Cowboy-To-Chinese Couture At Whitaker-Augusta Auction

New Hope, Penn.

:An odd mix of materials, Native American and Inuit arts, along with a huge selection of vintage clothing, made for an interesting auction at Whitaker-Augusta over the weekend of October 24 and 25. More than 1,000 lots crossed the block at the well-attended sale, with auctioneer Charles Whitaker commenting that he was "pleasantly surprised" with the postsale results — "We didn't see a hiccup in the market at all."

The auction included an interesting mix of consignors as well, with a number of Asian garments consigned from the Cleveland Museum of Art. Two New York City institutions were also consignors, one deaccessioning a portion of its costume study collection, and a huge assortment of cowboy boots and vintage cowboy clothing had been consigned from the now-defunct Manhattan vintage cowboy retail store Whiskey Dust. Native American and Inuit artifacts were consigned from the Dr Bruce Ruddick Collection.

Also consigned were three unique Pierre Cardin dresses that had been designed for Mia Farrow to be worn in films from the late 1960s. Farrow consigned the items with all of the proceeds going to one of her charities that benefit people in Darfur.

Whitaker and partner Karen Augusta conduct two specialty vintage clothing auctions per year, and not only does the merchandise reflect couture and textiles on a global basis, so does their client list. Bidders from around the world took part in this most recent auction, with four different buyers from Singapore claiming lots, as did bidders from Chile, Australia, Russia, France, Alaska, Italy, Sweden, Switzerland, London, Taiwan and across the United States.

While it was the Pierre Cardin prototype dresses made for Mia Farrow that garnered the highest price of the auction, the Ruddick collection of Native American artifacts attracted the most interest.

Ruddick's 1992 obituary in The New York Times classified him as a psychiatrist and a poet and made no mention of his interests of Native American, Inuit and Tlingit artifacts. His collection, however, was well received at the auction and bidders were quite active.

The top lot of the Ruddick materials came as a rare Haida potlatch song leader's staff was offered. The Haida tribes resided in the Queen Charlotte and Prince of Wales islands in British Columbia, and the tribesman have long been recognized as some of the best woodworkers from the region. Not an overly religious group, the Haida conducted potlatch ceremonies during which they displayed their wealth and social standing and held feasts for their guests as part of a process of redistributing wealth.

The carved cedar song leader's staff measured almost 6 feet in length and was carved with a human profile; it was further decorated with polychrome images of faces, raven, salmon, eagles and tribal motif. The circa 1900 staff carried a presale estimate of $1,5/2,500, yet when the first ads for the auction appeared, Whitaker realized that it had been grossly underestimated. In excellent overall condition, the lot was bid to $16,100, selling to a New York City collector bidding by telephone.

Another Haida item sold was a polychrome dance baton that hammered down at $1,265.

A large Inuit carved walrus tusk was another lot to handily exceed estimates. Carved with human figures, a dog, walrus and polar bear, the lot was bid to $10,350. An Inuit arrow-straightening tool made from bone with a figural bird head carved handle did well at $5,175, and a Siberian Eskimo pewter inlaid pipe, probably Chukchi Peninsula, sold at $2,070. An Inuit carved bone adze, circa 1900, went out at $1,955, as did a carved walrus-ivory 6-inch-tall figure of a standing male.

Native American items from the Ruddick collection were highlighted by a Hopi low bowl attributed to Nampeyo with a boldly painted interior depicting a stylized Sikyatki bird. The bowl, circa 1900 and measuring 10 inches across, sold well above the $1/2,000 estimates, bringing $9,200.

A San Ildefonso pot by Marie sold at $2,300, a pair of Nineteenth Century Sioux beaded moccasins realized $1,265, and a Pueblo pottery jar with serpent decoration brought $1,265.

The top lot of the auction came late in the sale as three circa 1967 dresses donated from the Mia Farrow Couture Collection were sold. All three of the stylish dresses had been custom designed by Pierre Cardin for Farrow in her role in the 1968 Hollywood movie A Dandy in Aspic. Each of the lots was accompanied by documentation and photographs of the actress wearing the dress.

The first of the lots to be sold was a sky blue silk faille embroidered and sequined dress with stylized floral and amoeba shapes. The dress retained its original label marked "Pierre Cardin, Paris," and was accompanied by a still photo from the film and an issue of Life magazine showing her in the dress. Estimated at $1,8/2,200, the lot was pursued by several in the gallery, but in the end it went for $6,325, selling to a persistent client from Paris bidding by telephone.

The following lot was a white woven wool dress with a mod-looking circular rolled collar and graduated accordion pleats extending from the collar to the hem. Estimated at $2,5/3,500, this stylish dress created quite a bit of excitement, with an intense round of bidding ending at $19,550, making it the top lot of the auction and also selling to the Parisian phone bidder.

With two of the three Cardin-designed dresses secured, the Parisian phone bidder once again showed no sign of backing off as he bid the final Mia Farrow-consigned lot, a pleated red and black silk chiffon dress, well beyond the presale estimates to $6,900. Considered to be cutting-edge designs when these unique dresses were created, Cardin later revisited the designs.

Joan Crawford items were also offered in the sale; however, they did not fare as well as the Farrow items. The Crawford items had been given to a New York museum by the actress. A lot of several hair pieces and wigs went for $575, and several groups of fashion accessories, including handbags and shoes, sold between $460 and $373.

French fashion items continued to do well, with a gold lamé evening jacket from the 1940s by Karl Langerfeld and designed for Chloe selling at $1,840, as did a Jean Patou Couture party dress and coat in black alpaca, mohair and wool.

"Ethnic couture does very well for us," stated Whitaker. "We sell quite a bit of it." This sale featured Middle Eastern, Russian, European and Asian textiles and clothing. A large Japanese silk embroidered panel with florals and a gold and blue brocade border, circa 1900, went out at $1,840, two Chinese ladies' garments brought $1,725, and two Nineteenth Century Chinese Kesi panels realized $1,380.

A Chinese women's Chi Fu, early Twentieth Century, in red silk damask and decorated with a white ho-ho bird was one of several lots that a telephone bidder from Singapore would claim. With black satin sleeves and collar, the lot sold at $3,450. Other lots claimed by the same buyer included a blue damask silk Chinese robe at $1,380, two Chinese embroidered robes at $920, and a man's velvet vest at $632.

Russian textiles included two separate lots, each containing three embroidered silk pieces, bringing $1,495 each.

Italian textiles were also hotly competed for, with two lots of Nineteenth Century mezzaros, block printed by hand on ivory cotton, with Samuel Colt provenance, selling at $1,380, and $1,265.

"Irish lace always does very well," commented Whitaker. A one piece, V-neck, Irish crochet tea gown with a rose-colored undergown soared past the $750/950 presale estimates, hammering down at $3,737, while an elaborate lawn and lace crochet tea gown also exceeded estimates at $1,000.

Cowboy items from America's West fared well at the auction, although there were also numerous bargains to be had. Among the lots garnering strong attention was a pair of wingtip cowgirl boots that had been consigned from a large group of merchandise from the now-defunct Whiskey Dust couture store. Bidding on the boots was active, with the lot selling at $402.

A green wool gabardine embroidered Western shirt with extensive chain embroidery and horses decorating the front, circa 1950, by Viola Grae attracted a great deal of attention, with it selling at $862, while a khaki man's wool suit by Nudie's Rodeo Tailors that had been purchased in 1972 by Jon McIntire, a former manager of the Fillmore West and also The Grateful Dead, sold at $805.

Prices include the 15 percent buyer's premium charged. For information, 215-817-4600 or www.whitakerauction.com .