COMPLIMENTARY COPY TM
The Most Widely Read Collector's Newspaper In The East VOL. 46, NO. 17 FRIDAY APRIL 24, 2015
Published Weekly By Joel Sater Publications www.antiquesandauctionnews.net
The Estate Of J. Jefferson And Anne Weiler Miller Pook & Pook Auction Will Be Held On April 25 ook & Pook, Inc. is honored to present the collection of Anne and J. Jefferson Miller II of Baltimore, Md., for auction on Saturday, April 25. The auction will start at 10 a.m. Jefferson Miller was a leading figure in the antiques community and a preeminent Americana scholar. His collection reflects his passion and dedication to the field.
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honed his collecting interests with what he described as “training in connoisseurship, history of style and decoration, understanding of materials, construction techniques, craftsmanship and, in short, an education in the material culture of 17th-19th century America.” He was hired by the Smithsonian Museum of History and Technology, now the Museum of
This carved and painted fish plaque of a pickerel, circa 1900, is inscribed verso “Pickerel Weight 4 lbs 14 oz Carved and Painted by James Crawford.”
Prior to working with decorative arts, Miller served as a radio carrier for the U.S. Army during World War II. After stints in France, Belgium, Luxembourg, and Germany, he was wounded in Cologne, earning a Purple Heart and the Bronze Star. Following the war, Miller received a Bachelor of Arts from John Hopkins University and a law degree from the University of Maryland. He practiced law at Frank, Bernstein, Conway & Goldman in Baltimore for seven years before serving as an assistant U.S. attorney. After a period as a successful attorney, Miller made an abrupt career shift and accepted an American decorative arts fellowship at the Winterthur Museum, where he This Pennsylvania sgrafitto redware charger, dated 1805 and initialed “AU” for potter Andrew Uhler, will be sold April 25.
The Jacob Maentel (1763-1863) watercolor full-length portrait depicts Catherine Carver Bishop (1803-1872).
American History, as a curator of ceramics and glass. Also highly involved in the decorative arts community, Anne Miller joined Jeff as a member of the American Folk Art Society, and the two played founding roles in the American Ceramics Circle. Jeff Miller also directed the Maryland Historical Society from 1984 to 1988 and served on committees at the Homewood House at Johns Hopkins, the Hampton National Historic Site in Towson, and the Maryland Council for the Humanities. This dedication translated into several decorative arts books, catalogs, and articles that are valuable references to students and collectors. In addition to being a historian, Jeff Miller was also an active conservationist. He enjoyed natural pursuits including catch-andrelease fly fishing in Idaho, Colorado, and M i c h i g a n . Sporting influences are evident in the collection, which includes many carved and painted fish decoys and plaques in addition to a plethora of other finely-curated A m e r i c a n
decorative arts. The estate auction will feature two Berks County, Pa., carved and painted Carolina parrots by ‘’Schtockschnitzler’’ Simmons. Early Pennsylvania arts of all mediums play a dominant role in the Miller collection, and a strong group of Liverpool Herculaneum Pottery pitchers at the end of the auction stand out amidst a largely American field. Jeff Miller’s ceramic experience also furnishes this sale with exceptional redware, including a North Carolina slip-decorated dish, circa 1830, attributed to Solomon Loy of Alamance County. A Pennsylvania sgrafitto charger by Andrew Uhler and Snow Hill Society bowl incite further interest in redware offerings that are notable for their quality and quantity. Though the Millers are best known as collectors of American ironwork, the majority of which currently resides in the Winterthur Museum, Pook & Pook, Inc.’s auction will demonstrate the couple’s affinity for carved and painted Americana, particularly early boxes. A Lancaster County, Pa., painted poplar dresser box by the skilled “Compass Artist” will cross the block, as will a Lancaster painted pine “Weber” dresser box with a pristine green surface. Highlights will also include a New England basswood dome-lid box decorated with large tulips on an ivory painted ground. American painting also shines through the Millers’ art collection, which features several striking watercolors and examples of Pennsylvania fraktur. Two Jacob Maentel portraits complement fraktur birth certificates by Abraham Heebner, Martin Brechall and two examples by the Rev. Henry Young. American landscapes have a strong presence within the collection as well, with several scenes of Niagara Falls, Mount Vernon, Harper’s Ferry, and the Hudson and Harlem Rivers. An oil-oncanvas still life attributed to renowned artist Severin Roesen adds further interest and has been estimated at $10,000 to $20,000. Coming directly from the home of Anne and J. Jefferson This “Schtocksnitzler” Simmons (Berks County, Pa., active 1885-1910) carved and painted Carolina parrot retains its original polychrome surface and turned base.
This is a Severin Roesen (1815-1872) oil-on-canvas still life.
Miller in Baltimore, the April 25 auction includes several pieces of fine American furniture. A folk art carved and painted hanging shelf, t h e
This is a Lancaster County, Pa., painted poplar “Compass Artist” box, decorated with blue and white pinwheel flowers on a salmon ground.
crest adorned with three highrelief carvings of an eagle flanked by the busts of two stags, will be sold. An 18thcentury New England Queen Anne tiger maple tavern table and a rare Boston bentwood side chair by Samuel Gragg are other strong examples, as is a L a n c a s t e r County painted pine dower chest. Painted by the “Embroidery Artist” and dated 1785, the chest is decorated with three tulip panels on a blue ground above two ivory drawers.
This estate auction is a rare opportunity for bidders to own quality pieces from a smartlycurated collection. Jeff Miller once wrote, “Some day there will be a large and interesting auction. I would like to look down on it in order to know if my taste and judgment w5ill be justified by the marketplace.” As he predicted, that day is here. Gallery preview for this large and interesting event is scheduled for Saturday, April 18, from noon to 5 p.m.; Wednesday, April 22, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.; Thursday, April 23, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.; and a preview reception from 4 to 6 p.m. on Friday, April 24. The hour prior to the sale from 9 to 10 a.m. is also available for preview purposes. Interested bidders can register to bid on w w w . B i d square.com or in person with Pook & Pook, Inc. through their phone, absentee, or in-house bidding options. For further information, call 610-269-4040 or email info@pookand pook.com. The Boston bentwood side chair by Samuel Gragg (1772-1855) retains its original ivory surface with brown pinstriping and is stamped on the underside “S. Gragg Boston.”