Sept. 27, 2008 Auction Highlights

Lot 1 – “The Art and Mystery of Tennessee Furniture and Its Makers Through 1850” by Derita Coleman Williams & Nathan Harsh. Condition – original book jacket. Very good condition. Est. $350-$450. Realized $478.

Lot 3 – Early Tennessee book, “The Botanic Physician, or Family Medical Adviser” book by J. E. Carter, written by A. H. Mathes. Published by B. Parker & Co., 1837, Madisonville, Ten. Title continues, “Being An Improved System, Founded On Correct Physiological Principals. Comprising A Brief View Of Anatomy, Physiology, Pathology, Hygieine, Or Art Of Preserving Health: A Materia Medica, Exclusively Botanical, Containing A Description Of More Than Two Hundred And Thirty Of The Most Valuable Vegetable Remedies: To Which Is Added A Dispensatory, Embracing More Than Two Hundred Recipes For Preparing And Administering Medicine. The Diseases Of The United States, Wuith Their Symptoms, Causes, Cures, And Means Of Prevention. Likewise A Treatise On The Diseases Peculiar To Women And Children.” Condition – overall very good condition for age with some wear to leather cover, expected foxing and toning to pages. Circa 1837. Est. $400-$600. Realized $788.

Lot 5 – Middle Tennessee one-drawer stand with tapering turned legs, on ball and spike feet, probably Davidson Co. Poplar secondary wood. Dovetailed drawer with original round wood pull. Condition: some fading to top, scattered small chips and wear. Old refinish. 30 1/8″ height x 27 1/2″ width x 21 3/4″. Circa 1820. Provenance: Thompson family of Glen Leven Plantation, Nashville. Est. $400-$500. Realized $618.

Lot 6 – Middle Tennessee one-drawer cherry stand with spiral twist legs. Dovetailed drawer with cockbeaded edges and brass escutcheon, ball and spike feet. Poplar secondary wood. Unusually sturdy interior construction and a compass star mark on the side of one drawer, both of which relate to a dressing stand from Glen Leven Plantation sold by this auction house Sept. 15, 2007. Condition: old refinish with later lock, scattered abrasions and wear. 29 3/4″ height x 24″ width x 20 1/8″. Circa 1840. Provenance: Thompson family of Glen Leven Plantation, Nashville. Est. $400-$500. Realized $900.

Lot 13 – Late Sheraton / Classical cherry chest attributed to Tennessee with shaped splash board and dovetailed gallery sides. Larger top drawer overhanging three smaller drawers, all with round wood pulls, scratch beaded edges and brass escutcheons, flanked by urn and spiral twist pilasters, on double-ball turned feet. Paneled sides and double paneled back. Secondary wood: poplar. Condition: older refinish; small area of loss to side of back splash, scattered small losses and area of loose molding, drawer sides built up, overall good condition. 55 1/2″ height x 43 1/4″ x 24″. Probably Tennessee, circa 1840. Provenance: Thompson family of Glen Leven Plantation, Nashville. Est. $500-$700. Realized $844.

Lot 23 – East Tennessee rocking chair highly figured wood for arms and stiles, probably tiger maple. Sullivan or Hawkins Co. TN. Arched slats with finials, turned lozenges on front stiles. Contemporary split oak seat. 38 1/2 H x 22″ W x 31 1/2 D. Old dry surface. Very good condition with breaks to contemporary split oak seat. Circa 1860. Est. $200-$300. Realized $365.

Lot 24 – Early Cumberland County, Tennessee blanket chest, Crab Orchard area. Walnut paneled chest with delicately turned feet, interior till. Yellow pine secondary wood. Applied molding on top appears to retain the original hinges. Condition – molding on left side is missing, top for interior till split. Acquired from the estate of Mrs. Nellie T. Beeson who was a descendant of the Baker family, one of the earliest settlers of Crab Orchard. 26″ H x 48″ W x 18 1/2″ D . Second quarter of 19th century. Est. $800-$1200. Realized $1,238.

Lot 28 – Victorian Stained Glass Window #1 from the historic Elliston-Buford Mansion, Nashville, Tennessee. Multi-colored slag and textured leaded glass in a floral and scroll design with colored jewels, in oxidized hardwood frame. The Elliston-Buford Mansion was built on Elliston Place circa 1860-1880 and was the home of was the home of Lizinka Elliston Buford and husband Edward L. Buford, a Nashville businessman and Confederate War veteran. Lizinka’s grandfather was Nashville Mayor and silversmith Joseph Thorpe Elliston (1814-1817). Around 1928, the five-acre Elliston Place site (which included another mansion, Burlington) became part of the original Father Ryan High School campus. This window was removed when the mansion was renovated in the 1970s. The home was destroyed by fire in 1992. Overall very good condition. 59 1/2″ x 40 1/4″. Circa 1881. Est $300-$500. Realized $844.

Lot 35 – Wythe County, Virginia walnut table with elaborate carved skirt on turned Sheraton feet, old surface. This table relates to a group of similar tables from Wythe Co. attributed to cabinetmaker, James Seagle. Overall very good condition with a couple of screws to underside of top missing, expected wear for age. .28 3/4″ H x 20 1/4″ wide x 20 1/4″ deep. Mid 19th century. Est. $700-$1000. Realized $1,237.

Lot 38 – Piedmont North Carolina table, possibly Catawba Valley. Primary wood appears to be maple, two board top joined with tongue and groove joint. Ring and ball turned legs, terminating in a spike. Original surface. Condition – overall excellent condition with expected scratching and staining to top surface. 31″H x 305/8 W x 22 3/4 D. Circa 1825. Est. $400-$800. Realized $675.

Lot 57 – East Tennessee house and alphabet sampler by Minerva E. Carmack, 1845. Alphabet with house design. Wear to the middle of sample where it may have been folded. Small hole, approx. 1/4″ to center. Some wear to outer middle margins. Sampler has been glued down on paper board. Sight 11″x 14″, framed 18 5/8″ H x 15 5/8″ W. Circa 1845. This sampler was recently documented by Jennifer Core and Janet Hasson of the Tennessee Sampler Survey, Nashville, TN. Minerva Carmack was born February 15, 1828 in Hawkins County and died February 16, 1906 and was buried at the Watterson Cemetery, Stanley Valley Road, Hawkins Co., TN. Minerva married Edward Watterson about 1846 (no record found) and had ten children. They resided in the Stoney Point area of Hawkins County. Minerva may have been the third child of Cornelius Carmack, a founder of Hawkins Co. Of the thirty East Tennessee samplers documented in the Tennessee Sampler Survey, five are from Hawkins County. Of these five Hawkins Co. samplers, four have houses in the design. Est. $1,000-$1,200. Realized $6,300.

Lot 58 – Pair of East Tennessee applique cotton quilts, similar to a Hawaiian quilt pattern. 1st quilt – red geometric snowflake design on white background, Sullivan Co., TN. Bright red applique with minor staining, some fading to red. 71″ H x 78 1/2″ L. 2nd quilt – red geometric snowflake design on white background, Greene Co. TN. 73 1/2″ H x 77″ length. Faded red applique with some slight staining. One quilt made a few years later than the other. These quilts were made by Margaret Elizabeth Dale Riley of Kingsport, TN. Mid 20th century. Est. $350-$450. Realized $956.

Lot 72 – Rare Maysville, Kentucky stoneware churn, stamped “J & E Wood” “5” in cobalt, “Maysville, KY” in blue. Cobalt highlights on handles. Hairline crack to rim, extends into the inside of the jar below handle. Chip to edge of one handle. 17″ H x 8-3/4″ D. Late 19th century. Est. $400-$600. Realized $5,175.

Lot 74 – Small Southern jug with a yellow-brown alkaline glaze, pulled handle. Excellent condition. 5″ height. Circa 1850. Est. $300-$500. Realized $844.

Lot 75 – Southwest Virginia stoneware jar, signed in script across jar, ” James Vestal “. Later painting of bird on the jar. 9 1/4” height. Excellent condition. 19th century. Note – This jar was exhibited at the Great Road Style exhibit, William King Regional Arts Center, Abingdon, VA and is illustrated in the Legacy in Clay: Pottery of Washington County, Virginia catalog. James (b. 1858) was the son of potter, Jessee Vestal. At the time of the 2005 exhibit, this jar was one of only two known pieces signed by James Vestal. Est. $500-$1000. Realized $1,800.

Lot 78 – Wythe County, Virginia jar with sine waves around upper shoulder area, handles with flared edge (handles similar to two Wythe Co. examples sold in the April 19, 2008 auction). Overall very good condition with old small chips to underside of rim, wear to handles and base. 11 1/2″ height. 19th century. Est. $250-$350. Realized $844.

Lot 79 – East Tennessee oil on canvas of the Sam Houston school house by Eleanor McAdoo Wiley (Knoxville, Tennessee, 1876-1977), signed lower right corner. Titled on verso, “Sam Houston school house / back view.” on verso. Original frame. Very good condition. 18″ x 24″ canvas, 21 3/4″ H x 27 3/4″ W frame. 20th century. Est. $700-$1000. Realized $2,588.

Lot 80 – East Tennessee portrait of a girl in dress, oil on canvas in gilt frame. Provenance – Gagg estate Knoxville. Depicts a girl in white dress with blue sash holding flowers on black background. Condition – small hole and paint loss to lower left arm. Minor paint loss to bottom edge of canvas next to frame. Black background has loss of paint next to right shoulder, old stain under right eye, probably the result of water dripping on the canvas. Canvas measures 24-1/2″ H x 20″ W. Framed 29″ H x 24-1/2″ W. 19th century. Est. $500-$1000. Realized $1,800.

Lot 85 – East Tennessee landscape by L. E. Jones (Louis Edward Jones, Tennessee, 1878-1958), oil on artist board, signed lower left corner, “L. E. Jones 1953” and titled on back, “Autumn Days in the Smokies”. Very good condition with scuff line to bottom margin near center. 12″H x 13 7/8″W sight and 13 3/4″H x 15 3/4″ W framed. Circa 1953. Est. $800-$1,100. Realized $1,668.

Lot 91 – Tennessee coin silver tablespoon, fiddle back design, marked “E. Wiggers” (Ernest Wiggers, Nashville, Tennessee – Davidson County). This mark is illustrated in Dr. Benjamin Caldwell’s book, “Tennessee Silversmiths”, p. 168, illustration 131a. Caldwell notes that much of Wiggers work appears to be hand made and he may have been working prior to 1860. The fiddle back design of this spoon appears to date from the 1850 period. Excellent condition. No monogram. 8″ length. Circa 1855. Est. $100-$125. Realized $225.

Lot 100 – Heavy Tiffany sterling silver water pitcher. Art Nouveau style organic form with strap-like leaves that lap over the edge of the base, on four pod-like feet. Marked 6 pints, Tiffany & Co., 11349D Makers 6105, 925-1000 “M” (Mark used 1907-1938). Complimentary to many flatware services of the period including Lap Over Edge, Faneuil, Gramercy, Hamilton. Condition: minor scratches consistent with age, overall excellent condition. 6 pint capacity, 8 5/8″ height, 45 oz troy. Circa 1910. Est. $1200-$2200. Realized $2,250.

Lot 106 – Elaborate Frank Smith Co.sterling silver basket with rococo style, openwork handle and borders, scrolls and bellflower decoration, swing handle with footed base. Marked ” Bigelow Kennard & Co. ” and “2218 Sterling” and hallmark for the Frank W. Smith Silver Company. Monogrammed “K” in center of basket. Excellent condition. 12 6/8″ L x 10 1/2″ H to handle x 10 1/4″ W. 34.42 oz. troy. Est. $700-$1000. Realized $2,025.

Lot 121 – Monumental Wilmurt gilt carved frame with mirror. Frame is labeled ” T. A. Wilmurt & Son, Mirror & Picture Frames, 54th E. 13th Street, New York.” Wilmurt & Son served as the framers for several major artists including John Singer Sargent and Jasper Cropsey. Condition – old regilding, some gilt loss to outer top edge of frame, other minor losses to edges. Frame 46-1/2″ H x 69-1/4″ W x 4″ D, mirror dimension 33 1/4″H x 56″ W. Circa 1900. Note – The Metropolitan Museum of Art has at least two Wilmurt frames in their permanent collection. Est. $1000-$1200. Realized $2,025.

Rare colored stippled engraving titled, “A Cudgelling Match between English & French Negroes in Dominica”, A. Brunias (Agostino Brunias, 1728-96). Brunias was a painter born in Italy in 1730. In 1764, Brunias travelled to the West Indies and primarily resided in Dominica, painting West Indian scenes and slave life. Note – Margaret Lindsley Warden notes in her typed inventory this engraving was purchased by Dr. John Berrien Lindsley of Nashville during a European tour of the 1850s. These engravings were shown at an art exhibition in June 1945 at 1806 E. Belmont Circle. Several of Margaret’s engravings were later exhibited at the Parthenon Gallery in 1954, but it is unknown if this engraving was part of this exhibit. Condition – overall very good condition with one old stain to reverse that is visible in the reverse side of the print, hinge mounted. Sheet size 11-1/2″ H x 14-3/8″ W. Framed 16-1/4″ H x 19-3/4″ W. Late 18th century.Est. $500-$1000. Realized $1,462.

Lot 141 – Audubon Havell edition, Plate CCXXXVII, Great Esquimaux Curlew, from John James Audubon’s original edition of The Birds of America produced by hand-colored engraving on wove paper. Marked upper left corner with No. 48, and upper right Plate CCXXXVII; Audubon credit lower left – Drawn from Nature by J.J. Audubon, F.R.S.F.L.S., and lower right – Engraved, Printed and Coloured by R. Havell, London 1835. Bird’s name centered below image Great Esquimaux Curlew. J. Whatman Turkey Mill watermark 183(?illeg). Condition – toning to image, minor foxing to side margin edges, side margins folded back approx. 2 1/2″ but intact, some old tears to side margins. sheet size 25 1/4″ x 37 3/4″. Circa 1835. Thompson family of Glen Leven Plantation, Nashville. Est. $1000-$1200. Realized $2,363.

Lot 145 – Exceptional complete set of Audubon Octavo Birds and Quadrupeds (total 10 volumes). Includes the 7 volume – The Birds of America, from Drawings made in the United States and their Territories. New York: V. G. Audubon, Roe Lockwood & Son, 1860. The set also includes the 3 volume – The Quadrupeds of North America. New York: V. G. Audubon, 1856. This complete 10 volume set contains a total of 655 hand colored lithographed plates – 500 plates for the Birds of America volumes, 155 plates for the Quadrupeds of North America. Bird plate size 10 3/8″ x 6 5/8″. Quadruped plate size 10 1/2″ x 6 5/8″. Each volume with the inscription, “From Library of Hardy Bryan Aug 1860” and the later inscription, “To Hardy Bryan Branner from His Mother Magnolia Bryan Branner May 2nd 1897 with love”. Hardy Bryan Branner was mayor of Knoxville in 1880, a graduate under Robert E. Lee at Washington College, and co-founder of Standard Knitting Mills. He is buried in Old Gray Cemetery, Knoxville. Magnolia Avenue in Knoxville was named after his mother. Condition – plates with vibrant colors and generally clean with no creases or tears. All 655 plates present. Very occasional minor foxing or spotting, a few plates just slightly discolored at margins, a few plates with slight toning. Some tissue guards with foxing/browning and less than four tissue guards missing on the entire set. Foxing to text pages of Bird volumes, less so with the Quadrupeds text. Brown embossed morocco covers, marbled endpapers, spines with gilt lettering, scuffs to edges. Est. $30000-$40000. Realized $36,000.

Lot 215 – French Louis XV style gilt decorated armchair with carved floral crest. Older upholstery. Condition – overall very good condition with wear to old upholstery, fraying on the front edge of seat and upholstered armrests. 37″ H x 25″W x 21 1/4′ D. Early 20th century. Est. $300-$400. Realized $478.

Lot 217 – Pair of French inlaid lingerie chests. Each fitted with interior drawers. Very good condition with scuffs and minor patch repair to sides. 33 3/4″ H x 13 3/4″ W x 13 3/4″ D. 20th century. Est. $300-$500. Realized $618.

Pair of French brass floral candelabras, originally for church altar (most likely Roman Catholic or Episcopal). This ornate metalwork shows sheaves of wheat, bunches of grapes, and lilies. The sheaves of wheat and bunches of grapes symbolize the blessed bread and wine of the sacrament of the Eucharist. The lily is a symbol of purity. The candelabra bases contain angel figures and the supports are dolphin feet designs. Overall very good condition with minor losses interior of lilies. 40 1/2″ height. France, 19th Century. Est. $400-$800. Realized $956.

Lot 236 – An exceptional Revolutionary War period scrimshaw decorated powder horn in an old patina. The powder horn is engraved, “John Hoffman August 16th 1773″ and contains an engraved bird and tulip and associated geometric and floral engraving. Dome wooden plug with concentric incised rings and carved gadrooning. Horn and plug with old patina. Remnants of leather strap. The wooden plug has turning characteristics of the Philadelphia area and the tulip and bird decoration is reminiscent of Pennsylvania Dutch designs from the Southeastern PA area. Condition – overall very good condition, inspection reveals all nail brads present, a couple of old chips near cap, small horn crack (stable) to backside(approx. length 2″), expected wear to engraving on underside. Length of horn – 10 3/4″ length, plug diameter 2 1/2”. Circa 1773. Note – there are several John Hoffmans that served in the Revolutionary War, including ones from the state of Virginia, Pennsylvania, and New York. Est. $3500-$4500. Realized $3,600.

Lot 245 – Civil War Naval sword, Ames Model 1860 Navy Cutless. Blade marked with anchor hallmark and letters P G G and smaller letters T R with numbers below these letters, mostly illegible. Guard marked 14M 181. Total length is 31 1/2″ length. Blade 26″. Hilt 6″. Condition – blade has been re-plated with a nickel finish, hilt guard with expected tarnishing and wear for age. Circa 1860. Est. $200-$300. Realized $365.

Lot 261 – Royal Crown Derby Red Aves pattern soup tureen with underplate, red bird pattern on white background with scrolled handles, trimmed in gold. Excellent condition. Tureen 7 1/2″ height x 12″ diameter; underplate 14″ diameter. England, circa 1970. Est. $300-$400. Realized $731.

Lot 276 – Pair of fine decorated Chinese vases. Red marks on underside are similar to the Ching Dynasty mark but likely after the Ching period. Both vases depict a standing female facing a sitting male, designs with Chinese letters between the figures. Overall excellent condition. 8″ H x 4 1/2″ D. Early 20th century. Est. $200-$300. Realized $450.

Lot 289 – Three Tennessee trophy cups, from Knoxville TN schools, early 20th century. (1) Handled cup engraved with 1910 Knox Prep School Baseball Championship. Silverplated. Condition – tarnishing, handles slightly bent. 9 1/2″ H x 8 3/4″ W. (2) 1915 Central High School Horn handled cup. Silverplate with foliate designed rim and base, three horns for handles. Expected tarnishing. 10″ H x 9″ W. (3) Sterling trophy engraved for 1921 Knoxville High School 4th Corps Area Rifle Championship. Marked Bailey, Banks & Biddle. Sterling. Condition – tarnishing, handles bent. 17.175 oz. troy. 10 3/4″ H x 8″ W. Est. $150-$200. Realized $394.