A carved and painted possum trot doll executed by the renowned folk artist Calvin Black (1903‱972) and mounted on a stand with a homemade tag reading “Miss Sherion Rose Possum Trot,” sold for $92,000 at a folk art sale November 10 at Slotin Auction. The sale drew a standing-room-only crowd of more than 200 people inside the Historic Buford Hall.
“This sale exceeded all our expectations,” said Amy Slotin of Slotin Auction. “The crowd was great, plus we had over 250 absentee and phone bidders and a very active Internet component, with about 700 people registered to bid online, through eBay Live.”
By the time the day was over, about 880 lots had changed hands in the cataloged sale, which grossed a little over $1 million. “It was our second highest grossing sale ever,” Slotin said. “The market for folk art is very hot.”
Indeed, the Calvin Black possum trot doll, the sale’s top lot, carried a high estimate of just $12,000. “We really thought that was a reasonable expectation, since another Calvin Black possum trot doll sold at Christie’s in 2003 for $13,145,” Slotin said. “But it came down to two very determined phone bidders, who slugged it out for the longest while. The crowd gasped at the final hammer price.”
The sale’s cache was boosted by the self-taught and international folk art collection of the Hollywood film director Jonathan Demme. About 300 of the sale’s lots were consignments from Demme.
A pair of works by William Blaney (1917‱986), both depicting multi-headed beasts, sold for more than $27,000 combined. One, titled “Seven Headed Lion Beast With Ten Horns,” oil on canvas, circa 1960, went for $15,755. The other, titled “Beast With Ten Horns,” oil on canvas, circa 1959‶0, fetched a respectable $12,075.
The Calvin Black possum trot doll was not from the Demme collection. It had been purchased by the consignor from the late Larry Whitely of Los Angeles, Calif., many years ago. The doll had silk fabric clothing, a crochet knit hat, wig hair and a necklace with stone pendant.
In other highlights from the sale, a large (71½ by 51½ inches) oil on canvas work by Ralph Fasanella (1914‱997), titled “Marcantonio for Mayor or Campaign Lucky Corner,” circa 1964‷2, rose to $69,000. The piece was featured in the book Fasanella’s City by Patrick Wilson.
A storage jar, signed and dated April 25, 1861 by “Slave Dave,” was bought by a museum for $40,250. The best guess as to the date of birth for the accomplished former African American slave is around 1800. Over the course of his rich and colorful life, Dave was bought and sold by several families, one of which taught him pottery. He signed and dated more than 100 jars.
All prices quoted include a 15 percent buyer’s premium. For information, www.slotinfolkart.com or 404-403-4244.
