The temperature outside might be dropping, but things are heating up at Pook & Pook’s gallery in Chester County, Pa. October will bring a fall Americana and International Auction in conjunction with a two-day Online Only Decorative Arts Sale. Five hundred and thirty-eight lots are set to cross the block on Saturday, Oct. 7, including material from several estates and museums. Over 1,400 lots will then make their way to the podium during the Online Only Auction listed exclusively on www.bidsquare.com on Monday and Tuesday, Oct. 9 and 10.
Saturday’s catalog sale will kick off with a selection of American artists. Richard Evett Bishop, a painter and etcher from the Philadelphia area, is best known for his works depicting waterfowl. He was also, however, a talented landscape artist. Four of his landscapes will start the sale, including several New England scenes. An oil-on-slate painting by John James Audubon titled “Where the Kingfisher Dwells,” from a private collection, is expected to fetch $5,000-$10,000. In 1910, Childe Hassam and his wife traveled to Europe. Amongst works he painted while abroad was a watercolor scene of a street in Toledo, Spain, a painting expected to bring $5,000-$10,000. An etching done from this work, also completed in 1910, was gifted to the Detroit Institute of Arts by Hassam’s widow in 1940.
Some of the more affordable pieces in the auction are a well-executed industrial cityscape by impressionist painter Johann Berthelsen. Berthelsen was an opera singer and voice teacher, but with the onset of the Great Depression he lost all of his students and decided to switch focus to his painting. Two works by Bela DeTirefort will be offered, both depicting Washington Square, a scene repeated often in his work. A modern city street scene by Forbes Magazine award-winner Robert Lebron is anticipated to bring $800-$1,200. An illustration for Hires Root Beer attributed to Joseph Leyendecker is expected to bring $4,000-$8,000. Leyendecker was known for his covers and ads in the Saturday Evening Post. He was a predecessor and friend to Norman Rockwell, whose work is thought to have been heavily influenced by Leyendecker. Rockwell’s work can also be found in this auction, in a copy of Poor Richard’s Almanack. Another well-known Saturday Evening Post artist, John Falter, has three works in the auction, including a cover illustration for “Treasure Island,” by Robert Louis Stevenson.
An oil-on-canvas portrait of a little girl by Henriette Wyeth Hurd, daughter of N.C. Wyeth, is expected to sell for $10,000-$15,000. Other listed artists include illustrators Peter Helck, Howard Chandler Christy, and Edmund Ward, as well as luminist painters William Stanley Haseltine, Edmund Darch Lewis, and Stephen M. Etnier.
Local artists such as Andrew Wyeth, Jaime Wyeth, Earl Lincoln Poole, Harry Leith Ross, and Christopher Shearer will also be represented. Other listed artists included in this sale are Horace Brodzky, Louis Icart, and many others.
Next up is a smattering of modern art, furniture and decorative accessories. Included in the art in this grouping is a color lithograph by Marc Chagall, an unusual cotton hammock by Alexander Calder, and a brass and beryllium sound sculpture by Val Bertoia. Some more modern furniture offerings include a Gustav Stickley semi-tall chest and armchair, a set of 12 chairs by Hans J. Wegner, and a tiger maple and rosewood music stand by Sam Maloof. Pottery pieces by Katherine Houston and Newcomb College will cross the block, as well as glass pieces by Heilman Roessler and Dale Chihuly. A collection of 11 lots of porcelain teapots by Annette Corcoran will be offered, and a slender 30-inch-high Rookwood pottery trumpet vase is expected to entice buyers.
Americana follows, and from fine to folk art, Pook & Pook Inc. is a powerhouse for all things Pennsylvania German. Included will be fraktur, painted dower chests, painted boxes by Weber and the Compass Artist, and three watercolor portraits by Jacob Maentel. A rare swell bodied copper whale weathervane is sure to get one bidder to give up the spear with its size and old verdigris surface. A Philadelphia Queen Anne walnut dressing table, estimated at $5,000-$10,000, shows the skill of a true artist with its intricately scalloped skirt and shell carved knees. Also sure to catch bidders’ attention is a miniature tin chandelier with eight arms. An important set of three Pennsylvania wrought-iron utensils, including a ladle, a straining ladle, and a flesh fork, will surely catch a collector’s eye with their matching brass inlaid bands. Two Wilhelm Schimmel carved and painted pine eaglets are up for auction, one angry bird, one not so much. Possibly one of the most incredible lots in the auction is that of two frakturs dated 1842. The one announces the wedding of Eli Sigman and Rhoda Bost, and the other the birth of their son, Marcus Lafayette Sigman. Marcus served in the Confederate Army as part of Company A, 12th Infantry. He was killed at the Battle of the Wilderness in Virginia on May 5, 1864, at the age of 23. Another highlight is an impressive Nativity scene made by Carl Gerum of Allentown, Pa. Gerum purportedly carved each figure over the course of roughly 15 years, sending each one to his sister in Germany for clothing and accessories. Other American decorative arts and furniture set to cross the auction block include examples of toleware, primitive paintings, wallpaper boxes, children’s furniture, butter stamps, Federal furniture, needlework samplers, redware, stoneware, Gaudy Dutch, brass, and scrimshaw.
Proceeds from several lots in this sale will be donated to Horses Help Heroes, a nonprofit equine therapy program for veterans located in Maryland. These lots are indicated in the catalog.
Halfway through the sale, Pook & Pook Inc. keeps the trend of Americana going with a collection of items from New England. A scrimshaw decorated powder horn is sure to attract the attention of a few “Game of Thrones” fans with its incised fire breathing dragon. A William and Mary oak gateleg dining table from the mid-1700s is expected to fetch $3,000 to $5,000. A Chippendale mahogany chest of drawers with oxbow front from the same time period is anticipated to sell for $4,000 to $7,000. Other New England finds will include pewter, porcelain, folk art, furniture, samplers, quilts, wrought-iron, woodenware, weathervanes, portraits, theorems, and silver.
The International half of the auction will start with English silver and brass. Bidders will then be treated to an oil-on-canvas by Abraham Cooper of the racehorse “Elis,” ridden by John Day, dated 1838. “Elis” was best known for winning the St. Leger Stakes in 1836. The horse’s two-year racing career boasted 11 wins out of 15. The painting is estimated at $5,000-$10,000. Other English pieces include mirrors, tall case clocks, portraits, furniture, needleworks, porcelain, embroideries, and paintings. A group of French art and decorative accessories follows, including an oil-on-canvas of circus performers by Jean Louis Marcel Cosson, estimated at $3,000-$5,000. Dutch artist Wouterus Verschuur is represented with an oil-on-panel scene of a stable with horses, chickens, dogs, and two men.
A selection of carpets will be offered, including examples of Heriz, Hamadan, Sarouk, Kazak, Qom, and Bidjar. A large group of Asian art, decorative accessories, and furniture rounds out the sale. Several lots of porcelain, dozens of glass snuff bottles, and carved figures will also be sold. A pair of Chinese cloisonné gu-form vases from the 1800s is expected to sell for $1,800-$2,200, while a Japanese bronze bottle vase should bring $1,200-$1,800. Dozens of carved Japanese netsukes and figures finish up the sale, including octopus, Zodiac animals, eagle, cat, people, horses, birds, rats, goats, skulls, dogs, monkeys, and bugs.
A variety of other decorative items will appear in the associated Decorative Arts Online Auction on Oct. 9 and 10. The sale includes fine art, coins, jewelry, toys, furniture, door stops, folk art, match safes, silver, and decorative items in a wide array of prices. The sale will feature Part III of the Jim and Patricia Doherty paperweight collection and a collection of match vesta safes.
Interested bidders for either auction are encouraged to contact Pook & Pook Inc. at info@pookandpook.com or 610-269-4040 with questions regarding condition reports or bidding.
Catalogs can also be viewed online at www.pookandpook.com or www.bidsquare.com.
A special reception and preview will take place from 5 to 7 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 6. Call 610-269-4040 for regular exhibition times and dates. The catalog auction will begin at 9 a.m. EST. The online-only sales will also begin at 9 a.m. EST.
Images courtesy of Pook & Pook Inc.