On Feb. 6, 2009 at 10 a.m., Pook & Pook, Inc. will kick off its 2009 auction calendar with an expansive collection of high-end antique furniture, art and accessories. From American folk art and European accessories to Russian silver and Chinese furniture, this sale represents one of the most diverse selections ever presented by the esteemed Pennsylvania auction house. Live Internet bidding during this sale will be available through www.LiveAuctioneers.com.
With consignments from The Henry Ford Museum, Winterthur Museum, several educational institutions and historical societies, as well as two large estates and various smaller collections from the United States and abroad, this is sure to be a fun event for both seasoned collectors and those brand new to the world of antiques.
From the estate of Margarette Eley of Smyrna, Del., comes a nice grouping of English and Welsh items to include four tall-case clocks, several Welsh dressers, a circa-1760 George III chest on chest, a George I oak cabinet on stand and various accompanying accessories. Also from the estate are two circa-1900 room-size Heriz rugs estimated at $8,000-$12,000 and $6,000-9,000.
An estate from Huntingdon Valley (Philadelphia) provided a nice selection of fraktur and silver as well as an extensive book collection that includes many first editions and limited editions, most signed by the authors. Some examples from this book collection include a wide array from A.A. Milne and J.M. Barrie to an early 18th century illuminated text.
Items from the Henry Ford Museum, Greenfield Village, Michigan, have undergone their extensive review process for deaccessioning and been approved by the Board of Trustees. The acquired funds are used directly to advance the development and care of the museum’s historical collections. Included in this group are paintings by Alvan Fisher, miniature portraits attributed to Charles Fraser, trade signs, silver and tramp art pieces.
Porcelain and furniture from the Winterthur Museum will be sold. A Boston Chippendale mahogany block-front secretary bookcase, circa 1765, has a broken-arch bonnet, scalloped panel doors and ball and claw feet. Chinese export from the museum comprises vases, chargers, tea services, garniture set and plates with the Great Seal of the United States.
Deaccessioned pieces from other educational institutions include some important items. A Berks County, Pa., painted dower chest is sure to attract attention. The lid and front are profusely decorated with stylized tulip vines flanked by heart-decorated ends, all on a blue/green ground. An identical chest is in the collection of the Philadelphia Museum of Art. The chest to be auctioned is estimated at $30,000-$50,000.
Another highlight from a Pennsylvania museum is a circa-1780 Pennsylvania Chippendale walnut chest on chest with a broken-arch bonnet with carved floral rosettes and a frieze with carved floral sprigs.
From another institution comes a variety of furniture including a Pennsylvania Queen Anne walnut chest on frame, a Federal mahogany slant-front desk, a Massachusetts Chippendale desk and Federal dining chairs. Also from the same consignor comes a group of English furniture comprising a George III sideboard, a Regency parquetry game table, a Regency sideboard and George III ribbon-back dining chairs.
The sale will feature several hundred additional pieces of antique furniture, including American, European and Asian examples. Thirteen tall-case clocks will be offered including a circa-1780 Bucks County, Pa., Chippendale walnut tall-case clock by Solliday; and a Lebanon County, Pa., Chippendale cherry tall-case clock.
Several sets of dining chairs, Windsor chairs, corner chairs, sofas, settees, and other seating will cross the auction block. Numerous larger pieces of furniture such as chests of drawers, chest on chests, Dutch cupboards, corner cupboards, blanket chests, secretaries, linen presses, slant-front desks, high chests, sideboards and secretaires a abattants will be offered.
Also selling are a variety of table types, including dropleaf tables, dressing tables, work tables, tea tables, dining tables, candlestands and card tables. One special piece set to sell is a Portsmouth, N.H., Federal mahogany canopy bed, circa 1810, branded by Lewis Barnes (1776-1856). Only eleven other pieces branded by Captain Barnes have been documented.
Two Southern sideboards include a Charleston Federal mahogany sideboard with zigzag inlaid apron estimated at $4,000-$8,000 and a Wilmington, N.C., sideboard with line inlay. A Delaware Valley Queen Anne walnut dressing table has cabriole legs terminating in Spanish feet. A Pennsylvania inlaid walnut tavern table has three drawers and turned legs ending in pad feet, and a Lancaster Pennsylvania Dutch cupboard retains a fine old dry surface. Estimated at $5,000-$10,000 is a Massachusetts Chippendale mahogany serpentine chest of drawers with ogee bracket feet.
The accessories in the upcoming sale are as varied as the furniture being offered. The textiles include Oriental rugs, hooked rugs, samplers, quilts and coverlets. A plethora of porcelain and pottery will be on hand, including Chinese export, spatter, Gaudy Dutch, redware, stoneware, and pearlware. Some interesting pieces of stoneware are a Cowden & Wilcox jug with a cobalt bird centered by a foliate bough, a large Remmey decorated pitcher and two Wells & Richards decorated crocks.
The metalware in the upcoming sale includes andirons, candlesticks, pricket sticks, as well as silver, pewter, bronze, wrought-iron and copper items. Silver of note comprises a New York tureen, chalice and porringer, a Boston salver, shaker, centerpiece and butter dish, Tiffany tea service, Philadelphia bowl, creamer, and spoons together with Georgian, Irish and other pieces.
Other accessories to be presented include an English tantalus, Chippendale mirrors, George III knife boxes, New England lockboxes, snuff boxes, English bracket clocks, two watch hutches, barometer, gameboards, a grape hod, lighting devices, decoys, miniature furniture, toys, chalkware, etc.
Colorful examples of fraktur will be offered throughout the day, including vibrant bookplates and pieces by Samuel Bentz, Henrich Otto, David Kulp, Friederich Krebs, Martin Brechall and others. Theorems, miniature portraits, landscapes, still lifes, portraits, and silhouettes round out the art category.
Also of interest is a Wedgwood Fairyland Lustre bowl. It is vibrantly colored and in excellent condition. A small collection of Native-American items includes several wonderful baskets, clothing, and tools. Also of note is a Jonas Weber box inscribed “Hannah Ressler,” with several vividly painted flowers on a dark background as well as a house in back of a tri-color lawn. Accompanying this lot is a group of Ressler ephemera. Two carved Wilhelm Schimmel roosters with original polychrome decorated surfaces will cross the block early in the sale and are expected to do well.
The sale will conclude with a bang as 75 lots of firearms and related items cross the auction block. One of the highlights is a gorgeous custom Pennsylvania storybook long rifle with engraved silver furniture depicting St. Hubert by Keith Casteel. There is also a very rare experimental superimposed charge flintlock pistol marked Tyron Philadelphia, a nice Colt model 1911 pistol and a U.S. Springfield model 1815 flintlock.
Auction info www.pookandpook.com.
