Exceptional Results

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

Beauford Delaney (American/Tennessee, 1901-1979) large-scale vertically oriented oil on canvas painting presenting an abstraction comprised of horizontally lined brushstrokes in varying widths and set against a variegated and tactile background. The artist anchors the image with a rectangular shape in the lower half of the image, which includes two mirrored color centric arcs, one slightly larger than the other. The artist creates a viewer's scrim through an applied overall splatter pattern in off-white and raw umber. Unsigned. 63 3/4 x 51 1/4 inches. Circa 1972. Provenance: The Estate of Lois Imogene Delaney, Knoxville, Tennessee. Note: Beauford Delaney's studio practice has been characterized as a linear path from modernist urban scenes in New York City to atmospheric abstractions when he moved to Paris in 1953. Numerous late paintings by Delaney, such as this circa 1972 canvas, suggest that the artist used an inventive and experimental approach during the last 5-10 years of his career. During this period, he expanded his studio practice to include monoprints, screenprints, and lithographs. Additionally, he worked in a realist style, as in his series of portraits of Civil Rights-era leader Rosa Parks, while simultaneously producing non-objective compositions made up of swirling bands of color applied with a variety of tools. These and other stylistic and technical experiments attest to Delaney's remarkable energy and wide-ranging aesthetic interests during the latter part of his career. The painting being offered with a composition in muted, intuitive color choices possibly points to the American Modernist influence of Marsden Hartley. A Beauford Delaney oil of similar size dated 1974 with centric arches and horizontal stripes can be viewed in the San Francisco MOMA collection: https://www.artsy.net/artwork/beauford-delaney-untitled-81. Additional note: A photographic image depicting the oil on canvas being offered is pictured in the Knoxville, Tennessee art storage facility with the artist's niece, Ogust Delaney Stewart, in the foreground. Courtesy credits: Case expresses appreciation to Stephen Wicks (Barbara W. and Bernard E. Bernstein Curator of the Knoxville Museum of Art), Derek Spratley (Administrator, Estate of Beauford Delaney), and Jane Jacob (President, Jacob Fine Art, Inc.) for their assistance on this Beauford Delaney oil painting. PRE-APPROVAL IS REQUIRED TO BID ON THIS LOT. PLEASE CONTACT CASE ANTIQUES, INC. AT THE KNOXVILLE GALLERY FOR DETAILS. 865-558-3033 or BID@CASEANTIQUES.COM.
Condition: Unframed. Some scattered minor losses to paint to perimeter, mainly the lower edge, one area upper right edge. Canvas missing some applied nails to upper edges. [See more photos →]

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

William Edmondson (American/Tennessee, 1874-1951), “Miss Amy,” companion sculpture to “Miss Lucy,” sold in our January 2019 auction (lot #110). Carved limestone sculpture depicting a standing woman wearing a dress with square neckline; her bountiful hair is tied back, creating negative space between her back and her hair, and she holds a book in her left hand; her long skirt reaches all the way to the integral base. 14 1/2″ H x 4 3/4″ W x 7 3/8″ D. Circa 1930/1935. Exhibited, “Will Edmondson’s Mirkels” at the Tennessee Fine Arts Center at Cheekwood (April 12 through May 21, 1964), and listed as #5 in the catalog, published by Louise Dahl-Wolfe. Additionally exhibited in “The Art of William Edmondson” at the Tennessee Fine Arts Center at Cheekwood’s exhibit, January 28 – April 23, 2000 (which traveled to four other museums including the Museum of American Folk Art in New York and the High Museum in Atlanta); listed in the exhibition catalog “The Art of William Edmondson” on page 136, figure #23. Provenance: The estate of Janet Marsh Pruitt (Mrs. Earl Pruitt) of Pennsylvania, formerly of Nashville, Tennessee. By descent from her parents, Ross and Anna Marsh. Mrs. Marsh acquired this sculpture along with “Miss Lucy” from a member of the Art Department, likely Professor Sidney Hirsch, while working for Peabody College in Nashville, just a few blocks from where Edmondson lived. Professor Hirsch (who frequently walked past Edmondson’s house) is credited with introducing Edmondson to well-connected arts patrons Alfred and Elizabeth Starr and Harper’s Bazaar photographer, Louise Dahl-Wolfe. Wolfe’s now-famous photographs of Edmondson and his yard full of limestone sculptures brought him to the attention of the New York art world and gained him the acquaintance of Alfred Barr, Jr., director of the Museum of Modern Art. Unlike many Edmondson figures acquired by Nashvillians in the days before Edmondson gained international fame, “Miss Amy” and “Miss Lucy” were not kept outside as garden sculptures. Mrs. Marsh told her family the limestone figures were always used inside as doorstops (which has helped the sculptures avoid surface bleaching and erosion). According to the 1964 “Mirkels” exhibit catalog, which quoted the Marshes, “Miss Amy” was a good member of Edmondson’s Nashville Primitive Baptist church who had been “uplifted to heaven.” Artist’s Biography: William Edmondson was born in Davidson County, Tennessee, the son of freed slaves, and worked most of his life as a railroad employee and janitor. A spiritual experience at the age of 57 prompted him to begin sculpting limestone using a railroad spike as chisel, and he claimed divine inspiration for the works produced during his 17 year art career. Women, Biblical figures and animals were among his favored subjects, although he also produced more utilitarian items such as tombstones and birdbaths. In 1937, Edmondson became the first African American artist to have a solo show at the Museum of Modern Art, and he is regarded as one of the most important self-taught artists of the 20th century. CONDITION: Overall very good condition. CONDITION: Overall very good condition with old patina. Number 1 or 7 (underlined) written in marker on underside of base. Old tape residue to underside of base. Small whitish surface scratch to top of base, about 1/4″L. Overall minor wear particularly to right side in hair (abrasions from door when used as doorstop). Vertical line extending from base near subject’s right shoe appears to be natural variation in stone and does not illuminate under UV light inspection. Minor wear to base, particularly at corners and lowermost edges. [See more photos →]

Three stone diamond ring containing one 7.32 oval brilliant cut diamond and two Fancy Intense Yellow diamonds. The center prong-set 7.32 ct. oval brilliant cut diamond, G color, VS-1 clarity and measuring 15.07 x 11.19 x 6.90 mm, 61.6% Depth, 58% Table, Good Polish, Good Symmetry, No Fluorescence. In addition to the center diamond are two Cut-Cornered Rectangular Modified Brilliant cut Fancy Intense Yellow, Even, diamonds, one weighing 1.08 ct, VVS2 clarity, and measuring 6.40 x 5.94 x 3.39 mm, Very Good Polish, Very Good Symmetry, Faint Fluorescence and the second weighing 1.13 ct, VS1 clarity, and measuring 6.35 x 5.72 x 3.43 mm, Very Good Polish, Fair Symmetry and No Fluorescence. Total weight of diamonds: 9.53 ct. Mounting is a stamped 18KT yellow gold lady’s combination cast and assembled 3-stone, cathedral style, diamond engagement ring with a soldered sizing bar with a polished finish. The center diamond is set in a 4-prong, platinum basket style setting identified with markings of “18K 950PT”. Total weight of diamond engagement ring: 11.4 grams. Ring size 6. CONDITION: See description. Includes GIA Report for 7.32 ct oval brilliant diamond, GIA Report for 1.08 ct FIY diamond, and GIA Report for 1.13 ct FIY diamond. [See more photos →]

Friedel Dzubas (American, 1915-1994), “High Pass,” magna (acrylic) on canvas abstract expressionist color field painting. Signed, titled, and dated 1976 on reverse, along with M. Knoedler Gallery label. Narrow wood frame with gold metallic sheathing. 72″ x 72″ (182.9 cm x 182.9 cm). Frame: 73″ x 73″. Exhibited, M. Knoedler & Co., NY, April 9-28, 1977 (no. 3; source: the Dzubas Estate Archives).

Biography: German-born artist Friedel Dzubas studied under Paul Klee in Dusseldorf and at the Prussian Academy of Fine Art before fleeing to England, and ultimately America, in 1939. Once in the U.S., he became the roommate of art critic Clement Greenberg, through whom he became associated with Abstract Expressionists Willem de Kooning, Jackson Pollock, Adolph Gottlieb and Barnett Newman; he also shared a studio with Helen Frankenthaler.

In the 1960s Dzubas began experimenting with color field painting. He abandoned oil paint for Magna acrylic in 1965 when, as art historian Megan Bahr writes, he found he could achieve “with a brevity of gesture the brilliance and luminosity of oil paint applied in thin veils of color. He could thus effect the richness and variation of traditional glazed tones using a more expressive, immediate process.” The Museum of Fine Art, Houston, mounted a retrospective of Dzubas”s work in 1974, as did the Museum of Fine Art, Boston the following year. In 1983, Dzubas was honored with an exhibition at the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Washington, D.C. (Sources: Dr. Patricia Lewy, “Friedel Dzubas,” Skira, 2017; Megan Bahr, The Ackland Museum of Art).

PROVENANCE: The Estate of Richard J. Eskind, Nashville.

CONDITION: Overall very good condition. Scattered light inclusion specks and grime to the lower right quadrant, along with a faint drip stain and a few very tiny paint splatters; no restoration visible under UV light. [See more photos →]

Anna Catherine Wiley (Tennessee, 1879-1958) oil on canvas painting of a woman in a white dress, viewed from below, seated on a split rail fence with a green parasol held in her left hand, under a cloud-filled blue sky. The subject looks to the viewer”s left as her upswept hair blows in the wind and her parasol shades her face and the upper half of her body. The branches of a tree extend into the sky at the upper left while two additional trees flank a distant mountain range behind her. Signed and dated “Catherine Wiley 1911″ lower right. Housed in the original giltwood frame. Canvas: 33 5/8″ H x 25 5/8″ W. Frame: 40 1/2″ H x 32 3/4″ W. Exhibition History: Knoxville Museum of Art; A Gilded Age: Knoxville Artists, 1875-1925; September 15, 1995-January 14, 1996.

PRE-APPROVAL BY 5 PM ET THURSDAY JULY 4 IS REQUIRED TO BID ON THIS LOT. PLEASE CONTACT CASE AUCTIONS, INC. FOR DETAILS. (865) 558-3033 or BID@CASEAUCTIONS.COM.

Biography: Catherine Wiley is one of Tennessee”s most important nationally recognized artists. She was one of the early female students at the University of Tennessee, and was later credited with establishing formal art instruction at the school. Wiley studied at the Art Students League in New York under Frank DuMond, and spent summers learning from major American impressionists such as Robert Reid, Jonas Lie, and Martha Walter. She won numerous prizes including two Gold Medals at the Appalachian Exposition in 1910 and her paintings were exhibited at prominent American venues including the National Academy of Design in New York and the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts. Her thriving career was ended by a mental collapse which left her institutionalized until her death.

PROVENANCE: Living Estate of Dr. Jerry Waters and Collection of Dr. Carole Wahler.

CONDITION: Overall very good condition with stabilized craquelure throughout. Professionally conserved in the Fall of 1991 by Cumberland Art Conservation (conservation label en verso; report available to the winning bidder). One vertical area of inpainting to the central fold of dress plus a few slight, scattered areas to the right arm”s sleeve and to the sky, center left. [See more photos →]

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

GEORGE WASHINGTON (1732-1799). Washington was Founding Father, Commander-in-Chief of colonial forces during the American Revolutionary War and the first President of the United States of America. A volume signed by George Washington on the top of the title page. The book a bound copy of the first five issues of Volume One of “The Massachusetts Magazine: or Monthly Museum of Knowledge and Rational Entertainment”, published by Isaiah Thomas and Ebenezer T. Andrews of Boston in 1789. The inside front cover has his armorial bookplate and this book was once in his Mount Vernon library. The front endpaper has an inscription reading “Lewis Minor Coleman, Jr./1911/ Presented by his grandmother M.A.MC. from the library of his great-great-grandfather Chief Justice John Marshall”. The Massachusetts Magazine, founded in 1789 and published until 1796 by the famous printer Isaiah Thomas, advertised on its title page that it contains “poetry, music, biography, history, physics, geography, morality, criticism, philosophy, mathematics, agriculture, architecture, chemistry, novels, tales, romances, translations, news, marriages, deaths, eteorological observations, etc. etc.”. It was founded at the same time as the nation to act as “a kind of thermometer, by which the genius, taste, literature, history, politics, arts, manners, amusements and improvements of the age and nation, may be ascertained”. This particular book is important for Washington since it covers the events of 1789 that included his inauguration as the country’s first President. For example, page 314 is entitled “Papers relative to the President of the United States” and includes a printing of his Inaugural Address that starts with “Among the vicissitudes incident to life, no event could have filled me with greater anxieties than that of which the notification was transmitted by your order…”. It is then followed by “The Address of the Senate to the President of the United States In Answer to his Speech to Both Houses of Congress”. On page 286 is a passage entitled “Memoirs of General Washington”. In other words, Washington kept this book since it was a “clippings file” of his first year as President. An outstanding Washington signed book with a great association year and terrific content. Front endpaper with inscription reading: Lewis Minor Coleman, Jr./1911/ Presented by his grandmother M.A.M.C. (Mary Ambler Marshall Coleman) from the library of his great-great-grandfather Chief Justice John Marshall. Provenance: The Estate of Charles Boyd Coleman, Jr., Chattanooga, TN, by descent from Lewis Minor Coleman, Jr., son of CSA Lt. Colonel Lewis Minor Coleman and Mary Ambler Marshall, daughter of James K. Marshall and granddaughter of John Marshall (1755-1835). Lewis M. Coleman Jr. was also related to the family of Henry Dearborn by his marriage to Julia Wingate Boyd, daughter of Annette Maria Dearborn Boyd, who was the daughter of Greenleaf Dearborn (1786-1846) and great granddaughter of Henry Dearborn (1751-1829) on her mother’s side. Note: John Marshall was the fourth Chief Justice of the United States, serving for thirty-five years. He oversaw landmark decisions such as Marbury v. Madison, McCulloch v. Maryland, Gibbons v. Ogden and the Dartmouth College case. His lifelong friendship with George Washington developed during their Revolutionary War service including the winter at Valley Forge and the battles at Brandywine and Monmouth; he went on to write one of the early biographies of America’s first president (see related lots, #263, 264). Description courtesy of Stuart Lutz Historic Documents, Inc. CONDITION: This volume has been rebacked and rebound in leather with new endpapers before 1911 and is in good condition. It appears that the original front cover has been incorporated into the binding and shows some wear. The bookplate has been preserved and is in good condition. The front cover is scuffed. There is a slight tear to the title page nowhere near the dark Washington autograph, and there is toning and spotting to the interior pages. [See more photos →]

Alberto Burri (Italy/France, 1915-1995) paper, acrylic, fabric, and combustion on canvas mixed media abstract Art Informel collage, 1960. Signed and dated "Burri / 60" en verso and titled "Combustione.T.2." and additionally dated "60" to stretcher. Also inscribed "ZZ" within a circle en verso and "HAUT" with arrow drawing plus "1151" to stretcher. With Douane Paris Chappelle and Dogana Internazionale Italiana Chiasso E.T. stamps en verso and to stretcher. Housed in a thin wood frame. Canvas: 22 3/8" H x 17 9/16" W. Frame: 23 1/8" H x 18 5/16" W. Note: Photocopies of relevant pages from a 1980 institutional publication with provenance history are included in the image sequence.

PRE-APPROVAL BY 5 PM ET THURSDAY JULY 4 IS REQUIRED TO BID ON THIS LOT. PLEASE CONTACT CASE AUCTIONS, INC. FOR DETAILS. (865) 558-3033 or <a href="mailto:BID@CASEAUCTIONS.COM" target="_blank">BID@CASEAUCTIONS.COM</a> .

Literature: Illustrated in Cesare Brandi, BURRI (Rome, 1963), cat. no. 59. Reproduced sideways, and erroneously dated 1959.

Biographical note: Alberto Burri was born in a small town in the Umbria region of Italy. In 1940 he received a degree in medicine from the Universita degli Studi di Perugia. He served in World War II first as a frontline soldier and then as a physician. Following his unit''s 1943 capture Burri was sent to a prisoner-of-war camp in Hereford, Texas. Disaffected by war and by his internment, he took up painting and never practiced medicine again. Burri developed a new material realism that stood apart from postwar gestural abstraction and its emotive and existentialist content. He blurred the boundaries between painting and relief sculpture. In the mid-1950s he turned to mass-produced industrial materials in prefabricated colors and developed a new technique of painting with combustion to make torched wood veneer works, welded reliefs of cold-rolled steel, and compositions of melted and charred plastic. Burri has been the subject of numerous retrospectives in Europe and the United States. (Adapted from The Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation).

PROVENANCE: Deaccessioned by a Southern Institution to benefit the acquisitions fund; Acquired from Galerie de France, Paris, 1961.

CONDITION: Overall very good condition. Could benefit from cleaning by a professional conservator. [See more photos →]

Henry Moret, also spelled Henri Moret (France, 1856-1913), “Bateaux de peche dans la rade le matin,” (“Fishing boats in the harbor in the morning”) oil on canvas landscape depicting boats gathered just off the coast of Groix in Northwest France, as viewed from a cliff overlooking the cove, all under a vivid blue sky with scattered white clouds. The impressionist style landscape is rendered in a thick impasto technique, in vivid shades of blue, pink and green. Signed “Henry Moret” lower left and dated, “1902”. Ornate Rococo style giltwood and composition frame with foliate and cartouche molding, pierced edges and plaque, lower center, with name of artist and title “Anse de Groix 1902″ (Cove at Groix). Sight – 19 1/2″ H x 23 1/2″ W (50 cm x 62 cm). Framed – 29 1/4″ H x 33 1/2” W. We wish to thank Jean-Yves Rolland for confirming the authenticity and correct title of this painting. It will be added to his forthcoming Henry Moret catalog raisonne and a certificate of authenticity will be provided to the winning bidder. Provenance: Private Nashville collection; Sotheby’s, Oct. 7 1987, lot #37 (sold under the title “Groix, Bateau de Peche,” 1902). Biography: Henry Moret was best known for his colorful coastal landscapes painted in Normandy and Brittany, and for his involvement in the Pont-Aven artist colony. He studied in Paris under Jean-Paul Lorens at the Academie Julian and Jean-Leon Gerome at the Ecole National des Beaux-Arts in Paris, and made his debut at the Salon de Paris in 1880. In 1888, he moved to Pont-Aven and was introduced to the tenents of Symbolism by his friends, Paul Gauguin and Emile Bernard. In 1896, he settled in the fishing village of Doelen, where his style became increasingly Impressionist and nature-focused. CONDITION: Painting is in excellent condition with no evidence of relining or inpainting. Slight craquelure overall concentrated in top half with impact crackle top center 1″ H x 1 1/2″ W. Moderate 1″ x 1/2″ area of cleavage in boat 5 1/2″ from right side. Minor lifting impasto right edge. Three slight scuffs center to left side above and in rocks, largest 4″ L. See blacklight photos. [See more photos →]

William Edmondson (American/Tennessee, 1874-1951), “The Nursing Supervisor,” carved limestone sculpture depicting a woman with long hair, long skirt and apron in a standing position, one arm folded slightly above the other. 13 1/2″H x 5″ W x 8 1/2″ D. Separate, later base 1 3/4″ H x 7 1/2″ W x 8 1/2″ D. Circa 1940. Sculpture (without base) exhibited and illustrated in Miracles: The Sculptures of William Edmondson, Janet Fleisher Gallery, Philadelphia, PA, 1995. Plate #20, page 45 (note: reverse image was used in catalog photo). Also exhibited William Edmondson: A Retrospective, Tennessee State Museum, 1981 (refer to catalog, p. 53, #31). Biography: William Edmondson was born in Davidson County, Tennessee, the son of freed slaves, and worked most of his life as a railroad employee and janitor. A spiritual experience at the age of 57 prompted him to begin sculpting limestone using a railroad spike as chisel, and he claimed divine inspiration for the works produced during his 17 year art career. Women, Biblical figures and animals were among his favored subjects, although he also produced more utilitarian items such as tombstones and birdbaths. In 1937, Edmondson became the first African American to receive a solo exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art. He is regarded as one of the most important self-taught artists of the 20th century. Provenance: The living estate of Dr. and Mrs. Benjamin H. Caldwell, Nashville, TN. CONDITION: Old 1 1/2″ loss to lower left front corner of sculpture base, light overall surface patination from outdoor exposure. [See more photos →]

Fernando Zobel de Ayala y Montojo (Spanish/Filipino, 1924-1984), “Plaza de Pilatos I,” oil on canvas abstract painting, with artist signature “Zobel” and Spanish inscription lower right. English translation: “Afternoon light in the face of Pilate (Casa de Pilatos) from the window of my study, seen through the square, Seville, 31 of December 1972”. Additionally signed, titled, and dated en verso. Housed in molded, silvered and gilt wood frame. Sight – 31 1/8″ H x 38 3/4″ W. Framed – 33 1/2″ H x 41 1/8″ W. Biography: Manila-born, Harvard-educated artist Fernando Zobel de Ayala y Montojo was not only a painter but also an important patron of the arts, collector, teacher, photographer, and writer. As an artist, Zobel is best known for abstractions that reflect the dual influences of Abstract Expressionism (particularly the works of Mark Rothko ), and Japanese and Chinese painting and calligraphy. Zobel was extremely active in the Manila art scene in the late 1950’s. He served as the President of the Philippine Art Association, and because of Zobel’s urging and vision, in 1967 the Ayala Foundation established the Ayala Museum, which focuses on Philippine art and culture. Zobel won several international art prizes, and his work is in the collections of museums including the Ayala Museum and National Museum of the Phillipines; Biblioteca Nacional, Madrid; the Museo de Arte Abstracto, Spain; The British Museum in London; and the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. (Case wishes to thank John Seed, Professor of Art at Mt. San Jacinto College, for the use of his biographical information on Zobel for this catalog entry). Provenance: From the estate of Robert L. Zarbock, Escondido, California. After graduating from the University of Illinois School of Music, Zarbock became a producer of symphonic operatic music at RCA Record’s Victor label for many years. Upon retirement, he settled in California, where he served on the San Diego Opera Guild and the California Center for Arts. Proceeds to benefit Zarbock’s alma mater, the University of Illinois. (Note: see also two drawings by Zobel in this auction). CONDITION: Overall very good condition. Some slackness in lower right quadrant (needs restretching) and upper left quadrant, scattered very light craquelure, a few scattered minor accretions, scattered minor abrasions to exterior edges of frame. [See more photos →]

William Edmondson (American/Tennessee, 1874-1951), “Mother and Child,” carved limestone figure of a woman carrying a young child with one arm and holding a book or pocketbook with the other. The subjects both have short, textured hair and rudimentary facial features, and the body of the child, clinging to the mother, is well defined. As with many of Edmondson’s female figures, the back of the subject’s skirt angles slightly away from the other sides, conveying a sense of movement. The figure has areas of painted surface in a tan/grey color. Height: 11 3/4″ H x 4 3/4″ W x 6 7/8″ D.

Provenance: Private Nashville collection, by direct descent from Julia Otey Lee (1947-2012), who is believed to have acquired the sculpture from her parents, Ford Essex Otey and Elnora James Otey of Nashville. The Oteys were members of a noted African American family with a long history in Davidson and Williamson Counties. Elnora (1921-2008) was a poet and ceramicist; Ford (1920-2012) worked in the family’s North Nashville grocery business, was a barber and a licensed mortician, and also operated what was said to be the largest black owned salvage store in the city, on Heiman Street. Julie Otey Lee was a genealogy researcher and board member of the Middle Tennessee Genealogist Society (research conducted by her and her brother helped trace the family’s lineage back at least to the early 1800’s). A notarized affidavit of provenance from the consignor accompanies this lot.

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 using a railroad spike as a chisel, and he claimed divine inspiration for the works produced during his 17-year art career.

In the 1930s, his work caught the attention of Professor Sidney Hirsch, who worked at Peabody College in Nashville, located just a few blocks from where Edmondson lived. Professor Hirsch is credited with introducing Edmondson to well-connected arts patrons Alfred and Elizabeth Starr and Harper’s Bazaar photographer Louise Dahl-Wolfe. Wolfe’s now-famous photographs of Edmondson and his yard full of limestone sculptures brought him to the attention of the New York art world and gained him the acquaintance of Alfred Barr, Jr., director of the Museum of Modern Art, resulting in the landmark 1937 exhibit.

Although Edmondson’s earliest work was more utilitarian in nature, such as tombstones and birdbaths, as his style matured his subject matter grew to include Biblical figures, various animals, and female figures (frequently based on women he knew from his community). This sculpture relates to several known Mother and Child sculptures created by Edmondson. It is, however, unusual or possibly unique because of the addition of the pocketbook in the other hand, an element usually found on his women without children.
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PRE-APPROVAL IS REQUIRED TO BID ON THIS LOT. PLEASE CONTACT CASE AUCTIONS, INC. FOR DETAILS. (865) 558-3033 or BID@CASEAUCTIONS.COM

CONDITION: Overall good condition with general wear to surface including wear and scratches to paint layer. Abrasions to back of mother’s head, left side, up to 3/4″ x 1/2″, plus minor abrasions to back of child, area behind mother’s left arm, and to the lower edge of dress at rear. Additional note: an x-ray analysis confirms no repair or infill present under the paint. [See more photos →]

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

Anna Catherine Wiley (1879 -1958) impressionist oil on canvas painting, depicting seated mother and child in a meadow. The woman’s flower- adorned hat sits in the foreground and a bank of trees is in the background. Signed and dated “Catherine Wiley, 1913″ lower right. Sight – 28 1/2″ H x 32 3/4″ W. Framed – 34 1/2″ H x 38 3/4” W. Provenance: a private Blount County, Tennessee collection. Biography: Catherine Wiley was one of the early female students at the University of Tennessee, and taught art and drawing there from 1905 until 1918. She is credited with establishing formal art instruction at the school, and with making the program into one of the South’s best. Wiley also studied at the Art Students League in New York under Frank DuMond, and spent summers learning from major American impressionists such as Robert Reid, Jonas Lie, and Martha Walter. She won two gold medals at the Appalachian Exposition in 1910, and claimed the prize for best Southern artist at the Southwestern Fair in Atlanta in 1917. She served as President of the Nicholson Art League and director of the Fine Arts Department of Knoxville’s National Conservation Exposition. Her paintings – often depicting women in picturesque settings — were exhibited at many prominent venues including the National Academy of Design in New York, and the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts. In 1926, Wiley suffered a mental collapse which ended her painting career. She remained institutionalized until her death. Private Knoxville, TN collection. Condition: Overall very good condition with two visible spots of paint loss, one on a tree trunk in the background, the other in the bottom of the lady’s dress. Blacklighting does not reveal any repair or restoration. [See more photos →]

George Rodrigue (Louisiana, 1944-2013), “A Louisiana Sunday morning,” acrylic on canvas, depicting the artist’s signature Blue Dog seated between two lit candles and before a basket of flowers adorned with a bright red bow. A single flower lies in the foreground. In the background a large, black tree draped with Spanish moss arches over the scene. Signed “Rodrigue” lower left, additionally signed and dated 2012 en verso. Housed in a molded gilt wood frame. Canvas 30″ H x 30″ W. Framed 35 3/4″ H x 35 3/4″ W.

Note: “The early summer of 2012 was a difficult time for Rodrigue and his family, a time of uncertainty following a series of misdiagnoses surrounding his illness. However, by the fall of 2012, Rodrigue was given the encouraging news that his cancer had entered remission, and when he returned to his easel, a number of the subsequent paintings reflected this new outlook on life, and symbolism on his canvases were plentiful. In ‘A Louisiana Sunday Morning,’ Rodrigue included two candles which represented his second chance at life, and the flowers represented rebirth. During the many weeks in a Houston hospital, Rodrigue had time to reflect on his situation; now being gifted a second chance, gave him the opportunity to reflect on what he had been close to losing. ‘A Louisiana Sunday Morning’ represents all that Rodrigue cherished–in his words, hope, love, happiness and sunshine.” (Courtesy George Rodrigue Studios).

PRE-APPROVAL IS REQUIRED TO BID ON THIS LOT. PLEASE CONTACT CASE AUCTIONS, INC. FOR DETAILS. (865) 558-3033 or BID@CASEAUCTIONS.COM

PROVENANCE: Private Collection, acquired from Rodrigue Gallery, Louisiana, September 2012.

CONDITION: Excellent condition. [See more photos →]

George E. Hughes (Vermont/New York, 1907-1990) oil on board illustration painting for the cover of The Saturday Evening Post, August 2, 1952 edition, titled "Couples at the Beach," featuring a bird's eye view of beachgoers of various ages, enjoying a sunny day under colorful umbrellas. Signed "Hughes" lower left corner. Housed in a painted wooden frame. Sight: 29 5/8" H x 23 3/4" W. Framed: 34 1/4" H x 28 1/2" W. Note: The editorial for the Aug. 2, 1952 edition stated the following about this cover illustration: "In the winter, people buy sun lamps to get sun, and in the summer they buy beach umbrellas to keep the sun off. But these are carefree vacation days, let's not worry about this, or indeed anything else – except maybe whether that creeping baby plans to bite the dog. (We just phoned Artist Hughes to inquire about that, but nobody answered, so probably he's lying on this beach himself, too modest to move into the picture.) Well, have a wonderful time, folks; build your sand castles and your dream castles; let the cool winds and the hot dogs renew you; and don't even let annoyment creep in if that boy's radio prevents your hearing the sweet nothings he whispers to his girl. Now turn the page, before the kids start throwing sand." Artist biography: Raised in New York City, the young George Hughes attended courses in the National Academy of Design and the Art Student's League. He began working as a freelance illustrator for the fashion industry in Vanity Fair and House and Garden magazines. After a stint in Detroit working in the automotive industry, Hughes returned to the city to work for the Charles E. Cooper Studio until his discovery in 1942 by Ken Stuart, the Art Director of The Saturday Evening Post. He moved his family to Arlington, Vermont, and found great success, cultivating a rich portfolio of illustrations for the Post alongside a neighbor, friend, and humorous artistic tormentor, Norman Rockwell. Other than Rockwell, Hughes was the most prolific artist for the Post, and his illustrations were included in other publications such as Reader's Digest and Good Housekeeping. (adapted from "George Hughes", THE SATURDAY EVENING POST, October 29, 2014)

CONDITION: Painting has been lightly cleaned using natural solvents only; no further cleaning measures have been taken. Areas of retouching to upper right corner, green umbrella, hair and neck of figure eating the hotdog, and largest area to upper right quadrant measuring 1/8" x 5 1/2". [See more photos →]

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

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

Le Pho (Vietnam/France, 1907-2001) oil painting on silk mounted on masonite entitled “Jeunes Filles aux Bouquets,” c. 1950s. The painting depicts three young women among vases filled with flowers, before a golden-yellow background. The figures at left and center carefully arrange the bouquets while the figure at right turns her back to the viewer as she gazes into the distance. Signed “Le Pho” in cursive and Chinese, lower right. With Arthur Lenars & Cie., Paris, shipping label addressed to Wally Findlay Galleries, Chicago, en verso. (Findlay is the American gallery most closely associated with Le Pho). Housed in a carved, giltwood Louis XIV-style frame with fabric mat and brass title/nameplate. With title inscribed en verso along with Lenars shipping label addressed to “FIND 93 CHICAGO.” Numbered en verso “4722,” upper left, and “No. 3,” upper right. Board: 23″ H x 35 3/4″ W. Frame: 30 1/4″ H x 43″ W. Biographical note: Le Pho is celebrated for his unique style of painting, blending European influences including Impressionism and Post-Impressionism with Asian artistic traditions, especially Chinese painting. He was among the earliest graduates of the Indochina Fine Arts College, now Vietnam University of Fine Arts, which was set up in 1925 by French painter Victor Tardieu, a friend and colleague of Henri Matisse. Le Pho received a scholarship to study at the Paris National College of Fine Arts. In 1932 he returned to Vietnam to teach before setting off for Beijing, where he became immersed in Chinese artistic traditions. When he left China he had the artistic knowledge needed to develop his own particular artistic style with which he would make his name in France. By 1950, now living in Paris, Le Pho began working in oil on canvas, striking a delicate balance between Chinese painting and French Post-Impressionism. Yet the images he painted focus on traditional Vietnamese subject matter like bamboo branches, birds and especially women with flowers or wearing ao dai. (Adapted from Vietnam News Agency).

PROVENANCE: Arthur Lenars & Cie, Paris, France. Wally Findlay Galleries, Chicago, Illinois.

CONDITION: Scattered areas of fine craquelure, primarily in areas of thickly applied paint, which has resulted in flaking, including to leftmost yellow flower in the central bouquet. Ultraviolet light reveals spots of possible inpainting not visible with the naked eye, most prominent in upper left quadrant, behind the head of the figure at left. [See more photos →]

Birger Sandzen (American, 1871-1954), oil on board Colorado landscape painting titled TWILIGHT, depicting a lake with rocky, tree-lined bank at sunset. Mountains are visible in the background, and a crescent moon shines in the pink sky overhead. The scene is rendered in vivid color using a thick impasto technique. Signed lower right Birger Sandzen. Titled, signed and dated en verso TWILIGHT/ROCKY MOUNTAIN NATIONAL PARK/COLORADO/1927/BIRGER SANDZEN/LINDSBORG, KANSAS. Additionally inscribed Metzger A or H22215 en verso. Housed in a carved, whitewashed frame. 19 1/2″ x 23 1/2″ sight, 28″ x 32″ framed. This lot is accompanied by a 1983 letter from the Birger Sandzen Memorial Gallery attributing the work to Sandzen circa 1928-1931. According to the letter’s writer, co-director Larry Griffis, “The colors and brush strokes are characteristic of the period of his life that produced his finest work.” Griffis compares this work to two other known Sandzen works, “Silent Lake” and “Lake in the Rockies”. A letter from Douglas Hyland, director of the Brooks Museum in Memphis, regarding the Sandzen painting and calling it “one of his best works” is also included, along with a softcover book, “The Graphic Work of Birger Sandzen” by Charles Pelham Greenough, and various photocopied biographical materials relating to a past owner, Lois Eason, and to Birger Sandzen. Provenance: the estate of Lois Eason (Mrs. Jeter Eason) of Memphis, inherited circa 1980 by Mrs. Eason from her aunt (a faculty member in the University of Denver’s Art and Architecture Department); by descent to present consignor. Biography (source: the Birger Sandzen Memorial Gallery): Birger Sandzen was born in Sweden in 1871. He studied art in Stockholm with Anders Zorn and Richard Berg and also studied briefly in Paris. He came to Bethany College in Lindsborg, Kansas in 1894 to teach language and art, and remained there the rest of his career. He retired in 1946. In the meantime, he produced a large number of oil paintings, watercolors, and prints. Sandzen was a founder of the Mid-West Art Exhibition held annually in Lindsborg and the Smoky Hill Art Club. He also belonged to several art organizations including the Taos Society of Artists. PRE-APPROVAL IS REQUIRED TO BID ON THIS LOT. PLEASE CONTACT CASEANTIQUES, INC. AT THE KNOXVILLE GALLERY FOR DETAILS. 865-558-3033 or BID@CASEANTIQUES.COM. CONDITION: Painting – excellent condition with slight craquelure overall concentrated in areas of heavy impasto. Outer edge of one thick brushstroke may have break (1/8″L by 1/32″W) in an area at the top right center (sky region) of the painting (very inconspicuous). Frame – shrinkage cracks to miter joints, some small edge losses. [See more photos →]

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

John Frederick Kensett (New York/Connecticut, 1816-1872), “Early Autumn,” oil on board Luminist landscape painting depicting sunrise or sunset over Contentment Island, site of Kensett’s studio, near Darien, Connecticut. Circa 1872. Unsigned. Titled verso, with 1960s-1970s exhibition labels for Wickersham Gallery, New York. Housed in a giltwood Hudson River School style frame. Sight – 13 1/2″ H x 17 3/8″ W. Framed – 20 1/8″ H x 24 1/8″ W. Note: Celebrated American Luminist painter John Frederick Kensett died in 1872, attempting to rescue the drowning wife of fellow artist Vincent Coyler. The following year, this work was included, along with many other works from his studio, in the Kensett Memorial Exhibition held at the National Academy of Design. It is illustrated on page 45 of the photographic album of the exhibit (refer to scan of photograph, upper left corner). This newly rediscovered Kensett painting will be included in the forthcoming John Frederick Kensett Catalogue Raisonne being prepared under the direction of Dr. John Driscoll. Provenance: The Estate of Dr. Benjamin H. Caldwell, Nashville, Tennessee, acquired from Orrin Wickersham June in the 1970s. Case is grateful to Dr. Janice Simon, the Josiah Meigs Distinguished Teaching Associate Professor of Art History at the Lamar Dodd School of Art, University of Georgia; guest curator and principal author of the 2001 exhibit and catalog “Images of Contentment: John Kensett and the Connecticut Shore,” for the following essay: In 1867, painter John Frederick Kensett (1816-1872), ordinarily a New York City resident, bought nine acres of Contentment Island from his friend, fellow painter Vincent Colyer. Composed of the three Fish Islands, five Crabb Islands, salt meadow and marsh lands of Long Island Sound at Darien, Connecticut, this property permitted Kensett to engage eye and mind, senses and feelings with one place over an extended period without the interference of tourists. Indeed, his contemporaries equated his Contentment Island paintings with subjective responses to nature “very near to his own door,” so that artist, nature, and “God’s abounding gifts” became poetically one. “Early Autumn’s” sunrise scene, with two thirds of the painting displaying an intense rainbow of colors from orange-red along the horizon to bright chrome yellow blending into cerulean and grayer blue with painterly wisps of clouds at the top, displays Kensett’s intense absorption with place, atmosphere, and spirit. Looking down and across the shadowed point of land populated with cedars and pines jutting into Long Island Sound, this scene recalls the exact coloring, size, and proportions of Sunrise Near Darien (oil on panel 14″ x 18″, University of Michigan Museum of Art), though the waters are on the opposite side of the canvas. Both canvases appear side by side in the upper left of the photograph of the Kensett Memorial Exhibition held in 1873 at the National Academy of Design. Both paintings, along with the dramatic sunsets and twilights Kensett recorded while living on Contentment Island, convey an artist engaged with the modernist sensibilities of Tonalism with its emphasis on suggestion over definition, poetry of color over niggling detail, deep feeling over topographies of place. With Early Autumn and other paintings of Contentment Island, Kensett approached the aesthetics of George Inness and John La Farge. Unfortunately, his unexpected death in December 1872 cut short his modernist experiment. PRE-APPROVAL IS REQUIRED TO BID ON THIS LOT. PLEASE CONTACT CASEANTIQUES, INC. AT THE KNOXVILLE GALLERY FOR DETAILS. 865-558-3033 or BID@CASEANTIQUES.COM. CONDITION: Overall good condition. Lower right quadrant has area of bloom in varnish; small pinprick indention near side; and three small gouges near bottom edge, largest 1/4″ L. Top center has 5 scattered semitransparent blue accretions and 2″ diagonal scratch. 1/8″ area of paint loss and accretion at left top corner. Left bottom corner has a 1″ faint splatter accretion 2″ from side. [See more photos →]

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

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

Large LeRoy Neiman (New York/Illinois/Minnesota, 1921-2012) abstract oil on board painting  depicting a wine tasting or dinner party with men and women in formal attire gathered around a banquet table laden with wine bottles and glasses, illuminated by a crystal chandelier. Signed and dated "Leroy Neiman '65" lower right. Remnants of an old gallery label en verso. Newspaper clipping depicting Neiman affixed en verso of frame. Housed in a carved giltwood frame with an off-white velvet liner. Sight: 35 1/2" H x 47 1/2" W. Framed: 44" H x 56" W. Biography: "LeRoy Neiman was described as the most popular living painter in America during his lifetime. While strikingly original, his work reflected the varied influences of Toulouse-Lautrec, Dufy, the New York Social Realists, and the Abstract Expressionists. Probably best known as a portrayer of sporting and social events, he virtually invented the modern genre of sports art and remained its most accomplished and acclaimed practitioner until his death in 2012." (Adapted from the LeRoy Neiman papers, 1938-2005, in the Archives of American Art, Smithsonian). PRE-APPROVAL IS REQUIRED TO BID ON THIS LOT. PLEASE CONTACT CASE ANTIQUES, INC. AT THE KNOXVILLE GALLERY FOR DETAILS. 865-558-3033 or BID@CASEANTIQUES.COM.

PROVENANCE: The Estate of Margaret Harold Roberts, Lookout Mountain, Georgia.

CONDITION: Overall very good condition with scattered areas of craquelure, largest 3" x 1 1/2", primarily to center of board. [See more photos →]

Ladies 18k white gold pendant featuring one 4.18 carat round brilliant diamond measuring 10.27 x 10.38 x 6.37mm. with VVS2 clarity and E color. Faceted girdle, 61% table, 61.8% total depth, very good polish, good symmetry, and faint blue fluorescence for an overall Good cut grade. The diamond is mounted under 4 prongs in a pendant which tests 18K. 3.5 total grams. GIA report number 6204740302. Provenance: The estate of Dr. Sara Parks Pendleton, Owensboro, KY. PRE-APPROVAL IS REQUIRED TO BID ON THIS LOT. PLEASE CONTACT CASE ANTIQUES, INC. AT THE KNOXVILLE GALLERY FOR DETAILS. 865-558-3033 or BID@CASEANTIQUES.COM. CONDITION: Overall good condition. [See more photos →]

The second of two “Meet the Beatles” albums, autographed by all four band members, from the estate of Dr. Jules Gordon and his direct heirs. Update – On 8/16/2011, Frank Caiazzo, world recognized Beatles autograph expert, inspected this album and verified its authenticity. A document of authenticity from Frank Caiazzo is included in the photographs and will be provided to the winning bidder in addition to an affidavit of authentication from the descendant. The first completely autographed “Meet the Beatles” album from the Gordon family sold in our May 22nd, 2011 auction (lot #281). This is the last remaining album from the Gordon family and is personally inscribed to Dr. Gordon by George Harrison. The inscription reads “To “Doc Gordon” thanks for the JABS from George Harrison” along with the signatures of John Lennon, Paul McCartney, and Ringo Starr. Original album and album cover. 12-1/4″ H x 12-1/4″ W. Provenance – The estate of Dr. Jules Gordon. This signed album was given to Dr. Gordon, who treated George Harrison for a sore throat the day before the Beatles American television debut on the Ed Sullivan Show. Thomas Buckley noted in the New York Times on Feb. 8, 1964: “Mr. Harrison, who is known as the quiet Beatle, awoke yesterday with a sore throat. He was treated by Dr. Jules Gordon, used a vaporizer and rejoined his colleagues at the studio late in the afternoon. ‘I should be perfect for tomorrow,’ he said.” According to George Harrison’s sister, Louise Caldwell, Harrison’s health was more serious than reported. In “The Beatles Off The Record” by Keith Badman, Caldwell recalled: “The doctor said he couldn’t do the Ed Sullivan Show because he had a temperature of 104. But they pumped him with everything. He was thinking about getting a nurse to administer the medicine, every hour on the hour. Then the doctor suddenly realized that I was there and was his sister and he said to me, ‘Would you see to it? It’s probably just as well that you’re here because I don’t think there’s a single female in the city that isn’t crazy about the Beatles! You’re probably the only one who could function around him normally.’” Dr. Jules Gordon of New York City was the house doctor at the Plaza Hotel from 1942 until 1985. This album, given to one of his family members, has been with the family ever since and has never before been offered for sale. Condition: Slight overall toning to cover. Wear to upper spine. Some scratching to the album itself. [See more photos →]

Charles Marion Russell (American, 1864-1926), "Smoking with the Spirit," California Art Bronze Foundry, circa 1929. Bronze sculpture depicting a Native American Medicine Man seated on a naturalistic ground, smoking a long pipe with the skull of a buffalo. Signature "CM Russell" with a copyright symbol, skull mark, and California Art Bronze Foundry mark to base. Mounted on a later graduated oval wooden base. Sculpture: 4 1/2" H x 9" W x 5 1/2" D. Overall with base: 6 7/8" H x 10 5/8" W x 8 1/8" D. Note: According to the book "Charles M. Russell, Sculptor," by Rick Stewart, about a dozen lifetime castings of "Smoking with the Spirit of the Buffalo" (modeled in 1914) were produced by the B. Zoppo foundry, and a few were made the same year Russell died, in 1926, by Roman Bronze Works. In 1929, Russell's widow Nancy acquired the model for this work from Roman Bronze Works and had the California Art Bronze company produce an unknown number of casts. Stewart writes, "in his 1949 inventory of the Russell Bronzes, Homer Britzman maintained that a total of eighteen casts had been made of the subject. If this is accurate, it seems probable that Zoppo cast as many as twelve copies in 1916, per the original agreement. That would leave only six casts to be assigned to both Roman Bronze Works and California Art Bronze Foundry; currently, at least three Roman Bronze Works casts and two bearing the mark of the California Art Bronze Foundry are known… Besides an example in the Amon Carter Museum Collection, Roman Bronze Works Casts are in the collection of the Gilcrease Museum and the National Cowboy Hall of Fame. One California Art Bronze cast is in a private collection, and another was sold at Sotheby's on October 31, 1975." The sculpture being sold in this auction is believed to be the California Art Bronze casting in the private collection referred to in Stewart's book (page 203). It has been in the same family since being acquired directly from Nancy Russell in 1929.

PROVENANCE: Private Nashville, Tennessee estate.

CONDITION: Surface oxidation commensurate with age and old break to pipe. [See more photos →]

Giuseppe "Bepi" Santomaso (Italy, 1907-1990) oil on canvas Arte Informale gestural non-objective composition entitled "September in Segovia" and rendered in black, white, and blue tones with yellow, brown, and dark red embellishment, 1959-60. Signed and dated "Santomaso 59" lower left. Additionally signed "SANTOMASO" and titled and dated "''SETTEMBRE A SEGOVIA'' / 1960" en verso. With original Galleria Pogliani, Rome label affixed to stretcher and Gianni de Marco framing stamp along with illegibly inscribed sticker with red border and small sticker inscribed "43". Housed in a thin ebonized and gilt wood frame. Canvas: 28 3/4" H x 39 1/4" W. Frame: 30 1/2" H x 41" W. Note: Photocopies of relevant pages from a 1980 institutional publication with provenance history are included in the image sequence.

PRE-APPROVAL BY 5 PM ET THURSDAY JULY 4 IS REQUIRED TO BID ON THIS LOT. PLEASE CONTACT CASE AUCTIONS, INC. FOR DETAILS. (865) 558-3033 or <a href="mailto:BID@CASEAUCTIONS.COM" target="_blank">BID@CASEAUCTIONS.COM</a> .

Exhibition history (according to 1980 institutional publication): Palais des Beaux Arts, Brussels, 1960; Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam, 1960, no. 23.

Biographical note: Giuseppe Santomaso studied at the Accademia di Belle Arti in Venice from 1932 to 1934. His early paintings were influenced by French Modernism, and in 1939 he had his first solo exhibition at the Galerie Rive Gauche in Paris. Santomaso participated in the Rome Quadriennale in 1943 and executed illustrations for Paul Eluard''s Grand Air in 1945. In Venice in 1946 he became a founding member of the antifascist artists'' organization Nuova Secessione Artistica Italiana-Fronte Nuovo delle Arti. Beginning in 1948 and for several years after, Santomaso participated in the Venice Biennale, where he was awarded the Prize of the Municipality of Venice in 1948 and First Prize for Italian Painting in 1954.

In 1957 he traveled to New York for his first exhibition in the United States at the Grace Borgenicht Gallery. While in the U.S. he met the leading Abstract Expressionists including Willem de Kooning, Hans Hofmann, Franz Kline, Robert Motherwell, Barnett Newman, and Mark Rothko, who had a lasting influence on the development of his non-objective style. Solo exhibitions of his work were held in 1979 by the Fondacio Joan Miro in Barcelona and the Staatsgalerie Moderner Kunst in Munich. Santomaso also taught at the Accademia di Belle Arti in Venice from 1957 to 1975 (Source: The Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation).

PROVENANCE: Deaccessioned by a Southern institution to benefit the acquisitions fund; Acquired from Galleria Pogliani, Rome, 1961.

CONDITION: Overall very good condition. Minor buckling to lower left quadrant. Frame with abrasions and gilt loss, especially to corners. Could benefit from a cleaning by a professional conservator. [See more photos →]

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

8.03 round brilliant diamond set in platinum and diamond fashion ring, GIA report number 2173543789, dated March 22, 2016, stating J color, SI2 clarity, 12.88 – 13.01 x 7.85 mm measurements, Very good cut, Good polish, Very good symmetry and No fluorescence. The JB Star handmade mounting contains 24 princess cut diamonds and 34 straight baguette diamonds channel set with a total weight of approximately 1.84 cts., approximately VS clarity and G-H color. Molded in the inside of each shank are the initials “JBS” for JB Star. Ring size 7 3/4. 19.4 grams. Provenance: Estate of Sarah Hunter Hicks Green, Nashville, Tennessee. CONDITION: See GIA report 2173543789. Minor surface scratches on mounting. Discoloration of stones in mounting as seen in photo caused by grime plus some surface grime on center diamond. [See more photos →]

Portrait of Rogersville, Tennessee founding father Joseph Rogers (1764-1833) by William Harrison Scarborough (TN/SC, 1812-1871), oil on canvas, circa 1831. Rogers is depicted late in life, seated at a table and gazing directly at the viewer. He is attired in a brightly striped coat, with his right hand resting on a document, with a partial book and quill pen, and a bookshelf and a red drape in the background. This painting is featured in the book ART & FURNITURE OF EAST TENNESSEE by Namuni Hale Young, page 73. Housed in a later cove molded dark wood frame. Sight: 29 1/2" H x 24 1/4" W. Framed: 37 1/2" H x 32 1/2" W. Note: This portrait and its pendant date from 1833, which makes them the earliest known W.H. Scarborough paintings. A photocopy of an original artist-signed, handwritten receipt associated with this painting and/or its pendant is included at the end of the photograph sequence. The receipt reads: "Received of Joseph Rogers fifty dollars / in full of all debts / July 23rd 1833 / W.H. Scarborough." History: Joseph Rogers was born in County Tyrone, Ireland in 1764. He immigrated to the United States in 1781 at the age of 17 and by 1784, was living in Hawkins County in the home of Thomas Amis. Rogers married Thomas Amis''s daughter, Mary, in 1786, and Mr. Amis gave the couple a tract of land in 1787, upon which a seat of justice was established for Hawkins County. In 1789, the town of Rogersville was chartered, and named after Joseph Rogers. Rogers was a prominent member of the community, working as a merchant, innkeeper, and justice of the peace. He died in 1833 and was buried in Rogersville. (Source: ART & FURNITURE OF EAST TENNESSEE)

PROVENANCE: By direct descent through the Rogers and Walker families. See other related lots from this historic family, also in this auction.

PROVENANCE:

CONDITION: Professionally conserved. Removed from the original stretchers, relined, and laid down on board. A copy of the conservator''s examination and recommended treatment report is available to the winning bidder. 6 1/4" x 1/2" horizontal repair band with inpainting across bridge of nose and left cheek and left shoulder. Minor vertical area of retouching to forehead, 4" L. Frame abrasions with retouching to edges, especially upper, lower, and right. Scattered, pinpoint retouches throughout, especially upper right quadrant. Pinpoint black inclusion to left of button. Faint stretcher marks to left, right, and upper edges. Refer to UV photos for additional reference. [See more photos →]

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

Andrew Clemens (American, 1857-1894) patriotic sand art bottle, dated 1889. Glass bottle with round flat-top stopper and a tall cylindrical body filled with multicolored, layered sand in decorative stripe, swag and diamond patterns, one side with vignette of a spread-winged eagle a 36-star American flag, the alternate side with a detailed floral vignette including forget-me-nots, rose and pansy, enclosing a date of 1889. Height 6 5/8″. Provenance: the estate of Stanley Horn, Nashville, Tennessee, by descent in his family to current consignor. Note: Andrew Clemens was born in Dubuque, Iowa, in 1857 and later moved to the town of MacGregor. At the age of five, he contracted an illness (possibly encephalitis) which caused him to become deaf and mute. He attended the Iowa School for the Deaf. As an adult, he began working with sand from the naturally colored sandstone in the Pictured Rocks area of Iowa to form detailed pictures in glass bottles. Clemens created his designs using self-made tools including “brushes” of tiny hickory twigs; no glue was used. The bottles were well received by the public – particularly riverboat travelers to MacGregor, seeking souvenirs – and he was able to earn a livelihood selling sand art bottles until his death in 1894 at the age of 37. While many were sold, few have remained intact over the years. (Source: the Des Moines Register). PRE-APPROVAL IS REQUIRED TO BID ON THIS LOT. PLEASE CONTACT CASE ANTIQUES, INC. AT THE KNOXVILLE GALLERY FOR DETAILS. 865-558-3033 or BID@CASEANTIQUES.COM. CONDITION: Stopper is original with 1/8″ chip and 2 short hairlines to edge (these do not extend through (stable)). [See more photos →]

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

Ladies platinum engagement ring featuring one 4.85 carat round brilliant diamond in a four prong setting flanked by 4 baguette diamonds. The center stone measures 10.90 x 11.10 x 6.57mm. with SI1 clarity and F color. Faceted girdle, 67% table, 59.7% total depth, very good polish, fair symmetry, and no fluorescence for an overall good cut grade. The baguette stones are approx. 0.10 carats, VS1 clarity, and G color. The ring is marked “10% IR Plat”. The ring contains spacers sizing it at 1 3/4. 4.95 ctw. in diamonds and 5.7 grams total weight. Size 8 3/4″. GIA report number 2205740188. Provenance: The estate of Dr. Sara Parks Pendleton, Owensboro, KY. PRE-APPROVAL IS REQUIRED TO BID ON THIS LOT. PLEASE CONTACT CASE ANTIQUES, INC. AT THE KNOXVILLE GALLERY FOR DETAILS. 865-558-3033 or BID@CASEANTIQUES.COM. CONDITION: Overall excellent condition. [See more photos →]

Large Famille Verte porcelain fish bowl, the exterior with molded and painted enameled vignettes depicting landscape scenes with calligraphy inscriptions and red seals on a foliate ground. The interior with painted enameled fish and foliate decoration. 18 3/4" H x 22 1/4" dia. Likely Qing Dynasty, 19th century.

PROVENANCE: The Estate of David Caldwell, Nashville, Tennessee.

CONDITION: Overall good condition with no cracks, chips or hairlines. The interior enamel decoration with some minor wear and losses. [See more photos →]

“Meet the Beatles! The First Album by England’s Phenomenal Pop Combo” record album autographed by all 4 group members – John Lennon, George Harrison, Paul McCartney, and Ringo Starr. This signed album was given to the New York physician Dr. Jules Gordon during the period in which he treated George Harrison for a sore throat at the time of the Beatles American television debut on the Ed Sullivan Show in February 1964. Thomas Buckley noted in the New York Times on Feb. 8, 1964: “Mr. Harrison, who is known as the quiet Beatle, awoke yesterday with a sore throat. He was treated by Dr. Jules Gordon, used a vaporizer and rejoined his colleagues at the studio late in the afternoon. ‘I should be perfect for tomorrow,’ he said.” (see attached Feb. 8, 1964 New York Times article). According to George Harrison’s sister, Louise Caldwell, Harrison’s health was more serious than reported. In The Beatles Off The Record by Keith Badman, Caldwell recalled: “The doctor said he couldn’t do the Ed Sullivan Show because he had a temperature of 104. But they pumped him with everything. He was thinking about getting a nurse to administer the medicine, every hour on the hour. Then the doctor suddenly realized that I was there and was his sister and he said to me, ‘Would you see to it? It’s probably just as well that you’re here because I don’t think there’s a single female in the city that isn’t crazy about the Beatles! You’re probably the only one who could function around him normally.’” Dr. Gordon was called from his fourth-floor office to the Presidential Suites on the 12th floor where the Beatles were staying. Dr. Jules Gordon was the house doctor at the Plaza Hotel from 1942 until 1985. Original album and album cover. Very good condition, 1 1/4″ split to bottom spine edge. 12-1/4″ H x 12-1/4″ W. Provenance – direct descendant of Dr. Jules Gordon. Dr. Gordon gave this album to the direct descendant in 1964. Winning bidder will be given an affidavit of authentication from the descendant. [See more photos →]

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

Custom wrought platinum engagement ring with 4.90 oval modified brilliant cut diamond in the center, in classic setting with four tapered baguette shape diamonds (two on each side), and “split” prongs on the center diamond. The oval diamond measures 12.53 x 10.38 x 6.09 mm and is G color, VS2 clarity. Polish: Very good; Symmetry: Very good. Total depth: 58.7%; Table size: 62%. Girdle: Very thin to medium, faceted. Culet: Small. Fluorescence: Strong Blue. The tapered baguettes have a total weight of approximately 1.02 carats and are approximately G color and approximately VS1-VS2 clarity. The setting was made by Martin Flyer Designs. Size 5 1/2. Together with a GIA report number 2155132036, dated December 12, 2012. Condition: See description for diamonds. Mounting in excellent condition. [See more photos →]

Alexander Calder (French/American, 1898-1976) black ink on Johannot wove paper, Surrealist landscape painting depicting pyramids and circles illuminated by a crescent moon. Signed "Calder" and dated "53" lower right. With Johannot et Cie Annonay watermark along left and right edges. Housed under glass in a distressed ebonized and gilt wood frame with cream fabric fillet. Sheet: 29 1/4" H x 42 3/4" W. Frame: 33" H x 46" W. Note: This work is registered in the archives of the Calder Foundation, New York, under application number A13222. A file of the late owner''s documentation regarding the painting is available to the winning bidder.

PRE-APPROVAL IS REQUIRED TO BID ON THIS LOT. PLEASE CONTACT CASE AUCTIONS, INC. FOR DETAILS. (865) 558-3033 or <a href="mailto:BID@CASEAUCTIONS.COM" target="_blank">BID@CASEAUCTIONS.COM</a> .

PROVENANCE: The Estate of Sarah Gaunt (former studio assistant to Willem de Kooning); Sovereign American Arts Corporation, New York; Collection of Stuart C. Davidson, Washington D.C.; Collection of George Weisz, London; Sotheby & Co., London, Impressionist & Modern Paintings, Drawings Sale, Lot 125, April 6, 1966; Collection of Nicholas Guppy, London (acquired directly from the artist).

CONDITION: Sheet has been laid to Masonite board. A tear to the bottom right corner, in signature, has been repaired and "R" has been partially repainted. Three repaired tears to lower center of sheet, largest 5/8" L. Very faint 5" L and 3" L accretions to center left, between edge of sheet and pyramids. Two pinpoint indentations directly below moon. Note: A copy of a 1992 conservator''s condition report/treatment proposal from Christine Smith, Conservation of Art on Paper, Alexandria VA, is available on request. [See more photos →]

Portrait of Rogersville, Tennessee founding mother Mary Amis Rogers (1768-1833) by William Harrison Scarborough (TN/SC, 1812-1871), oil on canvas, circa 1831. Rogers is depicted late in life, seated at a table against a dark background and gazing slightly to the left at the viewer. She is attired in a dark dress and white head covering which is pinned beneath her chin and extends as a shawl over her dress, while her left hand rests on a large book, likely a Bible. This painting is featured in the book ART & FURNITURE OF EAST TENNESSEE by Namuni Hale Young, on page 74. Housed in a later cove molded dark wood frame. Sight: 29 1/2" H x 24 1/4" W. Framed: 37 1/2" H x 32 1/2" W. Note: This portrait and its pendant date from 1833, which makes them the earliest known W.H. Scarborough paintings. A photocopy of an original artist-signed, handwritten receipt associated with this painting and/or its pendant is included at the end of the photograph sequence. The receipt reads: "Received of Joseph Rogers fifty dollars / in full of all debts / July 23rd 1833 / W.H. Scarborough." History: Mary Amis Rogers was the daughter of Thomas Amis, a Revolutionary war Captain who was awarded 1000 acres of land in Hawkins County, where he erected a stone home in 1780 or 1781. Mary was born in North Carolina in 1768 and married Joseph Rogers, an apprentice of her father, in 1786. Thomas Amis gave the couple a tract of land in 1787, upon which a seat of justice was established for Hawkins County. In 1789, the town of Rogersville was chartered, and named after Joseph Rogers. Joseph and Mary Rogers were prominent members of the community, where Joseph worked as a merchant, and justice of the peace; Mary assisted him in running the couple''s tavern/inn, and gave birth to the couple''s 14 children. She died in 1833, a month after the death of her husband. (Source: ART & FURNITURE OF EAST TENNESSEE.)

PROVENANCE: By direct descent through the Rogers and Walker families. See other related lots from this historic family, also in this auction.

CONDITION: Overall good condition. Professionally conserved. Removed from the original stretchers, relined, and laid down on board. Very fine overall craquelure. Scattered, pinpoint retouches throughout, especially to figure and book. 2 3/4" x 1/2" area of retouching to black fabric above hand plus 3" x 1 1/2" area of inpainting to craquelure, lower right, in body. Frame abrasions with retouching especially to lower right, largest area 2 3/4" x 1/4". Faint stretcher marks to left, right, and upper edges. Refer to UV photographs. [See more photos →]

Caroline Dudley (Tennessee, 1802-1832) important watercolor miniature portrait painting, depicting Chickasaw Native American dignitary Kinheche in bright garb and headdress holding a bow and arrow. Inscriptions identifying subject as “Kinhichi”, en verso of interior paper liner, and as “Kinhishee” on the exterior of the back of the frame. Housed in a wooden frame with gilt metal sight edge and oak leaf hanger. Sight: 2 3/4″ H x 2 1/4″ W. Framed: 6″ H x 5″ W. Circa 1830. Note: this portrait was painted in Franklin, Tennessee in August of 1830 during the landmark treaty summit between President Andrew Jackson and the Chickasaw Nation, conducted at the city’s Masonic Hall. Caroline Dudley was the daughter of a prominent Middle Tennessee settler and leader, Guilford Dudley; both were among the spectators invited to witness the treaty event. According to family history, Miss Dudley was so impressed by the appearance of Kinheche or Kin-hee-shee (who according to some accounts may have been a son of the chief), that she was inspired to paint his likeness. Miss Dudley may have been a teacher of art or other similar subjects at the Young Ladies Boarding School run by her mother, Anna Bland Eaton Dudley on the West Harpeth River in Williamson County from 1809-1840 or at Mrs. Long’s School on West Main Street in Franklin, which was run by her sister, Judith from 1826-28 and 1834-37. After Caroline Dudley’s death just two years later at the age of 30, the painting was inherited by her sister Frances and descended in the family to its last private owner, Mary Bright Wilson of Lincoln County, Tennessee. Historical background: “After his Indian Removal Act was passed in May of 1830, President Andrew Jackson invited the Chickasaw Nation to a treaty council to be held the following August in Franklin, Tennessee. During their stay, the Chickasaw delegation met Jackson in the Franklin Masonic Hall, a National Historic Landmark which still stands at 115 2nd Ave South in Franklin. This would be the first treaty negotiation under the Removal Act and a successful outcome was important to the President, who was a charismatic and influential figure among the Chickasaw. Some of the older minkos (chiefs or headmen) had served under Jackson’s command at the Battle of New Orleans and the Creek War, during the War of 1812. They called him “Sharpe Knife”. Jackson appointed John Coffee and John Eaton as treaty commissioners. Coffee was a long time friend who had also served with Jackson in 1812. Eaton, Jackson’s Secretary of War, lived in Franklin. The Chickasaw delegation was led by Levi Colbert – Itawambe Miko (Bench Chief), and included George Colbert, James Colbert, John McLish, Captain William McGilvery, Captain James Brown, Isaac Alberson, Topulka, Ishtayatubbe, Ahtokowa, Hushtatabe, Innewakche, Oaklanayaubbe, Ohekaubbe, Immolasubbe, Immohoaltatubbe, Ishtekieyokatubbe, Ishtehiacha, Inhiyouchetubbe, and Kinheche…” President Jackson met and welcomed the Chickasaw delegation when they arrived in Franklin on August 20, 1830. During the next several days, support for Chickasaw education, Removal expenses, and other related details were worked out. On August 31 the treaty was signed. The Chickasaw agreed to exchange their remaining land in Mississippi and Alabama for land “West of the territory of Arkansaw”, with a stipulation that they could examine the land beforehand. If they didn’t find suitable land, the treaty would be null and void. A supplemental treaty concerning other details was signed the next day, September 1, and “thereupon, the council broke up.” The Chickasaws sent several delegations west of the Mississippi to look for land over the next two years, but nothing suitable was found. In the meantime, the signing of the 1830 Franklin treaty caused a land rush of white squatters anxious to stake their claims before the Chickasaws had even left. By 1832 the Chickasaw Nation was being overrun, even though the Franklin treaty was supposed to prohibit such intrusions. Article 3 extended the protection of the United States to the Chickasaws, but the federal government did nothing to stop the invading squatters – apparently Jackson had let his blade grow dull, at least when it came to protecting Chickasaw land. Since the Chickasaws found no suitable land in the west, the Franklin treaty was considered null and void and was never ratified by Congress. In October, 1832, President Jackson sent John Coffee to the Chickasaw Nation to negotiate a new treaty. Coffee met 65 Chickasaw leaders at the Chickasaw council house on Pontotoc Creek, near present day Tupelo, Mississippi. On October 20, the Chickasaw leaders signed the Treaty of Pontotoc Creek with the United States, agreeing to sell their remaining homeland in Mississippi and Alabama. The Chickasaws became dissatisfied with the Treaty of Pontotoc Creek, believing John Coffee had misrepresented the terms during the negotiations. In 1834 they sent a delegation to Washington, D.C., to amend the treaty. Levi Colbert, then 75 years old, began the journey but became ill and died. Before his death he dictated instructions for the delegation, which included his brother George, who had also been present at the Franklin treaty council. George Colbert and the rest of the delegation then traveled on to Washington and negotiated the desired amendments. In 1837, under the provisions of the Treaty of Doaksville, a treaty between the Chickasaw and Choctaw Nations, the Chickasaw bought a section of Choctaw land in Indian Territory. The people whose allegiance and friendship arguably prevented the destruction of fledgling Nashville and the other Cumberland settlements, and helped shape the map of the southeast to the benefit of the United States, finally left the soil of their birth and removed to the west.” Source: The Native American History Association (http://www.nativehistoryassociation.org/franklin_treaty.php) Note: This portrait miniature was the subject of a 1932 article in the Franklin, TN Review Appeal by Park Marshall, cousin of Mary Bright Wilson. A copy is available on request and we thank Williamson County Historian Rick Warwick for providing it. We also wish to thank Janet Hasson of the Tennessee Sampler Survey for providing information on the Young Ladies Schools operated by Caroline Dudley’s mother and sister.

PROVENANCE: Property of the Lincoln County Museum, Fayetteville, TN; Bequest of Mary Bright Wilson (1909-2004), formerly of Fayetteville, and descended in her family.

CONDITION: 1��� separation to upper right edge (near corner), otherwise overall good condition. Frame is old, but may or may not be original. [See more photos →]

Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec (1864-1901), JANE AVRIL, 1899, original brush lithograph poster printed in four colors (from three stones) on wove paper, printed by H. Stern, Paris. Titled, dated and monogrammed in the stone. Depicts the famous Moulin Rouge dancer with a snake coiled around her dress. Jane Avril was one of Lautrec’s lifelong friends and a devoted patron; this was the final poster commissioned by Avril to advertise her work. To create it, Lautrec used a technique which enabled four different colors to be applied in only three printings. Sheet – 563 mm x 381 mm (22 3/16″ x 15″). Frame – 828.67 mm x 635 mm (32-5/8″ x 25″). Ref. Wittrock P-29B, Delteil 367 II , Adriani 360 III. Note: “Jane Avril” was used as the cover image for the 2014 book accompanying the recent exhibit at New York’s Museum of Modern Art: “The Paris of Toulouse Lautrec: Prints and Posters from the Museum of Modern Art” by Sarah Suzuki. Provenance: From the collection of the late Dan Evins, co-founder of the Cracker Barrel Restaurant chain. CONDITION: Sheet adhered to auxiliary support. Image printed to edges at top and lower sheet edges, left side with 10 mm margin. General toning and fading overall; examined out of frame, less faded colors are evident in 5 mm sections at bottom of sheet edge and top left edge where they have been covered by a mat. Five repaired tears, largest being 48 mm, smallest being 3 mm; two on left sheet edge, one at top and two on right sheet edge. Hinge mounted. [See more photos →]

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

5.06 carats round brilliant diamond, SI2 clarity, I color, measuring 10.82 – 10.88 x 6.85 mm, Depth: 63.1%, Table; 59%, Girdle: medium to thick, faceted; Culet: none; No Fluorescence. GIA report #10625242, May 10, 1999. Confirmation of grading by GIA certified gemologist, May 16, 2014. Diamond set in 18k yellow gold mounting with channel set diamonds containing 10 baguette and 16 round brilliant diamonds with a total weight of approximately 1 carat. (VS1-VS2, G-H). Ring size 5. 9.1 grams. Provenance: Private Knoxville, TN collector. Condition: See description. GIA report #10625242. Condition: See description. GIA report #10625242. [See more photos →]

Carroll Cloar (American/Tennessee/Arkansas, 1913-1993), acrylic on board painting titled The Explorer, depicting a man in a rowboat, with binoculars, viewing the landscape around him. The lush green trees in the background, rendered in precise pointillist brush strokes, are mostly blocked from the subject’s view by clusters of brick commercial buildings, reflected in the placid water; while in the right foreground the landscape seems to disintegrate into thin air. Housed in a silver-gilt molded frame. Signed in script “Carroll Cloar” lower left. Board: 23″H x 34″W. Frame – 30″H x 40″W. Titled en verso and dated 8-82 (August, 1982) with additional inscription of artist’s name and showing measurements and medium. Note: Carroll Cloar’s work is celebrated for capturing “the essence of a vanishing South” (Marilyn Sadler, “The Art and Life of Carroll Cloar”, Memphis Magazine, June 1, 2011). The artist 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 collection of Judy and Pete Nebhut, Nashville, TN.

CONDITION: Painting is in excellent condition with a couple of tiny scattered faint spots of grime or inclusions in the lake area. Frame has a few minor spots of slight wear to edges but is also in overall excellent condition. [See more photos →]

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

4.01 square emerald cut diamond, Clarity-VS2, Color-G, with GIA report 5222038169 dated September 27, 2021; measurements 9.21 x 8.81 x 5.85 mm. Depth: 66.4%; Table: 73%; Girdle: Very thin to Very thick; Culet: Medium; Polish: Very Good; Symmetry: Good; Fluorescence: None. Clarity Characteristics: Feather, Needle, Indented Natural, Natural, Extra Facet. Diamond is mounted in a four-prong 14K yellow gold mounting. The ring is marked “14K” and is size 5 3/4. Gross weight of the ring is 3.68 grams.

PROVENANCE: Private Nashville, Tennessee estate.

CONDITION: See description and GIA report number 5222038169. [See more photos →]

Civil War Era Tiffany & Co. Naval Presentation Sword, Belt, and Commendations, presented to U.S. Navy Rear Admiral Cadwalader Ringgold (1802-1867), 5 items total. 1st-2nd items: Tiffany & Co. sword with a German steel blade and etched scrolling foliate decorations, images of a naval engagement, a dolphin, and other maritime motifs, obverse, inscribed "U.S.N.", with the standing profile of a Naval Officer above "Tiffany/& Co./N.Y." within a masked riband, reverse. Ricasso stamped "Collins & Co.,/Hartford/Conn", obverse, dated "1861" to reverse. Gilt bronze hilt with eagle head quillon, pierced "U.S.N." lettering with oak leaves, and inscribed Robert Burns poem to guard reading "Affliction's Sons Are Brothers In Distress,/A Brother To Believe, How Exquisite The Bliss!". Scrolling oak leaf and acorn decoration to knuckle bow, the crowned head of Neptune, scrolling oak leaves and anchor to pommel, above a gilt brass grip wrapped in brass wire. Sterling silver scabbard with gilt brass mounts inscribed "Presented to/Captain Cadwalader Ringgold./of the Frigate Sabine by the/Battalion of U.S. Marines through his gallantry…/From the Wreck of the Transport/Governor/on the night of Nov. 2nd. 1861" with etched image of a naval engagement, the suspension mounts molded with anchors and scrolling oak leaves and acorns, the drag with the etched image of a dolphin entwined around a trident. Scabbard stamped "Tiffany & Co./Quality/925-1000/M" to reverse. Includes US Civil War Navy Officers Belt with two-piece interlocking gilt brass buckle depicting an eagle perched on an anchor, surrounded by thirteen stars, with an oak leaf and ribbon frame, with leather belt and brass mountings. All housed in a fitted wooden Tiffany and Company case with purple velvet and gilt stamp to interior. Blade length: 29". Overall length with scabbard: 37". Belt approximately: 42" L. Case: 4 1/4" H x 39 3/4" W x 6 3/4" D. 3rd-5th items: Three (3) ink on vellum scrolls issued in commendation for Ringgold, including one (1) from The City of New York, one (1) from the Legislature of the State of Maryland in General Assembly, and one (1) from the Chamber of Commerce of the State of New York, dated January 20 – March 13, 1862. All scrolls are trimmed in navy blue silk and wrapped around blue velvet covered wooden rods, two (2) with gilt metal handles. Ranging in size from 22 1/2" H x 18" W to 17" H x 26 1/4" W. Biography: "Cadwalader Ringgold (1802-1867) was an officer in the United States Navy who served in the United States Exploring Expedition, later headed an expedition to the Northwest and, after initially retiring, returned to service during the Civil War with the rank of captain. While in command of the frigate Sabine on November 1, 1861, he effected the rescue of a battalion of 400 Marines from Maryland whose transport steamer, Governor, was sinking during a severe storm near Port Royal, South Carolina. In February 1862, he was a part of the search and rescue of the ship of the line Vermont which had lost her rudder in a storm. For these rescues, Ringgold received commendations from the Maryland Legislature and the U.S. Congress, along with a gold medal from the Life Saving Benevolent Association. Promoted to commodore on July 16, 1862, he was sent (still on the Sabine), to cruise the Azores, Cape Verde Islands, the coast of Brazil and then back to New York in a search for the Confederate raider CSS Alabama from November 1862 to February 1863. In mid-1863, Ringgold's assignment was to search (again unsuccessfully) in the vicinity of Bermuda and then the New England coast for the bark CSS Tacony, another Confederate raider. For reasons of age, he was retired on August 20, 1864, and placed on the rear admiral (retired) list in 1866 (a promotion that was given to all commanders of squadrons). In retirement, he lived at 18 East Eighteenth Street (at Union Square) in New York City. Ringgold, who had never married, died of apoplexy (stroke) in New York on April 29, 1867." (source: Alan Fraser Houston, "Cadwalader Ringgold, U. S. Navy" article in California History magazine, Volume 79, Issue 4, Winter 2000, page 208).

PROVENANCE: Descended through the family of Rear Admiral Cadwalader Ringgold.

CONDITION: Sword with areas of oxidation, primarily to tip of blade. Leather to belt is stiff with cracking, several areas of separation. Scrolls with overall legible condition with toning, foxing spots, areas of holes/insect damage, largest 1/4", cracking to seals. [See more photos →]

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

Carroll Cloar (Tennessee, 1913-1993), "Post Office Cafe", 1975, acrylic on board painting, depicting a man wearing overalls seated on a bench and holding a baby in his arms on the porch of a rural building. The building's sign, "Post Office Cafe", appears nearly overtaken by climbing roses and foliage, rendered in Cloar's signature pointillist brushstrokes, with a flat dirt road and pasture visible in the background under a partly cloudy blue sky. Signed lower right. Additionally signed, titled, and dated (May, 1975) with Lisa Kurts Gallery, Memphis, label en verso. Board – 16" x 12". Frame – 21" x 17". Note: this painting is listed as #474 in the Catalog Raisonne of Cloar's paintings in the book HOSTILE BUTTERFLIES (Memphis State University Press, 1977).

PROVENANCE: Private Memphis, Tennessee estate, ex-Lisa Kurts Gallery, Memphis.

CONDITION: Excellent condition. [See more photos →]

A set of five (5) monumental French Belle Epoque period carved gilt-wood room panels, featuring Aesthetic Movement-inspired oil paintings on canvas with gold-leaf ground set into elaborate carved and pierced Rocaille frames. The largest panel features an imposing peacock perched atop a flower-filled urn, while the others depict urns and stands festooned in a variety of flowers along with birds, butterflies, and imagery emblematic of the four seasons. Unsigned. Height – 108"-115" (see full dimensions below). Dimensions: The two largest panels are: Framed: 115" H x 45 1/2" W. Sight: 97" H x 42 3/4" W. Two narrow panels: Framed: 108" H x 28" W, Sight: 97" H. x 22 3/4" W. One Medium Size panel: Framed : 115" H x 44 3/4" W, Sight: 96 1/2" H x 31 3/4" W. Note: For more than a century, these panels were a focal point of Annesdale, one of Memphis, Tennessee's most historic and elegant mansions. Annesdale was completed in 1855 for Dr. Samuel Mansfield. In 1868, it was purchased by Robert Campbell Brinkley (1816-1878), originator of the famous Peabody Hotel, as a wedding gift for his daughter, Anne Overton Brinkley (1845-1923), and her new husband, Col. Robert Bogardus Snowden (1836-1909), and re-named Annesdale. The 17,000 square foot Italianate villa with 14 foot ceilings, 5 stories including bell tower, and magnificent gardens was home to the prominent Snowden family for seven generations. The home was eventually sold and preserved as an event venue. Earlier this year, the mansion on what is now known as Lamar Avenue was sold again, into private hands, and these panels were removed. Acquiring lavish, elegantly painted panels to adorn a room was a popular practice among the Southern elite during the late 1800s and very early 1900s. In 1911, noted American artist Everett Shinn painted a series of slightly less extravagant flowering urn canvas panels for a monumental (109"H) screen for the Ballard House of Louisville. It is not known where or how the Snowdens acquired these particular panels – by commissioning them or by bringing them home from their overseas travels – but they likely date from around the same period. These panels are one of several lots formerly from Annesdale Mansion being sold in this auction, along with Snowden family portraits, silver and ephemera.

PROVENANCE: Historic Annesdale Mansion, Memphis, TN.

CONDITION: Overall fair to good condition commensurate with age and use. Each canvas with some form of crazing and craquelure, stretcher bar creases, several areas of paint/pigment loss, touch-ups and in-painting, punctures and patches to canvas, and areas of surface dust & grim. All panels have been glazed with an ochre paint over the pink borders to stabilize fugitive areas of paint cracking and loss. Each frame with some form of loss to surface finish, minor losses to scroll and frame elements, breaks, repairs, drill holes, touch-ups, separation at joints, and some areas with small spilled white paint dots. [See more photos →]

Herter Brothers Aesthetic movement inlaid and carved easel, with primary woods of rosewood and mahogany, stamped underside of lower base (see photos). Shell carved top with gilt highlights over a scrolled frieze with ebony inset panel and light wood inlaid opposing winged griffins and foliate designs, over a long rectangular ebony inset panel with floral and foliate designs, easel with gilt incised designs and lower gilt inset bellflowers at base of easel support, center brass track with latches to secure art work. Easel frame base with an elaborate "sawtooth" inlay design around the perimeter. Easel frame rests on a brass and metal swivel connecting to the lower base. Lower base with incised gilt aesthetic movement designs and acorn drops to each corner and centers of apron with shell carving and gilt highlights. Trestle base with center turned column support and feet with shaped brackets having center brace with ebony panel inset with leaf and flower inlay. Four turret turned feet topped with incised gilt turnip finials. 76 1/2" H x 25 1/2" x 22 1/4" D. Adjustable track to secure artwork measuring 42" L. American, Herter Brothers, circa 1880.

CONDITION: Overall very good condition. Some elements stabilized with glue. Very minor wear and abrasions to edges of easel top and base. [See more photos →]

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

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

Beauford Delaney (American/Tennessee, 1901-1979) pastel on wove paper bust-length portrait of a bearded man with vibrant blue eyes and piercing stare. Set against a mottled green background, the composition is enlivened by the artist's use of swirling linework to create a network of electric blue forms that seem to radiate from the sitter's eyes–accentuating his facial features and bust before spilling into the background. Along with the warm orange, pink, and yellow tones describing the sitter's skin, this blue is echoed subtly in the clothing and background through layers of applied color. Unsigned. Beauford Delaney Estate Stamp verso. Housed in a modern, rusticated gray wood frame with exposed gilt and white mat. Sheet: 25 1/2" H x 19 5/8" W. Frame: 31 3/4" H x 25 3/8" W. Provenance – Estate of Beauford Delaney, Derek L. Spratley, Esquire, court-appointed administrator. Note: Modernist artist Beauford Delaney was born in Knoxville, Tennessee. An apprentice to artist Lloyd Branson, Delaney was encouraged by his mentor to study art in Boston. In 1929 he traveled to New York and established himself as a prominent artist of the Harlem Renaissance. There he gained the attention and admiration of well-known writers and artists such as James Baldwin, Georgia O'Keefe, Alfred Stieglitz, and many others. Delaney experimented throughout his career with a wide variety of styles, including his personal brands of realism, fauvism, post-impressionism, and abstract expressionism. His departure from New York to Paris in 1953 also marked his transition from figurative compositions to abstractions with a focus on color and light. Numerous portraits by Delaney, such as this pastel drawing, demonstrate the artist's fauvist tendencies in regard to his use of vibrant, non-local color for expressive effect. Additionally, the penetrating stare and psychological intensity of this pastel suggests the influence of modernist portraiture by luminaries like Vincent van Gogh, Pablo Picasso, and Henri Matisse that the artist would have viewed in museums in Boston, New York, and Paris.

PROVENANCE: Estate of Beauford Delaney, Derek L. Spratley, Esquire, court-appointed administrator.

CONDITION: Condition is very good. Creasing and breaks in the bottom center quadrant, the largest being a 5/8" puncture with loss, have been repaired by the art and paper conservator Alvarez Conservation Services. With faint creasing and pinhole puncture to upper-right corner. Alvarez Conservation Services' pre-treatment condition report is available to the winning bidder. [See more photos →]

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

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

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

Pair of 18th century American silver sauce boats or butter boats, mark of Lewis Fueter (New York, (1746-1784). Crafted in the Rococo style, each sauceboat has a scalloped rim, broad, extended spout, and cast double-scrolled handle with acanthus leaf thumbgrip, and rests on three cabriole legs with stylized shell patterns at each knee and triple pad feet supports. Matching stylized cypher monograms on both. Each marked on underside, “Fueter” (see matching circa 1770 mark pictured in Ensko’s American Silversmith’s and Their Marks , p. 265). 3-7/8″ H x 6- 3/4″L x 3- 7/8″ width. 16 oz troy. Condition: Overall very good condition. One sauceboat spout has minor dents/creases to edge. [See more photos →]

Simon Willard Tall Case Clock, mahogany “Roxbury” case with original Isaiah Thomas paper label. Arched bonnet top with three brass finials raised on plinths, joined by carved pierced scrolling fretwork. Arched dial with painted landscape, depicting two boys fishing in the foreground and a bridge with church steeple visible in the background. Painted spandrels having a gilt grapeleaf and floral/strawberry design. Face painted with roman numerals (seconds above) and “Warranted by Simon Willard Roxbury.” Original serpentine blued and pierced steel hands. The face is framed by two fluted columns with Doric brass capitals, a design element that repeats on the waist and terminates in brass stop-fluting. Waist door has molded edges enclosing a narrow band of contrasting wood inlay which is repeated on the base. Door interior bears Isaiah Thomas-engraved paper label along with carved dates of past maintenance dating from 1865 along with the name “Pevear” (possibly the name of the clock’s original owner). Original flared feet (one repaired). Original 8 day brass works with likely original steel bell. 90″H (not including fretwork and finial) 99″H(including fretwork and finial) x 19-1/2″W x 10″D. Massachusetts, circa 1800. Provenance: the estate of Margaret Wemyss Connor, purchased from the estate of Mr. and Mrs. Will Scott of Gallatin, Tennessee in 1964. Condition: Case refinished with some areas of minor and expected shrinkage, most noticeably on base; small (under 1″ ) triangular veneer patch at right hand front corner of base. At least one finial is an old replacement. Some cracking to top of hood. Repairs to fretwork on clock’s top right. Some light crazing present to dial but all print on dial is crisp and clean and blacklight shows no evidence of touchups to painting; iron face plate is original. Weights are old but may not be original. Brass bob on pendulum old but probably not original; bears scratched inscription “August 1865”. Missing crank at time of examination. Professional examination of clock works shows they have been well maintained with normal and customary refurbishments (details on request) and are in good working order. Original untouched seatboard; glass in hood also appears original. [See more photos →]

Alice Ravenel Huger Smith (South Carolina, 1876-1958) tonalist watercolor Low Country landscape painting, titled “The Silent Watchers”, depicting two white cranes perched in branches amid a purple and blue-hued treeline. Below lies a sunlit, marshy body of water, clustered with lily pads. Signed “Alice R. H. Smith” lower right. Printed label with artist name, location, title and original price, en verso. Housed and matted under glass in a giltwood frame. Sight: 21 3/8″ H x 15″ W. Framed: 30 3/4″ H x 24″ W. Note: also included with this lot is a copy of the limited edition book, ALICE RAVENEL HUGER SMITH OF CHARLESTON, SOUTH CAROLINA: AN APPRECIATION ON THE OCCASION OF HER EIGHTIETH BIRTHDAY FROM HER FRIENDS, Privately published, ed. of 800, 1956, which lists this painting as #599, painted 1953 and originally sold to Dr. and Mrs. Sullivan of Nashville, Tennessee. Biography (adapted from the Johnson Collection, Spartanburg, SC): Charleston, South Carolina served as the birthplace, lifelong residence, and continuous source of inspiration for Alice Ravenel Huger Smith. Largely a self-taught artist, Smith was instrumental in the Charleston Renaissance along with friends Elizabeth O’Neill Verner, Alfred Hutty, and Anna Heyward Taylor. She served as a founding member of the Charleston Etchers Club and the Southern States Art League and was a part of the Historic Charleston Foundation, Carolina Art Association, and the Music and Poetry Society. Smith produced a body of work influenced by the lyricism of her associate Birge Harrison and other Tonalist landscape painters as well as the Japanese Ukiyo-e prints she studied and created. Smith’s work is included in the permanent collections of the Brooklyn Museum, the High Museum of Art, the Ogden Museum of Southern Art, and the de Young Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, among many others.

PROVENANCE: The Collection of William and Fletch Coke, Nashville, Tennessee.

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

Philip Leslie Hale (Massachusetts, 1865-1931), “La Donna” (“Mi Velata”), oil on canvas painting depicting a young woman in white dress with enigmatic expression, looking out from behind a “veil” of black lace curtains. Housed in a handcarved and painted wooden frame. 39_H x 25_W sight, 45_H x 31_W framed. Provenance – the estate of Margaret Wemyss Connor, Nashville, TN; Sotheby’s December 1st, 1998 sale, lot 00172; private collection; Vose Galleries, Boston; the artist (detailed notes available on request). Biography: A member of the Boston School of painters, Philip Leslie Hale’s reputation as an artist was somewhat overshadowed during his lifetime by his teaching and writing. As a young man he studied painting at the Boston Museum School with Edmund Tarbell (who remained an indelible influence), privately with William Merritt Chase, and at the Art Students League in New York with J. Alden Weir. He furthered his art education in Europe, studying in Paris at the Academie Julien and the Ecole des Beaux Arts, and visiting the major museums of Europe, where he was said to be influenced by the French Impressionists Sisley and Pissarro and by Vermeer. He lived in Giverny for a time and was acquainted with Claude Monet. After studying abroad for over a decade, he returned to America and was given a one man show. Although he painted a variety of subjects over the years, he is best recognized for his decorative paintings of the female figure and his landscapes. In 1902 he married respected fellow artist Lillian Westcott Hale. Philip Hale went on to build a reputation as an instructor, critic and writer, teaching at the Boston Museum School and the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, and authoring several books (including a study on Vermeer in 1913). A retrospective of his work at Vose Galleries of Boston in 1966 helped reignite interest in his paintings. Source: Michael David Zellman, “300 Years of American Art,” Vose Galleries, Pierce Galleries. Condition: Relined. Blacklight reveals scattered inpainting, particularly on subject’s facial area including on forehead, under one eye and in crevice of nose, possibly on lips as well. [See more photos →]

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

Continental School bust length view of a young man with shoulder length dark hair, black clothes, and a white collar, against a dark background. Housed in a carved giltwood frame. Stretcher with mortise joinery. Previous owner’s note on back attributes the painting to Bartolome Esteban Murillo (Spain, 1617-1682) or one of his students. Sight – 18 3/8″ H x 15 3/4″ W. Framed – 25 1/2″ H x 22 1/2″ W. Late 17th/Early 18th century. Provenance: The estate of Jean A. Yeatman and Harry C. Yeatman, formerly of Hamilton Place Plantation (near Columbia, Tennessee). CONDITION: Varnish irregularities and darkened in certain areas. Canvas showing expected crackelure. Scattered cracks and minor losses to frame. [See more photos →]

6.83 round brilliant diamond set in platinum three-stone ring, the center stone with GIA report 2173539943, dated March 23, 2016, stating M color, SI2 clarity, 11.98 – 12.02 x 7.59 mm measurements, Very good cut, Good polish, Very good symmetry and Faint fluorescence. The mounting contains one center round brilliant diamond weighing 6.83 ct, M color, SI2 clarity, 4-prong setting, tapered shank with each side containing one round brilliant diamond in 3-prong setting with a total weight of approximately 2.00 ct, approximately SI2 and I1 clarity and approximately I-J color. Marked 950 Plat 50 Co. Ring size: 5 3/4. 10.5 grams. A platinum band, size 6 1/2, marked Plat, 2.9 grams, is included. Provenance: Estate of Sarah Hunter Hicks Green, Nashville, Tennessee. CONDITION: See GIA report 2173539943. Minor surface scratches on mounting and platInum band. Some surface grime on stones and fibers caught between stones as seen in photos. [See more photos →]

Tiffany Studios leaded glass and bronze table lamp with “Arrowroot” pattern conical form shade in green, white, yellow, rust, and blue leaded glass, with label reading “Tiffany Studios, New York” along the lower inside rim, together with a #6701 Tiffany Studios bronze lamp base having an artichoke style riser and an onion bulb design platform above four scrolled feet. Fitted with a 3 socket light cluster and signed on the base “6701 Tiffany Studios New York”. Shade: 20 1/2″ diameter x 8 1/2″ H. Base: 26″ H. American, circa 1910. Provenance: the estate of Edith (Edie) M. Bass, Nashville, Tennessee, by descent from her parents, Walter Paul McBride and Claire Childs of Lake Forest, Illinois. The lamp likely originally belonged to Mrs. Bass’s grandfather, C. Frederick Childs (1875-1955), founder of the C.F. Childs & Co. Securities Co. Mr. Childs was the first dealer of U.S. Government Securities. His offices in Chicago and New York were across the street from the Federal Reserve in each city and his trading office was located at One Wall Street. Edie McBride Bass attended Miss Porter’s School and graduated from Vassar. She married Jack Maddin Bass of Nashville, Tennessee, whose father owned J.M. Bass and Co., one Nashville’s first securities firms. Edie served numerous charitable institutions in Nashville. She was a Lifetime Trustee of Cheekwood Botanical Gardens and the Ensworth School, and served on the Board of Miss PorterÕs School. She was a driving force in establishing fund raising for the Swan Ball, The Land Trust of Tennessee, and the M.S. Society. Condition: Shade overall very good condition with no obvious hairlines or wear. Base in overall very good condition with nice old mellow patina. Heat cap is a replacement. Functional at time of inspection (see photos of illuminated lamp). [See more photos →]

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

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

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

Ladies platinum engagement ring featuring a 4.00 carat rectangular modified brilliant diamond, Clarity-SI2, Color-H, measuring 9.45 x 8.78 x 6.30 mm. 71.7% Total Depth; 80% Table; ETN to THK Girdle. Good polish and symmetry and no flourescence. Clarity characteristics: crystal, feather, chip, natural, extra facet. Accented by 12 scrolled princess cut and 16 tapered baguette diamonds, approximately 1.68 carats, Clarity-VS2, Color-G. The diamonds are mounted in a custom platinum mounting marked “PLAT”, size 7 1/4. 5.68 total carat weight. Gross weight of the ring is 26.31 grams. GIA report 2225004988 dated September 3, 2021.

PROVENANCE: The Estate of Nicole Maslanka, Atlanta, Georgia.

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

William Oliver the Younger (France/United Kingdom, 1823-1901) oil on canvas painting depicting a smiling, dark haired young beauty, seated upon a bench and attired in a white dress with an elaborate black lace wrap, with a pink rose behind her left ear and a holding a fan in her left hand; a man attired in a black hat and brown cloak leans on the edge of the bench behind her, gazing attentively. Signed and dated "W. Oliver 1878" lower left. Housed in an elaborate and possibly original gilt carved and gesso rococo style frame. Sight – 17 3/4" H x 14 1/2" W. Framed – 24 3/4" H x 21 1/2" W. CONDITION: Painting in overall good condition with an old wax relining, scattered craquelure. Circular shaped fiber in varnish layer, top right quadrant. Frame with minor gilt losses to the upper right corner and losses with gilt touch up and losses to all of the rear corners. [See more photos →]

Chinese White Jade Bowl, inverted bowl shaped form atop a short, slightly splayed foot ring. 6 5/8″ diameter by 2 3/4″ H. Qing Dynasty, Ch’ien Lung Period, mid to late 18th century. Provenance: The collection/estate of Mr. and Mrs. W. Jeter Eason, Memphis, by descent to present consignor. Condition: Excellent condition. CONDITION: Excellent condition. [See more photos →]

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

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

One ladies ornate platinum engagement ring set in the center with one pear shaped diamond measuring 16.28 x 10.23 x 6.26mm and weighing 6.00 carats, (GIA 1206993432), Clarity-I1 (Enhanced by laser drill), Color-E and is accented by 6 tapered baguette diamonds weighing approximately 1.0 carats, Clarity-VVS1, Color-G and 96 round brilliant diamonds paved into the shoulders weighing approximately 0.72 carats, Clarity-VS1, Color-H and 4 round brilliant diamonds weighing approximately 0.04 carats, Clarity-VS1, Color-G. Designed by JB Star. The ring is marked “Plat900” and “JBStar”. Ring size is 6 3/4. Total diamond weight is approximately 7.76 carat total weight. Gross weight of the ring is 10.1 grams. Provenance: The Estate of Kathleen Preston, Chattanooga, TN. PRE-APPROVAL IS REQUIRED TO BID ON THIS LOT. PLEASE CONTACT CASE ANTIQUES, INC. AT THE KNOXVILLE GALLERY FOR DETAILS. 865-558-3033 or BID@CASEANTIQUES.COM. CONDITION: Excellent condition. [See more photos →]

Large William Louis Sonntag (American, 1822-1900) oil on canvas landscape depicting a naturalistic mountain scene. Housed in the original gilt carved frame. Sight – 54 1/4″ W x 66″ H. Framed – 64 1/4″ W x 76″ H. This painting was purchased directly from William Sonntag in 1874 and is documented in a letter William Sonntag wrote R. H. Armstrong of Knoxville, TN stating, “I have shipped(?sp) the picture you specified(?sp) from my work and would like for(?sp) you to purchase it at the price you named..” Sonntag goes on to discuss the style of lettering done on the back of the painting is “the way I did it then and the way I do it now.” The letter is signed “Yours truly W. L. Sonntag 120 East 22nd St.”. This original letter has been lost but the 35 mm color slides and digital copies of the letter accompany this lot. Provenance: Descended directly through the Armstrong family of Knoxville, Tennessee. Previously exhibited at the Knoxville Museum of Art and the Dulin Art Gallery (Knoxville’s predecessor to the Knoxville Museum of Art). Biography (Courtesy David Michael Zellman, 300 Years of American Art, Peter Falk “Who Was Who in American Art” and Askart: The Artists’ Bluebook): A native Pennsylvanian, William Sonntag Sr. was a landscape painter associated with the Hudson River School. He is best remembered for his romantic depictions of the American wilderness and “idealized visions of classical Italian ruins” that “reflect the influence of the eighteenth-century neoclassical tradition of English literature and painting” (Zellman, 195). At some point in the 1840s, he moved to Cincinnati where it is thought he studied at the Cincinnati Academy of Fine Arts under Godfrey Frankenstein. From the early 1840s to the mid-1850s, he had a studio in Cincinnati and made numerous painting trips in the Ohio River Valley and into the mountains of West Virginia and Kentucky. His style of grandeur, sweeping vistas, and dramatic renderings were much influenced by Thomas Cole. In Cincinnati, his store-front gallery exhibition got the attention of a Baltimore and Ohio Railroad official who commissioned Sonntag to paint a series of landscapes along the B & O railroad route. Those works were positively received at the Western Art Union shows and helped advance his career. In 1853, Sonntag took his first trip to Europe and returned in 1855 for a year’s study in Florence, Italy. The latter part of his career, he lived in New York. He created panoramas with John C. Wolfe depicting Milton’s Paradise Lost and Paradise Regained, and he also traveled with Arthur Tait painting Catskill landscapes. In 1861, he became an associate member of the National Academy of Design and exhibited his work regularly there for the next 40 years until his death. Condition: Conserved and canvas laid on aluminum board in 1974 by Cumberland Art Conservation. Some minor inpainting noted under black light. Rubbing noted to the perimeter of canvas. Losses to the gilt carved frame. Overall light craquelure. [See more photos →]

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

Evgeni Alexandrovich Lanceray (Russian, 1848-1886) large patinated bronze “Capture of a Wild Kirghiz Horse”, inscribed E. Lanceray in cyrillic, with foundry mark for F. Chopin in cyrillic, both marks on the base. Mounted on a bronze base with a frieze depicting the herding of wild horses. 17 1/2″ H x 25″ L x 12″ D. Condition: Original lasso pole and rope from rider to wild horse is missing. Old patina. Some oxidation and a couple of areas of bruising and abrasions to the surface. [See more photos →]

William Aiken Walker (American/South Carolina, 1838-1921) oil on linen painting laid to card-stock, depicting a coastal landscape with sandy beach, palm tree, cactus, and various beach shrubs, likely Florida. Signed lower left, "W. A. Walker." With McCrary & Branson gallery labels affixed to verso. Housed under glass in the original McCrary & Branson molded giltwood frame with repeating floral and leaf designs and gold mat. Sight: 5 7/8" H x 17 5/8" W. Framed: 12 1/2" H x 24 1/2" W. Note: McCrary & Branson was a Knoxville-based commercial art gallery and portrait studio operated by artist Lloyd Branson and partner Frank McCrary from the early 1880s until 1903.

Biography: The son of a prominent cotton agent, Charleston-born William Aiken Walker exhibited his first painting at the South Carolina Institute Fair at the age of 12. He went to Europe to study art in 1860 but returned to America during the Civil War, in which he served as a Confederate private and, following an injury, as a cartographer. After the war, Walker became primarily known for his prolific Southern scenes including plantations, African-Americans, and dock scenes. Some were commissioned by wealthy patrons; others were produced as souvenirs of the Old South for the tourist trade. Currier and Ives published several of these works as lithographs. In his later years, he painted scenes in Florida and North Carolina.

CONDITION: Overall very good condition. With superficial grime, lower right, and speck in sky, upper right. Plus residue to upper edge beneath frame, along with illegible inscription. [See more photos →]

Basil Blackshaw, RUA, (Irish, b. 1932), oil on canvas painting, possibly a study, depicting a progression of three figures riding on horseback, set against a hazy sky; the horses wear exercise hoods while their heads are shrouded in fly masks. Signed lower left. 29″ x 29″ sight, 31′ x 31″ framed. Biography (courtesy Askart: The Artists’ Bluebook, and the Online Encyclopedia of Irish and World Art): Basil Blackshaw was born in Glengormley, County Antrim, Northern Ireland and is noted for his expressionist, even abstract, approach to traditional paintings, as well as his sports paintings and portraits, He attended Methodist College in Belfast and studied at the Belfast College of Art from 1948 to 1951, and was awarded a scholarship to study in Paris. A master in the technical skills of painting, Blackshaw is highly regarded for his loose application of paint and very distinctive use of color. His pictures of horse racing and boxing are especially popular but his compositions also include dogs, landscapes, rural life, and city scenes. In 1995, the Arts Council of Northern Ireland organized a major retrospective of Blackshaw’s artwork which traveled from Belfast to Dublin, Cork, and many galleries in the United States. In 2001, he won the Glen Dimplex Award for Sustained Contribution to the Visual Arts in Ireland. He was elected as an associate of the Royal Ulster Academy of the Arts in 1977, and an Academician in 1981. He is a member of the eminent group of Irish artists, Aosdana. Provenance: the estate of Lucille Svitzer Brady (Mrs. Frank B. Brady), formerly of Annapolis, Maryland. Condition: Excellent condition. [See more photos →]

Leon Augustin Lhermitte, also spelled L’hermitte (French, 1844-1925), “Fenaison,” or “Haymaking,” oil on canvas painting depicting workers in a field; three women and one man work under a sunny sky, harvesting hay to build a haystack while more figures, haystacks and a hut are visible in the background, set against a treeline. Signed lower left, “L. Lhermitte”. Housed in a giltwood molded Rococo style frame; plaque lower center with artist’s name and life dates. Sight – 17 3/4″ H x 21 3/4″ W. (45 cm x 55 cm). Framed – 27″ H x 31″ W. Circa 1917. Note: this painting is illustrated as no. 238 on page 150 in “Leon Augustin Lhermitte: Catalog Raisonne,” by Monique Le Pelley Fonteny (Paris: Editions Cercle d’art, 1991). The catalog entry states that it is a smaller version of Lhermitte’s circa 1890 painting, “Fenaison au Soleil.” Provenance: Private Nashville collection. Biography (source: Museo Nacional Thyssen-Bornemisza): “Leon Lhermitte was born in the French region Aisne, as the son of a school teacher. In 1863 he went to Paris as a pupil of the Ecole Imperiale de Dessin, where he had the same teacher as Rodin, the well known Lecoq de Boisbaudran. A year later one of his drawings was admitted at the Salon in Paris; his first painting was accepted in 1866. In 1869 he went to London where he met Alphonse Legros, who eventually introduced him to the art dealer Paul Durand-Ruel. Lhermitte’s works sold well at Durand-Ruel’s gallery in New Bond Street. One of his paintings, “The Harvest ,” was awarded with a medal at the Paris Salon of 1874. In that period he made several trips to Bretagne. Degas invited Lhermitte to participate in the fourth exhibition of the Impressionists, but Lhermitte refused. His painting “The Payment of the Harvesters” was one of the highlights of the collection of the new Musee du Luxembourg in Paris. The art gallery Boussod, Valadon et Cie., signed a contract with Lhermitte for the exclusive rights to sell his paintings. Boussod and Valadon were the successors of the famous Goupil Gallery, which employed both Vincent van Gogh and his brother Theo as sales assistants. The French Government asked Lhermitte to decorate the Salle des Commissions in the Sorbonne, and the city of Paris invited him to make a monumental painting for the decoration of the new Hotel de Ville. At the Exposition Universelle of 1900 in Paris, Lhermitte was represented with seven paintings. He was created officer of the Legion d’Honneur and made a member of the Academie des Beaux-Arts. After the Great War, his health, which had never been very good, deteriorated and made it very difficult for him to continue his work. In his last years he only produced some pastels”. CONDITION: Painting is in excellent condition with no evidence of relining. Previous frame abrasions evident left, bottom, and right sides. UV light reveals 1 1/4″L area inpainting top right near forked hay. 1″ H x 2″ W area of scratching lower right between two women. Graphite pencil mark to right of signature evident. Negligible dot of loss middle of left edge. En verso thinning of canvas evident with previous tack holes and wear to edges. See blacklight photos. [See more photos →]

One pair of diamond stud earrings containing round brilliant cut diamonds, one weighing 4.09ct. I1 clarity, K color, second diamond weighing 4.25ct, I1 clarity, K color. The 4.25 carat Round Brilliant measures 10.38 – 10.41 x 6.35 mm, Excellent Cut, Very Good Polish, Very Good Symmetry, Faint Fluorescence (GIA Report 6203329942). The 4.09 carat Round Brilliant measures 10.37 – 10.47 x 6.27 mm, Very Good Cut, Good Polish, Good Symmetry, No Fluorescence (GIA Report 2203330296). Mounted in 14k (tested) white gold 4-prong, basket style polished finish stud earring mountings. 4.43 grams total weight. CONDITION: See description. GIA report 2203330396 and GIA Report 6203329942. [See more photos →]

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Chinese archaic style bronze lamp in the form of a recumbent ram. Hinged top to the back that opens for use as an oil vessel with a spout to one end used to empty leftover fuel back into the body. Underside with incised character marks. Fitted with a conforming carved and pierced hardwood stand with incised marks to the top. Included are the remnants of a Chinese export wax seal. Ram measures 3 1/4" H x 6 1/2" W x 3" D. Qing Dynasty, 19th century.

PROVENANCE: Deaccessioned by the Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts Foundation to benefit the acquisitions fund.

CONDITION: Ram in overall good condition with old patina, some oxidation, and light general use wear. Stand with minor wear and scuffing. [See more photos →]

1st item: Asian bronze Buddha sculpture depicted seated in the Dharmachakra mudra atop a double lotus base, having tightly curled domed hair and elongated ear lobes. 13" H x 9" W. Late 19th/Early 20th century. 2nd item: Asian carved and red painted Buddha altar shrine or meditation table, comprised of a brass-trimmed platform with carved applied corner railing mounted onto a shaped plinth with a carved figural foo dog panel to the front and a graduated molded base, with gilt painted highlights throughout. 12 3/4" H x 17 1/4" W x 10" D.19th century.

PROVENANCE: Private Chattanooga, TN collection.

CONDITION: 1st item: Overall very good condition with some slight losses to lower edge of left base edge. 2nd item: Overall good condition with expected wear and light losses to paint. Structurally stable. [See more photos →]

Korean iron censer or incense burner with silver wire inlaid Chinese "Shou" auspicious character marks to the rounded hexagonal sides and fret designs throughout; the pierced cover having a crane finial symbolizing longevity; two hinged handles. Raised on a recessed plinth supported by six bracket feet. 7 5/8" H x 5 5/8" dia. Likely from the Western province of Pyongan, early 19th century. Note: Purchased in 1956 from Samuel W. Lee & Co. Seoul, Korea. The original Lee receipt stating it may have originally come from a high ranking Korean official or Princess Yun and letter from original donor about its acquisition are available to the winning bidder.

PROVENANCE: Property of a Tennessee Religious Institution.

CONDITION: Overall excellent condition with oxidation and light scattered surface wear commensurate with age. [See more photos →]

Lady’s diamond solitaire ring containing one round brilliant cut diamond weighiing 3.04 carat, H color, VS2 clarity, measuring 9.27-9.33 x 5.70 mm. Polish: Very Good. Symmetry: Very Good. Fluorescence: None. Depth: 61.3%. Table: 59%. Girdle: Very Thin to Thick, Faceted. Culet: None. Together with a GIA report number 12310545, dated November 22, 2002. The diamond is set in a 14k white gold 6-prong mounting. Ring size: 6. Total gross weight approximately 4.0 grams. Condition: See decription and GIA report. Mounting in very good condition with minor scratches. [See more photos →]

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

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

Andrew Clemens (American, 1857-1894) patriotic sand art bottle with the original label. Apothecary style glass bottle with round flat-top stopper and a cylindrical body filled with multicolored, layered sand in decorative stripe, swag, wave, and geometric patterns, one side with vignette of a 30-star American flag, the alternate side with a banner enclosing the name MRS. A. HARRIS. The base retains the original paper tag reading PICTURED ROCK SAND PUT UP BY A. CLEMENS DEAF MUTE McGREGOR, IOWA. 5 5/8″ H. Note: Andrew Clemens was born in Dubuque, Iowa, in 1857 and later moved to the town of McGregor. At the age of five, he contracted an illness (possibly encephalitis) which caused him to become deaf and mute. Clemens lived his entire life in Iowa, near Pikes Peak State Park. He and his brothers frequented an area of the park called Pictured Rocks, which was famous for its sandstone bluffs that were veined with iron and mineral deposits, resulting in over forty different shades of stone. He attended the Iowa School for the Deaf and as an adult he began working with this sand to form detailed pictures in glass bottles. His brothers helped to gather the sandstone and grind it into fine powder which Andrew used for his designs. Clemens created his designs using self-made tools, including “brushes” of tiny hickory twigs and bent fish hook tools; no glue was used. Clemens secured the sand with a scrap of velvet near the stopper, then sealed the lid in place with wax. The bottles were well received by the public – particularly riverboat travelers to McGregor, seeking souvenirs – and he was able to earn a livelihood selling sand art bottles until his death in 1894 at the age of 37. While many were sold, few have remained intact over the years. (Source: the Des Moines Register & The Smithsonian Institution).

PROVENANCE: Private Illinois collection.

CONDITION: Both the stopper edge and bottle rim with slight scattered chipping. [See more photos →]

San Ildefonso pottery jar by Tony Da (1940-2008) with red body, sgraffito hummingbird and other organic designs, turquoise inserts, two concentric rows of beads around upper shoulder of jar, compressed globular body and conical lid with turquoise inserts around perimeter of lid edge. Base signed “DA”. Overall excellent condition. 6 1/2″ height with lid, 5 1/2″ diameter. Provenance: Knoxville, TN collection. [See more photos →]

John French Sloan (American, 1871 – 1951) "Land of Turquoise," oil on canvas painting depicting a Southwestern landscape. Low clouds drift across a calm turquoise sky, casting shadows in subtly varying shades of blue across the hills along the horizon. Shrubby green vegetation grows on either side of a dirt road in the foreground. Signed "John Sloan" lower left. Canvas is covered by a protective board with old label for Kraushaar Galleries, New York. Housed in an acanthus and ribbon molded gilt frame with beveled linen mat. Canvas – 22" W x 18" H. Frame – 29" W x 25" H. Note: this painting is #771 in the John Sloan Paintings Catalog Raisonne by Rowland Elzea. Copies of the original receipt and past appraisals from Kraushaar Galleries of this work will be available to the winning bidder.

Biography: Pennsylania born illustrator and painter John French Sloan was a pioneer of the Social Realist movement and a founder of the Ashcan School. He participated in the landmark exhibition of The Eight in New York in 1908, in which the artists broke academic tradition through both technique and subject matter, and helped organize the 1913 Armory Show exhibition of modernist painting. Sloan also served as president of the Society of Independent Artists.

In 1919, influenced by Robert Henri, he traveled to Santa Fe for the first time and became active in the art colony there. He spent summers in the Southwest for the next 30 years. Sloan also served as President of the Exposition of Indian Tribal Arts in the 1930s and lobbied the Society of Independent Artists to include work by Native Americans in their exhibitions. Sloan also taught at the Art Students League, where his students included Reginald Marsh, Raphael Soyer, and Alexander Calder.

PROVENANCE: The estate of Ann H. Wells, Nashville, Tennessee, purchased Kraushaar Galleries, New York, Nov. 17, 1970.

CONDITION: Overall very good condition. A few small spots in the clouds, upper center edge, fluoresce under UV light. Painting has been cleaned. Two very small spots of craquelure center sky area, each about 1/4" diameter. Frame has some small areas of abrasions and losses to high relief areas along outer edges. [See more photos →]

Frits Thaulow (Norway/France, 1847-1906), oil on canvas moonlight canal scene. Signed lower right. Original large, deep and elaborate giltwood and composition frame with swept edges, carved shells and scrolls at corners and centers interspersed with carved flowers, and an inner shell and scroll border. Old 5th Avenue, New York framer’s label en verso and small Minneapolis Institute of Art label, number L8 84. 31-1/2″ H x 39″ W sight, 46″ H x 53″ W x 5″ D framed. Provenance: Originally owned by gilded age industrialist John Warne Gates, also known as “Bet-A-Million Gates,” who made millions selling barbed wire and was a founder of the Texas company that would later become known as Texaco. Upon Gates’ death, the painting was inherited by his only son Charles Gilbert Gates. When Charles Gates died at the age of 37 while on a Western big game hunting trip, the painting passed to his young widow, Florence Hopwood Gates Judd, and has descended in her family to the present consignor. The painting was exhibited at The Minneapolis Institute of Arts in 1915 (see The Bulletin of the Minneapolis Institute of Arts, May 1915). Biography: (Courtesy Askart: The Artists’ Bluebook): Norweigan-born Frits Thaulow (alternate spelling: Fritz Thaulow ) was a brother in law of Paul Gaugin, cousin to Edvard Munch, and a close friend of Claude Monet. He studied at the Academy of Fine Arts in Copenhagen before moving to Paris in the 1870s, where his paintings, particularly those involving complex reflections of water, were well received. Upon his return, in the 1880s he was acclaimed as Oslo’s foremost painter. He also founded the progressive Artists’ Union and served as its president. It was Thaulow who encouraged Monet to travel with him to Norway to paint snow scenes in 1895. Thaulow himself traveled throughout Europe in pursuit of subject matter, which owed more to French Realism than Impressionism. Condition: Light 2″ scratch in the lower left quadrant in water. About a dozen minuscule (pinpoint-sized) scattered areas of paint loss, mainly to the lower half (possibly white paint splatters). Scattered all over light craquelure. Thin, 2″ long scratch or line of paint loss at lower center rabbet edge. Blacklight reveals 3 areas of inpainting to sky, largest 1″, and 3 areas of inpainting to lower left quadrant in water, largest 1″L. Frame exhibits several large cracks and some apparent repairs, particularly to the left side. [See more photos →]

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

3.13 carat Oval Modified Brilliant diamond, F color, VS1 clarity, with GIA report 1182887169 dated November 20, 2017, measurements 12.50 x 7.86 x 4.63 mm. Depth: 59%; Table: 64%; Girdle: Thick to Very thick, F; Culet: Small; Polish: Excellent; Symmetry: Very Good; Fluorescence: Faint. Clarity Characteristics: Feather, Cloud, Indented Natural, Surface graining is not shown.Diamond is mounted in a four-prong 18K yellow gold mounting. Ring size 5 1/2 slight. Provenance: Property of a private Knoxville, Tennessee collector. CONDITION: See description and GIA report number 1182887169. [See more photos →]

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

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

George Dury (American/Tennessee, 1817-1894) oil on canvas painting depicting Colonel Randal William McGavock, CSA, in uniform, half-length, against a dark, indistinct background. Unsigned. The oval canvas is housed in a heavily carved antique giltwood and composition Louis XV frame with swept edges, rocaille carved corners and centers, and carved spandrels. Sight – 30″H x 25″W. Frame – 46 12″H x 41 1/2″W.

Note: Randal McGavock (1826-1863) was one of the most colorful figures in Nashville history. A descendant of one of Nashville”s prominent founding Scotch Irish families, he attended Harvard Law School and traveled extensively in Europe as a young man (sending back regular articles for the Nashville Union Newspaper, which were eventually re-published under the title “A Tennesseean Abroad”). He settled back home in Nashville, where he opened a law practice, became active in politics, and enjoyed life as one of the city”s most eligible bachelors. In 1853 McGavock surprised his friends and family by eloping with Seraphine Deery – a union that produced considerable personal drama, but no children. In 1856, “Randy Mac,” as he became known, was elected Mayor of Nashville at the age of 30, and he served as a delegate to the 1860 Democratic Convention. The Civil War cut short his promising political career. McGavock formed his own regiment made up largely of the Irish-American citizens who had helped elect him as mayor, paying for their fine grey and scarlet uniforms with his own money. His regiment, D Company, Tennessee Home Guards (State Militia), also known as the Rebel Sons of Erin, was sent to Forts Henry and Donelson and eventually designated as the Tenth Tennessee Infantry, Irish, Company H; McGavock was elected Lt. Colonel, second in command under Adolphus Heiman. McGavock was extremely popular with his men, paying for moonshine and fine food from his own pocket.

The Confederate defeat at the Battle of Fort Donelson resulted in McGavock being taken prisoner and sent to Camp Chase and then to an officer”s prison at Camp Warren outside Boston (where McGavock used the opportunity to have some clothes made by his old tailor from his Harvard days). Following his release, the 10th was reorganized and McGavock and his men were sent to Snyder”s Bluff, Chickasaw Bluff, then on to Port Hudson, Mississippi, and, in May of 1863, to the small town of Raymond, MS, to stop Grant”s advance on Vicksburg. While engaged with General Gregg and his 2,730 soldiers against General MacPherson and his army of 5,500, Col. McGavock led a daring advance and was fatally struck by a Union mini ball directly in the heart. After the War, McGavock”s remains were moved to Nashville”s Mt. Olivet Cemetery, where he was buried in a large public ceremony on St. Patrick”s Day, 1866.

This portrait has long been attributed to George Dury, who painted many members of the McGavock family, including Randal McGavock”s younger brother Hugh, who died at the age of 12. According to family history, the visible damage to this portrait occurred during the latter part of the Civil War when a Union soldier entered the McGavock family”s Union-occupied Nashville home and slashed the painting with a sword. Exhibited, Two Rivers Mansion, Nashville, c. 1990, and Carnton Plantation, Franklin, c. 2000. This painting was the cover image for the book, “Pen and Sword: The Life of Randal McGavock,” based on McGavock”s extensive lifetime writings and diaries and published by the Tennessee Historical Commission in 1960. It is one of only two known oil portraits of McGavock. The other, picturing him at about age 21, is in the collection of the Nashville Public Library. A cameo brooch portrait of McGavock, which he commissioned from the Saulini Workshop in Rome during his Grand Tour of Europe circa 1851, was sold by Case in 2008 for $8,731.

PROVENANCE: By descent in the family of Randal McGavock.

CONDITION: 2″ L separation of canvas from lining in the upper right hand quadrant, background and several other, less prominent separations at lower right edge and upper left corner. Scattered areas of craquelure, notably to the center button area of coat and to the lower left quadrant, background. Painting has a long repaired tear extending from the upper right edge across subject”s face to the middle of the center-left background, intersecting another tear extending from the center-left background down subject”s mid-chest. Tear repair is failing and causing canvas to pucker. Infill repair along tear and at subject”s right shoulder. 1″ repaired tear in background, upper left quadrant. UV light inspection reveals some additional touchup paint to forehead and to background areas. Note: The portrait received a lead lining treatment, some restoration, and cleaning 75-100 years ago, prior to being inherited by the consignor, and has not been treated since. [See more photos →]

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

Ladies platinum solitaire engagement ring featuring one old European cut 3.79 carat diamond, Clarity-SI1, color-L, Polish-Good, Symmetry-Very Good, Fluorescence-None. GIA report number 6223107536. The ring tests platinum and is size 6 3/4. Gross weight of the ring is 3.51 grams.

PROVENANCE: the Estate of Emilee Barnes Frincke, Knoxville, Tennessee.

CONDITION: Diamond overall very good condition. Prongs on mount are thin. [See more photos →]

Victor Coleman Anderson (Texas/New York, 1882-1937) oil on canvas painting, together with three pencil studies for this work. 1st item: Victor Anderson oil on canvas titled “Barn Swallow – Children Playing in Hay Loft”, circa 1935. Depicting children swinging from the rafters of a barn onto the hay below, signed lower right, Victor C. Anderson. Likely housed in the original molded giltwood frame, attributed to Newcomb Macklin. Mongerson Wunderlich Galleries, Chicago label en verso, lower left. Sight – 29 7/8″ H x 24 1/2″ W. Framed – 34 3/8″ H x 29 1/2″ W. 2nd item: Vertical pencil sketch on paper, depicting female swinging from hook central, titled sketches for ‘Barn Swallows’ Helen Costello, Dick Anderson, Harry Bohenlos, upper mid-margin. Float mounted in a contemporary gilt frame. Sight – 10″ H x 6 1/2″ W. Framed 17″ H x 13″ W. 3rd item: Horizontal pencil sketch on paper, depicting several figures swinging and sliding, titled, signed and dated Jumping in the barn/ July 15, 1935/ VCA Large Oil ‘Barn Swallows’. Float mounted in a contemporary gilt frame. Sight – 8 1/2″ H x 11″ W. Framed – 15 5/8″ H x 18 1/4″ W. 4th item: Horizontal pencil sketch on paper, titled, signed and dated Helen and Dick/ VCA /July 22, 1935. Float mounted in a contemporary gilt frame. Sight – 8 1/2″ H x 11″ W. Framed – 15 5/8″ H x 18 1/4″ W. Provenance: This painting descended directly from the artist’s daughter Joan Anderson Howe. It was exhibited at Illustration House in 1989 and previously exhibited at Mongerson-Wunderlich Galleries in Chicago circa 1985. Letter of provenance from Illustration House, Inc., New York, accompanies this lot. Biography (courtesy Askart: The Artists’ Bluebook): A painter and illustrator who lived briefly in Texas in the early 1930s, Victor Anderson spent most of his life in New York state, settling in White Plains where he died in 1937. He was the son of Frank Anderson, a Hudson River School painter, and although his father died when he was eight years old, Victor drew and painted from the time he was a youngster. When he enrolled in the Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, he was accomplished enough to go directly into the life-drawing class. He studied with Birge Harrison at Woodstock, New York during one summer and also took classes from Hobart Nichols and Herman Dudley Murphy. In New York City, while he maintained a high-powered illustration career, he was an active fine-art painter and had memberships and exhibited at the Grand Central Art Galleries, Salmagundi Club and National Academy of Design. As an illustrator, he did commission work for magazines including Life, Woman’s Home Companion, Collier’s, Country Gentlemen and The Ladies Home Journal. He illustrated two children’s books, Tommy Trot’s Visit to Santa Claus and Moonbeam Wish Book. CONDITION: 1st item: Overall very good condition. Re-lined with new stretchers and wax treatment to back of canvas. Please refer to blacklight photos. 2nd-4th items: All three (3) sketches are in good condition with slight burn, curling, and losses to edges. [See more photos →]

Henri Jean Guillaume Martin (French, 1860-1943), oil on canvas pointillist painting depicting a vineyard worker in a field, standing atop a wagon and working at a grape press. We wish to thank Marie-Anne Destrebecq-Martin, wife of Henri Jean Guillaume Martin’s grandson, Cyrille Martin, for adding this work to the Henri-Jean Guillaume Martin Catalog Raisonne and identifying it as a study for “Les Vendanges,” a triptych mural created by Martin circa 1927 for the Lot Prefecture Hotel in Cahors, France. The mural, located in a staircase leading to the General Council Hall, celebrates the importance of wine making in the region. (The triptych and more information about its history may be viewed here: http://henri-martin.net/troisieme-partie-le-decorateur/chapitre-iv-les-oeuvres-de-la-vieillesse/c-celebration-de-la-vigne-decoration-de-cahors-et-de-beziers/1-cahors-lescalier-dhonneur-de-la-prefecture/ ). Label en verso for Kurt E. Schon Ltd. Galleries (Vienna and New Orleans). Titled on brass plaque on front of frame, “L’Homme au Pressoir” and on remnants of other old paper label en verso. 24″ x 15″ canvas, 29″ x 20″ framed. Provenance: the collection of Mr. and Mrs. H.R. Slaymaker, Nashville, Tennessee, purchased from Kurt Schon Galleries, New Orleans, 1988 (receipt accompanies lot). Biography: French Neo-Impressionist painter Henri Martin lived most of his life in Marquayrol, near Bastide-du-Vert. He studied at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts in Toulouse and the Ecole des Beaux-Arts in Paris under Jean-Paul Laurens. He exhibited at the Salon des Artistes Francais in Paris starting in 1880, and won a medal at the 1883 Salon. A few years later, influenced by Georges Seurat and Edmond Aman-Jean, he began experimenting with pointillism, applying dots and stripes of color in order to capture the vibrant light of the South of France in his landscapes. It would become his signature style. Martin was named Chevalier of the Legion of Honour in 1896, won a gold medal at La Fete de la Federation in 1889, and in 1900 won the grand prize at the Exposition Universelle. He was named Commander of the Legion of Honour in 1914. (Source: Askart, Musee D’Orsay). CONDITION: Excellent condition. Relined. [See more photos →]

Italian inlaid gilt bronze ceremonial chalice, ciborium, or part of a vigil lamp, with inlaid coral decoration throughout; pierced gallery surrounding a well with ruby glass liner, central knop above a circular base with figural griffin feet. Latin inscription to the perimeter of the base. 8 3/4" H. 18th century or earlier. Acquired at Burwell & Louise Shepard Antiques, New Hope, Bucks Co., PA.

PROVENANCE: Property of a Tennessee Religious Institution.

CONDITION: Overall good condition. Some wear, losses, and replacement to coral stones, expected use wear. Ruby glass liner is a replacement. [See more photos →]

William Edmondson (American/Tennessee, 1874-1951) carved limestone sculpture or garden ornament in the form of a large dipper or cup of rectangular form, angled at the lower edges, with a trapezoidal handle, open in the center. The side opposite the handle features a shallow, molded, angular lip that echoes the lines of the body and handle. 20"W x 12"D x 7" H. Exhibited, "William Edmondson: A Retrospective," The Tennessee State Museum, 1981. The dipper is accompanied by a minimally hewn flat rectangular limestone base, measuring 4" H x 14 1/2" W x 13" D, acquired by the consignors' parents along with the sculpture directly from William Edmondson's yard in 1951. Biography: William Edmondson was born in Davidson County, Tennessee, the son of freed slaves, and worked most of his life as a railroad employee and janitor. A spiritual experience at the age of 57 prompted him to begin sculpting limestone using a railroad spike as a chisel, and he claimed divine inspiration for the works produced during his 17-year art career. In 1937, Edmondson became the first African American artist to have a solo show at the Museum of Modern Art, and he is regarded as one of the most important self-taught artists of the 20th century. Provenance Note: Dr. Virgil and Louise Lequire were influential members of Nashville's arts community. Louise Lequire (1924-2006), a talented painter in her own right, was a founding member of the Nashville Artist Guild and taught art at Montgomery Bell Academy and the Nashville Institute for the Arts. She was the first art critic for the Nashville Banner newspaper and a regular art columnist from 1960-1961, and Arts Editor for Nashville Life Magazine from 1993-1996. Her article on William Edmondson appeared in Smithsonian Magazine in 1981 and she was a contributor to the catalog for the Edmondson exhibit at the Tennessee State Museum that same year. Her photograph of this sculpture in her own garden (minus the base), taken at an unknown date, appears in black and white near the end of our sequence of photographs for this auction catalog.

PROVENANCE: By descent in the family of Dr. Virgil and Louise Lequire, Nashville, Tennessee.

CONDITION: The limestone is very granular and has scattered rust colored spots that are not stains but natural colorations, as well as some minor dark staining residue to the interior. There are some natural holes in the bottom of the cup that do not penetrate, The base has old, likely original worn away areas or losses at 3 of the 4 corners, up to 2" x 2 1/2", moss-staining and scuffing/scratching to the top. [See more photos →]

Michel Cazabon (France, Trinidad and Tobago, 1813-1888) Caribbean watercolor landscape depicting the figures of an adult and child standing at the edge of a body of water, with trees and hut in background and cattle drinking water in the foreground, under a hazy gradient sky. Faint signature "Cazabon" lower left. Housed under glass in a later, narrow stained wood molded frame. Sight – 9 7/8" H x 13 7/8" W. Framed – 18" H x 21 3/4" W. Provenance: acquired by consignor's ancestor while he was working for the Theodore Roosevelt administration in the Caribbean during the early 1900s. Biography: Michel Jean Cazabon, regarded as one of Trinidad's most important painters, was born to freed black immigrant parents from Martinique. He studied in Europe before establishing a studio in Port of Spain in 1848. Cazabon became best known for supplying landscape paintings of the area, mostly in watercolor, for local officials and wealthy planters. He also produced drawings for two subscription albums of lithographs published in 1851 (Views of Trinidad) and 1857 (Album of Trinidad) and contributed to a series of lithographs of Demerara and Martinique. CONDITION: Painting is adhered to backing board. General, even toning and some possible light fading. 1/2" tear at upper right corner. 1/32" hole lower right edge (goes through backing board). [See more photos →]

Japanese silver urn (tea caddy form), globular form raised on four leaf-form feet, decorated with applied rooster and hens in various colors of gold plate. Lift top lid features figural hen finials. Japanese character marks on base. Condition: some scratching and minor dents, overall good condition. 7″ H, 34.271 troy oz. Possibly Meiji period. Provenance: Pigeon Forge, TN Collection. [See more photos →]

George Inness (New York/Massachusetts/Scotland, 1825-1894) oil on canvas painting, laid to board, depicting a rural landscape with a dirt road leading toward a large tree at right. Set beneath a pale blue sky with clouds gathering along the horizon. Signed "G. Inness," lower left, and initialed lower right. With red-bordered inventory label of the George Inness estate and Hammer Galleries, New York label en verso. Housed in a Louis XIV-style gilt and molded frame. Canvas: 13 3/4" H x 19 1/2" W. Frame: 18 1/2" H x 24" W.

Note: A letter of authenticity from Michael Quick, a foremost authority on the works of George Inness, accompanies this lot. This painting will also be included in the upcoming supplement to Quick's catalog raisonn&eacute; of the work of George Inness. Quick states that this painting is a "field study" upon which Inness based his 1856 landscape "Spring" (Ref.: Ireland 115, also to be included in the upcoming supplement to Quick's 2007 catalog raisonn&eacute;). Only one other painted field study from the 1850s is known.

PROVENANCE: Private Knoxville, Tennessee collection.

CONDITION: Overall very good condition. Pinpoint retouching to sky at upper right and center, with heavy but minor point of retouching to upper center near edge. Minor scratches to road at tree's left, 1" L, and to sky at upper edge of left quadrant, 1 1/2" L. Some yellowing to varnish. [See more photos →]

John Steuart Curry (American, 1897-1946) oil and tempera on canvas, “Wisconsin Still Life,” depicting two dead pheasants with a shotgun propped against a tree. Titled, signed “John Steuart Curry” and dated “1940” lower left. Sight – 44″ H x 29″ W. Gilt wood frame – 48 3/4″ H x 33 5/8″ W. Shown in the Annual Exhibition of American Paintings and Sculpture from November 27 thru January 8, 1941 at the Whitney Museum of American Art; illustrated and discussed in the book “John Steuart Curry: Inventing The Middle West” by Patricia Junker, Page 86, figure 7. Junker writes that this painting “exists largely as a demonstration of painterly sumptuousness in the tradition of late nineteenth French still-life painting, most notably the canvases of Pierre Auguste Renoir. Even here [Curry] remained dependent on his subject, choosing the colorful plumage of two dead pheasants as justification for departing from his usual greens and browns….It is ironic, considering the profoundly serious, socially oriented nature of Curry’s creative ambitions, that it would be his simpler and less thematically ambitious paintings, such as Spring Shower, Wisconsin Still Life, and Wisconsin Landscape, that are now leading the way toward a more sympathetic reappraisal of his qualities and importance.” (p. 85). Born in Kansas, John Steuart Curry became the youngest member of the famed “Benton-wood-Curry” trio of regional painters of the early 20th century American Scene Movement. He studied at the Art Institutes of Kansas City and Chicago and for a year(1927) in Europe at the Academy Julian. When Curry returned to New York in 1928 he produced his work “Baptism in Kansas,” which launched his career as a regionalist. Mrs. Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney bought “Baptism” for her museum and became his major patron. Curry remained in New York until 1936 teaching at Cooper Union, then at Art Students League. His works are in the collections of several museums including the Whitney Museum of American Art, Art Institute of Chicago, Metropolitan Museum, St. Louis Art Museum Collection. Provenance – the estate of the artist; Graham Gallery – NYC; Merritt Chase Gallery – Chicago; Knoxville, TN collection. Condition: Canvas laid down on board. Overall very good condition, blacklight indicates a few small inpainted spots in the sky area and one of the red pigments used by Curry appears to flouresce a light purple. These areas are confined to the neck and upper shoulder area of pheasants and one of the background trees and a couple of places in the foreground grass. [See more photos →]

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

Large John Millard Ferren (American, 1905-1970) oil on canvas abstract expressionist painting titled "Summer," depicting abstract geometric shapes and lines in shades of blue, cream, orange, taupe and brown on an off-white background. Signed lower right "Ferren". A. M. Sachs Gallery label and The Phillips Collection Art Museum labels en verso. Housed in a simple chrome frame with black liner. Sight: 80" H x 59" W. Framed: 81 1/4" H x 60" W. Created 1952-1953. Biography: John Ferren grew up in various parts of the Northwest and in his early years, studied briefly at the California School of Fine Arts (now the San Francisco Art Institue) and worked in sculpture. During a trip to Europe he met artist Hans Hofmann who influenced him to become a painter. He studied at Academies de la Grande Chaumiere in Paris, Colarossi, and the Sorbonne, and had further study at the University of Florence. In Europe, he became friends with Picasso and exhibited with members of the Abstraction-Creation artist group which included Kandinsky and Mondrian. In 1936, Matisse hosted a show of Ferren's work as his New York gallery. Ferren also joined and lead "The Club" in New York, an informal group of artists who represented the social-intellectual center of abstract expressionism in the city. By 1947 but built a summer studio in Brentwood, CA and taught summer sessions at the Art Center School and UCLA. He was the artistic consultant for Alfred Hitchcock films The Trouble with Harry and Vertigo, for which he designed the unforgettable nightmare sequence. Ferren had about 40 solo exhibitions and participated in over 100 group shows in Paris, New York, London, Chicago and California. (sources: Edan Hughes, "Artists in California, 1786-1940"; Askart; The Phillips Collection). The Estate of James W. Perkins, Jr., Nashville, Tennessee. Condition: Very good condition. Overall light grime across surface of painting. Area of craquelure in the center of the work where light blue paint had been applied. Area of light craquelure in right upper quadrant. Two errant marks of grime on surface noted to lower right quadrant, one 1" and the other 1 3/4". [See more photos →]

Ladies 18K yellow gold & platinum ring featuring a 2.85 carat round brilliant diamond, Clarity-VS2, Color-F, with GIA report number 8459038 from a report issued 5/26/94. The ring is marked "18K" and "90 plat 10 irid". The ring is size 5 1/4 and has a gross weight of 4.17 grams. Note: The online GIA report check database does not include reports issued prior to January 1, 2000. This report was issued in 1994, therefore it is not included in the database. Please refer to the attached photos of the GIA report available at the end of the photos for this item. PRE-APPROVAL IS REQUIRED TO BID ON THIS LOT. PLEASE CONTACT CASE ANTIQUES, INC. AT THE KNOXVILLE GALLERY FOR DETAILS. 865-558-3033 or BID@CASEANTIQUES.COM.

PROVENANCE: The Collection of Michael and Peggy Mahoney, by descent from the historic homes of Clarkland Farm at Bryan's Station and Cherrycote, Lexington, Kentucky.

CONDITION: Overall very good condition. Please refer to the attached photos of the GIA report number 8459038 issued 5/26/94. [See more photos →]

Swiss double open-face The (Dutch) Kitchen automaton pocket watch attributed to Pierre-Simon Gounouilhou (France/Switzerland, 1779-1847). 18K gold surround and stem, enamels, brass, and steel with back automaton interior kitchen scene, with five (5) actions made of multi-color gold bas-relief engraved elements including a female maid moving a pestle inside a mortar, a dog turning a wheel and vertical spindle, upper left, connecting to a spit with a rotating chicken and a rotating foil within the fireplace simulating flames. Additional gold elements include a fireplace with pieces of meat hanging above and dog playing with a cat on the floor, next to a basket with vegetables, and a broom leaning against a chest. All on a polychrome enamel painted background depicting a beamed ceiling and a wall with shelves displaying various kitchen and fireplace accessories and a male figure emerging from a window to the left side of the scene. Front with a simple white enameled dial having hand-painted Arabic numbers, gold markers, outer minute ring, and separate apertures for the movement winding (between 4 & 5) and for the automaton (at 7). Reverse of the dial with blue enamel and numbered 6031. Brass and steel mechanism with cylinder escapement and rocking oscillator, keywind, and chain/fusee. Watch is double housed in a painted enameled case depicting a landscape scene with three men on a riverbank, one man using a mallet, foreground and a small sailboat in the river to the right with a fort like structure and house in the background. 60mm. Geneva, circa 1805 – 1820. Note: Pierre-Simon Gounouilhou (1779-1847) was born in France and moved to Geneva, Switzerland in 1799, becoming a maker of repeating and musical watches, automaton watches, and carriage clocks. He worked in partnership with Francois (q.v. Gounouilhou & Francois). Gounouilhou was one of the few watch and clock makers that produced automaton watches, along with Dubois & Fils (founded in Le Locle in 1785). The Patek Philippe Museum has a similar watch in their collection, inventory no. S-962. The Casa-Museu Medeiros E Almeida has a similar watch in their collection, https://www.casa-museumedeirosealmeida.pt/pecas/relogio-automato-the-dutch-kitchen-destaque-em-junho-2019/. PRE-APPROVAL IS REQUIRED TO BID ON THIS LOT. PLEASE CONTACT CASE ANTIQUES, INC. AT THE KNOXVILLE GALLERY FOR DETAILS. 865-558-3033 or BID@CASEANTIQUES.COM.

CONDITION: A couple of very minute (inconspicuous) chips to lower left side of dial. Old repaired fracture to the enamel around the 7 marker. Very slight wear to clock face crystal. The outer painted enameled case is missing the original glass and has losses around the perimeter and to the upper left side of the back, light overall cracklure. Automaton and watch are functional at time of inspection. [See more photos →]

Ladies 14K yellow gold solitaire ring featuring one Marquise Brilliant cut 4.00-carat diamond, Clarity-SI2, Color-I, Polish- Good, Symmetry-Good, Fluorescence-None. Measurements – 13.14 x 7.96 x 5.88 mm. The diamond is mounted in a 14K yellow gold custom setting having two rows of tapering baguettes to each side, 28 total, VS1-SI2, H-I color. The Interior of the band is marked “F14K 106B”. GIA report number 6224603133, dated August 25, 2022. Size 6 1/2, 9.5 total grams.

PROVENANCE: Private Williamson County, Tennessee collection.

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

East Tennessee oil on fabric portrait of Judge John A. McKinney (1781-1845) by Samuel Shaver (TN, 1816-1878). The subject is attired in a dark suit and gold waistcoat and depicted seated in the “Napoleonic” pose. Housed in a carved mahogany veneer wood frame. Sight: 27 1/2″ H x 24″ W. Framed: 34″ H x 30 1/2″ W. Note: This portrait is illustrated in the Tennessee Portrait Project and referenced in “Portraits in Tennessee Before 1866,” page 78, entry #318. Note: Family history states that this portrait was completed circa 1842, making it one of the earliest known Shaver attributed portraits. Biography of the sitter: John Augustine McKinney emigrated from Ireland to the United States in 1800. He married Elizabeth Ayer and moved to Rogersville, Tennessee to practice law. McKinney was a successful lawyer and landowner and built many prominent structures in Rogersville. In 1824-1825, he built the McKinney Tavern House which hosted three U.S. Presidents including Jackson, Polk, and Johnson. The tavern was eventually renamed The Hale Springs Inn which was famous for being the oldest, continuously run Inn in the state of Tennessee. McKinney tried cases in Hawkins, Hancock, Sullivan, Washington, Greene, Grainger, Claiborne, Campbell, and Union Counties. He was appointed U.S. District Attorney by President John Quincy Adams and was chosen to represent his County in the State Constitutional Convention in 1834. Biography of the artist (Courtesy of James C. Kelly, Virginia Historical Society) Portraitist Samuel M. Shaver was born in Sullivan County, the son of David Shaver and Catherine (Barringer) Shaver. He may have been influenced by William Harrison Scarborough (1812-1871), a native-born Tennessee artist, four years Shaver’s senior, who did portraits of Shaver’s relatives. Shaver’s earliest known painting dates to 1845, but he was probably painting before that time. For the next quarter-century, he was East Tennessee’s standard portraitist. In 1851 Shaver was a professor of drawing and painting at the Odd Fellows Female Institute in Rogersville. In 1852 he advertised in Greeneville and Knoxville papers; for several years thereafter his whereabouts are unknown. The death of his first wife in January 1856 recalled him to Rogersville, where he remained until the Civil War. At the outset of the war, Shaver moved to Knoxville, where he became one of the founders of the East Tennessee Art Association. From 1863 to 1868 Shaver lived and worked near Russellville. About 1868 he joined his mother-in-law and family in Jerseyville, Illinois, near St. Louis, where he continued painting. He died June 21, 1878. The Estate of Alice Wright Summers Hale, Rogersville, TN. Condition: Conserved in the winter of 1989-90 by Cumberland Art Conservation in Nashville, TN. Relined with some light inpainting to subject’s forehead and new wax coating. A black light photo is included and an abbreviated conservation report is en verso of painting. [See more photos →]

Ladies 18k yellow gold Piaget “High Jewelry” necklace set with 342 round brilliant cut diamonds and 72 baguette diamonds weighing 55.50 carats dismounted, Clarity-VVS2, Color-F/G and featuring 1 pear-shaped natural emerald weighing 2.45 carats dismounted, Color-vslyG7/4, included, and oiled. The necklace is marked “Piaget 1995”, “750”, and “A 31642″ on the clasp and weighs 97.4g. The necklace is 16″ L with 1″ W at the pendant and 1/2” W on the sides. Note: This necklace has been authenticated by Piaget in Switzerland. Provenance: The Estate of Kathleen Preston, Chattanooga, TN. PRE-APPROVAL IS REQUIRED TO BID ON THIS LOT. PLEASE CONTACT CASE ANTIQUES, INC. AT THE KNOXVILLE GALLERY FOR DETAILS. 865-558-3033 or BID@CASEANTIQUES.COM. CONDITION: Excellent condition. [See more photos →]

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Tiffany Studios blown out glass and bronze oil lamp with original Favrile iridescent shade, c.1899. Bottom of base impressed TIFFANY STUDIOS NEW YORK D436 / 7, with Tiffany Glass & Decorating Co, monogram. Exterior top of base also impressed D436. Base has cold patina finish and is fitted with a bronze collar having pierced decoration to top and a ring to hold the shade. Base 13 3/8″H. Gold iridescent shade with wave design, etched S4319. 9 3/4″ diameter. Height overall: 18 1/2″ (excluding chimney).

CONDITION: Some losses to bronze fitting around the bulb socket. Residue to crevices between bronze top of lamp base and body. Some small orange reside spots to a few sections of glass in base; these flake off but we have not attempted to clean the more persistent ones. Glass on base is otherwise in excellent condition, no damage. 1/4″ dark stain to bronze on foot, near power switch. Switch and socket added later. Formerly electrified; cord has been cut. Shade in overall excellent condition with a few scattered tiny imperfections in the making. Clear glass chimney is not original. [See more photos →]

William Wendt (American/California, 1865-1946) large plein-air impressionist oil on canvas landscape titled “Breezy Uplands” depicting a lush green pasture with a copse of trees to the right under a cloud filled sky. Signed lower right “W. Wendt”. Housed in an elaborate, possibly original gilt and gesso rococo style frame with gilt plaque stating artist name and title. Exhibited, The Art Institute of Chicago, #36, March 2-22, 1905. Sight – 19 3/4″ H x 35 3/4″ W. Framed – 33 1/2″ H x 48 5/8″ W. Provenance: the estate of Mrs. Frank Wood, Evansville, Indiana and Dickson, Tennessee; acquired 1981 from the estate of Dalton Jobe of Indiana. Biography (source: The California Art Club): William Wendt is often referred to as the “Dean of southern California artists.” Born in Bentzen, Germany, Wendt immigrated to Chicago in 1880 and studied briefly at the Art Institute of Chicago while working at a commercial art shop. Wendt was a good friend of the artist George Gardner Symons in Chicago and made several trips to southern California with him between 1894 and 1906. After his marriage to sculptress Julia Bracken in 1906, the couple moved to Los Angeles. Wendt was a cofounder of the California Art Club and held the position of president for six years. In 1912 he was elected an Associate of the National Academy. CONDITION: Painting in very good condition with little to no restoration visible under UV light. Light cracquelure throughout. 1/2″ flake upper left corner at frame edge. Old restoration to upper left corner of frame, scattered small losses to frame. [See more photos →]

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

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Scarce Great Road Virginia earthenware pottery jug, deeply impressed T.I.M.4 within a rectangular border, attributed by Roddy Moore to Thomas J. Myers (1807-1863), working in Smyth County, Virginia. Ovoid form with a clear lead glaze, beaded rim, multiple incised lines around the upper shoulder, extruded handle with clay added to each handle attachment and thumb impressions to the terminus, beaded foot, and unglazed smooth base. 9″ H. Mid 19th century. Note: Thomas J. Myers is listed in the 1850 census as a potter in Smyth County, Virginia. A jar shown in the 2011 Tennessee Turned – Earthenware and Stoneware Made in East Tennessee 1800-1900 exhibit (curated by Dr. Carole Wahler at the East Tennessee Historical Society) also had the initials T.I.M. impressed behind the top left handle.Â

CONDITION: Overall very good condition. A couple of very slight fleabites to spout rim and minor glaze wear, base with chip and some slight chipping/losses to beaded foot. [See more photos →]

Original color screenprint and letterpress poster for the 1913 International Exhibition of Modern Art, also known as The Armory Show, The official poster announced the first venue of the three-city Armory Show tour in New York from February 15 to March 15, 1913. Housed under plexiglass in a narrow gilt frame. Mid 20th c. New York framing label en verso. Sight – 20 3/8″ x 14 1/8″ Frame – 21 1/2″ x 15″.

Note: The Armory Show is credited with ushering in a new era in art and introducing Americans to Impressionism, Neo- and Post-Impressionism, Symbolism, Fauvism, Cubism and modern sculpture. The exhibition included paintings from European modernist artists like Degas, Van Gogh, Picasso, Matisse, and Gaugin. The uprooted pine tree image on the poster, also used for the cover of the exhibition catalogue, was derived from the Massachusetts Revolutionary-era battle flag, “proclaiming liberation from the art of the past” (Ref. Shapiro, p. 135).

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

CONDITION: Very good condition with minor toning; 1 1/2″ scuff upper left quadrant in reddish/brown area of flag. With old tape to edges en verso along with pencil inscription. Poster is lightly adhered to backing with archival tape. Frame has some surface wear and scratching. [See more photos →]

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