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July 14, 2018 Auction Preview

Join us on Saturday, July 14, 2018 for our premier auction at our NEW Knoxville gallery! We welcome all bidding types (live, phone, absentee, and online) for this auction of fine art, historical ephemera, Civil War artifacts, silver, jewelry, Asian arts, Southern and American furniture, porcelain, Native American pottery and baskets, American pottery, folk art, and more, from Tennessee’s finest collections and estates, including the collection of Mr. and Mrs. H.R. Slaymaker of Nashville, the collection of Wilma and Jack Murray of Knoxville, the estate of former Vanderbilt University president Emmett Fields of Nashville, the estate of Martha Goldsmith of Clarksville, and the estate of Charles Boyd Coleman of Chattanooga. The catalog will be available online in June.

 

  Henri Martin (French, 1860-1943), “L’Homme au Pressoir,” oil on canvas impressionist painting depicting a man working at a grape press. Label en verso for Kurt E. Schon Ltd. (Vienna and New Orleans). Titled on brass plaque on front of frame and on remants of other old paper label en verso. 24″ x 15″ canvas, 29″ x 20″ framed. Provenance: the collection of Mr. and Mrs. H.R. Slaymaker, Nashville, Tennessee.
  Paul Gustav Fischer (Danish/French, 1860-1934) oil on canvas painting depicting a military parade through the streets of Paris at the Porte Saint Martin, after the original by Edouard Detaille in the Corcoran Gallery. Signed lower right and dated, “Facsimile d’apres Edouard Detaille par Paul Fischer 1882”. Giltwood frame with bead, acanthus and laurel moldings. 24 1/2″ x 24 1/4″ sight. 30″ x 30″ frame.
  Charles Herbert Woodbury (American, 1864-1940), “Bath House, Ogunquit”, oil on panel painting depicting figures sitting under umbrellas on a sunny beach, with the bath house in Ogunquit, Maine, in the background. Vose Galleries, Boston, label with artist’s name and title en verso and number W-8. Unsigned. Housed in a giltwood molded frame with brass plaque engraved with artist’s name and life/death dates. Sight: 11 7/8: H x 16 3/4″ W, framed: 18 1/2″ H x 23 1/4″ W. Provenance: the collection of Mr. and Mrs. H.R. Slaymaker, Nashville, Tennessee.
  Richard Hayley Lever (Australian-American, 1876-1958), “A View of Boston,” oil on panel post-impressionist landscape, depicting buildings and trees set atop a hill, rendered in colorful and thick impasto brush strokes. Signed lower left “Hayley Lever.” Painted and giltwood molded frame with linen liner. Label en verso lists title of painting with the year 1938, the artist’s name, and size of painting. Additional label for “The Crane Collection / 121 Newbury Street, Boston, MA 02116.” Sight: 11 1/2″ H x 15 1/2″ W, frame: 19 1/4″ H x 23 1/4″ W. Provenance: the collection of Mr. and Mrs. H.R. Slaymaker, Nashville, Tennessee.
  William Burton Shakespeare (United Kingdom, 1830 – 1916) large oil on canvas titled “King of Sorrows” depicting Christ seated in a prison cell atop a Middle Eastern rug and stone bench, with a crown of thorns atop his head and rope bound hands, attired in a red robe having a sword as a closure and holding a whip, a cat-o-nine-tails to his right, with crushed grapes, spears and a Roman eagle banner finial at his feet. Inscription on stone seat reads in Latin, “Rex ludaeorum” or “Jesus the Nazarene, King of the Jews”. Sight – 53 1/2″ H x 43 1/2″ W. Framed – 64 1/8″ H x 54 1/8″ W. Biography: William Burton Shakespeare was an English genre and historical painter of the Victorian era. His grandfather was a printer and his father William Evans Burton, was a comic actor and playwright, who gained popularity in the United States. As an only child, Burton worked at copying prints as a teenager. He later studied at King’s College and the Royal Academy School, where he won a gold medal in 1852 for a painting depicting Samson and Delilah. He is primarily remembered for his work “The Wounded Cavalier” which was exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1856 and was considered as his only participation with the Pre-Raphaelite movement of the 1850s. Provenance: Jackson, Tennessee estate.
  “HONOR KING: END RACISM!” ink on cardboard placard sign from the April 1968 march by striking sanitation workers of Memphis, Tennessee. This civil rights historical sign served as a memorial to honor Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. four days after his assassination on April 4th, 1968 in Memphis, TN. Printed by Allied Printing of Memphis. Retains neck cord. 21 1/2″ x 14″. Provenance: Memphis, Tennessee estate.
  Attributed to Ralph Eleaser Whiteside Earl, oil on canvas portrait of Joseph Blackwell Stanton (1787-1860), founder of Stanton, Tennessee, likely painted while he was living in Maury County, TN in the 1820s. The middle aged subject is depicted wearing a black jacket and tie, and holding a flute or other wind instrument; in the background is a valley with hills or mountaintops rising up on either side and a river or clouds below. Original wide molded wood frame with later painted surface. 29 3/4″ x 23 7/8″ canvas, 37″ x 31″ frame. Provenance: consignor is a direct descendant of Joseph Blackwell Stanton. Note: according to oral history, the landscape in the background depicts the Smoky Mountains, possibly Lindsey Gap between Cosby and Blufton. The frame was said to have been hand made by slaves on the Stanton plantation. Ref. The Tennessee Portrait Project, #1926.
Pair of oil on canvas three-quarter portraits of a gentleman and wife (female pictured only), poss. Robert Smith, by Samuel Shaver (Tennessee, 1816-1878). Mr. Smith is depicted seated and attired in a black suit with a flower on his lapel and writing on a document. Mrs. Smith is depicted seated in a red chair and attired in a dark dress with a lace bonnet and collar. She has flower in her hair, a brooch at neckline and is holding a book. Pencil inscription en verso reads “Mrs. Robert E. Smith”. Both are housed in molded wood frames. Sight – 29 1/2″ H x 24″ W. Framed: 37 1/4″ H x 32 1/4″ W. Biography (by James C. Kelly, Virginia Historical Society): Portraitist Samuel M. Shaver was born in Sullivan County, the son of David Shaver and Catherine (Barringer) Shaver. He may have been influenced by William Harrison Scarborough (1812-1871), a native-born Tennessee artist, four years Shaver’s senior, who did portraits of Shaver’s relatives. Shaver’s earliest known painting dates to 1845, but he was probably painting before that time. For the next quarter-century, he was East Tennessee’s standard portraitist. In 1851 Shaver was professor of drawing and painting at the Odd Fellows Female Institute in Rogersville. In 1852 he advertised in Greeneville and Knoxville papers; for several years thereafter his whereabouts are unknown. The death of his first wife in January 1856 recalled him to Rogersville, where he remained until the Civil War. At the outset of the war, pro-Confederate Shaver moved to Knoxville, where he became one of the founders of the East Tennessee Art Association. The association commissioned him to do portraits of fifteen Confederate leaders and generals, presumably from photographs. None of the portraits have been located, and perhaps they were never painted. From 1863 to 1868 Shaver lived and worked near Russellville. About 1868 he joined his mother-in-law and family in Jerseyville, Illinois, near St. Louis, where he continued painting. He died June 21, 1878.
Large Charles Krutch (TN, 1849-1934) panoramic oil on board landscape depicting the verdant Smoky Mountains with a meadow in the valley. Signed “Krutch” in red lower left. Housed in the original giltwood frame. Sight 26 1/2″ H x 37″ W. Frame 34 1/2″ H x 44 1/2″W. Biography (Courtesy Knoxville Museum of Art): Charles Krutch is regarded as one of East Tennessee’s first painters to specialize in scenes of the Smoky Mountains. Krutch earned the nickname “Corot of the South” for his soft, atmospheric watercolor and oil paintings of the mountain range that served as his sole focus. Totally untrained as an artist, he often applied thick layers of oil paint with brushes as well as his fingers. Krutch’s goal was to capture the changing “moods” of the mountains.
  John Wood Dodge (New York/Tennessee, 1807-1893) miniature oval watercolor portrait of Charles Thompson of Tennessee, painted 1852. The subject, who appears to be about age 30, has dark hair and blue eyes and a dark chin beard, is depicted wearing a black suit with white shirt and black tie and a gold watch chain. Housed in an oval gold metal locket with engine turned decoration. Inscription on back: “Painted by John W. Dodge Nashville Tenn. Apr 1852 / Likeness of Charles Thompson .” Dodge’s account book contains an entry for a portrait of Charles Thompson, and for George Torrence Thompson Jr. (Ref. Raymond White, Tennessee Historical Quarterly, Spring, 2000). Charles A. R. Thompson (b. Cincinnati, Ohio, 1825- d. Nashville, 1898), brother of George Torrence Thompson, was a wealthy Nashville merchant who built Edgehill Mansion. According to The Peabody Reflector Magazine (Vanderbilt University, Summer 2000), “Thompson and Company, located downtown on Fifth Avenue, was the city’s most prominent merchant of silver, china, furs, wools, linens, and laces, as well as exquisite items such as ball gowns, bridal trousseaux, gloves, shawls, and parasols. For most of the 19th century, century and until its closure in 1932, the store was a Nashville staple, serving as a social gathering place for the city’s gentry.” He married Kate Morton White, adopted daughter of John J. White, an attorney in Gallatin, TN.
  Robert Morden (d. 1703) and William Berry (fl. 1669-1708) : A NEW MAP OF THE ENGLISH PLANTATIONS IN AMERICA BOTH CONTINENTS AND ISLANDS, “Shewing their true Situation and distance from England or one with another. By Robert Morden, at the Atlas, in Cornhill nere the Royal Exchange, and William Berry at the Globe between York House and the New Exchange in the Strand, London.” 1673, black and white line engraving with hand coloring on laid paper. Cartouch depicting Native American figures upper left; inset map upper right showing the true situation of the colonies in relation to Britain. 17″ x 20 3/4″ image; 17 1/2″ x 21 1/2″ sight, 28″ x 32″ frame. Ref. William C. Wooldridge, “Mapping Virginia,” fig. 74 p. 82-83; Wooldridge states that this is “the first general map of the American colonies.” Private Nashville, Tennessee collection.
Scarce 1855 Knoxville map, “Plan of the City of Knoxville, Tennessee” drawn by R. W. Patterson, surveyed and compiled under the direction of Albert Miller Lea, lithographed and published by Ferdinand Mayer and Company, New York, 1855. The map depicts the city of Knoxville, TN with streets, including Gay Street, railroads and railroad depots, including East Tennessee-Georgia and East Tennessee-Virginia Railroad, East Tennessee & Kentucky Railroad, and the Knoxville & Charleston Railroad, bodies of water, including the Holston River (later renamed the Tennessee River), roads with distances in miles to nearby towns, hills, and other points of interest, including the East Tennessee Cemetery, the Glass Works, and the Market Place (more commonly known as Market Square). Title and scale of feet, centered below map, References, top right, directional arrows, top left and lower right. Map surrounded by a five line border.  Image – 23 1/4″ H x 26 1/4″ W. Sheet – 25 1/4″ H x 31 3/4″ W. Sleeve – 26 1/4″ H x 32 3/4″ W. Fiberboard – 30″ H x 35 3/4″ W. Biography: Albert Miller Lea (1808-1891) was born in Richland, Tennessee, a small village not far from Knoxville. He attended the United States Military Academy. He graduated fifth of 33 cadets in the Class of 1831. Due to his high class ranking, he was assigned to the engineers and posted to Fort Des Moines in the Iowa Territory, serving until his resignation in May 1836. In 1837, despite his youth, he became the Chief Engineer for the state of Tennessee. He then worked for the Federal government determining the boundary between Iowa and Missouri. From 1839 to 1840, he was an assistant engineer on the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad. He became a brigadier general in the Iowa militia and then the chief clerk for the U.S. War Department. In 1844, he earned his master’s degree in engineering from East Tennessee University in Knoxville and joined the faculty as an instructor. From 1849 to 1854, was the city engineer for Knoxville, as well as managing a local glass manufacturing company. He moved to East Texas in 1855. During the American Civil War, Lea was an engineering officer in the Confederate States Army with the rank of major (later, lieutenant colonel). During the Battle of Galveston on New Year’s Day 1863, his 25-year-old son, Lt. Commander Edward Lea of the Union Navy, was mortally wounded while serving on the USRC Harriet Lane. Lea himself was among the Confederate officers who boarded the captured ship, and found his son shortly before his death. After the war, Lea lived in Galveston for several years. He moved in 1874 to Corsicana, Texas, where he purchased a farm. He died of heart failure in 1891 and was buried in Oakwood Cemetery in Corsicana. The City of Albert Lea, Minnesota, is named in his honor. (For additional reading, see: “The Early Settlement of Albert Lea”. Sequicentennial History. City of Albert Lea, and Upham, Warren (1920). Minnesota Geographic Names: Their Origin and Historic Significance. Minnesota Historical Society. p. 198).
3rd Cavalry 42 star parade guidon, cotton guidon with a canton featuring 42 stars and the fly consisting of stripes with stenciled crossed sabers and a stenciled “3” over the sabers and a stenciled “C” below the sabers. More information in the coming weeks.
   Rare 38 star flag with flower pattern in canton. More information in the coming weeks.
Original watercolor of the Charge of the Confederate cavalry at Trevilian Station, Virginia depicting Confederate General Rosser’s charge on General Custer’s Division. Signed lower right, “James Earl Taylor, 1891”. This original watercolor illustration by James Earl Taylor (1839-1901, NY/OH) appears as a print illustration in “Campfire and Battlefield: history of the conflicts and campaigns of the great Civil War in the United States” by Rossiter Johnson (New York, 1896). The battle of Trevilian Station was the largest all-cavalry battle of the Civil War and the bloodiest. Union General Sheridan lost nearly 1000 men and Confederate General Hampton lost more than 800. Provenance: the living estate of Johnny Maddox, Nashville, Tennessee.
Excerpt of a Confederate hand drawn map showing artillery positions for the The First Battle of Bull Run, also known as the First Battle of Manassas, the first major engagement between Union and Confederate forces, fought in Prince William County, Virginia on July 21, 1861. The map details the positions of leading officers of the Army of the Potomac and the Army of the Shenandoah, (prior to their integration into Army of Northern Virginia on March 14, 1862), including Brigadier General Philip St. George Cocke, Major James B. Walton, Captain Robert M. Stribling, Captain John A. Coke (erroneously listed as “Cocke”), Captain Willis J. Dance, Captain John B. Brockenbrough, Captain Allen S. Cutts, Captain Thomas J. Kirkpatrick, First Lieutenant Alexander M. Hamilton (listed as a Captain), Lieutenant Robert F. Beckham (listed as a Captain), and Captain Coleman. The officers are identified on the map key by alphabetical letters A-N, each letter corresponding to a position with an illustrated diagram and list of artillery equipment, for example “C Genl Cocke Battery”, top right of map. Each position is situated around Centreville in Fairfax County, Virginia, identified by a cluster of small buildings and trees delineating the town. Centreville is depicted at the center of the Leesburg Road, Old Road by Mill, Fairfax Turnpike, Braddocks Road, Manassas Road, and Warrenton Pike, each identified on the map. Pencil inscription reading “I send this […] you might like to have it Respect Mary A Coleman” the wife of Lewis Minor Coleman, lower left of map. 12 1/2″ H x 15 3/4″ W. Note: Philip St. George Cocke (1809-1861) was a brigadier general in the Confederate States Army during the first year of the American Civil War. He is best known for organizing the defense of Virginia along the Potomac River soon after the state’s secession from the Union. He commanded troops in the Battle of Blackburn’s Ford and the First Battle of Bull Run (First Manassas) in July 1861 before becoming despondent and committing suicide.

 

Grouping of Confederate uniform buttons, one of three lots. Rare examples include Tennessee, Texas, and Arkansas. More information in the coming weeks.
Union Recruiting Banner, “Army of Georgia. Soldiers Wanted.” with Federal Eagle emblem to center of cloth banner. In November 1864, General Sherman created the Army of Georgia from the remaining XIV and XX Corps of the Army of the Cumberland. This army was commanded under Major General Henry Warner Slocum and served as one of Sherman’s wings in the March to the Sea.

 

Civil War Confederate officer’s shell jacket belonging to Colonel Tomlinson Fort, First Georgia Regulars, Company L. Fort was wounded five time during the Civil War including Malvern Hill, Second Manassas, and John’s Island, SC. Tomlinson Fort was captured in late 1864 until the remainder of the war. Fort later served as mayor of Chattanooga from 1875-1876. More information in the coming weeks.

 

 

  Lawrence Thompson Dickinson (Maryland/Tennessee, b. 1843) oil on canvas painting titled “Gen. Leonidas Polk”. Depicts the portrait of Confederate Lieutenant General Leonidas Polk in uniform against a light blue background and surrounded by a light brown metallic border. Titled, lower center of canvas. Unsigned. 41″ H x 27 1/2″ W. Biography: L. T. Dickinson born June 21, 1843 and enlisted August 25, 1862 in Charlottesville, VA as private in the 1st Maryland Cavalry, Company A. Dickson served for the duration of the war, including at Gettysburg where he acted as a courier for General Richard S. Ewell. After the war he served as the Commander of N. B. Forrest Camp, Chattanooga, TN. Dickinson was the author and illustrator of a number of Civil War related books, including “Services of a Maryland Command” Confederate Veteran 2, 1894, and “Personal Recollections and Experiences in the Confederate Army, 1861-1865”, 1897, in addition to illustrations for the “Confederate Veteran” magazine. He also designed the limestone gate and wrought iron battle flag gate for the Confederate Cemetery, Chattanooga, Tennessee, erected in 1901. (See: “Confederate Veteran: Published Monthly in the Interest of Confederate Veterans and Kindred Topics”, Volume II, Broadfoot Publishing Company, 1894).
  Civil War era Colt Model 1851 London Navy percussion revolver, .36 caliber, serial # 38701, owned by James Nelson III, Confederate States of America (CSA), Morgan’s Raiders. Barrel marked “-Address Col. Colt London -“. Marked “Colts Patent” to left side of frame under cylinder and top of cylinder. Cylinders with engraved ships, walnut stocks, octagonal barrel, ejector rod, standard sights, checkered hammer, iron butt strap and trigger guard. Eight English proof marks, six top of barrel, including “V” with crown, two left side of barrel lug. Serial number matches top of ejector rod, trigger guard, butt strap, cylinder, and frame. Barrel length – 7 1/2″. Overall length – 13″. Biography: James Nelson III was born on December 3, 1828 in Fayetteville, KY. He attended Bacon College for two years before enlisting in the CSA 8th Regiment, Kentucky Cavalry. He fought in the Battle of Hartsville, TN on December 7, 1862. He rode in General John Hunt Morgan’s “Great Raid” in the summer of 1863 through Kentucky, Indiana, and Ohio. Nelson was captured at the Battle of Buffington Island, OH on July 19, 1863 with about 700 others. He was imprisoned at Camp Douglas, IL, known as the “Andersonville of the North”. He never took the Oath of Allegiance to the Union and was released in 1865 and returned home to Wilson County, TN where he had bought a farm in 1859. Nelson’s occupation was listed as “Stock Trader” in the Census of 1870. He was elected as 9th District Magistrate (Justice of the Peace) in 1876. By 1886 he owned 470 acres of farmland in Wilson County and was listed as a “Farmer” in the Census of 1900. He attended several local reunions of Confederate veterans. He passed away on December 16, 1907 at 79 and was buried in the Nelson family farm in Lebanon, TN.
Group of four (4) US. Navy uniform items belonging to Hugh Young Purviance (1799-1882). 1st item: Naval dress bicorn hat or Chapeau with the original custom fitted metal case, comprised of a beaver pelt over a hard shell form with gilt gold hat epaulettes. Retains the original retailer label reading “W. H. Smith & Co./No. 4/Maiden-Lane/N. Y. Hat measures: 17 1/2″ W x 9″ H. Case measures: 8″ H x 10″ D x 18 1/4″ W. 2nd & 3rd items: Pair of M1852 US Naval Captain dress epaulettes with gilt eagle button, silver bullion star and silver eagle medallion, housed in the original metal storage case. Case measures 6″ H x 9″ W x 6 3/8″ D. 4th item: Collection of U S Navy embroidered insignias including a U.S. (Union) Naval Officers hat insignia, two (2) 1864-1866 Commodore straps and 1 tassel, all house in a red leather folio case. Folio measures 7 1/4″ H x 5″ W. Biography (Courtesy of Ancestry.com): PURVIANCE, Hugh Young, naval officer, was born in Baltimore, Md., March 22, 1799. He attended St. Mary’s college, Baltimore, and on Nov. 3, 1818, was warranted midshipman in the U.S. navy. His midshipman service was on the frigates Congress and Franklin of the Pacific squadron, 1819-23, and on the North Carolina of the Mediterranean squadron, 1824-27. He was promoted lieutenant, March 3, 1827; was an officer on the sloop Falmouth of the West India squadron, 1828-30; on the sloop Peacock of the East India squadron, 1833-34; on rendezvous at Baltimore, Md., 1836-37, and on the Brazil squadron, [p.431] where he commanded the brig Dolphin and the sloop Fairfield, 1837-38, and during this service he relieved an American schooner from the French blockade at Salado, River Platte, for which act he received complimentary recognition from the U.S. government. He was on the Brandywine of the Mediterranean squadron, 1841-42; in command of the brig Pioneer on the coast of Africa in 1843, and of the U.S. frigate constitution in the Mexican blockade in 1846. As commander, which rank he attained March 7, 1849, he was on the receiving-ship Consort at Baltimore, Md., 1850-51, and the sloop Marion on the coast of Africa, 1852-55. As captain, to which rank he was promoted Jan. 28, 1856, he commanded the frigate St. Lawrence in the blockade of Charleston and the southern coast in 1861, and captured and sunk the Confederate privateer Petrel when just twelve hours out. He also captured several other prizes and engaged his ship in the right with the Merrimac, March 9, 1862, and in the attack on Sewall’s Point, Hampden Roads. He was retired Dec. 21, 1861; was promoted commodore on the retired list July 16, 1862; served as light-house inspector, 1863-65, and was promoted rear-admiral on the retired list Feb. 25, 1881. He died in Baltimore, Md., Oct. 21, 1882. This lot also includes 2 additional American Military Hats including an American  military tricorne or cocked hat, comprised of felt with gilt band and an Officer’s silk hat cockade with a small gilt eagle under an E. Pluribus Unum banner to the center, (10 3/4″ D x 10″ W), and a Red woolen cap, perhaps a seaman’s cap, with gilt bullion button to the center front above the brim and brass button closures at the neck,19th century, (10 1/2″ H x 11” W,at widest point). 6 total items. Provenance: Baltimore estates of Virginia Howard Miller (c. 1880-1946) and Hugh Purviance King (1873-1966) passed down to present Living Estate of Virginia Johnston, Lookout Mountain, TN.
Archive of World War I decorated Army soldier, Sergeant Alvin York, who was awarded the military’s highest honor, The Medal of Honor in 1919. Includes a signed photograph, signed envelope, and clipped signature. Provenance: the living estate of Johnny Maddox, Nashville, Tennessee.
  Emile Albert Gruppe (Massachusetts, 1896-1978) oil on canvas depicting a New England harbor scene. Signed “Emile A. Gruppe” lower left. Provenance: the collection of Mr. and Mrs. H.R. Slaymaker, Nashville, Tennessee.
  Charles Herbert Woodbury (MA/ME, 1864-1940) oil on canvas titled “Harbor at Low Tide”. Provenance: the collection of Mr. and Mrs. H.R. Slaymaker, Nashville, Tennessee. More information in the coming weeks.
  John Joseph Enneking (MA/NY/ME, 1841-1916) oil on canvas of a Fall landscape. Signed lower right, “Enneking 87”. Provenance: the collection of Mr. and Mrs. H.R. Slaymaker, Nashville, Tennessee. More information in the coming weeks.
Pastel on paper of male figure with blue shirt by Beauford Delaney (American, 1901-1979). Signed and dated above right shoulder, “B. Delaney 38″. 25″ x 19”. Estate of Beauford Delaney, Derek L. Spratley, Esquire, court-appointed administrator. More information in the coming weeks.
Large George Cress abstract oil on canvas. Signed lower right corner, “George Cress 1966”. Biography (courtesy Askart and Landscape and Genre Painting in Tennessee 1810-1985: Tennessee Historical Quarterly Vo. XLIV No. 2 ): George Cress was born in Anniston, Alabama and studied at Emory University, American University, and the University of Georgia, where he studied under fellow Southern contemporary artist Lamar Dodd. He was a central figure in Chattanooga’s arts community and served as President of the Tennessee Arts Council and sat on the board of the Hunter Museum of Art. From 1951-1984 was painter in residence at the University of Tennessee in Chattanooga; the Cress Gallery of Art at UTC is named in his honor. More information in the coming weeks.
Alexander John Drysdale (American/Louisiana, 1870-1934) oil on canvas landscape painting depicting a lakeshore scene with lone building by a large tree and boat at the shoreline. Housed in the original early 20th century giltwood frame. Signed lower right “A. J. Drysdale”. Sight 20″ H x 29″W. Frame 26″ H x 35 1/2″ W. Provenance: Private Oak Ridge, TN estate. Biography (courtesy Askart: The Artists’ Bluebook): Drysdale was born in Marietta, Georgia and moved to New Orleans as a teenager. There he studied at the Southern Art Union and with Paul E. Poincy. He also studied with the Art Students League in New York City under Charles Curran and Frank DuMond. Back in New Orleans, he opened a studio in the French Quarter and began to paint landscapes inspired by local subjects. He is known for using the technique of oil wash, using oil paint thinned with kerosene, that gave his works a characteristic hazy, humid look. Significant commissions included D.H. Holmes Department Store and Sushan Airport. His work is in the collections of the New Orleans Museum of Art, the Ogden Museum of Southern Art, and The Historic New Orleans Collection.
Walter Inglis Anderson (American/Mississippi, 1903-1965) pen and ink drawing on paper depicting three cats in playful poses. Estate stamp lower right corner. Float mounted and housed in a gilt wood frame with museum glass. Sheet: 10 7/8″ H x 8 3/8″ W. Sight – 12″ H x 9 1/2″ W. Framed – 19 1/8″ H x 16 1/8″ W. Biography: (Source: http://www.shearwaterpottery.com) Walter Inglis Anderson was born in New Orleans, Louisiana. After his early military school education, he attended the Parsons Institute of Design in New York from 1922 to 1923 and then attended the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts in Philadelphia from 1923 to 1928. Walter traveled throughout Europe and spent some time in France. While there, he visited the caves at Les Eyzies. Fascinated by the cave paintings, he absorbed and incorporated these primitive designs into many of his later works. In 1929 he returned home to Ocean Springs, MS and with his younger brother Mac, opened a workshop and began to work with his brother Peter Anderson (Shearwater Pottery). He sculpted and molded many pieces including lamp bases, bookends, vases, and ashtrays. Additionally, Walter decorated many of his brother Peter’s pottery items. Walter was versatile and prolific, creating wood and clay sculptures and pencil, crayon, pastel, and ink drawings. He painted in watercolors and oils and also made linoleum woodblocks. In the 1930’s Walter, Peter and Mac worked with the Works Progress Administration created by President Roosevelt and created works for the Ocean Springs Public School system: murals by Walter and tiles created by Peter and Mac. Walter continued to decorate pottery at Shearwater until his death on November 30, 1965 in New Orleans from complications of surgery for lung cancer.
Clementine Hunter (American/Louisiana, 1886-1988), “Sunday Leaving Church,” oil on board painting depicting a procession of black figures in hats leaving church, while four other figures walk and hold hands lower right. Signed with monogram CH lower right, 23 3/4″ x 16″. Unframed. Provenance: Nashville, Tennessee estate of a former Mississippi resident, purchased directly from the artist in the 1960s.
Helen LaFrance (Kentucky, born 1919) oil on canvas landscape depicting a cabin with covered porch and four quilts hanging on a clothes line to the right and a planted field in the foreground with a worker. A barn and cow pasture are visible in the background. Signed “Helen LaFrance” lower right. More information in the coming weeks.
  Frank Weathers Long (Kentucky 1906-1999) Oil on canvas landscape titled “The Road to Cumberland”, unsigned,  depicting a winding road through mountainous terrain in light and dark blue tones. Framed 25″ H x 35″ W. Included with painting is an affidavit of transfer of ownership and loan and exhibit information from the University of Kentucky. A newspaper article dated October 2002 describing the exhibit and a copy of a page in the catalog are also included. More information in the coming weeks.
Cyrus Afsary (Arizona, b. 1941) oil on canvas of a Fall landscape with a barn and house in the background. More information in the coming weeks.
  Porfirio Salinas (Texas, 1910-1973), oil on board, Western Landscape with Cactus Flowers. Signed lower left “P. Salinas” . Later giltwood frame. 11 1/2″ x 8 5/8″ sight, 12 1/2″ x 15 1/2″ framed.
  Ralph Brownell McGrew (New Mexico/Arizona, 1916-1994)oil on board portrait titled “The Navajo Badhnii” depicting a Native American elder against a multi-colored background. Signed in red “R. Brownell McGrew” lower left. Scottsdale, Arizona art gallery label and date “1993” en verso. Housed in a moulded gilt wood frame with linen liner. Sight 19 1/2″ H x 15″W. Frame 30 1/2″ H x 26″W. Biography (Courtesy ArtNet): R. Brownell McGrew was an American painter known for his depictions of Southwestern landscapes and Native Americans. Born on September 6, 1916 in Columbus, OH, he attended the Otis Art Institute in Los Angeles before painting commercially for companies, including Firestone and M.G.M. Studios. After becoming enamored with the deserts around Los Angeles, McGrew began to make painting trips through the Southwest. These journeys led him to meet and subsequently depict many of the Native American tribes of the region. The artist once said that his end goal in painting was “to paint as well as he could, in order to communicate the infinite thrill and rapture of God’s creation.”
Large Navajo rug, Crystal Storm pattern textile woven in colors of red, gold, ivory, beige and brown, center geometric design with whirling logs at corners and border of water beetles. 115″ x 66″. Second quarter of the 20th century. Provenance: Private Oak Ridge, TN estate.
  Gunnar Mauritz Widforss (CA/AZ Sweden, 1879 – 1934) watercolor on paper titled “In the Redwoods”. Unsigned. Letter of authenticity from Daniel McDade, administrator for the Widforss estate, included stating: ” ‘Into the Redwoods’ – This a photograph of the genuine watercolor painted by Gunnar Widforss and left unsigned at his death in 1934. The visual dimensions of this painting are 25 in x 19 in. Daniel McDade, Administrator.” Artist’s placard on frame reading “In the Redwoods/Gunnar Mauritz Widforss/1879-1934”. Housed in a carved gilt and gesso wood frame. Sight – 25″ H x 19″ W. Framed – 36 1/2″ H x 30 1/2″ W.
Journal containing a handwritten poem by President John Quincy Adams (1767-1848, Sixth President of the United States), titled “A Theory of Comets” dated “6 October 1825” at Quincy (MA). More information in the coming weeks.
Okefenokee Map, 2 John Quincy Adams signed free franked envelopes, 3 items total. 1st item: Ink on paper hand drawn map depicting the area comprising the Cherokee Nation lands in Georgia, dated circa October/November 1830. The map depicts forts, trails, and other areas of interest including Hogan’s Ferry with a trail leading from Fort Gilman (established and abandoned within a year), Camp Pocket, the Indian Old Field Pino, several interconnect trails marked as Captain Beall’s Trail, and other locations in an around the Okefenokee Swamp. “Map Okefenokee” with several rudimentary sketches of buildings, rivers, and other topographical features and the signature “C.B. Mims”, en verso. Single directional arrow pointing North, center of map. 7 7/8″ H x 9 7/8″ W. 2nd item: John Quincy Adams signed free franked envelope after his term as 6th President of the United States (1825-1829) addressed to his nephew Thomas Boylston Adams, Jr., (1809-1837), High Tower, Cherokee Nation, GA, dated circa October/November, 1830. It refers to the Okefenokee Map with notation reading “Quincy Map Oct 22” with additional notation reading “Rec’d Nov 5th Friday 1830. Ansd ” 14th Sunday “. Address and notation about map in writing probably by a secretary or local postmaster, other notations possibly by Thomas B. Adams, Jr. 3 5/8″ H x 5 1/4” W. Biography: Thomas Boylston Adams, Jr. was a grandson of President John Adams; his father Thomas Boylston Adams, the president’s third son, was thus also a younger brother of President John Quincy Adams. He was a Cadet at the Military Academy, July 1, 1824, to July 1, 1828, when he was graduated and promoted in the Army to Bvt. Second Lieut. of Artillery, July 1, 1828. Second Lieut., 2nd Artillery, July 1, 1828. Served in garrison at Ft. Monroe, Va. (Artillery School for Practice), 1828-29, — and Ft. Moultrie, S. C., 1829, 1829-30; in Cherokee Nation, 1830; in garrison at Charleston harbor, S. C., 1830-31, 1831-32; in Cherokee Nation, 1832; on Ordnance duty, Dec. 13, 1832, to Jan. 17, 1836. He was promoted to First Lieut., 2nd Artillery, Dec. 1, 1834. In the Florida War against the Seminole Indians, 1836-37, being engaged in the Skirmishes at Camp Izard, Feb. 27, 28, 29, and Mar. 5, 1836,– and Action of Oloklikaha, Mar. 31, 1836.
Two (2) autograph albums with 18th and 19th century autographs. 1st item: One (1) autograph album, containing several signatures from 18th and 19th century presidents, politicians, writers, scholars, and family members. Hardbound in tooled navy blue leather with gilt pictorial covers, gilt edged paper. Some autographs are inscribed directly onto the pages, some are pasted to paper, and some on loose paper, with a few images, draw onto the paper and loose. Notable signatures include two (2) John Adams (1735-1826) cut signatures, one (1) dated 1823, one (1) undated, one (1) Abigail Adams (1744-1818) cut signature, dated 1813, one (1) James Madison Jr. (1751-1836) free frank, undated, one (1) Dorothea “Dolley” Dandridge Payne Todd Madison (1768-1849) letter, dated 1848, one (1) John Quincy Adams (1767-1848) cut signature, undated, one (1) Louisa Catherine Johnson Adams (1775-1852) poem, dated 1848, one (1) James Knox Polk (1795-1849) cut signature, undated, one (1) James Buchanan, Jr. (1791-1868) cut signature, dated 1865, one (1) Henry Dearborn (1751-1829) cut signature, undated, one (1) Washington Irving (1783-1859) signature, dated 1852, one (1) Leonidas Polk (1806-1864) letter, dated 1855, one (1) Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1807-1882) letter, dated 1856, one (1) Benjamin Silliman, Jr. (1816-1885) letter, dated 1845, one (1) Jefferson Davis (1808-1889) signature, dated 1867, one (1) John Howard Payne (1791-1852) cut signature, undated, one (1) Grenville Mellen (1799-1841) poem, dated 1833, one (1) Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain (1828-1914) letter, dated 1906, and many more. 7 7/8″ H x 6 1/4″ W x 3/4″ D. 2nd item: One (1) autograph album, containing several signatures from 19th century presidents, politicians, Union Civil War generals, and family members. Hardbound in tooled light brown leather with gilt pictorial front cover with gilt lettering to front cover and spine, gilt edged paper. Some autographs are inscribed directly onto the pages and some are pasted to paper with one loose signature. Notable signatures include one (1) John Adams (1735-1826) cut signature, undated, one (1) John Quincy Adams (1767-1848) cut signature, undated, one (1) Henry Dearborn (1751-1829) War Department address panel, undated, one (1) William Tecumseh Sherman (1820-1891) cut signature, dated 1861, one (1) Winfield Scott (1786-1866) signature, undated, one (1) George Henry Thomas (1816-1870) cut signature, undated, one (1) George B. McClellan (1826-1885) and Lorenzo Thomas (1804-1875) cut signature, dated 1861, one (1) Lorenzo Thomas (1804-1875) cut signature, undated, and more. 8″ H x 5 5/8″ W x 3/4″ D. 3rd item: ALS. One double-sided, handwritten letter. From Henry W. Longfellow, Cambridge, MA, to Mrs. Carroll, dated April 9, 1877. He writes to thank Mrs. Carroll for sending him photographs of the Wingate House. Sight – 6 3/4″ H x 4 3/8″ W. Framed – 7 3/4″ H x 5 3/8″ W.
  ALS. 1 page. From Henry Clay (1777-1852) to John Marshall (1755-1835), written from Ashland, dated June 3, circa 1830, as an introduction to John Henderson, future Mississippi Senator and political ally of Clay’s. The letter reads “Dear Sir, Mr. Henderson, an eminent attorney & cou[nsellor] at law, residing in the States of Mi[s]si[s]sippi, who will present to you this letter, being desirous of your acquaintance. I take much pleasure in introducing him to you as a gentleman of high and respectable consideration in his open State, and worthy of it wherever he may go. With great respect I am your Obt Servt H. Clay”. Include mathematical notations below letter, free franked address panel addressed to “The Honble J. Marshall…Mr Henderson. Richmond, VA” with later handwritten notes by Marshall concerning James Markham, Mary Ann Neal Barker, Nancy Goode, and Elizabeth Combs, presumably related to a case he was working on. 7 3/8″ H x 8″ W. More information in the coming weeks.
Alfred Jacob Miller (Baltimore, 1810-1874) oil on canvas portrait of Captain William Drummond Stewart, Scottish aristocrat, British Army officer, adventurer, and an art patron of Alfred Jacob Miller. Signed lower right corner, “Miller”. 7″ x 8 3/4″ sight. Note: Captain Stewart travelled extensively in the American West during the 1830s. In 1837, Stewart contracted Alfred Jacob Miller to execute sketches during a trip to the Rocky Mountains. A number of Miller’s completed oil paintings of American Indian life and the Rocky Mountains hung in Stewart’s Murthly Castle in Scotland.
Tiffany Studios turtleback table lamp, comprised of two favrile turtleback panels of green, gold, brown and blue iridescent glass with white reflector panels interior, in a verdigris bronze frame with rope and bead decoration over a single socket, shade is mounted within two bronze curved arms leading to base with stylized leaf design and green art glass cabochon jewels around base edge. Marked on underside base, TIFFANY STUDIOS/NEW YORK/D545 and with the Tiffany Glass & Decorating Company monogram. 14″ H x 8 3/8″ W. Circa 1892-1900.

 

 

Large Andrew Wyeth (Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania/Maine, 1917-2009) limited edition collotype titled “Snow Hill” depicting figures dancing around a Maypole with Kuerner Farm and railroad tracks in the background. Pencil signed “Andrew Wyeth” lower right and numbered lower left 47/300. Housed in a gilt wood frame with conservation glass. Sight – 27 1/2″ H x 41″ W. Framed – 41″ H x 54 1/4″ W. Provenance: Private Chattanooga, TN collection.

 

Alfonse Mucha (Czechoslovakian, 1960-1939) inscribed and autographed lithograph, The Four Seasons or Les Saisons, single sheet, 23 1/4″ x 12 3/8″. Provenance: the living estate of Johnny Maddox, Nashville, Tennessee. More information in the coming weeks.
Middle Tennessee walnut slab or huntboard, poplar secondary. Slight overhanging top over two large dovetailed drawers with large wooden knobs over tall squared legs terminating in ball feet. 36 3/4″ H x 44 1/4″ W x 19 7/8″ D. 1st half 19th century. Provenance: Living Estate of Johnny Maddox, Gallatin, TN.
Kentucky inlaid “bandy legged” chest of drawers, walnut primary, poplar secondary. Comprised of a slightly overhanging top with string inlay over four graduated dovetailed drawers with rectangular stringing and inlaid escutcheons, a scalloped skirt and sides with string inlay over tall cabriole legs. 37″ H x 39 1/4″ W x 18″ D. First quarter of the 19th century. Condition – Feet tipped,  replaced cornucopia brasses, some drawer sides built up from wear. Older refinish.
   Sheraton sugar chest in the form of a desk, attributed to Kentucky, cherry primary, poplar secondary. Fall front with breadboard ends over three long narrow faux drawers with brass knobs, all on turned Sheraton feet. 25 1/2″ H x 31″ W x 15 3/4″ D. Circa 1830. Provenance: The collection of Mr. and Mrs. H.R. Slaymaker, Nashville, Tennessee.
  Middle Tennessee (McMinn County) miniature chest of drawers, walnut primary, poplar secondary. Plain slightly overhanging top with molded front and sides over one full overhanging dovetailed drawer above three full graduated dovetailed drawers. Turned and carved pilasters with inlaid heart at the top and inlaid diamond at the base, paneled sides, rounded skirt and turned carved feet. 14 3/4″ H x 15″ W x 9 3/4″ D. Circa 1830. Provenance: Private Knoxville, TN collection.
Oreste Costa (Italian, 1851-1901) oil on canvas trompe l’oeil nature morte painting; oval still life with goose and raven strung together and hanging against a trompe l’oeil paneled wall, above a marble surface with apples, orange and nut at left and two smaller dead birds at right. Signed O. Costa and dated 1871 lower left. Oval giltwood and patinated molded frame with carved shells at each end. 25 1/2″ x 20″ sight, 35″ x 28″ framed. Provenance: Private Tullahoma, TN collection.
Antique Central Persian Mohtasham Kashan, 119″ x 89-1/2″, center medallion of rose and dark blue, ivory field, dark blue and rose corners. Allover intricate floral sprays and floral medallions at corners and sides. Secondary colors of red, yellow, salmon, gold and green. Central Persia, Late 19th century. Provenance: the collection of Mr. and Mrs. H.R. Slaymaker, Nashville, Tennessee.
  Large selection of early 20th century Persian rugs including Botteh Talish (pictured), Bidjov, Shirvan, Karabaugh, Kazak, Lenkoran, Fereghan, Ingeles, and Kuba Caucasian. Provenance: the collection of Mr. and Mrs. H.R. Slaymaker, Nashville, Tennessee.
  Rare George III sterling silver egg cruet, plain openwork frame with loop handle and shell decoration at center, raised on four ball feet and stamped for makers Thomas Wallis II and Jonathan Haynes, London, Sterling, 1810; containing six footed egg cups, each with corresponding monarch and date marks. Frame 7″H x 5 1/2″W x 6 1/2″D. 17.78 oz troy.
  Tall American Coin Silver Water Pitcher with repousse rose design under a flared spout and a pear shaped body having repousse grape, leaf and scroll decoration, raised atop a circular base with lobed, acanthus topped decoration and spade banding at foot. C scroll handle with acanthus overlay. Marked on underside BALL TOMPKINS & BLACK / SUCCESSORS TO MARQUAND & Co / NEW YORK with WF in rectangle and eagle psuedohallmark. 40.62 oz troy. 15 3/4″H. Mid 19th century.
  Whiting Art Nouveau sterling silver overlay biscuit jar or humidor with lobed red art glass. Sterling lid with knob pull and gilt washed interior, cartouches of floral and crisscross patterns and scroll rim, jar of lobed cranberry glass overlayed with open sterling cartouches, swags and floral sprays, all on scroll base. Dated and engraved on lid perimeter “1855 M 1905”. Traces of gilt wash to body. Marked Sterling with Whiting maker’s mark and 3367 on base. 9″ H.
  Navajo sterling silver plate, manner of Kenneth Begay, hand stamped circle and diamond designs with central star motif, 11 5/8″ diameter. Unmarked. Early to mid 20th century. 18.580 troy ounces.
  2 Native American Pomo Baskets, 1 Feather. 1st item: Pomo two color gift basket, round form and wove from willow, sedge root or bullrush root with repeating stair-step geometric pattern and rolling logs, with white, rose, turquoise and green beads. 2 1/4″ H x 5 1/4″ dia. 2nd item: Pomo coiled feather basket, round form comprised of sedge root, willow or bullrush root and covered in mallard, red-headed woodpecker, flicker and top knot quail feathers. Rim with a band of abalone buttons and nine abalone button pendants ending with an abalone triangle. 2″ H x 4 1/2″ dia. Both baskets circa 1930, Colusa County, California
  Polly Rose Folwell (b. 1962) award winning Santa Clara pottery jar with polychrome decoration commemorating the events of September 11, 2001. Motifs include airplanes, The Statue of Liberty, an Apple, The NYC Skyline, a Native American Male with headdress and an outline of the United States, all against a geometric background. Heard Musuem prize ribbons awarded for the jar are included. 15″H x 11 1/2″ W. Biography (Courtesy King Galleries/Scottsdale, AZ): Polly Rose is a daughter of noted potter Jody Folwell, a granddaughter of Rose Naranjo and sister of Susan Folwell. She is also the mother of potter Kaa Folwell. Polly has created a variety of traditional and contemporary pieces of pottery over the years. She has won numerous awards for her work at Santa Fe Indian Market, the Heard Museum Market and Gallup Ceremonials.
  Large Maria and Santana Martinez San Ildefonso blackware charger with repeating stylized feather motif. Signed on the base “Maria & Santana”. 14 3/4″ dia. Mid-20th century.
  Large Lorinda Epply (1874 – 1951) decorated vellum Rookwood vase with scenic springtime landscape decoration including a lake with trees in the foreground, trees and rolling hills background. Base stamped with Rookwood mark, date mark of 1917, “904B/V” and the artist’s cypher mark. 14 1/2″ H.
Rookwood Pottery vellum glaze vase with scenic design of lake and mountain landscape by Ed Diers, Cincinnati, Ohio, 1916. Marked on underside with flame mark, XVI 952D. Height 9 1/2″.
  Transfer decorated polychrome Liverpool creamware jug, on one side showing portrait of George Washington supported by two maidens with banner above reading “Deafnefs to the Ear that will patiently hear and Dumbnefs to the Tongue that will utter the calumny against the IMMORTAL WASHINGTON, My Favorite Son, Long live the President of the United States”. Opposite side with ship flying the American flag and heraldic eagle under the spout with remnants of gilded letters, possibly “JH”. 8 1/4″ H x 8 1/4″ W x 5 1/2″ D overall. Late 18th century. Together with wooden framed display plaque from 1937 loan to New Bedford Whaling Museum in New Bedford, MA. reading: “Liverpool Pitcher…Belonged to Jethro Hillman. He and His Brother Zachariah built the ship Charles W. Morgan. Lent by Mrs. Fred Hillman” 1 1/4″ H x 7 1/2″ x 3″. Provenance: Once belonging to Jethro Hillman. He and his brother Zachariah built the last large wooden whaling ship the Charles W. Morgan, built in 1841 and now on exhibit at the Mystic Seaport Museum in Mystic, CT. The ship is the oldest surviving merchant vessel and the only surviving wooden whaling ship from the 19th century American merchant ship. She was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1966. This jug was displayed at the New Bedford Whaling Museum in 1937 and a record of it is documented in the museum’s display ledger. For additional reading, see Schroer, Blanche Higgins; Bradford, S. Sydney, “The Charles W. Morgan”, National Register of Historic Places Inventory-Nomination, National Park Service, December 11, 1974, and “Accompanying 4 photos, from 1974 and undated”, National Register of Historic Places Inventory-Nomination, National Park Service, December 11, 1974.
  Pair of Russian cut to clear ruby glass vases with ormolu mounts to the rim, shoulder and base with scrolling handles terminating in rosettes. Body of vase with bird, foliate and leafy branch cut and etched decoration. 11 1/8″ H. Late 19th century.
Unisex Cartier Santos 18K yellow gold octagon watch, 296500019, Automatic movement, white dial, Roman numerals, calendar aperture window at 3 o’clock position, 29 mm case diameter, deployment buckle, 7 1/4″ interior circumference, 1979. 122.4 grams including works. Watch includes red Cartier box and paperwork with lifetime guarantee.
An Art Deco diamond and synthetic sapphire platinum rectangular brooch containing approximately 2.66 ct total weight diamonds including seventeen (17) 4.3-2.5mm European-cut, VS1-2/I-J with total weight of approximately 1.40 ct; fifty-two (52) 1.8-1.5mm single cut, SI1-2/I-J, with total weight of approximately .97 ct; forty-four (44) 1.5-1.2mm antique cut, I1/I-J, with total weight of approx. .29 ct. and seventeen (17) baguette/custom-cut Synthetic Sapphires (3 missing). Brooch measures: 3/4″ H x 2″ W. Tested Platinum, 11.2 grams. Provenance: Estate of Martha Lyman, Dayton, TN.
An Art Deco platinum iridium diamond bracelet containing a total diamond weight of approximately 2.34 ct. including one (1) 5.55 x 3.53 x 2.33mm marquis-cut, SI1/J weighing approximately .26 ct; four (4) 2.8-2.7mm European-cut, SI2/IJ with total weight of approximately .32 ct and sixty-four (64) 2.3-1.7mm single-cut, SI1/IJ with total weight of approximately 1.76 ct. Bracelet marked Iridium on clasp. 6 7/8″ L plus safety chain. 18.8 grams. Provenance: Estate of Martha Lyman, Dayton, TN.
1796 United States Draped Bust silver dollar coin. Depicts the bust of Lady Liberty, obverse, and the American bald eagle encircled by a laurel wreath, reverse. PCGS graded 25/Very Fine.
Italian (possibly Sicilian) baroque style giltwood reliquary or shrine altarpiece. Oil on panel oval reserve depicting the Annunciation on one side and the Madonna and Child with two saints on the other; surrounded by a ovolo molded frame flanked by carved caryatids at each side, figural masks at upper and lower edge, all atop a heavily carved foliate base with possibly later marbelized trompe l’oeil painted surface. 42″H x 24″W x 9″D. 18th century or earlier.
French Rococo or Louis XV style giltwood and tapestry firescreen comprised of a carved serpentine top with central pierced anthemion, carved scrolling foliate sides and carved lower edge with central carved shell, all above a carved foliate stretcher and trestle base, front with tapestry depicting Classical figures with the bible verse Psalm 137:1, “By the waters of Babylon we sat down, And wept when we thought on Zion”. Reverse with brocade upholstery. 63″ H x 57 3/4″ W x 18″ D. Late 19th century. Provenance: Private Tullahoma, TN collection.
2 large Chinese White Jade Buckles w/ Metal Mounts. 1st item: Large Chinese carved buckle (formally fashioned as a mirror handle) with intricately carved dragon head top and reticulated carved chilong dragon figure to the body. Retains floral engraved and bat mirror mounts to the back. 5 3/4″ L x 2 1/2″ W (includes metal mount). Late 19th/Early 20th century. 2nd item: Chinese carved white jade buckle with dragon head top and partially reticulated carved dragon to the body. Retains metal hook. 3 1/2″ L (includes metal mount) x 1 1/4″ W. Late 19th/Early 20th century.
Rare and early Chinese archaic bronze ritual wine vessel or Gu, wasted form with flaring rim, trumpet neck, straight sides and a slightly tapering foot. Lower section with three bands of archaic incised decoration together with cruciform apertures between the lower and middle bands. Incised animal figure to the underside of the base. 9 3/4″ H. Possibly Shang Dynasty. Provenance: Prior lot at Sotheby’s of New York, Lot tag #6A. Estate of Martha Lyman, Dayton, TN.