COMPLIMENTARY COPY
Chihuly Glass Returns To The Reading Public Museum FRIDAY NOVEMBER 18, 2016 • VOL. 47, NO. 47
English Wooden Doll Dated 1739 Realizes $44,000 At Theriault’s When Estelle Johnston began seeking early 18th and 19th century wooden dolls in the 1960s, there were few collectors to keep her company. Serious doll collecting was in its infancy, and few journals or books were available to budding collectors. She was pretty much on her own. Yet a half century of doll collecting later, it is obvious that the rest of collectors have caught up. At Theriault’s Oct. 1 and 2 auction of her important collection of early wooden and paper mache dolls, prices skyrocketed, with interest from around the world. There were hints as to the desirability of these early dolls prior to the auction, as a record number of catalogs were sold, and collectors called eagerly with knowledgeable questions and to reserve telephone lines for live bidding. The excitement began within the first 10 minutes of the sale as lot #4, an early 15-inch Grodnertal wooden doll with original costume realized $18,000 (est. $7,500$9,500). It was followed by a grandsized Grodnertal lady with painted bodice that rushed to $19,000, twice its high presale estimate. Keeping right in step was the next lot, a 28inch English wooden doll in original costume with coin pocket dated 1739, which topped at $44,000 (est. $12,000-$18,000). Enthusiasm continued unabated over the two days of the auction. An 18th-century Venetian court doll in historical costume sold for $10,000 (est. $5,500-$7,500), an early Continental cage-skirt doll with exceptional sculpting brought $6,750, and a petite 12-inch wooden lady with carved ringlet curled hair
The regal English wooden doll, whose embroidered hidden coin pocket dated her at 1739, soared to $44,000 (est. $12,000-$18,000).
The Reading Public Museum (RPM) is pleased to present “Chihuly’s Venetians: The George R. Stroemple Collection,” on display until Sunday, Jan. 8, 2017. Unlike the exhibition hosted at the museum in 2004, which showcased work from Chihuly’s studio, this exhibition features a private collection of works owned by a single collector, George R. Stroemple. The exhibition includes the master glassmaker’s spectacular Laguna Murano Chandelier and 60 luminous examples from his acclaimed Venetian series, as well as more than a dozen drawings. The exhibition is sponsored locally by Tompkins VIST Bank. Chihuly’s Venetians were inspired by the artist’s trip to Venice in 1988. During this trip, he visited a gallery that housed an extraordinary private collection of Venetian glass that represented the pinnacle of Venetian Art Deco (1920s and 1930s). Returning to the United States, he decided to create his own versions of the classic pieces with his unique, lively twist. Collaborating with Pino Signoretto and Lino Tagliapietra, two of Italy’s finest glassmaking
AAN Current News
JR’s Auctioneering Sells 1963 Corvette For $56,000 on page 4
Dale Chihuly’s (American, b. 1941) glass Laguna Murano Chandelier from 1996 is courtesy of the George R. Stroemple collection. It is a Stroemple/Stirek collaboration. masters, Chihuly worked to execute his vision for these stunning pieces. The exhibition consists of 19 Putti Venetians, spacious and ambitious vessels, each with hot-formed figurative sculptures of putti (cherubs) and mythological creatures included in the design; nine Continued on page 6
HACC Student Auction Will Be Held At Cordier on page 9
Lone Ranger Impersonator Collection To Be Sold At Alderfer’s on page 9
Standing a demure 15 inches, the wooden Grodnertal doll with original costume, including an embroidered coin pocket and an unusual woven bonnet designed to accommodate to her head shape, topped at $19,000, five times the high presale estimate. topped by a gold diadem more than tripled its high presale estimate, topping at $12,000. A highly characterized lady doll, with attached provenance note suggesting that the doll was meant to represent the French author Georges Sands, climbed quickly to $10,000, and the tiniest of classic English wooden dolls, only five inches, in original costume and storage box, sold for $12,000, more than four times its high presale estimate. Early wooden dolls were only a small portion of this collection. Johnston had sought the esoteric and unique in all categories of antique childhood objects. The collection included such rarities as early mica overlay dolls, known as “metamorphose” and considered the earliest forms of “paper dolls.” Two rare sets soared to $5,000 each, tripling their presale value. A German porcelain doll (the auction presented dozens of rare examples) by KPM in original Scottish costume topped at $19,000 (est. $3,500-$4,500); a French bisque poupée with wooden body by Jumeau, costumed as a very dapper gentleman, sold for $11,000 (est. $4,000-$6,500); and a French Continued on page 4
Peter Saul Painting Sets Record At Leslie Hindman Auctioneers
Heritage Fall Sports Catalog Auction Will Include Nearly 5,000 Lots on page 10
Peter Saul’s acrylic-on-canvas painting titled “Saul’s Guernica,” 1974, is 71-by-159 inches and sold for $575,000, setting a new artist record at auction. The Sept. 30 Modern and Contemporary Art auction at Leslie Hindman Auctioneers offered a monumental Peter Saul with a presale estimate of $250,000∆$350,000. “Saul’s Guernica,” 1974, sold for $575,000, setting a record for the artist at auction. Hindman is based in Chicago, Ill.
Fernand Léger’s “Paysage village,” 1914, is a 12.5-by-16-inch gouache-on-paperboard and sold for $725,000.
The fluorescent psychedelic painting is an interpretation of Pablo Picasso’s famed 1937 anti-war piece, “Guernica,” depicting the atrocities of the Spanish Civil War. Saul’s 1974 version, “Saul’s Guernica,” is an art historical riff reflecting his own objections to the Vietnam War. Its large scale and vibrant colors showcase Saul’s melting cartoon imagery and surrealist funk approach to painting. Alternate versions of the painting have previously sold at auction in 2007 and 2008. The painting was offered from the estate of Robert and Lois Orchard of St. Louis, Mo., and sold to a West Coast buyer. Additional highlights of the sale include two works by Fernand Léger, a painting titled “Deux femmes tenant des fleurs” from 1954 that sold for Continued on page 6
The Thanksgiving Table on page 11
In This Issue SHOPS, SHOWS & MARKETS . . . . . . . . . . starting on page 3 SHOPS DIRECTORY . . . . . . . . . on page 5 EVENT & AUCTION CALENDAR . on page 7 AUCTION SALE BILLS . . . starting on page 7
FEATURED AUCTION: Pook & Pook Inc. and Stuart Kingston Galleries - Nov. 19 in Wilmington, Delaware - Page 2
AUCTIONEER DIRECTORY . . . . . on page 8 CLASSIFIEDS . . . . . . . . . . . . . on page 15