Cupboards, Carvings & a Campus Queen Lead Garth's Fifth Annual Ohio Valley Americana Auction Anyone who has an interest in Midwestern decorative arts, or even Americana in general, must plan a trip to Ohio this May for Garth's Fifth Annual Ohio Valley auction on May 20-21.
work titled Jesus and the Angels. A 28 1/2"h. x 15"w. relief carved plaque of Jesus surrounded by clouds and angels and, what appears to be the 12 disciples, it retains the original, vibrant polychrome painted surface. Acquired from the artist by the parents of the current owner, it is expected to reach $18,000-22,000. From the same family provenance, Garth’s offers another Biblical plaque by Pierce with verse and imagery estimated at $8,000-12,000. This plaque is inscribed verso," Mr + Mrs James Morgan Started feb. 18. 1860. God is our refuge and strength + Present Help in time of Trouble Psalms 46.1. Presented by Mrs + E. Pierce its A Part of me." Other more moderately estimated lots will include figures of a football player ($350-700), a wooden silhouette of a tree ($200-400), and a silhouette of two people in rocking chairs ($400-800). The relief carved, wooden plaque, The African Queen, depicts two women surrounded by figures, possibly a choir. At 17 1/4"h. x 22 3/4"w., the piece is dated 1980 and it is believed that it could bring as much as $6,000-8,000.
Folk art by another popular Ohio artist, Ernest “Popeye” Reed, will also cross the block. Two large carved sandstone figures of a seated Indian chief, 47”h., and a seated Indian woman with papoose on her back, 48”h., each carry an estimate in the range of $2,000-5,000. Two figural zinc trade signs in the forms of a bull head and a horse head are very collectible. They were probably made to promote a butcher and a livery, respectively, and carrying estimates of $1,000-2,000 and $500-1,000.
The artwork in the sale is prompting some great expectations – especially those works by Clyde Singer. Born in Malvern, Ohio, about 125 miles from Garth’s gallery in Delaware, Singer became known for his regionalist paintings of people at carnivals, standing in bars, on windy street corners. Of the five lots by the artist in the sale, 30"h. x 36"w. oil on canvas titled Campus Queen depicts an attractive blonde woman walking along a busy sidewalk will attract the most attention (estimate $8,000-10,000). Other works of note will include a pastel portrait of a horse in a meadow by Ohio/Indiana artist Henry Dousa. Identified in the scene as "Big Frank at 2 yrs. Sired by Capulet 9697. Dam Jet by Young Frenchman Sire of Virginia Rec. 2.181/2.", the 16 3/4"h. x 21 3/4"w. portrait is estimated at $4,000-7,000. Two works by Ohio artist Alice Schille, a landscape drawing by Ferdinand Brader, a portrait of an Indian by Richard Creifelds, a scene of men working in a foundry by Sylvester Benjamin Shiley, and a portrait of the Great Lakes steamer, Seneca, by Vincent Douglas Nickerson ( estimate $2,000-4,000) are among the other pieces to be sold.
Samplers with delicate floral and impressive architectural depictions remain an important genealogical record to this day. Of the 19 lots of samplers from locations such as Ohio, Kentucky, and New England to be sold throughout the weekend, a
