Monkey orchestra plays to the tune of $1,320
ST. LOUIS, Mo. — Sporadic showers did not dampen bidder enthusiasm for style, elegance and whimsy at the Selkirk Spring Eclectic Auction held this spring. Buyers competed vigorously for the…
ST. LOUIS, Mo. — Sporadic showers did not dampen bidder enthusiasm for style, elegance and whimsy at the Selkirk Spring Eclectic Auction held this spring. Buyers competed vigorously for the signed Still Life acrylic painting, featuring a vase of flowers, by Lois Marilou Jones. Born in 1905 and trained at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts of Boston, Jones is recognized as an icon of the Harlem Renaissance, a respected college professor, an artist ambassador and an international expert on culture. The painting sold for $3,600.
In keeping with the promise of Spring, a French bronze, “The Awakening of Nature” by Maurice Joseph Constant, drew competitive bidding. The 37.5-inch female figure, seemed to levitate in a euphoric pose, crossed the auction block at $1,560.
A heavily carved Art Nouveau walnut cabinet, more than 7 feet tall, with elaborate brass hardware, sold for $1,200, finding a new home in one of the many stately St. Louis mansions dating to that period.
Whimsy named its price from an astute collector with the winning the bid for a Dresden monkey orchestra. These 12 figures playing musical instruments, which were featured on the cover of the color auction brochure and each had the blue Dresden mark, fetched $1,320.
The cast iron doorstop depicting a goose nibbling at the ear of a young pup was marked “copyright
1924 by AM Greenblatt, Boston, Mass #11”; it brought $1,000 and applause in the gallery.
Happy children sharing sweet treat, as depicted on the Ward’s Cake tin litho store display case, met with enthusiastic bidding that stopped at $1,063.
Sterling silver performed well and included: a Towle sterling silver dinner service in the Contour pattern with an approximate total weight of 88.9 ounces; an Oneida After Glow pattern sterling silver flatware service for 12 with an approximate total weight of 79.6 ounces; and an International sterling silver flatware service for 12 in the Wedgwood pattern with an approximate total weight of 77.1 ounces. They brought $1,750; 1,063 and $1,500, respectively.
Selkirk’s Summer Eclectic Auction is taking place July 16, 2016, and the firm’s Fall Gallery Auction on September 24, 2016. For further information, contact sell@selkirkauctions.com or - 314-696-9041, or visit www.selkirkauctions.com.
