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Embassy To Sell E. W. Pulaski’s “The Hobo Village” Circa 1920s Folk Art To Be Centerpiece Of Jan. 10 Auction FRIDAY DECEMBER 28, 2018 • VOL. 49, NO. 52
Storied Provenance Drives Millea Bros. Select Auction Diego Giacometti Bronze Sculpture Sells For $81,250 Realtors like to say it’s all about location, location, location. For Millea Bros., its Nov 15, 16, and 17 Select Auction was all about provenance, provenance, provenance. Renowned art dealer, collector, and philanthropist Eugene Thaw died at age 90 in January, leaving behind a large estate that was auctioned at both Christie’s and Millea Bros. His wife, Clare, had died in 2017. The treasure trove sold at the three-day November sale evinces Thaw’s keen eye and included fine antiques, American folk art, European art spanning antiquities to Impressionism, Victorian-era architectural models, and postImpressionist and modern art. Another well-known figure in the art world was gallerist Ileana Sonnabend, whose art photography collection passed down to her daughter, Nina Castelli Sundell, a curator and scholar until her death in 2014. At Millea Bros. in May, an initial offering of photography from Sonnabend’s collection performed well and soared above estimate. The modern fine art photography in this November “Select” sale, especially a group of David Hockney photographs, also outperformed expectation. In recent
E. W. Pulaski of Phoenixville, Pa., created the large folk art wooden carved and paint-decorated “Hobo Village” sometime in the 1920s.
This finely detailed example of early 20th-century folk art was a fixture in the Pulaski home since it was created. A descendant of European carvers, Pulaski carved primarily in his later years. Following his passing, the family has decided to sell this unusual item through Embassy Auctions International in Kinzers, Pa., on Thursday, Jan. 10. Measuring 36.5 inches long, 24 inches wide, and 13 inches tall, the lot will
2018 Frauds, Fakes And Felonies on page 3
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The top lot of the auction was this Diego Giacometti cast bronze,“Chat maitre-d’hotel,” circa 1967, in a pleasing reddish-brown patina, that earned $81,250. The bronze and many of the sale’s other top lots came from the collection of Eugene V. and Clare E. Thaw.
Another painting from the Thaw estate was this circa 1862 oil-on-canvas painting attributed to Honore Daumier, “Third Class Carriage,” that sold for $68,750.
Among surprises in the sale was this Chinese gold and silver inlaid bronze Hu vase, Qing dynasty, 11.75 inches tall, that came from the Seema Boesky collection. It surpassed its $600-$800 estimate to realize $28,750.
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years, Millea Bros. has been selling items from the estate of the late Americana collector Charles E. Sigety, ranging from examples of Norman Rockwell to important historic documents. Several choice artworks Sigety collected, from bronzes and paintings, found new buyers in this sale. Modern art was on offer from the New York City estate of Dr. Pentti Kouri (1949-2009), a Finnish economist and venture capitalist with business partner George Soros. He built his prestigious art collection with the goal of opening Continued on page 2
“Tolkien: Maker Of Middle-Earth” Creative Exhibition Slated For The Morgan Library & Museum “In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit.” With these words the Oxford professor J.R.R. Tolkien ignited a fervid spark in generations of readers. From the children’s classic “The Hobbit” to the epic “The Lord of the Rings,” Tolkien’s adventurous tales of hobbits and elves, dwarves and wizards have introduced millions to the rich history of Middle-Earth. Going beyond literature, “Tolkien’s MiddleEarth” is a world complete with its own languages and histories. “Tolkien: Maker of Middle-Earth celebrates the man and his creation. The exhibition will be the most extensive public display of original Tolkien material for several generations. Drawn from the collections of the Tolkien Archive at the Bodleian Library (Oxford), Marquette University Libraries (Milwaukee, Wis.), the Morgan, and private lenders, the exhibition will include family photographs and memorabilia, Tolkien’s original illustrations, maps, draft manuscripts, and designs related to “The Hobbit,” “The Lord of the Rings,” and “The Silmarillion.” “Tolkien: Maker of Middle-Earth” is organized by the Morgan Library & Museum in collaboration with the Bodleian Libraries, University of Oxford, and with the support of the Tolkien Estate, the Tolkien Trust, and members of the Tolkien family. It will run at the Morgan from Jan. 25 to May 12, 2019. The exhibition is made possible through the generosity of Fay and
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Kimberly Douglass Sells Reed Estate Of Boyertown, Pa. on page 8
J. R. R. Tolkien’s (1892-1973) dust jacket design for “The Hobbit,” April 1937, is in pencil, black ink, watercolor, and goache, and from the Bodleian Libraries, MS.,Tolkien Drawings 32. Image courtesy of the Tolkien Estate Limited 1937. Geoffrey Elliott. TOLKIEN is a registered trademark of the Tolkien Estate Limited.
The Morgan Library & Museum is located at 225 Madison Ave. at East 36th Street in New York City’s Murray Hill neighborhood. What began as financier Pierpont Morgan’s library, the organization now encompases a campus complex of buildings. Morgan (1837-1913) was one of the nation’s preeminent collectors and cultural benefactors. To learn more, call 212-685-0008 or visit www.themorgan.org.
Casablanca Insert Boosts Heritage Auctions’ Movie Posters Auction Beyond $1.6 Million on page 10
In This Issue SHOPS, SHOWS & MARKETS . . . . . . . . . . starting on page 3 SHOPS DIRECTORY . . . . . . . . . on page 5 EVENT & AUCTION CALENDAR . on page 6 AUCTION SALE BILLS . . . starting on page 6
FEATURED AUCTION: Bodnar’s Auction - January 5 in Edison, New Jersey - Page 2
AUCTIONEER DIRECTORY . . . . . on page 7 CLASSIFIEDS . . . . . . . . . . . . . on page 11