antiqueweek.com
Auctions • Shows • Antiques • Collectibles
  
Search through 1000s of auctions listings by keyword.
American Stoneware
Recent Archives
Pixies continue to dance in our homes and hearts
Lock of Washington’s hair to highlight Bunch auction
Red Wing Collectors Society cancels summer convention
Cooper Hewitt shines spotlight on Suzie Zuzek
Superman tosses tank and wins a bid of $1,850
   
News Article
Wind was blowing right for sale of weather vanes
by Carole Deutsch

DOWINGTOWN, Pa. — The highly publicized auction of the Roland and Marilyn Kemble collection, hosted by Pook & Pook, was held on Jan. 12-13 and met with impressive results that were reflected in a 93 percent sale rate for 431 lots. The outstanding folk art and early Colonial Americana collection was well known throughout the industry.

The Kembles, from Norwich, Ohio, were both dealers and collectors who became interested in the genre in the 1960s and amassed a stellar collection that was composed of high quality weather vanes, period furniture, pottery and stoneware, unusual one-of-a-kind items, and virtually everything that applied to the best of 18th century Americana and folk art.

They were well known in the antiques arena and the decision to part with their treasures gained widespread attention. “The Friday night session and preview party that introduced the auction was packed,” said Vice President, James Pook. “All in all it was very exciting. We had some new faces and sold to retailers, as well as collectors, both young and old, and Roland Kemble, who was at the sale, was very happy. You can’t do better than that. I was especially impressed with the baseball quilt that was a particularly interesting item. It sold to a museum and brought a very strong price. ”

The piece Pook referred to was a quilt created for the 1934 American League Champion Detroit Tigers. The 86 inch by 105 inch piece was highlighted by the embroidered signatures of 28 players that included Mickey Cochrane, Hank Greenberg, Charlie Gehringer, Schoolboy Rowe, Goose Goslin, Tommy Bridges, Billy Rogell, and Gee Walker. It was cataloged as “in good condition with only a couple small stains” and sold for $20,000.

One of the highlights of the collection was an important group of weather vanes offered in a variety of themes and forms from iconic makers and commanded a good deal of attention from eager bidders. It was a weather vane that just narrowly beat out the quilt to grab top selling spot in the auction.

The sum of $20,740 was achieved for a 19th century swell-bodied copper weather vane that depicted Massasoit, the great Wampanoag chief, who met with the pilgrims. He was portrayed wearing a full headdress with an arrow in one hand and a bow in the other. The weather vane had an aged yellow painted and verdigris surface and stood 35 inches high. The piece, which established the top lot of the auction, was made by Harris & Co. that operated out of Massachusetts in 1868.

A rare swell-bodied copper lobster weather vane from the mid-20th century was found in a coastal town in Maine. It retained its original gilt surface and verdigris, measured a large 32½ inches by 51½ inches, and brought $18,300.

The same price was paid for a 19th century swell-bodied copper weather vane made in the form of a lamb. It had a cast zinc head and retained an aged verdigris surface, measured 21 inches high by 27½ inches wide, and was possibly made by Fiske. Joseph Winn Fiske (1832 – 1903) was born in Massachusetts and opened his first ornamental iron works and cast zinc business in Boston in 1862, which he moved one year later to New York City under the name JW Fiske. It became one of the most preeminent manufacturers of garden statuary and memorials of the period and gained an outstanding reputation for hammered copper weather vanes.

A third swell-bodied weather vane, made as a figural stag, circa 1875, which also brought $18,300 was 25 inches high by 27 inches wide and attributed to L.D. Cushing & Co., which operated predominately out of Massachusetts in the 1870s and is listed as one of the best makers of weather vanes from the period.

Miniature furniture items generated keen interest. A 10 inch high Chippendale looking glass, circa 1800, that still had an old dry varnish surface, was found in Wiscasset, Maine, in good condition with no apparent damages or repairs. The diminutive mirror was estimated at a modest $300 to $500, but aggressive bidding pushed it well past the mark to fetch a staggering $6,250.

A miniature Massachusetts Federal mahogany Hepplewhite chest of drawers with line inlay was from the early 19th century. It stood a small 20 ½ inches high by 19 inches wide and brought a large price of $4,392.

Furniture was highlighted by a Lancaster County, Pa., walnut splay leg tavern table, circa 1800. The piece was approximately 2 feet high by 2 feet wide with a stretcher base that had an early surface. It realized $7,320, against an estimate of $2,500 to $4,000.

The price of $14,640 was paid for a circa 1760 New England Queen Anne high chest that was made in a bold striped tiger maple and pine, and $7,930 was realized for an unusual painted pine apothecary cabinet from the 19th century. It had 40 original green-blue dovetailed drawers with red surround, which graduated in size from top to bottom, small to large, in seven sections.

For more information call (610) 269–4040 or visit www.pookandpook.com

3/9/2018
Comments For This Post
Post A Comment
Name :
Email :
Comment :