ANTIQUES FOR SALE
AMMI PHILLIPS
Portrait of ELIZABETH MYGANS (Betsy)
.....sale pending
Saugerties, New York, ca. 1834......As described by the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston: “In the 1830’s, Phillips was the most successful portraitist on the New York-Connecticut border, painting the local gentry with boldness and withering honesty. This portrait of a young woman from Saugerties, New York, is typical of Phillip’s work of this period—the sitter leans forward in her chair, the black-and-white color scheme is enlivened by the red-and-yellow book, and the ribbons and folds of her translucent, lace-trimmed bonnet complement her elaborate hair style. However, Elizabeth Mygans seems to have charmed the painter, for her portrait is more pleasing than most”.
Sweet Little Painted
Dower Chest with Horse
Northeast, possibly Pennsylvania (Chester County), ca. early 19th century. Lift top six board chest with picture-frame molding, on a square bracket base with sensational carved apron. Dry original oyster white and gray paint on chocolate ground, on what appears to be poplar with chestnut base-board. The folk decoration of a prancing horse is flanked by massive tulips and two sets of initials. It “feels” like a child’s chest and his/her favorite horse, with both their initials shown. Presents beautifully, can be placed most anywhere, even on top of another chest. Old repairs to front and rear right foot, and to the top board at one of the hinges. Dimensions (at the lid) 26 ¼ inches wide x 13 deep a 18 5/8 tall. Provenance: Kelly Kinzle; private New York State collection. Special!
Outstanding Carved Sliding-Lid
Watch Hutch
.....sale pending
New England, ca. late 18th/early 19th century.
Original dry, crackly Spanish Brown paint. Carved from a single block of white pine, with sliding lid retaining original bubbly keyhole glass, fluted columns, and bold deep chip carving on the apron and crest.
Scarce Pewter-Framed Silhouettes
Hollow-cut silhouettes attributed to Justin Salisbury, from Vermont, active circa 1825-1835 who worked in the Connecticut River Valley including Vermont, New Hampshire, Connecticut, and Massachusetts.
The pewter frames, a unique American form, are attributed to well-known pewtersmith Richard Lee Jr. Each about 3 ¼ inches diameter.
OFFERED INDIVIDUALLY OR TOGETHER.
RIGHT FACING: James Pol___Jr. Born Oct 24, 1810, died Feb 26, 1841.
LEFT FACING: ’Silvanus Sherwin Jr age 20 taken FEB. 14th 1829 in Newfane” inscription probably in artists hand. This profile embellished with ink and graphite.
Justin Salsbury is discussed in “Meet Your Neighbors , New England Portrait Painters & Society, 1790-1850", OSV,,pg 93-94., fig. 30, 31, 32.
Private Connecticut collection.
Signed 36-Tube Painted Candlemold .....SOLD
New York State, ca. 1830.
Tinned sheet iron, pine, and maple, in original red paint.
Signed “J. Walker, E. Bloomfield, NY”. In a high degree of originality including the often-lost candle hangers.
The finished molds by Walker would be carried by horse-drawn carriage or wagon to nearby Rochester or Buffalo for sale to local merchants, or shipped to other cities or regions via the Erie Canal, which was completed in 1825 and provided a cost-effective means of transportation for goods. Imagine the effort by the candlemold user to then create candles by gathering raw materials such as beeswax or tallow, melt them to liquid, pour into the mold, insert wicks, then release from the tubes. Not surprising that candles were largely replaced by whale oil, then later kerosene, for lighting.
Excellent condition with minor expected wear. Very well made, like a little piece of furniture, about 13 inches wide x 10 ¾ deep x 11 tall. As good of an example as can be found.
Exceedingly Rare Woodlands Indian Medicine
Bundle-Bowl
.....SOLD
Great Lakes to New England, ca. 1780. Drawing on generations of learning, very thinly hewn from dense ash burl. “Bundle” objects were held by the sachem or medicine men or women, wrapped in blankets in a bundle, and set aside for ceremonies and/or performances. They were often passed down for generations. Way too sophisticated for daily use, there is no applied finish, rather the bowl has a very high degree of burnishing from rubbing with animal skins as there was great effort to make it smooth. Further burnishing also likely occurred from rubbing against the bundle blanket. Medicine bundles were created to bring healing and vision to the individual, or to the entire tribe.
Yet not only is it an important medicine bowl, it has been described as the “Perfect Object”, ......see more....
A Folk Art TREASURE!
Diminutive Polychrome Paint Decorated Blanket Chest
Schoharie County, New York State. Dated 1829. .....SOLD
When I FIRST SAW this blanket chest years ago within the collector’s home, a beam of sunlight was lighting up the center panel. IT TOOK MY BREATH AWAY. And it wasn’t just the visual, it was knowing that this great object has survived untouched for almost 2 centuries. .....
MASTERWORK
YARN-SEWN HEARTH RUG
Featuring an Enigmatic
Blue Tulip
New England, ca. 1820 to 1830. Fine wool and cotton on linen, mounted for display. A tour de force of folk art created by a talented young woman artist. She was a meticulous needle worker, stitching remarkably-even raised loops, especially noticeable in the urn. Her design has a bursting of color and texture as she flanked the already over-flowing urn with bouquets of more flowers. In this period gardens of flowers were often an extravagance, so the bold representation of so many indicates optimism and abundance. Don’t miss the single blue tulip, positioned almost at the very center. Symbolism? Blue tulips (that did not naturally occur) are thought to have symbolized tranquility and peace, trust and loyalty. This artwork has survived in amazing condition with almost no wear, as it was created and intended as decoration, likely to cover the hearth-stone (as the hearth was unused in the summer months), not as an underfoot floor piece. Mounted dimensions of about 62 inches wide x 28 tall. Pictured and discussed in AMERICAN SEWN RUGS, THEIR HISTORY WITH EXCEPTIONAL EXAMPLES, Jan Whitlock with Tracy Jamar, 2012, pages 4 and 70; LIGHT FROM THE PAST, Early American Rugs from the Collection of Ronnie Newman, page 25 as exhibited in the Kresge Foundation Gallery of the Ramopo College of New Jersey, 2004. Paraphrasing