January 28th & 29th, 2021 – Americana & International Auction at Pook & Pook, Inc., Downingtown, PA

Did your New Year’s resolutions include buying more antiques? Pook & Pook’s upcoming two-day auction in Downingtown, Pennsylvania on January 28th & 29th will have items cross the auction block from material originating from all over the world. From Ohio to Maryland, from Massachusetts to Virginia, from Delaware to Minnesota, this sale is an important one with select items sure to pique your interest and make you start desperately creating room to add these pieces to your treasures. This is the one auction that you cannot possibly afford to pass up. The sessions begin at 10AM on both days. Bidding for this auction is available online via Bidsquare.

Pook & Pook, Americana & International Session One | January 28. 10am EST / Pook & Pook, Americana & International Session Two | January 29. 10am EST. Online bidding available via Bidsquare.

 The sale will kick off with the continuation of the sale of a truly fantastic selection of mocha coming from a collection so big, it couldn’t all fit in a single sale…or even two…or even three! Astute bidders will remember Pook & Pook’s previous two Americana auctions featured some superb examples of mocha, and the items coming across the block first thing on Thursday evening are from the same collection. Probably the most impressive collection of mocha around, every piece is special in its own right. But the prized piece among them on Thursday, January 28th will be a large mocha bowl ($3,000-4,000) with beautiful twig decoration.

Lot 1, Large mocha bowl, with twig decoration. Provenance: A Pennsylvania collection. Estimate $3,000-$4,000

Session One will continue with a half dozen lots of Liverpool Herculaneum pitchers before diving into the fine art section of the sale. A number of nautical paintings will cross the block, but the crown jewel of them is a John Stobart oil on canvas of the packet ship Margaret Evans ($20,000-30,000). Another wonderful piece of art slated for session one is a George “Frolic” Weymouth tempera on board landscape ($20,000-30,000) of Big Bend in Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania. Big Bend was Weymouth’s home on the Brandywine River where he spent his life painting, entertaining, and organizing his prolific philanthropic pursuits. Another painting of note to be sold is a Charles Morris Young oil on canvas ($12,000-15,000) of a fox hunting scene at the Marshall Estate in Huntington Valley, Pennsylvania. This wonderful piece is displayed in its original carved and gilded Harer frame. From across the pond we have a James Pollard oil on canvas ($12,000-15,000) of the Manchester Independent mail carriage. Arthur Meltzer’s painting “Melting Snow” will also cross the block on Thursday with an estimate of $15,000-$20,000. Peppered amongst these artistic treasures are dozens of beautiful etchings, still lifes, sculptures, landscapes, seascapes and more.

Lot 156, Soap Hollow, Somerset County, Pennsylvania painted poplar chest of drawers, dated 1864, signed by the maker Jeremiah Stahl. Estimate $10,000-$15,000

An exceptional piece set to sell on day one is a Soap Hollow, Somerset County, Pennsylvania painted poplar chest of drawers, dated 1864 is expected to bring $10,000-15,000 with its original stenciled floral and bird decoration. One of the more interesting lots in session one is a Newton terrestrial pocket globe with shagreen case lined with a celestial map ($2,000-3,000). From an incredible collection of stoneware out of Maryland comes a historically important New York stoneware presentation jug whose history can be discovered on Pook & Pook’s website. This piece attributed to Moses Tyler of Albany New York with its well-executed incised cobalt bird is estimated to bring $25,000-$35,000. The first day also includes redware, samplers, stoneware, tall chests, hooked rugs, quilts, theorems, tall case clocks, hanging cupboards, bracket clocks, portraits, carvings, corner cupboards, art, chests of drawers, slant front desks, folk art, Dutch cupboards, and so much more. 

Lot 113, Hagerstown, Maryland redware bowl, early 19th c. Estimate $6,000-$9,000

The rest of day one is filled with American antiques, art, and decorative accessories mostly originating in the Mid-Atlantic area. A Lancaster, Pennsylvania cherry tall case clock with a broken arch bonnet with carved rosettes and potted flower inlay enclosing an eight-day works is estimated at $4,000-7,000. An early 19th century redware bowl from Hagerstown, Maryland ($6,000-9,000) is attributed to artist Henry Adam. Its dreamy cream and green wavy bands run around the circumference encircling an inner band of dripped manganese and cream slip. An exquisitely sewn silk on linen sampler dated “1812” from Burlington County, New Jersey depicts an embroidered starry sky and view of the Westtown school in Chester County, Pennsylvania.

Lot 77, John Stobart (American b. 1929), oil on canvas of the packet ship Margaret Evans, signed lower right and dated 1968, Estimate $20,000-$30,000

The first session will end with a lovely collection of furniture and folk art from a Massachusetts Collection. Included in this grouping are fraktur, trade signs, baskets, quilts, samplers, stoneware, redware, portraits, Santas, and more. A swell bodied copper pig weathervane carries a portly estimate of $1,500-2,500. A rare Pennsylvania painted two-part Dutch cupboard with its old blue surface is sure to capture several bidders’ attentions ($4,000-6,000). A set of six Chippendale mahogany dining chairs with shell carved crest and knees are expected to bring $5,000-10,000. Always popular at Pook & Pook’s auctions is the apothecary cupboard, and this collection has an incredible example with twenty-seven drawers ($3,000-5,000). Another important piece from this collection is an Ohio walnut pie safe with punched tin panels picturing a horse and rider in a wooded landscape ($5,000-10,000).

Session two on Friday morning begins with a rare pair of Philadelphia combback Windsor armchairs, ca. 1765 ($40,000-50,000). A selection of wonderful old maps will cross the block on day two, including a Sebastian Munster colored woodcut map of the Western Hemisphere ($1,500-2,000). Shortly into the second session bidders will find the contents of a Minnesota Estate, which includes a nice selection of pewter, decorative accessories, and New England furniture. More New England material follows including a New York Federal mahogany tall case clock, ca. 1790, estimated at ($10,000-12,000). Stoneware, chests of drawers, clocks, tea tables, portraits, samplers, tall case clocks, and more from the north eastern United States pepper day two. A whole cloth quilt with a blue paisley design is estimated to bring ($4,000-6,000).

Lot 352, Rare and important near pair of Philadelphia combback Windsor armchairs, ca. 1765. Estimate $40,000-$50,000

Next up in the auction is a lovely collection of silver. An assembled Tiffany & Co. sterling silver Persian pattern flatware service is expected to bring ($10,000-15,000). Additional tea services, flatware, carving sets, shoe buckles, and more can be found. A delightful Gorham coin silver five piece tea and coffee service with fantastic butterfly finials is expected to bring $2,200-2,600.

The next collection coming across the block comes from a Richmond, Virginia collector. A lovely Southern Chippendale walnut two-part bookcase, probably from Virginia, is estimated to bring $8,000-12,000. A well-executed set of four Boston Queen Anne maple and birch dining chairs from the mid 18th century is expected to bring $6,000-9,000. Another stunning example of southern furniture is a North Carolina walnut pewter cupboard with an open top and scalloped sides ($5,000-8,000).

The sale ends with a selection of material from overseas. An important pair of English delft bowls is expected to bring $3,000-4,000. The bowls each sport a portrait of Admiral Horatio Nelson and the reverse with mourning barges. An interesting group of Russian silver enamel from the Estate of Georgia Langenfelder Linthicum is included in the international section of the sale rounding out day two. Mark B. Letzer, the President and CEO of the Maryland Center for History and Culture in Baltimore, Maryland writes, “Georgia Langenfelder Linthicum was an inveterate collector. Over the many years I knew her and enjoyed her company and collections she taught me about building a collection based on love of an object and passion for its acquisition. Whether it was a piece of Chinese export porcelain, a print of her beloved Baltimore or a rare book, Mrs. “L” as we called her in my family never stood still.” The auction will conclude with a selection of carpets, including Serapi, Heriz, and Bidjar examples.

Interested bidders are encouraged to visit Pook & Pook’s website at www.pookandpook.com for additional information about the upcoming auction. For questions regarding condition, additional photograph requests, online, in-house, phone or absentee bidder registration, or to purchase a printed catalog for the sale ($40), customers can email info@pookandpook.com or call (610) 269-4040. Gallery exhibition attendance for the Americana and International sale is by appointment only. Please call (610) 269-4040 to schedule.