Innehållsförteckning för February 12 2020 från Kovels Antique Trader

WE COULD LEARN A lot from Nicholas Lowry. Lowry, the president and principal auctioneer of New York’s Swann Auction Galleries is the focus of our cover story on skiing travel posters beginning on page 50. When it comes to travel posters of any kind, he’s the man. Lowry’s understanding and knowledge is unparalleled. But writing that, while accurate, sounds much too stuffy for a man who sports a handlebar mustache and whose enthusiasm for plaid three-piece suits is abundant. To describe his suits as colorful is a disservice. They practically vibrate. If you watch Antiques Roadshow, the long-running PBS TV show, you know Lowry. He’s been on the show for 23 years. And while longevity matters, I get the feeling you’d remember him if you only saw him once. Flamboyant,…

Q My name is Bob Britton and I’m a new subscriber of your magazine. These photos are from my “mystery piece” I purchased it at my local Goodwill store a few years ago. The piece was covered in multiple thick layers of paint! Here’s what it looks now. The space between the “arms” is too narrow to be a chair, even for a child, plus the legs aren’t strong enough to support much weight at all. I’ve asked dealers and other antique savvy people what they think and it leaves them scratching their heads! Any help would greatly be appreciated. P.S. I really look forward to getting my magazine every other week. Bob Britton A First of all, I would like to say thank you for becoming a new subscriber…

NEW YORK — The 80th auction from Poster Auctions International includes an array of fascinating designs: black images, circus and Wild West, San Francisco rock, World War I, early Israeli designs, and iconic works from Jules Chéret, Leonetto Cappiello, Alphonse Mu-cha, Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec and more. The Rare Posters Auction will be held live in PAI’s gallery at 26 West 17th Street in New York and online at posterauctions.com. The auction will begin promptly at 11 a.m. EST. Jack Rennert, president of Poster Auctions International, Inc., said, “These images are vital expressions of the concerns, delights, interests, and cultural trends of a particular place and time. The posters in this auction cover the years 1865 to 1968, with estimates ranging from $600 to $90,000 — there is truly something for…

CINCINNATI — An extremely rare and recently discovered model of the Statue of Liberty is coming to auction on February 22 at Caza Sikes in Cincinnati. Caza owner Evan Sikes said the rare model is one of the only known early four-foot copies of the Statue of Liberty that artist Frederic Auguste Bartholdi created in advance of embarking on the huge undertaking of creating the actual statue. Sikes said the model was recently unearthed after decades from a private collection. The pre-sale estimate is a conservative $20,000-$40,000. “The only other known examples of the four-foot-tall sculpture are in private collections. This was unearthed in Dayton, Ohio, and we now have it at the gallery on view prior to the auction. It has been in the family since they purchased it…

Most people buy a card for their loved one on Valentine’s Day and call it a day. Some will put in a little more effort by buying flowers, candy or a fancy dinner, too. But no one will likely step it up like French poet Pierre Sala did. In the 1500s, Sala created Petit Livre d’Amour (Little Book of Love) for his beloved future wife, Marguerite Builloud. A Valentine’s gift to top all Valentine’s gifts, Petit Livre d’Amour is an ornate bespoke book that measures around 4-1/2 by 3-1/2 inches and was not only hand-written by Sala in French, it was written with gold ink on pages made of purple velvet. Sala’s prose is accompanied by beautiful color illustrations by an artist known as “Master de la Chronique Scandaleuses,” including…

LOS ANGELES — From February 7-9, thousands of book lovers, booksellers, and scholars will converge in Southern California for the 53rd California International Antiquarian Book Fair, the nation’s largest exhibition and sale of rare books. The 2020 Book Fair also celebrates the 100th anniversary of Women’s Suffrage with a special exhibit — Votes for Women — documenting women’s effort to secure political equality. Materials will be on display from the special collection libraries of The Claremont Colleges, University of Southern California, California State University, Dominguez Hills and the Los Angeles Public Library. Recognized as one of the world’s pre-eminent exhibitions of antiquarian books, this eagerly anticipated bi-annual fair gives visitors the opportunity to see, learn about and purchase the finest in rare books, manuscripts, autographs, maps, fine prints, photographs and…

Whimsy and wonder highlighted Sotheby’s recent Americana Auction, “A New Dimension of Tradition: Important American Folk Art.” On the wonder front we were delighted by the Edward Hicks’ (1780-1849) portrait of Andrew Jackson, circa 1832. The oil on canvas, laid on board painting measures 21-1/2 inches by 19-3/4 inches and sold for $106,250. Although nearly 190 years old, the painting, with its vibrant colors and Jackson’s 1960s style wire-rim glasses, has an almost pop art vibe to it. As for whimsy, it’s difficult to beat the large papier-mâché standing pig supported on a red painted tin can affixed to a wooden platform. The pig, which stands 25 inches tall and is 48 inches wide, was originally found in Augusta, Wis. It sold for $750.…

Hans Jorgen Wegner helped change the course of design history in the 1950s and 1960s. His Danish Modern furniture was elegant and comfortable, making the style all the rage among cosmopolitan Americans of the era and beyond. The son of a cobbler, Wegner (1914-2007) learned woodworking as a boy in Tønder, a small city in southern Denmark. He rose to international prominence as one of a handful of Danes who grabbed the design world’s attention with a fresh aesthetic of sculptural and organic modern furniture. Their work, often made in warm blond wood, domesticated the cold chrome shine of the Bauhaus-influenced International style. In the process, they found a way to dovetail the words “Danish” and “modern” for the first time, joining cabinetmaker-guild traditions of high craftsmanship, quality and comfort…

To list your antiques-related event (show, auction, convention, etc.) for free in Antique Trader, send event information (date, location, contact information, times) at least six weeks in advance to: AT Calendars, C/O Antique Trader Editors, 5225 Joerns Dr., Suite 2, Stevens Point, WI 54481 or email to ATNews@aimmedia.com. Listings will be included on a space available basis. Antique Trader assumes no responsibility for any show not listed. ARKANSAS Ongoing, Rogers. Outside the Box NWA, 1225 W Hudson Rd., Rogers, AR 72756; 479-631-8974; www.outsidetheboxnwa.com. Indoor flea market, 30,000 sq. ft., 100+ vendors, antiques, collectibles, general merchandise. SH: M-Th 10am-5pm; Fri-Sat 10am-6pm; Sun 12-6pm CALIFORNIA Ongoing: every first Sunday of the month, Alameda. Alameda Point Antiques Faire. Mar 13-14, 2020 Alameda. Alameda Vintage Fashion Faire. Mar 14-15, 2020 Bakersfield. 49th annual Antiques…

Nicholas Lowry has his hands full. It’s Take-Your-Dog-To-Work Day at Swann Auction Galleries and Lowry, the president and principal auctioneer of the third-generation family business in New York, is balancing an interview with caring for an energetic puppy. What could go wrong? Swann specializes in works on paper – books, maps, manuscripts, drawings, prints, and the such. Right about now Tilda, Lowry’s Boston Terrier pup, is threatening to knock over her water dish on prized posters in his office. Fortunately, Lowry is as adept at doggie day care as he is behind the podium of one of the 30-35 auctions Swann holds annually. Tilda gets some attention. Her water dish remains upright. And disaster is averted. “You’re always hoping some puppy will choose you and that it will be love…

In the Middle Ages, a clockmaker created a clock for Prague’s town square that was so magnificent he was approached by other countries to build one for them. Fearing that he would build a more beautiful clock for another nation, town officials had him blinded so that he could never duplicate his masterpiece. Driven mad, the clockmaker sought his vengeance by climbing the clock tower and literally throwing himself into his spectacular work of art — ending his own life and jamming the gears in one fell swoop — and putting a curse on his creation so that anyone who tried to fix it would either die or at least go insane. This legend may not be true, but one thing is: Prague’s famous clock, The Orloj, really is magnificent.…