Southern Highlights

William Edmondson (American/Tennessee, 1874-1951) carved limestone sculpture, “The Preacher”, depicting a minister with his left arm raised with a Bible in hand, open eyes and mouth, and attired in a long-tailed coat and bow tie, standing on a pedestal. 23 1/2″ H x 12 1/2″ W x 8 1/4″ D. This sculpture appears in an Edward Weston photograph of Edmondson’s yard taken in 1941. Ref. Edmund Fuller, “Visions in Stone,” p. 11. Illustrated, ibid, p. 36. Exhibited 1981, the Tennessee State Museum inaugural exhibit titled “William Edmondson: A Retrospective” and featured in the exhibition catalog of the same name on page 38, catalog entry #8. Also exhibited at the Frist Center for the Visual Arts, “The Art of Tennessee”, 2006 (and full page illustration in the catalog, p. 281). Edmondson’s choice of a preacher as subject matter speaks to the prominence of the church not only in black communities in the early 20th century, and the role of the preacher as a community leader, but also to the importance of spirituality in his own life. It was a directive from God at the age of 57 which Edmondson (a former janitor and railroad worker with no formal art training) said prompted him to pick up a chisel and begin sculpting limestone figures. His work was noticed by Nashville art patrons who introduced him to Harper’s Bazaar photographer Louise Dahl-Wolfe. Wolfe’s now-famous photographs of Edmondson and his yard full of limestone sculptures brought him to the attention of the New York art world and gained him the acquaintance of Alfred Barr, Jr., director of the Museum of Modern Art. In 1937 Edmondson became the first African American artist to have a solo show at the Museum of Modern Art. At least three other Preacher figures by Edmondson are known, including one in the collection of the Newark Museum and another in the collection of the McClung Museum of Art at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. Provenance: Private Southern Collection, acquired circa 1990 from the son of Myron King, owner of Nashville’s Lyzon Art Gallery and one of Edmondson’s earliest supporters. A notarized certificate of authenticity dated 2002, signed by Myron King Sr. and stating he purchased this sculpture directly from William Edmondson in about 1948 and gifted it to his son, will be provided to the winning bidder. PRE-APPROVAL IS REQUIRED TO BID ON THIS LOT. PLEASE CONTACT CASE ANTIQUES, INC. AT THE KNOXVILLE GALLERY FOR DETAILS. 865-558-3033 or BID@CASEANTIQUES.COM. CONDITION: Overall good condition with old patina. Minor wear to base, particularly at corners and lowermost edges. Subtle and very early repaired break to upper left arm, said to have been repaired by Edmondson himself. By oral history, Myron King first viewed the sculpture in Edmondson’s yard and the break to the arm had already occurred. King suggested Edmondson would improve the durability (and marketability) of his sculptures by limiting his projecting appendages, advising him that “If it can’t roll down a hill without something breaking off, don’t carve it!” Whether Edmondson took this advice to heart or not is debatable; certainly his angel images and birds included projecting elements subject to breakage. However, his Preacher figure in the collection of the McClung museum has a much more closely-carved arm and Bible, and the Preacher in the collection of the Newark Museum holds aloft a much smaller Bible, suggesting Edmondson was working out ways to create a more stable design. [See more photos →]

William Edmondson (American/Tennessee, 1874-1951), “Miss Lucy,” carved limestone sculpture depicting a standing woman, wearing a high collared dress and a carved locket, with long elaborately braided hair, holding a purse in one hand and a book, presumably The Bible, in the other. 15 1/2″ H x 4 3/4″ W x 8″ D. 28.4 lbs, Circa 1930/1935. Exhibited, “Will Edmondson’s Mirkels,” the Tennessee Fine Arts Center at Cheekwood (April 12 through May 21, 1964), and listed as #6 in the catalog, published by Louise Dahl-Wolfe. Artist’s Biography: William Edmondson was born in Davidson County, Tennessee, the son of freed slaves, and worked most of his life as a railroad employee and janitor. A spiritual experience at the age of 57 prompted him to begin sculpting limestone using a railroad spike as chisel, and he claimed divine inspiration for the works produced during his 17 year art career. Women, Biblical figures and animals were among his favored subjects, although he also produced more utilitarian items such as tombstones and birdbaths. In 1937, Edmondson became the first African American artist to have a solo show at the Museum of Modern Art, and he is regarded as one of the most important self-taught artists of the 20th century. Provenance: The estate of Janet Marsh Pruitt (Mrs. Earl Pruitt) of Pennsylvania, formerly of Nashville, Tennessee. By descent from her parents, Ross and Anna Marsh. Mrs. Marsh acquired the sculpture from a member of the Art Department – likely Professor Sidney Hirsch- while working for Peabody College in Nashville, just a few blocks from where Edmondson lived. Professor Hirsch (who frequently walked past Edmondson’s house) is credited with introducing Edmondson to well-connected arts patrons Alfred and Elizabeth Starr and Harper’s Bazaar photographer Louise Dahl-Wolfe. Wolfe’s now-famous photographs of Edmondson and his yard full of limestone sculptures brought him to the attention of the New York art world and gained him the acquaintance of Alfred Barr, Jr., director of the Museum of Modern Art.Ê Unlike many Edmondson figures acquired by Nashvillians in the days before Edmondson gained international fame, “Miss Lucy” was not kept outside as garden sculpture. Mrs. Marsh told her family the limestone figure was always used inside as a doorstop (which has helped the sculpture avoid surface bleaching and erosion). According to the exhibit catalog, which quoted the Marshes, “Miss Lucy” was a good member of Edmondson’s Nashville Primitive Baptist church who had been “uplifted to heaven.” CONDITION: Overall very good condition, one minor abrasion to lower section of hair, scattered wear to base, old chip to front left corner. Small area of abrasion to one side (arm area) from former use as a doorstop. Remnants of an exhibition tag and the number 6 written in marker on underside. [See more photos →]

William Edmondson (American/Tennessee, 1874-1951) “Lady with a Book,” carved limestone sculpture depicting a standing woman with short curly hair wearing a dress with bustle, holding a book in her left hand, her right arm bent upward at her waist. 12″ H x 3 1/2″ W x 7″ D. Provenance: the estate of Leah Levitt, Long Island, New York. While it is unknown exactly when or where Mrs. Levitt and her late husband, David Levitt, acquired this sculpture and the Edmondson “Critter’ sculpture in the following lot (#153), both have been in their collection for decades. (The “Lady with a Book” can be seen in the background of several of the Levitt family’s photographs taken in the late 1950s-early 1960s). It is possible Mr. Levitt became familiar with Edmondson, or at least with Edmondson’s work, in the 1940s when in preparation for his work in the Armed Services, he (Levitt) attended French Language training at Vanderbilt University in Nashville. By that time, William Edmondson was well known in his hometown of Nashville and beyond, having become the first African American artist to receive a solo exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art in 1937. Edmondson was born in Davidson County, Tennessee, the son of freed slaves, and worked most of his life in Nashville as a railroad employee and janitor. A spiritual experience at the age of 57 prompted him to begin sculpting limestone using a railroad spike as a chisel, and he claimed divine inspiration for the works produced during his 17-year art career. In the 1930s, his work caught the attention of Professor Sidney Hirsch, who worked at Peabody College in Nashville, located just a few blocks from where Edmondson lived (and adjacent to the Vanderbilt campus). Professor Hirsch is credited with introducing Edmondson to well-connected arts patrons Alfred and Elizabeth Starr and Harper’s Bazaar photographer Louise Dahl-Wolfe. Wolfe’s now-famous photographs of Edmondson and his yard full of limestone sculptures brought him to the attention of the New York art world and gained him the acquaintance of Alfred Barr, Jr., director of the Museum of Modern Art, resulting in the landmark 1937 exhibit. Although Edmondson’s earliest work was more utilitarian in nature, such as tombstones and birdbaths, as his style matured his subject matter grew to include female figures (frequently based on women he knew from his community), Biblical figures, and various animals. PRE-APPROVAL IS REQUIRED TO BID ON THIS LOT. PLEASE CONTACT CASE ANTIQUES, INC. AT THE KNOXVILLE GALLERY FOR DETAILS. 865-558-3033 or BID@CASEANTIQUES.COM. CONDITION: Overall very good condition. Slight circular loss to lower back of dress approx. 1/4″, some small losses to center of back base approx. 3/4″. Protective felt added to the base. [See more photos →]

William Edmondson (American/Tennessee, 1874-1951) limestone "Critter" sculpture depicting a small animal sitting upright on its hind legs, with front feet cast downward, atop a rectangular integral base. 12 3/8" H x 5" W x 7 3/4" D. Provenance: Private Southern collection. Note: This "Critter" is stylistically similar to 2 sculptures sold by Case Antiques in 2011, Lot #190 and in 2020, Lot #153. While this form is most similar to the example sold in 2020 in the sculpting of the ears and the slope of the neck, this example has an elongated oval head more similar to the form sold in 2011. Biography: William Edmondson was born in Davidson County, Tennessee, the son of freed slaves, and worked most of his life as a railroad employee and janitor. A spiritual experience at the age of 57 prompted him to begin sculpting limestone using a railroad spike as chisel, and he claimed divine inspiration for the works produced during his 17 year art career. In 1937, Edmondson became the first African American artist to have a solo show at the Museum of Modern Art, and he is regarded as one of the most important self-taught artists of the 20th century. PRE-APPROVAL IS REQUIRED TO BID ON THIS LOT. PLEASE CONTACT CASE ANTIQUES, INC. AT THE KNOXVILLE GALLERY FOR DETAILS. 865-558-3033 or BID@CASEANTIQUES.COM. Condition: Overall good condition with general wear to surface. Underside front corner of base with old chip. [See more photos →]

Model 1902 Colt, serial number 7362, found enfolded into the outlaw Bonnie Parker’s skirt at the Conger Funeral Home embalming room of Arcadia, LA in 1934. Letter of authentication dated 5/15/1972, signed by James Lavelle Wade (Sept. 28, 1886 – Dec. 17th, 1972), coroner in charge of the “Bonnie & Clyde” death investigation and signer of death certificates, and by Mrs. Alwyn (Vern) Hightower, employee of Conger Funeral Home. Affidavit witness signatures include Mrs. Ed Conger, wife of the Conger Funeral Home director, and retired Judge P. E. Brown, Second Judicial District Court of Louisiana, serving 1954-1969. Letter of Authentication is notarized by Violet L. Turner. On May 23, 1934, law enforcement officers ambushed outlaws Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow as they drove through Biennville Parish, Louisiana. The Conger Furniture Store/Funeral Home received the bodies after the shootout. The affidavit states the weapon was “enfolded in the skirt of Bonnie Parker and discovered in the Embalming room of Conger’s Funeral Home in Arcadia, Louisiana, by the late Mr. Charles Francis Bailey, who was employed at the time by Mr. Ed Conger as an embalmer.” The following day (5/24/34), Bailey gave the weapon as a souvenir to Mrs. Alwyn Hightower’s son, Dr. Robert Dawson Hightower, M.D. (b.1921-d.1973). Dr. Hightower served as a Naval Aviator in WWII, earning the Navy Air Medal with 2 Gold Stars and later as an Associate Professor of Orthopedics, LSU Medical School, Shreveport, LA, and passed this weapon down to his only child, the present consignor. This lot also includes six bullets found in the pistol and a photo archive of pictures taken by King Murphy, Mr. Bailey’s assistant and amateur photographer. Additionally, a Colt Manufacturing Company letter accompanies this lot stating the Model 1902 Colt was shipped to Simmons Hardware Company in St. Louis, Missouri on August 22, 1904 with a total shipment of 15 guns of this type. Additional items in the archive includes a 1973 offer letter for the gun and various newspapers referencing the 50th anniversary of the death of Bonnie & Clyde. The dated August 1973 letter from Peter Simon of Jean, Nevada offers to “purchase the gun, the book of actual pictures, and any other memorabilia….” Dr. Robert Hightower died October 27th, 1973. The letter also has handwritten notes from Dr. Hightower’s wife, “Before Dad died he had me write… Bob, this fellow wanted to buy the Clyde & Bonnie gun etc. I called him but I never did call and give him a price for I didn’t know what to charge– If you ever decided to do so you might call + give him a price if he is still there — The value may go up with time but it could go down for new people don’t even remember them— Thought I’d pass this on — It’s yours now to do as you wish — I love you Mother”. The gift of this weapon from the embalmer, Charles Bailey, to the young Dr. Hightower in 1934 was significant when one considers the rarity and expense of the Sporting Model 1902 pistol even at the time the gift was bestowed. It is especially significant when one considers the average pay of an embalmer working in rural Louisiana during the Great Depression. Specifications on the Colt Model 1902 (Sporting) Automatic Pistol: Caliber- 38 rimless, smokeless, 7 shot magazine, 6? barrel, magazine marked PAt’D SEPT. 9, 1884, hard rubber grips with molded checkering, the rampant colt design, and the name COLT at the top of the grips. Produced in 1904 with a total production of approximately 7500. Standard weight 2 pounds, 3 ounces. Condition: Colt pistol has aftermarket nickel finish but appears to retain the original factory grips. Minor oxidation to nickel finish. There are no records indicating the pistol has been disassembled or cleaned since acquisition in 1934, chamber verified as clear. Photograph album with toning to pages; photographs glued down. [See more photos →]

Rare paint decorated Wythe County, Virginia blanket chest in an exceptional state of preservation. Descended through the Dutton family of Wythe County (daughters of Henry Huddle married into the Dutton family). Chest consists of three painted panels with dahlia flower and urn designs and two decorated circles on the top of the chest. The poplar chest has a red painted background resting on bracket feet with pads. This “dahlia” chest belongs to the earliest and most intricately decorated chests from the Wythe County group (refer to J. Roderick Moore’s “Painted chests from Wythe County, Virginia”, The Magazine Antiques, September, 1982, pp.516-521). A similar chest also descending from the Dutton family can be seen in Figure 2 of the J. Roderick Moore article. Scribe lines are visible where a template and compass was used to mark out the painted designs. Another rare feature of this chest is the alternating color design of the urns. Provenance – Teenie Dutton of Wythe Co. passed the chest to sister, Sophia Dutton Buck. Sophia Dutton Buck married Ephriam Buck, and they passed it to their daughter, Ada Buck Kinder. Ada Buck Kinder married John Kinder, and they passed it to their daughter, Beulah Ann Kinder. Beaulah passed the chest to her nephew, Neal Kinder. Condition – the chest remains in a remarkable state of preservation, completely original. This chest was thoroughly inspected by the late John Bivens in the mid 1990s. He concluded the chest was completely original and suggested a protective treatment to prevent exfoliation of the original painted surface. The decision was made to leave the chest untreated. Blacklighting confirms the paint is original with no inpainting or restoration. 52″ width x 26 1/4″ height x 23 1/4″ depth. Circa 1800. [See more photos →]

Virginia 18th century bookcase on bureau attributed to the Frye-Martin school of Winchester. Walnut primary, yellow pine secondary. The upper case features a broken arch scroll pediment, carved floral rosettes, applied arch string tympanum molding, and arched stop-fluted quarter columns. The lower bureau features a pull out writing surface above four graduated drawers flanked by arch stop-fluted quarter columns, resting on ogee bracket feet. Hand forged iron door latch on the bookcase consists of an iron strap spring with a heart shaped terminus. Retains the original surface. For other examples of furniture from this school, refer to “The Furniture of Winchester, Virginia”, Wallace Gusler, American Furniture 1997 Edited by Luke Beckerdite, pp. 228-265. Various inscriptions on the writing surface include, “Harriet swallowed a fly this morning September 29, 1848”, “C. P. Bachardson Savannah Georgia”, “Holliday Baltimore Md December 1862”, “Given to Douglas Borum July 9th 1928 by his Mother”, “Douglas Borum”, “C.J. Borum 1902 Oct 1″ and various other illegible inscriptions. This is currently the only known bookcase on bureau form from the Frye-Martin group. 93 1/4″ H x 42″ W x 23” D. Provenance: The bookcase and bureau was given to Douglas Borum (1882-1945) of Southwestern Virginia by his mother, Caroline Borum (1852-1941), on July 9th, 1928 (detailed on the writing slide of the bookcase on bureau). Caroline Borum was married to Captain Calvin Monroe Borum (1842-1921). Caroline was the heir of her family home, Spengler Hall in Strasburg, Virginia. The Borums renamed the house ìMatin Hillî after the hill on which the home was built. The diary accompanying the bookcase and bureau was written during the Borum ownership from a period 1861-1869. Caroline’s father was Samuel Kendrick (1802 – ?). Samuel purchased Spengler Hall from his first cousin Joseph Spengler, who inherited the home from his father, Anthony Spengler/Spangler, in 1834. Anthony Spangler (1774-1834) began building Spangler Hall around 1800. Spangler Hall is a large brick house directly off Route 11 in Strasburg, Shenandoah County, Virginia and is noted for its sophisticated interior woodwork. Note – this lot also contains a handwritten journal with the inscription “July 1861 Names of the Soldiers who have called at Matin Hill”. The next two pages list various Confederate soldiers from Virginia and Mississippi regiments. Also included in the journal are various songs and poems including a “Farewell to the Star Spangled Banner” dated July 6th, 1863. Other inscribed names include “Crawford”, and “Charles OMalley The Irish Dragoon”. Condition: Retains the original surface. Glued break to upper pediment retaining the original piece, missing original finials, tympanum molding on sides of bookcase missing, retains one original brass escutcheon in left door of the bookcase, very old chip to left bookcase door near the bottom left hinge, brasses replaced with evidence of earlier sets, later applied key hole escutcheons, expected restoration/building up of drawer sides from wear. Retains original feet blocks and rear feet facings. Front foot facing with a 4 1/4″ H repair, 2 1/2″ repair to left foot facing. [See more photos →]

Large George Rodrigue (Louisiana, 1944-2013) acrylic on canvas titled "Trees Are Green; Dogs are Not Supposed to be Blue". The painting depicts two of Rodrigue's best known images: a Blue Dog with yellow eyes, foreground, and a moss laden "Rodrigue Oak" tree against an expressionist yellow, gold, blue and green background. Signed Rodrigue lower left, additionally signed and dated 2011 en verso. Housed in a molded gilt wood frame. Canvas: 36" x 48". Framed: 43" H x 55 1/4" W. Provenance: Private Southern Collection, acquired from George Rodrigue Gallery, New Orleans, 2012. This painting will be included in the forthcoming catalog raisonne of George Rodrigue works being prepared by the artist's estate. Note: this painting was begun by Rodrigue on Nov. 11, 2010 during an event at the Central School Arts and Humanities Center in Lake Charles, Louisiana to raise funds and awareness for the George Rodrigue Foundation for the Arts. We wish to thank the Rodrigue estate for providing a digital photograph George Rodrigue at work on this painting. Biography: Born and raised in Cajun Country, artist George Rodrigue "portrayed on his canvas what he feared was his dying heritage – including its land, people, traditions, and mythology and sought to "graphically interpret the Cajun culture, preserving it in the face of a progressive world". Rodrigue began to draw and paint as a child, after being confined to bed with polio. Recovered, he went on to study art at the University of Southwest Louisiana and the Art Center College of Design, then in Los Angeles. In the early 1990s he was commissioned to create art for a book of Cajun ghost stories. This project was the genesis of his Blue Dog Series, inspired by the French-Cajun loup-garou legend, and modeled after his own childhood dog, Tiffany. Blue Dog catapulted him to worldwide fame. Rodrigue portrayed his famous melancholy canine subject in a variety of unlikely settings, with Presidents, celebrities and in ads for Absolut Vodka, as well as in traditional bayou landscapes. A passionate philanthropist, Rodrigue later founded the George Rodrigue Foundation of the Arts www.rodriguefoundation.org, advocating the importance of the arts in education. Programs include art supplies for schools, scholarships, and arts integration through Louisiana A+ Schools. Rodrique died of cancer in 2013 at the age of 69. (Source: The George Rodrigue Foundation). PRE-APPROVAL IS REQUIRED TO BID ON THIS LOT. PLEASE CONTACT CASE ANTIQUES, INC. AT THE KNOXVILLE GALLERY FOR DETAILS. 865-558-3033 or BID@CASEANTIQUES.COM. Condition: Overall excellent condition, no damage. [See more photos →]

Anna Catherine Wiley (Knoxville, TN, 1879-1958), “The Pea Shellers,” impressionist oil on canvas painting depicting three women seated on the porch of an East Tennessee home, Wolf Creek, shelling peas. The women are seated in ladderback chairs, filling woven baskets with green peas while pods accumulate on the floor; sunlight filters through foliage in the background. According to oral history, the three women in the scene are Helen Peck Allen, Nell Allen and “Mary,” a housekeeper. Miss Wiley was a friend of the Allen family and spent summer weeks at the Allen family estate at Wolf Creek, visiting Helen Peck Allen (in whose family this painting has descended). It was during one of these visits that Wiley painted this scene. Wolf Creek was a summer vacation community located in eastern Cocke County, alongside the French Broad River and bordering the Tennessee and North Carolina state line. The Allen house was also known as the Wolf Creek Inn. Note: This painting was exhibited at the Knoxville Museum of Art’s as part of their ongoing exhibit, “Higher Ground: A Century of the Visual Arts in East Tennessee”. Wolf Creek was the setting for several Wiley paintings including “Farmstead” and “Indian Woman at Wolf Creek” both illustrated in the 1990 TN State Museum exhibit catalog titled “Southern Impressionist: The Art of Catherine Wiley”, pages 15 and 34. Housed in a later gilt wood frame with egg and dart molded rabbet edge. Sight – 19 1/2″ H x 23 1/8″ W. Framed – 24 1/2″ H x 28 1/2″ W. Provenance: the collection of Helen Peck Allen, by descent to her son David Allen Dashiell, by descent to Georgia Ryan Mott Dashiell. “The art of Catherine Wiley has long been considered one of the more beautiful manifestations of Southern impressionism. Her animated broken brush work, her colorful sun splashed fields and her endearing depictions of genteel ladies and well-dressed children at rest and play seem to suggest a life lived quietly and at peace with the world. Yet her life may well have been far more turbulent, and her descent into the state of madness, which removed her from the world for the last 37 years of her life, far more apparent in her art than simple summations of her importance would imply. Large numbers of women entered the art world towards the end of the 19th century, their pathway smoothed by the arts and crafts route which saw them ushered on from sewing circles and homebased kilns into actual studios where they were taught by the male masters of the day. Catherine Wiley was one of those. She studied at the Art Students League in New York with Frank Vincent Dumond prior to returning to her native Knoxville where she became an associate of Lloyd Branson, the most important local artist of the day. She was a pioneer instructor at the University of Tennessee Art Department and a frequent winner of citations for her work at regional exhibitions, notably acclaimed for most meritorious collection at the Knoxville Appalachian Exposition in 1910. The Pea Shellers, here offered for auction, can be seen as one of the more telling revealing moments in her progress as an artist. Compositional format in her early work is largely horizontal, her decorative figures placed mid-field without any implication of depth or forced perspective. But in The Pea Shellers her subjects have moved inside a shed and are actually at work. Gone is the wide spread vista, replaced by the tri-angular projection of the roof shed over which trailing vine drops into the scene, a spontaneous insertion of nature in motion, as yet untrimmed. Her palette, though still bright, is here more tonal, an essay in the close color harmonics of blue and green which impart a slight shimmer to the otherwise mundane occupation of the inhabitants. This painting is surely mid-career. By 1923 she was painting in a far darker mood. “Under The Arbor,” (Morris Museum of Art) has a well dressed young woman standing at dazed attention beneath a canopy of black leaves, out of place with her setting, even as the setting itself is distant from lush agrarian idealism. By 1925 her mind was gone. One of her final paintings, to be seen at the East Tennessee Historical Society, is so heavily thick with paint that the actual scene itself is unclear, a swirling abstraction lost in space. The Pea Shellers importance springs from what it tells the viewer about Catherine WileyÕs potential, as it seems to indicate that she was beginning to move on from pastoral post card reveries towards an artistic expression more concerned with life than with appearance. It is a painting that can be viewed as evidence that her full potential as an artist was never to be seen by we, her subsequent viewers, for which we are all poorer.”– Estill Curtis Pennington, art historian and author, “Southern Impressionist: The Art of Catherine Wiley,” exhibit catalog for the 1990 exhibit at the Tennessee State Museum. CONDITION: Overall good condition. Two old circular repairs are visible en verso near the upper and lower edges, one measuring 1 3/8″ diameter and the other measuring 1 1/2″ H x 1 5/8″ W. UV light reveals area of touchup to post at lower left corner and to two small areas of beam, upper center, and to a few spots of foliage, upper center. One tiny area of touchup to the area where hair meets upper cheek on the woman facing the viewer and a few tiny scattered spots to background. Some fine scattered cracquelure. [See more photos →]

Early labeled East Tennessee Federal desk by cabinetmaker, J. C. Burgner (John C. Burgner, Horse Creek Community, Greene & Washington Counties, Tennessee). Label inside prospect door inscribed with ink and decorative motifs, “Made by J. C. Burgner for William Paton September the 8 1819”. Cherry primary with tiger maple and various burl veneers, yellow pine and poplar secondary. Tiger maple top molding with wide band over one large drawer with a fitted butler’s desk interior over four graduated dovetailed drawers with cockbeading, transitioning into an elaborate shaped skirt with highly figured burl veneers, splayed French feet. The top desk drawer has figured cherry veneers with the center veneer panel having a circular burl pattern repeated on the interior prospect drawer and flanking candle drawers. The prospect drawer opens to a an upper compartment with a painted grill pattern and lower drawer. The underside of top set with a stringed instrument which can be strummed with a quill when the top desk drawer is opened. 50″ H x 43 1/4″ W x 18″ D. Notes – Five Burgner brothers, including John C., Jacob F., Henry, Christian, and Daniel F., were cabinetmakers primarily in the Horse Creek community of Greene and Washington Co., Tennessee from 1817 until 1902. John C. Burgner maintained a “waste book” detailing the daily operations of the business, including information on furniture forms produced as well as recordings for some of the pieces sold. The Burgners made pieces ranging from $8 to $50, in a wide range of forms. This cabinetmaking shop was known in the region for the incorporation of highly figured woods including curly maple, cherry, and walnut (source information courtesy Daniel Ackermann, Associate Curator, Museum of Early Southern Decorative Arts). Condition: Older refinished surface, wooden knobs are replacements. Rear right foot previously broken and glued with minimal loss, compartments inside the prospect door indicate a shallow upper compartment drawer is now missing, minimal loss to cockbeading on molding and drawers, some of the drawers with slight build up on drawer sides, some losses to bottom edge of desk drawer where brass brackets have rubbed, a few strings on the underside of stringed instrument missing. [See more photos →]

Carroll Cloar (American, 1913-1993) acrylic on board pointillist painting titled, “The Landlady,” depicting a smiling lady in vivid yellow dress and brown hat, center foreground, with thirteen other well-dressed women, men and children clustered around the porch of a two-story wood farmhouse in the background. Rose bushes and other green foliage and trees under a sunny sky, and the porch on the fan, suggest the setting is a warm summer day. Signed lower right; additionally signed, titled, and dated 1980 en verso. Weathered wood frame with linen liner and gilt rabbet edge. Sight: 28″ H x 39″ W. Framed: 34″ H x 45″ W. Provenance: Private Nashville collection, ex-Dr. Benjamin Caldwell, ex-Forum Gallery, New York. Note: Video footage of Carroll Cloar at work on this painting is featured near the end of a documentary on his life and work, “Friendly Panthers, Hostile Butterflies,” produced by WKNO-TV and currently available to view on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V-CMx3NbF3w . Biography: Carroll Cloar was known for incorporating nostalgic images from his Southern childhood, often merged with dreamlike motifs, into powerful magic realist scenes. The artist often noted that literature, particularly by Southern Gothic writers such as William Faulkner or Eudora Welty, influenced his artistic approach. Cloar graduated from Southwestern College (now Rhodes College) in Memphis, Tennessee, and went on to study at the Memphis Academy of Arts under the artist George Oberteuffer. In 1936, he moved to New York to attend the Art Students League. There, Cloar’s achievements earned him a McDowell fellowship which he used to travel across the American Southwest, West Coast and Mexico. Cloar served with the Army Air Corps during World War II and upon his return, he was awarded a Guggenheim traveling scholarship to fund an extended sojourn to Central and South America. Two years later, several of his images were featured in a Life Magazine article titled Backwoods Boyhood, and Cloar’s career went on to receive additional national acclaim. By the mid 1950s, Cloar had settled permanently in Memphis, where he produced paintings, often executed in casein tempera and acrylic paints. His works are in the collections of the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Metropolitan Museum of Art, Museum of Modern Art, Brooks Museum of Art, and Library of Congress. In 1993, Cloar’s painting, Faculty and Honor Students, Lewis Schoolhouse, was one of six paintings by American artists selected to commemorate the inauguration of President Clinton. (Courtesy of The Johnson Collection/Memphis Brooks Museum of Art). PRE-APPROVAL IS REQUIRED TO BID ON THIS LOT. PLEASE CONTACT CASE ANTIQUES, INC. AT THE KNOXVILLE GALLERY FOR DETAILS. 865-558-3033 or BID@CASEANTIQUES.COM. CONDITION: Overall excellent condition; a couple of insignificant flyspecks to sky area. [See more photos →]

William Edmondson (American/Tennessee, 1874-1951) limestone “Critter” sculpture of a small animal sitting upright on its hind legs, with front legs and feet cast downward, atop a rectangular integral base. 12 1/4″ H x 4 1/2″ W x 8 1/4″ D. Note: This example is stylistically similar to a sculpture sold by Case Antiques in 2011, Lot #190. Provenance: the estate of Leah Levitt, Long Island, New York. While it is unknown exactly when or where Mrs. Levitt and her late husband, David Levitt, acquired this sculpture and the Edmondson “Lady with a Book” sculpture in the preceding lot, both have been in their collection for decades. (The “Lady with a Book” can be seen in the background of several of the Levitt family’s photographs taken in the late 1950s). It is possible Mr. Levitt became familiar with Edmondson, or at least with Edmondson’s work, during the 1940s when in preparation for his work in the Armed Services, he (Levitt) attended French Language training at Vanderbilt University in Nashville. By that time, William Edmondson was well known in his hometown of Nashville and beyond, having become the first African American artist to receive a solo exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art in 1937. Edmondson was born in Davidson County, Tennessee, the son of freed slaves, and worked most of his life in Nashville as a railroad employee and janitor. A spiritual experience at the age of 57 prompted him to begin sculpting limestone using a railroad spike as a chisel, and he claimed divine inspiration for the works produced during his 17-year art career. In the 1930s, his work caught the attention of Professor Sidney Hirsch, who worked at Peabody College in Nashville, located just a few blocks from where Edmondson lived (and adjacent to the Vanderbilt campus). Professor Hirsch is credited with introducing Edmondson to well-connected arts patrons Alfred and Elizabeth Starr and Harper’s Bazaar photographer Louise Dahl-Wolfe. Wolfe’s now-famous photographs of Edmondson and his yard full of limestone sculptures brought him to the attention of the New York art world and gained him the acquaintance of Alfred Barr, Jr., director of the Museum of Modern Art, resulting in the landmark 1937 exhibit. Although Edmondson’s earliest work was more utilitarian in nature, such as tombstones and birdbaths, as his style matured his subject matter grew to include female figures (frequently based on women he knew from his community), Biblical figures, and various animals. PRE-APPROVAL IS REQUIRED TO BID ON THIS LOT. PLEASE CONTACT CASE ANTIQUES, INC. AT THE KNOXVILLE GALLERY FOR DETAILS. 865-558-3033 or BID@CASEANTIQUES.COM. CONDITION: Overall good condition. Old breaks and losses to front and rear corners on right side of base. Protective felt added to the base. [See more photos →]

Exceptional glazed and stamped redware jar by J. A. Lowe (John Alexander Lowe, 1833-1902), Greene County, Tennessee. A pottery site attributed to him has been located and excavated near the Harmon Cemetery. Hundreds of sherds were recovered from the site bearing the name J. A. Lowe. The 1860 census for Greene County shows Lowe as living nearby with Blue Springs as the Post Office. Lowe enlisted in the Confederate Army two days after Christopher Alexander Haun was hung by Confederate forces on December 11, 1861. Haun was a Union sympathizer who took part in burning the Lick Creek railroad bridge during the Civil War. This important event in East Tennessee’s Civil War history was initiated with a campaign by Union loyalists to burn 9 bridges. It was led by William B. Carter and strongly supported and encouraged by President Abraham Lincoln. Several potters from the Pottertown area were among the men who conspired and succeeded in burning the bridge. However, the Union loyalists allowed the guards to go free based upon their solemn promises to not reveal their identities. Union troops did not materialize as promised, and the Confederates were able to pursue and capture some of the perpetrators. The Confederate guards, who were allowed to live, were the very ones who served as witnesses to implicate the five men who were hung, four of them potters. Among those sentenced to hang was the potter Christopher Alexander Haun. His pots clearly speak for his having been a master potter. In a letter which Haun wrote to his wife in his last hours he said “have Bohanan, Hinshaw or Low to finish off that ware and do the best you can with it for your support.” It is highly probable that Haun was referring to J. A . Lowe in this letter. This decorated J. A. Lowe jar has very similar characteristics to known C. A. Haun jars. The general form of the jar, the appearance of the extruded handles with the decoration at the handle attachments and the stamp design around the shoulder of the jar with the name of the potter are all similar to marked C. A. Haun jars. J. A. Lowe was almost 29 years of age when Haun was hung. Whether Lowe apprenticed under C. A. Haun is not known at this time. Lowe’s Confederate Certificate of Disability for Discharge dated February 21, 1862 (Courtesy of Donahue Bible) records his occupation as potter. It is also not known if Lowe ever potted again after being discharged from the military. He and his family were living in Indiana by 1865. They had moved to Arkansas by 1880. He died in Arkansas. At this time this jar is the only known example of J. A. Lowe’s work. Condition – overall very good condition with a few old chips to the rim. Height 13 5/8″, circa 1860 (research and description assistance courtesy of Carole Wahler). [See more photos →]

Early and large cobalt decorated pottery churn, stamped “I. Thomas” (Isaac Thomas, working in the area around Maysville-Lexington KY approximately 1834-1876). Eight gallon capacity mark with square cross hatched stamp surrounded by a cobalt looped border, “Kentucky 1836” in cobalt script, three cobalt decorated flowers below script. Reverse side with cobalt script, “I Thomas Manufacturer” with three cobalt decorated flowers below script. Cobalt decoration stripe on the upper side of lug handles. Condition – small chip to glazed body left of date, losses/chips to handles and various hairline cracks to upper section, indicating repair to rim area. 23 5/8″ H. [See more photos →]

Important African American “TVA” Quilt, designed by Ruth Clement Bond and made by an unknown quilter working in the TVA dam sites at the juncture of Mississippi, Alabama, and Tennessee, circa 1937. The hand-stitched cotton quilt with cotton batting depicts a young black man with government-uniformed white arm on his right shoulder and a fiddle or guitar in his left hand, held by a woman whose face appears in partial profile upper right foreground and whose form is suggested by two partial curves in the foreground, right edge. The man’s head is turned toward his right with his knees bent, against a background of sinking sun and light green foliage. Pale brown border with quilted vine and bud stitching and solid light orange backing. Unsigned. 81″ H x 62″ W. Note: This is one of five known surviving quilts in this pattern, named one of the top 100 quilts of the 20th century by judges elected from the Alliance for American Quilts, the American Quilt Study Group, the International Quilt Association, and the National Quilt Association. This lot includes a 1978 photograph of the quilt taken at “Seay-Me-Home,” the vacation home of its then-owner, Maurice Seay, along with a copy of a typewritten document dated 1976 found with the quilt, describing Seay’s connection to the quilt. It states this quilt was given as an expression of gratitude by workers at the Pickwick Dam Village to Maurice Seay, director of the educational program at the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) dam sites during the Depression era. It was designed by Ruth Clement Bond (1904-2005), an African American educator, civic leader, and designer who “helped transform the American quilt from a utilitarian bedcovering into a work of avant-garde social commentary” (Source: The New York Times obituary of Mrs. Bond, Nov. 13, 2005 – https://www.nytimes.com/2005/11/13/obituaries/ruth-clement-bond-101-quilter-and-civic-leader-is-dead.html ). Bond accompanied her husband, Dr. J. Max Bond, to the TVA dam construction sites where he had been hired in 1934 as a personnel manager to work with the black construction workers. He was, at the time, the company’s highest ranking African American official. Mrs. Bond supplied wives of the workers living at the various sites with quilt designs, many rich with symbolism, including this one, which exhibits elements reminiscent of paintings by Harlem Renaissance artist Aaron Douglas (particularly his mural series, “Aspects of Negro Life,” 1934). This is one of five quilts in this particular pattern known to exist along with one smaller related textile. The smaller textile is in the collection of the Museum of Art and Design in New York, one quilt is in the Michigan State University African American quilt collection, and a second quilt is in the private collection at TVA Headquarters. The whereabouts of the other two, both documented prior to 1990 by author and quilt researcher Merikay Waldvogel, are unknown. A detailed discussion of these so-called “TVA Quilts” can be found in Waldvogel’s book, “Soft Covers for Hard Times: Quiltmaking and the Great Depression” (Rutledge Hill Press, 1990). It contains information from interviews with Bond and two of the quilters, Rose Marie Thomas and Grace Tyler. All offered slightly differing titles and meanings for the quilt. Bond herself stated “The man with his banjo is full of frivolity. He is between the hand of the government [TVA] and the hand of a woman. He must choose between the government job and the life he has known…we wanted to show that he chose the TVA job. It has a hopeful message…things were getting better and the black worker had a part in it.” (p. 80). Note: The Seay paperwork dated 1976 (which appears to have been compiled for an exhibit at Western Michigan University the same year) indicates this quilt was made in Northeastern Mississippi, however, the other surviving quilts all have strong ties to the Wheeler Dam construction site in North Alabama. CONDITION: Central image in very good structural condition with even fading and a 3″ area of tiny scattered stains lower left; a couple of tiny areas of separation in stitching at lowermost edge of guitar and on subject’s left lower leg at edge. Border with overall fading in addition to discoloration and significant color loss along lower section. Scattered smaller areas of border have barely noticeable discoloration (largest is 1″L, positioned along right edge). Documentation with this lot includes a note from this quilt’s original owner, Maurice Seay, dated 1988, stating that the bottom of the quilt “was stained and faded as it hung on the north wall in the cabin.” [See more photos →]

Carroll Cloar (American/Tennessee, 1913-1994) framed acrylic on board titled “Weeping Willow,” depicting a solitary older man sitting on the porch of a white Victorian house, under a bright sky, with verdant and immaculately clipped lawn in the foreground. An expansive weeping willow encroaches on the left side of the house, creating shadows across the porch. Signed lower left “Carroll Cloar” and additionally signed, titled, and dated July 1967 en verso. Housed in the original painted wooden frame with gilt liner. Sight – 22 1/2″ H x 33 1/2″ W. Framed – 29″ H x 39 1/2″ W. Biography (Courtesy of The Johnson Collection): Arkansas-born Carroll Cloar was known for incorporating nostalgic images from his Southern childhood, often merged with dreamlike motifs, into powerful “magic realist” scenes. Cloar graduated from Southwestern College (now Rhodes College) in Memphis, Tennessee, and went on to study at the Memphis Academy of Arts under the artist George Oberteuffer. In 1936, he moved to New York to attend the Art Students League. There, Cloar’s achievements earned him a McDowell fellowship which he used to travel across the American Southwest, West Coast and Mexico. Cloar served with the Army Air Corps during World War II and was deployed to Saipan and Iwo Jima. Upon his return from the war, he was awarded a Guggenheim traveling scholarship to fund an extended sojourn to Central and South America in 1946. Two years later, several of his images were featured in a Life Magazine article titled “Backwoods Boyhood,” and Cloar’s career went on to receive additional national acclaim. By the mid 1950s, Cloar had settled permanently in Memphis, where he produced paintings, often executed in casein tempera and acrylic paints. His works are in the collections of the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Metropolitan Museum of Art, Museum of Modern Art, Brooks Museum of Art, and Library of Congress. In 1993, Cloar’s painting “Faculty and Honor Students, Lewis Schoolhouse” was one of six paintings by American artists selected to commemorate the inauguration of President Clinton. CONDITION: Painting overall excellent condition. Frame with some chips to corner. [See more photos →]

Beauford Delaney (American, 1901 – 1979) oil on canvas of his mother, Delia Delaney. Subject attired in green with a white collar, yellow background. Signed lower right corner, “Beauford Delaney 1963” (or 1964). Executed in Paris, Beauford painted this oil on canvas of his mother from memory. Author David Leeming writes, “Beauford Delaney’s early life was dominated by the powerful figure of his mother, Delia Johnson Delaney, a strict, proud woman who upheld what she saw as the Christian virtues. She punctuated lessons on forbearance, patience, self-control, and turning the other cheek with songs.” (Amazing Grace: A Life of Beauford Delaney). In 1865, Delia was born into slavery in Richmond, married and had 10 children in the Knoxville, TN area (only 4 children lived past the age of 20 years old). Delia Delaney died in 1958. This work was exhibited in “Beauford Delaney: A Retrospective”, The Studio Museum in New York, 1978, with a full page color illustration in the exhibition catalog, #10. This work is also referenced in “Hidden Treasures: Beauford and Joseph Delaney of Knoxville, Tennessee”, Volume 24, Number 1 (1997). Verso on central stretcher support, “Mother’s portrait” in black marker script, “Beauford” label, Ollendorf Fine Art moving label, and other inventory annotations. 25 1/8″ x 20 7/8″ sight, 26″ x 21 1/2″ framed. Provenance – Delaney Estate, Derek L. Spratley, Esquire, court-appointed administrator. CONDITION: Minor exfoliation above head, light lifting of paint to hair above left ear, background around head. [See more photos →]

The only known lifetime oil portrait of Bonnie Scotland, premier stallion of Belle Meade Plantation, with chief groom Robert “Uncle Bob” Green, painted and dated 1879 by Herbert S. Kittredge (American, 1853- 1881). The iconic painting depicts Bonnie Scotland standing in a field under a partly cloudy blue sky, beside Green, who is attired in a white apron, dark pants and a hat; two trees and a fence are visible in the background. Housed in a molded giltwood frame with title placard front center. Sight – 24″ H x 28″W. Framed – 33 1/2″ H x 38 1/2″W. Provenance: The Harding Family of Belle Meade Plantation, by descent to present consignor. Note: Most of the Kentucky Derby winners of the twentieth century, and a significant number of other important thoroughbreds, can trace their lineage to Bonnie Scotland. The stallion was foaled in 1853 in Malton, England by Iago out of Queen Mary by Gladiator, and originally owned by William l’Anson. Bonnie Scotland overcame an injury at age 2 and went on to win the Liverpool St. Leger, but collapsed while winning the Doncaster Stakes, and was retired to stud at the age of 3. His great fame ultimately came not as an English racehorse, but as one of America’s great sires. He was imported to New York in 1857 by Captain Cornish of Massachusetts and stood at John Reeber’s Fashion Stud in Lancaster, Ohio, and Col. W.F. Harper’s farm Nantura in Woodford, Kentucky. Other owners included J.C. Simpson of Chicago, Illinois, and C.C. Parks of Waukegan, Illinois. Although the Civil War disrupted the sport of racing in America, Bonnie Scotland spent the early 1860s siring runners that would go on to successful track careers, including Dangerous, Malcolm, Bourbon Belle, and Frogtown. In 1872, General William Harding purchased Bonnie Scotland and brought him to Belle Meade, where the stallion was bred with higher quality mares and established one of the most important sire lines in America. According to American Classic Pedigrees, he was the leading sire in America (1880 and 1882, runner up in 1868 and 1871), and “his progeny were known for good looks, balance, and overall soundness.” Clio Hogan’s Index to Stakes Winners 1865-1967 credits him with 21 stakes winners. Some of the famous horses from his line include Bramble, Man-O-War, Sea Biscuit, War Admiral, Secretariat, Seattle Slew, Affirmed, and most recently, California Chrome. Bonnie Scotland died at Belle Meade in 1880, one year after this portrait was painted, having helped build Belle Meade’s reputation as one of the great thoroughbred horse breeding nurseries in the world. Robert (Bob) Green was in charge of all the thoroughbreds at Belle Meade, a position which earned him international recognition. Born a slave, he was brought to Belle Meade in 1839 and thanks to his skill with horses, he soon became General Harding’s right hand man, with four grooms working under his supervision. Green is credited with saving several horses from injury during an ill-fated railroad trip to New York, which was jeopardized by the Johnstown Flood of 1889. Following emancipation, Green became Belle Meade’s highest paid employee, declining an offer from Fairview Farm in order to stay on with the Hardings. He led President Grover Cleveland on a tour of Belle Meade in 1887. According to Belle Meade Plantation’s website, near the end of his life, Green was forced to move from the property where he had lived and worked for decades. His request to be buried there was granted in 1906, and he rests on the grounds today in an unmarked grave. Artist biography: Herbert Kittredge’s untimely death at the age of 28 cut short a blossoming career in sporting art. Little is known about his youth and training. According to the book “Animal and Sporting Artists in America,” in 1876, “the noted American thoroughbred breeder Randolph Huntington encouraged [Kittredge] to make equine portraiture his career while living on Huntington’s stud in New York. Kittredge was commissioned to execute drawings of Leopard, an Arabian stallion, and Linden Tree, a Barbary stallion, both presented to General Ulysses S. Grant by the Sultan of Turkey in 1879.” Kittredge’s death at the age of 28 was reported in Wallace’s Monthly, which stated in an editorial that “his first serious attempt to delineate a horse, so far as we know, may be found in the MONTHLY for October 1878.” The young artist had come to the Wallace offices that year with a letter of introduction from Powell Bros. of Springboro, PA, and amazed the editors with his proofs of engravings of a Powell horse and several others. In fact, the magazine called Kittredge “the greatest and truest of all horse delineators the the world ever produced. We have studied the great masters, ancient and modern, and with the single exception of Rosa Bonheur we have never seen one who could equal Kittredge.” (Vol. 8, p. 694). The Hardings of Belle Meade were known to have commissioned works from America’s finest sporting artists. Edward Troye (1808-1874) was an early favorite. After Kittredge’s death, they engaged artists including Thomas Scott (see lot #111 in this auction) and Canadian-American painter Henry Stull (1851-1913) to paint portraits of their best horses. CONDITION: Painting is in very good condition with no areas of concerning deterioration. Fine to moderate craquelure overall, and canvas has been relined and trimmed. Blacklighting indicates areas of inpainting located near man’s arms, under horse, and to right side of sky. Various pinhole losses across top of sky and minor loss to top left corner. Stretcher crease length of canvas 2 ¾” from bottom edge. [See more photos →]

(3 items) – Carroll Cloar (Tennessee, 1913-1993) acrylic on board painting titled, The Waiting, depicting figures standing in an open field, a brick building in the background covered with FS Chapell The Rabbit’s Foot Minstrel show advertising posters and a solitary seated figure in the foreground, wearing a bee keeper’s head gear/suit and eating an apple. Signed lower right Carroll Cloar. Titled, signed and dated 1-83 en verso, label for New York Forum Gallery. Housed in a silver-gilt molded frame. Sight – 22″ H x 33 1/8″ W. Framed – 29″ H x 40 1/2″ W. Also included with this painting is the original pencil study for the painting, signed and dated by the artist, 23″ H x 33″ W. Note: This painting was featured in the exhibit and used as the catalog cover for CARROLL CLOAR: TIMELESS TALES OF THE SOUTH at Belmont University in Nashvillle, May 22-July 13, 2003. A poster for the exhibit accompanies this lot, 24″ H x 33″ W. Provenance: The estate of Dr. Benjamin H. Caldwell, Nashville, Tennessee. Biography (Courtesy of The Johnson Collection): Arkansas-born Carroll Cloar was known for incorporating nostalgic images from his Southern childhood, often merged with dreamlike motifs, into powerful magic realist scenes. Cloar graduated from Southwestern College (now Rhodes College) in Memphis, Tennessee, and went on to study at the Memphis Academy of Arts under the artist George Oberteuffer. In 1936, he moved to New York to attend the Art Students League. There, Cloar’s achievements earned him a McDowell fellowship which he used to travel across the American Southwest, West Coast and Mexico. Cloar served with the Army Air Corps during World War II and was deployed to Saipan and Iwo Jima. Upon his return from the war, he was awarded a Guggenheim traveling scholarship to fund an extended sojourn to Central and South America in 1946. Two years later, several of his images were featured in a Life Magazine article titled Backwoods Boyhood, and Cloar’s career went on to receive additional national acclaim. By the mid 1950s, Cloar had settled permanently in Memphis, where he produced paintings, often executed in casein tempera and acrylic paints. His works are in the collections of the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Metropolitan Museum of Art, Museum of Modern Art, Brooks Museum of Art, and Library of Congress. In 1993, Cloar’s painting, Faculty and Honor Students, Lewis Schoolhouse, was one of six paintings by American artists selected to commemorate the inauguration of President Clinton. CONDITION: Painting: Very good condition. Darker areas of varnish indicate that the varnish layer may not have been applied evenly. Frame with minor scattered abrasions, primarily lower left corner. Study: Pin-pricks to upper corners. Poster: Some bending top and bottom margins, 1/2 tear lower margin, pin-pricks to corners. [See more photos →]

William Edmondson (Tennessee, c. 1884-1951) limestone “Varmint’ sculpture of a small animal sitting alert on its back haunches with both front feet together, paws cast downward. 12-1/2″ H x 5″ W x 7 3/4” D. Provenance: purchased directly from the artist in the 1940s by the consignor’s parents, Howard Chandler Jordon and Whitley Jarman Jordon Potter, who were friends and patrons of Edmondson. The consignor, who accompanied her mother on the visit to Edmondson’s Nashville home to purchase this piece, remembers Edmondson distinctly telling her that the subject was a ‘varmint.’ A photo of the consignor as a child, at home with the sculpture, is included in this lot along with an affidavit certifying provenance, signed by the consignor. Artist information: William Edmondson was born in Davidson County, Tennessee, the son of freed slaves, and worked most of his life as a railroad employee and janitor. A spiritual experience at the age of 57 prompted him to begin sculpting limestone using a railroad spike as chisel, and he claimed divine inspiration for the works produced during his 17 year art career. Biblical figures, women, and animals were frequent subjects, although he also produced more utilitarian items such as tombstones and birdbaths. In 1937 Edmondson became the first African American to receive a solo exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art. He is regarded as one of the most important self-taught artists of the 20th century and his works are in several major museums. Condition: Overall excellent condition. [See more photos →]

William Edmondson (American/Tennessee,1874-1951) carved limestone sculpture of a squirrel, sitting on its haunches and eating a nut, atop an integral carved base. Exhibited, “William Edmondson: A Retrospective,” Tennessee State Museum, 1981 (see exhibition catalog of same name, Georganne Fletcher, ed., p. 65, no. 100). Sculpture measures 12-3/4″ H x 5″W x 8″D. Provenance: The collection of Robert and Deborah Street of Nashville, a gift from the artist to the late Mrs. Claude P. Street. Edmondson’s sister, Sarah, worked for the Streets, and the artist was a frequent visitor to their home. He gave this sculpture as a gift to Mrs. Street for her garden, where it remained for many years. Street family members exhibited a photograph of Sarah Edmondson in the same exhibit (see exhibit catalog, p. 92, no. 112). Affidavit from family members is included with this lot, along with additional paperwork related to the exhibition loan. Biography: William Edmondson was born in Davidson County, Tennessee, the son of freed slaves, and worked most of his life as a railroad employee and janitor. A spiritual experience at the age of 57 prompted him to begin sculpting limestone using a railroad spike as chisel, and he claimed divine inspiration for the works produced during his 17 year art career. Biblical figures, women, and animals were frequent subjects, although he also produced more utilitarian items such as tombstones and birdbaths. In 1937, Edmondson became the first African American to receive a solo exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art. He is regarded as one of the most important self-taught artists of the 20th century. Condition: Surface weathering, small chips and roughness consistent with the medium and as made. [See more photos →]

Pair of Tennessee portraits by Ralph Eleaser Whiteside Earl (1788-1838), unsigned, oil on canvas, depicting Thomas Claiborne Jr. (b. Petersburg, Virginia, 1780- d. Nashville, Tennessee ,1856) in white linen shirt with tie, waistcoat and brass buttoned coat and a woman, likely his wife Sarah Lewis King Claiborne (1786-1867); in lace bonnet with yellow and purple ribbon and emerald green dress. Both housed in original matching 19th century gilt wood and composition slope-molding frames with corner leaf and scroll decoration, European, one with original framer’s label verso. Both portraits measure: Sight – 29 1/2″ H x 24 1/2″ W. Framed – 42″ H x 37″ W. Circa 1825. Provenance: Descended in the Claiborne Family through Henry (Harry) Laurens Claiborne; sold to dealer Charles Elder of Nashville, Tennessee; sold to Dr. Benjamin Caldwell circa 1960s; acquired from the Caldwell auction in 2006 by a Maryville, TN collector. †These portraits were exhibited at the Tennessee State Museum’s Exhibit, “Portrait Painting in Tennessee,” in 1988 and are illustrated and discussed in the catalog of the same name (ref. The Tennessee Historical Quarterly, winter 1987, p. 210). They have also been exhibited at Cheekwood Fine Arts Center in Nashville (dates unknown). Note: Thomas A. Claiborne served as a major on Andrew Jackson’s staff during the Creek War and in the Tennessee House of Representatives for two terms, 1811-1815 and 1831-1833. He became a U.S. Representative to Congress for Tennessee 1817-1819. Claiborne was also a Mason, and served as Grand Master of Tennessee from 1813-1814. Biography (Courtesy of James C. Kelly, Virginia Historical Society, Tennessee Encyclopedia of History and Culture, 1998): Ralph E. W. Earl was the son of Connecticut painter Ralph Earl (1751-1801). Earl studied under his father in Northhampton, Massachusetts, before traveling to London in 1809 to study under Benjamin West and John Trumbull. In 1817, Earl arrived in Nashville to paint General Andrew Jackson, the hero of the battle of New Orleans. Later that year, in Natchez, he met and married Jane Caffrey, Rachel Jackson’s niece. She died the next year, but Earl moved into the Hermitage and would from then on remain in Jackson’s circle, accompanying the newly elected president to Washington. During the next eight years, Earl turned out numerous paintings of Jackson. Politicians, especially Democrats, knew it “did not hurt to order a portrait of General Jackson from Earl.” He painted many of Jacksonís friends and a few of his foes. Earl returned to the Hermitage with Jackson in 1837 and died there in September 1838. CONDITION: 1st item (Mr. Claiborne): Relined. Overall craquelure. Heavy varnish. Areas of inpainting on face and blouse and some minor scattered inpainting in background. Frame: Top left corner area reinforced and top right corner molding repaired and reglued. 2nd item (Mrs. Claiborne): Relined. Overall craquelure. Heavy varnish. Areas of inpainting on face and background. Area of repainting in green dress at base of image, approximately 4″ x 1″ then 2″ x 10″. Frame: Losses to corners lower left, lower right (1″ x 2″) and upper right. [See more photos →]

Wythe County, Virginia polychrome painted blanket chest, poplar throughout. The chest consists of a rectangular molded and hinged lid above a dovetailed case with diamond shaped iron escutcheon, above an ogee base molding and dovetailed bracket feet with spurs. Interior with till, iron lock, hinges and hasp. The front case features two painted lunetted or notched rectangular panels depicting a large central flower in the center surrounded by four smaller flowers, all emanating from a black urn or pitcher within a scribed and lunetted rectangular frame. The top features two painted lunetted or notched rectangular panels depicting red and black six-pointed stars, within a scribed lunetted rectangular frame. The base color on the remaining chest appears to be a red wash with grain-painted elements to the lid and case front, with red wash side panels and a black painted base and feet. Decoration attributed to John Huddle (1772-1839) and family. 28 1/2" H x 50" W x 21 5/8" D. 1st quarter 19th century.

PROVENANCE: By descent from Susie Rebecca Barns (1888-1957) of Rich Valley, Smith County, Virginia, to Preston Taylor Buchanan (1939-2020) to present heir.

CONDITION: Scattered wear and abrasions, especially to the molded top and feet. Grain painted background on the case front and sides cleaned in the past. Lid with losses to one lock pin. [See more photos →]

William Edmondson (American/Tennessee, 1874-1951) carved limestone sculpture of a rabbit with raised paws, sitting on its hind legs, atop a rectangular integral base. 16 5/8″ H x 5″ W x 7 1/2″ D. Rabbits were popular subject matter for Edmondson. A very similar rabbit is visible in the background of a photograph of Edmondson’s yard taken in 1941 by photographer Edward Weston (ref. Edmund L. Fuller, “Visions In Stone: the Sculpture of William Edmondson”, University of Pittsburgh Press, 1973, pages 7 and 9), and six rabbits were exhibited in the William Edmondson retrospective exhibit at the Tennessee State Museum in 1981 (ref. exhibit catalog, p. 64, for an example closely related to this one). Provenance: Private Pennsylvania Collection. Biography: William Edmondson was born in Davidson County, Tennessee, the son of freed slaves, and worked most of his life as a railroad employee and janitor. A spiritual experience at the age of 57 prompted him to begin sculpting limestone using a railroad spike as chisel, and he claimed divine inspiration for the works produced during his 17 year art career. In 1937, Edmondson became the first African American artist to have a solo show at the Museum of Modern Art, and he is regarded as one of the most important self-taught artists of the 20th century. CONDITION: Repaired break to subject’s right ear and very old, tight repaired break to subject’s right arm. General erosion and weathering, particularly to details of subject’s lower left front and rear paws, ear tips, and to subject’s right side. Small 1″ chip to lower right side of base. Moss remnants to surface. [See more photos →]

Edgefield District, South Carolina stoneware alkaline pottery face jug, made at the Thomas Davies Factory (1861-1864) by an unknown African American maker. Light to dark olive green alkaline glaze with kaolin eyes and teeth, wide set eyes, singular eyebrow and large nose. 4 3/4" H x 4 1/4" dia. Circa 1862. Note: This face vessel was examined and documented at the McKissick Museum by Jill Beute Koverman. Provenance: Private Southern Collection. CONDITION: Excellent condition with some glaze voids and firing flaws in the making. [See more photos →]

An important panoramic East Tennessee landscape oil on canvas by Thomas Campbell (1834-1914, born in England, active Tennessee). Titled on back “Tenn Mill and Mine”, showing a mill in the foreground and a large factory complex in the background right. Provenance – Calderwood Lodge of Calderwood Dam, Tennessee. Condition – overall excellent condition, uncleaned surface, a few areas with tiny flaking. Dimensions 39 1/4″ length x 21 1/4″ canvas, 29″ x 47″ carved gilt frame. Late 19th/Early 20th century. [See more photos →]

Portrait of Andrew Jackson by William Stewart Watson (Scottish, 1800-1870), signed lower right ” Stewart Watson/Pinxt 1836″. Watson is believed to have painted in both America and Europe for several years before settling in Edinburgh. He is primarily known for his portraits, including miniatures, and paintings of historical subjects. Condition – Professionally conserved in 2001. Blacklighting reveals inpainting/restoration to areas around the eyes, nose, and forehead. A couple of areas fluoresce in the right hairline area, one small area fluoresces in the chest area, and one to the background. Conservation report available to the successful bidder. Sight – 27 1/4″ Height x 23 1/4″ Width. Framed – 34 1/4″ Height x 31″ Width. Provenance – By family oral tradition, a gift from President Jackson to Colonel Albert James Pickett(1810-1858) when Pickett visited Jackson at The Hermitage in 1837. The painting was given to his daughter Mary Pickett Harris and descended through her family. The great-grandchild of Mary Pickett Harris consigned the portrait with Christie’s in 2001 where the present consignor acquired the portrait. Albert Pickett was a prominent writer and Alabama historian who was influential in Alabama politics during the second quarter of the 19th century. Pickett was a Jacksonian Democrat who was instrumental in organizing a counter-response to a group of Alabama anti-Jackson States Rights legislators who were successful in 1835 in endorsing Judge Hugh White of TN for President over Martin Van Buren. President Jackson presented Pickett with this portrait as a result of his loyalty. [See more photos →]

Greene County, TN slip and copper oxide decorated redware jar by Christopher Alexander Haun, 1821-1861. Marked on upper rim with the stamped letters “C A Haun ” and compass flower stamping. Condition – old chips to one handle, abrasions and expected wear to body. One hairline crack from mouth about three inches in length. 13″ H. Note – Haun was a Union sympathizer during the Civil War and participated in burning a Confederate railroad bridge (Lick Creek) in Greene County, TN. This important event in East Tennessee’s Civil War history was initiated with a campaign by Union loyalists to burn 9 bridges. It was led by William B. Carter and strongly supported and encouraged by President Abraham Lincoln. Several potters from the Pottertown, TN area were among the men who conspired and succeeded in burning the bridge. The potters decided not to capture or kill the Confederate bridge guards but allowed them to go free based upon their solemn promises to not reveal their identities. Union troops did not materialize as promised, and the Confederates were able to pursue and capture some of the perpetrators. The Confederate guards, who were allowed to live, were the very ones who served as witnesses to implicate the five men who were hung, four of them potters. Among those sentenced to hang was the potter Christopher Alexander Haun. On December 11th, 1861, Haun was hung from the gallows in Knoxville, TN. Of the handful of marked C.A. Haun jars known, the combination of yellow slip and copper oxide decoration is unique to this example. For another marked example of Christopher Haun’s pottery, refer to the Art of Tennessee, Frist Center for the Visual Arts, p. 115, figure 82. The relationship between Haun and another potter from Greene County, John Alexander Lowe (1833-1902), is not completely known at this time but a marked J. A. Lowe jar sold by this auction house in September 2008 displayed similar characteristics to known C. A. Haun jars. The general form of the jar, the appearance of the extruded handles with decoration at the handle attachments, and the stamp design around the shoulder of the jar with the name of the potter are all similar to marked C. A. Haun jars. In his last hours, Haun wrote to his wife and said ¨have Bohanan, Hinshaw or Low to finish off that ware and do the best you can with it for your support.¨ Whether Lowe apprenticed under C. A. Haun is not known at this time. Lowe enlisted in the Confederate Army two days after Christopher Alexander Haun was hung by Confederate forces. [See more photos →]

Christopher Alexander Haun (Greene County, TN, 1821-1861) lead and copper oxide decorated earthenware jar. Ovoid form with tapered rim edge, symmetrical extruded lug handles, bulbous midsection tapering to a beaded base. Unglazed bottom. Coggled band on upper shoulder with stylized lettering “C A Haun No. 1″ and elaborate tread stamp designs at the base of the handles. 13″ H x 10 1/2” dia. Provenance: Greene Co., TN Family. Note: One of a small group of marked C. A. Haun jars known, the stylized “C. A. Haun No. 1” script on this example varies slightly from other examples. The tread stamps on the handles are very similar to the tread stamp pattern on a C. A. Haun marked earthenware ring bottle sold by this auction house in July 2014. Historical Note: Christopher Alexander Haun was a Union sympathizer during the Civil War and participated in burning a Confederate railroad bridge (Lick Creek) in Greene County, TN. This important event in East Tennessee’s Civil War history was initiated with a campaign by Union loyalists to burn 9 bridges. It was led by William B. Carter and strongly supported and encouraged by President Abraham Lincoln. Several potters from the Pottertown, TN area were among the men who conspired and succeeded in burning the bridge. The potters decided not to capture or kill the Confederate bridge guards but allowed them to go free based upon their solemn promises to not reveal their identities. Union troops did not materialize as promised, and the Confederates were able to pursue and capture some of the perpetrators. The Confederate guards, who were allowed to live, were the very ones who served as witnesses to implicate the five men who were hung, four of them potters. Among those sentenced to hang was the potter Christopher Alexander Haun. In his last hours, Haun wrote to his wife and said “have Bohanan, Hinshaw or Low to finish off that ware and do the best you can with it for your support”. On December 11th, 1861, Haun was hung from the gallows in Knoxville, TN. CONDITION: Old chip near base (1 3/4″ width) with some smaller scattered chips in proximity to larger chip, old stain residue to midsection of vessel, interior with chips and glaze flaking. [See more photos →]

Carroll Cloar (Tennessee, 1913-1993) acrylic on board painting titled “Black Angus”, depicting six black cows in an orange/brown grassy field with barn and barren trees in the background, all under a bright blue sky. Signed, dated and titled en verso “Black Angus/Carroll Cloar/May 1967/Acrylic”. Housed in an ebonized and parcel gilt wood frame. Sight – 11 3/8″ H x 15 1/2″ W. Framed – 16 1/2″ H x 20 5/8″ W. Circa 1967. Provenance: Painting was given by the artist to a friend who lived in Memphis, and has descended in her family. Biography (Courtesy of The Johnson Collection): Arkansas-born Carroll Cloar was known for incorporating nostalgic images from his Southern childhood, often merged with dreamlike motifs, into powerful magic realist scenes. Cloar graduated from Southwestern College (now Rhodes College) in Memphis, Tennessee, and went on to study at the Memphis Academy of Arts under the artist George Oberteuffer. In 1936, he moved to New York to attend the Art Students League. There, Cloar’s achievements earned him a McDowell fellowship which he used to travel across the American Southwest, West Coast and Mexico. Cloar served with the Army Air Corps during World War II and was deployed to Saipan and Iwo Jima. Upon his return from the war, he was awarded a Guggenheim traveling scholarship to fund an extended sojourn to Central and South America in 1946. Two years later, several of his images were featured in a Life Magazine article titled Backwoods Boyhood, and Cloar’s career went on to receive additional national acclaim. By the mid 1950s, Cloar had settled permanently in Memphis, where he produced paintings, often executed in casein tempera and acrylic paints. His works are in the collections of the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Metropolitan Museum of Art, Museum of Modern Art, Brooks Museum of Art, and Library of Congress. In 1993, Cloar’s painting, Faculty and Honor Students, Lewis Schoolhouse, was one of six paintings by American artists selected to commemorate the inauguration of President Clinton. CONDITION: Overall excellent condition. [See more photos →]

Flag and historical archive relating to the 1866 voyage of the miniature ship The Red White and Blue, which in 1866 became the smallest ship ever to cross the Atlantic. Note: A detailed history of this important nautical cache and the ship’s voyage, which captured attention and created controversy on both sides of the Atlantic, is available to interested parties, and includes flag history and description by Greg Biggs. ITEM 1: 13 star Flag, single ply wool bunting with hand appliqued stars. Front hoist inscription “Ship ‘Red White and Blue’-1866 of NY 2 tons 38/100 registered. To London and Paris Exposition = 1867 Capt. John M Hudson and F. E. Fitch.” Reverse hoist inscription reveals flag’s original use as a Civil War boat flag: “USSS Flambeau’s Picket boat 2nd cutter 1864, Acting ensign J.M. Hudson.” Exhibited Cheekwood Museum of Art, “Nashville Collects”, circa 1990. 31-1/4″ H x 45″ W. ITEM 2: The ship’s log, penned by Captain Hudson, including description of boat, newspaper clipping describing the voyage prior to departure, daily entries describing the trip and location, and details of the events at the Crystal Palace, Paris Exhibition and across Europe. Earliest entry date May 9th 1866, through December 27,1867. Log bears label for William H. Ritch, Commission Merchant, Ships Chandler & Grocer, 39 South Street, Corner Old Slip, New York. ITEM 3: Oval silver plated plaque, engraved, “Ingersoll Metallic Life Boat Red White and Blue. Ship rigged Sailed from New York, United States, July 9th 1866. Arrived off Hastings, England August 16th 1886. Navigators, Capt. John M. Hudson, and Mate Frank E. Fitch. Inventor and Builder Oliver Roland Ingersoll. Property of the American Boat & Oar Bazaar. 243 & 245 South and 475 & 447 Water Street New York.” Framed in later gilt frame, not examined out of frame. Exhibited Cheekwood Museum of Art, “Nashville Collects”, circa 1990. Sight: 8 1/4″ H x 10″ W Framed: 12″ H x 14″ W ITEM 4: Two framed prints including Currier and Ives lithograph “The Miniature Ship, Red, White, and Blue.” Print lists information on the size of the boat and a brief description of voyage. In later gilt frame. Sight: 9 3/4″ H x 14 1/4″ W. Framed: 19″ H x 23″ W. Also a print from an unknown publication: “Red, White, and Blue” on display at the Crystal Palace, Paris Exhibition of 1867. In later gilt frame. Sight: 8 7/8″ H x 9″ W. Framed: 14 1/4″ H x 15″ W. ITEM 5: a large collection of letters, photocopies, and publications pertaining to the ship’s crossing and career of Captain John Hudson, including the shoulder straps and gold braid from his Navy uniform. Provenance: Estate of A. Welling LaGrone, Jr., Nashville, Tenn. ABOUT THE FLAG: United States Navy vessels of the 19th Century, and even now, carried several flags based on the Stars and Stripes of the nation. The largest was the ensign, flown from the stern of the warship. The jack was flown from the bow flag staff only while the ship was in port, while the commission pennant was flown from the main mast in the era of sails or a high point in the age of steam. The flags varied in size based on the rating of the warship. These vessels also carried small boats called gigs, and these boats also were equipped with flags. Boat flags came into existence in the early 1850s and carried, at least based on that used by Commodore Matthew Perry on his voyage to Japan, 31 stars. In 1857, the number of stars was reduced to sixteen. Being smaller flags, the lower number of stars made them more visible at a distance. In 1862, the Navy Department further reduced the star count to thirteen. This may have been in homage to the flags of the Continental Navy of the Revolutionary War. From 1862 to 1865, the stars were arranged typically in three rows with four, five and four stars in each from top to bottom of the canton. The boat flag of the U.S.S. Flambeau/Red White & Blue is this star pattern. A boat flag with the same star pattern exists in the Zaricor Collection in California. After the Civil War, boat flags were changed to a three, two, three, two, three arrangement, again from top to bottom. According to noted flag historians Howard Madaus and David Martucci, these boat flags varied from five through ten feet on the fly with the hoist measuring about half of the length. The 1864 U.S. Navy flag regulations (basically revised from the 1854 regulations) listed ship ratings ten through fourteen as boat flags. Flags for the tenth rating measured 5.28 feet on the hoist by 10 feet on the fly. Eleventh rated ships carried boat flags of 4.20 feet on the hoist by 8 feet on the fly while twelfth rated ships carried boat flags of 3.70 by 7 feet. The thirteenth rated boat flags measured 3.20 feet by 6 feet and the fourteenth rates carried flags of 2.50 feet by 5 feet. The U.S.S. Flambeau boat flag measures 31 inches by 42 inches which corresponds to a fourteenth rated boat flag. The flag has been cut down in its fly length by at least 18 inches at some point after the Civil War when it became the flag of the S.S. Red White and Blue. This was probably due to the size of that boat being much smaller (only 2 tons) than the U.S.S. Flambeau. The flag is made from single ply wool bunting with the stripes and appliquéd stars being hand stitched. The cotton canvas hoist edge is marked on the reverse side, “U.S.S. Flambeau Picketboat, 2nd Cutter – 1864. Acting Ensign J. M. Hudson.” The second cutter marking probably indicates that the warship carried two gigs on board. The U.S.S. Flambeau was built in 1861 as a brigantine initially for the trade routes of China. She was acquired by the U.S. Navy in November of that year to augment their blockading fleet. Weighing 791 tons, she was 185 feet long by 30 feet wide. With her crew of 92 men, she carried between two and five guns during the war. Her career as a blockader was successful with four ships captured as prizes. The U.S.S. Flambeau was sold by the Navy in July 1865 after being decommissioned. As a merchant vessel, she was lost off North Carolina in March 1867. Acting Ensign J. M. Hudson left the Navy after the Civil War. He became the skipper of the S.S. Red White and Blue which became famous in nautical circles for the transiting of the Atlantic Ocean by such a small vessel. His old boat flag from the war was altered for the Red White and Blue, being marked on the obverse hoist edge, “Ship “Red White and Blue” of New York – 1866/2 tons – 35/100 Register/ to London and Paris Exposition 1867/ Captain J.M. Hudson.” – Flag catalog entry by Greg Biggs. Condition: ITEM 1: Flag survives in good condition with minor staining, some patches and fraying where flag attaches to hoist. The flag has been professionally conserved with a fine colored mesh attached for stabilization. Also, there are [See more photos →]

Elizabeth Catlett (American, 1915-2012) bronze sculpture titled "The Family", depicting an African American father, mother and child standing and embracing one another. Initialed "EC" on the sculpture base. Sculpture with ebonized brushed patina and mounted onto a square wood base. Sculpture: 14 5/8" H x 5" W. 16 3/4" overall total H. Provenance: private California collection, by descent from the estate of Clara D'Agostino, New York. Artist biography: Elizabeth Catlett is best known for her prints and sculpture, which she believed could help inspire social change, particularly in regards to African American women. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Howard University and a Master of Fine Arts degree in 1940 from the University of Iowa. Her painting teacher at Iowa was the artist Grant Wood, who encouraged his students to make art about the subjects that they knew best and to experiment with different art mediums. Catlett went on to become the Chair of the Art Department at Dillard University in New Orleans. and from 1944-1946 taught at the George Washington Carver School in Harlem, which offered instruction for the working men and women of the city. In 1946, she was awarded a Rosenwald Fellowship. She and her husband, the artist Charles White, traveled to Mexico. She eventually settled there and eventually married the artist Francisco Mora. She worked as the first woman professor of sculpture and later Chair of the department at the National School of the Fine Arts in Mexico. (Source: Charlotte Streifer Rubinstein, "American Women Artists," and the National Museum of Women in the Arts). Condition: Overall very good condition. [See more photos →]

East Tennessee oil on fabric portrait of Judge John A. McKinney (1781-1845) by Samuel Shaver (TN, 1816-1878). The subject is attired in a dark suit and gold waistcoat and depicted seated in the “Napoleonic” pose. Housed in a carved mahogany veneer wood frame. Sight: 27 1/2″ H x 24″ W. Framed: 34″ H x 30 1/2″ W. Note: This portrait is illustrated in the Tennessee Portrait Project and referenced in “Portraits in Tennessee Before 1866,” page 78, entry #318. Note: Family history states that this portrait was completed circa 1842, making it one of the earliest known Shaver attributed portraits. Biography of the sitter: John Augustine McKinney emigrated from Ireland to the United States in 1800. He married Elizabeth Ayer and moved to Rogersville, Tennessee to practice law. McKinney was a successful lawyer and landowner and built many prominent structures in Rogersville. In 1824-1825, he built the McKinney Tavern House which hosted three U.S. Presidents including Jackson, Polk, and Johnson. The tavern was eventually renamed The Hale Springs Inn which was famous for being the oldest, continuously run Inn in the state of Tennessee. McKinney tried cases in Hawkins, Hancock, Sullivan, Washington, Greene, Grainger, Claiborne, Campbell, and Union Counties. He was appointed U.S. District Attorney by President John Quincy Adams and was chosen to represent his County in the State Constitutional Convention in 1834. Biography of the artist (Courtesy of 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 a 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, Shaver moved to Knoxville, where he became one of the founders of the East Tennessee Art Association. 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. The Estate of Alice Wright Summers Hale, Rogersville, TN. Condition: Conserved in the winter of 1989-90 by Cumberland Art Conservation in Nashville, TN. Relined with some light inpainting to subject’s forehead and new wax coating. A black light photo is included and an abbreviated conservation report is en verso of painting. [See more photos →]

East Tennessee, Greene or Sullivan County, lead glazed earthenware jar with manganese splotched decoration, pulled loop handles, rim and upper shoulder with incised concentric lines, unglazed base with beaded foot. 15″ H. For a related form, refer to the article, “Earthenware Potters Along the Great Road in Virginia and Tennessee,” J. Roderick Moore, Antiques Magazine, September 1983, p. 532, plate IV. This form is one of the largest found from this group. Provenance: Descended through the Bireley Estate, Hamblen County, Tennessee. CONDITION: Overall very good condition. [See more photos →]

Exceptionally rare and large Christopher Haun East Tennessee ring bottle, copper oxide and lead glazed earthenware with elaborate tread stamp designs and coggled band around outer circumference consisting of hexagonal and diamond star geometric designs and letters, “HAUN” (Christopher Alexander Haun, Greene Co., TN, 1821-1861). Christopher Haun was a Union sympathizer during the Civil War and participated in burning a Confederate railroad bridge (Lick Creek) in Greene County, TN. This important event in East Tennessee Civil War history was initiated with a campaign by Union loyalists to burn 9 bridges. It was led by William B. Carter and strongly supported and encouraged by President Abraham Lincoln. Several potters from the Pottertown, TN area were among the men who conspired and succeeded in burning the bridge. The potters decided not to capture or kill the Confederate bridge guards but allowed them to go free based upon their solemn promises to not reveal their identities. Union troops did not materialize as promised, and the Confederates were able to pursue and capture some of the perpetrators. The Confederate guards, who were allowed to live, were the very ones who served as witnesses to implicate the five men who were hung, four of them potters. Among those sentenced to death was the potter Christopher Alexander Haun. On December 11th, 1861, Haun was hung from the gallows in Knoxville, TN. Provenance – descended through the John Houston Cox family of Lenoir City, TN (b. 1863 – 1949). Diameter 10″, total length including spout, 10 3/4″. (Research courtesy of Carole Wahler). Note: one of the most elaborately decorated Southern ring bottles to surface, it is believed to be the only C.A. Haun ring bottle example extant, and is the earliest Tennessee ring bottle example by a known maker. Condition: Overall excellent condition. Condition: Overall excellent condition. [See more photos →]

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George David Coulon (American/Louisiana, 1823-1904), oil on panel landscape painting depicting Fort Macomb, Chef Menteur Pass. A brick building sits atop the moated hill, with a wooden structure in the foreground and a bridge faintly visible at left. Signed and dated lower right “G.D. Coulon 86”. Remnants of old label on verso reading: “Fort Macomb Chef Menteur, __ view taken from the residence of the officer in charge, sketched by Coulon June 12 __ .” Later pen inscription “Menton” underneath. Later wooden frame with gilt rabbet edge. Sight: 11″ x 17″. Framed: 15″ x 21″. Provenance: A Nashville, Tennessee estate. Note: Fort Macomb was a pre- Civil War fort, built to defend the city of New Orleans and located within what is now the city limits, on the western shore of Chef Menteur Pass. After the War of 1812’s Battle of New Orleans revealed weaknesses in the country’s coastal defenses, President James Monroe ordered better fortifications built along the Gulf and Atlantic Coasts; this one was intended to protect the water route from the Gulf of Mexico to the western shore of Lake Pontchartrain. Designed by French engineer Simon Bernard, the brick fort was built in 1822 at the site of an earlier fort called Fort Chef Monteur. It was named Fort Wood in 1827 and renamed in 1851 for Major General Alexander Macomb (1782-1841), commanding general of the U.S. Army from 1828-1841. The fort was occupied by a Confederate garrison in 1861 at the start of the Civil War and retaken by Union troops after the capture of New Orleans, but not before Confederate soldiers destroyed the guns and burned the wooden structures. It was decommissioned in 1871 and the fort and its lands are now owned by the State of Louisiana. George David Coulon was born in France and became a prominent painter of portraits and landscapes in New Orleans in the late 19th century. He was a founder of the Southern Art Union and the Artists Association of New Orleans. CONDITION: Overall very good condition. Faint scratch at left side near tree, few light spots of grime and inclusions. Former areas of craquelure abrasion in sky area (recently cleaned). Later frame has some gilt wear at rabbet edge and a ding on central lower edge. [See more photos →]

Framed oil on masonite painting depicting skaters at the Wohlman Memorial Skating Rink in Central Park by Joseph Delaney (Tennessee/New York, 1904-1991), titled “Central Park Skating”. The perspective of the painting is westward toward the famous Dakota Building. Signed and dated lower left, “Jos Delaney ’68”. Recently illustrated and discussed in the 2009 book, “The Life, Art and Times of Joseph Delaney, 1904-1991 by Frederick C. Moffatt” on page 148. This painting was also featured in the 2004 “Life in the City: The Art of Joseph Delaney” exhibit, University of Tennessee, Knoxville (illustrated in the 2004 catalog, p. 29) and the Samek Art Gallery, Bucknell University, Lewisburg, PA. Overall excellent condition, original frame. Sight – 31 1/2″ Height x 29″ Width. Framed – 37 3/4″ Height x 36″ Width. Consignor purchased the painting directly from Joseph Delaney, Knoxville Collection. Biography (Courtesy of Frederick C. Moffatt) – Joseph Delaney was born in Knoxville in 1904, the ninth of ten children born to a Methodist Minister. He and his older brother, Beauford, discovered their interest in art by drawing on Sunday School cards. In 1930, Joseph left Tennessee for New York where Beauford was also working as an artist, and enrolled in the Art Students League under the tutelage of Thomas Hart Benton and Alexander Brooke. The subject matter he found there, including the city’s landmarks and its people, are the images for which he is best known. In 1986, Delaney returned to Knoxville to live and was artist-in-residence for the University of Tennessee Art Department until his death in 1991. Delaney’s works are included in the collections of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, The Chicago Art Institute, The Knoxville Museum of Art, and The Smithsonian American Art Museum. [See more photos →]

Southern Chippendale Pembroke dropleaf table, attrib. Petersburg, Virginia. Mahogany with yellow pine secondary wood, rectangular top with two hinged leaves over a single scratchbeaded and finely dovetailed drawer with Chippendale brass bail pull and plate, four legs with chamfered corners terminating in carved square, flared or “tassel” feet. Drawer side is inscribed with a compass rose in circle. 26 5/8″H x 19 1/2″ wide (30 1/2″ with leaves extended) x 22 3/4″ deep. 1775-1785. Note: Documented by the Museum of Early Southern Decorative Arts, MESDA ref. # S-12146. Attributed by Luke Beckerdite to the Petersburg Guttae Foot Group. For a similar example, which originally had corner brackets, ref. to Gusler, Wallace: Furniture of Williamsburg and Eastern Virginia, p. 140 fig. 94. Provenance: The living estate of Dr. and Mrs. Benjamin H. Caldwell, Nashville, TN, purchased many years ago in the Petersburg, Va. area. CONDITION: 1/2″ patch to stile near right side of drawer; top has a 2″ patch and a 1/2″ patch; 3″ patch repairs in area of front hinges on both sides, one patch on molded table edge (right) and the other on leaf (left); drawer bottom has three boards, one of which appears to be an old replacement; scattered scratches and abrasions. [See more photos →]

Civil War Confederate States of America shell jacket worn by Colonel Tomlinson Fort, 1st Georgia Infantry, Company L, plus shoulder straps and albumen print, 4 items total. 1st item: “Butternut” Richmond Depot woolen single-breasted shell jacket with six-piece body, one-piece sleeves, and six button holes with one wooden and three cloth buttons, osnaburg interior lining with one pocket. Unmarked. Also includes three loose buttons, two (2) wooden and one (1) mother of pearl. 28 1/2″ H x 21 3/4″ W x 11″ D. Note: This is the coat that Colonel Fort wore on his return to his home in Milledgeville, Georgia. The brass buttons were cut off in Savannah and replaced by the ones now on it, as a law had been issued forbidding Confederate States of America (CSA) buttons to be worn. 2nd-3rd items: Two (2) gold tone metal and fabric Captain’s shoulder straps, manufacturer’s marks for James A. Smith, stamped en verso. 1 1/2″ H x 4″ W x 5/8″ D. 4th item: Early 20th century albumen print depicting a composite of three Civil War era cartes de visite (CDV) of the Fort Brothers: Colonel Tomilson Fort (1839-1910), lower right (depicted wearing the shell jacket and shoulder straps in this lot); Dr. George Fort (1828-1866), top center; and Lieutenant John Porter Fort (1841-1917). The three portraits are superimposed on a decorative shield dated “61-65” and flanked by two crossed Confederate flags, above, and two crossed sabers with a “CSA” canteen, below, with a row of ten stars, across the top of the shield. Fragmentary red “Art Department” label, en verso. Housed under glass in a black wooden frame. Print – 8 7/8″ H x 7 5/8″ W. Sight – 9 3/4″ H x 7 3/4″ W. Framed – 10 7/8″ H x 8 7/8″ W x 3/4″ D. Note: a CDV of Dr. George Fort and his surgeon kit are also included in this auction, lot 511. Provenance: Private Ringgold, Georgia collection; among items purchased in the 1960’s from the old location of the A. P. Stewart Chapter of the UDC (United Daughters of the Confederacy), formerly the Nathan Bedford Forrest UCV (United Confederate Veterans) home, St. Elmo, Chattanooga, TN. Note: The 1st Georgia Infantry regiment, also known as the 1st Georgia Regulars, was organized at Macon, Georgia in April 1861. The companies first named were twelve months’ troops, a majority re-enlisting for the war, while others were mustered out when the twelve months expired. The regimental commander, Col. Charles J. Williams, died on February 8, 1862. Now led by Col. William J. Magill, the regiment served in the Army of Northern Virginia in the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War. When Magill was wounded at Antietam, being part of Gen. G.T. Angerson’s brigade, the command developed to Cpt. Richard A. Wayne. The 1st Georgia was transferred to the Department of South Carolina, Georgia and Florida in early 1863. In Gen. George P. Harrison’s brigade it participated in the Battle of Olustee. When Magill retired on September 3, 1864, Wayne was named as his successor. The regiment was surrendered along with Joseph E. Johnston’s army at Bennett Place in North Carolina on April 26, 1865. Biography: Colonel Tomlinson Fort (1839-1910) was born in Milledgeville, Georgia, to Dr. Tomlinson Fort (1787-1859) and Martha Low Fannin (1804-1883). Tomlinson Fort graduated from Oglethorpe University in 1857, and moved to Savannah, Georgia to practice law. Fort returned to his hometown to care for his father’s estate in 1859. At the beginning of the Civil War, Fort joined the 1st Georgia Infantry regiment and served throughout the war. Fort’s two brothers also served in the war; Lieutenant John Fort joined the 1st Georgia Infantry regiment and Dr. George Washington Fort was a surgeon, 53rd Regiment, Georgia Infantry. Fort was wounded five times 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 moved to Chattanooga in 1865, and though he came to the city with very little, he quickly found work, and by the mid-1870’s, was one of Chattanooga’s leading businessmen. Fort served as city attorney, city recorder and served on the Board of Public Works before being elected Mayor in 1876. Fort’s election to the office marked a turning point for the city, as he was the first ex-confederate elected mayor and was able to improve the city’s financial status. (source: http://www.chattanooga.gov/about-chattanooga/history-of-mayors/1876-colonel-tomilinson-fort). See related lots 507, 511, 540 and 544. CONDITION: 1st item: Jacket is in stable condition with insect damage and age deterioration. Three-fourths of surface has holes, tears, abrasions, and/or unidirectional loss. Most significant damage: 1 1/2″ tear top right shoulder; 1″ hole top of left sleeve; 1″ tear with fraying left side top of collar; 2″ tear with fraying right side top of collar; 1″ unidirectional loss with fraying lower left edge on back; 3/4″ tear right side near arm hole on back. Heavy wear to buttons. Moderate soiling to end of sleeves and front opening. Interior lining discolored and weak seam with fraying right side top of button placket where wool joins lining. 2nd-3rd items: Overall good condition with surface grime, area of tarnish to metal, and holes, largest 1/2″ x 1 1/4″. 4th item: Overall stable condition with repaired tears, largest 8 1/8″ x 1 1/8″. Several pieces of white archival tape and scotch tape, minute foxing spots, en verso. [See more photos →]

Burton Harry Callicott (Tennessee/Indiana, 1907-2003) abstract oil on canvas paintingtitled "Outpouring No. 2" depicting a white central circle with radiating bands rendered in the primary, secondary, and tertiary shades of the color wheel. Signed and dated "Callicott '85" lower right. Title, date, artist's name, and additional information en verso. Housed in a white wooden frame with gilt trim. Sight – 59 1/2" square. Framed – 6 5/8" square. American, late 20th century. Biography: "Born in 1907 in Terre Haute, Indiana, Burton Callicott spent much of his childhood and his seventy-year career as an artist and educator in Memphis. Callicott graduated in 1931 from the Cleveland School of Art, where he began an exploration of the use of light and dark that would follow him throughout his life. He is perhaps best known regionally for his set of three large murals in the Memphis Pink Palace Museum titled The Coming of De Soto. Completing his training in sculpture at the Cleveland School of Art in the midst of the Depression, Callicott returned to Memphis, where his mother and stepfather, Michael Abt, resided. The director of the western division of Tennessee's Federal Works of Art Project, Abt played a major role in launching Callicott's career. He put Callicott to work immediately on Memphis Cotton Carnival floats and displays for other Memphis festivals while also helping him secure a commission for a Public Works of Art Project mural in 1933. Installed in the Memphis Museum of Natural History (now the Memphis Pink Palace Museum), the three-panel mural depicts Hernando De Soto's arrival in West Tennessee. Another of Callicott's most recognized works, The Gleaners (1936), was completed during the early years of his career and received much attention at the 1939 New York World's Fair. These early projects set Callicott off on a long and successful career in Memphis. Callicott became a founding faculty member of the Memphis Academy of Art (now the Memphis College of Art) in 1937. Callicott became professor emeritus in 1978. Callicott's works have been exhibited at various museums across the state and region, including the Cheekwood Museum of Art and the Tennessee State Museum in Nashville, the West Tennessee Regional Art Center in Humboldt, the Knoxville Museum of Art, the Carroll Reece Museum at East Tennessee State University, the Arkansas Art Center in Little Rock, and the Morris Museum of Art in Augusta, Georgia. Samples of his artwork are on permanent display at the Memphis Brooks Museum of Art and the Memphis Pink Palace Museum. The Tennessee Arts Commission chose to honor the work of Callicott in 2000 with a specialty license plate for which he designed a rainbow with the caption, "art is…a rainbow." Callicott continued to live in Memphis until his death in 2003". (source: "Burton Callicott"by Elizabeth H. Moore,originally published October 8, 2017,https://tennesseeencyclopedia.net/entries/burton-callicott/).Provenance: The Guardsmark Collection, Lipman Holdings International, Memphis, Tennessee. CONDITION: Excellent condition. [See more photos →]

Augusta Christine Fells (Moore) Savage (American, 1892-1962) plaster sculpture with bronze patina titled GAMIN along front edge, depicting a young African American male with a tilted cap and wrinkled shirt. Signed “Savage” vertically in rectangle on the backside. Created circa 1929. 9″ H x 5 3/4″ W x 4 3/8″ D. Biography (adapted from The Johnson Collection): Augusta Savage was a leading artist of the Harlem Renaissance. One of fourteen children born to a rural Florida preacher, she moved to New York in 1921 with less than $5 to her name to pursue the study of sculpture at the Cooper Union. Her skill in creating portrait busts of African Americans earned her praise, but she was denied admission to a women’s summer art program in France because of her race — an injustice that provoked national headlines. Her first “Gamin” sculpture was created in 1929 and was “a critical work not only to Savage’s career, but also as an embodiment of the Harlem Renaissance’s mission. The representation of the solemn, sensitive youth expressed the inherent dignity of an African American identity that many black artists sought to promote. Here, Savage captures an arrested moment, a sense of true immediacy; the child’s glance feels natural and uncontrived. While the subject is presumed to be her nephew, Ellis Ford, Gamin was conceived as a type rather than a portrait, representing one of the city’s countless street urchins. The critical and commercial success of Gamin catapulted Savage’s reputation far beyond Harlem art circles. The breakthrough sculpture garnered the attention of patrons and at last earned her a fellowship through the Julius Rosenwald Foundation to study in Paris. She arrived there in the autumn of 1929 and connected with fellow African American expatriates like Henry O. Tanner, Nancy Prophet, and Hale Woodruff. In late 1931, in the midst of the Great Depression, Savage returned to Harlem, where she concentrated on teaching and advocacy.” She established the Savage Studio of Arts & Crafts in 1932 and taught at the Harlem Community Arts Center and the Harlem Artists Guild, inspiring many future African American Artists. Provenance: private California collection, by descent from the estate of Clara D’Agostino, New York. CONDITION: A couple of shallow chips to hat brim, one to nose and another to the chin. All have been touched up with a blue color paint. Fleabite to one eyebrow and along the right side base edge. Scratching to the base. [See more photos →]

Fred Greene Carpenter (1882 – 1965, born in Nashville, TN, active Missouri), oil on board painting depicting a female picking fruit, surrounded by verdant foliage, signed lower right, “F. G. Carpenter”. The reverse side has a landscape study executed by Carpenter depicting a figure with a cow surrounded by a meadow bounded by trees. Label affixed “Healy Galleries St. Louis”. Biography (courtesy Askart: The Artists’ Bluebook): Fred G. Carpenter was known for his brilliant use of color and curvilinear forms, often used to depict figures in exotic settings. Born in Nashville, he moved to St. Louis where he studied at Washington University’s School of Fine Arts and later, the Académie Julian in Paris under Jean-Paul Laurens and and the Colarossi Academy under Richard E. Miller. Carpenter’s painting “The Sisters” won an Honorable Mention at the Paris Salon in 1910. He also won a silver medal at the Panama-Pacific International Exposition in 1915, and exhibited at the Pennsylvania Academy 1908 – 1931. Carpenter is also known for the lunettes he painted in the Missouri State Capitol. 23 1/4″ x 28 1/2″ sight, 27″ x 32 1/2″ framed. Provenance: a private Nashville, Tennessee collection. Condition: Oil overall excellent condition with light grime. Blacklighting indicates a light red flourescence on cap, apple, and cheek but it appears to be a pigment used by Carpenter, not inpainting. Scuffs to oil study on reverse side with nails scuffing margins. Losses to frame edge. [See more photos →]

Large Charles Krutch (TN, 1849-1934) panoramic oil on board of Mt. LeConte, signed KRUTCH in red, lower left corner and housed in an original textured gilt frame. Written in script en verso MRS BORDEN NY. Sight: 20 1/2″ H x 35 1/2″ W, Frame: 28″ H x 43 1/4″ W. Biography (Courtesy the Knoxville Museum of Art): Charles Krutch is regarded as one of East Tennessee’s first painters to specialize in scenes of the Smoky Mountains. He 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, in an effort to capture the changing moods of the mountains. Condition: Overall surface grime. Three areas of craquelure: far left center (2″ x 2 1/2″), lower center (1/2″ x 2 1/2″), far right center (2 3/4″ x 4 1/2″). Frame partially separated lower left. CONDITION: Overall surface grime. Three areas of craquelure: far left center (2″ x 2 1/2″), lower center (1/2″ x 2 1/2″), far right center (2 3/4″ x 4 1/2″). Frame partially separated lower left. [See more photos →]

Pair of Tennessee portraits by Ralph Eleaser Whiteside Earl (1788 – 1838) depicting the Reverend Hardy Murfree Cryer (b. 1792–1846), in dark coat with ruffled collar, and a woman believed to be his first wife Elizabeth Rice Cryer (b. 1793–1832) in black mourning dress with white lace collar and cap. Housed in black and gilt wooden frames. Both portraits measure 26 1/2″ H x 21 1/2″ W sight; 33″ H x 28 1/2″ W framed. Circa 1830. Provenance: Descended in subject’s family to current consignor. Biography ( Courtesy of James C. Kelly, Virginia Historical Society, Tennessee Encyclopedia of History and Culture, 1998): Ralph E. W. Earl was the son of Connecticut painter Ralph Earl (1751-1801). Earl studied under his father in Northhampton, Massachusetts, before traveling to London in 1809 to study under Benjamin West and John Trumbull. In 1817, Earl arrived in Nashville to paint General Andrew Jackson, the hero of the battle of New Orleans. Later that year, in Natchez, he met and married Jane Caffrey, Rachel Jackson’s niece. She died the next year, but Earl moved into the Hermitage would from then on remain in Jackson’s circle, accompanying the newly elected president to Washington. During the next eight years, Earl turned out numerous paintings of Jackson. Politicians, especially Democrats, knew it “did not hurt to order a portrait of General Jackson from Earl.” He painted many of Jackson’s friends and a few of his foes. Earl returned to the Hermitage with Jackson in 1837 and died there in September 1838. Rev. Cryer was a close friend of Andrew Jackson who spent time at the Hermitage. According to the book “The Making the American Thoroughbred” (see book, also offered in this auction), Cryer was born in North Carolina in 1792, married Elizabeth Rice in 1812, was a member of the Tennessee Conference, Methodist Episcopal Church 1813-1816, and served one year on the Nashville district. “After withdrawing from the itinerant ranks, he served as a “local” preacher and continued to exercise the offices of a minister the remainder of his life. His many contributions to The Turf Register and The Spirit of the Times are rich in Biblical and classical allusions, after the style of that day; show much force and originality; and amply support the statement of McFerrin that he was of an ardent temperament and had a brilliant mind. His ardor distinguished him as a breeder no less than as a preacher. He kept more thorougbred stallions than any man of his time, except, perhaps, Thomas Alderson; owned a few blood mares; and took a great interest in turf sports.” The book quotes stud books kept by Cryer which show that “Cryer’s horses were patronized by practically all the prominent breeders and turfmen named heretofore in this volume, from Andrew Jackson and John Catron, down”. Cryer’s passion for horses seems to have gotten him into trouble only once with his church; he was charged with horse racing and summoned to a trial before a church tribunal. “The proof was clear and conclusive,” wrote J.R. Hubbard in The Spirit of the Times, “but the evidence showed that the horse was raced in the name of Col. George Elliott, and that this gentleman owned one half of him.” In Cryer’s defense, he told the judge: “I would like for you to let me know how I can arrange it for my half of the horse to stand in the stable while Col. Elliott’s half is racing.” He was acquitted. CONDITION: Blacklighting of portrait of Rev. Cryer indicates inpainting to perimeter of face including the left edge of forehead, lower right jaw line, spot to lower left edge of mouth and spot to the middle of the chin. Lighter area of fluorescence to forehead and background, possibly a varnish issue. Blacklighting of Mrs. Cryer indicates possible inpainting or varnish issue to a couple areas of forehead and chin. Possible inpainting or varnish issue to a couple areas of the background. Older relining, probably late 19th/early 20th century. [See more photos →]

Beauford Delaney (American/Tennessee, 1901-1979) gouache on paper abstract painting in various shades of yellow. Rhythmic linear patterns of scrolling and interlacing forms merge with one another and fill the composition, with areas of exposed paper visible throughout. Signed and dated "Beauford Delaney 61" in black pen, lower right. With Beauford Delaney estate stamp en verso and Levis Fine Art, New York, label affixed to backing. Floated in a modern wood frame with ivory mat. Sheet: 10 1/2" H x 8" W. Frame: 17 13/16" x" 15 1/4" W.

Biographical note: Modernist artist Beauford Delaney was born in Knoxville, Tennessee. An apprentice to artist Lloyd Branson, Delaney was encouraged by his mentor to study art in Boston. In 1929 he traveled to New York and established himself as a prominent artist of the Harlem Renaissance. There he gained the attention and admiration of well-known writers and artists such as James Baldwin, Georgia O'Keefe, Alfred Stieglitz, and many others. Delaney experimented throughout his career with a wide variety of styles, including his personal brands of realism, fauvism, post-impressionism, and abstract expressionism. His departure from New York to Paris in 1953 also marked his transition from figurative compositions to abstractions with a focus on color and light. In 1978, the year before he died, the Studio Museum in Harlem initiated its Black Master series with a retrospective of his work. His paintings can be found in the Museum of Modern Art, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Art Institute of Chicago; the National Portrait Gallery, the Smithsonian Institution, and other major museums.

PROVENANCE: The Estate of Beauford Delaney (Derek Spratley-Court Appointed Administrator); Private Collection, Maine

CONDITION: Excellent condition. Frame with 3/4" abrasion to upper right edge. [See more photos →]

Beauford Delaney (American, 1901 – 1979) abstract oil on fabric pillow case. Abstract rendering of a human face with thickly applied streams of yellow, orange, green, and black paint bordered by two wide black painted lines for top and bottom margins. Includes Beauford Delaney’s paint cloth and paint stick with similar color paint residue. 24″ x 19 1/4″ sight, 27″ x 19 1/4″ total, brush 12″ length. Note – Beauford Delaney’s departure from New York to Paris in 1953 also marked the transition from figurative compositions to abstract expressionism with a focus on color and light. Strapped with financial challenges in his early Paris years, he was believed to have painted on other found objects if canvas was not available. An example of one of his earliest known dated abstracts is an untitled oil on a raincoat fragment from 1954. This work serves as the cover for Sue Canterbury’s book, “Beauford Delaney: From New York to Paris”, Minneapolis Institute of Art, 2004. Sue Canterbury, Associate Curator of the Dallas Museum of Art, and Stephen Wicks, Curator of the Knoxville Museum of Art, were able to inspect this work when Ms. Canterbury gave her September 2014 lecture on Beauford Delaney in Knoxville. This Beauford Delaney abstract is only the second documented example of his work using canvas available from household objects. Provenance – Estate of Beauford Delaney, Derek L. Spratley, Esquire, court-appointed administrator. CONDITION: Stains, some staple remnants to margins, toning. [See more photos →]

Early Tennessee Militia archive relating to Lieutenant William Graham including a Tennessee militia coat, signed Governor John Sevier military commission, and powder horn, 3 items total. 1st item: Early Tennessee State Militia Coat owned and worn by Lieutenant William Graham (1786-1857, served circa 1807-1815 in the Sixth Regiment in the Tennessee State Militia) comprised of a navy-blue wool body with hook and eye closure to red wool lapel, red wool collar and cuffs, the lapels and coattails lined in off white linen with two interior slip pockets, two faux pocket flaps to exterior, all with a total of (44) total flat brass buttons. One (1) navy-blue wool epaulet to left shoulder, two (2) pieces of navy-blue fabric sewn to right shoulder and top of coattails. 40 1/2" H x 24 1/2" W.2nd item: Governor John Sevier signedmilitary commission document conferring on William Graham of Jefferson County the rank of Lieutenant in the Sixth Regiment of the TennesseeMilitia, dated August 15, 1807. Countersigned by Robert Houston, Secretary of the State of Tennessee from 1807-1811. State seal, top left. 16" H x 9 7/8" W.3rd item: Early 19th century East Tennessee powder horn withound wooden plug end secured by brads, fabric strap attached to nail and nozzle. Piece of cloth with ink inscription reading "96" pasted to horn near plug. 11" outer circumference of longest curve. These items have all descended in the family of Lt. William Graham. The Number 96 on the powder horn corresponds to a similarnumbering system used on an inventory list created by Joseph Feamster Taylor (1892-1965) of Whitesburg, TN, son of Franklin Walter Taylor (1854-1919), grandson of Franklin William Taylor (1810-1897), great grandson of Lieutenant William Graham (1786-1857), and father of Joseph Franklin Taylor (1934-2015). Biographical Note: William Graham was born in Botetourt County, Virginia, to George Graham (1756-1832) and Elizabeth Turnley Graham (1764-1817). He married Mary ShieldsGraham (1795-1832) in 1814 and was the father of Eliza Jane Graham (1821-1897) and Mary Shields Graham (1824-1907). Upon the death of Mary, William sent his young daughters (ages 11 & 8) to live with their uncle, Dr. Samuel Shields. Eliza married Franklin William Taylor of Shields Station in Grainger County and they had twelve children together. One of their children, Samuel Milton Taylor (1842-1875) served in the Confederate Army of Tennessee (see Lot 610). Mary married Calvin Bird Nance of Nance's Ferry and they had seven children together. William Graham passed away in a tragic house fire on the night of September 17, 1857 at the age of 71 and is buried in the Graham ChapelCemetery, Jefferson County, TN. (source:https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/198785407/william-graham).Provenance: Estate of Anne Harrison Taylor & Joseph F. Taylor, Morristown, TN. CONDITION: 1st item: Discoloration, staining, to be expected from age. Moth holes, primarily to back of jacket, largest 1 1/4". Two buttons to bottom appear to be missing.Epaulet to right shoulder is not present. Accompanying note indicates that the coat was cleaned on April 24, 1975 for an exhibit. 2nd item: Overall good condition with toning, foxing spots, areas of dampstaining/acid burn, largest 1". Tears, areas of separation, largest 1 1/2", to fold lines. Signatures in good, legible condition. 3rd item: Natural age cracks, areas of insect damage, largest 1 1/8" x 3/4". [See more photos →]

Kentucky Federal tambour-door sideboard, attributed to Lexington, Kentucky; cherry and crotch walnut or cherry with maple and applewood inlay, poplar secondary wood; blocked and serpentine facade with central long drawer above a tambour door section, flanked by veneered panels with line inlay and two short drawers over two doors. All drawers veneered and dovetailed, decorated with string inlay having cut corner design and mounted with original oval brass pulls with raised acorn/oak leaf design; doors have flame grained veneer and fan inlaid corners, with crossbanded edges and shield shaped escutcheons. Edge of top and facade below feature cross banded veneers and lighter wood inlaid edges; lower edge of case features a band of lunette inlay running below the doors and extending to the top of the front legs at each side. The four front square tapered legs and two rear legs all feature line inlay and band of lunette inlay at feet. MESDA (Museum of Early Southern Decorative Arts) documentation label dated 9/12/82 ref. # 11603 located inside left drawer. Taped inside the central drawer is a note dated 1932 from previous owner Dillis Early (Jr.) of Meade County, Kentucky, witnessed by Violet Neff and notarized by George Neff upon the sale of the sideboard to a Mr. Geo. Owen, stating that the sideboard had been in his family for at least 100 years. Early’s great-great grandfather was James Early (1782-1840); tax records for the year 1800 show a James Early in Clark County and a James Earley in Fayette County; James Early’s son Lewis was born in Fayette County in 1811. Note: this sideboard is featured and briefly discussed in The Magazine Antiques article “Living with Antiques: The Nashville Home of Dr. and Mrs. Benjamin H. Caldwell, Jr.,” Vol. C No. 3 Sept. 1971, p. 440. (In this reference, it was attributed, probably erroneously, to Meade County). 39″ H x 66″ W x 18 3/4″ D. First quarter 19th century. Provenance: The living estate of Dr. and Mrs. Benjamin H. Caldwell, Nashville, TN, acquired from Mr. Marcellus Frost of Nashville, who purchased it in Kentucky. (Marcellus Frost was a Tennessee thoroughbred dealer instrumental in the creation of the Iroquois Steeplechase race. His wife was the great granddaughter of Nashville silversmith Joseph Thorp Elliston). CONDITION: Some exfoliation to veneer; 10″ veneer crack running width of right side door. Back board of top appears to be an old replacement. Several areas of edge inlay missing (some pieces retained) and some scattered missing and/or replaced veneer. Left side escutcheon replaced. 3/4″ gouge to facade below left drawer. Right rear escutcheon possibly repaired. Rear legs have some unevenness to finish, and right rear leg has splice repair. Shrinkage to sides. Central drawer has built-up left interior side and back of drawer bottom replaced. Scattered small areas of patching to top and crossbanding. [See more photos →]

Abbott Fuller Graves (American, 1859-1936) oil on canvas depicting a flower-filled courtyard in the Vieux Carre, New Orleans, circa 1927-1928. Signed lower right. Later giltwood molded frame. 18″ x 20″ canvas, 21″ x 25″ framed. Provenance: descended in the family of Ann Dillon, daughter of turn-of-the-century Nashville real estate dealer/developer William W. Dillon (the Bennie-Dillon building is named in part for him). Note: Boston Impressionist painter Abbott Fuller Graves was particularly noted for his floral garden scenes and still lifes which show the influence of European impressionism. He studied painting in Europe where he roomed with Edmund Tarbell, and later taught at the Cowles Art School in Boston where his fellow faculty member Childe Hassam proved influential on his work. Although he did most of his painting in Paris and New England, Graves visited New Orleans during the winters of 1927 and 1928, where he was inspired to paint the courtyards of the Vieux Carre. (Biographical information courtesy Askart: The Artists’ Bluebook). Condition: Overall excellent condition. Blacklighting does not indicate any inpainting or restoration. [See more photos →]