COMPLIMENTARY COPY
Canova’s George Washington Exhibition Addresses Canova’s Only Work For United States
FRIDAY JUNE 1, 2018 • VOL. 49, NO. 22
Bodnar’s Auction Conducts Four Sales In One Day Catalog Sale Went Till Midnight Joe Bodnar, head auctioneer and owner of Bodnar’s Auction, held a combined online, catalog, and live, in-house sale of a single estate collection containing over 2,000 items on April 14 in Edison, N.J. The sale stretched from 11 a.m. to approximately midnight. It included four separate auction rings all taking place simultaneously, one of which A miniature portrait of Capt. Sir John Johnson Bart (1820) had both online and in- sold for $1,840. house bidding. The auction brought in over 350 in-house bidders and 1,200 online registered bidders. The four sales consisted of a toy sale, also with a large collection of comic books; a sale dedicated to vintage clothing, linens and jewelry; and two separate higher end sales— one of which contained art, crystal, china, and figurines, and the other contained hundreds of miniature portraits, commemorative coronation pieces, coins, medallions, signatures, documents, and other items. The comic book collection came from a single owner estate in Philadelphia, whose owner had been collecting for 20 years. It was This miniature portrait of an unidentified special because it contained many woman (1810) realized $1,265. sought-after comics and some complete runs. The collection sold for over $20,000 and included the following: a Hulk #181 sold for $3,910; a Hulk #181 (poor condition), $891; Spiderman #129, $805; X-Men #1 Giant, $632; Ironman #55, $517; and an X-Men #94, $345. The collection of miniature portraits also came from a single owner. When the man’s collection started taking over their house, his wife pushed for him to start selling. So, 30 years ago, he began doing Stella Shows. “It’s rare to come across such a large collection of miniature portraits. I’ve seen a few The miniature portrait of Thomas Harvey here and there in estates I’ve (1790) realized $1,063.
The miniature portrait by Alexander Gallaway (1798) sold for $1,006.
picked up, but never the large quantity that I received in this estate. It’s also a unique collection because about three-quarters of the items included information on the artist, subject, and time periods,” said Joe Bodnar. The collector passed away, and his wife consigned everything to Bodnar’s. Some highlights from the catalog sale of miniatures included a miniature portrait of Capt. Sir John Johnson Bart (1820), which sold for $1,840; a miniature portrait of an unidentified woman (1810), $1,265; a miniature portrait of Thomas Harvey (1790), $1,063; a portrait by Alexander Gallaway (1798), $1,006; Continued on page 2
In 1816, the General Assembly of North Carolina commissioned a full-length statue of George Washington to stand in the rotunda of the State Capitol in Raleigh. Thomas Jefferson, believing that no American sculptor was up to the task, recommended Antonio Canova (1757-1822), then one of Europe’s most celebrated artists. The first and only work Canova created for the United States, the statue depicted the nation’s first president in ancient Roman garb, all’antica armor, per Jefferson’s urging, drafting his farewell address to the states. It was unveiled to great acclaim in 1821. Tragically, a decade later, a fire swept through the State Capitol, reducing the statue to a few charred fragments. Until Sunday, Sept. 23, The Frick Collection presents “Canova’s George Washington,” an exhibition that examines the history of the artist’s lost masterpiece. The show brings together for the first time all of the objects connected to the creation of the sculpture, including a remarkable life-sized modello that has never before left Italy, and tells the extraordinary transatlantic story of this monumental work. The life-size modello, pictured,
AAN Current News Antonio Canova’s “Modello for George Washington” (detail), 1818, plaster, 66 9/16-by-39 3/8-by-54.75 inches, is from the Gypsotheca e Museo Antonio Canova, Possagno, Fondazione Canova onlus, Possagno. Photo courtesy of Fabio Zonta.
Happy Vendors And Crowds Open Scott Antique Markets Season on page 2
provides the closest idea of what the destroyed marble would have looked like. It is shown in the Frick’s Oval Room, alone, to replicate the effect it would have had in the rotunda of North Carolina’s State Continued on page 7
Alderfer Auction To Sell 18 Antique And Collector Automobiles On June 5
National Autumn Leaf Collectors Club To Hold 40th Annual Convention on page 2
1928 Pennsburg, Pa., Fire Truck Among Expected Highlights
Ros-Al To Present Antiques In The Park on page 2
On Tuesday, June 5, Alderfer Auction of Hatfield, Pa., will sell 18 desirable antique and collector automobiles, including a 1928 fire truck. American classic cars, muscle cars, and late model classics appeal to specialty dealers and collectors locally and abroad. Premium classic vehicles in the sale will include a 1935 Ford Phaeton convertible sedan, a 1940 Ford Deluxe convertible, a 1946 Ford Super Deluxe convertible, a 1947 Ford Coupe Businessman’s Special, a 1955 Ford Fairlane Crown Victoria coupe, and a 1957 Ford
Thunderbird. Other vehicles will be a 1959 Nash Metropolitan convertible, a 1967 250 SL dark green Mercedes convertible (hard top), a 1972 Mustang convertible, and a 1984 Alpha Romeo Spider 2.0. The 1928 American-LaFrance Fire/Ladder Type 94 City Service truck was originally owned and operated by the Pennsburg, Pa., Fire Department. It was sold to a private buyer in 1989 and barn-stored until now. The truck has multiple size ladders, but the most unique feature is its “Browder Company” Continued on page 4
Shenandoah Valley Pottery: New Discoveries And Demonstrations on page 10
In This Issue SHOPS, SHOWS & MARKETS . . . . . . . . . . starting on page 3 SHOPS DIRECTORY . . . . . . . . . on page 6 EVENT & AUCTION CALENDAR . on page 7 AUCTION SALE BILLS . . . starting on page 7
FEATURED AUCTION RESULTS: Pook & Pook - April 28 in Downingtown, Pennsylvania - Page 12
AUCTIONEER DIRECTORY . . . . . on page 8 CLASSIFIEDS . . . . . . . . . . . . . on page 15