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The Most Widely Read Collector's Newspaper In The East Published Weekly By Joel Sater Publications www.antiquesandauctionnews.net
VOL. 44, NO. 38 FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 20, 2013
A Profile In Pennsylvania German Studies:
Dr. Robert Kline By Karl Pass
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r. Robert (Bob) Kline and his wife, Ann, have been interested in Pennsylvania German culture and decorative arts for the major part of their lives. A retired medical doctor, Bob practiced in Lebanon, Pa., prior to the couple’s move to the country outside of Schaefferstown, Pa. Bob was raised in Schaefferstown and learned the Pennsylvania German dialect early in his upbringing. “My mother sparked my interest in Pennsylvania German cul-
Here is a large wooden bowl with highly detailed interior relief carving of a spread-wing eagle by the late Carl Snavely. The Klines have one of the largest collections of Snavely’s work.
ture,” said Kline. In 1956, Bob joined the Pennsylvania German Society, where he served on the board from 1959 to 2010 and worked in many capacities throughout his tenure. One of Bob’s main collecting and scholarly passions is fraktur, the illumi-
nated manuscripts most often associated with Pennsylvania Germans, which include personal documents such as birth and baptismal certificates. In his early days of collecting, “people were coming into town and buying the colorful documents at farm sales for $25 to $30 each at a time when the average salary was $1/day,” noted Kline. “I think things really got started after the Sussel sale,” noted Kline, in reference to the rising marketplace for fraktur among folk art collectors. Arthur J. Sussel was a well-known antiques dealer in Philadelphia. His collection, which included important examples of fraktur, was sold in 1958 at Parke-Bernet Galleries (now Sotheby’s) in New York City. Numerous record prices were achieved, and the sale is still considered one of the high watermark moments for the fraktur market. A trip in 1962 to the Free Library of Philadelphia to meet Howell Heaney also fueled his interest in the subject of fraktur. At the Free Library, Kline photographed much of the collection. In 1976, Heaney, along with Pastor Fred Weiser, compiled a two-volume publication with images and translations of over 1,000 fraktur in the Free Library’s collection. Bob was instrumental in identifying fraktur artist
ing, some of which is inspired by and an interpretation of the work of legendary 19th-century folk carver Wilhelm Schimmel. The sisters also do scherenschnitte (scissor cuttings). The couple also collect the folk carvings of Carl Snavely (1915-1983). Snavely and his wife, Florence, were from Lititz, Pa. He was an antiques dealer and carved birds and other animals in his spare time. “I once traded a piece of spatter (china) to Carl for an eagle he carved,” said Kline. Snavely worked with just a pocket knife and was known for exceptional detail and Dr. Robert (Bob) Kline is an avid scholar and collector of folky stylistic carvings. Pennsylvania German folk art. He is shown here with four The Klines’ interest in “four seasons” paintings by the late painter/antiques dealer Pennsylvania German culHattie Brunner. Kline bought the paintings from Brunner in the early 1970s. “We used to speak the dialect (Pennsylvania German) together,” said Kline. The paintings were archivally framed in paint-decorated frames that were made by the author’s parents in the 1970s.
Arnold Hoevelmann, and he published his findings in a 1970 issue of the Pennsylvania German Society’s “Der Reggeboge” in a co-authored article with Pastor Weiser. Hoevelmann (1749-1804) emigrated from Prussia to Pennsylvania and worked in both the Annville (Lebanon County) and Shiremanstown (Cumberland County) areas in the late 18th century. August Baumann is another fraktur artist in whom Bob has had a scholarly interest. Working rough-
ture extends to open hearth cooking, baking, and gardening. They have propagated 500 saffron bulbs and are currently in the process of thinning and replanting them. Saffron is an ancient spice popular among the Pennsylvania Germans and it comes from the saffron crocus flower. The red stigmas, once dried, are used as a seasoning agent in dishes such as chicken pot pie. Whether through publishing articles, giving lectures, or sharing their vast intellectual memory of all things pertaining to Pennsylvania German life and culture with friends and family, the Klines continue to remain close to the subject that is a part of their heritage.
ly 100 years later than Hoevelmann, this calligrapher/scrivener worked in Lehigh and Montgomery counties. Baumann is known for his realistic drawings and highly artistic penmanship done in red ink. The Klines also have a collecting interest in contemporary Pennsylvania German folk art. The couple has one of the largest holdings of folk carvings by the Dierwechter sisters, local craftswomen from This fraktur by Arnold Hoevelmann in the Kline collection Schaefferstown. The three was published in Bob’s article in the 1970 issue of the sisters do an array of carv- Pennsylvania German Society’s “Der Reggeboge.”
Guyette, Schmidt & Deeter And Zeb Barfield Inc. To Auction Contents Of Chincoteague Refuge Museum uyette, Schmidt & Deeter, a decoy auction firm based in St. Michaels, Md., will sell the contents of the Chincoteague Refuge Museum on Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 21 and 22. With over 3,000 decoys, paintings, nautical items, and guns, among other items, this will be one of the largest decoy and nautical auctions to ever take place east of the Mississippi River. The sale will be held in collaboration with Zeb Barfield Inc. and will be held on Chincoteague Island, Va. Limited phone and absentee bidding will be available. Select items will be available for online bidding through Artfact.com. Group of 10 North Carolina Gary Guyette will be on-site, giving battery ducks free decoy appraisals and taking consignments for future decoy sales. For more information, contact Guyette, Schmidt & Deeter at 410-745-0485 or Zeb Barfield Inc. at 757Morgenroth in Gernrode double-barrel 12-gauge shotgun 894-2626.
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Full-size swan by Oliver Lawson
Shooting stool model blackduck, Ward Brothers, Crisfield, Md.
Horse-drawn hunting carriage
Reproduction of a Nathan Cobb swimming Canada goose