Case Auctions – Fine Art and Antiques Auction
Two-Day Auction, July 8 and 9, Knoxville, TN
Complete Catalogue and Bidding Info: www.caseauctions.com
(865) 558-3033

KNOXVILLE, TENN. — Twentieth Century fine art provides a vivid backdrop for an array of more than 1,200 lots at Case’s summer auction, set for July 8-9. Notable standouts include large estate collections of jewelry and luxury fashion and a treasure trove of flags and other Civil War Navy relics that have descended from Rear Admiral John Ancrum Winslow, who commanded the USS Kearsarge to victory against the CSS Alabama.

Mid-Twentieth Century paintings dominate the art category, led by a colorful oil by French-Vietnamese painter Le Pho of three young women arranging flowers. It dates from circa 1960 and was sold through the Wally Findlay Gallery of Chicago. A George Hughes oil illustration of beachgoers, used as the cover piece for the August 2, 1952, cover of The Saturday Evening Post, provides a festive summer vibe. There are also two Abstract Expressionist paintings by Sam Francis and a small, colorful Henri Maik painting of a lion, along with a Richard Long folio “Nile: Papers of River Muds,” an abstract drawing by Beauford Delaney, landscapes by David Burliuk and Antoine Blanchard, a tempera painting of a nun by Robert Vickrey, a Loran Speck still life and a large Gugger Petter work titled “Two Men and One Woman,” painstakingly constructed from rolled pieces of newspaper.

Southern Art includes a 1975 painting of a figure seated on the porch of a rural post office and café by Carroll Cloar and a landscape with Southern white-columned home by Bill Sawyer, both of which date from around the 1970s and portray typical Southern scenes through a slightly surrealist prism. An 1846 landscape by Thomas Worthington Whittredge provides one of the earliest known views of the Shaker Ferry landing near Pleasant Hill, Ky., while an unsigned yet highly detailed mid-Nineteenth Century landscape depicts a covered wagon traveling through a still unsettled area of Western North Carolina.

Sculpture lovers will find several bronzes, including a gilt bronze chariot by Emmanuel Fremiet, cast by the Barbedienne Foundry, a Frederick MacMonnies bronze of a faun with heron, a Ludwig Graefner bronze of a falconer and a Charles Huntington 1970s abstract steel sculpture.

Commanding the historical category is a collection of flags and other naval items from the USS Kearsarge, which helped turn the tide of the Civil War by sinking the CSS raider Alabama in 1864. The items have descended through the family of Kearsarge captain John Ancrum Winslow through his son, US Army Brigadier General E.E. Winslow, who retired to Memphis, Tenn. They include a 13-star flag and 35-star flag, both believed to have flown on the Kearsarge during the battle with the Alabama. Also included are the ship’s log, Capt. Winslow’s telescope, a small CDV frame made from the stern of the ship and presentation items, including a commendation, silver tea set and centerpiece, given to John Winslow by grateful citizens of New York and Roxbury, Mass.

One of the sale’s most fascinating lots is a small, patriotic-themed bottle of colored sand made by Andrew Clemens (1857-1894), a deaf artisan who created the bottles to sell to riverboat passengers who visited his small Iowa hometown.

More than 200 lots of estate jewelry add a dazzling touch to both days of the auction, and more than 100 lots of silver gleam throughout the auction, highlighted by a Tiffany sterling silver platter in the Renaissance pattern, designed by Paulding Farnham and believed to have been made for the 1904 Louisiana Purchase Exhibition.

Southern pottery is a staple at Case. This sale’s marquee items include a scarce Nineteenth Century Great Road earthenware jug with incised initials TIM, attributed to Thomas Myers of Southwest Virginia; Southern whiskey jugs; and three scarce pieces by George Ohr (1857-1918): a vase with “in-body” twist at the shoulders, a snake handled mug and a bottle form vase.

Buyers looking for furniture have an array of periods and styles from which to choose. Prize regional pieces include a Tennessee Sheraton sugar chest and a Kentucky Sheraton sugar press, along with a Federal triple bowfront Sheraton sideboard, which has been cataloged by the Museum of Early Southern Decorative Arts and matches one in the Old Governor’s Mansion in Frankfort, Ky.

A pair of Qing famille verte porcelain palace vases with figural and landscape decoration are the star items in the Chinese category, which also includes other porcelains, a large and early detailed painted screen, Asian silver and jade carvings.

Rounding out the auction are Native American baskets and textiles, a Peter Horner automaton musical organ clock, a Steinway & Sons 1880 Model A ebony grand piano with stool and music cabinet, coins and currency, and a collection of antique and semi-antique estate Persian rugs.

Persons wishing to preview the auction may do so by making prior reservations on the company’s website through Thursday, July 6, or by attending the public preview on Friday, July 7. Case’s gallery is at 4310 Papermill Drive. For more information, 865-558-3033 or the company’s Nashville office at 615-812-6096 or www.caseantiques.com.

1200+ Lots, featuring property from fine Southern estates and private museum collections. Previews by appointment.
Sam Francis
Geo. Hughes Oil Illustration
Le Pho, 23″ x 36″
Beauford Delaney
F. MacMonnies
Louisa McElwain
Hasui Kawase, c. 1935
Henri Maik Oil
Carroll Cloar
Chas. Huntington
Pr. Chinese Famille Verte Palace Vases
Edward Moulthrop
Russian Enamel
Joseph Delaney
Russian Imperial Porcelain
Tiffany Exhib. Tray, Paulding Farnham
Picasso Madura
Robert Vickrey
Art Glass
18k and Diamond Pigne Demi-Parure
Chanel
Hermes
Rolex
GIA Diamonds
200+ lots Estate Jewelry
Andrew Clements Sand Bottle
13 Star Naval Flag from Admiral John Winslow, USS Kearsarge
Log of USS Kearsarge, including battle with CSS Alabama
Collection of Minton Pate-sur-Pate
Signed Herter