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FRIDAY OCTOBER 29, 2021 • VOL. 51, NO. 43
New Auction Record For Andrew Clemens Sand Bottle Rare Sand Bottle Shatters Estimate And Sells For $956,000 On Sept. 30, Hindman Auctions Hindman’s director of Americana.” realized over $2.1 million in its Of the more than 100 docuAmerican Furniture, Folk and mented Clemens bottles, this is the Decorative Arts Auction. The sale only known example exhibiting a set a new world auction record for portrait. An impressive bottle meaan Andrew Clemens sand bottle, suring 8 and 3/4 inches in height, which sold to a private collector the bottle dates from the late for $956,000. Offered with an esti- 1880s, and the subject is an almost mate of $100,000-$150,000, the photographic depiction of Orrin sand bottle received heated bid- “O.T.” Fuller (1859-1929) of Savanna, ding activity, with 64 bids being Ill., at the age of about 4 or 5 years placed over a 6-minute period old. The image has a photographic from $70,000 to the final sale price. The auction was the most successful American Furniture, Folk and Decorative Arts Sale for the company. With over 1,000 bidders participating and 39 states A paint decorated poplar blanket chest by represented, Jacob Werrey went for $34,375. intense bidding activity was seen throughout multiple sessions. quality that suggests Clemens used “We are delighted with the a carte de visite, a photo popular in results of the sale,” said Wes the 1860s, as the model. Similar to Cowan, vice chair of Hindman and many of Clemens’ works, “The Boy founder of Cowan’s Auctions. “The in the Bottle” has remained in the sale was a true testament to the Fuller family since it was made, but expanded reach of Hindman’s the reason for its purchase is American Furniture, Folk and unknown. Most Clemens bottles Decorative Arts Department. were commissioned as gifts, and There are excellent collections in this is the most plausible the Midwest, and the remarkable explanation for this example. bidding engagement from across Though the family has no the country illustrated how this direct knowledge for why it was category has developed under the made, O.T.’s older sister, Angeline leadership of Ben Fisher, Fuller Fischer (1841-1925), likely
commissioned “The Boy in the Bottle” as a parting gift for O.T. Due to Angie’s profile within the national deaf community, it is inconceivable that she would not have known of Andrew Clemens, “the deaf-mute” sand artist from McGregor, Iowa. When “The Boy in the Bottle” was made, Clemens’ fame had spread up and down the Mississippi River and beyond, carried by local newspaper stories and visitors to McGregor. By the 1880s, Clemens had honed a technique enough to advertise prices for his work, and his bottles would have been recognized throughout the upper Mississippi Valley. Other standout works also This important Andrew Clemens included a two-foot carved marble portrait sand bottle realized bust of Benjamin Franklin, possibly $956,000. by Giuseppe Ceracchi (1751-1801), modeled after the original by Jean-Jacques Caffieri (172592), which tripled its presale estimate to realize $53,125. Cerrachi came to Philadelphia in the late 18th century and was known for having executed busts of other important American figures, including George The portrait “Three Young Girls with Badminton,” done Washington Continued on in the manner of Susan Catherine Moore Waters page 6 (American, 1823-1900), sold for $11,875.
Phillips To Offer Rare Painting By Georgia O’Keeffe “Crab’s Claw Ginger Hawaii” To Be Featured In Nov. 17 Auction Phillips is pleased to announce the first highlight of the New York Evening Sale of 20th Century and Contemporary Art, Georgia O’Keeffe’s “Crab’s Claw Ginger Hawaii,” a seminal work from her Hawaii series with exceptional provenance. The sale on Wednesday, Nov. 17, marks the first time the painting is coming to Georgia O’Keeffe’s “Crab’s Claw Ginger auction, having first been Hawaii,” 1939, is estimated at $4 to 6 million. owned by the Dole
Pineapple Company for 40 years before being acquired by Thurston Twigg-Smith in 1987, a fifth-generation Hawaiian known for his philanthropy and contributions to the arts. “Crab’s Claw Ginger Hawaii” is the most significant of O’Keeffe’s Hawaii pictures to appear at auction in three decades. “Georgia O’Keeffe’s experience in Hawaii inspired some of the most fascinating and visually striking works in her oeuvre. Of the approximately 20 paintings O’Keeffe created during her time in Hawaii, 14 are in
museum collections. We are thrilled to offer ‘Crab’s Claw Ginger Hawaii,’ presenting collectors with the rare opportunity to acquire an important work by this iconic artist. With a storied provenance and a remarkable place in the art historical canon, we look forward to seeing strong international interest in this extraordinary painting,” said Elizabeth Goldberg, senior international specialist, American art and deputy chairwoman, Americas. To learn more, visit www.phillips.com.
New Exhibition Of Works On Paper At Palmer Museum Takes Viewers On A Journey Across The Globe “Place To Place: Recent Gifts Of American Drawings And Watercolors, 1900–1950” On View Now For those who have been staying in one place throughout the last year and a half, the Palmer Museum of Art has an antidote for your wanderlust: the current special exhibition, “Place to Place: Recent Gifts of American Drawings and Watercolors, 1900–1950.” This exhibition of works on paper by American artists presents a wide array of geographical locales depicted with a dynamic range of mediums and artistic approaches, offering a jaunt around the United States and abroad during the first half of the 20th century. The exhibition is on view at the Palmer now through Dec. 12. Organized by the Palmer Museum and curated by Adam Thomas, curator of American art, Continued on page 7
Colin Campbell Cooper’s (American, 1856–1937) “The Grand Place, Antwerp,” is from 1908, a watercolor and gouache-onpaper, 36-by-29 inches, and was a gift of Susan Sherlock, 2020.31.
In This Issue SHOPS, SHOWS & MARKETS . . . . . . . . . starting on page 2 SHOPS DIRECTORY . . . . . . . . . on page 3 EVENT & AUCTION CALENDAR . on page 4 AUCTION SALE BILLS . . starting on page 5 AUCTIONEER DIRECTORY . . . . on page 5
FEATURED AUCTION: Heritage Auctions’ November 5 American Art Sale - Page 2
CLASSIFIEDS . . . . . . . . . . . . .on page 7