Hindman’s American Furniture, Folk & Decorative Arts (Live + Online)
March 30
Cincinnati
www.hindmanauctions.com
benfisher@hindmanauctions.com
312-447-3270

CINCINNATI, OHIO — Four Andrew Clemens sand bottles spanning the iconic artist’s career will headline Hindman’s American Furniture, Folk & Decorative Arts auction on March 30. The bottles, spread across three lots, will be offered alongside more than 300 lots of American furniture, silver, portraiture, textiles and folk art.

“While we have had the pleasure of offering a number of sand bottles by Clemens, the four to be offered here tell the full story of the evolution of his remarkable talent as an artist,” commented Ben Fisher, vice president and senior specialist of American furniture, folk & decorative arts.

The sale features a selection of highly desirable sand bottles by the master of the medium, Andrew Clemens (1857-1894). The three lots perfectly demonstrate Clemens’ growth as an artist. The first bottle, dated 1876 ($20/40,000), was made at a time when Clemens’ popularity, at least regionally, was just beginning to grow. In 1874 and 1875, he had been written up in several local newspapers and had begun making good money from his tourist trade. He had yet to hone his technique of crushing sand into fine grains, though, so his work at the time had less detailed motifs, focusing more on complex brightly colored patterns. The 1876 bottle does feature an American eagle, perhaps Clemens most famous motif, but lacks a motif on the reverse, which would be customary later in his career.

Chronologically, the next Clemens’ lot is a pair of “sweetheart” bottles dated 1883 bearing the names Charles Bramar and Maggie Bramar (née Heye) ($60/80,000). By 1883, Clemens had attained significant publicity and had perfected his technique. According to family history, the Bramers acquired their pair of sweetheart bottles either on the occasion of their marriage in February 1883 or the birth of their first child, Charles, later that same year. The Charles Bramar bottle features a galloping horse on one side with a slipper ship at sea on the reverse while the Maggie Bramar bottle depicts an elaborate bouquet of flowers in an urn on one side and a pair of yellow birds perched around a nest of eggs on the other. This is just the third known example of a pair of Clemens sweetheart bottles.

The auction also features an important tankard by Myer Myers (1723-1795) ($15/20,000). Myers was one of the most accomplished silversmiths in pre-industrial New England and the only Jewish smith operating in New York City in the mid-Eighteenth Century.

The Myers tankard is expected to be one of many highlights in the American Silver category. A tea and coffee service with a matching tray ($12/18,000) is a highly anticipated lot. The set features floral decoration, chased by Nicholas Heinzelman (1837-1900). A tea and coffee service by Tiffany & Co. ($10/15,000) is another closely watched item.

Furniture highlights from the auction include a rare Federal inlaid and pierce-carved mahogany tall case clock which has been published in Journal of Early Southern Decorative Arts ($10/20,000). Additional noteworthy lots are a Renaissance Revival marble mounted carved and laminated rosewood étagère ($10/20,000) and two lots of Eighteenth Century Queen Anne side chairs (each $4/6,000).

Other notable lots in the sale include a Nineteenth Century portrait of a young boy in the manner of Joseph Whiting Stock (1815-1855) ($8/12,000); a Nineteenth Century portrait of a woman by Erastus Salisbury Field (American, 1805-1900) ($5/8,000); a Nineteenth Century hooked rug depicting a black dog ($3/5,000); and a Kazak-inspired hooked rug from the early Twentieth Century ($2/3,000).

Bidding for the sale will begin at 10 am ET, and will be available in-person at Hindman Cincinnati (5030 Oaklawn Drive) and online via the Digital Bid Room. The full auction can be viewed online at www.hindmanauctions.com.

CONTACT: Ben Fisher
312-447-3270
benfisher@hindmanauctions.com
HINDMANAUCTIONS.COM