Press & Announcements
Read the latest press coverage & announcements about Freeman's.
Read the latest press coverage & announcements about Freeman's.
Leslie Hindman Auctioneers’ February Mountain Décor auction will include property from the estates of Vernon “Moose” Taylor of Denver, Colorado and the late Patrick Henry, Jr. from Snowmass, Colorado. Period English furniture, paintings and decorative objects from the elegant country manor of the late Vernon “Moose” Taylor and Ann Bonfoey Taylor will be offered. Ann and “Moose” Taylor were a celebrated bon vivant couple who loved to host celebrities, royalty, dignitaries, important publishers and fashion photographers at their stunning lakeside equestrian manor in Denver. Their collection represents a time when elegance was essential for entertaining. Vernon Taylor was involved in the oil, gas and mining business and was one of the original investors in Vail. His accomplished wife Ann was a fashion designer, model, pilot and an alternate on the U.S. Olympic ski team. The Taylors hosted foxhunts and lavish parties for their celebrity guests including Truman Capote, Gregory Peck, Gerald Ford and Henry Kissinger. An invitation to the Taylor home was coveted by even the most fashionable British royal family. Leslie Hindman Auctioneers is honored to be handling the Taylor collection, which includes over 150 objects of 18th and 19th century English and Continental furniture and decorative objects, original 19th century British and American hunt scene paintings and prints, equestrian apparel and riding boots, vintage leather rifle cases, women’s vintage apparel, fashion hats and more. Highlights include dining room furniture featuring an 18th century George III mahogany serpentine front sideboard, a George III mahogany double pedestal dining table and an early George III mahogany desk. Also, going on the block is property from a stunning gentleman’s ranch located in Snowmass, Colorado. Mr. Patrick Henry, Jr. moved to Aspen with his parents in 1948. He called the valley home for the remainder of his life. He was a well-known fixture in Aspen who taught skiing, worked at The Prospector Lodge and owned The Winter Shop for several years. The residence of the late Patrick Henry, Jr. was an idyllic location with massive views of Snowmass Ski Area. The home features stream frontage and old-world charm. It is on this ranch that Mr. Henry built two elegant homes for his family. He designed his first home on the property to hearken back to the style and elegance of a Tuscan farmhouse and the second is a modern-day Austrian chalet. Mr. Henry travelled to Austria to acquire antique painted Bavarian furniture, German Black Forest carved wood figures and other period objects for his homes. Highlights of the Henry collection, available to the top bidder, are several 18th century Bavarian painted chests and cupboards, German Black Forest carved wood animalier figures, late 17th and early 18th century Continental carved putti and Christian Saints, antler mounts, a Louis XV carved walnut buffet, an 18th century English Welsh dresser, 19th and 20th century American and European paintings, American silver hollowware, flatware, other servicing pieces and more. Mountain Décor is a timed online auction conducted on Live Auctioneers from Tuesday, February 5 through Tuesday, February 12. An exhibition will be held in the Denver showroom of Leslie Hindman Auctioneers, open by appointment February 4 through 7 and open to the public February 8 through 9 and February 11, all days 10 am -5 pm. Catalogues will go online on www.liveauctioneers.com on February 5. For additional information or condition reports, please call (303) 825-1855.
Leslie Hindman Auctioneers’ October 2 Post War and Contemporary Art auction featured Untitled (Pastel), 1991, by Joan Mitchell, the largest and only double sheet drawing from her last important body of work. Selling for $1,212,500, the drawing set a global record for the artist, being the highest price realized for a work on paper by Joan Mitchell ever sold at auction. Untitled (Pastel), 1991, has been in possession of a single owner since 1995, when it was purchased from Robert Miller Gallery in New York. Bidding on the work took place in Leslie Hindman Auctioneers’ Chicago saleroom, online and over the phone. With over ten phone bidders competing for the drawing, it eventually sold to New York art dealer and consultant Anthony Grant. Strong phone bidding caused the Mitchell to surpass presale expectations, selling for over double its presale estimate of $400,000 – $600,000. “Beyond its aesthetic merits, Mitchell is having something of a market moment,” said Zack Wirsum, Senior Specialist Post War and Contemporary Art at Leslie Hindman Auctioneers. “It’s incredible that she was able to achieve the same aggressive energy as she did in her paintings with a delicate media like pastel.” Also setting an auction record, Otley by Larry Zox realized $45,000, making it the most expensive piece sold at auction by the artist. It highly exceeded expectations, selling for three times the high estimate of $15,000. Brazilian Light by Kenneth Noland was another highlight of the Post War and Contemporary Art auction. The painting carried a presale estimate of $80,000 – $120,000 and sold for $187,500. Additional examples that surpassed high estimates include 2 Slaves #2 and White Dog 2 by Jonas Wood, which sold for $131,250 (estimated at $50,000 – $70,000) and Black Jack by Gene Davis, which sold for $68,000 against a presale estimate of $30,000 – $50,000. The Post War and Contemporary Art auction was followed by a Fine Prints afternoon sale. Auction highlights from the prints auction included several works by Andy Warhol. The artist’s Superman realized $200,000 and was the top selling lot of the sale. Now holding an auction record, Mick Jagger (F. & S. II.144) sold for $62,500 against a presale estimate of $25,000 – $35,000. Another Warhol Mick Jagger (F. &S. II.139) realized $52,500 (estimated at $20,000 $40,000). Additional results can be found online at lesliehindman.com. The Fine Art department is now accepting consignments for December Post War and Contemporary Art and Fine Print auctions.
The August 27 Important Jewelry auction at Leslie Hindman Auctioneers will feature examples of fancy colored diamonds, colored stones, antique and signed pieces. The sale includes a multitude of items from private jewelry collections and large estates. One example is a 31.61 carat antique cushion cut Fancy Intense Yellow diamond estimated at $275,000 – 325,000. This 31.61 yellow diamond comes to auction from a private collector in Chicago. The collector has personally worn and cherished the diamond for several decades. Graded by the GIA as Fancy Intense Yellow with VS1 clarity, the diamond’s impressive size and cut make it a rarity among yellow diamonds. Numerous other examples of fancy colored diamonds are to be featured in the sale. Highlights include a Fancy Intense Green-Blue diamond ring with Pink-Purple diamond side stones, which holds an estimate of $200,000 – 300,000, a pair of Fancy Vivid Yellow and Fancy Deep Orangy Pink diamond earrings with a presale estimate of $100,000 – 150,000 and an 8.10 carat Fancy Yellow diamond ring estimated at $85,000 – 125,000. Signed property by notable designers Harry Winston, Tiffany & Co., David Webb and Cartier are represented in the sale. This includes, a platinum and diamond brooch designed by Jacques Timey for Harry Winston, estimated at $25,000 – 35,000 (Lot 136). The brooch comes from the Estate of Muriel Kamp of Palm Beach Gardens, Florida. Tiffany & Co. highlights include an Art Deco platinum and diamond bracelet ($16,000 – 22,000) (Lot 65) and a Victorian platinum topped rose gold and diamond brooch ($20,000 – 30,000). Another notable Tiffany & Co. highlight features rare Yogo Gulch Montana sapphires and diamonds. This important Edwardian bracelet comes from a prominent shipbuilding estate in New York and is estimated at $140,000 – 240,000. Other featured sapphires include a 10.73 carat unheated Burmese sapphire in a Victorian yellow gold and diamond setting offered at $35,000 – 55,000 from a private collection, and a vintage 18 karat yellow gold, sapphire and diamond bypass ring by Cartier ($10,000 – 15,000) . A Retro Oscar Heyman and Brothers sapphire, ruby, and diamond bird of paradise brooch adds a patriotic feel to the signed highlights. The firm is pleased to be handling these esteemed collections from across the country. Highlights from the sale will be on preview in Chicago on August 23 – 26. The auction will be conducted in the Chicago saleroom and online August 27.
On February 22nd, Leslie Hindman Auctioneers will sell property from the estate of Philip and Mary Hulitar. The Hulitars lived on North Ocean Boulevard in a 12,062-square-foot oceanfront home. The home was designed by Marion Sims Wyeth, a prominent architect who also designed Mar-a-Lago. Both the exterior and interior offered a classic Palm Beach aesthetic with colorfully themed and synchronized rooms. Philip Hulitar served as the Head of Women’s Design at Bergdorf Goodman before opening his own design firm for women’s fashion in 1949. He went on to gain global recognition through the 1950s for his sophisticated collections. He retired from the industry in 1964, renting his home in Glen Cove, Long Island to Robert F. Kennedy, who was preparing to run for the Senate in New York. The Hulitars in turn took up residency in Palm Beach and soon after began restoring several historic homes on the island. Their contributions to Palm Beach are many. Notably, Philip Hulitar founded the Sculpture Garden for The Society of the Four Arts and went on to become Vice President and its chief benefactor. In recognition of his devotion, the board voted to name the public space The Philip Hulitar Sculpture Garden. Following his death, Mary Hulitar endowed a Welcome Garden to carry on the legacy of their commitments to the space. Enhancements continue to this day in ways that serve and carry out the vision of the Hulitars. Additionally, Mr. Hulitar was the first President of the Palm Beach Landmarks Commission and served as Vice President of the Hospice Guild of the Palm Beaches. Mary Hulitar was also very active in the Palm Beach community, serving on the boards of the Gerstenberg Hospice Center, named after her father, and The Society of the Four Arts. Mrs. Hulitar received many honors for her dedication to community service including being honored as a Town of Palm Beach Centennial Ambassador and the Hospice Foundation Hero Award. Included in the February auction, Property from the Estate of Philip and Mary Hulitar, will be highlights such as works by the artist Stephen Scott Young and from the School of George Chinnery, exquisite examples of Venetian blackamoor figures, Chinese export paintings and an extensive collection of silver. The layout of the home, as well as how it was decorated, reflects an era of entertaining where each room showcased an abundance of worldly objects. Leslie Hindman Auctioneers is thrilled to be handling the collection of a couple so influential to the history and community of Palm Beach. In addition to the February 22 auction, Leslie Hindman Auctioneers will conduct its first Sporting Art Sale on February 23, offering fine art, sculptures and silver from a prominent private collection of London.
The November 14 Modern Design auction at Leslie Hindman Auctioneers will include works by important American designers such as George Nakashima, Sam Maloof, William “Billy” Haines, Samuel Marx, Edward Wormley and Paul Evans. The sale will also feature a session of early 20th century design and a collection of property from Frank Lloyd Wright’s Avery Coonley Playhouse, including custom Nakashima furniture. The Coonley collection includes furniture by George Nakashima that was custom built for the playhouse when updated in the 1980s by the consignors of the collection. Nakashima is known to have preferred working on commission as opposed to mass-producing his designs. The custom Nakashima furniture was executed in 1989, making it some of the last works by the designer who died in 1990. Having trained under Antonin Raymond in Tokyo, who was at one time a student of Frank Lloyd Wright, Nakashima’s design naturally tied the traditional aesthetic of the Avery Coonley Playhouse to a more modern one. Highlights of the collection include a pair of Kornblut cabinets by Nakashima, which were nestled next to the iconic Avery Coonley Playhouse fireplace, alongside original period works by Frank Lloyd Wright and Gustav Stickley. Each showcases iconic Nakashima elements such as his use of American black walnut. The doors conceal an adjustable shelf, and they are signed and dated on the interior. They will be offered with a $40,000 – 60,000 presale estimate. Other Nakashima highlights from the collection include a pair of Conoid Cushion lounge chairs, 1989, with a presale estimate of $15,000 – 20,000 and a pair of end tables with bookend tops, 1989, estimated at $10,000 – 15,000. In addition to furniture from the Avery Coonley Playhouse, there are many other notable items by important American designers included in the auction. One example is Sam Maloof’s Armchair No. 16, 1971, which has a presale estimate of $8,000 – 12,000. Furniture by William “Billy” Haines will be available such as a table with four chairs circa 1950 and a pair of blue velvet and brass chairs circa 1940, both estimated at $3,000 – 5,000. The Propeller table designed in 1925 by Samuel Marx will be offered with an estimate of $5,000 – 7,000. Among American design will be a collection of furniture by Edward Wormley for Dunabr, including his coffee table model no. 5309, which has a presale estimate of $7,000 – 9,000. There will also be a selection of items by Paul Evans such as his Stalagmite dining table, model PE-102 estimated at $7,000 – 9,000. From the session of early 20th century design, a collection of Art Deco objects includes a display case in the style of Jules Leleu ($4,000 – 6,000), a Eugene Schoen credenza from the Morris Cafritz residence ($3,000 – 5,000) and a Gilbert Rohde Formal Dining Group cabinet for Herman Miller ($2,000 – 4,000). The November 14 auction will include a selection of art glass, such as Dale Chihuly’s Gray Seafoam Macchia Group, 1982, estimated at $8,000 – 12,000, as well as a large grouping of cameo glass. Following the November 14 Modern Design auction will be an online-only sale devoted to glass decorative objects: the November 15 Classic Glass auction. Catalogues for both sales are available online at hindmanauctions.com. The previews for both sales will open Friday, November 10 in the Chicago saleroom of Leslie Hindman Auctioneers.
The November 5 and 6 Arts of the American West auction at Leslie Hindman Auctioneers, Denver will include property from a Midwestern museum that features a strong showing of historic Western American paintings and bronzes by artists such as Charles M. Russell, Eanger Irving Couse, Frank Tenney Johnson, O.C. Seltzer, William Robinson Leigh, Edgar Samuel Paxson, Herman Wendelborg Hansen, Olaf Wieghorst, Frank McCarthy, Charles Henry Humphriss and Harry Jackson, among others. Also of note is a collection of Thomas C. Molesworth furniture being sold to benefit the Buffalo Bill Center of the West in Cody, Wyoming. Other offerings from various private collections from across the country include American Indian art and artifacts, a selection of pueblo pottery, Navajo textiles, basketry, beadwork and fine Native American jewelry. From the Midwestern museum collection of Western American paintings is Eanger Irving Couse’s Sacred Rain Bowl, oil on canvas, estimated at $100,000 – 150,000, William Robinson Leigh’s The Roper, oil on canvas, estimated at $100,000 – 150,000, Charles M. Russell’s watercolor, Pointing Out the Trail, circa 1889, which carries a presale estimate of $100,000 – 150,000 and Frank Tenney Johnson’s Rocky Steeps, oil on canvas, estimated at $40,000 – 60,000. Among the selection of Thomas C. Molesworth designed and executed furnishings are a wood dining room table with iron horseshoe decoration and four matching leather upholstered benches estimated at $12,000 – 18,000, a leather and Chimayo upholstered loveseat with attached side tables estimated at $6,000 – 8,000 and a pair of side tables with routed thunderbird motif with tacked leather tops estimated at $600 – 800. All will be sold to benefit the Buffalo Bill Center of the West. Among highlights of the American Indian art session are over 100 lots from the private collection of Ruth and Robert Vogele, Burr Ridge, Illinois. This thoughtfully assembled collection includes works by some of the most respected pueblo pottery artisans such as Margaret Tafoya, Lucy Lewis, Maria Martinez, Santana and Adam, Maria and Julian Martinez and Fannie Nampeyo, to name a few. The collection includes a selection of fine Indian jewelry by Hopi artist Charles Loloma and others such as Gail Bird and Yazzie Johnson, Victor Beck and Richard Chavez. Highlights from the Vogele collection include a 1986 polished redware olla by Margaret Tafoya, “Corn Blossom,” estimated at $5,000 – 7,000, a Blackfeet beaded youth vest, circa 1900, estimated at $1,500 – 2,500, and a gold, lapis lazuli, coral and turquoise cuff bracelet by Charles Loloma with a presale estimate of $15,000 – 25,000. The sale will include property in all categories from various private collections across the U.S. including Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Montana, New York, Nevada, Pennsylvania and Wyoming. Among the highlights from various consignors is Fremont Ellis’ Horses in Santa Fe Canyon, 1935, oil on canvas, $25,000 – 35,000, an Allan Houser steatite sculpture, I Will Wait For You, $8,000 – 12,000, Thomas Hill’s Indians in Yosemite, 1899, oil on canvas, $20,000 – 30,000 and other works by Conrad Schwiering, Joe Abbrescia, G. Harvey and William Sanderson. Also of particular note are a Navajo Germantown Eye Dazzler blanket, late 19th Century, estimated at $12,000 – 16,000, a matching pair of Sioux beaded hide possible bags, circa 1900, estimated at $3,000 – 5,000 and a 14 karat yellow gold, turquoise, lapis and coral cuff bracelet by Charles Loloma with a presale estimate of $20,000 – 25,000. Another highlight worthy of mention is a rare multi-colored stained glass window designed and executed by famed artist Charles Loloma, (Hopi, 1921-1991). Possibly one-of-a-kind, this window was commissioned for the offices of a Phoenix collector in 1980, and each piece of vibrantly colored glass was hand selected by Loloma. The window was uninstalled when the office building was sold in 1987 and has not been publicly displayed since.
The September fine art auctions at Leslie Hindman Auctioneers began with an American and European Art auction September 27, followed by Post War and Contemporary Art and Fine Prints auctions on September 28. The Chicago saleroom had active bidders for all three sales, but most of the competitive bidding on top lots happened with phone bidders who drove up prices for numerous items above high estimates. This included Jean Dubuffet’s acrylic on paper Site avec 3 personnages (from Psycho-sites series), 1981, which sold for $203,000 against a $100,000 – 150,000 presale estimate. Also significantly acceding high estimates was Theodoros Stamos’ Untitled (from the High Snow, Low Sun Series), c. 1962-63, which sold for $155,000, and Louise Nevelson’s painted wood Moon Zag III, 1984, which sold for $125,000, both against $60,000 – 80,000 presale estimates. Fernando Botero’s Woman Dancer, 1988, sold for $209,000. Top prices realized at the evening Fine Prints auction included examples by Andy Warhol, Joan Miro, Bridget Riley, Henri Mattise and Pablo Picasso. Prior to the September 28 auctions was an American and European Art auction conducted September 27. Winslow Homer’s 1867 Coming Through the Rye sold for $341,000. Doubling the high estimate was a Fernando Cueto Amorsolo titled Return of the Fisherman, 1958, which sold for $81,250. John Marshall Gamble’s 1921 Spring Morning also performed well, realizing $75,000. The fine art departments at Leslie Hindman Auctioneers are currently accepting consignments for December sales.
Leslie Hindman Auctioneers’ September Asian Works of Art sale drew strong bidding for Chinese paintings, jade and bronze articles in particular. Many of the sale’s top lots were sold to buyers in mainland China who were participating via phone, closing many lots well above high estimates. A scroll ink and color painting with the signature of Xia Gui sold for $118,750 (estimated at $2,000 – 4,000) and another attributed to Fu Baoshi sold for $50,000 (estimated at $3,000 – 5,000). Both sold to phone bidders in China who were bidding against many other international phone bidders. Four embroidered silk wall panels exceeded expectations, selling for $45,000 against a $5,000 – 7,000 estimate. Numerous jade items performed well against estimates such as a pair of fine white jade bowls, with an estimate of $15,000 – 25,000, that sold for $60,000 and a carved jade tripod censer and cover, which sold for $21,250 against a $20,000 – $25,000 presale estimate. Bronze articles were among many of the sale’s top lots sold. These included a hardstone inset gilt bronze circular dragon box and cover, which sold for $37,500, a Sino-Tibetan parcel-gilt bronze figure of four-armed Avalokiteshvara, which sold for $32,500, and a parcel gilt-bronze incense burner, which sold for $25,000. Also of interest was a large bronze model of a dragon, which sold for $15,000 against a $700 – 900 presale estimate. Many of the top lots were offered from passionate Chinese art collectors and estates and had strong provenance while being recently fresh to the market. The provenance and high quality of the Chinese and Japanese items drew high prices, showing continued strength in the category.
J.T. Palmatary’s rare birds-eye view of pre-fire Chicago sold just shy of $200,000 in Leslie Hindman Auctioneers’ September 13 Fine Books and Manuscripts auction conducted in Chicago. The Chicago map was printed in 1857 by Braunhold & Sonne and is one of four known copies. The three other copies are held by the Library of Congress, the Newberry Library and the Chicago History Museum. The example offered by Leslie Hindman Auctioneers was the only known obtainable copy of the map in private hands. Having sold to a collector in Chicago, it remains in private hands. “As the map is one of only four known copies, we’re thrilled that it sold to a Chicago area collector,” said Gretchen Hause, Director of Fine Books and Manuscripts at Leslie Hindman Auctioneers. Palmatary is known for his aerial views of cities. The birds-eye view of Chicago was completed just one year after the Illinois Central Railroad was built, which appears in the foreground of the map. Another notable feature is an area called “The Sands,” visible in the lower right-hand corner. Notorious in its time, the area was known for having a high concentration of brothels, gambling dens, saloons and inexpensive motels. In 1871, during the Great Chicago Fire, the Sands became a point of refuge for displaced Chicagoans. Palmatary detailed notable places in the city, as depicted on the map via a lower margin legend. The view includes street names, homes, churches and points of industrial interest. “The market remains strong for rare material in excellent condition. Both of these things contributed to the high price realized for Palmatary’s Chicago map,” said Hause. The Fine Books and Manuscripts department is now accepting consignments for its December auction. Visit hindmanauctions.com for additional information.
The September fine art auctions at Leslie Hindman Auctioneers begin with an American and European Art auction September 27, followed by Post War and Contemporary Art and Fine Prints auctions on September 28. Leading the American and European Art auction are paintings by important American artists, including Winslow Homer’s 1867 Coming Through the Rye. It will be offered from a private collection with a $400,000 – 600,000 presale estimate. The painting is one of two that are titled Coming Through the Rye, both completed by Winslow Homer in France in 1867. The version being offered by Leslie Hindman Auctioneers is the more finished of the two and is thus more likely the one shown in early exhibitions, including a reception held at the Tenth Street Studio Building on March 27, 1873. The painting sold a few months later at an auction held at the Somerville Art Gallery that year. The other version is now in the permanent collection at the Figge Art Museum in Davenport, Iowa. The Winslow Homer title “Coming Through the Rye” is drawn from a poem by Robert Burns, describing a woman who is captured by a lover while coming through a field of rye. But while Burns’ poem is somewhat bawdy, Homer’s woman holds her hands in a defensive posture, as if protecting her virginity, and her eyes are downcast, as if avoiding social contact. Nonetheless, the title makes explicit a romantic undercurrent to the painting, which was surely a large part of its appeal to 19th century viewers. Offered from the same private collection as the Winslow Homer is a 1903 painting by Childe Hassam titled Nude. It has a presale estimate of $80,000 – 120,000 and will be included in the forthcoming catalogue raisonné of the artist’s work prepared by Kathleen M. Burnside and Stuart P. Feld. Among other American highlights are John Marshall Gamble’s Spring Morning, 1921, estimated at $70,000 – 90,000, and two paintings by Daniel Ridgway Knight: An Idle Moment, estimated at $50,000 – 70,000, and Captivite, 1874, estimated at $40,000 – 60,000. Also available will be a painting by Elizabeth Jane Gardner Bouguereau, Cornelia and her Jewels, 1870, that has a presale estimate of $30,000 – 50,000. Works by Jean Dufy, John Stobart, Fernando Cueto Amorsolo, Le Pho, Eastman Johnson and Maximilien Luce, among many others, will be offered in the American and European Art auction. Following the American and European Art auction will be the September 28 Post War and Contemporary Art auction and Fine Prints evening sale. Highlights of the Post War and Contemporary Art auction include a 1988 Fernando Botero bronze, Woman Dancer. It has a presale estimate of $200,000 – 300,000 and will be offered from a private collection. Jean Dubuffet’s Site avec 3 personnages from the artist’s Psycho-sites series will be offered with a presale estimate of $100,000 – 150,000. The sale includes an untitled work by Theodoros Stamos and George Rickey’s 1964 Seven Rotors Five Cylinders, both estimated at $60,000 – 80,000. The Fine Prints evening auction includes a 1978 Joan Miro, Mambo, with a presale estimate of $30,000 – 50,000, a 1959 Pablo Picasso, Femme Couchée et Homme à la Guitare, estimated at $20,000 – 30,000 and a Henri Matisse, Odalisque au Coffret Rouge, estimated at $20,000 – 30,000. Examples by Andy Warhol include Portraits of the Artists, 1967, ($20,000 – 30,000) and Marilyn Monroe, 1967, ($50,000 – 70,000). The Fine Prints sale includes a number of Wesselmann, Lichtenstein and Miro prints. Other highlights include prints of Barnett Newman, Joan Mitchell, Claes Oldenburg and Bridget Riley.
The September 13 Fine Books and Manuscripts auction will include J.T. Palmatary’s birds-eye view of pre-fire Chicago. The Chicago map was printed in 1857 by Braunhold & Sonne and is one of four known copies. Three other copies are held by the Library of Congress, the Newberry Library and the Chicago History Museum. The example to be offered by Leslie Hindman Auctioneers is the only obtainable copy of the map in private hands. None other can be traced back to auction in the past 100 years. Palmatary is known for his aerial views of cities. The birds-eye view of Chicago was finished just one year after the Illinois Central Railroad was completed, which appears in the foreground of the map. Opened in 1856, the Illinois Central was the longest railroad in the world, running 705 miles from Cairo, Illinois. The tracks were built on trestles, protected by breakwaters and dikes, on a strip of land several hundred feet out into Lake Michigan. The lakefront land was originally designated for public use in 1836, but after months of fighting with City Council the Illinois Central was granted use of the land. Another notable feature of the Chicago map is an area called “The Sands,” visible in the lower right-hand corner. Notorious in its time, the area was known for having a high concentration of brothels, gambling dens, saloons and inexpensive motels. In 1871, during the Great Chicago Fire, the Sands became a point of refuge for displaced Chicagoans. Palmatary detailed other notable places in the city, as depicted on the map via a lower margin legend. The view includes street names, homes, churches and points of industrial interest. Palmatary’s Chicago map, estimated at $20,000 – 30,000, is one of over 100 maps that appear in the cartography session of the Fine Books and Manuscripts sale. Others include DuVal’s Le Canada faict par le Sr. de Champlain, Paris, 1664 ($15,000 – 20,000); Coronelli’s Globe Gore: The Great Lakes and Mississippi, 1688 ($5,000 – 7,000) and Schedel’s World Map, 1493 ($5,000 – 7,000). Other sessions included in the sale are fine printed books, Americana and natural history. Highlights from the fine printed books session include a section of exploration documentation such as Travels in Egypt and Nubia by Frederick Lewis Norden, estimated at $4,000 – 6,000. Other examples of printed books include Raphael’s Loggie di Rafaele nel Vaticano, Rome, 1772, estimated at $6,000 – 8,000. Fine bindings include an example of 18th Century German mosaique binding estimated at $800 – 1,200. The Americana session will offer a first English printing of the Declaration of Independence, The Remembrancer, London, 1776 (estimated at $1,500 – 2,500) and a copy of Abraham Lincoln’s Speech of Hon. Abraham Lincoln, Delivered in Springfield…July 17, 1858, estimated at $600 – 800. Offered in the natural history session will be Audubon’s Carolina Turtle Dove, watermarked 1833, with a presale estimate of $8,000 – 12,000.
Numerous items from the Mary Griggs Burke Collection of the Minnesota Historical Society were among top results of the July 17 – 18 Fine Furniture, Decorative Arts and Silver auction at Leslie Hindman Auctioneers, including a 16th century Turkish rug. Over 95% of lots from the Historical Society sold, including six of the sale’s top ten lots. Two of the top results of sale from the Mary Griggs Burke Collection were important rugs, including a 19th century Agra rug that sold for $53,750 to a London buyer. A smaller rug, initially catalogued as Caucasian, was determined to be a Turkish “Lotto” rug named for carpet designs featured in works by the Venetian painter Lorenzo Lotto (1480-1557) and dating to the 16th century. The Lotto rug sold for $50,000 to a New York buyer. Also among the top ten prices realized was a Venetian painted commode that sold for $32,500. Other property from the Minnesota Historical Society included a Flemish wool tapestry that sold for $25,000 to a buyer in the saleroom (estimated at $5,000 – 7,000), a Continental alabaster plaque that sold for $20,000 to a U.K. buyer (estimated at $800 – 1,200) and an Italian School painting from the 17th century titled Titian-Haired Lady, Richly Attired, with Young Attendant, which sold to a Belgian buyer for $15,000 against a $6,000 – 8,000 presale estimate. “Mary Griggs Burke needs little introduction,” says Specialist Corbin Horn. “Her property is among the top collections disseminated in the last few decades, and her contributions to the Metropolitan Museum and the Minneapolis Institute of Art point to a bygone era of both wealth and scholarship in collecting.” Other objects among top results were a monumental Victorian clock, its case attributed to R.J. Horner, which sold for $68,750 (estimated at $10,000 – 20,000) and a Louis XV style fireplace signed by the renowned Parisian firm of François Linke, which sold for $27,500 against a $5,000 – 7,000 presale estimate. A superlative George II giltwood mirror estimated at $2,000 – 4,000 sold for $15,000 to a U.K. buyer. The Fine Furniture, Decorative Arts and Silver department at Leslie Hindman Auctioneers conducts four auctions annually and is currently accepting consignments for its October auction. Visit hindmanauctions.com for additional results and information.
Leslie Hindman Auctioneers’ May fine art sales featured highlights from numerous estates, which included three of the top selling lots by Rosemarie Trockel, Henri Le Sidaner and Thomas Hart Benton. The May 23 and 24 Post War and Contemporary Art, Fine Prints and American and European Art auctions realized over 4.6 million with nearly 25% of lots sold selling above high estimates. Top selling lots in the May 24 American and European Art auction agreed with the current uptick the Impressionist and Modern market has shown so far in 2017. Offered from an estate in St. Louis, Missouri was a Thomas Hart Benton still life from 1962 with a presale estimate of $100,000 – 200,000. With numerous bidders participating via phone, three bidders emerged who actively bid until the painting sold for $455,000. The winning bidder was from the Midwest, competing against bidders in California and New York. “Since the Benton still life came from a private collection in Missouri, it drew additional interest being offered from the artist’s home state,” said Kara Kelpe, Business Development Manager St. Louis. “And we’re pleased to see it return to Missouri.” From another Missouri estate, Henri Le Sidaner’s Vieilles maisons à Chartres, 1921, estimated at $200,000 – 400,000 realized $413,000 and sold to a buyer in London. Other top results included the cover lot, Jules Breton’s Brittany Girl at Well, c. 1870. Fresh to market from a private collection, it sold for $161,000, well above its presale estimate of $20,000 – 40,000. Jean Dufy’s Nature morte au bouquet sold for $112,500 against an estimate of $50,000 – 70,000. Included in the May 23 Post War and Contemporary Art auction was a Rosemarie Trockel, o.T. (Pro), 1986, offered from a Chicago estate. From the artist’s Knit Painting series, it sold for $389,000 against a presale estimate of $300,000 – 500,000. Several examples far exceeded expectations and estimates such as Richard Lin’s Composition-Three Circles I, 1960, which sold for $151,400 against a $50,000 – 70,000 presale estimate, selling to a buyer in London. “Collectors of Lin, mainly in Asia and London, are very serious about repatriating the artist’s paintings,” said Head of Sale Zachary Wirsum. “The painting sold is an early example from when Lin started showing with Gimpel Fils in London, which contributed to its high price realized.” Additional highlights from the Postwar and Contemporary Art auction included High Snow-Low Sun A, 1961, from Theodoros Stamos’ High Snow-Low Sun series, which sold for $197,000 (estimated at $60,000 – 80,000) and Sam Gilliam’s Butterflies Are, 1976, which sold for $137,000 (estimated at $80,000 – 120,000). Two Andy Warhol’s from his Cowboys and Indians series were offered in the afternoon Fine Prints sale, May 23. The images of John Wayne and Annie Oakley are two of ten works from the series that was printed in 1986 and is recognized as one of Warhol’s last before his death in 1987. The portrait of John Wayne was estimated at $30,000 – 40,000 and sold for $62,500. The portrait of Annie Oakley was estimated at $20,000 – 30,000 and sold for $40,000. Additional results for the sales can be found on hindmanauctions.com.
Leslie Hindman Auctioneers’ May fine art sales will include Post War and Contemporary Art and Fine Prints auctions on May 23 and an American and European Art auction on May 24. Property from important estates and collections offer many of the sales’ highlights, which include paintings by Rosemarie Trockel, Sam Gilliam, Jean Paul Riopelle, Theodoros Stamos, Henri Le Sidaner, Thomas Hart Benton and Frederick Carl Frieseke. From the Estate of Phyllis Warsaw, Chicago, Illinois is a 1986 Rosemarie Trockel, o.T. (Pro). Made of knitted wool on canvas, it carries a presale estimate of $300,000 – 500,000. Coming of age artistically in the male dominated German art scene, Trockel distinguished herself from the luminary figures of Beuys, Kiefer, Polke and Richter by aligning herself with gallerist Monica Sprüth, whose eponymous gallery carried a predominately female roster. Executed in 1986, o.T. (Pro) is one of the more starkly minimal works from the artist’s Knit Painting series, taking a more subversive route. Another sculptural highlight from the sale is an H.C. Westermann box made of walnut, ebony, pine and bronze. Westermann created Untitled (for Caroline Lee) as a gift for fellow Chicago sculptor, and then sweetheart, Caroline Lee around 1956. Aside from her romantic role, Lee was an employee of the Allan Frumkin Gallery and introduced Westermann to his future and long term gallerist. The box is accompanied by illustrated love postcards from Westermann to Lee and is estimated at $30,000 – 50,000. Other highlights from the Postwar and Contemporary Art auction include Sam Gilliam’s Butterflies Are, 1976 and Jean Paul Riopelle’s Envol II, 1958, both estimated at $80,000 – 120,000. Also available is High Snow-Low Sun A, 1961 from Theodoros Stamos’ High Snow -Low Sun series. The May 24 American and European Art sale includes highlights from the Estate of Alyn and Marlyn Essman of St. Louis, Missouri and from the collection of Beverly Pierson, Carmichael Bradley of Kansas City, Missouri. From the Essman collection will be offered a Thomas Hart Benton still life from 1962 with a presale estimate of $100,000 – 200,000. Also from the collection are two Jean Dufys, Promenade avenue Foch estimated at $10,000 – 15,000 and Nature morte au bouquet, 1927, estimated at $50,000 – 70,000. From the Bradley collection are mainly French highlights such as Henri Le Sidaner’s Vieilles maisons à Chartres, 1921, estimated at $200,000 – 400,000, Henry Moret’s Paysage a Pont-Aven, 1894, estimated at $30,000 – 50,000 and Gustave Loiseau’s Vase de fleurs et statuettes, 1908, estimated at $10,000 – 15,000. The Fine Prints sale will feature Joan Miro, Pablo Picasso, Tom Wesselmann, Keith Haring, Gustave Baumann, Robert Motherwell and Roy Lichtenstein. Highlights of the sale include two Andy Warhols from his Cowboys and Indians series. The images of John Wayne and Annie Oakley are two of ten works from the series that was printed in 1986 and is recognized as one of Warhol’s last before his death in 1987. The previews for the May 23 and 24 fine art auctions will be held in Leslie Hindman Auctioneers’ Chicago saleroom at 1338 West Lake Street and will open Friday, May 19. The sales will be conducted live and online at LH Live and Bidsquare. For more information or to view the online catalogue visit hindmanauctions.com.
The May 6 and 7 Arts of the American West auction at Leslie Hindman Auctioneers drew hundreds of collectors and dealers to the auction firm’s Denver saleroom, with hundreds more participating globally online. The sale had a 93% sale-through rate, showing impressive interest in the category, especially for jewelry, American Indian artifacts and contemporary western art. The auction realized over $850,000. Hopi jewelry by designer Charles Loloma sold particularly well. Three of the sale’s tops lots were Loloma pieces from the Estate of Betty Melaver. The highlight of the collection was a Hopi gold, turquoise, coral, sugilite bracelet, which sold for $48,750 following intense bidding in the room, on the phone and online. It was estimated at $25,000 – 35,000. Additionally, a Hopi 18 karat gold, turquoise and coral pendant sold for $13,750, well above its $6,000 – $8,000 pre-sale estimate, and a Hopi silver, turquoise, lapis and multi-gem bracelet sold for $12,500. Lastly, a Charles Loloma Hopi 18 karat gold and multi-gem ring sold above estimate at $5,250. The American Indian objects sold to benefit the acquisition fund of the Denver Art Museum performed well across the board. Objects from the collection included Indian baskets from indigenous tribes across the United States, plain’s and plateau beadwork, Navajo textiles, Northwest Coastal masks and other artifacts. “Fresh to the market property with institutional provenance or from a private collection is always exciting to the collecting community,” said auctioneer Maron Hindman. “The phone lines and online bidding barely ebbed in the slightest over the two day auction.” There were a number of surprises in the auction that seemed to enhance the overall energy in the room. Their was intense interest on a rare, late 19th century Pawnee beaded quiver and bowcase, which sold for $17,500 against a $3,000 – $5,000 estimate and in rough condition. Other examples include a colorful Navajo wedge-weave blanket that sold for $15,000 (estimated at $4,000 – 6,000) and a Shoshone beaded hide dress that sold for $10,625 (estimated at $6,000 – 8,000). Contemporary western art sales were strong including works by living artists such as John Nieto whose Reclining Apache sold for $16,250 and California artist Howard Post whose Canyon Road sold for $12,500. Additional highlights included Robert Daughter’s Church at Arroyo Seco and Gary Niblett’s San Geronimo Feast Day which both fetched $12,500. Other highlights of the sale included a redware vase by Santa Clara Pueblo artist Tami Garcia, which fetched $8,750 and an incised redware bowl by Margaret Tafoya, which sold for $4,500. The western enthusiasts actively bid on the collection of custom made Bohlin buckles, cowboy hats and accessories as well as all of the western furniture and accessories. Strong results across the entire sale reflect positively on the interest in the arts of the American west market. The department is currently seeking consignments for its November Arts of the American West auction, which will feature the Ruth and Robert Vogele collection of pueblo pottery and Southwestern Jewelry.
The Ringling Brothers’ circus is making its last stand in cities across the country, and Leslie Hindman Auctioneers will help carry on its legacy by selling memorabilia from the historic past time on May 4. The “Greatest Show on Earth” will close in May of 2017 after 146 years of entertaining. Leslie Hindman Auctioneers is delighted to be auctioning one of the largest collections of circus memorabilia to come to auction from a private collection. Consigned by one of the few remaining friends of the Ringling family, Mr. Richard Bennett, the collection includes circus posters and broadsides, photographs, circus equipment and ephemera. The collection represents circuses such as the Cole Bros. Circus, Adam and Seils Circus, Tom Mix Circus, and Sells Floto Circus, but the majority of property is from the Ringling Bros., Barnum and Bailey, and Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey circuses. As a young man, Mr. Bennett met Henry Ringling’s wife, Ida B. Palmer Ringling, at Devil’s Lake, Wisconsin where both families had summer homes. Born and raised in Elgin, Illinois, Mr. Bennett took an early interest in the traveling circus shows he attended as a young man. He struck up a friendship with Mrs. Ida Ringling while staying at the lake. The Ringlings owned what was once called “South Shore Lodge” and had a two story brown house on the south shore. “I would visit her often, and we would talk about the old days in show business,” said Mr. Bennett. “I have all of her letters addressed to me stating the next time I was back to stop in because she had things from the circus for me.” Eventually, Mr. Bennett spent time in Baraboo and worked at the Circus World Museum as a clown in 1964. He would go on to travel and perform on the east coast with various circus groups. His interest in collecting memorabilia inspired those he encountered to gift him with property from their outfits. One major contribution to his collection came from a former Postmaster Assembly in Baraboo, William Kasiska, who personally knew the Ringling family and was allowed to take what he wanted from their collection before they moved the circus to Bridgeport, Connecticut in 1918. “I was in show business for over 16 years and traveled with many circuses,” said Mr. Bennett. “My house looks like a circus museum, and many performers often stop to view the collection.” Getting their start in Baraboo, Wisconsin, the Ringling Brothers have had close ties to the city since 1884. The seven Ringling brothers were born in Baraboo and remained in the city until they moved their growing circus operation to Bridgeport, Connecticut in 1918. Original Ringling Brothers buildings still stand, and the Circus World Museum was built at its former winter headquarters. The majority of the Ringling family is buried at Baraboo Walnut Hill Cemetery. P.T. Barnum also got his start in Wisconsin, creating his circus in Delavan, Wisconsin where he first gained notoriety as a promoter of the strange and exotic. He opened “P.T. Barnum’s Grand Traveling Museum, Menagerie, Caravan and Hippodrome” in 1871 and merged with James Bailey’s circus in 1881. The Ringling Brothers bought Barnum and Bailey from Mrs. Bailey in 1907. The Feld family, along with Houston Judge Roy Hofheinz, purchased the circus in 1967 after it had already established its stadium model of permanent venues with ticketed seats, which started around 1957. They sold to Mattel in 1971 and bought it back in 1982. It has been a part of Feld Entertainment since Irvin Feld’s death in 1984. The announcement of its closing came in January of 2017, stating the circus would close in May of 2017. The final Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey show will be May 21 in Uniondale, New York. CEO of Feld Entertainment, Kenneth Feld, cited dwindling ticket sales and the removal of elephants from the acts amidst criticism from animal rights groups as reasons for the circus closing its doors. After decades of entertaining families across the country, the operation will leave behind a sense of nostalgia and reflection. While the spectacular and bizarre will live on, the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey circus will become an enterprise of the past and a part of American history. Leslie Hindman Auctioneers is pleased to bring this collection of memorabilia to auction, and to commemorate an icon of American entertainment. The catalogue will be available online starting in April with a preview of the collection opening Sunday, April 30 in Leslie Hindman Auctioneers’ Chicago headquarters. The sale will be conducted in the Chicago saleroom and online via LH Live and Bidsquare. More information: Circus Memorabilia Collection.