On Friday evening, Jan. 13, Pook & Pook Inc. will present a small, yet important auction of fine Americana. The sale includes a little under 400 pieces and begins at 6 p.m., after an evening reception.
Fine art will be particularly well-represented, first with a monumental Harry Leith-Ross winter scene titled “Sledding.” The painting ranks among the finest examples of Leith-Ross’s work and features a group of children pulling their sleds down a country road past a farmhouse and barn. Other fine art highlights include James Peale Sr. and John Frederick Peto still life pieces with provenance from Kennedy Galleries. A Jamie Wyeth watercolor titled “The Rain Barrel” was consigned from a private Radnor, Pa., collection. Eugene Speicher’s portrait of a “Woman with a Fur Collar and Green Sash” is another strong addition, as is an Alexander Stuart portrait of a racing yacht at full sail, along with multiple works by Martha Walter, Carl C. Weber and William Lester Stevens.
Pook & Pook Inc. is also excited to offer a Winslow Homer gouache, pen, and ink-on-paper sketch titled “Defense of the Baggage Train.” The work’s provenance includes Gavin Spanierman and Gerald Peters Gallery and is included in a catalog of Homer’s work by Gerdts and Goodrich.
From fine art to exceptional furniture, this upcoming catalog auction is packed full of quality pieces. A Berks County, Pa., paint-decorated blanket chest, attributed to Jacob Blatt, is a noteworthy piece with its original vibrant salmon fan and circle decoration. A Fulton County, Pa., painted diminutive chest is also one to watch. It is attributed to Joel Palmer and retains a bright red surface with central flower urns and flanking tulips. It ranks among the finest examples of Palmer’s work. Another highlight is a Pennsylvania walnut two-part Dutch cupboard with a boldly-molded cornice and base. This circa 1790 piece was from the collection of the late Harry Hartman and, most recently, a private Douglassville, Pa., collection.
The sale will also feature several tall case clocks, including one by renowned maker Benjamin Chandlee Jr., complete with its fine fretwork-carved sarcophagus bonnet.
Other decorative arts highlights include Pook & Pook Inc.’s folk art standouts, such as an important Montgomery County, Pa., Schwenkfelder wool townscape, dated 1855 and wrought by Mary Ann Heebner. A New Jersey or New York chip-carved gumwood spoon rack with a lollipop finial and pinwheel decoration is another gem, and a Philadelphia silver coffee pot, circa 1755, bearing the touch of Elias Boudinot and the elaborately engraved coat of arms of the Clay family, is an expected highlight.
Call 610-269-4040 or email info@pookandpook.com regarding condition reports; online, in-house, phone or absentee bidder registration; or to purchase a catalog. Catalogs can be viewed online at www.pookandpook.com or www.Bidsquare.com.
A gallery exhibition is scheduled for Saturday, Jan. 7, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., and Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday, Jan. 11, 12, and 13, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. A cocktail reception will take place from 4 to 6 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 13 (rsvp to info@pookandpook.com), and the sale will begin at 6 p.m. EST.
Pook & Pook Inc. will also be holding an online-only decorative arts auction through Bidsquare.com on Monday, Jan. 16.