William Edmondson (American/Tennessee, 1874-1951), “Mother and Child,” carved limestone sculpture depicting a woman with high forehead and short hair, balancing a child on one hip and carrying a pocketbook in the other hand. 13 in. H x 5 1/4 in. W x 5 1/3 in. D (overall). Illustrated, Edmond Fuller, “Visions in Stone: The Sculpture of William Edmondson,” fig. 56.

Note: At the time Fuller’s book was published by the Univ. of Pittsburgh Press in 1973, this sculpture was owned by Bette Obermeyer Schultz of Nashville. It was acquired by Myron King, owner of Lyzon Art Gallery in Nashville at an unknown date. For at least the past twenty five years, it has been in the same Middle Tennessee family collection as “The Preacher,” an Edmondson sculpture auctioned by Case in 2020, and “Lady with a Bustle,” also by Edmondson, auctioned by Case in January, 2025, both of which were also acquired through Myron King by the consignor’s family.

Artist biography: William Edmondson, the first African American artist to have a solo exhibit at the Museum of Modern Art, was born in Davidson County, Tennessee. The son of freed slaves, he 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, and he credited divine inspiration for the works produced during his 17-year art career. In the 1930s, his work caught the attention of well-connected Nashville arts patrons Alfred and Elizabeth Starr and Harper’s Bazaar photographer Louise Dahl-Wolfe, wife of Nashville-born artist Meyer Wolfe.

Louise Dahl-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 Biblical figures, various animals, and female figures, frequently based on women he knew from his community. The theme of “mother and child” was one that seemed to resonate deeply with Edmondson. He returned to it frequently in his carving career, and several other variations of this form are known.

PROVENANCE: Private Middle Tennessee Collection, ex-Myron King, Nashville, ex-Bette O. Schultz, Nashville.

CONDITION: Overall very good condition. Some wear or erosion to base, but the sculpture sits solidly. Some natural minor staining and oxidation to stone. [See more photos →]

Carroll Cloar (American/Tennessee, 1913-1993), “Final Resting Place,” 1964, acrylic (tempera casein) on board Magic Realism painting depicting a woman in patterned dress and sunglasses standing beside a grave. Floral funerary sprays on wire stands stick out from the freshly mounded soil beside her, including one with the surrealistic face of a clock. In the background are grasses and trees rendered in Cloar’s characteristic pointillist brush strokes. Signed lower left, “Carroll Cloar,” in script; titled with artist name en verso in paint. Labels en verso for the Alan Gallery, New York, and Christie’s Auction. Ref: G. Northrop, “Hostile Butterflies,” Memphis, Tennessee, 1977, p. 99, no. 229 (illustrated). Housed in the original stained and olive painted wood frame with gilt sight edge. Board: 22 in H x 32 in W. Frame: 30 in H x 40 in W.

Note: Carroll Cloar was known for incorporating nostalgic images, often from his Southern childhood, sometimes merged with dreamlike motifs, into powerful magic realist scenes, and he often noted that literature, particularly by Southern Gothic writers such as William Faulkner or Eudora Welty, influenced his artistic approach. Born in Arkansas, 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 work began to earn national acclaim. By the mid 1950s, he 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, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Museum of Modern Art, the Brooks Museum of Art, and the 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. (Sources: The Johnson Collection/Memphis Brooks Museum of Art).

PROVENANCE: The Entrekin Family Trust; the estates of Jane and Ervin Entrekin, Nashville; Christie’s Auction, New York; the collection of Mr. and Mrs. Arnold Weissberger, New York; Alan Gallery, New York.

CONDITION: Painting in overall very good condition. A few tiny spots of retouch to top of woman’s head (1/4″), and center right of canvas in background. Frame exhibits scattered surface wear and small areas of loss to frame corners and edges. [See more photos →]

Jasper Francis Cropsey (New York, 1823-1900) oil on canvas Hudson River School landscape painting, “Along the Delaware,” 1889. Within a lush, atmospheric landscape filled with colorful fall foliage, a single figure carries a red bindle and walks away from a small bridge. The bridge transverses a creek that flows into the distant Delaware River. At right, the roof of a small building and a wooden fence peer over a hillside while dark clouds hang in the sky above. Signed and dated “J.F. Cropsey 1889,” lower left. With 1991 Christies labels affixed to back of frame. Housed in a giltwood frame with brass nameplate. Canvas: 12 in H x 20 in W. Sight: 11 in H x 19 in W. Frame: 21 in H x 29 1/4 in W. Note: this painting is listed in the Newington-Cropsey Foundation’s Catalog Raisonne for Jasper Cropsey as A View of the Delaware, catalogue # 2015, and is on page 72 of Volume III.

Biographical Note: “Jasper F. Cropsey was born in 1823, the son of a farmer. He was initially trained as an architect under Joseph Trench, who encouraged his interest in drawing and painting. Cropsey soon developed a keen interest in landscape. Throughout the 1840s he supported himself with architectural commissions; among the most notable was New York’s Sixth Avenue Elevated Railway. In 1847 Cropsey traveled to Europe and settled in Thomas Cole’s old studio in Rome. In 1849 he returned to New York and traveled upstate to devote himself to the landscape work that would eventually bring him prominence as a Hudson River School painter. Cropsey’s landscapes reflect his interest in the influence of nature on man’s existence, a concept that was fundamental to the Hudson River School artists. He was a founding member of the American Watercolor Society in 1867.” (Source: Smithsonian American Art Museum)

PROVENANCE: The Mary Louise Thompson Revocable Trust, Chevy Chase, MD. Christies, NY, March 14, 1991, lot 26.

CONDITION: Overall very good condition, canvas has been lined and mounted to a new stretcher. With scattered retouching primarily to foliage: largest areas to trees and outgrowth at far right, 3 in x 1 1/4 in and 1 3/4 in x 1 1/4 in, and to area behind bridge, 4 1/4 in x 1/2 in, plus to bridge itself. See UV photography. Frame with minor abrasions and gilt loss, especially to lower corners. [See more photos →]

Lloyd Branson (Tennessee, 1861-1925) oil on board equestrian portrait painting of President Andrew Jackson astride his horse, Sam Patch, after Ralph E. W. Earl’s (1788-1838) c. 1833 painting in the collection of the Hermitage, Nashville, 1919. Signed and dated lower right. With painted wooden plaque affixed to frame that reads: “Andrew Jackson on Sam Patch. / This painting was presented to the Knoxville High School on March 1 – 1921 / By S. G. Heiskell, author of ‘Andrew Jackson and Early Tennessee History.'” Housed in a giltwood frame. Board: 54 in. H x 47 in. W. Frame: 57 3/4 in. H x 50 3/4 in. W. Note: Samuel Gordon Heiskell’s 1918 book ANDREW JACKSON AND EARLY TENNESSEE HISTORY includes a black and white photographic reproduction of the original Earl painting. Notably, Branson replaced the blue sky and daytime setting of Earl’s original painting with a pink sky and twilight setting characteristic of some of the artist’s own landscape paintings. Branson may have worked from the reproduction in Heiskell’s book and had to determine the coloration himself, or simply chose to intentionally depart from the original. Earl also depicts Jackson with a golden collar and breeches instead of white, as seen here. The Frist Art Museum, Nashville, included Earl’s painting in their 2003-2004 “Art of Tennessee” exhibition and selected it for the cover of the exhibition catalog. Biographical note: Enoch Lloyd Branson was best known for his Southern portraits and depictions of East Tennessee history. He moved to New York in 1873 to study at the National Academy of Design, where he won a first prize in 1875. In a partnership with Frank McCrary from 1885 to 1903, Branson became a leader in the Knoxville and East Tennessee arts communities. He was a mentor to Catherine Wiley and is credited with encouraging Beauford Delaney to pursue a career as an artist. (Research courtesy of James A. Hoobler, formerly of the Tennessee State Museum)

PROVENANCE: Private Knoxville collection

CONDITION: Repaired crack with retouching to sky, hat, and right thigh, center left, 9 in. L, plus stable cracks to lower right, 13 in. L and 1 in. L. Specks of grey paint, especially to lower half. With scattered, minor losses and abrasions. Frame with abrasions, losses, and cracks. [See more photos →]

After Alexander Calder (French/American, 1898-1976), hand-woven maguey jute fiber tapestry titled Josephine Baker, also known as Doll, 1974-75. Woven monogram, date, and edition number 15/100 along lower edge. Published by CAC Publications and Bon Art, Guatemala, with original label en verso. 81 1/2 in. H x 56 1/2 in. W.

PROVENANCE: The estates of Walter and Dr. Mary Schatz, Nashville, TN.

CONDITION: Very good condition. [See more photos →]

Edgar Alwin Payne (Missouri/California, 1883-1947) oil on board mountain landscape that depicts a placid lake in the High Sierras, likely Mono Lake, with barren mountains covered with scattered snowfall in the distance. Rendered in a light impasto are the multicolored trees settled on a boulder-strewn valley. Signed “Edgar Payne” to lower right. Housed in a gilt frame with foliate corners. Sight: 11 1/2 in H x 15 1/2 in W. Frame: 18 in H x 22 in W. Note: Lot includes old gallery label with printed biographical information and handwritten information about the painting that identifies the depicted area as “Mono National Forest / Mono Co. Calif.”

CONDITION: Overall very good condition. 
 

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Meyer R. Wolfe (Tennessee/New York, 1897-1985) oil on canvas portrait depicting a Tunisian woman seated with her hands in her lap. She wears colorful robes and headscarf, a prominent bead and coin necklace, and large gold earrings. Light from an unseen window illuminates the right side of the subject’s face while the left side remains in shadow against an indistinct blue and green wall background. Signed “Meyer R. Wolfe” lower right corner. Stepped wooden frame with painted sight edge. Label en verso of frame for framer Edouard Lahaise, Paris. Sight: 31 in H x 25 in W. Frame: 36 1/2 in H x 20 1/2 in W.

Exhibited, “Meyer Wolfe: The Star of All Things,” The Nashville Parthenon, Feb. 5-June 6, 2021, with the title “Tunisian Bride”(Arab Girl in Wedding Dress, 1927),” and in his 1928 exhibition at the Carnegie Library in Nashville on Capitol Hill, organized by Alfred Starr.

Note: “In early winter 1927, Wolfe sailed across the Mediterranean [from France] in third class to Kairoceau. This ancient, holy city in central Tunisia was a center of Islamic culture and replete with colorful artistic subjects. Living expenses were also lower than in Europe. Though pestered by fleas and Arab ragamuffins, he diligently painted whenever weather permitted, taking advantage of inexpensive accommodations and models. The inconveniences of penury were more than assuaged by the opportunities to paint. Though improving his technique and producing many canvases during this time, Wolfe’s work was not the most important event of his time in North Africa. For it was there in 1928 that he met Louise Dahl [the fashion photographer, who would become his wife].” Source: “Meyer Wolfe: Southern Regional Artist” by Robert W. Ikard, Tennessee Historical Quarterly, Vol. LXVI, Summer 2007.

PROVENANCE: The estate of Dr. Lawrence Wolfe, by descent from his uncle, the artist Meyer Wolfe.

CONDITION: Painting is in very good condition, lined and cleaned in 1998. A copy of the Conservation treatment report is available on request. Frame exhibits noticeable wear and scuffing. [See more photos →]

Maxfield Parrish (American, 1870-1966) oil on canvas portrait of a woman, initialed and dated “MP 1922” lower right, also signed with impressed block letters on top stretcher verso: “MAXFIELD PARRISH”.  Sight 16 in. x 21 in., Canvas 17 in. x 22 in., Framed  22 1/2 in. x  27 1/2 in. Description and Essay (courtesy Jane C.H. Jacob, ASA, art historian): “The vertically oriented oil on linen painting by Maxfield Parrish depicts the bust portrait of the female sitter with an auburn-colored bobbed haircut looking directly at the viewer. The portrait incorporates the influences of Parrish’s proficiency in saturated color with extraordinary facial detail and academic perfection with his fully developed technique of using pure pigment and layers of varnish. The painting demonstrates how the artist’s vision distinguishes his work from that of his contemporaries, depicting features often described as “too realistic not to be believed.” The result of the portrait is a mesmerizing effect achieved through minimalist design; her face is highlighted against her auburn hair and green background and set off by her deep-cut black frock. The viewer is drawn into the subject’s eyes, slight smile, and beckoning expression. 

Background:  By the 1920s, the work of painter, illustrator and muralist Maxfield Parrish was publicly celebrated and esteemed. In 1922, George Eastman of the Eastman Kodak Company commissioned Parrish to create a painting to hang in the new Eastman Theater he was constructing in Rochester, NY. Entitled “Interlude,” sometimes referred to as “The Lute Players,”  the painting depicts beautiful women in classical clothes lounging in paradise.  The same year, the art publishing firm House of Art commissioned Parrish to paint his iconic painting, Daybreak. After finishing the picture in 1922, he agreed with the firm to manufacture and distribute his artwork. The agreement allowed him to secure the income needed to step away from commercial art and focus on his true passion of nature. The popularity of Daybreak led to an exhibition featuring over fifty of his paintings at a New York Gallery, which was highly profitable for Parrish. It was during this time that Maxfield Parrish completed this untitled portrait. It is a celebrated instance of an exceptionally scarce portrait painting by the artist. The sitter, although formally unidentified, establishes the remarkable evidence of Parrish’s artistic and commercial success and offers a stunning portrayal of female beauty, characterized by deep expression and allure. It was likely commissioned and completed for a significant relationship. This portrait has been in the same family for approximately 75-100 years, making it the missing piece of the puzzle needed to thoroughly understand the breadth of Maxfield Parrish – a national icon in America’s cultural experience.”

This portrait’s first identified owners were Walter and Helen Case King, whose bespoke hat boutique, The Lyzon Hat Shop in Hampton Bays, New York, was a magnet for upscale customers from New York City and high society enclaves like Southhampton, Westhampton, and East Hampton. For her wedding in 1956 to Prince Rainier III of Monaco, Academy Award-winning actress and style icon Grace Kelly commissioned the Kings to design hats for her bridal party. Princess Grace purchased many hats from the Kings over the years, and First Lady Jackie Kennedy was also a customer. By the 1960s, Walter’s health was failing and in 1968, he died at the couple’s home in Chattanooga, TN, bringing an end to Lyzon Hats. The building remained in the family and was operated as an art gallery by Hewitt “Hooty” King. When Hewitt died in 1995, the factory portion of the Lyzon Hat Shop fell into disrepair. It was demolished by Southampton Town in 2005. The hat shop itself was then donated to the Hampton Bays Historical and Preservation Society in 2006. The Historical Society then donated the shop to Southampton Town, and restoration began in 2016. On June 23, 2018, the Lyzon Hat Shop was dedicated and opened to the public under the auspices of the Hampton Bays Historic and Preservation Society.

This painting, meanwhile, descended to Walter and Helen’s son with the oral tradition that the sitter was “Mrs. Parrish.” (However, the still-unidentified sitter in this portrait does not resemble Maxfield Parrish’s wife Lydia, and the two were having marital difficulties in 1922 due to Maxfield’s deepening relationship with his model, Sue Lewin).

Maxfield Parrish was connected to Southampton. Parrish lived in New York in 1918-1919 and maintained a studio in East Hampton, Long Island, near Hampton Bays for a period. He also had a connection through his cousins, James Cresson Parrish Sr. (1840-1926) and Samuel Parrish (1849-1932), founder of the Parrish Art Museum, both of whom had estates in Southampton.  After moving his successful law practice from Philadelphia to New York in the early 1880s, Samuel Parrish began collecting art seriously and in 1896, he began his endeavor to build an art museum in Southampton that could store his prized collection of Italian Renaissance art. Samuel Parrish was fond of his cousin’s artwork and commissioned Maxfield Parrish to create for his home, Rogers Mansion, a smaller version of Maxfield’s famous 1909 mural, “King Cole” (commissioned by John Jacob Astor IV for a New York City hotel). The Rogers Mansion is now part of the Southampton Historical Museum. The Parrish Art Museum would grow into one of the best art museums in the area today thanks to Samuel Parrish’s commitment to the preservation and celebration of art.

In July, 1922, the year this work was painted, James Cresson Parrish, Jr. (1884-1960), married his second wife, 34-year-old “Willie” Burton Oliver Elkins (1888-1930). In announcing the nuptials, the New York Times noted, “The bride is prominent in society in California and in France, where she organized a hospital for children during the war” and mentioned that Samuel Parrish attended the wedding (The New York Times, July 13, 1922). The marriage ended in 1930 with Mrs. Parrish’s death at age 42 “after an operation” (KC Times, Mar. 5, 1932). Parrish himself died in Southampton in 1960. The couple left no children.

PROVENANCE: By descent from Walter H. and Helen (Case) King, founders of The Lyzon Hat Shop, Hampton Bays, New York, to their son Myron King, founder of Lyzon Frames & Fine Art, Nashville, TN;  through bequest to his son, the current owner, Ron King, Nashville, TN (2011).

CONDITION: Overall craquelure, including impact crackle upper left background. A UV light inspection suggests no previous repair or retouch. [See more photos →]

Eduardo Kingman (Ecuador/United States, 1913-1997) oil on canvas painting that depicts two indigenous workers who use straps and ropes to carry a heavy load, 1938. A worker in white and red kneels and carries a large sack on his back while a second, standing figure assists. Signed and dated 1938, lower right. Housed in a simple wooden frame, likely original. Sight: 30 in. H x 28 in. W. Frame: 35 1/2 in. H x 34 1/4 in. W. Artist Biography: “Born in the southern province of Loja, Ecuador to a North American father and an Ecuadoran mother, Eduardo Kingman Riofrio later moved to Quito to study at the Escuela de Bellas Artes. Kingman distinguished himself in the 1930s through his powerful renditions of indigenous workers depicted in a monumental style…In addition to painting, Kingman produced woodcuts and lithographs and painted several murals throughout Quito. He made his first trip outside South America in 1938 to assist Camilo Egas with his mural for the Ecuadoran pavilion at the New York World’s Fair. In the 1940s Kingman traveled to the United States to work and exhibit at the San Francisco Museum of Art and in 1947 he participated in an exhibition sponsored by the Pan American Union in Washington, D.C. Upon his return to Quito in 1948, he was appointed director of the Museo de Arte Colonial, where he worked for the next 20 years while also teaching at the Escuela de Bellas Artes…Through his easel paintings and murals Kingman addressed both local and international social issues.” (Source: Art Museum of the Americas)

PROVENANCE: Collection of Dr. Aaron Benchetrit (Spanish Morocco/Columbia, 1886-1967) and Carmen Ruth Vargas (Venezuela, b. 1891), thence by descent. Note: Dr. Benchetrit served as medical director and administrator of the Leproserias de Venezuela (1921-26) before he moved to Bogota, Colombia, where he oversaw all leprosy cases in the country from 1927 to 1935 and directed scientific research on leprosy. He also served as president of the Centro Israelita of Bogota and as president of the Zionist Federation of Colombia, 1943-44. (Source: Adapted from Encyclopaedia Judaica)
 

CONDITION: Overall very good condition. With negligible craquelure and minor frame abrasion without loss, especially along lower edge. Canvas is strip-lined.  [See more photos →]

Ladies 18K yellow gold rope chain necklace with 18K yellow gold cross pendant by Tiffany and Company. The necklace is marked “103 AR 750” and XRF tests 18K gold. The pendant is marked “Tiffany 18K” and XRF test 18K gold. The necklace is 29 in. L. The pendant is 1 7/8 in. size. The gross weight of the necklace and pendant is 71.27 grams.

CONDITION: Overall good condition with some light scratches to the cross surface. [See more photos →]

Albrecht Durer (German, 1471-1528) woodcut on laid paper, “The Four Avenging Angels,” c. 1498. From the 1511 Latin text edition of THE APOCALYPSE, with text en verso. With Triangle with Flower watermark (M. 127). Ref.: Bartsch 69, Meder 171. Housed in a window mat with recto and verso openings. Sheet: 15 7/16 in H x 11 in W. Mount: 27 1/4 in H x 23 in W.

PROVENANCE: A private Chattanooga collection.

CONDITION: Overall very good condition. An evenly-inked impression with strong contrasts. With repairs to lower-left corner, 1 in x 3/16 in, and lower-right corner, 1 in x 3/8 in, both primarily outside of image. Plus minor repairs to lower-right angel’s left leg, 1/2 in x 3/16 in, and left arm, 1/4 in x 1/4 in, along with faint reddish soiling to both areas. Similar, scattered soiling also en verso. See UV photography. Sheet has been trimmed to borderline, with borderline preserved on all sides. Sheet is mounted to backing with archival tape affixed to edges en verso. [See more photos →]

Peter Max (New York/Germany, b. 1937) acrylic on canvas painting of a stylized American flag surrounded by a colorful, gestural border and with passages of impasto throughout. Signed “Max,” lower right. With “Peter Max” stamp and numbered 117149 to verso. Housed in an ebonized wood frame. Sight: 19 1/2 in H x 23 3/8 in W. Frame: 29 3/4 in H x 33 3/4 in W. 

PROVENANCE: Private Alabama collection.

CONDITION: Excellent condition. [See more photos →]

Pair of large Art Nouveau sterling silver candelabra by Howard and Company, New York. Each candelabra consisting of two sections including a top with five scrolling arms centering a raised single light and a lower repousse and chased base section terminating into a square base with four scrolling feet. The underside of the base is marked HOWARD & CO. / STERLING / NEW YORK and dated 1905. The top is numbered in various areas and is otherwise unmarked but XRF tests Sterling. 25 in. H x 17 3/4 in. dia. 325.47 total troy ounces total.

PROVENANCE: Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts Foundation.

CONDITION: One arm of one candelabra slightly bends to the center. Each candelabra is missing a bobeche. [See more photos →]

Men’s 18K Rolex Day-Date Presidential wrist watch, Model #18038 single quick set, 18K yellow gold bracelet, gold dial with diamond hour markers, day aperture at twelve, calendar date aperture at three, an aftermarket diamond bezel and aftermarket dial, sapphire crystal, 36mm gold bezel. Ref. , Serial # 7625477. Automatic movement, bracelet marked 8385, 18K with additional Rolex hallmarks. Approx. 8″ dia. Circa 1983.

PROVENANCE: The estate of late Tennessee Bureau of Investigation director Mark Gwyn.

CONDITION: The watch is fitted with an aftermarket diamond bezel and watch face, the original gold fluted bezel is retained. The watch is functioning at the time of inspection. The gasket needs to be replaced, and servicing is recommended. The lot retains a Rolex suede-lined storage box and outer box.  [See more photos →]

Scarce hippo figurine by McCarty Pottery of Merigold, Mississippi, with three-tone glaze and cobalt eyes. Inscribed “McCartys / Merigold / Miss” to the underside. 14 in. L x 7 in. W x 5 in. H. Circa 1960s. Note: “In 1952, William Faulkner gave Lee and Pup McCarty permission to dig all the clay they wanted from a gulley on his property. That was the beginning of a 64-year love affair with clay, Mississippi clay. In 1954, the McCartys lived and worked in a mule barn in Merigold, Mississippi, creating together a pottery design that would become nationally and internationally known. The trademarked ‘river,’ a small black wavy line would become synonymous with the signature glazes of nutmeg brown, cobalt blue, and jade. However, the love and life of that Mississippi clay was a labor-intensive jubilant existence. The McCartys were determined to do everything themselves. They dug clay from a ravine, then processed it for creating artwork, and converted a barn into a studio and living spaces. They nailed up painted cardboard to keep the wind and bugs out, built shelves from milled pine, and put down bricks for flooring…Lee and Pup McCarty worked side by side until Pup’s death in 2009. Lee continued the work until his passing in 2015. The godsons of Lee and Pup, Jamie and Stephen Smith, continue their tradition of McCarty, still working in the barn behind the bamboo in Merigold, Mississippi.” (Source: Mississippi Museum of Art)

CONDITION: Overall very good condition. [See more photos →]

Max Kuehne (American, 1880 – 1968) four-panel redwood, silver gilt and gesso screen with elaborate incised floral and foliate decoration. Signed on the lower left side of the far right panel. 66 in. H x 53 in. total W (13 in. each panel). Circa 1930’s. Note: The screen retains the original sales receipt, a letter from Max Kuehne’s son Richard, and a 1997 Cape Ann Historical Museum catalog featuring Max Kuehne’s paintings, furniture, and sculpture.

Biographical Note: “Max Kuehne was a German-American artist best remembered for his Impressionist style and vivid rendering of light and color…Kuehne was born in Halle, Germany, in 1880. He moved to Flushing, New York, in 1894… [Kuehne] began formal art training at age 27 and studied with William Merritt Chase and Robert Henri…Kuehne set up a studio in Rockport, Massachusetts, and spent his summers in Cape Ann, Massachusetts…To make ends meet he developed a career creating decorative screens, panels, and furniture in gesso and silver leaf, skills he acquired while making his own frames.” (Source: Syracuse University Libraries, adapted from Kristian Davies, ARTISTS OF CAPE ANN: A 150 YEAR TRADITION)

PROVENANCE: The estate of Billie Ann Smith, Nashville, TN

CONDITION: Overall very good condition with very light scattered abrasions and wear. [See more photos →]

Ledger book with list of names, ages, heights, and some occupations of  152 persons enslaved on the landholdings of Mississippi planter and Southern aristocrat Ayres Phillips Merrill Jr. (Mississippi, 1825-1883).

Pages 1-6 include a list of 93 individuals enslaved on Scotland and Genevieve plantations, Concordia Parish, Louisiana (Concordia County): 38 (ages 14-70) men, 31 women (ages 14-60), and 24 children (ages 1/2 to 13). Pages 7-10 with genealogical information including parent/child relationships with names plus additional notes. Pages 11-13 include a list of names and heights for 59 enslaved persons on Hedges Plantation, Natchez, MS (Adams County), some prefaced with “Big” or “Little” conveying size or possible parent/child relationships.

Final page dated May 12, 1880 records goods sent to Scotland Plantation and includes: 42 women’s frocks and 42 undergarments (winter), 43 women’s frocks and 43 undergarments (summer), 21 double bias strips, 31 single bias strips, 41 winter suits for children, 14 summer suits for children, and 33 pairs of pants and 22 shirts (summer).

Inscribed to cover “List of Negroes at Scotland, Genevieve, Hedges, Elmscourt.” The earliest date recorded in the ledger relates to a child named Starry Ann, who died April 1859, age 1/2. The latest date is September 3, 1902, found in marginalia regarding government reports on cotton markets. Content includes clippings from the “Cotton Letter” and other syndicated columns of the cotton trade, published by the Daily Democrat newspaper in Natchez. Many pages include pencil markings and notes from an unknown plantation manager, and a child’s handwriting practice. 12 3/4 in x 8 1/8 in x 1/4 in.

Note: Ayres Phillips Merrill Jr. was a Unionist native of Natchez, Mississippi educated at Harvard Law School (1845), United States Ambassador to Belgium under the Grant Administration (1876-1877), and partner of cotton mercantile firm Goodman & Merrill, New York. Son of Dr. Ayres Phillips Merrill Sr. (1798-1873), renowned physician and educator of Pittsfield, MA; New York, NY; Memphis, TN; and Natchez, MS. Merrill married Jane Surget Merrill (1829-1866), daughter of Captain Francis Surget (1784-1856), one of the largest plantation owners of the antebellum south. He was the father of Jane “Jennie'” Surget Merrill (1861-1932), 19th-century American social reformer and member of the Kings’ Daughters, whose later life and tragic murder in Natchez is detailed in the history of “Goat Castle” (Natchez, MS). Elms Court was the Merrill family residence and was inherited by Jane when Surget died in 1856. The Hedges Plantation was also part of her inheritance. The Scotland and Genevieve plantations were located nearby in Concordia Parish, Louisiana (Concordia County). The 1860 U.S. Census Slave Schedules for Concordia Parish lists Merrill as the owner of over 200 enslaved people: 91 at St. Genevieve and 111 at Scotland Place.

PROVENANCE: By descent through the family of Ayres Phillips Merrill Jr.

CONDITION: Overall very good condition with wear, toning, ink bleed, and dampstaining consistent with age and use. [See more photos →]

Southwest Virginia or East Tennessee walnut pie safe with older polychrome paint-decorated tins. Secondary woods include yellow pine and poplar. Rectangular top with half-round beaded molding over two dovetailed drawers with wooden pulls and two cupboard doors, each having punched tin panels decorated with a circular vase with handles and hearts with star and circular flowers and heart designs to the tin corners and flanking the urn. Safe case supported on turned Sheraton feet. 43 1/4 in. W x 17 1/8 in. D x 41 1/2 in. H. Third quarter of the 19th century. 

CONDITION: Older refinish. Top with areas of uneven finish and light scratches.  Polychrome painted tins do not fluoresce, indicating an old application of paint. Scattered oxidation to exterior of tins and minor oxidation to reverse side of tins. 

  [See more photos →]

Hamilton Hamilton (Connecticut/California, 1847-1926) impressionist oil on canvas painting depicting a young woman in a long white dress standing before a trellis covered in blooming roses. The trellis grows up the column of a house with a window visible behind the column. Signed “Hamilton Hamilton NA” lower right. Label en verso for Berry Hill Galleries, with title listed as “Young Woman Standing Before a Trellis of Flowers” and approximate date of 1890-1895. Giltwood frame with Neoclassical-style fluted, egg and dart and beaded moldings, and carved corner ornaments. Sight: 23 1/2 in H x 13 1/2 in W. Frame: 28 1/2 in H x 18 1/2 in W. 

PROVENANCE: Ex-Spencer Hays, Nashville, TN, by descent to his daughter. 

CONDITION: Overall good condition. Craquelure throughout with stretcher marks. UV light inspection suggests scattered minor retouch spots to subject’s hair, cheek and to background. Frame has some wear and small losses.  [See more photos →]

Helen La France (Kentucky, 1919-2020) oil on canvas landscape painting depicting an African American congregation gathering for a church picnic, with automobiles parked in front of a church and horse and buggy approaching lower left; food is being set out in the background while little girls play a circle game in the right foreground. Signed “Helen La France” and dated 1998 lower right. Floated in a simple wood frame. Stretcher: 18 in H x 24 in W. Frame: 19 in H x 25 in W. Biography: “Self-taught African American artist Helen LaFrance was born on a Kentucky farm and began painting in her 40s. She is known for her “memory paintings”  drawn from her recollections of life growing up in the rural South. Several museums and private collectors, including Oprah Winfrey, own examples of her work.” (Source: “Helen LaFrance Folk Art Memories” by Kathy Moses). Helen Lafrance died November 22, 2020 in a Mayfield, Kentucky nursing home at the age of 101. Provenance: Private Kentucky collection, acquired by consignor’s mother directly from the artist.

PROVENANCE: A Kentucky Estate. 

CONDITION: Excellent condition. [See more photos →]

Rolex Oyster Perpetual Date Submariner watch, Model 16610, 40mm stainless steel case, silver Jubilee dial with custom-set diamond and sapphire hour markers, aftermarket diamond bezel and dial, calendar date aperture at three, sapphire crystal, and a stainless steel Oyster bracelet with flip lock buckle. Marked “Rolex” to dial, crown, and bracelet.
Serial # X780956. Circa 1991.

PROVENANCE: The estate of late Tennessee Bureau of Investigation director Mark Gwyn.

CONDITION: Retains the period Rolex box and the original black bezel. One link has been removed but is retained. The watch is functioning at the time of inspection, but servicing is recommended. Clasp does not close tightly, needs minor repair. One edge of the watch box case has been repaired with tape. [See more photos →]

Meyer R. Wolfe (Tennessee/New York, 1897-1985) American Regionalist oil on panel painting depicting an African American couple standing on an urban Nashville street and watching a train go by on a nearby railroad overpass. Signed lower right “Wolfe” and housed in a cream painted plain wood frame. Panel: 20 in H x 24 in W. Frame: 28 in H x 32 in W. Exhibition History: “Meyer Wolfe: The Star of All Things,” The Nashville Parthenon, Feb. 5-June 6, 2021. Note: The area depicted in this undated painting is the  neighborhood near the Tennessee State Capital known as Hell’s Half Acre, likely around Gay Street, 10th Ave. North, and Jo Johnston Ave., near Meyer Wolfe’s childhood home. It was cleared in the 1950s under a series of Urban Renewal projects to make way for open greenspace, a six-lane road, and commercial buildings, and residents were relocated to public housing. The railroad bridge still stands and is in use today. Artist Biography: Meyer (“Mike”) Wolfe was born into a Jewish Lithuanian immigrant family, the second of ten children. He was raised in a low-income, racially diverse neighborhood of Nashville just north of the Tennessee State Capitol, where he observed the social and cultural lives of his African American friends. As a teen with an interest in drawing, he became a protege of Pulitzer Prize-winning Nashville cartoonist Carey Orr. In 1917 he studied briefly at the Art Institute of Chicago and worked as an illustrator. In 1918 he moved to New York and met Ashcan School painter John Sloan, who became one of his most influential teachers. Wolfe traveled to Paris in 1926 to train at the Academie Julian in Paris. While overseas, he met (and later married) the fashion photographer Louise Dahl-Wolfe. Meyer exhibited at the San Francisco Art Association, the New York 1939 World’s Fair, and in Nashville, where he later returned to live. However, much of his later life was spent supporting and managing his wife’s career, and as a result, many of Wolfe’s paintings and prints were never publicly shown or sold and remained within his family. His work was the subject of a retrospective at the Parthenon in Nashville in 2021. Many of those works are included in this auction; others are in the permanent collections of the National Museum of American Art-Smithsonian Institution, the Tennessee State Museum, and the Frederick R. Weisman Art Museum, Minneapolis. Sources: “Meyer Wolfe: The Star of All Things” (digital catalog for the 2021 exhibition at the Nashville Parthenon); Dr. Lawrence Wolfe; Robert Ikard, Tennessee Historical Quarterly, Summer, 2007.

PROVENANCE: The estate of Dr. Lawrence Wolfe, by descent from his uncle, the artist Meyer Wolfe.

CONDITION: Very good condition. Professionally conserved in 1998 by Cumberland Art Conservation including cleaning and some scattered retouch. A copy of the conservation report is available on request.  [See more photos →]

Carl Gutherz or Guthers (Tennessee/Missouri, 1844-1907) oil on canvas painting, “Man with Cyclamens,” 1889. A bearded gardener stands in a greenhouse filled with red, pink, and white flowering plants, 1889. He wears a straw hat and blue work coat with overalls and smokes a pipe while he examines a potted plant. Signed, dated, and inscribed “Paris,” lower right. Housed in a painted wooden frame. Sight: 50 3/4 in. H x 36 3/4 in. W. Frame: 52 1/2 in. H x 38 1/4 in. W. Note: This painting likely relates to the Paris Exposition Universelle of 1889 and may depict the noted horticulturalist Alexandre Godefroy-Lebeuf (1852-1903), publisher of the journal “Le Jardin” which provided information about the exposition’s garden and plant offerings for the exposition’s guide book. According to this publication, cut cyclamens could be purchased at the exposition from October 4th-9th. Source: EXPOSITION DE 1889 GUIDE BLEU DU FIGARO ET DU PETIT JOURNAL (Paris: Guide Bleu, 1889), pp. 89-90. Literature: CARL GUTHERZ: POETIC VISION AND ACADEMIC IDEALS, eds. Marilyn Masler and Marina Pacini (Memphis, TN: Memphis Brooks Museum of Art, 2009), no. 32. Artist Biography: Guthers, who was born in Switzerland, emigrated as a child to the U.S. in 1851. He lived with his family in Memphis, Tennessee, through the Civil War and then studied at the Ecole des Beaux Arts in Paris and the Academie Julian, as well as in Munich, Brussels, and Rome. In 1875 moved to St. Louis, Missouri, where he taught at Washington University and helped establish the St. Louis School and Museum of Fine Arts. Gutherz continued to take portrait commissions from Memphis, however, and even designed costumes and floats for the annual Memphis Mardi Gras. In 1884 he returned to Paris, where he studied with Gustave Boulanger and Joseph LeFevre. Here, he became associated with the Symbolist movement and produced his most successful paintings including large allegorical works, often featuring Christian imagery. Back in the U.S. he was hired to create murals for institutions including the Library of Congress, the People’s Church of St. Paul Minnesota, and the Allen County (Indiana) Courthouse. A year before his death, he produced a design for an arts and sciences pavilion which was the basis for the development of the Brooks Memorial Art Gallery, later the Memphis Brooks Museum of Art. Source: The Tennessee Encyclopedia.

PROVENANCE: Deaccessioned by the Memphis Brooks Museum of Art to benefit the acquisitions fund. 

CONDITION: Overall very good condition, canvas has been lined. With minor, scattered retouch primarily to left arm and beard, largest area 1 1/2 in x 1 1/2 in, plus fine craquelure throughout. See UV photography. Frame with minor abrasions and losses.  [See more photos →]

William Lester Stevens (American, 1888-1969) oil on canvas Charleston, South Carolina street scene that depicts Meeting Street with St. Michael’s Church at right and palms and other trees in the foreground. Signed “W. Lester Stevens.,” lower right. Housed in a giltwood frame with foliate corners. Sight: 15 1/2 in H x 19 1/2 in W. Framed: 22 in H x 25 3/4 in W. Note: Although he produced at least four watercolor depictions of various locations in the city, this is Stevens’s only known oil painting of Charleston. Artist Biography: “Rockport, Massachusetts-born William Lester Stevens attended the Boston Museum School as a student of Edmund Tarbell, Frank Benson, Philip Hale and William Paxton. Although he is most commonly associated with the Boston School of painters, Stevens also painted for a period in Charlotte and Asheville, NC, where he gave lessons and held one man shows. In 1921 Stevens and his friend Aldro Hibbard were instrumental in organizing the Rockport Art Association. Stevens was best known for his traditional and impressionist landscapes. He was prolific, and by 1964 had won more awards than any other living artist.” Source: American Art Review, Oct. 2003; Falk, Peter Hastings (ed.) Who Was Who in American Art, 1564-1975.

PROVENANCE: Private Southern collection. 

CONDITION: Overall very good condition, with negligible craquelure to a few areas of thicker pigment, especially clouds. Not examined out of frame. Frame with minor abrasions. [See more photos →]

American schoolgirl needlework sampler by Lucy Ann Reid, Spring Hill TN Female Academy, 1842, silk thread on linen ground. Cross stitched double vine and blossom borders enclosing two alphabets (one rendered in box stitch) and a row of numbers, divided by satin stitch sawtooth borders, a vine and blossom border, and decorations of flowering baskets, over a verse: “Jesus permit thy gracious name to stand / engraven by an infant hand / As I my finger oor the canvass move / inspire my bosom with thy love.” Cartouche lower center signed “Lucy Ann Reid aged 9 / Spring Hill Female Academy /  Nov. 15, 1842” within a geometric border. Later molded wood frame, under glass. Sampler: 17 in H x 16 3/4 in W. Frame: 21 in H x 20 1/2 in W. Note: this sampler has been documented by the Tennessee Sampler Survey, which notes that Lucy Reid was born Feb. 16, 1832 in either Tennessee or North Carolina. Her parents, William Buchanon Reid and Ede Harris Brown, moved to Macon in Fayette County, Tennessee by 1834. Spring Hill Female Academy on the border of Williamson and Maury Counties was likely the closest site for her to receive educational instruction. Lucy Reid married Edmond Madison Waller in 1851. He served as a private in the Confederate Army (13th Tennessee Infantry) and was killed at the Battle of Stones River Dec. 31, 1862. Lucy herself and their son do not appear in any records after that, although their three daughters lived to adulthood. A packet of genealogy information on Lucy Reid accompanies this lot. 

PROVENANCE: Private West Tennessee Collection. 

CONDITION: Sampler has been recently framed and affixed with stitches (not glue) to a tan linen backing, minimizing some wear, losses and holes that have occurred to ground in the area between verses (likely along fold lines) and to both ground and thread on the word “gracious.” Some losses to pale thread forming the sawtooth borders between alphabets. 1/4 inch hole lower left corner. Some staining to border especially at lower left corner and upper left edge. General fading.  [See more photos →]

Samuel Bak (United States/Israel/Poland, b. 1933) oil on canvas surrealist painting titled The Origins of the End Game, 1971. Oversized chess pieces and weathered wooden constructions sit on a rocky hillside beneath a dark, cloudy sky and before an expansive landscape. The shadow or silhouette of a horse’s head or knight chess piece appears prominently on a central wooden panel. Signed “BAK,” lower right. With Safrai Art Gallery, Jerusalem and Boston label affixed to stretcher plus inventory number inscribed to upper-right of stretcher. Housed in a distressed giltwood frame with linen fillet. Sight: 18″ H x 14 1/2″ W. Framed: 24″ H x 20 5/8″ W. Note: this painting will be included in the Samuel Bak catalog raisonne being compiled by Cecilia Witteveen and Siegfried Schaefer. Literature: Paul T. Nagano, SAMUEL BAK: THE ETERNAL ENIGMA (Boston, MA: Pucker/Safrai Gallery, Inc., 1971), front cover. Exhibition History: Samuel Bak: The Eternal Enigma; Pucker/Safrai Gallery, Boston, MA; Jan. 10-Oct. 11, 1971. Biographical Note: “Samuel Bak was born in 1933 in Vilna, Poland…Bak lived under Soviet and German occupation from 1940-44. Bak’s artistic talent was first recognized during an exhibition of his work in the Ghetto of Vilna when he was nine years old. While he and his mother were sheltered in a local convent, his father and four grandparents all perished at the hands of the Nazis…Bak studied art in Munich and later at the Bezalel Art School in Jerusalem after immigrating to the newly formed state of Israel with his mother in 1948…[Bak] has had numerous exhibitions in major museums, galleries, and universities throughout Europe, Israel, and the United States, including retrospectives at Yad Vashem Museum in Jerusalem, and the South African Jewish Museum in Cape Town. He has been the subject of solo exhibitions at the Bezalel National Museum in Jerusalem and the Tel Aviv Museum of Art, and his work has been exhibited at Holocaust museums around the world. He has lived and worked in Tel Aviv, Paris, Rome, New York, and Lausanne. In 1993, he settled in Massachusetts and became an American citizen.” (Source: Samuel Bak Museum: The Learning Center, University of Nebraska, Omaha)

PROVENANCE: Estate of Florence F. Johnston, Knoxville, TN. Pucker/Safrai Gallery, Jerusalem and Boston.

CONDITION: Overall very good condition. With negligible specks of liquid accretion visible under UV light to right of horsehead shadow, plus a single speck to left of rock at lower left. See UV photography. Slight looseness to canvas and faint stretcher marks visible in raking light. Frame with negligible abrasions and losses. [See more photos →]

Southern, likely Richmond or Winchester, Virginia area Federal period huntboard or sideboard, walnut and cherry with tiger maple veneers. Yellow pine and poplar secondary. Pegged construction. Plain rectangular top over two deep side drawers and two stacked center drawers, each drawer dovetailed and having tiger maple veneer surrounded by figured crossbanding at the edges and the original oval brass pulls embossed with acorns and leaves. Supported on four tall square tapered legs. 42 in H x 57 in W x 20 3/4 in D. Circa 1810.

PROVENANCE: By descent in a family originally from the Richmond, Virginia area.

CONDITION: Overall good condition with little, if any, loss to height. Some old pest damage and minor repairs to top including an older 2″ width replacement strip at back edge. Very old rectangular patch of 2 in. x 1 in. on top left side. Shrinkage splits to drawer bottoms and sides of case. Scattered wear and abrasions including 4″ narrow area of loss to 1 rear leg edge. Veneer chip and area of possible veneer replacement to left side of top center drawer. Old but not original surface. [See more photos →]

Antique French Savonnerie carpet, wool on cotton, with a central basketweave foliate oval medallion to the center on a blue ground surrounded by bands of floral garlands, overall multicolor geometric field with a swag border. Woven in colors of blue, yellow, pink, green, peach, lilac, green, and cream. 7 ft. 6 in. x 9 ft. 3 in. Early 20th century.

PROVENANCE: The collection of Charles R. Ragan, KY. 

CONDITION: Overall good condition with even pile wear. One approx. 2 in. area of repair to the center with some abrash noted on one end. No stains noted. [See more photos →]

Jaune Quick-to-See Smith (American, 1940-2025) color lithograph with chine colle on Sekishu and Somerset paper, ” A Map to Heaven,” 2002. Signed, titled, and numbered 7/20 in pencil along lower edge. Published by Tamarind Institute with publisher’s chop, lower left, and printer Uli Kuehle’s chop mark, lower right. Floated under plexiglass in a silvered wood frame with white mount. Sheet: 39 in. W x 34 in. W. Frame: 52 1/4 in. H x 42 1/4 in. W. 

PROVENANCE: The estates of Walter and Dr. Mary Schatz, Nashville. 

CONDITION: Excellent condition. Not examined outside of frame.  [See more photos →]

Pedro Friedeberg (Mexican, b. 1936) “Two Heads and Twelve Hands” Clock, gilt and painted wood with mixed media. Twelve molded hands, each with an increasing number of fingers extended (one through twelve), encircle the clock face. Clock face is hinged to accept a battery. Signed on underside of proper left foot. 17 1/2 in H.

PROVENANCE: Private Memphis collection.

CONDITION: Both heads appear to have been broken and reattached. One with fine cracking to back of head. Scattered minor wear. Clock is functional at time of inspection. [See more photos →]

Ogle Winston Link (American, 1914-2001) silver gelatin print photograph, “Hotshot Eastbound, Iager, West Virginia, July 1957,” 1957, printed June, 1993. Moviegoers fill automobiles in a 1950s drive-in theater in West Virginia while a train steams past and an image of an airplane appears onscreen simultaneously. Signed with print date in pencil plus stamped copyright and numbered NW1126 en verso. Housed under plexiglass in a modern wood frame with white mat. Sight: 15 3/4 in h x 19 1/2 in W. Frame: 24 1/2 in H x 28 in W.

Note: O. Winston Link was an American photographer whose work is best known for capturing the end of the steam locomotive era in Virginia and surrounding areas. This image is considered one of his masterpieces due to its technical complexity. It features a romanticized scene of 1950s Southern culture while capturing present, past and future (cars, a steam train, and a jet) in a single shot. Source: Encyclopedia of Virginia.

PROVENANCE: The estates of Walter and Dr. Mary Schatz, Nashville.

CONDITION: Overall very good condition. [See more photos →]

Bill Toma (American/California, 20th Century) limited edition patinated bronze sculpture titled “Dragonscape B” that depicts a dragon with outstretched wings perched atop a globe having simulated cracks/fissures and a scrolled tripartite base with masks. Inscribed “Bill Toma,” numbered 18/30 and dated 1992 on the back edge of the globe. 53 in. H x 32 in. W x 20 in. D. 

PROVENANCE: Private Alabama collection.

CONDITION: Overall very good condition. [See more photos →]

Set of fifty-five (55) Hermes Siesta Island pattern porcelain dinnerware, including fourteen (14) salad plates (8 7/8 in. dia.), twelve (12) rim soup bowls (8 7/8 in. dia.), twelve (12) dinner plates(10 3/4 in. dia.), six (6) coupe cereal bowls (7 1/2 in. dia.), one (1) salad/serving bowl (8 in. dia.), and ten (10) mugs (3 3/4 in. H). 21st. century.

CONDITION: Salad plates show some color fading to the enamel, and one mug has a chip on the rim. All remaining pieces in very good condition. [See more photos →]

Ladies’ 18K white gold ring containing one (1) 5.61 carat octagonal step faceted cut natural emerald beryl gemstone measuring 11.63 x 8.78 mm, Type 3 clarity and green 5/5 color. Excellent symmetry, intense color, transparent, and dark tone. The emerald is set in a 4-prong solitaire 18K white gold ring marked “750”. Size 7 1/2. 5.5 grams. GGA trace number RN034405. 

CONDITION: Overall very good condition. [See more photos →]

Akira Blount (American/Tennessee, 1945 – 2013) folk art soft sculpture titled “Joy Ride” and constructed of mixed media elements including paint, leather, fabric, wood, twigs, straw, and paper mache. A woman sits atop a silver horse on a wheeled platform and holds a bird’s nest that contains a pear. A blackbird sits on her hair and a similar nest and blackbird rests on the platform below. Signed and dated 2010 on the underside. 25 in. H x 16 in. D x 10 in. W. Note: Akira Blount was born in 1945 and grew up in Madison, Wisconsin. She continued her education at the University of Wisconsin-Madison where she graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Art Education. She started making dolls from cotton stockings in 1970 and they quickly evolved into a steady source of income. Over the next nine years her mastery of needle sculpting evolved into a style well known as her own. In 1979 she moved to the Great Smoky Mountains in Tennessee with her family. Her work has been profiled in over 30 magazines and her soft sculptures can be found in the Musee des Artes Decorative in Paris; the Musee de Pouppes, Josselin, France; the Sekiguchi doll Garden, Japan; and the Tennessee State Museum. Exhibitions include the National Museum of American Art, Washington, DC, American Folk Art Museum, NYC, NY, Mint Museum of Fine Art, Charlotte, NC, Santa Barbara Museum of Art, Santa Barbara, CA, Tampa Museum of Fine Art, Tampa, FL. The White House Collection of American Craft,

PROVENANCE: The estates of Walter and Dr. Mary Schatz, Nashville. 

CONDITION: Overall very good condition with some minor grime and dust.  [See more photos →]

Eames No. 670 & 671 lounge chair and ottoman, made by Herman Miller and designed in 1956 by Charles Eames (American, 1907-1978) and Ray Eames (American, 1912-1988). Cherry veneer shells with black leather cushions and cast aluminum bases. Rectangular Herman Miller silver metal labels to undersides of chair and ottoman. Chair with an additional paper label with a manufacturing date of 8-22-03 (2003). Chair measures 32 1/2″ H x 32 3/4″ W x 28″ D. Ottoman measures: 17″ H x 25 1/2″ W x 22″ D.

PROVENANCE: Private Knoxville, TN Collection.

CONDITION: Both pieces are in overall good condition. The shell of both the chair and ottoman with minor scuffing to the fouter edges. General surface wear to the leather of both pieces, some scuffing to the leather below the armrests. [See more photos →]

Alexander Hamilton ALS authorizing Colonel David Henley “to make  advances on account of the pay due to the Troops of the United States in the Territory South West of the Ohio” up to $3,000. Dated September 18, 1794. The 10 in x 8 in double sheet letter is mounted at the top of the second page to a 19 in x 10 1/2 in green mat, with a printed image of a bust of Hamilton pasted above it. Includes later typewritten transcription. Note: Treasury Secretary Alexander Hamilton proposed an excise tax on distilled spirits which became law in 1791. It outraged frontier farmers who depended on whiskey as a commodity and even a form of currency. They protested in a series of armed confrontations which intensified, culminating in July, 1794 when an armed militia attacked tax collector John Neville’s home in Pennsylvania. Determined to set a precedent for the federal government’s authority, President George Washington gathered and led an army of 12,000 militiamen to quell “the Whiskey Rebellion.”  The leaders of the rebels ultimately fled and there was no confrontation, but the event served to prove that the new federal government had the will and the power to suppress violent resistance. The whiskey tax, however, remained difficult to collect, and it was ultimately repealed under President Jefferson. (Source: hamilton.gilderlehrman.org ). 

PROVENANCE: By descent from the estate of John J. Hooker, Jr. of Nashville, Tennessee. Hooker was an attorney, businessman, and two time Democratic nominee for Governor of Tennessee.

CONDITION: 4 1/4 in tear to letter at upper left. Old tape stains crossing a portion of Hamilton’s signature and at the edges of the sheet. Adhered to mat along top edge of second page not affecting the page with Hamilton’s signature. Scattered old stains, even toning. Mat is worn and faded with 1″ puncture to center.  [See more photos →]

Set of six hand hammered copper cups and pitcher, circa 1905, all with Black Forest / Arts and Crafts style figural rabbit handles, stamped for retailer Black, Starr and Frost with eagle hallmarks and “COPPER AND SILVER”; design and manufacture attributed to Joseph Heinrichs (German/American, b. 1866). Pitcher 10 in H, Cups 7 in H. 

PROVENANCE: Private West Tennessee Collection.

CONDITION: All items exhibiting oxidation and some verdigris to copper and some scattered dents and wear.  [See more photos →]

Alfred Heber Hutty (Charleston, South Carolina, 1877-1954) etching entitled “In Bedon’s Alley,” 1921. Three African American women wash and dry clothing in a yard or alley behind a building in Charleston, South Carolina. A kneeling figure and a small girl occupy the center of the composition. Signed “Alfred Hutty” in pencil along with snail cypher, lower right. Titled lower left, under mat. Also with old inventory numbers in pencil to lower right margin. Sheet: 9 1/8″ H x 11 7/16″ W. Sight: 7 7/8″ H x 9 5/16″ W. Mat: 14″ H x 14″ W. Biographical Note: “One of the principal artists of the Charleston Renaissance, Alfred Heber Hutty was a native of Grand Haven, Michigan. He spent most of his youth in Kansas City, He was employed as a glazier and that led to his pursuit of stained-glass design, initially in Kansas City, later in St. Louis, and finally In New York City, where he was employed by the Tiffany Studios. He studied with Birge Harrison at the Art Students League and at the nascent art colony in Woodstock, New York, where he was among the first artists to settle full time…He began dividing his time seasonally between homes and studios in Woodstock and Charleston and soon became a fixture in Charleston’s art circles. From 1920 to 1924 he was the director of the Carolina Art Association (now the Gibbes Museum of Art), and in 1921 he was a founding member of the Charleston Etchers’ Club. His principal subject, the local scene, naturally led to an interest in historic preservation. The Society for the Preservation of Old Dwellings, among other groups, provided opportunities for artists–among them, Hutty, Alice Ravenel Huger Smith, and Elizabeth O’Neill Verner–to create work that was deeply rooted in Charleston’s past.” (Source: Morris Museum of Art, “Alfred Hutty: Painter, Printmaker, Preservationist”)

PROVENANCE: Private Southern collection. 

CONDITION: Overall very good condition. With negligible toning and foxing to sight area. Sheet is hinge-mounted to mat with archival tape affixed to upper edge en verso.  [See more photos →]

Cornelius Haly Hankins (Mississippi/Tennessee, 1863-1946) oil on canvas still life painting depicting a basket of fruit, nuts and nutcracker beside a frosted fruitcake and a bottle of wine, set against a dark, indistinct background. Signed “Cornelius Hankins” lower right and dated “Xmas 1897”. Housed in a giltwood Aesthetic Movement style frame. Sight: 23 1/2 in H x 15 1/2 in W. Frame: 24 in W x 32 in W. Biography: Mississippi-born Cornelius Hankins studied art in Nashville in 1883 under Professor Edwin M. Gardner and with Robert Henri, leader of the Ashcan School in St. Louis, and noted American Impressionist William Merritt Chase in New York. He taught in Richmond, Virginia for about 5 years before returning to Nashville to teach at the Nashville School of Art. He painted a number of landscapes and still lifes, including the present example, but made most of his income from portraits. He painted a number of prominent Southern subjects including Civil War officers and several governors.

PROVENANCE: The estate of Billie Ann Smith, Nashville, TN.

CONDITION: Lined canvas; fine craquelure throughout. UV light inspection reveals scattered retouch, most notably to upper left background, and a 1″ repaired tear to center of fruitcake.  [See more photos →]

75 pieces of Haviland Musee Monet Giverny pattern porcelain dinnerware marked to the underside with quality label and maker’s mark. Set includes fourteen (14) dinner plates, thirteen (13) dessert plates, two (2) salad plates, nine (9) cups and nine (9) saucers, eleven (11) soup bowls, one (1) gravy boat, one (1) covered sauce boat with fixed stand, one (1) sugar bowl with lid, one (1) creamer, one (1) mustard pot with lid, two (2) breakfast cups and two (2) breakfast saucers, one (1) round serving salad bowl, one (1) mini open sugar bowl, one (1) open vegetable bowl, one (1) oval relish plate, one (1) 14″ oval serving platter, one (1) Lindbergh bowl, one (1) olive bowl and one (1) designer sign. 20th century.

CONDITION: All items are in excellent condition. One dinner plate has a minute chip to the blue rim.  [See more photos →]

Album collection of early prints of photographs by Timothy O’Sullivan (American, 1840-1882). The prints, compiled by an unknown person likely around 1900-1920, represent an extensive survey of Sullivan’s work during the Civil War and Clarence King Expedition, and most include handwritten captions directly on the images. There are approximately 60 Civil War related images, including visceral scenes from the Gettysburg battlefield, and approximately 40 related to the Clarence King Western expedition c. 1867-69 including shots of Native American subjects and dramatic Western landscapes. There are also 4 prints of photographic portraits of photographers Matthew Brady, Dr. John Draper, and Samuel F.B. Morse. Album overall size: 15 in x 9 1/2 in. Photos range in size from 5 in x 4 in to 8 in x 10 in. 

PROVENANCE: Found in a Nashville, TN estate. 

CONDITION: Most of the photographic prints are adhered to pages, and several have  fading, creasing, or losses. Nearly all have minor handling wear, some with light grime, and ink inscriptions. A couple of photos appear to have been removed. Pages with edge chipping. The covers of the album are detached.  [See more photos →]

Large 19th Century Continental Russian Silver Tea Tray with Armorial Engraving. Rectangular form with ribbed sides and floral chased border accented with large floral decorations at corners, and two side handles having grape and vine chased decoration.  Center armorial engraving of dove on branch surmounting a shield with banner engraved PREST POUR MON PAYS (translated from French as “Ready for my Country”. Russian touch marks to each handle and to back, including 84 (.875) fineness, maker Henrik Tallberg, and assayer Mikhail Karpinsky, St. Petersburg, 1830. Later inscription en verso, “Virginia Watts Bailey / Dec. 24, 1934”. Measures 30 in x 20 in (including handles). 123.77 oz troy. 

PROVENANCE: A Kentucky estate. 

CONDITION: Overall very good condition with some light scratching to center.  [See more photos →]

14K White and Yellow Gold Ladies’ Bracelet featuring nine (9) oval cabochon turquoise stones, accented by one hundred sixty-two (162) round brilliant diamonds with a total weight of approximately 4.86 carats, Clarity-SI2, Color-I. The bracelet is XRF tested to confirm 14K gold composition and measures 7 1/2 in. L. The gross weight of the bracelet is 43.68 grams.

PROVENANCE: The estates of Ervin and Jane Entrekin, Nashville, TN.

CONDITION: One diamond is broken and the safety chain is broken on one side. [See more photos →]

Henry Barnes (Georgia, 1940-2014) oil on canvas Tuscan village scene painting with a quiet street lined with buildings and beneath a sunset sky. Signed “H BARNES,” lower right. Housed in a giltwood frame with fabric liner. Sight: 35 1/2 in H x 47 1/2 in W. Frame: 44 1/2 in H x 56 1/2 in W. 

CONDITION: Excellent condition.  [See more photos →]

Unusual East Tennessee, Jefferson County, two-piece vernacular Jackson press, yellow pine secondary. The upper section with a simple cornice above two 18 pane glass doors over two rectangular doors each with two beveled panels. The lower section with three graduated dovetailed drawers with wood pulls flanked by turned pilasters and resting on turned feet. Dovetails of drawers match with dovetails at the top of the upper case. 78 in. H x 44 3/4 in. W x 24 in. D. Circa 1835. 

PROVENANCE: Provenance: Private Nashville collection; ex- Tennessee Senator Lamar Alexander; acquired by Sen. Alexander from Case Auctions, May 2009 (lot 67); descended through the family of Nanny Elvira Sharpe of Jefferson County, TN.

CONDITION: Overall good condition with some surface wear and light abrasions, base with some sun fading. The upper doors retain the original glass One small patch to the bottom of the lower right drawer. Back feet slightly loose.  [See more photos →]

Marta Maas Fjetterstrom (Swedish, 1873-1941) signed hand woven wool tapestry or carpet, featuring cow designs interspersed with stylized patches of grass and flowers on a muted red ground. Geometric border. Signed MMF. Measures 6 ft 6 in x 10 ft 2 in. Note: Marta Maas-Fjetterstrom is regarded as Sweden’s most important mid century textile designer. Her designs paid tribute to Nordic cultural traditions and were often inspired by nature. She began her career as a book illustrator, but earned international attention in 1909 when she was commissioned to design a series of rugs used in the Nobel Prize ceremonies. Today her work is found in museums worldwide including the Louvre, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and the National Museum of Stockholm. 

PROVENANCE: Private Nashville collection. 

CONDITION: Overall good condition, some losses to fringe, even pile wear, patch 3 in upper right quadrant. Professionally cleaned in 2022 and in storage since cleaning. 

  [See more photos →]

3 Chinese or Japanese Scrolls, all watercolor on silk or paper and signed in calligraphy, mounted to damask backings. 1st item: Kakejiku depicting ducks in water with spring blossoms.  Image 48 in x 16 in. Overall: 83 in x 21 1/2 in. 2nd item: Kakejiku depicting a sleeping white cat. Image 43 in x 16 in. Overall: 81 in x 21 in. 3rd item: Landscape scene with calligraphy inscription. Image 50 in x 16 1/2 in. Overall: 77 in x 22 in. Ranging in age from mid 19th to early 20th century.

PROVENANCE: Estate of Judge John Nixon, Nashville, Tennessee.

CONDITION: 1st item: image in good condition with light toning and 2″ smudge to center. Separations, creasing and some grime near roller ends. 2nd item: Image is in very good condition with light toning, a few light foxing spots, and tiny stains (possibly from ink transfer) and some light staining to damask ends. 3rd item: Toning, grime, foxing and dampstaining. Separations at ends.  [See more photos →]

An archive of letters and ephemera related to Confederate Captain William Henry Tabb (1837-1864), 14th Mississippi Regiment Co. G, Agency Rifles. Includes a 2 1/2 in x 2 in tintype photo of Tabb in Civilian clothes, his two signed appointments to 1st and 2nd Lieut. of the Agency Rifles Company of the Army of Mississippi signed by Gov. John Pettus and Gen. W.H. Brown, and an archive of more than 70 letters, some with original covers.

The archive begins with approximately 14 letters written prior to the war, when Tabb was a student at Cumberland University’s law school in Lebanon, Tennessee. He writes to his family in Oktibbeha County, Mississippi, of his first visit to Nashville, a city which he describes as looking too “ancient” and which he found to be “expensive”. Unaware of how the Civil War will alter his fate, he also writes “I often think of… my future life, which I anticipate spending with those to whom I am indebted for all that I am or ever shall be… I have been blessed and favored all my life. (Feb. 23rd, 1860). Tabb’s accounts of the Civil War include 2 letters from Bowling Green and Russellville, Ky, Jan. 21- Feb. 3 1862 about his scouting activities and various troop movements in the days leading up to the Battle of Fort Donelson, during which he and his unit were taken captive. There are several subsequent letters from Johnson’s Island Prison in Sandusky, Ohio, where Tabb delivers news of the death of some fellow soldiers and references the death of his cousin Lewis (whose letter and hand-drawn related to the Battle of Fort Donelson is also for sale in this auction). “Willie” Tabb also writes of life in prison stating he is treated generally well. “I am getting to be a good cook,” he writes. “… it is amusing to see men one day Confederate officers and the next day cooking or around the wash tub – we have no servants.”

Tabb’s final letter to his immediate family is dated July 5, 1864 (“the last letter” is written in pen, presumably by his sister, on the envelope. He begins by thanking his family for their recent messages: “These letters make me forget for awhile I am in a large army in sight of the enemy ..hearing their cannon and small arms day and night. I am transported to home. My dear Pa, Mother, sister and many friends occupy my mind.” He goes on to report of picket fights and other war related subjects, but this particular letter is very faded and hard to read. A subsequent letter to a cousin dated July 9, 1864, 9 miles from Atlanta, writes of increasing tensions among the officers:  “I found the regiment very much divided. Col. _____ under arrest with charges pressing by General Adams for neglect of duty. I fear nothing will be done with him. Major Crampton(?) under arrest with charges pressing by Lieutenant Colonel ______ for disrespect. Officers and men seem discontented. I intend to keep out of all the fusses… A great many of the men have been sent to the hospital sick… a great many of the men have the scurvy slightly… they eat bean leaves, polk tops and almost anything green they get hold of… There has been heavy firing on the left every day in front of Hood and Hardee… our corps is __ on the east side of the railroad… we have been in the second line of entrenchments but have moved in the front line today … We captured a Colonel Sherman’s orderly day before yesterday… General Loring has command of our division. The people of Atlanta are leaving…”  He goes on to describe troop movements, positions, skirmishes, and shelling in the days before the fateful Battle of Atlanta.

Also included in this lot is a letter, written in pencil, dated Aug. 9, 1864 “in the trenches near Atlanta” from S. J or T. Oldham informing Rev. and Mrs. Tabb: “A gallant soldier has fallen. Billie (sic) is dead” and detailing the events around their son’s death. “As a soldier he was… regarded as one of the most promising officers in his regiment or brigade… In fact I have heard his commanding officer say in regards to his death ‘I have lost my main support’.

Also included with this lot are a few letters to Tabb from his father and sister, and a later handwritten copy of his obituary, offering details on Captain Tabb’s death, and a memorial poem, copied in 1893 by his nephew Willie Tabb Moore. Note: a shirt with Tabb’s name on it and other items from his family are also for sale in this auction.

History: The 14th Miss. was organized at Jackson, MS in Oct. 1861. It was sent to Kentucky, then Tennessee, and captured at Fort Donelson in 1862. After being exchanged it was attached to Tilghman’s and Gregg’s Brigade, Department of Mississippi and East Louisiana. The regiment saw action at Coffeeville and in various conflicts around Vicksburg. Later it was attached to J. Adams’ and Lowrey’s Brigade, Army of Tennessee. The 14th was active in the Atlanta Campaign, Hood’s Tennessee operations, and the fight at Bentonville.  It was organized with 1,034 officers and men, had 650 effectives in February, 1862, and had 24 officers and 287 men fit for duty in April, 1863. The unit surrendered with no officers and 40 men.

PROVENANCE: The Estates of Thomas Maxfield and Sara McIntyre Bahner, by descent in the family of Mollie Tabb Moore, sister of Capt. William Henry Tabb.

CONDITION: Three of the most important letters: the letter re: Fort Donelson, Tabb’s last letter to his parents, and the letter notifying the family of his death, are written in pencil and/or are very faded, with some creasing. Others are in mostly good condition, with signs of age and handling wear; toning, fading, and creasing. Tintype with some wear, spotting and scratching. Appointment documents with toning, creasing and edge chipping. [See more photos →]

Peter Milton (American, b. 1930) resist-ground etching and engraving with direct photographic transfer on Rives Heavyweight Buff paper, “Daylilies,” 1975. Signed, dated, titled, and numbered 103/160 in pencil, lower right. Published by Impressions Workshop and printed by Robert E. Townsend with both blindstamps lower left. Ref.: Johnson/Milton 96. Housed under glass in a giltwood frame with olive mat. Sheet: 25 3/8 in H x 37 3/4 in W. Sight: 21 in H x 32 3/4 in W. Frame: 31 1/2 in H x 42 1/2 in W.

CONDITION: Overall very good condition, with full margins. Sheet is evenly toned outside of sight area and hinge-mounted to backing with archival tape affixed en verso.  [See more photos →]

Pair of J.P. Frink Arts and Crafts period Hanging Lanterns, bronze colored metal with cylindrical slag glass shades, suspended from decorative pierced canopies. The canopies are stamped Moe B. Co. 41893. Height including chain and canopy: 32 1/2 in. Diameter: 12 in. American, circa 1905. 

CONDITION: Overall good condition with some oxidation to metal. Shades have about a half dozen minor stable small cracks total. Functionality not checked or guaranteed; rewiring recommended on all antique light fixtures.  [See more photos →]

Alfred Heber Hutty (Charleston, South Carolina, 1877-1954) etching titled “In A Southern City,” 1929. Two African American figures converse behind a dilapidated building, with several chickens and a large tree at right. From the edition of 75 included with the first edition of AMERICAN ETCHERS, VOL. II: ALFRED HUTTY published by Spencer Hutson, New York, 1929. Signed “Alfred Hutty” in pencil along with snail cypher, lower right. Titled lower left, under mat. Also with old inventory number in pencil to lower right margin. Housed under UV-resistant glass in an ebonized wood frame with white mat. Sheet: 9 3/4 in H x 11 3/4 in W. Sight: 8 in H x 9 3/4 in W. Frame: 15 3/4 in H x 18 1/4 in W. Biographical Note: “One of the principal artists of the Charleston Renaissance, Alfred Heber Hutty was a native of Grand Haven, Michigan. He spent most of his youth in Kansas City, He was employed as a glazier and that led to his pursuit of stained-glass design, initially in Kansas City, later in St. Louis, and finally In New York City, where he was employed by the Tiffany Studios. He studied with Birge Harrison at the Art Students League and at the nascent art colony in Woodstock, New York, where he was among the first artists to settle full time…He began dividing his time seasonally between homes and studios in Woodstock and Charleston and soon became a fixture in Charleston’s art circles. From 1920 to 1924 he was the director of the Carolina Art Association (now the Gibbes Museum of Art), and in 1921 he was a founding member of the Charleston Etchers’ Club. His principal subject, the local scene, naturally led to an interest in historic preservation. The Society for the Preservation of Old Dwellings, among other groups, provided opportunities for artists–among them, Hutty, Alice Ravenel Huger Smith, and Elizabeth O’Neill Verner–to create work that was deeply rooted in Charleston’s past.” (Source: Morris Museum of Art, “Alfred Hutty: Painter, Printmaker, Preservationist”)

PROVENANCE: Private Southern collection. 

CONDITION: Overall very good condition, with negligible marginal toning under mat and faint, minor creasing to lower margin. Hinge-mounted to mat with archival tape.  [See more photos →]

Carl Gutherz or Guthers (Tennessee/Missouri, 1844-1907) oil on canvas painting, “Missing,” 1886. A fallen soldier lies partially hidden by foliage on a forest floor while a small bird perches on a branch above. He wears the uniform of a French foot soldier active during the Franco-Prussian War. Although the soldier’s body shows no sign of distress, the blasted tree in the background suggests the possibility of cannon fire. Signed “Carl Gutherz” and dated lower left. Housed in giltwood frame. Sight: 50 1/2 in. H x 35 1/2 in. W. Canvas: 51 1/8 in. H x 36 1/8 in. W. Frame: 58 1/2 in. H x 42 in. W. Note: Lot includes a preparatory ink drawing on card stock of the same composition, signed and dated 1886 lower left and inscribed “Missing” en verso plus museum accession number. Floated in a window mat. Sheet: 11 3/4 in. H x 8 1/4 in. W. Mat: 19 in. H x 14 in. W. Exhibition History: 1886 Paris Salon. Literature: This painting is discussed in detail in Stanton Thomas’s essay “Long Shadows of Blue and Gray: Carl Gutherz and the Civil War” in CARL GUTHERZ: POETIC VISION AND ACADEMIC IDEALS, eds. Marilyn Masler and Marina Pacini (Memphis, TN: Memphis Brooks Museum of Art, 2009) pp. 117-141. Francois Guillaume Dumas, CATALOGUE ILLUSTREE DU SALON (Paris; Librairie d’art L Baschet, 1886), 224. Dumas lists the painting as “Disparu-Lost.” Artist Biography: Guthers, who was born in Switzerland, emigrated as a child to the U.S. in 1851. He lived with his family in Memphis, Tennessee, through the Civil War and then studied at the Ecole des Beaux Arts in Paris and the Academie Julian, as well as in Munich, Brussels, and Rome. In 1875 moved to St. Louis, Missouri, where he taught at Washington University and helped establish the St. Louis School and Museum of Fine Arts. Gutherz continued to take portrait commissions from Memphis, however, and even designed costumes and floats for the annual Memphis Mardi Gras. In 1884 he returned to Paris, where he studied with Gustave Boulanger and Joseph LeFevre. Here, he became associated with the Symbolist movement and produced his most successful paintings including large allegorical works, often featuring Christian imagery. Back in the U.S. he was hired to create murals for institutions including the Library of Congress, the People’s Church of St. Paul Minnesota, and the Allen County (Indiana) Courthouse. A year before his death, he produced a design for an arts and sciences pavilion which was the basis for the development of the Brooks Memorial Art Gallery, later the Memphis Brooks Museum of Art. Source: The Tennessee Encyclopedia.

PROVENANCE: Deaccessioned by the Memphis Brooks Museum of Art to benefit the acquisitions fund. 

CONDITION: Painting in overall very good condition. The canvas has been lined. With scattered areas of retouch primarily to edges and especially to old frame abrasions along upper edge, 17 in x 1/2 in, plus 1 1/2 in x 1/2 in passage to bag on figure’s torso. See UV photography. Drawing in overall very good condition, with even toning to sheet and a speck of liquid accretion to upper-center background. Sheet is hinge-mounted with archival tape. [See more photos →]

Sterling Boyd Strauser (Pennsylvania, 1907-1995) oil on board still life painting depicting two vases of multi-colored flowers against a multi-colored background, rendered in impasto with sgraffito linework. Signed and dated “68” lower left. Housed in an ebonized and gilt wood frame. Sight: 29 1/2 in. x 19 1/2 in. W. Framed: 35 1/2 in. H x 25 1/5 in. W.

CONDITION: Overall very good condition. [See more photos →]

One (1) Early 20th C. Memphis plat or street map, plus Four (4) watercolor elevation drawings depicting historic houses in the area of Memphis known as Victorian Village. The map, mounted to heavy black cardstock, pictures Ward 44 and 46 including Red Acres, one of East Memphis’s earliest subdivisions, centered by Robert Galloway park to the north, and The State Board of Education Normal School, which would become the University of Memphis, bordered by Central Avenue and the Southern Railway and Southern Avenue to the South. Map 24 in x 18 in. Cardstock: 27 1/2 in x 20 in. The four watercolor elevations depict rows of Memphis Victorian Italianate and Queen Anne mansions, many now destroyed but others still standing and on the National Historic Register including the Pillow-McIntyre House and the Adams-Mollie Fontaine-Taylor house. Ranging in size from 13 in x 13 in to 11 in x 28 in . 

PROVENANCE: Private Memphis collection, found in the attic of the home of the late interior  designer Eldridge Wright in Victorian Village. 

CONDITION: Map is adhered to backing and is toned with minor edge chipping. Watercolor elevations are in fragile condition, toned, with significant losses, chipping and staining, and tape. One elevation is over 50 percent missing with mold stains.  [See more photos →]

After Edward Weston (American, 1886-1958) silver gelatin photograph depicting the yard of African American sculptor William Edmondson (American/Tennessee, 1874-1951). Numerous sculptures fill the grassy area in front of his Nashville, Tennessee home/workshop; others are visible on the porch, under Edmondson’s homemade sign advertising his wares. Float mounted on white cardstock and housed in a contemporary black metal frame. Printed by Cole Weston (1919-2003) from his father’s original 1941 negative. With Edward Weston’s stamped signature en verso along with Cole Weston’s pencil signature. Photograph: 7 1/2 in H x 9 1/2 in W. Framed: 16 1/4 in H x 20 1/4 in W. Note: Photographer Edward Weston visited Tennessee in 1941 while creating images for a new edition of Walt Whitman’s “Leaves of Grass”. A significant number of the photographs he took while in Nashville were of Edmondson, who had recently become the first African American to have a solo exhibit at the Museum of Modern Art.

PROVENANCE: Private Middle Tennessee Collection.

CONDITION: Very good condition. [See more photos →]

Antique Tekke Asmalyk or camel trapping weaving, pentagonal form with embroidered designs throughout, including red hanging blossom designs and a woven batwing border. Woven in red, pink, blue, and brown colors on a cream field.  4 ft. 8 in. x 2 ft. 4 in. Circa 1800, Western Turkmenistan.

PROVENANCE: Private Des Moines, Iowa collection.

CONDITION: Approximate 3″ vertical tear near the top center with an approximate 1 1/2″ horizontal area of loss. Deterioration and losses to pink threads and scattered staining. [See more photos →]

Edward Ruscha (American, b. 1937) signed lithograph, “Yo,” from the Tamarind Institute portfolio “Artists’ Impressions, 1989-1991,” 1991. Signed, dated, and numbered 21/30 in pencil, lower margin. Floated under plexiglass in a painted wood frame with white mount. Published by Tamarind Institute with their chop mark, lower left, and printer Erica Gutenschwager’s chop mark, lower right. Sheet: 12 in H x 12 in W. Frame: 14 1/8 in H x 14 1/8 in W. Note: Includes original Tamarind Institute “Artists’ Impressions, 1989-1991” portfolio paper sleeve with printed artist’s name on cover. 

PROVENANCE: The estates of Walter and Dr. Mary Schatz, Nashville. 

CONDITION: Excellent condition. Sheet is affixed to mount at corners. Not examined outside of frame. Frame with minor abrasion to lower left corner.  [See more photos →]

Rockwell Kent (American 1882-1971) graphite and watercolor on paper nude figure study. A woman seen from behind raises her arms above her head. Watercolor highlights describe her red hair, the blush of her cheek, and her skin tone. With Rockwell Kent ink stamp, lower right. Floated under glass in a wood frame with white mat. Sheet: 14 1/2 in H x 10 1/2 in W. Frame: 22 in H x 18 in W. 

PROVENANCE: The estates of Walter and Dr. Mary Schatz, Nashville. 

CONDITION: Overall very good condition, with minor, uneven toning to sheet due to previous mat. Sheet is mounted at corners. Not examined outside of frame.  [See more photos →]

Paloma Torres Estrada (Mexico, b. 1960), textural urban bronze sculpture titled “Ellipse”, in the form of a tall, shaped and textured bronze pillar wrapped with horizontal bronze bands, mounted onto an oval base. Unsigned. 72 in. H. Base measures 19 in. L x 11 in. W.

Biography: Paloma Torres was born in Mexico City and earned a degree in Visual Arts from the National School of Visual Arts at the National Autonomous University of Mexico. She was a member of the professional engraving workshop led by artist Carlos García and held artist residencies at Artists on the Coast in Careyes, Jalisco; the Cite Internationale des Arts in Paris, France; and with Rene Derouin in Val David, Quebec, Canada. In 1986, she completed a Master’s degree in color engraving at the National Institute of Fine Arts in Mexico City. Since 2000, she has been a member of the National Creators’ System. Over the past six years, Torres has taught art history and graphic design at Iberoamericana University in Mexico City and currently serves on the panel of the National State Creators’ System. (Source: https://art.state.gov/)

PROVENANCE: Private corporate art collection.

CONDITION: Overall very good condition. [See more photos →]

Vincenzo Renzi (Italian, fl. 1953-1972) micro mosaic enameled picture depicting a woman in a long dress with upswept hair seated on a hillside and holding a red parasol. Signed “Opus V. Renzi” in mosaic lower left and en verso. Carved silver gilt frame with distressed/painted finish. Panel: 14 in H x 11 3/4 in W. Frame: 16 in H x 14 in W. Note: Vincenzo Renzi was a Master Mosaicist at the Vatican Studios.

PROVENANCE: The estate of Billie Ann Smith, Nashville, TN.

CONDITION: Very good condition; some slight wear to frame.  [See more photos →]

Autograph Album with pasted in Broadside and other ephemera related to CSA Capt. William H. Tabb, 14th Mississippi Co. G, Agency Rifles (b. 1837, killed in battle outside Atlanta, 1864). The album’s signature collection was begun in 1860 as Tabb’s Cumberland University, Lebanon, TN memory book and includes autographs of about 20 of his classmates in the Law School, most from Mississippi, Tennessee, and Alabama (not all pages are shown in our photographs; see list of all Cumberland Univ. autographs below). Some of the autographs are accompanied by oval photos on paper that appear to have been cut out from a larger source, and fill less than half of the album; the remainder becomes a scrapbook of pasted-in Confederate memorial related poems, newspaper clippings including the list of regiments captured at Fort Donelson (including the 14th Mississippi) and a small broadside in which Captain Tabb states he has been ordered to Whitefield, MS to enroll conscripts, receive volunteers, and arrest deserters in the counties of Winston, Chocktaw and Oktibbeha, dated Aug. 28, 1863. The book also includes 3 longhand copies giving an account of the battlefield death of Captain Tabb; the obituary of his baby brother Thaddeus, age 2; and his father Rev. Thomas Tabb (all copied by Tabb’s nephew, late 1800s). Also included (tipped in) is “Special Order No. 30”, Oct. 21, 1864, with reassignment order for special service for Adam Tooley Moore of the 28th Alabama Regt. (b. 1825- d. 1888), who married Tabb’s sister Mollie. Moore is ordered to report to R. Mayrant at Headquarters, (Maj. Gen. Edward) Johnson’s Division.

Separate from this album is a fragment of a half-empty journal kept by William Henry Tabb while a student at Cumberland University. It mostly details his studies and social outings with his friends at the school. The Nov. 18, 1858 entry states “Went to the daguerreotype gallery and after dinner with Billy Cannon and Lewis Tabb to have our pictures taken. I did not get a good one but took one as it was my birthday and the twenty-first.”

Cumberland University Signatures include: Joseph A. Dew of Columbia TN (with photo); M. Caruthers; Minor B. Harris of Jackson, MS; T.(?); G. Mann of Brownsville TN (with photo); A.B. Washington of Memphis, TN; W.W. Humphries of Columbus, MS; A.M.A. Law; H. Bacon Estes of Columbia, TN: J.W. Randle of Aberdeen, MS (with photo); M.J. Vason of Albany, GA: David S. Goodloe of Canton, MS (with photo); Loui D. Henley of Pickensville, AL; Powhatan Maxey of Nashville, TN; Lee M. Ramsaur of Early Grove, MS (with photo); Charles Cossitt of Lagrange, TN; Alex Trotter of Quitman, MS; H.T. Norman of Lebanon, TN; R.H. Christmas of Clinton, MS; John Rayburn, AL; one photo that has come loose and is not attributed. Note: several of these young men went on to serve, and die, in the War, including Powhatan Maxey, Jr., the son of a Nashville mayor. He died in Nashville in 1864. Alex Trotter became 2nd Lt. of the 14th Mississippi, Company D, Quitman Invincibles. Joseph Dew served with the 26th Mississippi. (Source: Military History of Mississippi by Dunbar Rowland, 1908, Ancestry, NPS Civil War Soldiers Database).

Note: this auction also includes multiple lots relating to the Tabb families, including an archive of letters with a tintype of W.H. Tabb and a lot of clothing with a shirt believed to have belonged to Tabb.

PROVENANCE: The Estates of Thomas Maxfield and Sara McIntyre Bahner, by descent in the family of Mollie Tabb Moore, sister of Capt. William Henry Tabb and wife of A.T. Moore.

CONDITION: Album: wear and small losses to cover, binding intact. Pages toned. Broadside and all but one photograph are pasted down. One photograph loose and unidentified. Manigault’s Special Order #30 is partially pasted down, signatures are not pasted. Some pages have been removed from the album. Journal is incomplete, lacking covers, with failing binding, pages toned. [See more photos →]

A CHRISTMAS CAROL, by Charles Dickens, with illustrations by John Leech, published by Chapman and Hall, London, 1843.  Second Edition. Hardcover 12mo, 166 gilt edged pages with hand colored frontispiece and three plates, four vignettes, in contemporary green morocco leather with gilt stamped covers and spine, marbled page edges. 6 1/2 in H x 4 3/8 in W x 3/4 in D.  Note: A Christmas Carol was so well received when released in December of 1843, that three editions were published before the new year of 1844, with 13 editions printed by the end of 1844.  The combined number of copies of the second and third editions are estimated at only two to three thousand copies.

PROVENANCE: Private West Tennessee Collection.

CONDITION: Very good with slight toning; bumped corners, previous owner’s name on title page; pencil writing on first blank page. [See more photos →]

After Edward Weston (American, 1886-1958) silver gelatin photograph depicting the African American sculptor William Edmondson (American/Tennessee, 1874-1951) seated in his Nashville, Tennessee yard and dressed in his work apron, with his workshop visible in the background. Printed by Cole Weston (1919-2003) from his father’s original 1941 negative. With Edward Weston’s stamped signature, the title, and the negative date in pencil en verso along with Cole Weston’s pencil signature. Float mounted on white cardstock and housed in a contemporary black metal frame. Photograph: 7 1/2 in H x 9 1/2 in W. Framed: 16 1/4 in H x 20 1/4 in W. Note: Photographer Edward Weston visited Tennessee in 1941 while creating images for a new edition of Walt Whitman’s “Leaves of Grass”. A significant number of the photographs he took while in Nashville were of Edmondson, who had recently become the first African American to have a solo exhibit at the Museum of Modern Art.

PROVENANCE: Private Middle Tennessee Collection.

CONDITION: Very good condition. [See more photos →]

Philip Campbell Curtis (Arizona/Michigan, 1907-2000) surrealist oil on panel architectural painting with two buildings in a desert landscape and a rocky mountain in the distance at right, 1970. A woman in Victorian dress that includes a wide-brimmed hat looks toward the viewer from a second-story balcony while red, white, and blue bunting hangs from both buildings. A sidewalk made from wooden planks connects the two structures. Signed “Philip C Curtis,” lower left and dated “‘70,” lower right. Housed in a painted wood frame. Sight: 2 7/16 in H x 4 7/16 in W. Panel: 3 in H x 5 in W. Frame: 3 7/8 in H x 5 7/8 in W. Biographical note: “Philip C. Curtis was born in 1907 in Jackson, Michigan. He received his Bachelor of Arts from Albion College and studied law at University of Michigan before enrolling in the School of Fine Arts at Yale University. After his training, the Works Progress Administration (WPA), a program created as part of President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s New Deal, hired him as the assistant supervisor for mural paintings in New York. In 1937, he was sent by the WPA’s Federal Art Project to Phoenix to establish Arizona’s first art center. At the Phoenix Art Center, which in 1959 would become Phoenix Art Museum, Curtis created traveling exhibitions, and artist Lew Davis taught art classes. In 1939, Curtis left Arizona to help start the Des Moines Art Center, only to return in 1947 to establish his permanent home and studio in Scottsdale, where he remained until his death in 2000. Curtis, who was also a museum administrator and arts advocate, is one of Arizona’s most historically significant artists. Drawing inspiration from the Arizona desert and through the lens of magic realism, he created landscapes and figural compositions that often included Victorian-style subjects to complete his surrealist fantasies about human life and relationships.” (Source: Phoenix Art Museum).

CONDITION: Overall very good condition. Frame with abrasions, losses, and loose upper corners.  [See more photos →]

Six Napoleon related miniature watercolor portraits plus 1 medal. Portraits include 1 round patch or trinket box with lid painted to depict a young Napoleon Bonaparte in military uniform; 1 oval portrait of Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte in ebonized rectangular frame with 1 accompanying small brass easel; a companion pair of 2 oval portraits on paper of Emperor Napoleon and Empress Josephine in gilt metal frames, each signed “Varlet”; and a companion pair of 2 round portraits of Emperor Napoleon and Empress Josephine in gilt metal frames, each illegibly signed. Portrait sizes, framed, range from 2 in x 2 1/2 in to 7 x 5 1/2 in. Box likely early 19th century, other portraits late 19th to early 20th century. Also included is a mid 19th century French St. Helena Medallion on red and green ribbon, 1 1/2 in x 1 in.  (Emperor Napoleon III established the St. Helena medal in 1857 to honor veterans of military campaigns led by Emperor Napoleon I). Note: the small round box is accompanied by a 1999 sales receipt from Moss Antiques of New Orleans with price of $1,200, dating the box to 1810.  

PROVENANCE: Estate of Judge John Nixon, Nashville, Tennessee.

CONDITION: Glass cracked and partially missing on the Napoleon portrait signed Varlet, and there are two tiny spots to the right edge of the paper.  Round box shows age cracking and wear. Other items very good condition.  [See more photos →]

Bill Mack (American, b. 1942) limited edition relief patinated bonded stainless steel sculpture, titled “Liberated Enigma” and depicting a nude female seated within a box and pushing against one end, 2015. Signed and numbered “Bill Mack, 11/75” on the inside base. Retains the original sales receipt from Key West Galleries and certificate of authenticity. 26 in. H x 36 1/4 in. W x 7 1/4 in. D.

PROVENANCE: A private Chattanooga collection.

CONDITION: Overall good condition. Minor abrasions to top and upper front edge of box. [See more photos →]

Two (2) Philip Campbell Curtis (Arizona/Michigan, 1907-2000) surrealist oil on panel ovoid bust-length pendant paintings of a woman with dark brown hair in Victorian dress. Both signed with initials “PCC,” lower center, and with old labels with numbering affixed to backing (nos. 929 and 930). Item 1: A woman depicted in three-quarters profile looks to the viewer’s left. She wears a brown dress with a high collar and red brooch. Item 2: The same woman, shown from behind, looks away from the viewer and toward a red hot-air balloon that floats in the blue sky at upper right. Both housed in pierced giltwood frames with brown velvet liners and gilt fillets. Both measure 2 5/8 in H x 1 7/8 in  (sight dimensions). Both frames: 6 in H x 5 1/4 in W. Biographical note: “Philip C. Curtis was born in 1907 in Jackson, Michigan. He received his Bachelor of Arts from Albion College and studied law at University of Michigan before enrolling in the School of Fine Arts at Yale University. After his training, the Works Progress Administration (WPA), a program created as part of President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s New Deal, hired him as the assistant supervisor for mural paintings in New York. In 1937, he was sent by the WPA’s Federal Art Project to Phoenix to establish Arizona’s first art center. At the Phoenix Art Center, which in 1959 would become Phoenix Art Museum, Curtis created traveling exhibitions, and artist Lew Davis taught art classes. In 1939, Curtis left Arizona to help start the Des Moines Art Center, only to return in 1947 to establish his permanent home and studio in Scottsdale, where he remained until his death in 2000. Curtis, who was also a museum administrator and arts advocate, is one of Arizona’s most historically significant artists. Drawing inspiration from the Arizona desert and through the lens of magic realism, he created landscapes and figural compositions that often included Victorian-style subjects to complete his surrealist fantasies about human life and relationships.” (Source: Phoenix Art Museum)

CONDITION: Overall very good condition.  [See more photos →]

George Herman “Babe” Ruth M101-7 Sporting News Supplemental Series, PSA graded authentic 1.5. During the 1920’s, the Sporting News newspaper inserted 7 1/4″ x 10″ oversized baseball “cards” into their weekly supplements. Of the 1926-27 edition of 13, the most desirable is arguably Babe Ruth.  NOTE: Please see Lot 580 in this auction for 9 other pieces of M101-7 from this set.

CONDITION: Very good condition with sharp corners, no tears or chips; overall even toning, very slight wrinkling (not creased); encapsulated in PSA acrylic case. [See more photos →]

Patriotic Medallion Star pattern quilt, one of two made by an unknown maker that descended in the Keeler Family of Ridgefield, Connecticut. Hand pieced, appliqued, and quilted, and consisting of printed and solid chintz cotton in Prussian blue, pink, and brown colors, appliqued eagles holding rose buds and arrows to each corner, interspersed with appliqued potted roses consisting of red, green, and brown prints, all on a white ground with white cotton back. Cotton batting with diagonal quilting with quilting around each appliqué, visible from the back. 88 in. 88 in. Circa 1850. Note: This is one of three quilts in this auction from the collection of Linda Felts, recently featured in the Pieced & Patterned exhibit at the Museum of Fine Arts in St. Petersburg, Florida, which ran from September 18, 2021, to January 23, 2022.  The companion quilt to this one, which descended from the same family, is featured in two books: It was the cover page for “Quilts and Quiltmakers Covering Connecticut,” published by the Connecticut Quilt Search Project, published in 2002. According to the Connecticut Quilt Search Project, Ralph Keeler was one of the first colonists to purchase land and settle a plantation in Ridgefield in 1697. The companion quilt is also featured in the book “All Flags Flying: American Patriotic Quilts as Expressions of Liberty” by Robert Bishop and Carter Houck, published in 1986, on page 17, Figure 8. The companion quilt is also documented in the Quilt Index as #17-13-2489.

PROVENANCE: The estate of collector and designer Linda McCormick Felts, Memphis, TN.

CONDITION: Old professional repairs to diamonds in the center star, and some of the flower pots, as well as a new binding to the edge to help stabilize the quilt. Water stain to one corner, and yellowing at fold lines on the back.  [See more photos →]

Bench made chaise lounge or long chair in the style of George Nakashima. Chair with extended right arm consisting of black walnut and cream cotton webbing. Unsigned. 30 in. H x 70 in. L x 34 in. W. 20th century. Note: This chair was commissioned by a collector from an unknown cabinetmaker circa 2000 to complement the George Nakashima lounge chair they already owned.

PROVENANCE: Private Nashville collection. 

CONDITION: Overall very good condition with minor expected wear to feet. [See more photos →]

Kentucky coin silver soup or punch ladle with plain fiddle handle, stamped A.F. Shepard in rectangle for Alpheus Xavier Francis Shepard, working Georgetown, before 1817-1831+. Handle monogrammed “McG” and also engraved 1827. 12″ L. 5.938 troy ounces. Circa 1827.

CONDITION: Handle with script monogram. Overall very good condition with light general surface wear, minor bowl dents. [See more photos →]

Large Native American Acoma polychrome pottery olla having stylized black and white geometric designs including bird’s head to the body with a polychrome burnt orange base and interior. 13 1/2″ H x approx. 14 1/2″ W. Late 19th/Early 20th century.

CONDITION: One stabilized hairline emanating from the rim, approx. 2 1/4″ L, and one stabilized hairline to shoulder, approx. 2 1/2″ L. Chip to the rim, primarily to the interior, approx. 1″ W.  A few scattered, very shallow fleabites to the rim interior. Overall light wear to the surface with some scattered abrasions and overall grime to the surface.  [See more photos →]

Set of twenty-one (21) Baccarat glasses in the Messena pattern. Etched Baccarat mark to the base. Twelve (12) champagne glasses (7 in. H), seven (7) wine glasses (6 7/8 in. H), and two (2) wine glasses (6 3/8 in. H). 20th century.

PROVENANCE: The estate of Andra Jenkins Patton.

CONDITION: One glass has a chip in the base. Otherwise, all other glasses are in excellent condition. [See more photos →]

Mimura Chikuho (Japanese, b. 1973) sculptural basket titled “Cave”, constructed with madake and rattan. Retains the original box and original receipt from the Tai Gallery in Sante Fe, NM. 12 1/2 in. x 11 in. x 9 in.

CONDITION: Overall excellent condition. [See more photos →]

Native American Navajo weaving, consisting of aniline dyed wool and woven in horizontal concentric bands of stepped triangles in colors of black, yellow, green, and white against a red ground. 59 in. x 80 in. Circa 1940s.

CONDITION: Overall, good condition with some very slight wear to two corners and a few minor areas of wear. [See more photos →]

Alfred Morang (American, 1910-1958) oil on board painting depicting two women, clad scantily in red dresses and high heels, dancing as a man in a dark suit and hat watches from a distance. Signed “Alfred Morang” lower right. Black painted frame with silvered edges. Peyton Wright Gallery, Santa Fe, New Mexico label en verso. Sight: 13 1/2 in H x 9 1/2 in W. Frame: 19 in H x 15 in W. Biography: Alfred Morang was born in Maine. During his early career he studied and exhibited in Boston, and also published several works of fiction. He moved to Santa Fe, New Mexico after being diagnosed with Tuberculosis, and became associated with the Transcendental painting group. He died in a fire at his studio in 1958. 

PROVENANCE: Private West Tennessee Collection, ex-Peyton Wright Gallery, Santa Fe.

CONDITION: Painting in excellent condition. Frame with a few small spots of wear and corner losses.  [See more photos →]

American large patriotic blue and white hand-pieced cotton Medallion pattern quilt top, of original design and possibly based on a mosaic floor design, with four eagles in each corner and additional star and foliate designs throughout. Consisting of two blue cotton print fabrics and a white cotton tape to secure the edges. 102 in. x 95 in., Circa 1850 – 1870. New York. Note: This is one of three quilts in this auction from the collection of Linda Felts of Memphis, recently featured in the Pieced & Patterned exhibit at the Museum of Fine Arts in St. Petersburg, Florida, which ran from September 18, 2021, to January 23, 2022. 

PROVENANCE: The estate of collector and designer Linda McCormick Felts, Memphis, TN.

CONDITION: Very good overall condition with some minor scattered holes and fabric deterioration, bites to binding, and discoloration. The top is in clean, washed condition.

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Oil on paper mounted to panel portrait of President George Washington, manner of James Peale, Sr. (Maryland/Pennsylvania, 1749-1831). Washington appears in bust-length, three-quarters view and wears a powdered wig, black coat, and white cravat. 19th c. or earlier. Unsigned. With label en verso inscribed “Property of / Frank Dudensing / James Peale / FD 114 – 7 x 6”, plus additional inventory label with Peale attribution. Housed under glass in a painted wooden frame with gilt fillet. Sight: 6 in. H x 5 in. W. Frame: 13 3/4 in. H x 11 3/4 in. W. Note: Art dealer Frank Dudensing (New York, d. 1940) was the father of the noted gallerist F. Valentine Dudensing, operator of the modernist Valentine Gallery. According to the Valentine Gallery, Frank’s father, Richard Dudensing, “emigrated from Germany and was a successful printer and engraver in New York, while [his son Frank] opened the art gallery Richard Dudensing & Son in 1903.” (Source: Valentine Gallery)

PROVENANCE: Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts Foundation.

CONDITION: Overall very good condition. With minor, scattered retouching throughout, especially to face and background, largest area to background above sitter’s left shoulder, 1 1/4 in x 1/2 in. Repaired tear with retouch to background, upper left corner, 1 1/4 in L. See UV photography. Frame with minor abrasions and losses.  [See more photos →]

Country music singer Hiram King “Hank” Williams (1923 – 1953) signature and inscription reading “Best Wishes/ Hank Williams/ Sept. 19th” together with an early royalty statement from MGM Records, dated 2-28-49, showing the royalties that Williams earned from the songs Never Again and Lovesick Blues, Williams’ first record to sell a million copies. Both items are framed with a photo of Williams performing with his band on Grand Old Opry radio. Contemporary ebonized wood frame, 20 1/2 in. H x 32 in. W. Note: This lot retains the original receipt and letter of authenticity from Ed Penny, owner of Dad’s OId Book Store in Nashville, TN.

CONDITION: The signature placard is in very good condition—royalty statement with toning to paper, losses along the upper margin, and tape residue.  [See more photos →]

Antique Persian Mohtasham Kashan area rug, wool on wool, large central stylized medallion with palmettes on a larger shaped medallion flanked by spandrels with foliate and bird designs, within four primary borders including a wide scrolling foliate border. Woven in blue, cream, brick red, gold, and pink colors. 49 1/2 in. x 79 1/2 in. Late 19th/Early 20th century.

PROVENANCE: The collection of Charles R. Ragan, KY. 

CONDITION: Overall pile wear, heaviest to the center. Overall fading to colors with some abrash, losses to fringed ends. [See more photos →]

Harry Neyland (American, 1877-1958) oil on board impressionist painting depicting figures strolling between terraces in the Luxembourg Garden in Paris, surrounded by lush green trees, with the central dome of the Luxembourg palace visible in the distance. Signed and dated lower right: “Harry Neyland / Paris 190_”. Housed in a wide gilt cove molded frame with carved corner decoration. Panel: 16 in H x 13 in W. Frame: 25 in H x 22 in W. Note: although known primarily for his New England scenes, Harry Neyland studied under several distinguished painters in Paris, possibly during the period of time when this landscape was created. He also attended the Art Students League in New York and was director of the Swain Free School of Design from 1911-1930. 

PROVENANCE: Estate of Judge John Nixon, Nashville, Tennessee.

CONDITION: Overall very good condition. Thin 3-inch scratch to bottom of painting, near signature, with minimal paint loss. Frame is not original. A few abrasions to frame at upper left and on side edges.  [See more photos →]

Tennessee advertising whiskey jug with an Albany slip glaze, inscribed “I was filled at W.W. Alexander’s Fayetteville Tenn When I get empty take me back”. 8 in. H. Late 19th/early 20th century.

PROVENANCE: Private Middle Tennessee collection. 

CONDITION: Glaze exfoliation to the rim and below the handle, some shallow chipping along the base, hole to the lower body.  [See more photos →]

Watercolor and silk embroidered memorial picture depicting a woman placing flowers on an urn and monument, “Sacred to the memory of John Tuttle on March 2, 1756 / Aged 19 months.” A girl and small boy weep at one side of the monument while a cherub angel flies overhead, bearing a wreath. Two weeping willows and a tree with flame-stitched leaves enclose the scene at each side while a fence and greenery stand in the background. Eglomise mat is signed “Wrought by Miss Eliza Tuttle.” Likely original lemon gilt frame with egg and dart molded sight edge. Image: 20 in H x 21 1/2 in W. Frame: 26 in H x 28 in W. Possibly Connecticut, Late 18th century.  

PROVENANCE: The estate of collector and designer Linda McCormick Felts, Memphis, TN.

CONDITION: Overall very good condition. Some light wear and losses to black reverse painting. Image with some scattered foxing and a couple of very tiny holes, some toning, light rippling and fading to silk. Several spots of wear and regilding to frame. Original backing has been replaced with foam core board. [See more photos →]

Sterling Boyd Strauser (Pennsylvania, 1907-1995) oil on board still life painting depicting a vase of flowers with a yellow-hued backdrop, all rendered in heavy impasto and sgraffito linework. Signed and dated “77” lower left. Housed in a gilt wood frame with black liner. Sight: 27 1/4 in. H x 21 in. W. Framed: 30 1/8 in. H x 29 1/8 in. W. 

CONDITION: Overall very good condition. [See more photos →]

German DWM Model 1914 Artillery Luger Semi-Automatic Pistol with holster. 9mm caliber, Serial no. 2929, all parts with matching “29”, including walnut grips. Breech marked “1915”, Imperial Proofs along right side. 8-inch barrel with dovetailed adjustable front sight and adjustable rear sight. Thumb safety marked “Gesichert”. Blued finish, straw-finished trigger and safety.  Wood knob magazine numbered 2929.  Includes loading tool and cleaning rod with swiveling wooden head, each stamped with the Imperial proof. Holster marked illegibly inside top flap. 1955 Canadian Firearms Registration included. NOTE: Most firearms made after 1898 require passing an FFL background check prior to transfer. The date of production for this gun makes it subject to FFL rules. Please be prepared with proper identification and information. If you do not reside in Tennessee, an FFL dealer in your state is required to complete the transfer.

CONDITION: Very good with 95% original finish; normal handling wear, bright, clean bore with smoothly functioning action. Holster clean in very good condition, straps remain secure. [See more photos →]

John Bernard Alberts, Jr. (Kentucky, 1886-1931) oil on canvas portrait of a woman who wears a white blouse and blue skirt, sitting with her elbows resting on the arms of a chair and looking pensively away from the viewer. Unsigned. Likely original molded giltwood frame with channeled edges and en verso, remnant of an old piece of paper inscribed “Deweese” in pencil. Sight: 28 in H x 21 in W. Frame: 35 in H x 28 in W. Biography: Louisville-born John Alberts attended the Cincinnati Art Academy, where he was mentored by Frank Duvenek, then the Boston Academy of Fine Arts, where he studied with Edmund Tarbell and Frank Benson. He also spent a year in Europe and was heavily influenced by 16th-century Dutch artists. Back in Kentucky, Alberts shared a studio with Paul Plaschke and became a sought-after painter of portraits and designer of stained glass windows. However, he became ill during his army service in World War I and was left bedridden until his death at age 45. His extant works are rare; some can be found in the collections of the Filson Historical Society and the Greenville County, SC, Museum of Art. (Sources: Alberts’s obituary, The Courier Journal Aug. 25, 1931; The Johnson Collection). 

PROVENANCE: By descent in the family of the artist. 

CONDITION: A few tiny scattered flakes to shoulders and background and some pinpoint size flakes to face; craquelure throughout; grime/uneven varnish in some areas. Old repair lower left corner, about 1 1/2 inches long. A few small losses to frame.  [See more photos →]

Sterling Strauser (American, 1907-1995), “Spring Blossoms,” large vertical oil on artist’s board painting depicting a flowering tree rendered in thick impasto. Signed lower left and dated 4/13/91. Additionally signed and titled en verso. Housed in a modern wooden frame. Board: 48 in H x 24 in W. Framed: 49 1/4 in H x 25 1/4 in W.

PROVENANCE: The collection of Myron King, Nashville, Tennessee.

CONDITION: Some cupping/warping to board, wear at edges, overall good condition. [See more photos →]

Luise Kaish (American, 1925-2013), “Flags,” oil on canvas expressionist painting. Signed lower left. Simple molded giltwood frame. Sight: 25 in w x 14 in H. Frame: 29 1/2 in W x 17 1/2 in H.

PROVENANCE: The collection of Ronnie Steine, Nashville, by descent from his parents, Mr. and Mrs. David Steine, acquired from Staempfli Gallery, 1980.

CONDITION: Excellent condition. [See more photos →]

Group of nine (9) different M101-7 Sporting News Supplemental Series 7 1/4″ x 10″ oversized baseball “cards”, inserted into issues of The Sporting News newspaper from 1926-27. Included are the following, in order of issuance: Nov 4th,1926, Glenn Wright (Pittsburg); Nov 11th, 1926, Harry E. Manush (Henry) (Detroit); Nov 18th,1926, Harold “Pie” Traynor (Pittsburg); Dec 2nd, 1926, Rogers Hornsby (St. Louis); Dec 9th, 1926, John Mostil (Chicago); Dec 16th, 1926, Hazen “Kiki” Cuyler (Pittsburg); Dec 23rd, 1926, Al Simmons (Philadelphia); Jan 6th, 1927, Tony Lazzeri (New York); Jan 13th, 1927, Harry Rice (St. Louis).   There were a total 13 supplements issued in the complete M101-7 set from 1926-27.  NOTE: Please see Lot 579 in this auction for the Babe Ruth M101-7 from this set.

CONDITION: All cards in overall very good condition with some light toning. Glenn Wright card with minor loss to lower right margin. The Harry Rice card with minor losses to upper right corner and upper left corner, 3/4 in. tear left margin. Slight ding to upper left margin of Tony Lazzeri card, one 1/8 in. tear upper right, and one small approx. 1/4 in. tear lower margin, pencil notations on reverse. [See more photos →]

Sylvia Hyman (American/Tennessee, 1907-2012) stoneware and porcelain trompe l’oeil sculpture depicting a Cherokee-style basket of faux-aged letters, placed atop a separate “lace” doily. Basket signed “Sylvia Hyman” and dated 2000 to underside. The sculpture measures 11 in. H x 8 in. W x 5 in. D and is accompanied by a separate painted white wooden display block (5 1/2 in. H x 9 in. W x 4 in. D), but can also sit directly on a tabletop. 

PROVENANCE: The collection of Dr. James and Susan O’Neill, Nashville, TN.

CONDITION: Repaired breaks to handle, visible in back only. Some wear to paint on wood block.  [See more photos →]

Chinese blue glazed Jun ware bottle form vase with flaring rim and purple/red glaze area on the upper shoulder. 10 in. H. 18th century or earlier.

CONDITION: Overall very good condition. [See more photos →]

Sterling Boyd Strauser (American/Pennsylvania, 1907-1995)  oil on board painting of a pink dogwood branch. Signed upper left “Strauser” and dated 1988; additionally signed and dated lower left. Note: while the painting is currently wired to hang vertically, it also presents in such a way that it could be hung horizontally (hence the double signature). Custom parcel gilt and painted wood frame with carved, undulating edges, stamped “Handcrafted by Lyzon Art Gallery” en verso. Sight: 36 in. H x 8 in. W. Frame: 41 in. H x 13 in. W. 

PROVENANCE: Private Middle Tennessee Collection.

CONDITION: Excellent condition other than a few small light spatter spots to the upper right area of the white portion of the frame.  [See more photos →]

Anton Weiss (Yugoslavia/Tennessee, 1936-2019) acrylic on canvas expressionist winter landscape painting likely set in Middle Tennessee, 1970. Two red-roofed buildings reflect onto a pond from behind a stand of leafless trees and before a distant mountain range, 1970. With both pallette-knife and brushwork along with passages of impasto throughout. Signed and dated lower right. Housed in a metallic frame with textile liner. Sight: 29 in H x 39 in W. Frame: 33 5/8 in H x 43 5/8 in W. Biographical Note: Born in Belgrade, Yugoslavia, and of Austrian descent, Anton Weiss grew up during World War II. Following the war, he and his family moved to Springfield and later Nashville, TN. The artist eventually relocated to New York City, where he took classes at the Art Students League before studying Abstract Expressionism with Hans Hoffman. In 1960, he returned to Nashville where he became active in the regional arts community. He served as an instructor and eventually director of the art department at the Watkins Institute and played a role in the founding of the Tennessee Art League and Tennessee Watercolor Society. (Source: Amy Stumpfl and Melinda Baker, “Haynes Galleries Exhibit Celebrates Legacy of Nashville Artist Anton Wiess,” The Tennessean [Nashville, TN], November 17, 2017)

CONDITION: Overall very good condition. Frame wtih minor abrasions and accretions.  [See more photos →]

Large ormolu mounted Chinese Export Rose Mandarin porcelain punch bowl, the sides decorated with alternating vignettes of figural and floral decoration, with bird and butterfly decoration at the rim and base, gilt highlights throughout. With Rococo style gilt bronze mounts including base, handle and rim. 14″ total H x 18 in. dia. Late 19th/Early 20th century.

PROVENANCE: Private Nashville collection. 

CONDITION: Overall very good condition. Some wear and oxidation to bronze mounts.  [See more photos →]

James Montgomery Flagg (American, 1877-1960) ink wash on paper illustration art painting titled “Wild as a Hawk,” depicting a man in dinner attire, leaning over the table of a man and woman in a restaurant. The man and woman are also formally dressed, and appear displeased by the interruption. Signed “James Montgomery Flagg” lower right, above a personal inscription to Jack Spooner, “with best regards through the years.” McFadden Publications / Liberty Magazine stamp en verso inscribed with title and artist’s name. Strathmore blind stamp to paper. Matted and framed under glass in a molded wood frame. Sheet: 29″ w x 23″ h. Frame: 33 1/2 in w x 26 1/2 h. Note: this illustration likely accompanied a story by the same name published in Liberty Magazine in 1935. Ref:  https://collectingoldmagazines.com/magazines/liberty-magazine/1935-issues/

PROVENANCE: A Nashville, Tennessee estate, ex-Ken Spooner, by descent from Jack Spooner; gift of the artist. 

CONDITION: Light toning to sheet and to mat; sheet is taped at edges to mat.  [See more photos →]

1st item: Turkmen Tekke Torba, wool on wool, four rows of three torbas on a central cream field and long fringe, woven in colors of brick red, blue, and cream. 4 ft 1 in x 1 ft 6 in. Circa 1870. 2nd item: Antique Baluch Afghan tribal bag face with traditional designs on a dark blue field. 2 ft 7 in x 2 ft 4 in.. Circa 1870. 3rd item: Antique Turkmen Yomud or Yomut Torba, wool on wool, with a central curled or turning leaf design on a cream field, and woven in colors of red, blue, and cream. 3 ft 8 in x 1 ft 1 in. Circa 1880.

PROVENANCE: Private Des Moines, Iowa collection.

CONDITION: 1st item: Overall very good condition. 2nd item: Losses to one corner, one hole/perforation. 3rd item: Losses to fringe, overall very good condition

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Dorothy Muriel Gillespie (American/New York, 1920-2012) tabletop enamel over aluminum ribbon sculpture painted in bright primary colors. Signed Dorothy Gillespie and dated 1982 on the top of the base. Additionally numbered and dated ’82 on the underside of the base. 27 3/8 in. H x 26 1/2 in. W.

CONDITION: Overall very good condition with very slight, scattered wear. [See more photos →]

16th-century or earlier tempera and gold leaf illuminated vellum or parchment manuscript leaf cutting embellished with depiction of the Nativity and a floral scrolled border. With historiated initial “R” and musical notation, likely from an antiphonary or gradual. Matted and framed under glass in a simple giltwood frame. Sight: 12 in H x 8 in W. Frame: 18 in H x 14 in W. 

PROVENANCE: The collection of Dr. James and Susan O’Neill, Nashville, TN.

CONDITION: Overall very good condition, leaf has been trimmed around initial. Some creasing and small scattered losses to paint and gilding, mostly along crease lines, but colors remain vibrant. One edge of the vellum has come out from under the mat. Not examined out of frame.  [See more photos →]

Charles P. Appel (American, 1857-1928) oil on canvas Tonalist landscape painting that depicts a creek or small river. A woman sits in a rowboat that floats near the bank at left and a dirt path winds into the woods at right. Signed “C.P. Appel,” lower left. Housed in a giltwood frame. Sight: 19 1/2 in H x 29 1/2 in W. Frame: 27 1/2 in H x 37 1/2 in W. 

PROVENANCE: The collection of Charles R. Ragan, KY. 

CONDITION: Overall very good condition. Frame with minor abrasions and gilt loss.  [See more photos →]

Five (5) Tarzan books inscribed and signed by the author, Edgar Rice Burroughs.  1943 Grosset & Dunlap “Madison Square” wartime editions. Titles include: TARZAN OF THE APES [314pp]; THE RETURN OF TARZAN [314pp]; THE SON OF TARZAN [312pp]; TARZAN AND THE JEWELS OF OPAR [350pp]; and TARZAN THE TERRIBLE [301pp]. Each signed by Burroughs on the front free endpaper, four are inscribed “with best wishes” to the previous owner; Tarzan of the Apes with the inscription “For Charlie Adams, who can learn to read with this, as my three children did.” Red decorated cloth boards with black lettering on covers and spines, each 7 1/2 in. x 5 1/4 in.

CONDITION: Dust jackets absent. Each with minor soiling, toning, and fading. Pages browned with age, not affecting signatures. [See more photos →]

Ladies platinum earrings featuring eight (8) marquise and ten (10) round brilliant cut diamonds approximately 1.56 carats together, Clarity-VS1, Color-G. The earrings are marked “PT950” and XRF test 95% platinum. The earrings are 1/2 in. x 1/2 in. and have a gross weight of 7.13 grams.

CONDITION: Overall good condition. [See more photos →]

Daniel Wall (American, 20th/21st century) oil on canvas landscape painting depicting cherry blossoms and titled “Blossom Always,” 2021 Signed “Daniel Wall” lower left and titled and dated en verso. Housed in a contemporary giltwood frame. Sight: 39 3/4 in. H x 27 3/4 in. W. Framed: 29 1/4 in. H x 17 1/2 in. W. Note: Lot includes original Park West Gallery certificate of authenticity.

CONDITION: Overall very good condition. [See more photos →]

Ron Williams (Tennessee, 1947-2016) oil on canvas Smoky Mountain Appalachian landscape painting depicting a rock-filled river flanked by trees, with mountains in the background. Signed lower right and housed in a painted and parcel gilt wood frame. Sight: 15 3/8 in. H x 19 1/2 in. W. Framed: 22 in. H x 26 in. W.
 

CONDITION: Overall very good condition. [See more photos →]

Johan Hagaman (Indiana/TN, b. 1950), “The World Curled Round,” 2014, concrete, copper, paper, wax and milk paint, female form with roots or thorny branches emerging from her head and flowering branches emanating from her feet. 31 1/2 in H x 15 in W x 5 in D. A photocopy of the receipt for this work from Cumberland Gallery, Nashville, for $3,450, is available to the winning bidder, along with the artist’s statement: “My recent work was inspired by a vine that, when I wasn’t watching, overtook and transformed my garden. While I was trying to shape nature, nature was shaping me – the call and response of creation, a call to wonder, a call to pay attention, a call to give attention to what is in my world.” Note: Johan Hagaman received her B.A. and M.S. in English at Indiana University in Bloomington before settling in Nashville. She has exhibited extensively in TN, NC, CO and CA in solo and group shows. Hagaman’s work is in the collections of Gaylord Opryland Hotel, Tennessee State Museum, Jackson Hole Art Association in Wyoming, Evansville Museum of Art and Sciences in Indiana, Massure Museum of Art in Louisiana, the University of South Florida Museum, and the Genesco Corporate Collection among others. In 2005 she received the Individual Artists Fellowship in Visual Art from the Tennessee Arts Commission. (Source: The Tennessee Arts Commission).

PROVENANCE: Private Nashville, TN estate, ex-Cumberland Gallery. 

CONDITION: Excellent condition. [See more photos →]

Three (3) 19th c. Paint Decorated U.S. Patent Models. 1st Item: Harvester, patented March 2, 1880; Patent number 225,064 by Otto Kromer and Frank Rinkleff of Sandusky, Ohio. 12″ W x 12″ D x 4″ H. 2nd Item: Grain Dryer, Patented Jan 1, 1867; patent number 60,666, by Archibald H. C. Barber of Clinton, Illinois. 10″ W x 8″ D x 5″ H. 3rd Item: Stalk-Cutter, patented April 30, 1878; patent number 203,010, by Ezra Dominy of Freedom Illinois. 8″ W x 11″ x D x 4 1/2″ H. Original models with hanging tags; brass, copper, and wood construction, original finish. Accompanied by copies of original patent office drawings and application descriptions.                                                             

PROVENANCE: Mr. and Mrs. O. Rundle Gilbert, Collection of Original United States Patent Models, 1790-1890, Garrison, New York.

CONDITION: 1st Item (harvester): some wooden pieces with breaks. 2nd Item (dryer) some scratches to paint. Note: due to the innovative/experimental nature of patent models, it can be difficult to ascertain if all original parts are present or working as originally intended, and we do not guarantee their completeness or functionality.   [See more photos →]

Meyer R. Wolfe (Tennessee/New York, 1897-1985) bronze sculpture with gold finish depicting a female nude with her hands behind her head. Mounted onto a black plastic-wrapped wood stand. Unsigned. Sculpture: 10 1/2 in. H  x 7 3/8 in. W x 4 1/4 in. D. Stand measures: 1 7/8 in. H x 5 in. W x 6 in. D. Circa 1960. 

PROVENANCE: Estate of Dr. Lawrence Wolfe, Nashville, Tennessee.

CONDITION: Overall very good condition with nice patina. [See more photos →]

Large Southeast Asian, possibly Burmese or Indian, 19th-century parcel gilt silver centerpiece urn or trophy cup (XRF tests sterling or .925). Beaded rim over a frieze with Buddhist or Hindu figures riding on lions and mythical animals, above a band of repousse decoration depicting farming figures in fields with barns, cattle, trees, and elephants. A band of decorative leaves adorns the lower edge of the bowl, and the domed foot features vignettes of twelve Buddhist or Hindu figures. Two C-scroll foliate overlaid handles. No inscriptions, monograms, or maker’s markings. 11 in H x 11 in diameter. 41.7 oz troy.

PROVENANCE: The Estate of Jane Dudley, Nashville, TN and Palm Beach, FL. Social icon Jane Dudley (1925-2017) was the founder of one of the South’s most prestigious charity events, the Swan Ball. She was married to U.S. Ambassador to Denmark, Guilford Dudley, with whom she shared a landmark Nashville estate, Northumberland, until his death in 2002.

CONDITION: 2″ shallow dent to side, with adjacent small hole in band of leaf decoration; one leaf at center very slightly bent; otherwise good condition. [See more photos →]