June 29, 2004

CEDAR FALLS, IA.- What is only nine inches in height, made of painted plaster, about 70 years old and worth $33,000.00? If you guessed a cast plaster statue by African American artist Augusta Savage (1892 -1962) you guessed right. That was just one of the many interesting items to cross the block at Jackson’s International Auction of American & European Fine Art and Antiques on June 19th and 20th, 2004.

Augusta Fells Savage spent a lifetime facing one adversity after another while at the same time giving selflessly to the African American art community. One of 14 children, Augusta Savage was born in the brick-making town of Cove Springs, Florida where she began sculpting animals out of the indigenous moist red clay. Her skills eventually gained enthusiastic patrons who arranged for her to study in New York at the Cooper Union in 1921. Soon after arriving she was selected to attend a summer program at the Fontainebleau outside Paris, but was rejected by French authorities due to her race. Undeterred, she continued to produce works and eight years later was finally awarded a scholarship to study in Paris (1929-1931). Upon her return to depression-laden America, Augusta established the Savage Studio of Arts and Crafts in Harlem. This was later absorbed by the WPA-funded Harlem Community Art Center, of which she became the first director. Savage produced a large and important work titled “Lift Every Voice and Sing” for the 1939 Worlds Fair, but produced little thereafter. Sadly a great deal of the works produced by Savage are unknown or have not survived. Most all of her works were simply produced in plaster because she could rarely afford to have them cast in bronze. Subsequently many works are thought to have simply succumbed to the fragility of plaster experienced over the ensuing decades. Estimated at $13-$17,000, the 9-inch plaster cast titled Gamin, saw wide interest with bidding opening at $14,000. Five phone bidders and three in-house bidders quickly pushed the bidding up to the final price of $33,350.00 (including 15% premium), selling to a New York buyer.

Session one of the auction opened with American paintings beginning with a 32-inch by 38-inch oil on canvas landscape dated 1923 by Iowa artist Marvin Cone (1893-1961). The painting rapidly reached its final selling price of $103,000.00 (including 15% premium) going to a California collector.  That was followed by a Mexican School painting depicting the Marriage of Joseph and Mary and dated to around 1750. Although unframed, the 116-inch by 70-inch oil on canvas was sold to an east coast institution for $20,700.00 against an estimate of $6-$9,000. A 60-inch by 40-inch oil on canvas of a Bellowing Elk by American artist John Fery (1859-1934) sold to a buyer from Montana for $8,280.00. A 32-inch by 26-inch oil on canvas by American illustration artist Charles Bosseron Chambers (1882-1964) depicting the Nativity, sold to a Florida museum for $6,900.00, thereby setting a new auction record for the artist. Although his works rarely come on the market, Chambers is most widely known for his highly reproduced image titled The Light of the World which depicts the infant Christ and is, according to some estimates, the most widely reproduced religious print of the 20th century. A few other American works worthy of note include a desert landscape by American artist Paul Grimm. The 30-inch by 24-inch painting, typical of Grimm’s work finished at an unusually high $5,060.00 and a 21-inch by 17-inch inch oil by A. M. Podchernikov (1886-1933) depicting a beach scene sold for $3,680.00.

European paintings sold next and saw a world record established by the top seller from that category. Lot number 42, an oil on canvas by British artist Robert W. Wright (d. 1906) titled The Village Green which depicted a group of children playing was estimated at $20-$35,000.  The painting opened at the low estimate and slowly wound its way upward by $1,000 increments to a final price of $81,650.00. The previous high auction record for the artist was based on a similar painting, which sold for $22,000 at Christies London in June of 2002. Other highlights include an 18-inch by 21-inch Paris street scene by Edouard Cortes (French 1882-1969). It sold for $64,400.00 to a British buyer no doubt taking advantage of the strong British pound against the weaker U.S. dollar. Another Cortes followed, although smaller (13 inches by 18 inches) and sold for $33,350.00 also going to the U.K. An in house buyer from Chicago paid $13,800.00 for a nude by French artist Louis DeVedeux (1820-1874) and an 18-inch by 13-inch Paris street scene by French artist Antoine Blanchard sold for $8,050.00. A lovely Venetian scene oil on canvas by German artist Carl Wilhelm Muller (1839-1904) sold for $4,887.00. A quaint 12-inch by 17-inch Orientalist gouache by French artist Paul Pascal (1832-1903) finished at $2,760 against an estimate of $750-$1,000 and an 18th century Raphael copy of the Holy Family sold for $3,450.00.

While threats of a Russian military invasion have long since melted away with the decades-old collapse of Communist Russia, it would appear that the Russian economy for some is definitely on the upswing and invading the U.S. markets as witnessed by the strong participation by Moscow phone bidders on Russian icons. While there were about 40 icons offered on the sale, the following four specimens all sold to buyers bidding by phone from Moscow. Lot #92, a late 16th century icon of the Apostle St. John and his scribe Prokhours, measuring 15 by 23 inches, sold for $16,100.00. A 13-inch by 15-inch Russian icon of the Eucharist, sold for $13,800.00. A 10-inch by 12-inch late 16th century icon of the Resurrection sold for $10,350.00. And a 10-inch by 12-inch icon of the John the Forerunner (Baptist) sold for $8,625.00.

A good variety of sculptures in a variety of different mediums were offered including a 17-inch gilt-bronze figural vase by Karl Korschann (Czech b.1872) that sold for $5,750.00. An 8-inch by 16-inch P.J. Mene dog grouping made $4,600.00. A figure of a Banana Seller by Italian sculptor Alfredo Pina (1883-1966) sold for $2,875.00. A 20th century carved marble bust of Caesar sold for $2,530.00. Lalla Roukh, a bronze bust by French artist Emmanuel Villanis (1858-1914) sold to a Maryland collector for $2,760.00. A Pattarino ceramic sculpted figure of the Madonna and Child sold to a collector from Texas for $3,795.00.  A polychrome plaster cast titled The Scout after American artist Cyrus Edwin Dallin sold for $2,185.00 and an 18th century carved wood corpus sold to a Canadian bidder for $2,300.00.

Session one concluded with an assortment of European and Ecclesiastical items consigned by an upstate New York religious order and attracted a good amount of bidding. A few highlights include: a 1920’s silver gilt Spanish monstrance that sold to a Midwest church for $9,430.00, a 20th century mosaic in the Byzantine style depicting the Virgin and Child sold for $2,990.00, a gilded bronze hanging sanctuary lamp sold for $1,955.00, a carved wood and painted porcelain triptych sold for $2,530.00 and a Chicago buyer paid $2,300 for a sterling and gem set chalice.

The second session of the auction opened with a small offering of mostly late 19th and 20th century silver items and decorative arts including a demure late 19th century Tiffany tea service that sold for $7,475.00. A small three-inch Faberge cigarette case in guilloche enamel sold for $7,245.00.  A 100-piece set of Reed and Barton sterling flatware in Francis I (circa 1960) sold for $2,530.00 and a sterling French chalice sold for $1,725.00. A gilt bronze mounted glass horn-shape toasting cup sold for $2,530.00 against an estimate of $8-$1,200. A cute spelterware figural inkstand with girl and dog sold to a Texas buyer for $750.00. A late 19th century Viennese style enameled and bronze ink stand sold to a Georgia collector for $690.00. A pair of French bronze candelabra sold for $1,380.00 and a single French gilt bronze figural candle stand missing its mate sold to a Kansas City buyer for $977.00.

Porcelain and glassware followed with a 40-inch cobalt and gilt decorated Sevres style urn (circa 1900) selling to a New York buyer for $10,120.00. A group of four small pieces of matching bronze mounted Sevres style items including a pen and ink stand, two compotes and a pair of candelabra sold to a California buyer for $9,430.00. A 35-inch Royal Vienna bolted urn in red and gilt sold for $3,910.00. A Pennsylvania buyer paid $2,990.00 for a Royal Bonn tapestry and gilt-bronze mounted console set. A small 5-inch by 7 inch oval KPM painted plaque of a woman sold for $2,300.00. A Meissen floral decorated basket sold for $1,725.00 and a 19th century English Mochaware pitcher measuring 8 inches in height and with damage sold to a buyer from Pennsylvania for $1,725.00.

A variety of European and American art glass followed porcelain including an 11-inch Gallé mold blown vase decorated with cherries that sold to an in house bidder for $9,487.00. A fairly standard Tiffany Favrile floriform vase measuring 13 inches sold to a New York buyer for $7,130.00. Although only 13 inches in height, a blue Le Verre Francais boudoir lamp sold for $4,370.00. An 11-inch Daum Nancy enameled winter scene vase sold to an in-house bidder for $4,255.00. A group of six diminutive Moser enameled pieces sold to a Denver, Colorado buyer for $3,508.00 and a New York buyer paid $3,450.00 for a 12-inch Loetz iridescent glass vase. An unsigned 8-inch English cameo glass vase sold for $2,070.00. A Wavecrest box with floral decoration sold for $2,415.00 and a blue and orange Le Verre Francais vase sold for $2,300.00. 

A small offering of furnishings, decorative arts and jewelry finished out the sale with the most interesting item being a book. Published in France by the Gazette des Beaux-Art in 1893, the book, titled Claudius Popelin and the Renaissance of Painted Enamels by Lucien Falize, displayed a lovely 4-inch by 2-inch enamel portrait of Popelin on the cover. Additionally bound into the volume were hand written pages by Popelin, a well known 19th century French poet, painter and enameller, regarding the technique of enameling, and other additions by related artists. Estimated at $2-$3,000, bidding opened at $2,500 from a Paris phone bidder but ended up selling to an in-house buyer for $19,550.00 much to the shock, but delight, of the somewhat stunned consignor. 

Other interesting sales include an ebonized and gilt bronze mounted credenza that sold for $4,600.00. An interesting and decorative five-piece French bedroom set sold for $4,140.00. A three-piece Gallé satin wood bedroom set lacking the original finish and in as is condition sold for $3,737.00. A Victorian brass bed sold for $1,840.00. An ebonized Victorian bookcase also sold for $1,840.00 and a pair of marble pedestals sold for $1,840.00. A pair of petite French night stands sold to a Kansas City buyer for $1,035.00. A 13-inch Italian mosaic frame sold for $977.00.

Over 367 registered bidders participated in the auction representing 28 states and 13 countries. Gross sales totaled $1,102,000.00 with a 98% sell rate. “It goes without saying that the market is very strong now for good items,” said Jackson’s CEO James L. Jackson. “People often ask me what we attribute our success to.  I tell them it’s simple, a great and dedicated staff, a platinum reputation, state of the art facility and a multi million dollar advertising budget!”