Case Auctions – Two-Day Fine Art, Antiques & Jewelry Auction
January 27 & 28
Knoxville, TN
www.caseauctions.com

KNOXVILLE, TENN. — From a William Edmondson sculpture to paintings by Beauford Delaney, John Sloan and George Rodrigue, Case’s winter auction, happening January 27-28 at the company’s gallery in Knoxville, is a veritable showcase of American art.

One of the most anticipated lots is “Mother and Child” by William Edmondson, the Tennessee sculptor who in 1937 became the first African American artist to have a solo exhibit at the Museum of Modern Art. The carved limestone figure descended in a Nashville family and was used as a doorstop until last year, when its current owner saw images of Edmondson’s work online and realized he owned an important sculpture. The Edmondson figure is among a number of pieces in the sale by Black artists, including two abstract works on paper by Beauford Delaney and sketches by his brother Joseph Delaney; a New Orleans themed painting depicting voodoo priestess Marie Laveau by Andrew LaMar Hopkins; an abstract oil by Merton Daniel Simpson; a James Son Thomas skull sculpture; two paintings by Clementine Hunter and two paintings by Mose Tolliver.

The painting with the auction’s highest estimate is “Louisiana Sunday Morning,” a 36-inch-square original George Rodrigue painting featuring his signature “Blue Dog” figure ($50/60,000). Also featured is a large Impressionist Chicago street scene by William Clusmann, depicting Michigan Avenue from the steps of the Art Institute, with one of Edward Kemeys’ iconic bronze lions in the foreground. Like the Edmondson, the painting had been passed down in a family unaware of its value until recently; in this case, the family took it to the Antiques Roadshow 2022 taping in Nashville where it was recognized as one of Clusmann’s most important works.

Other Twentieth Century standouts include a large and vivid floral still life by Vietnamese/French artist Le Pho, an Ida Kohlmeyer abstract oil, a Maurice Freedman Fauvist-influenced forest landscape and a Loran Speck still life, which served as the cover lot for the January 1987 issue of Southwest Art Magazine. There are also two “Meditation” sculptures by Austrian sculptor Karl Prantl, an abstract painting by Jimmy Ernst and a large and brightly colored John Seery abstract oil. The Seery is one of several paintings in the auction deaccessioned by the Brooks Museum of Art, Memphis; other deaccessioned works include an expressionist landscape by John Guerin, a Dorothy Sturm glass assemblage and works by Frank Freed, Sam Richards and Andreas Lowy.

Several of the sale’s key paintings come from the estate of Nashville collector Ann Wells, including a Taos landscape by Ashcan artist John Sloan; a Gustave Baumann Southwestern woodcut, “Ranchos de Taos”; a Gifford Beal Haitian scene; a painting of a New England house by John Heliker; figurative works by Isabel Bishop, including an exhibited nude scene titled “Undressing”; and oil paintings by Southern artists Bill Sawyer and Comer Jennings.

South Carolina artist William Aiken Walker was best known for his plantation scenes, but this auction includes one of his rare seascape paintings, possibly of the Florida coast. Other notable Southern art in the sale includes an autumn landscape in oil by Tennessee impressionist painter Anna Catherine Wiley; an Elizabeth O’Neill Verner pastel of a Charleston flower seller; a large oil on canvas Mississippi coastal scene by Marie Hull; and landscapes by William McKendree Synder and Gilbert Gaul.

European Art includes an Antoine Blanchard Paris street scene accompanied by documentation from the artist, and landscapes by Ricardo Corchon y Daique, Louis Hurt, Prosper Ferey. There are genre scenes by Alfred Jonniaux and Karoly Kotasz, a Picasso Madoura tile and a watercolor of bird on branch by Barbara Regina Dietzsch.

Furniture includes a rare Philip and Kelvin LaVerne freeform coffee table with organic molded base suggesting tree trunks, a Le Corbusier designed LC5 leather sofa (for Cassina) and several pieces of Stickley modern furniture. An Aaron Willard Boston tall case clock stands tall among the more traditional furniture offerings, plus a New England Queen Anne tiger maple highboy (deaccessioned by the Brooks Museum); Federal chairs attributed to Newport and Philadelphia; two Federal mirrors (bull’s-eye and rectangular); and a near pair of Nineteenth Century Chippendale-style marble top server or console tables sold through B. Altman & Co. of New York.

The silver category features a collection of Baltimore Repousse pattern sterling hollowware, including a set of S. Kirk & Sons goblets, a tea service, trays and other forms in the popular pattern.

The auction features nearly 100 lots of estate jewelry, including multiple GIA certified diamond rings. Of special interest are a 1.83-carat round brilliant diamond, ex cut grade; a 2.59-carat marquis brilliant cut diamond; and vintage European cut diamonds. There are also vintage wristwatches by Rolex and Baume & Mercier, and designer jewelry by Tiffany, Cartier, Bulgari and Hermes.

Rounding out the auction is a selection of folk art, including three figural weathervanes (a bull and two running horses); Native American rugs, jewelry, basket and pottery, including a Mississippian Culture clay effigy; three PCGS graded Nineteenth Century restrikes of Confederate coins by J.W. Scott plus a number of gold coins and a rare Eighteenth Century Aubusson tapestry depicting the Animals’ Parliament.

Preview appointments may be made on the website through Friday, January 26. Case Auctions is at 4310 Papermill Drive NW. For information, 865-558-3033, 615-812-6096 (Nashville) 423-251-1320 (Chattanooga) or www.caseantiques.com.

Knoxville (865) 558-3033
Nashville (615) 812-6096
www.caseantiques.com bid@caseantiques.com
Buyers Premium: Floor 20%, Phone/Absentee 22% (Cash, Check, Certified Funds). TN Licenses #7344 and #6045
Live, phone, absentee, and online bidding available. Catalog at www.caseauctions.com.