New & Noteworthy
Stay up to date with news, highlights, & features from across Freeman's.
Stay up to date with news, highlights, & features from across Freeman's.
Decorative Arts & Fine Art from Cox Estate to Be Offered Across Four Auctions From January to March Hindman is pleased to offer property from the Estate of Edwin L. Cox (Dallas, Texas), a renowned philanthropist and businessman. Not only was Cox a prominent figure in Texas civic life and a distinguished entrepreneur in the American energy industry, he also was a fervent benefactor of major cultural institutions who built an extraordinary collection of French Impressionist masterpieces. More than 20 masterpieces from Cox’s personal collection set four world auction records in Christie’s May 2021 sale, ‘The Cox Collection: The Story of Impressionism.’ “Hindman is known for marketing single-owner collections in a way that tells the entire story of a person’s collecting legacy,” said Hindman Vice President and Senior Specialist of European Furniture and Decorative Arts Corbin Horn. “Cox left a distinct mark through his consummate collection. We are pleased to be able to offer Cox’s decorative arts, which are as intriguing as his collection of Impressionist art, across several sales categories during the next few months.” Various lots offered in the January 13 and 14, 2022 ‘Chicago Collections’ sale Cox served on the boards of museums such as the National Gallery of Art in Washington D.C., the Library of Congress Trust Fund and the Dallas Museum of Art. He was also a key supporter of Southern Methodist University’s business school, the SMU Cox School of Business. Bidders will have multiple chances to acquire compelling items from this legendary name in Hindman’s Winter and Spring 2022 sales. Property from the Cox Estate will be presented across four auctions from January to March this year, beginning with ‘Chicago Collections’ on January 13th – 14th. Additional property will be presented in the February 2nd and 3rd ‘European Furniture & Decorative Arts’ auction, the March 25th ‘Asian Works of Art’ auction, and the March 29th ‘Chinese & Himalayan Works of Art’ auction. Various lots offered in the January 13 and 14, 2022 ‘Chicago Collections’ sale Highlights from the Cox collection at Hindman include works of art by Peter Ellenshaw and Constantin Kluge, as well as Chinese famille verte porcelain, fine carpets and a variety of European decorative arts. Additional information on the ‘Chicago Collections’ auction can be found here, and information on property from the Cox Estate that will be offered in upcoming auctions can be found on hindmanauctions.com. Bidding for the January 13th – 14th ‘Chicago Collections’ auction begins at 10am CT each day and is available via absentee bid, by phone, and online through the Digital Bid Room, Hindman’s online and mobile bidding platform. Previews are available by appointment and can be made by calling (312) 280-1212. Various lots offered in the January 13 and 14, 2022 ‘Chicago Collections’ sale
Philanthropist and collector, Michelle Smith was renowned equally for her charitable efforts and for the vision of elegance and sophistication that influenced all areas of her life. She passionately supported causes in education, culture, health and the arts. After succeeding her father in January 2010, Smith served as president of the Robert H. Smith Family Foundation, supporting nonprofit organizations, universities, and cultural institutions through fundraising and charitable giving. Smith’s commitment to sustaining and nurturing the arts is evident in her work with the Smithsonian’s National Gallery of Art and the Whitney Museum; she also funded arts and business programs at the University of Maryland. Smith fostered key partnerships among organizations, bringing her curated approach to life and utilizing her relationships as she served on many boards of trustees and directors, including the Aspen Institute and The Foundation for Art and Preservation in Embassies. Every facet of her world was shaped by refinement and beauty: at home, in art, and in fashion, over time acquiring a significant collection of contemporary haute couture. She treated couture as any other collecting category; the breadth and depth of her collection indicate an appreciation for the history of the craft, as well as a focused attention to a key group of designers: Dior, Ralph Rucci, and J. Mendel. Each of these designers is known for their craftsmanship and the ways in which their work demonstrates the extraordinary labor and care required to create these garments, ranging from ready-to-wear to fashion’s most exclusive tier: haute couture. The very notion of haute couture relies on the work of les petites mains, the highly skilled artisans who craft these garments in designers’ ateliers. Each haute couture garment is custom made to the unique specifications of the client in a Paris atelier, as sanctioned by the strict edicts of the Chambre Syndicale de la Haute Couture. The care and labor poured into each of these pieces is evident in each embroidery, appliqué, and weave. To see a collection of contemporary haute couture, so thoughtfully curated and cultivated, illustrates Michelle Smith’s pursuit of excellence, in fashion and in life. “Couture was a world defined by relationships and lineage,” explains journalist Robin Givhan, noting that women were historically introduced to this world socially, often by their mothers.[1] Traditionally, couture clients have become loyal to one or two labels, as did Michelle Smith with Ralph Rucci and Dior. Smith’s exposure began close to home and sparked a lifelong joy for collecting: her own mother was a couture client, also a patron of Dior. Lot 1 | Balenciaga Haute Couture Wool Coat, c.1960 A 1960s Balenciaga haute couture wool coat commences the sale, refined and subtle. Deceptively simple, this coat is cut with few pattern pieces, many of which are hand-sewn together with minimal seams. The silhouette of the coat is supported by internal layers of padding that extend down the front and back of the body, from the shoulder. These unusually placed pads help smooth the silhouette over the shoulders and chest and widen the silhouette of the chest and back to achieve the Cocoon shape of the 1940s-1960s, which Balenciaga helped introduce. This coat, and Balenciaga’s innovations, set forth important changes in clothing construction, revered by the likes of Ralph Rucci and Christian Dior. Smith’s longstanding love for Dior is evident in a collection spanning decades. Christian Dior came to the fore of fashion with the debut of his New Look in 1947. Since then, and under the leadership of highly influential creative directors, the label has reigned modern fashion by remaining responsive, adaptive, and generative. Smith’s collection features contemporary Dior haute couture from her wedding dress, 1979 (worn in 1980, lot 21), through 2018, collecting most heavily from 2008 onwards. These garments, rarely seen at auction, tell a story of the house of Dior’s creative output as they have designed for increasingly modern women in an ever-changing world. Lot 22 | Christian Dior Haute Couture Wedding Dress, Fall/Winter 1979 Since 2016, Maria Grazia Chiuri has sat at the helm of Dior, the first woman creative director, breathing new life into the label through minimalist edge with strong, feminist underpinnings. She has introduced a strong emphasis on craftsmanship by women artists and makers, and collaborates closely with workshops worldwide.[2] Chiuri’s clothes embody a refined elegance, at times eye-catching and bold, at others, quiet and sophisticated. Of the autumn/winter 2018 collection, “These are serious clothes, Chiuri seemed to be saying, made by the finest hands and meant to be appreciated by women who are beyond the flimflam and easy glam of our times.”[3] In Smith’s collection, the item most closely resembling Christian Dior’s iconic bar suit most explicitly subverts the house’s traditional codes. The cinched, corseted jacket and voluminous, knife-pleated skirt are reintroduced as a jacket free of internal structure and – for the modern woman – pants (lot 31). This, for Chiuri, represents freedom. The garments are restrained so the wearer can speak; “Chiuri’s offerings are for people who make noise in the world by wearing clothes that murmur elegantly.”[4] Lot 30 | Christian Dior Haute Couture Domino Pattern Wool Coat, Spring/Summer 2018 Smith developed close relationships with designers, working closely with American couturier Ralph Rucci to create custom garments to her unique specifications. Rucci’s pieces featured within this collection represent some of his finest work, featuring luxury materials hand-worked in spectacular detail. “His work expresses at all times an exuberance combined with restraint,” wrote André Leon Talley of couturier Ralph Rucci. “It is at once colossal and fragile, a Rucci construction of peerless seams and details. In his passion for ‘old school’ ideals, he refuses to compromise. The high standards of classical verities established by the masters of Paris haute couture are essentially the foundation of everything Rucci achieves.”[5] Rucci’s approach to fashion is one of profound thoughtfulness and exactitude. In his materials, construction, and techniques, Rucci honors the traditions of French couture. Reverent to his influences, Rucci credits Charles James, Cristóbal Balenciaga, and Madeleine Vionnet among the designers who have shaped his vision, evident in lot 81. Equally, contemporary visual art, Asian aesthetics, and classical antiquity play a key role in the Rucci visual pantheon. These components, combined with his commitment to artistry and quality, have enabled Rucci to hone and mature his creative expression over forty years, and earning recognition by the Chambre Syndicale de la Haute Couture, who invited him to show at Parisian haute couture as the second American in history. Lot 81 | Printed and Embellished Silk Jacket, Attributed to Ralph Rucci: An abstract screen-printed design is emphasized and textured by embroidered beads in this adaptation of a classic silhouette by Rucci. The sloped shoulder and structured form pay homage to Balenciaga, a perennial inspiration for the designer. For Rucci, transitioning to haute couture was a natural progression. He acquires only the finest textiles, furs, and surface treatments, working with François Lesage for embroideries and sourcing silk gazar from Maison Bucol in Lyons, France, as had Balenciaga. His clothes are for people who see fashion as a work of art. The extraordinary craftsmanship of each garment indicates a profound appreciation for the skill and labor of the most sophisticated artisanship. Rucci derives inspiration from his clients themselves, developing symbiotic relationships between artist and patron. Deeda Blair, a longtime client, appreciates his work for its “deceptive simplicity,” clothes that quietly reveal their “great intricacy.”[6]In Rucci, Smith found qualities that aligned so closely with her own discerning eye, as Hamish Bowles describes: “unimpeachable good taste, a nuanced color palette, flattering silhouettes, and his legendary workmanship.”[7] Lots 109 and 129 | J. Mendel Mink Fur Banded Jacket and J. Mendel Natural Scan-Glow Mink Vest Smith demonstrated an appreciation for modernists with an eye towards the classic. As she collected contemporary couture under the Dior heritage label and Rucci’s influences from the canon of fashion, so too did she apply this mindset to her taste in luxury fur. Creative director Gilles Mendel is the fifth-generation proprietor of furrier J. Mendel, ushering a label founded in 1870s St. Petersburg into the twenty-first century. Mendel adopted the craft of his forefathers and honors the time-honed traditions inherent in the brand. Only the finest pelts are used: broadtail, chinchilla, and barguzine sable among them, rare and of Russian imperial heritage. These materials are of the utmost luxury and require the work of highly skilled specialists who use sewing machines more than fifty years old. These tools and their expertise are time tested, and it is Gilles Mendel who introduces the cutting edge to the heritage brand. “My father’s world was if you wanted the most extraordinary lynx coat, the most fabulous chinchilla, the way they were assembled you wouldn’t even see a seam,” says Mendel. “I started to create seams.”[8] His cutting, deconstructing, and reshaping of exotic pelts and skins makes them fresh and modern, marking a twenty-first century approach to luxury fur. A Life in Couture: The Collection of Michelle Smith presents a curated selection of top designers whose work has shaped and transformed fashion. These garments illustrate the keen eye and exacting tastes of an individual who sought perfection and innovation in all areas. Hindman is thrilled to share this collection, available for bidding on September 21. [1] Robin Givhan, The Battle of Versailles: The Night American Fashion Stumbled into the Spotlight and Made History (New York: Flatiron, 2015), p. 14 [2] Alexis Okeowo, “Maria Grazia Chiuri’s Feminist Mission Goes Beyond Slogans,” Elle, October 16, 2020, https://www.elle.com/fashion/a34050277/maria-grazia-chiuri-dior-profile/. [3] Sally Singer, “Christian Dior: Fall 2018 Couture,” Vogue Runway, July 2, 2018, https://www.vogue.com/fashion-shows/fall-2018-couture/christian-dior. [4] Ibid. [5] Andre Leon Talley, quoted in Valerie Steele, Ralph Rucci: The Art of Weightlessness (New Haven: Yale University Press, 2007), p. 97. [6] Deeda Blair, quoted in Ralph Rucci, p. 3. [7] Hamish Bowles, “Ralph Rucci’s Pragmatic Luxury and Haute Craftsmanship Has Never Seemed So Timely,” Vogue Runway, July 14, 2021, https://www.vogue.com/slideshow/ralph-rucci-fall-2021-couture. [8] Jesse Ashlock, “From Russia with Love,” T Magazine, February 7, 2014, https://archive.nytimes.com/www.nytimes.com/packages/html/tmagazine/interactive/jmendel.html Featured image: Lot 80 | Detail, Ralph Rucci Cashmere and Embroidered Leather Jacket, Fall 2013
From a Fairytale-Like Discovery to a Record-Breaking Auction Freeman’s is thrilled to announce the results of its July 1 single-lot auction, This Important State Paper: Signer Charles Carroll’s Copy of the Declaration of Independence, which achieved a historic $4.42M sale price; exceeding by a remarkable five times its pre-sale high estimate of $800,000. This result marks the second-highest price ever paid at auction for any copy of the Declaration of Independence, and is the highest price ever paid at auction for an American document printed in the 19th century. It more than quadrupled the world auction record for a Stone printing of the Declaration of Independence set in New York City in 2019. In an achievement befitting of Philadelphia’s auction house, this historic sale was held in the nation’s birthplace just days before Independence Day—245 years after the original Declaration of Independence was signed. “I couldn’t be happier for the consignors, the new owner, and Freeman’s,” says Darren Winston, Head of Freeman’s Books and Manuscripts department. “From its fairytale-like discovery by sister auction house Lyon & Turnbull through to today’s record-breaking auction, it has been both incredibly exciting and a true privilege to be involved with the sale of this significant piece of American history.” This rare signer’s copy of William J. Stone’s 1823 printing of the Declaration of Independence was, remarkably, rediscovered in Scotland by Freeman’s sister auction house, Lyon & Turnbull. It was first presented to Charles Carroll of Carrollton (1737-1832), the last surviving signer of the original document, and later inscribed by his grandson-in-law John MacTavish (1787-1852). Commissioned by then-Secretary of State John Quincy Adams in 1820, Stone’s copperplate engraving on vellum is considered the most accurate representation of the original 1776 document. Seth Kaller, expert in American historic documents and artifacts, says... “We all know the theory that great items find their market, but often that isn’t true with so many things—business, personal, political—competing for everyone’s attention. This clearly broke through; it had the greatest depth of bidders I’ve ever seen for a seven-figure document.” The document will be on temporary loan to the National Park Service for display at Philadelphia’s Second Bank of the United States for the July 4 holiday. The vendors, who remain anonymous, wish to thank Lyon & Turnbull and Freeman's for finding the document and arranging such a successful outcome. American History, Freeman's History Founded in 1805, mere blocks from Independence Hall, Freeman’s is America’s oldest auction house, and throughout its storied history has had the privilege of stewarding the sale of numerous historically significant items—including the 1969 sale of John Dunlap’s 1776 broadside of the Declaration of Independence, which sold for an unprecedented $404,000 ($2.97M in today’s dollars). This Important State Paper carries on this long-standing tradition, bringing a piece of previously-unaccounted-for American history to auction, and underscoring Freeman’s pride of place as Philadelphia’s international auction house. United by a shared commitment to customer service and special focus on single-owner collections, Freeman's and Lyon & Turnbull have successfully staged a wide range of joint international projects over the last two decades, including specialist auctions in Hong Kong and London, as well as exhibitions and events on both sides of the Atlantic.
Success For Freeman’s Biannual Asian Arts Auction Freeman’s April 2021 Asian Arts auction featured lively bidding wars between online and phone buyers, resulting in many lots selling well above their pre-sale estimates, realizing $3.7 million in total with a sell-through rate of 91%. The highlight of the 138-lot auction was the sale of a red-underglaze Meiping “Dragons and Waves” vase, which realized an impressive $2.3 million, far surpassing its pre-sale estimate of $150,000–$250,000. The vase came to auction from the collection of Sheelah M. Langan (1910–1993), and is a rare example of a small group of wares made for the Yongzheng emperor. The theme of larger and smaller dragons has been related to the saying “Canlong jiaozi,” which may be translated as “the Eastern [Blue] dragon teaching his son.” This has been understood to imply both the importance of teaching the young and also to bringing one’s descendants up to succeed in court or higher office. This would certainly have been relevant for the Yongzheng Emperor who succeeded his illustrious father, the Kangxi Emperor, and in turn was to nurture the development of his own son, the Qianlong Emperor. These three Emperors collectively reigned over what may be described as a golden age for China and the Arts. “We’re absolutely thrilled that Freeman’s was able to offer such a fine and well-curated collection of Asian art, including various porcelains, jades, and other works of art,” remarked Head of Department Ben Farina. “We were particularly delighted by the reception and performance of the Meiping dragon vase, and feel fortunate to have been entrusted with a number of heirloom collections, which were passed down through several generations.”
Rescued Treasures: The Magnificent Rose Windows of St. Paul's Presbyterian Church Rescued from imminent demolition, these two rose windows from St. Paul’s Presbyterian are large, complex, and unusual creations by America’s most famous art glass designer. Sited on a prominent parkside corner in the leafy streetcar suburbs of West Philadelphia, St. Paul’s Presbyterian Church bears similarities to other elaborate churches constructed during the heyday of American ecclesiastical architecture. Designed by the noted Philadelphia ecclesiastical architect Isaac Pursell in 1900, dedicated in 1901, and enlarged in 1905, St. Paul’s rusticated stone exterior was complemented by an array of leaded glass windows. Tiffany produced a variety of windows for St. Paul’s (the church is referenced in the firm’s list of window patrons published in 1910), including two stunning rose windows. The church’s Gothic Revival architecture was ennobled by the selection of these two ornamental roses. Originating with Roman oculi and Early Christian circular windows, the rose window reached its stylistic height in the 12th and 13th century cathedrals of Northern France—at Reims, Chartres, and Notre Dame de Paris. A mainstay of grand church architecture, the rose was a popular (though less frequently commissioned) window configuration offered by the Tiffany firm. The twin roses of St. Paul’s were likely commissioned around 1904 for the planned expansion and creation of an auxiliary chapel, to accommodate the affluent growing congregation and its Sunday School. The two roses were each originally set above arched tracery windows, and were located along the west and east elevations of the structure. One of the roses is inscribed “Presented by the Pansy Bible Class,” a likely reference to the church’s Sunday School, whose parents would have helped organize the associated funds for the expansion. Other prominent local Presbyterians (such as John Wanamaker, who spoke at the Church’s dedication) were also likely involved in the commission. New sources of wealth in America following the Civil War, coupled with socio-religious factors, saw the creation of new or refurbished religious edifices in the modern taste. Set high in the chapel of St. Paul’s Presbyterian, these brightly colored roses are illustrative of the aesthetic and spiritual impact Tiffany’s art in glass had on their commissioning congregations. The windows feature leaded mottled, streaky, acid-etched, and ripple glass in vibrant hues; each type of glass is employed to magnify the effect of the whole. The symbolic imagery present is minimal yet powerful: one rose is centered by a crown (representing Christ), and the other a dove (representing the Holy Spirit). When hit by the light, the layered glass reveals a cross at the center of the dove—an example of Tiffany’s ability to employ his distinct processes to heighten the emotional sensation, and deepen the meaning of his designs.
Hindman is pleased to announce the sale of Property from the Estate of Patricia Ann Black Smyth, Santa Fe, New Mexico, Sold without reserve to Benefit Berea College, Berea, Kentucky. Patricia Ann Black Smyth, born June 5, 1925 in Kansas City, MO; the daughter of the late Ernest Bateman Black and Faye Bunyan Black. She attended Miss Crosby’s School and graduated from Wellesley College in Wellesley, MA where she was a lifetime member of the Wellesley Friends of the Library Organization. She was a member of the Junior League of Kansas City, MO. Mrs. Smyth was a long-time docent at the Art Institute of Chicago. She was also a resident of Santa Fe and a major supporter of the Santa Fe Opera. Mrs. Smyth’s collecting legacy will be offered this Spring at Hindman Auctions with the proceeds to benefit Berea College, to whom Mrs. Smyth made a planned gift during her lifetime. As she resided in both Chicago and Santa Fe, her tastes spanned from European furniture and decorative arts, American made sculpture, Western motifs, chinoiserie, carved stone accessories, and many styles of décor in-between. Her collection will be included as the lead-in sessions in our upcoming European Furniture & Decorative Arts auctions, which will be taking place April 21-23, 2021. For instructions as to how to register for the auction, please visit us here at: Register at Hindman.com. Sale Information: European Furniture & Decorative Arts (865): Lots 1 – 52 Wednesday, April 21, 2021, 10:00 am CT Thursday, April 22, 2021, 10:00 am CT Click to View: April 21-22 Furniture & Decorative Arts online catalogue European Furniture & Decorative Arts (866): Lots 1000 – 1043 Friday, April 23, 2021, 10:00 am CT Click to View: April 23 Furniture & Decorative Arts Online Only catalogue A Russian Gold and Agate Bomboniere Mark of Karl Fabergé, St. Petersburg, Late 19th/Early 20th Century the body bisected with a yellow-gold band opening to a vacant interior. gold marked with ’56’ standard on interior rimHeight 1 1/2 inches. Property from the Estate of Patricia Ann Black Smyth, Santa Fe, New Mexico, Sold to Benefit Berea College, Berea, Kentucky, offered without reserve $5,000 – $7,000 A Pair of Chinese Famille Rose Porcelain Inset Hardwood Stools 20th Century each in the Ming style, the circular top inset with porcelain roundels painted to show figures in a garden setting. Height of 17 3/4 inches. Property from the Estate of Patricia Ann Black Smyth, Santa Fe, New Mexico, Sold to Benefit Berea College, Berea, Kentucky, offered without reserve Provenance: Bryan and Scott Jewelers Ltd., Colorado Springs, Colorado, 30 May 1995 $800 – $1,200 A Pair of Sèvres Style Gilt Bronze Mounted Flambe Glazed Urns Late 19th/Early 20th Century each stamped MADE IN FRANCE to the metal plate attached to the base. Height 24 inches. Property from the Estate of Patricia Ann Black Smyth, Santa Fe, New Mexico, Sold to Benefit Berea College, Berea, Kentucky, offered without reserve $400 – $600 A Louis XV Style Painted and Parcel Gilt Pier Mirror Late 19th Century Height 77 1/2 x width 50 inches. Property from the Estate of Patricia Ann Black Smyth, Santa Fe, New Mexico, Sold to Benefit Berea College, Berea, Kentucky, offered without reserve $1,000 – $2,000 An Italian Carved Cerused Wood Marble-Top Console Table Second Half 18th Century Height 34 5/8 x width 64 x depth 25 1/2 inches. Property from the Estate of Patricia Ann Black Smyth, Santa Fe, New Mexico, Sold to Benefit Berea College, Berea, Kentucky $2,000 – $3,000 A Set of Four Italian Renaissance Style Oak Side Chairs Height 34 x width 19 1/2 x depth 19 inches. Property from the Estate of Patricia Ann Black Smyth, Santa Fe, New Mexico, Sold to Benefit Berea College, Berea, Kentucky $200 – $300 A Pair of Continental Giltwood Pedestals Late 19th/Early 20th Century with marble tops. Height 52 1/4 inches. Property from the Estate of Patricia Ann Black Smyth, Santa Fe, New Mexico, Sold to Benefit Berea College, Berea, Kentucky $800 – $1,200 A. Yarnan (American, 20th Century) Circus Bear bronze signed on base and stamped Modern Art Fdry, NY on base rim Height 18 1/2 inches. Property from the Estate of Patricia Ann Black Smyth, Santa Fe, New Mexico, Sold to Benefit Berea College, Berea, Kentucky $400 – $600 Frankie Nazario Lucero (New Mexico, 20th Century) Santa Veronica, 1998 carved and painted wood signed NAZARIO 98 along the front edge of the base, further inscribed on the underside Height 20 1/2 inches. Property from the Estate of Patricia Ann Black Smyth, Santa Fe, New Mexico, Sold to Benefit Berea College, Berea, Kentucky, offered without reserve. $600 – $800
Hindman is pleased to sponsor The Heckerling Institute on Estate Planning, the nation’s premier conference for estate planning professionals. This legacy partnership is a highlight of Hindman’s programming, and this year is no different. Our Virtual Booth will be available May 3-6, 2021. As an internationally recognized leading fine-art auction house, Hindman prides itself in connecting clients to the global art market with an unyielding focus on service. Our team offers private collectors, estate professionals, and institutions a full suite of art and appraisal services including art advisory, objective recommendations, collection management, acquisition guidance, market access and insight as well as private sale opportunities and auction services. Our appraisals team is available to clients for any valuation needs, including market value, gift tax, and estate tax appraisals. Founded in 1982 and headquartered in Chicago, Hindman operates more salerooms in the United States than any other firm with 12 regional offices located in Atlanta, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Denver, Detroit, Milwaukee, Naples, Palm Beach, San Diego, Scottsdale, St. Louis and Washington D.C., giving our clients the opportunity for local as well as national relationships. We conduct over 100 auctions annually in a wide range of collecting categories such as: American Furniture, Folk & Decorative Arts Antiquities Arms, Armor & Militaria Asian Art Books & Manuscripts Clocks, Barometers & Scientific Instruments Coins, Medals & Banknotes Collectibles Couture & Luxury Accessories European Furniture & Decorative Arts Fine Art Jewelry & Timepieces Modern Design Native American, Prehistoric & Tribal Art Sports Memorabilia For over three decades, Hindman has been a trusted partner of bankers, attorneys, museums, galleries, collectors, and fiduciaries around the world by understanding and responding to their needs while achieving outstanding sales results. Click here to learn more about the full suite of offerings available. For all estate and appraisal services, please email heckerling@hindmanauctions.com.
In Too Soon, Castle returns to his monumental stack lamination forms of the 1960s and 1970s while subverting a “back-to-basics” approach. During the last decade of his career, Castle synthesized his material knowledge of carving, finishing, and metal casting with newly available digital technologies of 3D scanning and CNC milling to produce the most herculean works of American furniture design. Although several of his tables and chairs from the 1960s emanate from a tree-like base, Too Soon marks the first instance of Castle using branch-like ramifications to create separate supports for a surface and a seat. This work also explores a new typology for Castle, using cut-out voids to depict negative space. Wendell Castle (1932-2018), Too Soon Chair, 2005. Estimate: $30,000 – $50,000 Harkening back to his post-modern and trompe l’oeil period, Castle unravels the ways in which form and function undergo a continual metamorphosis. Castle punctuates Too Soon with his signature chip marks which begin at the stack laminated walnut base and wrap around the chair. A scooped seat emerges gracefully from the truncated stump at the center. The chair follows the undulating forms of a landscape before terminating at an exaggerated crest. A cantilevered table radiates outwards, visually anchoring the chair at a whimsical slant. The cavity in the center recalls Castle’s most-cited influences of Henry Moore, Jean Arp, and Constantin Brancusi, who demonstrated an almost tacit knowledge of sculptural form. Angel of Blind Justice Chair, gift of Carolyn and Robert Springborn to The Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, 2012. Before acquiring Too Soon in 2007, Robert and Carolyn Springborn’s friendship and patronage of Castle extended back to the days at Peter Joseph Gallery. Another seminal work at the cornerstone of the Springborn’s collection was the Angel of Blind Justice chair from the Angel Chairs series (1990-1991) that they gifted in 2012 to the Museum of Fine Arts Boston (accession no. 2011.2132). Together these works presided over the Springborn’s home, albeit briefly, tying the lineages of Castle’s career through the decades. Featured Work: Wendell Castle (1932-2018), Too Soon Chair, 2005. Estimate: $30,000 – $50,000
As furniture forms go, dining tables are hard to get right: a horizontal expanse that hides the undercarriage from view, surrounded by a set of chairs further prevents the table from making a statement. Yet the dining table is also one of the most important pieces of furniture in a home, a social object, around which conversation, family and friendship form. By Glenn Adamson Lot 46 | Wendell Castle (1932-2018), Seven Days of the Week Dining Table and Ten Chairs, 1997. Estimate: $60,000 – $80,000 Wendell Castle, never one to shy from a challenge, returned to the typology often. He first tackled it in 1966, making three similar dining tables in walnut, one for his own use. All featured an ingenious means of opening up the form: a central aperture yielding a view down to a sculpted pedestal. These works exploit Castle’s signature stack lamination technique, which freed him from conventional joinery and allowed him to compose freely in space. Four decades later he returned to this idea for a dining table that he nicknamed the “hole in one.” (It was made for the 2015 exhibition Wendell Castle Remastered, at the Museum of Arts and Design.) It sports a triad of conical supports, the tallest seven feet high, and a top that extends outward in a long cantilever. The design was achieved with CNC carving, which Castle employed to hollow out the wooden top, then filling it with hard light foam, and overlaying a veneer. The result is a featherlight shape that extends breathtakingly into midair. Lot 47 | Wendell Castle (1932-2018), Seven Days of the Week Cabinet, 1997. Estimate: $15,000 – $25,000 Right at the midpoint between these two moments, in 1997, Castle created his Seven Days of the Week suite for the Springborns. He was on an impressive run, having just realized his monumental Star Cabinets (shown to great advantage at Peter Joseph Gallery in 1995). The strong organic silhouette of these designs is reprised in a more articulated form in the Seven Days pieces, all of which have legs suggestive of an arthropod’s. In the dining table, the legs stage a vivid contrast with the smooth asymmetrical top, recalling midcentury biomorphic designs by Isamu Noguchi. The accompanying chairs feature continuous frames, running along the floor, up, around, and back again. Castle made many variations on this low-slung format enacts a sort of visual lean, yielding pride of place to the majestic table and its sculptural base. Yet another wholly original solution, from a wholly original designer. Glenn Adamson is a curator and writer who works at the intersection of craft, design history, and contemporary art. He has previously been a Senior Scholar at the Yale Center for British Art, Director of the Museum of Arts and Design; Head of Research at the V&A; and Curator at the Chipstone Foundation in Milwaukee. Adamson’s new book, “Craft: An American History,” examines how makers, carpenters, and blacksmiths took on the central role in shaping America’s identity. Featured Work: Wendell Castle (1932-2018), Seven Days of the Week Dining Table and Ten Chairs, 1997. Estimate: $60,000 – $80,000
PARIS, July 28—Yves Saint Laurent presented a fall couture collection today that will change the course of fashion around the world. It is as stunning in its impact as the collection Christian Dior showed in 1947, the one that came to be known as the New Look and affected the way women dressed everywhere.[i] So declared the New York Times in the summer of 1976, following the debut of Yves Saint Laurent’s Russian collection. In most instances, a work’s profound impact is recognized in hindsight. Rarely is its effect so immediate, as was the case that July. Saint Laurent’s was a show of extravagance in rich fabrics and sumptuous colors. “The new turn – the new excitement – in fashion is the new feeling for ornamentation. It’s the fashion breeze that started at Saint Laurent,” said Vogue, thus igniting a trend of more drama and ornamentation than the prevailing American style had seen in years. Presented in haute couture and adapted for Rive Gauche, the impact of this collection was fast and widespread. Until this point, American collections had been reserved and polished, even restrained. This explosion of color marked a changing tide in fashion, one that the fashion press celebrated as a shift in women’s wardrobes, even calling it Saint Laurent’s New Look.[ii] The New York Times was visionary in its assessment of the collection. From the collection of Martha Smith Simpson, lot 8 is a rare example of a complete ensemble from Yves Saint Laurent’s 1976 Peasant Rive Gauche collection. Featuring a crepe blouse, laced corselet, a belt and a skirt embellished and trimmed with red and green rickrack, it captures the intoxicating appeal of this moment in fashion. Billowing sleeves, long skirts and eclectic details are laced and cinched at the waist, feminine and romantic. “In a room full of people, the woman in an understated style has a tough time attracting attention,” said American designer Bill Blass in 1976. “It’s hard to get away with a simple chiffon or jersey dress these days. The dress has to look important.”[iii] This collection, replete with glimmering taffetas, rich velvets and topped with headscarves, showed a side of feminine fashion that brought the allure of the nostalgic and the exotic. Color and romance prevailed, carrying out Saint Laurent’s dream of another place and time. In his search for something new in fashion, Saint Laurent relied on the French belief in the eternal: following in the path of Delacroix, Ingres, Poiret, visions of the non-French, of the Other, bring to fashion an exotic, intoxicating glamour.[iv] Like his predecessors in fashion and the visual arts, Saint Laurent’s search for the modern borrows from the past, from imaginary voyages to faraway lands. He did not travel to Eastern Europe in the years prior; instead, he drew from Sergey Diaghilev’s Ballets Russes of the 1910s and 1920s, and Dr. Zhivago, 1965. Inspired by visions of Russia from film and fantasy, the result is culturally hybrid and of indeterminate origin. “For the day,” the designer said, “everything starts with traditional cuts from Russia, Czechoslovakia, Austria, Morocco. From there comes this naiveté of the cut which makes it youthful, with the color.”[v] In 1976, the “new” in Parisian haute couture was derived from tradition and folklore, reanimated and reimagined. Art critic Pierre Schneider, in the same year, observed, “Here we can see how artful fashion has become in its interpretation of history. It is not a nostalgia for the past, but for the eternal present, beyond the past.”[vi] As audiences were swept away by the romance of the collection, some raised doubts about its relevance to normal life.[vii] For a show that sought to transport and transcend, it cannot be divorced from its political context. Saint Laurent envisioned the Russian peasant class with a sense of ease and detached nostalgia during a time of global tensions between the Soviet Bloc and the West. The Russian collection reimagined, for European audiences, a peasant class subject to Soviet control in the midst of a Cold War. Off the runway, art, fashion, and international relations intertwine and exist in real space and time. By the winter of 1976, the United States and the USSR had agreed to a series of five major art exchanges between American and Soviet museums through 1980. This monumental agreement was an intentional and calculated attempt at a détente between the nations via increased “cultural contacts.”[viii] With material from Russian museums, The Metropolitan Museum of Art in December of 1976 opened the exhibition “The Glory of Russian Costume.” Notably, alongside displays of embroidered peasant dress and royal couture, “in honor of the occasion, a number of women… wore bouffant colorful tiered or ruffled taffeta dresses from Yves Saint Laurent’s widely publicized peasant collection.”[ix] At the time of its debut, the fashion press anticipated that this collection would change the course of fashion. By the time it was adapted for Rive Gauche boutiques, stockists struggled to keep up with demand. Since the spring of 1977, when the Peasant collection became available for Rive Gauche, its silhouette became the look for fashionable women in the evening. This was the same season when Neiman Marcus in Northbrook, Illinois opened its own Rive Gauche boutique, where the late Mrs. Simpson likely purchased her own ensemble.[x] Doubts about the peasant collection’s wearability were assuaged as soon as it became available for retail. The dream of fashion becomes lived experience, and, available through Rive Gauche, enables every woman to participate. Saint Laurent’s eastward voyage intertwines imagination with custom, showing that the true luxury of fashion is the freedom to be transported. For Schneider, “What Saint Laurent has done, with his latest collection, is to remind us that fashion, in its radical form of haute couture, is costume…His Albano-Circassians and Slavo-Touaregs proclaim that haute couture can only be, in its looks, what it already is from the standpoint of economics: impossible.”[xi] Between the imagined past and the lived present is where the fantasy of fashion resides. For the fashionable woman’s wardrobe, Saint Laurent offers newness in the form of tradition and a belief in the unchanging. High fashion emerges from folklore and reverie, and makes visible that it is implicitly contingent, responsive, and political. Lot 8, A Rive Gauche Peasant Ensemble, is available in Spring Fashion: A Century of Couture on March 18. [i] “A Revolutionary Saint Laurent Showing,” The New York Times (New York, NY), July 28, 1976, p. 1. [ii] Ibid. [iii] Bernadine Morris, “Nights Still Thrive,” The New York Times (New York, NY), December 27, 1976, p. 50. [iv] “‘Opéras – Ballets russes’ Collection,” Musée Yves Saint Laurent Paris, March 14, 2021, https://museeyslparis.com/en/biography/collection-opera-ballets-russes-ah [v] Ibid. [vi] Pierre Schneider, “The Assurance of Dreams,” Vogue (New York, NY), September 1976, p. 228. [vii] “A Revolutionary Saint Laurent Showing,” p. 1. [viii] David K. Shipler, “Moscow and Met Museum Agree on 5 Art Exchanges,” The New York Times (New York, NY), August 30, 1975, p. 1. [ix] Bernadine Morris, “Metropolitan Toasts a Dazzling Russia of Old,” The New York Times (New York, NY), December 7, 1976, p. 1968. [x] Genevieve Buck, “Rive Gauche Boutiques are Blossoming in Chicago,” Chicago Tribune, (Chicago, IL) March 14, 1977, Accessed February 24, 2021, p. B3. [xi] “The Assurance of Dreams,” p. 228.
Art-curious visitors to the home of Robert and Carolyn Springborn didn’t have long to wait. They were greeted right at the entrance by one of the collection’s most spectacular works: this pair of doors by Albert Paley. By Glenn Adamson This artist will need little introduction as one of the preeminent American sculptors of the last half century. He is also the nation’s leading blacksmith – a craft that nearly died a century ago, with the advent of the automobile (countless smithies closed, or were converted to mechanic shops), but had a dramatic return in America, marked by the founding of the Artist-Blacksmith Association of North America (ABANA) in 1973. Paley, already renowned for his work in jewelry, was the clear artistic leader of this renaissance. Lot 37 | Albert Paley (b. 1944), Important Entrance Doors, 2004, glass elements executed by Martin Blank. Estimate: $30,000 – $50,000 Paley’s great early masterwork was a set of gates, which won a competition for the then-new Renwick Gallery in Washington. The project made his fame, launching his career as an architectural-scale metalworker. The Springborns’ entrance doors, made three decades later, show how he progressed from that early success. The Renwick gates are composed of delicate tendrils, which fling themselves up the center of the composition and then curl away into numerous whorls and squiggles, suggesting that ancient mythological emblem, the Tree of Life. The Springborns’ doors feature a similar concentration in the lower central passage, but there the resemblance ends: the composition is disjunctive rather than sinuous, with something of the jagged, explosive vocabulary seen in Paley’s contemporaneous public sculptures. Lot 37 | Albert Paley (b. 1944), Proposal Drawing for Entrance Doors The doors are further enlivened by the incorporation of glass elements, made by Paley’s frequent collaborator Martin Blank, an important figure in the circle of Dale Chihuly (who did for glass what Paley did for metal, transposing it several keys upward into a spectacular, baroque sculptural medium). Blank’s polychrome glass introduces a lightness of gesture to the doors, like brushstrokes standing out against an intensely worked backdrop. The effect is gloweringly theatrical, bringing to mind the paintings of Clyfford Still, or, closer to Paley’s heart, the avatars of French Art Nouveau, such as Hector Guimard. Such comparisons aside, the doors show Paley himself operating at the height of his powers. With a true sense of dramatic occasion, the portal promises marvels that might lie beyond – that was certainly the case at the Springborn residence – while also constituting a wonder in its own right. Glenn Adamson is a curator and writer who works at the intersection of craft, design history, and contemporary art. He has previously been a Senior Scholar at the Yale Center for British Art, Director of the Museum of Arts and Design; Head of Research at the V&A; and Curator at the Chipstone Foundation in Milwaukee. Adamson’s new book, “Craft: An American History,” examines how makers, carpenters, and blacksmiths took on the central role in shaping America’s identity. Featured Work: Albert Paley (b. 1944), Important Entrance Doors, 2004, glass elements executed by Martin Blank. Estimate: $30,000 – $50,000
Art movements come and go with the regularity of the tide, with currents pulled along by a few key innovators, others following in their wake. Such was certainly the case with studio furniture. As a way of working, it had antecedents in the Arts and Crafts era. By Glenn Adamson Left: Sam Maloof (1916-2009), Rocking Chair, 1993. Estimate: $20,000-$30,000. Right: Sam Maloof (1916-2009), Pedestal Table, 1993. Estimate: $4,000-$6,000. But it was not until the mid-century era that it began to take a recognizable shape: one maker (perhaps with a couple of assistants) creating self-designed, expressive furniture, entirely by hand. Even by the late 1950s, the main exponents of this approach – men like Wharton Esherick, George Nakashima, and Sam Maloof – did not even know one another. So it can hardly be said to have been a movement. Nonetheless, a definite new approach to furniture-making was in the air, based in the values of independence, experimentation, and creativity. With the emergence of Wendell Castle on the scene in the 1960s, the sculptural implications of this early activity – its artistic potential – gradually became clear. And with the maturation of the field, part of a general advancement of craft in America, studio furniture makers came to recognize themselves as a breed apart. Their efforts paralleled developments in ceramics, fiber, glass, and metal, yet remained particular to some degree. The sheer scale of furniture meant that collectors were few; studio-based makers worked mostly on commission, for private clients. Left: Wendell Castle (American, 1932-2018), Vargo Clock, 1995. Estimate: $2,000-$4,000. Right: Wendell Castle (1932-2018), Three-Star Console Table, 1996. Estimate: $8,000-$12,000. For a brief time, at the crest of the wave, these conditions decisively altered: the country’s most accomplished makers suddenly had an unprecedented opportunity to pursue their visions. The man who made this possible was Peter Joseph, an investment banker with a love of art, who opened his eponymous Manhattan gallery in 1991. It was more a patronage structure than a commercial proposition: Joseph’s goal was to elevate the field, offering his moral and financial support to the best furniture makers in the country. With Castle as a presiding eminence, younger figures – among them Tom Hucker, Wendy Maruyama, Alphonse Mattia, and Ed Zucca – made extraordinarily ambitious work, stylistically poised at the edge of postmodernism, but with a dedication to craftsmanship typically absent from that (other, larger) movement. Cabinetmaking in wood was the main focus at the gallery, but space was also made for Albert Paley – America’s leading blacksmith – as well as object makers like Michelle Holzapfel. Left: Right: Thomas Hucker (b. 1955), Slatted Table, 1991. Estimate: $2,000-$4,000. Right: Alphonse Mattia (b. 1947), Architect’s Valet, 1991. Estimate: $3,000-$5,000. Robert and Carolyn Springborn encountered studio furniture before they ever stepped into Joseph’s space. The initial spark was the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, exhibition New American Furniture (1989), curated by Edward S. Cooke, Jr. (He soon went on to Yale University, training a generation of craft scholars, including myself.) This show had a straightforwardly effective premise. Each invited artist created a work in response to a historic object in the museum’s collection, a conceit that highlighted both continuities with and departures from tradition. Left: Edward Zucca (b. 1946), Mail Me to Heaven, 1990. Estimate: $800-$1,200. Right: Jay Stanger (b. 1956), Stand at Ease, 1993. Estimate: $2,000-$4,000. The Springborns demonstrated their adventurous taste, at the MFA show, by falling in love with the explosively colorful work of Jay Stanger; they immediately ordered a chair from him. That direct pathway was typical for them, and other craft collectors of their generation. They prized the relationships that they built with furniture makers; one could fairly say that as their home filled with exuberant chairs, tables, and cabinets, they felt surrounded by friends. But pursuing this new interest also led them straight to Peter Joseph, and it was through him that they came to know the work of Castle and Paley, which they went on to collect in particular depth. Maruyama was another favorite, for her puckish cross-cultural aesthetic statements. Left: John Cederquist (b. 1946), Little Waves Attempting the Rope Trick, 2004. Estimate: $8,000-$12,000. Right: Judy Kensley McKie (b. 1944), Butterfly Cabinet, 1993. Estimate: $2,000-$4,000. The Springborns also explored beyond the confines of Joseph’s program, acquiring several pieces each by the consummate master of zoomorphic design, Judy Kensley McKie, and by the California trompe l’oeil ironist John Cederquist. This commitment to the field was unusual, to say the least – Castle himself said, “I can’t think of anyone who has collected more in-depth than they have” – and was recognized by a 2009 exhibition and accompanying catalogue, Living With Studio Furniture, organized at the Naples Museum of Art, near their Florida home. The present offering of material from the Springborns’ collection is a valuable cross-section of a magical time, for them personally and the field at large. Joseph was tragically forced to close his gallery after only six years, due to illness (he died of cancer in 1998). Yet studio furniture would retain its vitality for some years to come, with an organization devoted to the field, the Furniture Society, founded in 1996. Twenty-five years on, the landscape has shifted. New galleries arriving on to the scene, like Carpenters Workshop, Friedman Benda, and R & Company, have emphasized the radical design context rather than that of studio craft, implying a European rather than American lineage for their concerns. Younger makers, likewise, tend to consider themselves either designers or artists first and furniture makers second. Yet in many ways, the propulsive energies that were set in motion by the midcentury generation – their emphasis on individual creativity, and the idea of furniture as an opportunity for self-expression – can still be felt in contemporary practice. The Springborns were lucky enough to be there when the studio furniture field crested to its height. And smart enough to catch the wave. Glenn Adamson is a curator and writer who works at the intersection of craft, design history, and contemporary art. He has previously been a Senior Scholar at the Yale Center for British Art, Director of the Museum of Arts and Design; Head of Research at the V&A; and Curator at the Chipstone Foundation in Milwaukee. Adamson’s new book, “Craft: An American History,” examines how makers, carpenters, and blacksmiths took on the central role in shaping America’s identity. Featured Image: Wendell Castle (1932-2018), Ceci n’est Pas un Cadeau (This is Not a Gift) Carved Box, 2001. Estimate: $1,5000-$2,5000.
In honor of Women’s History Month, Hindman is delighted to present six female Specialists and the stunning works by female artists that inspire us all. Monica Brown, Senior Specialist, Fine Art Louise Bourgeois (French/American, 1911-2010), Toi et Moi, 2006. Estimate: $5,000 – $7,000. Included in Prints & Multiples sale on May 5, 2021. “When I think of iconic female artists, my mind immediately goes to Louise Bourgeois. The first time I saw one of her spider sculptures I was shocked that it was titled ‘Maman’. This push and pull between meaning and the viewers’ perception is something that I have always admired in her work. We are excited to handle this edition by the artist in our May 5th Prints and Multiples auction. To me, this small scale work embodies so much about Bourgeois – the musical staves printed on fabric hearken to her childhood steeped in tapestries and music, the words echo her constant investigation of the connection between two people. However, unlike her large scale spiders, this work is steeped in a softness and intimacy that I find incredibly moving.” Genevieve King, Associate Specialist, Decorative Arts & Collectibles Harriet Whitney Frishmuth, The Star, 1918. Estimate: $6,000-$8,000. Included in A Gentleman’s Pursuit on April 27, 2021. “Harriet Whitney Frishmuth (1880-1980) was an American sculptor known for her spirited renderings of the female form, particularly professional dancers. Born in Philadelphia, she moved to Europe as a teenager with her family, where she went on to study art in Paris and Berlin; she studied briefly with Auguste Rodin at the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris. She eventually moved back to New York City, where she established a successful career as a sculptor and educator, her work sought by museums and private collectors alike. Her work has been exhibited at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the National Academy of Design, the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts and the Paris Salon, among other distinguished venues and institutions. I learned during my research of her express disdain for the designation of “sculptress,” which I appreciate.” Danielle Lin, Specialist, American History, Decorative Arts & Collectibles American Anti-Slavery Society, Am I Not a Woman & A Sister, Belville, NJ: Gibbs, Gardner & Company, 1838. “I love this piece because even though it is a token, something metal and somewhat impersonal, the imagery and sentiment it bears humanizes the enslaved. The token, in my mind, is so closely associated with the women of the abolitionist movement, and many who went on to be pioneers for women’s suffrage as well. One of my favorite figures is Sarah Parker Remond who was a free woman of color who made her first public speech against slavery when she was just 16 years old. She was a member of the American Anti-Slavery Society and in 1858 traveled abroad to help garner support for the abolitionist cause. During the Civil War, she would appeal for the British to support the Union and afterwards fundraised for the newly emancipated people. She then became a medical doctor in Italy, practicing there until her death in 1894. Women had a prominent and important role in the global abolitionist movement from its earliest days. In the 18th century, women were significant organizers of the sugar boycotts of the 1790s and they also purchased and wore “Am I Not a Man and a Brother” Wedgwood Jasperware cameos which inspired this token. Women are credited with maintaining the momentum of the abolition movement in the 1820s and 1830s after the Slave Trade was abolished but slavery itself persisted, with the publication of essays and public involvement in anti-slavery societies, including the American Anti-Slavery Society which issued this token in 1838. The American Anti-Slavery Society was founded by prominent male abolitionists William Lloyd Garrison and Arthur Tappan, and Frederick Douglass and William Wells Brown became key leaders of the Society, but women were notable and influential members. The Society counted Lucretia Mott, Susan B. Anthony, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Lydia Maria Child, Maria Weston Chapman, Abby Kelley Foster, Sarah Parker Remond, Lucy Stone, and others among their membership. Their involvement became a contentious issue, however, and the debate over whether they should be viewed as “coworkers, not subordinates” split the group. In 1840, the Society was invited to the World Anti-Slavery Convention in London, but a ruling was made to exclude the female members, forcing them to view the proceedings in the gallery and not participate.” Sally Klarr, G.G., Director, Senior Specialist, Jewelry & Timepieces Evelyn Clothier, Diamond Swallow En Tremblant Brooch. Estimate: $4,000 – $6,000. Included in the Important Jewelry auction on May 18, 2021. “I am pleased to have so many lovely pieces by Evelyn Clothier coming up for sale this spring. Most of her designs are whimsical (like the Flamingo Brooches we sold in our Palm Beach sale in February) and also some are inspired by antique jewelry. This particular brooch is very invocative of antique jewelry – made out of platinum and yellow gold, the diamond swallows are en tremblant meaning “to tremble”. Jewelry made in the 18th and 19th Centuries would sometimes have parts on a small spring to give movement to a section of a piece. This created an especially mesmerizing effect in candlelight that must have been quite romantic in the evenings. Evelyn Clothier jewelry is so well made to match antique styles like this and I love everything about this brooch! I am excited to show more of her pieces in our May 18th Important Jewelry auction.” Katherine Hlavin, Director and Specialist, Western & Wildlife Art Glenna Goodacre (American, 1939-2020), Butterfly Dancer, edition 18/20. Estimate: $2,000 – $3,000. Included in Western Paintings and Sculpture including Contemporary Native American Art Session I on May 6, 2021. “Glenna Goodacre had a remarkable career of being one of the preeminent female sculptors in America. Her bronzes, primarily of figures, always evoked a sense of emotion and power. One of her most noted bronzes is a monumental piece at the Vietnam Women’s Memorial in Washington, D.C. When I think of important sculptors in Western American art, Goodacre is always at the top of my list. “Butterfly Dancer” is a great example of how Goodacre incorporated grace and poise into her sculptures. This piece captures the essence of the Southwest, tying in Native American culture and the power of women.” Erin Rust, Specialist, American Indian Art & Artifacts, Native American, Prehistoric & Tribal Art Plateau Child’s Beaded Hide Cradleboard, with Pinto Horse, late 19th century. Estimate: $4,000-$6,000. Included in the Native American Art sale on April 16, 2021. “Native beadwork throughout the United States has been traditionally a woman’s art, adorning everything from clothing, to cradles, to daily work bags and horse regalia. The craft of beadwork evolved from the earlier tradition of using dyed quills, bird or porcupine, to decorate. When European glass beads were introduced by traders, the use of these colorful materials became the popular choice. The creative and technical skills that these women artists have, were and still are, praised in Native communities across the county. For me, this Plateau cradle showcases the artistic expression that goes into a beaded design. The Prancing Pony on the cradle speaks to the importance of the horse in Native cultures, and as an equestrian, really speaks to what fascinated me about Native American history and culture, and how I originally became interested in my field of study.”
Hindman is excited to partner with the Booth Western Art Museum to present an outstanding online auction, For the Love of Art, with bidding beginning on February 8. For the Love of Art will include a range of Western fine art, jewelry and books. The auction is an exciting opportunity to acquire pieces while supporting the world’s largest permanent exhibition space for Western art and their mission. Notable pieces include Robert Griffing’s painting, Wonderfully Expert (lot 9), which has a presale estimate of $18,000-23,000. Other highlights include Steve Penley’s John Wayne (lot 8), a mixed media work (estimate is $12,000-15,000), and Sonya Terpening’s Not One More Step (lot 6) (estimate is $9,000-12,000). We spoke with Seth Hopkins, Executive Director of the Booth Museum, about how the museum has moved to a new digital format for the auction and gala this year, and what bidders should pay attention to at this year’s event. Lot 9 | Robert Griffing (American, b. 1940) Wonderfully Expert, 2019 oil on linen Hindman Auctions: Tell us about Booth Western Art Museum’s annual Gala Weekend and how the format is different this year. Seth Hopkins: Due to the pandemic, we’ve adapted the gala and auction for a digital format. Normally the Booth Museum Gala weekend is the biggest annual gathering of Western art collectors and aficionados in the Southeast. There are always a number of friends from all around the country who converge on Cartersville, and it’s like a homecoming. Everyone has a great time renewing acquaintances, meeting the artists who come and buying art to support the museum. This year we are trying to replicate that experience digitally through a Zoom celebration that includes special music, a celebrity roast, interactive games and a live auction. Clearly the highlight of the event this year is the 70 lots of art, jewelry and books that are being auctioned on Hindman’s Digital Bid Room. HA: How many artists are represented and how are they selected? SH: Over 50 artists, most of whom donated the work in the auction, are featured in this year’s auction. The fact that these artists would donate their work to the museum shows they value the museum’s approach, which is to work with living artists, galleries, auction houses and collectors to grow the interest and appetite for Western art in the Southeast. We welcome any artist to submit work to our auctions, which are juried to ensure we maintain a high quality and puts the artist’s work in the best light. We sincerely thank Hindman for their support in presenting this auction. HA: Which artists are collector favorites, and are any represented in the Booth’s collection? SH: The rock stars in the auction this year include Atlanta’s own Steve Penley, Robert Griffing, one of the top painters of eastern Woodlands Indians, and Sonya Terpening, a wonderful watercolorist and oil painter from Texas. Also featured are Cowboy Artists of America members Michael Donahue, Paul Moore, Gary Niblett, and Bill Nebeker. There are also very fine works by Dan Bodelson, Dan Meiduch, Charlie Fritz Jason Rich, Clyde Morgan and Kathy Wipfler. Many of the artists represented in the auction are also in the museum’s permanent collection or have been featured in major temporary exhibitions over the years. HA: Is there anything else noteworthy about the artists in this year’s silent auction? SH: There is also a wonderful group of miniature works that would normally be grouped into a separate sale during the weekend but this year they are mixed in the silent auction. Many of these were created by artists who are instructors at our art academy. They are great artists in their own right but also choose to share their talents with students on a regular basis. Often times auctions of this type can offer great value at a relatively low cost, while supporting a deserving non-profit. Collectors looking to add depth to their traditional Western holding will find wonderful small to mid-size works by Dan Bodelson, Dan Meiduch, John Fawcett and Charlie Fritz, while buyers interested in more contemporary style works will find fresh works by Kim Wiggins, Amy Lay and Logan Maxwell Hagege. Lot 6 | Sonya Terpening (American, b. 1953) Not One More Step, 2020 transparent watercolor HA: Why do you think this genre appeals to collectors? SH: We believe Western art resonates with our audience, first because of the nostalgia from growing up with the television and later movie Westerns. There is also a universal appeal of the great American West with its wide-open spaces and majestic mountains that are often featured in the artwork. In helping new collectors get started, I tell them to be patient and to try to envision what types of artwork would make up a collection that they would want to live with over the long term. We actually offer couples collections counseling as one of the services at the museum where we help couples try to identify the overlap in their likes and dislikes when it comes to art. Once you have a sense of what you want to collect and what your budget might be, then you can move forward with more confidence when you see a piece you want to live with. HA: What is your advice to new collectors or those looking to deepen their collection? SH: When collectors ask me what to collect. I tell them to try to find pieces that pass the “Seth Hopkins’ Pink Fuzzy Slippers Test.” This test kicks in on Sunday morning when you are padding around your quiet home with a cup of coffee in one hand and the Times crossword in the other, and out of the corner of your eye you spy a work of art you are the custodian of for this generation and you get to LIVE with it. A grin creeps over your face because you get to see this art every day. That is the main reason to buy a piece of art, all else is secondary. With that in mind, I hope people all around the country will peruse the art in our benefit auction, graciously hosted by Hindman, and find something that passes the test for them. They will then have a wonderful piece of original art to enjoy along with the knowledge they are helping the Booth Museum accomplish its mission. Bidding for the sale will be open from February 8 at 10am through February 22 at 10am. For more information, please contact Diane Homesley at dianeh@boothmuseum.org or 770-387-1538 Featured image: Lot 8. Steve Penley (American, b. 1964), John Wayne, 2020, mixed media.
In honor of Black History Month, Hindman is pleased to highlight nine remarkable lots included in the upcoming African Americana sale presented by Cowan’s Auctions, a Hindman Company. A number of influential figures including Frederick Douglass, Booker T. Washington, Madam C.J. Walker, Marcus Garvey, Martin Luther King Jr., Huey Newton, Eldridge Cleaver, and Angela Davis are represented in the February 18 African Americana auction. Collectors can expect over 275 lots dedicated to themes such as slavery & abolition, militaria, civil rights, politics, art, literature, and more. Below are celebrated collectibles, relics and memorabilia exploring the intersection between Black History, Civil Rights, Art & Culture, and Music. Civil Rights Lot 178 |KING, Martin Luther Jr. (1929-1968). The Birth of a New Age. Cleveland: Stephens’ Recording Service, Memo Records, 1956. 33 rpm vinyl record (not tested for playback); original publisher’s illustrated cardboard sleeve (light scuffs, partial split to lower edge, light wear to extremities). A RARE RECORDING of the address King delivered in Cleveland on 7 August 1956, at the convention of the National Negro Funeral Directors Association when he was just 27. The recording was made by Carlton M. Stephens, a metallurgical engineer whose side business was producing records. Stephens corresponded with Dr. King throughout 1956 and early 1957 in a series of letters in which he requested permission, which Dr. King granted in a 27 September 1956 letter, and gave details and updates on the project. In a letter dated 20 December 1956, Stephens shares that “Sterling Hykes, local Negro artist of Kamaru House, designed the attractive jacket. It is modern, done in red, white, and blue,” adding “we took the liberty to add a few notes about Montgomery with the biography on the back. Material for this was collected and written by Mrs. Carriebelle J. Cook, local librarian and my wife.” Dr. King received $100 in proceeds from sales in a letter from Stephens dated 28 February 1957. (MLKP-MBU, Box 65, Howard Gotlieb Archival Research Center, Boston University, Boston, MA). VERY RARE: OCLC locates no copies and according to online records, no copy has ever sold at auction Estimate: $8,000 – $10,000 Lot 174 | [CIVIL RIGHTS]. Assorted Civil Rights ephemera. Comprising: CORE Comments. 3 issues (incomplete run). [Chicago]: Committee of Racial Equality, 1943-1944. 8.5 x 11 in. mimeographed newsletter, 3 issues numbering: Vol. 1 Number 12, September 1943; November 1943; 24 January 1944. –PECK, Jim (1914-1993), editor. CORE-Lator. 3 issues (incomplete run). New York: Congress of Racial Equality, 1959-1964. 8.5 x 11 in. newsletter, 3 issues number: Number 78, Fall 1959; Number 90, June 1961; Number 106, May-June 1964. — PECK, Jim, editor. Sit Ins: The Student Report. New York: Congress of Racial Equality, 1960. 6 x 8.5 in. booklet (soft vertical fold, abrasions with tape residue on front wrapper). With letters from 6 African American students about their experiences. — Freedom Riders Speak for Themselves: Mary Hamilton, Louise Inghram, and Others. Detroit: News & Letters, 1961. 5 x 7 in. booklet. — Southern Christian Leadership Conference: This is SCLC. N.p., [ca 1965]. 3.75 x 8.5 in. brochure with folding SCLC Organization Chart. — BOND, Julian (1940-2015). LEWIS, T.G., illustrator. Vietnam. [Tucson, AZ]: [Sixties Project], 1967. 8.5 x 11 in. comic book (staining at staples, small folds at lower right corner). Anti-war comic politician and civil rights leader Bond, who during his career helped to establish the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), helped found the Southern Poverty Law Center and served as its first president, and was the chairman of the NAACP from 1998-2010. — And 8 others. Together 19 works in 15 volumes, all in good to fine condition. Estimate: $1,000 – $1,500 Lot 229 | [Black Panthers] Black Panther. N.p., ca late 1960s-1970s. 25.25 x 15.5 in. (637 x 398 mm) hand-painted broadside on Hasko wooden tray (wood slats slightly separated at right edge, some chipping to paint). Hand-painted in black and orange with profile of a black panther and hand-lettered Estimate: $1,000 – $1,500 Art & Culture Lot 267 | [AILEY, Alvin (1931-1989)]. LINDQUIST, John, photographer. A group 54 photographs of African American performers and dance pieces. Including: Silver gelatin photographic stills of dancers, most performing at the Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival in Beckett, Massachusetts, ca 1958-1980. Almost all of the photos are by John Lindquist who was staff photographer at the acclaimed dance festival from 1938-1980, and many of the images are stamped with his imprimatur. Photographs include Alvin Ailey at Jacob’s Pillow, 1958 (7) — Alvin Ailey & Co. at Jacob’s Pillow, including Carmen de Lavallade and James Truitte, 1958 (14) — Charles Moore (8) — Donald McKayle & Co. performing Rainbow Round My Shoulder (2) — Miscellaneous dancers, including Pearl Primus, Billy Wilson, Clay Taliaferro, and Jean-Léon Destiné (12) — Studies of Alvin McDuffie at Jacob’s Pillow by Stephen Driscoll, successor to John Lindquist (9, each 3 1/4 x 4 3/8 in.). Together, 54 photographs, 8 x 10 in. or smaller. Condition generally very good, with corner/edge wear to some prints. Estimate: $1,000 – $1,500 Lot 265| The Flaming Crisis with a Notable Colored Cast. Kansas City, MO: Quigley Litho. Co., [1924]. 28.25 x 42.25 in. movie poster. A large movie poster for the silent Western romance starring Dorothy Dunbar as Tex Miller, a beautiful cowgirl who falls in love with a young Black newspaperman convicted of murder on false evidence who has escaped the law. He defeats an outlaw band and gives himself to the law to discover that the real murderer confessed, allowing him to be reunited with Tex. Estimate: $700 – $900 Lot 258 | Jet: The Weekly Negro News Magazine [Vol. 1, Number 2]. Chicago: Johnson Publishing Company, 8 November 1951. 4 1/4 x 6 in. Illustrated throughout. (2 inner gatherings loose.) Original illustrated wrappers featuring Katherine Dunham (light soiling, spine split but covers attached). Also included in this lot, Jet: The Weekly Negro News Magazine. [Vol. 1, Number 5]. Chicago: Johnson Publishing Company, 29 November 1951. 4 1/4 x 6 in. Illustrated throughout. (1 central gathering loose.) Original illustrated wrappers featuring Josephine Baker (minor creasing). Two early issues of Jet magazine, founded in November 1951 by John H. Johnson (1918-2005). The magazine is considered one of the most influential African-American media businesses and chronicled the Civil Rights Movement including early events like the lynching of Emmett Till. RARE, with online records indicating that only one copy of each issue has seen the market. Estimate: $400 – $600 Music Lot 262 | EULA, Joe (1925-2004), artist. A group of two 1960s music posters featuring Eula artwork. Including: The Supremes, Lincoln Center, Philharmonic Hall, Friday, October 15, 1965. 25 x 38.25 in. concert poster (several small black marks on recto, minor wear). Distributed by Darien House Inc., New York, 1965. — Bobby Short, October 23, The Living Room. 25 x 38 in. concert poster (9.5 in. vertical tear at right bottom edge). Distributed by Darien House Inc., New York, 1966. Estimate: $400 – $600 Lot 261 | [FRANKLIN, Aretha, Harry BELAFONTE, James BROWN, Wilson PICKETT, The TEMPTATIONS]. Group of 9 programs. Comprising: Aretha Franklin. Program from “Lady Soul” 1968 UK concert tour. Sussex: Hastings Printing Co., [1968]. — Aretha Franklin / Exclusive Booking / QBC. Booking handbill/flyer from 1968 “Lady Soul” concert tour. New York: QBC, [1968]. — New Queen of the blues: Aretha Franklin. Program from 1968 “New Queen of the Blues” concert tour. New York: QBC, [1968]. The Biggest Show of Stars for ’61. Program featuring Fats Domino as headliner. N.p., [1961]. — Supersonic Show of Stars of 1961. Program featuring Jackie Wilson as headliner. N.p., [1961]. — The Temptations. Program from 1967 “With a Lot O’ Soul” US tour. New York: Raydell Publishing & Distributing Corp., 1967. — James Brown. Program from 1968 “I Got the Feelin” concert tour. New York: Moore Publicity, Inc., [1968]. — Wilson Pickett. Tour book from concert headlined by Wilson Pickett, with Sam & Dave, Junior Walker & the All Stars, and Billy Stewart. N.p., [ca 1960s]. — The Belafonte Folk Singers. Program. New York: Dunetz and Lovett, [ca 1960s]. Founded in 1957, the Belafonte Folk Singers followed Harry Belafonte while on tour. Together, 9 items, each 9 x 12 in. or smaller. Condition generally good, with some corner/edge wear. Estimate: $300 – $500 Lot 263 | Jazz Musician Photographs, Duke Ellington and Oscar Petersen. Three views of Duke Ellington and the caption noting his death; from May 28, 1974, AP Wirephoto. Publisher’s notes on verso. 7.5 x 10 in. Three photos of Oscar Peterson. First was from Examiner Reference Library, 1983 and used in publication April 22, 1986. (7.5 x 10 in.) Second was from Examiner Reference Library and used in publication in October 1989. Third has publisher’s lay-out markings and was received from the Library in April 1962. (both 8 x 10 in.) Estimate: $300 – $500 Cowan’s Auctions, a Hindman Company, is delighted to present its first dedicated various owner African Americana auction on Thursday, February 18 at 10AM ET. Click here to view all lots and register to bid. Featured image: Lot 273 | [BOXING] — [ALI, Muhammad (1942-2016)]. Sports Illustrated. Vol. 18, Number 23. Chicago: Time Inc., 10 June 1963.
Carl Moll's Weißes Interieur Breaks Records A major work by Viennese artist Carl Moll resurfaced in 2021 after being unseen for over a hundred years. In February of 2021, Freeman’s set a new house record when Carl Moll’s Weißes Interieur (White Interior) sold for $4.75 million—over eight times the pre-sale high estimate. This sale shattered the previous world auction record of $385,653 for a Moll piece. Beforehand, the Freeman’s house record had stood at $3.1 million, set by the 2011 sale of an important Imperial white jade seal from the Qianlong period. Carl Moll was one of the cofounders of the Vienna Secession movement, a progressive group that pushed against the conservatism of the day. Mostly known for his landscapes, Moll is also revered for his serene and elegant interior scenes. Inspired by Johannes Vermeer, Weißes Interieur is a canvas marked by a sense of domestic tranquility, via its careful balance of color and diffuse light. Executed in 1905, the work depicts a solitary female figure in the center of a highly decorated living room: Berta Zuckerkandl (née Szeps)—an important art critic and one of the most influential Jewish figures in Vienna at the turn of the twentieth century. She was a fervent supporter of modern Austrian art, which she defended in the many articles she wrote as a journalist—as well as in her Salon, where she hosted many celebrities of the time, such as fellow Secessionist Gustav Klimt and Stefan Zweig. The living room in which Zuckerkandl is depicted is the one from her very first apartment in an affluent neighborhood of Vienna. It was decorated by Vienna's then–leading architect and designer, Josef Hoffmann, and was considered by many the epitome of modern design. This is exemplified by the symphony of sleek, straight, and pure lines, and shapes visible in the canvas. In the living room, Zuckerkandl and her husband housed an important collection of East Asian art, an “exotic” taste shared by many collectors and artists of the time. In early 1905, Weißes Interieur was exhibited in Berlin, and again at the Folkwang Museum in Essen in 1906. Its last public appearance—before its sale at Freeman’s—was at Vienna’s celebrated Kunstschau in 1908, where it was featured alongside Klimt’s iconic The Kiss. After this exhibition, the work remained within the same family, who moved from Germany to the United States in the mid-1970s. To mark its reappearance on the market, the painting was offered at a pre-sale estimate of $300,000–500,000—one of the highest figures ever attached to a work by Moll at auction.