San Rafael Auction June 5th Frank Lloyd Wright Ephemera On Saturday, June 5th, The San Rafael Auction Gallery, will be selling three lots of Frank Lloyd Wright Ephemera. Historic McCarthyism
News-Antique.com - May 31,2010 - The first letter is written on Taliesin (Spring Green, Wisconsin) letterhead. This two page letter was addressed to Walter Castro, Commissioner, San Rafael, in regards to a public accusation made by members of The American Legion of "active and extensive support of Communist activities prior to WWII". The content of the letter is to assure the commissioners involved of his American patriotism. The following are excerpts from Wright’s letter: "I swear I have never known an American Communist nor did I ever attend one of their meetings - - and do not know one now. Any use they could make of my name would be only because I was well known as an independent American liberal… Well, I recite these facts because I have known the uniquity of these cowardly assassinations a la the McCarthy as out public enemy number one. I fought McCarthyism openly and hoped the ism died with him. Evidently there is enough left for the ‘common-man’ to use to get whatever he imagines is to his advantage...” The letter is signed "Gratefully your architect, Frank Lloyd Wright,” and dated “August 16, 1957". There is other related ephemera from the same estate including an early Frank Lloyd Wright rendition of the Marin Civic Center.
Artwork includes a Sydney Laurence oil of Mt McKinley, an exceptional dockside scene by George Thompson Pritchard , View of Mt Tamalpais by Thaddeus Welch, landscape with cows by
Pedro Victor Flores, an exceptional Hudson River School State of Maine oil on canvas rural landscape with farms, circa 1850, inscribed on canvas verso: "On The Kennebunk" a Beniamino Benvenuto Bufano (1898 - 1970) bronze bird form sculpture, 34"h. along with a selection of American, Californian and European paintings.
From a local estate come two important Chinese 8-panel screens in graduated size. These are with rosewood frames with polychrome decorated soapstone panels. There is a large selection of Asian pieces including porcelains, Japanese block prints.
There is a fine selection of estate jewelry including a Patek Philippe 18k gold man’s wrist watch, model 3601, automatic, white face with gold baton chapters and 37 jewel movement.
A unique piece at the sale is the First Place 1951 Trans-Pacific Yacht Race trophy made from Hawaiian Koa wood complete with a presentation plaque, won by the ketch: Sea Witch of San Francisco.
Rounding out the sale is a fine selection of Danish Modern furniture and accessories from a San Francisco penthouse estate.
