Cincinnati Art Galleries’ Keramics 2007, Art Glass 2007 and Rookwood XVII Auction of pottery and art glass was held June 2″ and comprised more than 1,500 lots. The top lot of the auction came Sunday morning during the third session that marked the Rookwood sale. Extra chairs were deployed for the enthusiastic gathering of 700-plus lots from the renowned Cincinnati pottery.
The action got started early with the cover lot, a rare and important architectural faience advertising tile, 14¾ by 77/8 inches, depicting two rooks flying in a dense forest, designed by Sallie Toohey, circa 1905. With a presale estimate of $20/30,000, there was a lot of serious interest. The crowd clapped vigorously when the tile attained $97,750 from a phone bidder.
The sale began Saturday morning with European ceramics. Boch Freres vessels had been enthusiastically received in the prior Holiday Sale 2006, and an array of 45 Boch Freres items was offered now. A stoneware Art Deco charger depicting a woman holding a greyhound sold at $10,062. A large Boch Freres Gres Keramis vase portrayed some rather ominous owls. They did not frighten bidders, however, as the vase sold for $4,956.
A Rene Buthaud vase, graced with a pair of muscular nudes, elicited $5,290. A large vase with two handles, produced at the Picasso Pottery in Madoura, four humanized portraits of the sun, attained $8,850.
American pottery pieces were offered in the second session, and the star was an Overbeck vase. This 14¼-inch vessel was carved and painted with a repeating pattern of flowers in a very Arts and Crafts style, estimated at $30/40,000. The hammer fell at $67,850.
A Roseville Pauleo lamp with a mica shade and bearing a black paper “Pauleo” label nearly doubled the high estimate, selling for $4,800. A selection of Weller Pottery crossed the block, including a Second Line Dickensware vase, 17¼ inches tall, depicting a scene from Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales , that more than doubled its high estimate, fetching $6,612.
A rare and unusual Hudson Light by Ed Pickens showed a classical beauty in a park setting and brought $10,030. It is pictured in Huxford’s Collectors Encyclopedia of Weller Pottery. A large Teco vase with three buttresses and covered with the signature matte green glaze and in an architectural form with some professional restoration made $5,900. Two Natzler pieces, hand thrown and glazed, were offered. A bowl, done in gray and brown crystalline glazes realized $5,750, while a mottled blue vase on a red clay body made $8,912.
Art glass came to the forefront Saturday afternoon with bidders actively embracing more than 300 diverse lots of American, European and contemporary glass. Early, a Steuben vase, acid cut in the Belgrade pattern, with mirror black layered over jade green, sold for $7,670.
A Loetz vase was decorated with a silvery blue design on the square and dimpled form, which was ensconced within at Art Deco-style brass mount. It brought $7,800. A surprise was a small Daum Nancy cabinet vase, in cameo with decoration of columbine and stalks of wheat, shot to $4,287.
Besides the Rookwood faience tile, Sunday highlights included an Iris Glaze vase with a single, finely detailed peacock feather ($15/20,000), crafted by Carl Schmidt in 1904, fetched $42,550. A huge mahogany glaze vase decorated with large peonies, the work of Matt Daly in 1893, was made for the Columbian Exposition, according to family history. The 20-inch vessel sold at $10,925.
A Iris Glaze 15¼-inch vase featuring magnolia flowers in very heavy slip was produced by Albert Valentien in 1898; it brought $18,975.
Prices were strong for production items also. A pair of rare Ladybug bookends, in multiple colors, set a new record for Rookwood bookends at auction, selling for $9,775. Another figural piece, an Easter Lily paperweight dated 1934, sold at $1,150.
All prices reported include the buyer’s premium.
Cincinnati Art Galleries is accepting consignments for its Holiday Sale 2007, which will be November 3‴. Contact Karen Singleton for art glass and Riley Humler or Jim Fleming for Keramics or Rookwood. For information, 531-381-2128 or www.cincinnatiartgalleries.com .
