus Exhibition vase by Edward Hald for Swedish maker Orrefors, circa 1926. It is expected to bring $3,000 to $6,000. Alternating panels depict displays of cacti variations being viewed by women in fashionable period dress. Cactus Exhibition is an exceedingly rare design, with only four other examples known. Those vases are held by the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the National Museum of Sweden, the Museum Kunstpalast in Dusseldorf, and the private collection of Queen Elizabeth II.
Other decorative arts include a pair of sterling silver compotes by Georg Jensen, estimated at $2,000 to $4,000, while an Asa Blanchard coin silver julep cup dated 1838, should bring $1,500 to $3,000.
The variety within the auction is further enhanced by a Tiffany favrile Mushroom lamp, estimated at $1,000 to $1,500, while an American high-wheel bicycle is expected to sell for $700 to $1,000. A Sarouk rug, circa 1920 to 1940, measuring nearly 20-by-12-feet, is estimated at $2,500 to $3,500; and two Odd Fellows heart-in-hand staffs, 19th century, should bring $2,000 to $3,000 each.
The sale will be held at 10 a.m. Friday and Saturday, June 24 and 25, at Cowan's Auctions facility which is located at 6270 Este Ave. in Cincinnati, Ohio. Public previews will be held on June 23, and from 8 to 10 a.m. the days of the auction. Bidding is available in person, by phone, absentee and live online through www.bidsquare.com.
For more information, call Cowan's Auctions at 513-871-1670 or visit www.Cowans.com.