On June 6‷, Cincinnati Art Galleries held its 19th annual June sale of keramics, art glass and Rookwood. As has come to be expected, a fine assortment was presented in the three-session sale.
The top lot was a rare French Red vase by Sara Sax with Art Deco stylized flowers and designs, and presented in the Cincinnati Art Museum’s “Rookwood Pottery, The Glorious Gamble” exhibition. It flew past its $7/9,000 estimate, attaining $14,375. A Sax iris glaze vase with parrot tulips fetched $6,900.
A selection of Weller pottery drew enthusiastic bidding, with a 15-inch Hudson vase, decorated with life-size irises by Mae Timberlake, fetching $1,495. A rare Minerva vase depicting leaves and acorns sold above estimate at $2,990.
A 10¾-inch Teco vase ($1,2/1,700) with four integral handles and covered with a green matte glaze with charcoaling got everyone’s attention when vigorous bidding saw it sell at $8,035. Also featuring a matte green glaze were a Grueby “bottle” vase decorated by Florence Liley at $2,185 and a Merrimac vase, tripling its high estimate at $3,680.
Fulper Pottery generated some strong interest, led by two “Germanic” vases that hammered down at $2,365 and $3,450, respectively.
Newcomb Pottery highlights include a vase incised and painted with pink roses by Sadie Irvine in 1922 that made $2,300, and a scenic depicting oak trees by Anna Frances Simpson that brought $4,945.
European ceramics included a Royal Copenhagen Flora Danica bowl selling midestimate for $2,530 and a Jerome Massier tray featuring frogs at either end taking $1,380.
Art glass offerings comprised nearly 350 lots and were led by a cameo vase attributed to Thomas Webb & Sons at $3,335. A striking Daum Nancy vase, 11½ inches tall, exhibited stalks of red phlox with green foliage and fetched $4,140.
Lamps were also offered, including a Thomas Webb & Sons acid Burmese fairy lamp, which brought $5,520, and an Art Nouveau bronze lamp with a nautilus shell shade that despite condition issues sold for $1,840.
A Rene Lalique “Cinc Hirondelles” clock displayed swallows covered with blue enameling and took $3,565. A tall ivory figural carved in the form of an elder holding a tablet drew some of the most spirited bidding of the sale before nearly tripling its high estimate at $4,485.
Rookwood’s esteemed E.T. Hurley made a scenic vellum plaque, picturing birch trees at the edge of a lake early in the day, that went to $4,600, while an earlier work of three catfish swimming and covered with the desirable sea green glaze made $4,370.
Other Rookwood standouts were a 13-inch standard glaze vase, decorated with Virginia creeper decoration by Amelia Sprague, selling over estimate for $5,060 and a striking painted matte vase by Olga Reed featuring maple leaves and seed pods in deep red that achieved $6,037.
Kataro Shirayamadani perched a quintet of barn swallows on a leafy branch on a 10½-inch vase in a standard glaze that realized $6,325. Another avian work showed a bluejay on a magnolia branch, designed by Arthur Conant and decorated by Lorinda Epply. The consignor said that four bird figures were made and no others exist. This was the first time one of these bluejays has been sold. Estimated to bring $2/3,000, it soared to $4,600.
All prices reported include the buyer’s premium. For information, 513-381-2128 or www.cincinnatiartgalleries.com .
