Happenings

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NAPLES, Fla. � There was plenty of bark and one winning �bite� at Auctions Neapolitan�s Jan. 23 standing-room-only sale as an exceptional 39-inch-wide Black Forest carved tableau of a St. Bernard dog and her three playful pups claimed top-lot honors at $30,590. Attributed to Swiss artist Walter Mader, the circa-1900 carving featured realistic feathering to the dogs� coats, hand-colored limbs and glass eyes. The substantial 33-lb. artwork had been estimated at $6,000-$8,000.

�There was tremendous interest in that particular piece,� said Kathleen Pica, owner of Auctions Neapolitan. �There�s a sizable contingent of collectors worldwide for Black Forest pieces, and many of them were bidding, not only on the floor but also on the phones and via the Internet. What was unusual was that the bidding stayed strong throughout � there was no lull or hesitation once the lot was announced.�

The winning bidder, a major collector of Black Forest art for the past 30 years, participated by phone from his home in Colorado. �This was an incredibly rare piece, in beautiful condition,� the buyer remarked after the sale. �There�s a larger one in the museum in Brienz, Switzerland � the town where 2,000 carvers lived at the turn of the century � and there are two others in separate private collections in Paris. The two owners in Paris have stated that they will die with their pieces, so those examples are completely off the market.�

The buyer added: �Walter Mader�s only subjects were dogs � he didn�t carve anything else. Even though he never signed his work, it�s unmistakable. When you see the expression on the dogs� faces and the flow of the carving, you know exactly who carved it.�

The word spread quickly about the St. Bernard grouping in Auctions Neapolitan�s sale, the buyer said. �My uncle called me from the Miami Beach Antique Show, which was taking place around the same time as the auction, and said there were many dealers aware of it and talking about it. You�d be amazed how many calls I got from fellow collectors, asking my opinion about its authenticity. I feel that even at the price I paid, I got a very good buy.�

Kathleen Pica said the tableau�s consignor, a Naples-area man, was �delighted with the result,� adding that he was also the consignor of the top lot in Auctions Neapolitan�s December sale � a C.E. Dallin (1861-1944) bronze of an Indian scout on horseback that sold for $25,500.

�I think the fact that we kept the auction estimate low helped the dogs achieve their excellent price,� Pica said. �I have found that when an auction house puts too high an estimate on an item, it scares off some of the bidders. They assume there�s a high reserve on it, and they don�t even bother.�

The vast majority of antiques, fine and decorative art offered by Auctions Neapolitan comes from Naples-area homes and estates. �Less than two percent of what we offer comes from dealers, and that has been the case since I first began conducting auctions in Naples over a decade ago,� said Pica.

Fine paintings were among the other highlights in the Jan. 25 sale. An Anne Packard (Massachusetts, b. 1934-) oil-on-board depiction of saltbox houses made $1,380; while a Josephine Osnaghi (1861-1939) oil-on-panel still life surpassed its estimate to settle at $1,667.50. Nineteenth-century French artist Maurice Rousseau�s pastoral oil painting titled The Sheepfold achieved $1,142.50.

Asian art also attracted attention. A petite Qing Dynasty carved celadon jade and camphorwood table screen estimated at $400-$600 easily garnered $1,495; and a circa-1780 Japanese Imari bowl decorated with two stylized rabbits ended its bidding run at $825. An antique Anglo-Indian box decorated with porcupine quills, ivory, bone and horn nearly tripled its high estimate to close at $862.50.

One-fourth of the auction lots sold to online bidders. �The Internet participation was very strong,� said Pica. �Postsale statistics indicated there were 43,000 hits to our online catalog for this sale, with 10,000 page views on the first day it published.� The top-selling Internet lot was a 15�-inch (dia.) Lalique Cote d�Or charger adorned with three nymphs surrounded by grape vines. A rare, early version with the Lalique signature on verso, it sold for $1,782.50.

The 400-lot sale totaled $86,646. All prices quoted in this article reflect a 15% buyer�s premium.

Dan Morphy Auctions announces new series of Discovery sales,
additional specialty auctions for firearms, dolls and toy trains

DENVER, Pa. � Dan Morphy Auctions� annual events calendar is about to become a lot busier with the introduction of several new auction series to augment the company�s traditional lineup of five to six cataloged sales per year.

Beginning on March 16, 2010, Morphy�s will conduct a regular monthly Discovery sale featuring general antiques, art and vintage collectibles. The live sales will be held at Morphy�s gallery in Denver, Pa., on the Adamstown antiques strip, and will include Internet live bidding through LiveAuctioneers.com and Morphy Live. The initial Discovery sale will feature approximately 400-500 lots.

The quality of goods accepted for Morphy�s Discovery sales will be no different than what customers have come to expect, based on the company�s past cataloged sales. �We�ve been formulating a plan for quite some time that would create a new outlet for dealers and estate executors who handle large quantities of general merchandise, as well as any other consignors who may prefer a quick turnaround time,� said Morphy�s owner and CEO, Dan Morphy. �Consignments will be accepted up to three weeks before any given sale, and because of the quick turnaround, consignor payments will be issued very promptly. The efficiency of this system will help dealers with their cash flow and encourage them to continue consigning.�

While there will not be a hard-cover catalog for the Discovery sales, Morphy�s will produce a full-color, illustrated, loosely-bound catalog. The sales will be promoted, advertised and marketed in exactly the same fashion as Morphy�s major auctions, with an extended preview period in the run-up to each event.

Dan Morphy said he believes the new sales will develop a regular following because of the potential they hold for treasure-hunters. �That�s why we�re calling them Discovery auctions,� he said, noting that the south-central Pennsylvania region is �rich with houses and estates that harbor antiques and other goods dating back to the earliest European settlement of the Commonwealth. There are exciting finds every day of the week in this part of Pennsylvania. We foresee tremendous potential for these sales, which, in time, could be stepped up to become twice-a-month or even weekly events.�

Also this year, Morphy�s will be launching three new series of specialty auctions operating very similarly to the company�s major auctions. Each of the specialty sales, which will accommodate live and Internet bidding, will specifically focus on one of three categories: antique and vintage firearms; antique and collectible dolls; and antique and vintage toy trains. The monthly sales will follow a consecutive agenda so that each of the three categories is represented with one sale per quarter.

The categories for the new specialty sales were selected because of the high level of buyer interest and the abundance of merchandise consistently available to Morphy�s. �These sales will feature high-quality items for a targeted audience,� Dan Morphy said. �Our major cataloged sales have become so large that we had to find another way to serve the many consignors who want to sell through Morphy�s.� Dan Morphy Auctions� new Specialty Auction Series is expected to begin with a mid-year toy train sale.

For additional information on any Morphy Auctions event, call 717-335-3435 or e-mail dan@morphyauctions.com <mailto:dan@morphyauctions.com> . Visit Morphy�s online at www.morphyauctions.com <http://www.morphyauctions.com> .

A Museum To Be Built In Maynard Dixon's Honor
The Thunderbird Foundation for the Arts has recently announced plans to build a museum overlooking the Maynard Dixon summer home, studio and bunkhouse in Mt. Carmel, Utah. The Maynard Dixon Museum will honor the art and legacy of Maynard Dixon, and will include special areas of focus on the artwork of Dixon's third wife, Edith Hamlin and noted American watercolorist Milford Zornes. Careful architectural plans ensure the property's historical substance and natural landscape of the region will not be overshadowed. Also, as part of the Utah Historic Highway 89 Alliance, the new Museum will add cultural significance to the Southern Utah region and the greater American Southwest, providing an artistic viewpoint for area visitors.

The Maynard Dixon Property History

In 1938, Maynard Dixon and his wife, Edith Hamlin, left San Francisco for the Southwest, an area they both loved and explored many times. In 1939, they built a log home along Utah's Highway 89 in the small Mormon community of Mt. Carmel, near Zion National Park. Attracted by the oasis of cottonwood trees, streams, magnificent vitas, colorful sandstone cliffs, and the area's celebrated cloud formations, they established their summer haven away from the Tucson heat May through October. Inspired by the area's landscape, the Dixons shared their lovely summer retreat with many artists and friends.

Maynard Dixon died in the Fall of 1946 at their home in Tucson, Arizona. At his request, Edith Hamlin took Maynard's ashes to Utah and buried them beneath a boulder on the hillside behind their home overlooking the mountains of Mt. Carmel. A bronze memorial engraved with his famous Thunderbird symbol marks the area where his ashes were buried. In 1947, Hamlin completed the construction of the studio, which had been planned prior to Maynard's death.

Edith Hamlin sold the property to the American watercolorist, Milford Zornes and his wife, Patricia in 1963. The two carried on the Dixons' artistic tradition through many studio workshops and artist retreats. In 1998, Zornes sold the entire property to Paul and Susan Bingham, who were longtime friends and agents of Edith Hamlin during their 25 years as California art dealers, specializing in Dixon's work. The Binghams, helped by local workers and contractors, carefully restored the land and buildings.

The Binghams recently donated an appropriate parcel of land overlooking the Dixon complex to the Thunderbird Foundation for the construction of the Maynard Dixon Museum.

Gifts to the Museum
The Thunderbird Foundation, a 501(c)3 non-profit organization, is providing several opportunities to participate in the construction of the Maynard Dixon Museum. Gifts to The Foundation may be made in cash, securities, art, real estate, and other forms of personal property. Naming and memorial giving opportunities are available as well. Gifts may be made either unrestricted or directed specifically to the needs of the Museum or goals of the donor. Additionally, deferred giving options are available which may provide significant income and tax benefits to the donor(s).

Options for Giving: Donors may underwrite exhibitions, name public spaces and/or exhibition galleries (see below), contribute to the endowment, endow staff positions, sponsor openings, underwrite and support educational programming or sponsor special events. For a list of upcoming events that need funding, or to make a donation, please contact Denise Begu�, Director, Thunderbird Foundation for the Arts. You may also make a donation online by clicking here.

(Shown below: Architect Bob Kaczowka's concept model of the Maynard Dixon Museum to be built on the Dixon property grounds in Mt. Carmel, Utah.)

Roger King Gallery Features Masterwork by Frederic Edwin Church: The Ruins at Sunium

The Roger King Gallery in Newport has recently acquired a major painting by Frederic Church, one of the most renowned painters of the Hudson River School. Church�s most famous works are extravagantly large scenes of exotic landscapes and natural wonders known for their impeccable attention to detail, masterful composition, and deft treatment of light. The Ruins at Sunium, Greece is one of the most important Church paintings in private ownership to become available. Its arrival in Newport coincides with the gallery's landscape exhibit "Landscapes Near and Far" which has been extended through April. (The Church joins Wilderness Idyll by another master of American landscape painting, Robert S. Duncanson, who painted primarily in the West. The Duncanson was part of a family collection which had not been publicly exhibited before coming to the gallery earlier this year. The presence of both paintings together is a rare opportunity to see important works by the two artists outside a museum.)

The artistically precocious Frederic Edwin Church (1826-1900) was born in Hartford, Connecticut to an affluent family. He showed artistic talent at an early age and became the only student ever accepted by Thomas Cole, the founder of the Hudson River School. Church proved to have an extraordinary talent for draftsmanship and as a colorist. After studying at Cole's studio in the Catskills, Church moved to New York, where he became one of the youngest artists to be elected to the National Academy of Design. He painted large-scale scenes in New York and the Northeast until 1853, when he traveled from Colombia to Ecuador. He followed the route taken by the naturalist-explorer Alexander Humboldt in 1802, and the influence of Humboldt�s writings and those of art theorist John Ruskin are evident in his work. Church abandoned the romanticism and allegory for which Cole was famous, embracing instead the study of natural sciences and a heightened sense of realism.

Upon his return from his South- and Central-American trips, Church's rise to popularity was meteoric. His landscapes from this period are filled with images of volcanoes, cataracts and other natural wonders. Within these vast and dramatic landscapes, Church gave meticulous attention to atmospheric and meteorological conditions and details of geology and botany. A contemporary art critic observed that in his "elaborate studies of vegetation...every local trait (is) carefully noted." In 1861 Church traveled to the Arctic to paint icebergs; subsequently he traveled to Jamaica and the tropics; and in 1867 he traveled to Europe, North Africa, and the Mediterranean. Enormous and breathtaking pictures like Niagara (now in the collection of the Corcoran Gallery) and Heart of the Andes (at the Metropolitan Museum) caused a sensation when they were first presented to the public.

Church was fascinated by ancient civilizations. His works often contain allusions to history, commenting metaphorically on the vicissitudes of humanity and nature in the relentless march of time. They embody realism and accuracy while simultaneously enveloping the whole in a sense of timelessness. In The Ruins of Sunium, the afterglow of a sunset highlights the remains of a classical colonnade, perched high on a promontory overlooking a pastoral valley. Church emphasizes the remains of a once-glorious civilization, underscoring both its majesty and its decline, by bathing it in the almost-lurid pink light of a waning sunset. The drama and poignancy of the scene is reinforced by the rapid disappearance of a luminescent sky as it fades away into the somber tones of rock and vegetation. In the foreground, a peasant with a water jug makes her way along an aqueduct remaining from an ancient empire.

Church was as astute about marketing his paintings as he was in painting them. Although he was highly acclaimed in artistic circles and a prominent member of the National Academy, he never exhibited any of his "Great Pictures," as he called his massive landscapes, at the National Academy, the standard outlet for artists of the day. Instead, he arranged separate showings at a private venue where patrons paid a fee to see his newest work. Immediately prior to this exhibit (which was timed to coincide with the annual exhibition of the National Academy), Church would hold a "mini-exhibit" of related plein-air studies and sketches in his own studio. Over the ensuing decades this approach became a formula adopted by other artists, leading to the growth of private galleries, dealers and art clubs to the detriment of the Academy's position in the forefront of the American art world.

In the 1870s Church collaborated with the architect Calvert Vaux to design a magnificent Moorish-influenced villa situated on a hilltop overlooking the Hudson River. The quasi-Persian fantasy that resulted was called Olana, and its design and decoration and the landscaping and cultivation of its acres of park-like grounds occupied much of Church's time and efforts for the rest of his life. He developed inflammatory rheumatism in his arm in 1877, which greatly curtailed his painting. He spent the remainder of his life at Olana and at his camp near Mount Katahdin, Maine.

�The Ruins at Sunium, Greece� is on view at Roger King Gallery of Fine Art, 21 Bowen�s Wharf, Newport beginning in April. For more information, contact the gallery at (401) 847-4359 or via email at paintings@rkingfinearts.com. The gallery is open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Happenings

Heritage's HA.com Passes 400,000 Registered Bidder-Members