Rhode Island or possibly Massachusetts, circa 1760-1780
Cherry legs and stretchers, maple frame, expertly upholstered in reproduction flame stitch fabric, 49 x 25 ½ x 19 inches (height of legs 13 inches)
The tall stance and dynamic narrow proportions of this easy chair give it a unique stature. Only one published example approaches it in overall proportions, an easy chair from the Robb collection designated as MASTERPIECE in Albert Sack, The New Fine Points of Furniture, Early American (New York, 1993), p. 73. The average width of Rhode Island and Massachusetts easy chairs of this model is about 35 inches. At 25 ½ inches wide, our easy chair is the narrowest example of this form known to us. The form is beautifully composed with elegantly shaped arms and wings, a compressed arched crest, and tall, shell-carved cabriole legs with large pad feet. Similar shell-carvings are found on a maple easy chair at Bayou Bend and another in a New York private collection, both of conventional scale. The treatment of the center stretcher is also unusual, having ring turnings flanking the arrow shaped terminals of the central baluster. The front legs are joined to the seat rail with round tenons and the boldly raked rear legs attached by wedged joints, features more typical of Philadelphia than standard practice in Rhode island or Massachusetts easy chair construction where front legs are usually secured to the front corner of the seat frame by a large dovetail and the maple rear legs are extensions of the stiles of the rear corners of the frame. The craftsman who made our chair may have apprenticed under a master familiar with Philadelphia methods. Transference of Philadelphia construction features to Connecticut and elsewhere via apprenticeship is best exemplified by a craftsman like Eliphalet Chapin (1741-1807) of East Windsor, who returned from Philadelphia about 1771, where as a journeyman, he had absorbed the aesthetic and construction methods of that city’s cabinetmakers. This easy chair was part of a notable collection of American furniture assembled by Kenneth D. Milne and Diana Atwood proprietors of The Old Lyme Inn. Their collection included outstanding examples of early New England furniture, with strong representations of armchairs that included the famous Gaines armchair from the Taradash collection.
Provenance:
Collection Diana Atwood Johnson (formerly Mrs. Kenneth Milne), Old Lyme, CT
Possibly Pennsylvania, circa 1840-1860
Stone, 2 ¾ x 4 ¾ x 2 inches
This diminutive masterpiece depicts a recumbent lion facing forward on a rectangular platform. His sweet disposition is expressed in his singularly adorable face. He is endearingly clutching a treasured ball between his front paws. This is one of the great lion sculptures in American Folk Sculpture. It was a much loved treasure in the personal collections of two great dealers in American Folk Art, the Midwesterner David Pottinger and the New Yorker Marna Anderson, united in their shared admiration of this figure.
Provenance:
Collection of David Pottinger, Honeyville, IN, 1981; Collection of Marna Anderson, New Paltz, NY; “American Folk Art, Decorative Arts & Furniture: The Collection of Marna Anderson,” Skinner, Bolton, MA, March 21, 1998, lot 48; Collection of Fredrick Siegmund and Joanne Siegmund, New York and Bantam, CT
The William Snidow Farm
Giles County, Virginia, 1855
Oil on canvas, in a period veneered frame, 20 x 29 inches
A German émigré working in the style of the Dusseldorf Academy, Edward Beyer is recognized as the premier painter of panoramic landscapes of antebellum Virginia. Only a small number of his original oil paintings survive and rarely come to market. In 1855 Beyer also painted the nearby Lewis family homestead “Bellevue” and “A View of Salem,” which like the Snidow Farm, emphasize atmosphere, action, and drama. Beyer adeptly captured the verdant landscape of William Snidow’s farm, the meandering New River, and the Blue Ridge Mountains towering in the distance. According to a Giles County Deed Book, William Henry Snidow (1796-1863) acquired the sprawling property in 1836 after the death of his father, Colonel Christian Snidow (1760-1836). The house was built by William’s maternal grandfather, Captain Thomas Burke (1741-1808), who was the son of one of the earliest settlers west of the Allegheny Mountain Range. Inscribed on back of canvas in black paint: “View of Wm. H. Snidow’s Farm Giles, Co, Va / Painted from Nature by Ed. Beyer / Presented to Wm. H. Snidow by his friends / A. Hopp / Wm. Walten & / Ed. Beyer / Salem Va. Sept. 1855.” Mentioned in the inscription are almost certainly A. Hupp and William Walton who are listed as proprietors of Roanoke Red Sulphur Springs, a popular spa and tourist destination a short distance from the Snidow property and previously owned by William Burke (1769-1852), an uncle of William H. Snidow. In a further connection, Edward Beyer’s Album of Virginia (1858) includes a color lithograph of Roanoke Red Sulphur Springs. Additionally, William H. Snidow was a well-to-do lawyer very active in the affairs of Giles County and oversaw the creation of new roadways to accommodate spa tourism. The company owning Roanoke Red Sulphur Springs to which Hupp and Walton belonged appears to have been based in nearby Salem, Virginia, possibly explaining Salem as the place of the painting’s dedication, noted on the backside.
American, Possibly New York, circa 1890
Eastern white pine (by microanalysis), sheet iron horn, original metallic gold paint, on a custom-made museum base with hidden wheels for ease in moving
Angel: 65 x 23 x 31 inches, length of horn 48 inches, base: 31 x 20 x 24 inches
This nearly life-sized sculpture has a monumental presence. The representation of a male angel is boldly carved; dressed in billowing robes, he steps forward blowing a long metal horn held in his left hand and gestures forward with his right hand. Discovered in New York State, an exact identification and original location for this figure are unknown. In its depiction of a standing male angel without wings wearing a robe and blowing a horn, it is similar to figures representing the Angel Moroni, from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, The Mormon Church. The best known example of a statue of Moroni stands atop The Salt Lake Temple, and that piece is based on a plaster model sculpted by Cyrus Dallin in 1891. A firm identification is challenging because Moroni is depicted holding his trumpet in his right, rather than his left hand.
Provenance:
Found in New York State; David A. Schorsch and Eileen M. Smiles, Woodbury, CT; Private collection; Kelly Kinzle, New Oxford, PA
American, possibly Vermont, circa 1890
Cotton and wool, 26 x 43 ½ inches
This classic American hooked rug was designed with refined simplicity. It has a pleasing warm palette of soft pink and blue is set off against a variegated brown field. The composition is centered with flowers flanked by large side-facing hearts and red quadrants in the corners, within borders of wide and narrow multi-colored stripes. This rug comes from one of the finest private collections in the United States.
Provenance:
Found in Vermont; David A. Schorsch and Eileen M. Smiles, Woodbury, CT; Private collection
American, circa 1840
Watercolor and ink on paper, in original star-shaped frame, 7 ½ inches x 8 inches.
Likely the work of a child, this charming and small-sized watercolor retains its original and distinctive star-shaped frame. The frame is carved from a single piece of pine and retains its original painted surface.
Paint decorated bellows
Lynn, Lehigh County, Pennsylvania, 1847
Poplar, leather, iron, original painted decoration, inscribed in yellow paint on backside: “Conrad Kistler” / “1847”, 18 1/8 x 7 1/8 x 4 ¼ inches
This is one of four closely related bellows bearing the painted signature of Conrad Kistler known to us; the others include an assembled pair, one dated 1854 in a Pennsylvania collection and a single example dated 1855 was owned by us in 2007. Conrad Kistler was the son of Johannes Kistler (1750-1819) and Eva Maria Wiederstein (1750-1819). He was born October 1, 1786 in Lynn, Lehigh County, Pennsylvania, and died there on September 21, 1859. The 1820 census records “Conrad Kistler in Lynn Township, Lehigh County, Pennsylvania,” The 1850 census shows “Conrad Kistler, age 63, born about 1787 in Lynn, Township, Lehigh County, Pennsylvania.” According the Hilffrich Pastoral Records of Lehigh County Pennsylvania, 1790-1810, and 1816-1862, “Conrad Kistler died September 21, 1859, aged 72, died from weak stomach.”
Provenance:
H. Marshall Goodman, Richmond, VA; Robert E. Crawford, Manakin-Sabot, VA; Collection of Henry and Elizabeth Deyerle, Harrisonburg, VA; “The Collection of Dr. and Mrs. Henry P. Deyerle,” Sotheby’s, on site in Charlottesville, VA, May 26-27, 1995, lot 619; Collection of Ralph O. Esmerian, New York, formerly a promised gift to the American Folk Art Museum; “Visual Grace: Important American Folk Art from the collection of Ralph O. Esmerian,” Sotheby’s, New York, January 25, 2014, lot 602; David A. Schorsch and Eileen M. Smiles, Woodbury, CT; Private collection
Exhibited:
“American Radiance: The Ralph Esmerian Gift to the American Folk Art Museum,” American Folk Art Museum, New York, December 11, 2001-June 2, 2002.
Published:
Stacy C. Hollander, Ed., American Radiance: The Ralph Esmerian Gift to the American Folk Art Museum (New York, 2001), pages 177 and 462. no. 145.
Family record for Henry and Magdelina Uhle
Herkimer County, New York, 1817
Watercolor and ink on paper, fitted to museum standards in the original painted frame, 14 ¾ x 11 ¼ inches
This is a superb example of a fully developed William Murray family record, incorporating a complete repertoire of his signature elements. The quality of the work itself is enhanced by a superb state of preservation and original painted frame. The large central heart motif inscribed in block lettering: “HENRY UHLE was born the fourteenth of September in the year of our lord 1755 and married Magdelina Dygert the 9th of September in the year of our lord 1763” flanked by vertical rows of hearts and coffins recording the births of the Uhle children between 1785 and 1804, and the deaths of Henry in 1813 and Magdelina in 1815. The lower oval boldly inscribed “Drawn by William Murray October 20th 1817.”
Provenance:
Chris A. Machmer, Annville, PA; Collection of Mr. and Mrs. Samuel M. Palley, Huntington Valley, PA; “The Julie and Sandy Palley Collection of American Folk Art,” Sotheby’s, New York, January 10, 2002, lot 818; Private collection
Exhibited:
Painters of Record: William Murray and His School, Museum of American Folk Art, New York, 1990-1991.
American, circa 1890
Cast iron, tinned iron, original historic paint, 45 x 21 x 4 ¾ inches
On a modern table top base.
Please contact us for a full condition report.
This Fireman’s Helmet and Trumpet weathervane a very rare form, based on illustrated engravings that appear in at least two trade catalogs of New York manufacturers; The 1892 J. L. Mott catalog, plate 82-Q, and 1893 J. W. Fiske catalog, nos. 371-372. A copper vane of this same form was originally installed on the firehouse in Unadilla, Otsego County, New York has been attributed to Fiske.
Provenance:
Allan L. Daniel, New York; Collection of Robert and Betty Marcus, Palm Beach, Fl, by 1983; “Selections from the American Folk Art Collection of Mr. and Mrs. Robert P. Marcus,” Sotheby’s, New York, October 14, 1989, lot 42; Private collection, USA.
Exhibited:
“Two Centuries of American Folk Art: 19th & 20th Century Masterworks from the Collection of Mr. and Mrs. Robert P. Marcus,” Ritter Art Gallery, Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton, Florida, 1984, traveled to Florida Center for the Arts, Vero Beach, Florida, 1986; Sioux City Art Center, Sioux City, Iowa, 1987.
“Selections of 19th & 20th Century American Weathervanes from the Collection of Chase Manhattan Bank and Mr. & Mrs. Robert P. Marcus,” Ann Norton Sculpture Gardens, West Palm Beach, Florida, 1989.
Published:
David S. Miller and David W. Courtney, Two Centuries of American Folk Art: 19th & 20th Century Masterworks from the Collection of Mr. and Mrs. Robert P. Marcus (Boca Raton, Fl, 1984), p.
Rhode Island or Massachusetts, circa 1780 Maple, chestnut, white pine, with original hardware, 25 ½ x 30 x 14 ¾ inches
This is a finely miniaturized version of a classic New England tall chest, with split top drawers and bracket feet, and mellow color. The use of wooden-spring “Quaker” drawer locks and chestnut drawer linings are indicative of early case furniture made in Rhode Island and parts of southeastern Massachusetts. The original pierced Chippendale brasses of a rare design add an element of sophistication to this beautifully proportioned little gem.
Kitty
Spring Valley, Fillmore County, Minnesota, 1950
Pine, original pained decoration with sand and red glass gems, height 19 inches
Please contact us for a full condition report and historical documentation.
Although we are squarely rooted in the well established and classic tradition of eighteenth and nineteenth century American folk art, on certain rare occasions we venture into a special piece made in and reflective of the twentieth century. Such works must possess the quality, spirit, sincerity, and charm that, in our opinion, defy datelines. We consider this carved and painted wooden figure entitled “Kitty” to be just such a piece. Kitty was made by Harold William Ibach, a craftsman, printer, and keeper of an “odds and ends” shop in the town of Spring Valley, Minnesota, population 2479 in 2010. Harold William Ibach was the son of William Ibach (1870-1947) and Mattie Ibach (1868-1943). He was born August 30, 1906 in Spring Valley, Minnesota, and died May 2, 1993, unmarried. He was recorded as a self-employed woodworker with his own shop in the 1930 and 1940 Federal Census. He also operated a printing business, and was a civil defense director for Fillmore County in 1967.
Pennsylvania, circa 1790-1810
Mahogany, mahogany veneer, pine, 18 x 11 x 4 inches
Together with an English silver pair case pocket watch with verge movement by Peter Stockton, Liverpool, circa 1742, with watch paper for Robert Johnston, clock and watch maker, No 132 South Front Street, Philadelphia, 1839-1856
Please contact us for a full condition report.
This watch hutch is a Pennsylvania-German interpretation of the Chippendale style, of a rare large scale and fine carved ornamentation. It is distinguished by a molded broken arch pediment ending in turned colonettes, centering an urn and spire finial above a split-baluster applied plinth, the front panel with small circular aperture with molded edge, the corners with fan-carved quadrants, flanked by block-and- turned columns with carved twisted fluting, with base molding below.
Provenance:
Found in Lehigh County, PA; Steven F. Still, Elizabethtown, PA; David A. Schorsch, Woodbury, CT; The Marvill collection, White Plains, NY, 2004; Private collection, USA.
Isaac Orr and Mary Johnson Orr Corinth, Vermont, circa 1834 Each, watercolor and pencil on paper, 27 x 23 inches, mounted to museum standards in reproduction veneered frames
This pair of portraits depicting Isaac Orr (1804-1873) and his wife, Mary Johnson Orr (1808-1870) of Corinth, Vermont rank among the most powerful and highly stylized known examples by Dr. Samuel A. Shute. Painted two years before his untimely death at age 33, these extraordinary portraits are notably flamboyant and freely painted in a style unique to Samuel Shute. They were part of a commission that also included a smaller watercolor portrait of their daughter, Atlantis Orr (1831-1860), 17 x 14 inches, inscribed on back: “April, 1834, Atlantis Orr 2 years 7 months” now in a private collection, illustrated in A Sampler of Recent Acquisitions II (David A. Schorsch, New York, 1992).
Watercolor portraits by Samuel A. Shute are rare when compared to the body of work done together with or individually painted by his wife, Ruth W. Shute (1803-1882). An unusual and distinguishing characteristic of Samuel Shute’s most highly stylized portraits are stark white-painted faces exemplified in the portrait of Mary Johnson Orr and “Woman with two canaries” in Jean Lipman and Tom Armstrong, Eds., American Folk Painters of Three Centuries (New York, 1980), p. 165. Additional watercolor portraits by Samuel A. Shute include “Dr. and Mrs. Charles Chandler” of 1829 in Lipman and Armstrong, p. 167; “Gentleman wearing a striped waistcoat and Woman wearing a bonnet with pink ribbons” in Stacy C. Hollander, Ed., American Radiance, The Ralph Esmerian gift to The American Folk Art Museum, p. 54, plate 25a-b, and “Lady with a colored belt” in Marna Anderson, A Loving Likeness, American Folk Portraits of The Nineteenth Century (Princeton, NJ, 1992), p. 38.
Provenance: Found in St. Johnsbury, VT; Collection of Stephen Corrigan and Douglas Jackman, Rockingham, VT; Walters-Benisek, Northampton, MA; Private collection; Stephen Score, Boston, MA; David A. Schorsch and Eileen M. Smiles, Woodbury, CT; Private collection.
Probably Massachusetts, circa 1840-1860 Opaque watercolor on paper, 12 5/8 x 17 5/8 inches Cleaned and de-acidified, repair to vertical crease along right side from being previously folded; mounted to museum standards in a period frame
Provenance: Found in Sunderland, MA; Collection of Mr. and Mrs. Kenneth Hammitt, Woodbury, CT; Private collection; Thomas R. Longacre, Marlborough, NH; Frank and Barbara Pollack, Highland Park, IL; David A. Schorsch and Eileen M. Smiles, Woodbury, CT, 2007; Private collection, 2007-2020.
Exhibited: “American Folk Art from Connecticut Collections,” Newtown Historical Society, Newtown, CT, 1974. “The Cat in American Folk Art,” The Museum of American Folk Art, New York, 1976.
Published: Bruce Johnson, American Cat-alogue (New York, 1976), no. 28.
Federal Painted Tall-Case Clock Concord, New Hampshire, circa 1810 Birch, white pine, brass works, painted iron face, original brass finials, with original red paint, 92 x 20 x 9 ½ inches Saddle board stamped twice: “T.CHANDLER.”
With its rare original paint and handsome form, this is the finest known examples of a red-painted country Federal tall clock with original works by Major Timothy Chandler, one of the most celebrated New Hampshire clockmakers. It was formerly in the collection of Charles S. Parsons, Jr., a noted scholar of New Hampshire decorative arts, best known for the book The Dunlaps & Their Furniture. In 1976 Parsons described this clock as: “Figure 17… in its original red paint. Although it does not carry quarter columns in the waist, the size of the door adds an attractive appearance of pleasing proportions. The details of construction also indicate an experienced cabinetmaker who added a scrolled skirt and delicate fretwork.”
Provenance: Collection of Charles S. Parsons, Jr.
Published: Charles S. Parsons, Jr. New Hampshire Clocks & Clockmakers (Exeter, NH, 1976), pp. 22-23.
Book of school girl drawings
Boston, Massachusetts, 1826
Manufactured sketch book with brown and red marbleized paperboard covers, gold stamped red leather spine and edge, watercolor and graphite on paper, 10 ½ x 7 ½ inches
Title page inscribed: “Elizabeth Lincoln / July 1826 / Boston”
This book of school girl drawings includes thirty five individual pages of pictures comprising seventeen watercolors of flowers, some titled; two watercolors of neoclassical motifs; four watercolors of fruit; two watercolors of still-life compositions, including one having a glass bowl with applied mica chips; seven water landscapes, one torn, and three pencil sketches
Salem, Massachusetts, circa 1760 Walnut, maple, white pine, with original brasses, 69 x 38 x 19 inches
This is a classic example of a flat-top Queen Anne high chest made in Salem, Massachusetts, having the signature attributes of a distinctively scalloped apron with central diamond cut-out, spurred knee returns, and elegantly shaped cabriole legs with pad feet. This particular apron design is one of the most beautiful made in colonial America and occurs on a small number of Salem high chests regarded as the best of kind.
American, circa 1830
Watercolor on paper, in a period gilt frame with replaced eglomise glass, 20 ½ x 26 ½ inches
This colorful and nicely detailed schoolgirl watercolor is based on the well known engraving, “Mount Vernon in Virginia,” first published in 1800 by Francis Jukes (1745-1812). This view of Mount Vernon as depicted in this specific print was a popular subject for American school girl watercolors and needlework created during the first decades of the nineteenth century.
Queen Anne easy chair of rare small size
Rhode Island or possibly Massachusetts, circa 1760-1780
Queen Anne easy chair of rare small size
Rhode Island or possibly Massachusetts, circa 1760-1780 Cherry legs and stretchers, maple frame, expertly upholstered in reproduction flame stitch fabric, 49 x 25 ½ x 19 inches (height of legs 13 inches) The tall stance and dynamic narrow proportions of this easy chair give it a unique stature. Only one published example approaches it in overall proportions, an easy chair from the Robb collection designated as MASTERPIECE in Albert Sack, The New Fine Points of Furniture, Early American (New York, 1993), p. 73. The average width of Rhode Island and Massachusetts easy chairs of this model is about 35 inches. At 25 ½ inches wide, our easy chair is the narrowest example of this form known to us. The form is beautifully composed with elegantly shaped arms and wings, a compressed arched crest, and tall, shell-carved cabriole legs with large pad feet. Similar shell-carvings are found on a maple easy chair at Bayou Bend and another in a New York private collection, both of conventional scale. The treatment of the center stretcher is also unusual, having ring turnings flanking the arrow shaped terminals of the central baluster. The front legs are joined to the seat rail with round tenons and the boldly raked rear legs attached by wedged joints, features more typical of Philadelphia than standard practice in Rhode island or Massachusetts easy chair construction where front legs are usually secured to the front corner of the seat frame by a large dovetail and the maple rear legs are extensions of the stiles of the rear corners of the frame. The craftsman who made our chair may have apprenticed under a master familiar with Philadelphia methods. Transference of Philadelphia construction features to Connecticut and elsewhere via apprenticeship is best exemplified by a craftsman like Eliphalet Chapin (1741-1807) of East Windsor, who returned from Philadelphia about 1771, where as a journeyman, he had absorbed the aesthetic and construction methods of that city’s cabinetmakers. This easy chair was part of a notable collection of American furniture assembled by Kenneth D. Milne and Diana Atwood proprietors of The Old Lyme Inn. Their collection included outstanding examples of early New England furniture, with strong representations of armchairs that included the famous Gaines armchair from the Taradash collection. Provenance: Collection Diana Atwood Johnson (formerly Mrs. Kenneth Milne), Old Lyme, CTLion clutching a ball
Possibly Pennsylvania, circa 1840-1860
Lion clutching a ball
Possibly Pennsylvania, circa 1840-1860
Stone, 2 ¾ x 4 ¾ x 2 inches
This diminutive masterpiece depicts a recumbent lion facing forward on a rectangular platform. His sweet disposition is expressed in his singularly adorable face. He is endearingly clutching a treasured ball between his front paws. This is one of the great lion sculptures in American Folk Sculpture. It was a much loved treasure in the personal collections of two great dealers in American Folk Art, the Midwesterner David Pottinger and the New Yorker Marna Anderson, united in their shared admiration of this figure.
Provenance:
Collection of David Pottinger, Honeyville, IN, 1981; Collection of Marna Anderson, New Paltz, NY; “American Folk Art, Decorative Arts & Furniture: The Collection of Marna Anderson,” Skinner, Bolton, MA, March 21, 1998, lot 48; Collection of Fredrick Siegmund and Joanne Siegmund, New York and Bantam, CT
EDWARD BEYER
The William Snidow Farm
Giles County, Virginia, 1855
EDWARD BEYER
The William Snidow Farm
Giles County, Virginia, 1855
Oil on canvas, in a period veneered frame, 20 x 29 inches
A German émigré working in the style of the Dusseldorf Academy, Edward Beyer is recognized as the premier painter of panoramic landscapes of antebellum Virginia. Only a small number of his original oil paintings survive and rarely come to market. In 1855 Beyer also painted the nearby Lewis family homestead “Bellevue” and “A View of Salem,” which like the Snidow Farm, emphasize atmosphere, action, and drama. Beyer adeptly captured the verdant landscape of William Snidow’s farm, the meandering New River, and the Blue Ridge Mountains towering in the distance. According to a Giles County Deed Book, William Henry Snidow (1796-1863) acquired the sprawling property in 1836 after the death of his father, Colonel Christian Snidow (1760-1836). The house was built by William’s maternal grandfather, Captain Thomas Burke (1741-1808), who was the son of one of the earliest settlers west of the Allegheny Mountain Range. Inscribed on back of canvas in black paint: “View of Wm. H. Snidow’s Farm Giles, Co, Va / Painted from Nature by Ed. Beyer / Presented to Wm. H. Snidow by his friends / A. Hopp / Wm. Walten & / Ed. Beyer / Salem Va. Sept. 1855.” Mentioned in the inscription are almost certainly A. Hupp and William Walton who are listed as proprietors of Roanoke Red Sulphur Springs, a popular spa and tourist destination a short distance from the Snidow property and previously owned by William Burke (1769-1852), an uncle of William H. Snidow. In a further connection, Edward Beyer’s Album of Virginia (1858) includes a color lithograph of Roanoke Red Sulphur Springs. Additionally, William H. Snidow was a well-to-do lawyer very active in the affairs of Giles County and oversaw the creation of new roadways to accommodate spa tourism. The company owning Roanoke Red Sulphur Springs to which Hupp and Walton belonged appears to have been based in nearby Salem, Virginia, possibly explaining Salem as the place of the painting’s dedication, noted on the backside.
Standing angel blowing a trumpet
American, Possibly New York, circa 1890
Standing angel blowing a trumpet
American, Possibly New York, circa 1890
Eastern white pine (by microanalysis), sheet iron horn, original metallic gold paint, on a custom-made museum base with hidden wheels for ease in moving
Angel: 65 x 23 x 31 inches, length of horn 48 inches, base: 31 x 20 x 24 inches
This nearly life-sized sculpture has a monumental presence. The representation of a male angel is boldly carved; dressed in billowing robes, he steps forward blowing a long metal horn held in his left hand and gestures forward with his right hand. Discovered in New York State, an exact identification and original location for this figure are unknown. In its depiction of a standing male angel without wings wearing a robe and blowing a horn, it is similar to figures representing the Angel Moroni, from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, The Mormon Church. The best known example of a statue of Moroni stands atop The Salt Lake Temple, and that piece is based on a plaster model sculpted by Cyrus Dallin in 1891. A firm identification is challenging because Moroni is depicted holding his trumpet in his right, rather than his left hand.
Provenance:
Found in New York State; David A. Schorsch and Eileen M. Smiles, Woodbury, CT; Private collection; Kelly Kinzle, New Oxford, PA
Hooked rug with hearts and flowers
American, possibly Vermont, circa 1890
Hooked rug with hearts and flowers
American, possibly Vermont, circa 1890
Cotton and wool, 26 x 43 ½ inches
This classic American hooked rug was designed with refined simplicity. It has a pleasing warm palette of soft pink and blue is set off against a variegated brown field. The composition is centered with flowers flanked by large side-facing hearts and red quadrants in the corners, within borders of wide and narrow multi-colored stripes. This rug comes from one of the finest private collections in the United States.
Provenance:
Found in Vermont; David A. Schorsch and Eileen M. Smiles, Woodbury, CT; Private collection
Bird on a branch with cherries
American, circa 1840
Bird on a branch with cherries
American, circa 1840
Watercolor and ink on paper, in original star-shaped frame, 7 ½ inches x 8 inches.
Likely the work of a child, this charming and small-sized watercolor retains its original and distinctive star-shaped frame. The frame is carved from a single piece of pine and retains its original painted surface.
CONRAD KISTLER
Paint decorated bellows
Lynn, Lehigh County, Pennsylvania, 1847
CONRAD KISTLER
Paint decorated bellows
Lynn, Lehigh County, Pennsylvania, 1847
Poplar, leather, iron, original painted decoration, inscribed in yellow paint on backside: “Conrad Kistler” / “1847”, 18 1/8 x 7 1/8 x 4 ¼ inches
This is one of four closely related bellows bearing the painted signature of Conrad Kistler known to us; the others include an assembled pair, one dated 1854 in a Pennsylvania collection and a single example dated 1855 was owned by us in 2007. Conrad Kistler was the son of Johannes Kistler (1750-1819) and Eva Maria Wiederstein (1750-1819). He was born October 1, 1786 in Lynn, Lehigh County, Pennsylvania, and died there on September 21, 1859. The 1820 census records “Conrad Kistler in Lynn Township, Lehigh County, Pennsylvania,” The 1850 census shows “Conrad Kistler, age 63, born about 1787 in Lynn, Township, Lehigh County, Pennsylvania.” According the Hilffrich Pastoral Records of Lehigh County Pennsylvania, 1790-1810, and 1816-1862, “Conrad Kistler died September 21, 1859, aged 72, died from weak stomach.”
Provenance:
H. Marshall Goodman, Richmond, VA; Robert E. Crawford, Manakin-Sabot, VA; Collection of Henry and Elizabeth Deyerle, Harrisonburg, VA; “The Collection of Dr. and Mrs. Henry P. Deyerle,” Sotheby’s, on site in Charlottesville, VA, May 26-27, 1995, lot 619; Collection of Ralph O. Esmerian, New York, formerly a promised gift to the American Folk Art Museum; “Visual Grace: Important American Folk Art from the collection of Ralph O. Esmerian,” Sotheby’s, New York, January 25, 2014, lot 602; David A. Schorsch and Eileen M. Smiles, Woodbury, CT; Private collection
Exhibited:
“American Radiance: The Ralph Esmerian Gift to the American Folk Art Museum,” American Folk Art Museum, New York, December 11, 2001-June 2, 2002.
Published:
Stacy C. Hollander, Ed., American Radiance: The Ralph Esmerian Gift to the American Folk Art Museum (New York, 2001), pages 177 and 462. no. 145.
WILLIAM MURRAY
Family record for Henry and Magdelina Uhle
Herkimer County, New York, 1817
WILLIAM MURRAY
Family record for Henry and Magdelina Uhle
Herkimer County, New York, 1817
Watercolor and ink on paper, fitted to museum standards in the original painted frame, 14 ¾ x 11 ¼ inches
This is a superb example of a fully developed William Murray family record, incorporating a complete repertoire of his signature elements. The quality of the work itself is enhanced by a superb state of preservation and original painted frame. The large central heart motif inscribed in block lettering: “HENRY UHLE was born the fourteenth of September in the year of our lord 1755 and married Magdelina Dygert the 9th of September in the year of our lord 1763” flanked by vertical rows of hearts and coffins recording the births of the Uhle children between 1785 and 1804, and the deaths of Henry in 1813 and Magdelina in 1815. The lower oval boldly inscribed “Drawn by William Murray October 20th 1817.”
Provenance:
Chris A. Machmer, Annville, PA; Collection of Mr. and Mrs. Samuel M. Palley, Huntington Valley, PA; “The Julie and Sandy Palley Collection of American Folk Art,” Sotheby’s, New York, January 10, 2002, lot 818; Private collection
Exhibited:
Painters of Record: William Murray and His School, Museum of American Folk Art, New York, 1990-1991.
Fireman’s hat and trumpet weathervane
American, circa 1890
Fireman’s hat and trumpet weathervane
American, circa 1890
Cast iron, tinned iron, original historic paint, 45 x 21 x 4 ¾ inches
On a modern table top base.
Please contact us for a full condition report.
This Fireman’s Helmet and Trumpet weathervane a very rare form, based on illustrated engravings that appear in at least two trade catalogs of New York manufacturers; The 1892 J. L. Mott catalog, plate 82-Q, and 1893 J. W. Fiske catalog, nos. 371-372. A copper vane of this same form was originally installed on the firehouse in Unadilla, Otsego County, New York has been attributed to Fiske.
Provenance:
Allan L. Daniel, New York; Collection of Robert and Betty Marcus, Palm Beach, Fl, by 1983; “Selections from the American Folk Art Collection of Mr. and Mrs. Robert P. Marcus,” Sotheby’s, New York, October 14, 1989, lot 42; Private collection, USA.
Exhibited:
“Two Centuries of American Folk Art: 19th & 20th Century Masterworks from the Collection of Mr. and Mrs. Robert P. Marcus,” Ritter Art Gallery, Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton, Florida, 1984, traveled to Florida Center for the Arts, Vero Beach, Florida, 1986; Sioux City Art Center, Sioux City, Iowa, 1987.
“Selections of 19th & 20th Century American Weathervanes from the Collection of Chase Manhattan Bank and Mr. & Mrs. Robert P. Marcus,” Ann Norton Sculpture Gardens, West Palm Beach, Florida, 1989.
Published:
David S. Miller and David W. Courtney, Two Centuries of American Folk Art: 19th & 20th Century Masterworks from the Collection of Mr. and Mrs. Robert P. Marcus (Boca Raton, Fl, 1984), p.
Diminutive country Chippendale chest of drawers
Rhode Island or Massachusetts, circa 1780
Diminutive country Chippendale chest of drawers
Rhode Island or Massachusetts, circa 1780
Maple, chestnut, white pine, with original hardware, 25 ½ x 30 x 14 ¾ inches
This is a finely miniaturized version of a classic New England tall chest, with split top drawers and bracket feet, and mellow color. The use of wooden-spring “Quaker” drawer locks and chestnut drawer linings are indicative of early case furniture made in Rhode Island and parts of southeastern Massachusetts. The original pierced Chippendale brasses of a rare design add an element of sophistication to this beautifully proportioned little gem.
HAROLD WILLIAM IBACH (1906-1993)
Kitty
Spring Valley, Fillmore County, Minnesota, 1950
HAROLD WILLIAM IBACH (1906-1993)
Kitty
Spring Valley, Fillmore County, Minnesota, 1950
Pine, original pained decoration with sand and red glass gems, height 19 inches
Please contact us for a full condition report and historical documentation.
Although we are squarely rooted in the well established and classic tradition of eighteenth and nineteenth century American folk art, on certain rare occasions we venture into a special piece made in and reflective of the twentieth century. Such works must possess the quality, spirit, sincerity, and charm that, in our opinion, defy datelines. We consider this carved and painted wooden figure entitled “Kitty” to be just such a piece. Kitty was made by Harold William Ibach, a craftsman, printer, and keeper of an “odds and ends” shop in the town of Spring Valley, Minnesota, population 2479 in 2010. Harold William Ibach was the son of William Ibach (1870-1947) and Mattie Ibach (1868-1943). He was born August 30, 1906 in Spring Valley, Minnesota, and died May 2, 1993, unmarried. He was recorded as a self-employed woodworker with his own shop in the 1930 and 1940 Federal Census. He also operated a printing business, and was a civil defense director for Fillmore County in 1967.
Watch hutch
Pennsylvania, circa 1790-1810
Watch hutch
Pennsylvania, circa 1790-1810
Mahogany, mahogany veneer, pine, 18 x 11 x 4 inches
Together with an English silver pair case pocket watch with verge movement by Peter Stockton, Liverpool, circa 1742, with watch paper for Robert Johnston, clock and watch maker, No 132 South Front Street, Philadelphia, 1839-1856
Please contact us for a full condition report.
This watch hutch is a Pennsylvania-German interpretation of the Chippendale style, of a rare large scale and fine carved ornamentation. It is distinguished by a molded broken arch pediment ending in turned colonettes, centering an urn and spire finial above a split-baluster applied plinth, the front panel with small circular aperture with molded edge, the corners with fan-carved quadrants, flanked by block-and- turned columns with carved twisted fluting, with base molding below.
Provenance:
Found in Lehigh County, PA; Steven F. Still, Elizabethtown, PA; David A. Schorsch, Woodbury, CT; The Marvill collection, White Plains, NY, 2004; Private collection, USA.
DR. SAMUEL A. SHUTE (1803-1836)
Isaac Orr and Mary Johnson Orr
Corinth, Vermont, circa 1834
DR. SAMUEL A. SHUTE (1803-1836)
Isaac Orr and Mary Johnson Orr
Corinth, Vermont, circa 1834
Each, watercolor and pencil on paper, 27 x 23 inches, mounted to museum standards in reproduction veneered frames
This pair of portraits depicting Isaac Orr (1804-1873) and his wife, Mary Johnson Orr (1808-1870) of Corinth, Vermont rank among the most powerful and highly stylized known examples by Dr. Samuel A. Shute. Painted two years before his untimely death at age 33, these extraordinary portraits are notably flamboyant and freely painted in a style unique to Samuel Shute. They were part of a commission that also included a smaller watercolor portrait of their daughter, Atlantis Orr (1831-1860), 17 x 14 inches, inscribed on back: “April, 1834, Atlantis Orr 2 years 7 months” now in a private collection, illustrated in A Sampler of Recent Acquisitions II (David A. Schorsch, New York, 1992).
Watercolor portraits by Samuel A. Shute are rare when compared to the body of work done together with or individually painted by his wife, Ruth W. Shute (1803-1882). An unusual and distinguishing characteristic of Samuel Shute’s most highly stylized portraits are stark white-painted faces exemplified in the portrait of Mary Johnson Orr and “Woman with two canaries” in Jean Lipman and Tom Armstrong, Eds., American Folk Painters of Three Centuries (New York, 1980), p. 165. Additional watercolor portraits by Samuel A. Shute include “Dr. and Mrs. Charles Chandler” of 1829 in Lipman and Armstrong, p. 167; “Gentleman wearing a striped waistcoat and Woman wearing a bonnet with pink ribbons” in Stacy C. Hollander, Ed., American Radiance, The Ralph Esmerian gift to The American Folk Art Museum, p. 54, plate 25a-b, and “Lady with a colored belt” in Marna Anderson, A Loving Likeness, American Folk Portraits of The Nineteenth Century (Princeton, NJ, 1992), p. 38.
Provenance:
Found in St. Johnsbury, VT; Collection of Stephen Corrigan and Douglas Jackman, Rockingham, VT; Walters-Benisek, Northampton, MA; Private collection; Stephen Score, Boston, MA; David A. Schorsch and Eileen M. Smiles, Woodbury, CT; Private collection.
Gray and white cat with mouse
Probably Massachusetts, circa 1840-1860
Gray and white cat with mouse
Probably Massachusetts, circa 1840-1860
Opaque watercolor on paper, 12 5/8 x 17 5/8 inches
Cleaned and de-acidified, repair to vertical crease along right side from being previously folded; mounted to museum standards in a period frame
Provenance:
Found in Sunderland, MA; Collection of Mr. and Mrs. Kenneth Hammitt, Woodbury, CT; Private collection; Thomas R. Longacre, Marlborough, NH; Frank and Barbara Pollack, Highland Park, IL; David A. Schorsch and Eileen M. Smiles, Woodbury, CT, 2007; Private collection, 2007-2020.
Exhibited:
“American Folk Art from Connecticut Collections,” Newtown Historical Society, Newtown, CT, 1974.
“The Cat in American Folk Art,” The Museum of American Folk Art, New York, 1976.
Published:
Bruce Johnson, American Cat-alogue (New York, 1976), no. 28.
MAJOR TIMOTHY CHANDLER (1762-1848)
Federal Painted Tall-Case Clock
Concord, New Hampshire, circa 1810
MAJOR TIMOTHY CHANDLER (1762-1848)
Federal Painted Tall-Case Clock
Concord, New Hampshire, circa 1810
Birch, white pine, brass works, painted iron face, original brass finials, with original red paint, 92 x 20 x 9 ½ inches
Saddle board stamped twice: “T.CHANDLER.”
With its rare original paint and handsome form, this is the finest known examples of a red-painted country Federal tall clock with original works by Major Timothy Chandler, one of the most celebrated New Hampshire clockmakers. It was formerly in the collection of Charles S. Parsons, Jr., a noted scholar of New Hampshire decorative arts, best known for the book The Dunlaps & Their Furniture. In 1976 Parsons described this clock as: “Figure 17… in its original red paint. Although it does not carry quarter columns in the waist, the size of the door adds an attractive appearance of pleasing proportions. The details of construction also indicate an experienced cabinetmaker who added a scrolled skirt and delicate fretwork.”
Provenance:
Collection of Charles S. Parsons, Jr.
Published:
Charles S. Parsons, Jr. New Hampshire Clocks & Clockmakers (Exeter, NH, 1976), pp. 22-23.
ELIZABETH LINCOLN
Book of school girl drawings
Boston, Massachusetts, 1826
ELIZABETH LINCOLN
Book of school girl drawings
Boston, Massachusetts, 1826
Manufactured sketch book with brown and red marbleized paperboard covers, gold stamped red leather spine and edge, watercolor and graphite on paper, 10 ½ x 7 ½ inches
Title page inscribed: “Elizabeth Lincoln / July 1826 / Boston”
This book of school girl drawings includes thirty five individual pages of pictures comprising seventeen watercolors of flowers, some titled; two watercolors of neoclassical motifs; four watercolors of fruit; two watercolors of still-life compositions, including one having a glass bowl with applied mica chips; seven water landscapes, one torn, and three pencil sketches
Queen Anne flat-top high chest
Salem, Massachusetts, circa 1760
Queen Anne flat-top high chest
Salem, Massachusetts, circa 1760
Walnut, maple, white pine, with original brasses, 69 x 38 x 19 inches
This is a classic example of a flat-top Queen Anne high chest made in Salem, Massachusetts, having the signature attributes of a distinctively scalloped apron with central diamond cut-out, spurred knee returns, and elegantly shaped cabriole legs with pad feet. This particular apron design is one of the most beautiful made in colonial America and occurs on a small number of Salem high chests regarded as the best of kind.
Mount Vernon
American, circa 1830
Mount Vernon
American, circa 1830
Watercolor on paper, in a period gilt frame with replaced eglomise glass, 20 ½ x 26 ½ inches
This colorful and nicely detailed schoolgirl watercolor is based on the well known engraving, “Mount Vernon in Virginia,” first published in 1800 by Francis Jukes (1745-1812). This view of Mount Vernon as depicted in this specific print was a popular subject for American school girl watercolors and needlework created during the first decades of the nineteenth century.