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Works of Art

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The original, magnificent watercolor!

893. National Lincoln Monument, Oak Ridge Cemetery, Springfield, Illinois. Artist – C. Bolin-Starck. Watercolor, c.1870 paper size 46 x 38 1/2.” In 1868 the committee for the National Lincoln Monument awarded the design contract to Larkin G. Mead, Jr., a Vermont architect and designer. According to the terms of the contract, “Mr. Mead is to mould, cast and deliver all the statuary required by and necessary to his design…” which included sculptures of Lincoln. The contract for the construction of the monument was given to W. D. Richardson of Springfield, Illinois. The monument was built of Massachusetts gray granite and stands 120 feet high. The final cost of construction was $300,000. The finished monument has three slotted windows in the front which were not included in Mead’s original design. The windows are not shown in this watercolor and we, therefore, believe that it was commissioned prior to the completion of the monument for either the builder or one of the committee members and is based on the original design. Strobridge & Co. published a lithograph which is similar. The litho added figures and the veteran with one leg and the man with child are in different locations. The three slotted windows from the final design are not shown and the treatment of the top column varies from the watercolor. Housed in the original walnut and gilt-liner frame. Good condition and color.    (Est. $15,000-20,000)

894. An oil on canvas by F. R. Harper. (1876-1948) Born in Rock Island, IL, Harper studied in New York and traveled extensively in Europe prior to returning to Chicago in 1908. The artist studied at the Art Institute of Chicago with William Chase and Robert Henrich – his work was frequently exhibited at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. Extraordinary signed portrait of Lincoln addressing the crowd at his first inagural. Stephen Douglas holds Lincoln’s hat in the background. Dated 1909, oil on canvas, 17 x 24” (sight), 23 x 30” (overall), housed in a period frame, repair to canvas on verso, signature lower right. Listed in the catalogue of the Inventory of American Paintings, Smithsonian Art Museum. Vibrant colors! (Est. $4,000-6,000)

895. LARGE, folk art rendering of Lincoln, oil on canvas, 24 x 30”, signed “W. A. Oktevec May 1930”. It has three holes and two tears and needs cleaning and relining. Housed in a damaged period frame. The defects give this an appropriate “feel” — the sort of work you would want to hang in your Victorian mansion! Definitely a portrait with patina!    (OPEN)

896. A signed work by the great Dali! Signed Salvador Dali artwork, pencil detailed as #84 in a limited edition of 150 issued. 19 1/2 x 25 1/2” color lithograph or silkscreen by Salvador Dali entitled “Homage to Lincoln.” This is one of only three historical figures Dali paid homage to with his work… a glorious piece in vibrant colors. At first glance, as in many of Dali’s works, a dominant and easily perceived image catches the viewer’s eye. One easily sees two angels thrusting upward to Heaven with their blue shrouds trailing behind. Once one begins to view the other elements of the work, there appears in the shrouds of the angels the restful face of Lincoln (complete with beard, heavy brow and worried forehead) being carried by their wings up to Heaven. The blast of the gun is seen on the left while St. Peter and the other angels herald his arrival on the right. In the lower left trails of blue shrouds are figures that mourn and lament his untimely death. Dali gives Lincoln great reverence and emotion through his unique artistic expression and style. In1973, the plates were destroyed. A pretty example. (Est. $2,500-3,500)

897. A limited edition of 750 numbered serigraph impressions, signed by the artist Leroy Neiman! LeRoy Neiman, chronicler of American history, pays homage to the Great Emancipator and celebrates the bicentennial of Lincoln’s birth. Neiman’s 1968 painting now hangs in the Lincoln Museum in Springfield, Illinois. LeRoy Neiman was honored in this bicentennial year with Illinois’ highest honor, The Order of Lincoln. A blowup of the original painting was used as the backdrop during president Obama’s televised speech. Inspired by the Lincoln Bicentennial, Neiman painted the present portrait, a colored serigraph on paper, of his original painting entitled Lincoln, depicting a colorful portrait of our 16th president housed in a double matted frame under glass, celebrating the president who saved the Union and formally ended slavery. The artist captures Lincoln’s bone structure, conveying the integrity, the very essence of an icon of strength. The bold colors and movement in Neiman’s print add a lightness and activity that seems to coexist with the other attributes depicted. In other words, the print hints at potential undertones to Lincoln’s personality that are rarely seen in other portraits of him. Staccato brush strokes and pulsating color capture Lincoln’s determination and confidence. Vibrant colors and the movement that those colors create, do to their angular application, provide an interpretation of Abraham Lincoln’s personality that is distinctly unique. New York artist LeRoy Neiman, born in 1927, is probably the most popular painter and printmaker in America. Neiman has explored contemporary leisure, all the pastimes and places people enjoy, and particularly the world of sports, entertainment, and wildlife. His style explodes with the dramatic intensity of abstract expressionist brush strokes, strokes that pick out action that is strikingly accurate. Dimensions: 23 x 22” (sight); 30 x 29” overall. Signed and dated (‘68) within the print and in pencil in the lower right quadrant, with a personal notation in pencil from the artist in the lower left quadrant  (Est. $1,500-2,500)

898. 12 x 10” watercolor on paper of Fort Slemmer, faintly titled in ink and signed “Lund”. Extremely well-done and intensely colored. Ft. Slemmer was one of fifty-three forts used in the defense of Washington, DC and boasted three 32-lb. guns. Beginning on September 20, 1861, it served as the HQ for the Army of the Potomac. Housed in a fine, period frame, a finely-executed piece of Civil War art. (Est. $1,500-1,800)

899. “Abraham Lincoln, Sixteenth President of the United States.” A rare, and quite large close to life-size bust portrait 20 x 28”, likely by Middleton, Strobridge & Co. of Cincinnati, c. 1865.
Lithograph is embellished with a poem: “Though shrined in dust our President now lies The memory of his deeds shall ever bloom Twined with proud laurels shall the olive rise And wave unfading o’er his honored tomb. To him the nation yields undying fame First on her heroes list inscribe his name High o’er the sculptured marble let him stand The unselfish slight edged.” Slight irregularities on bottom, would matte/frame well. (Est. $1,000-1,500)

900. One of the most recognized depictions of American history… Carpenter’s classic engraving The First Reading of the Emancipation Proclamation Before the Cabinet. This iconic Lincoln study, a huge 38 x 28” work, was engraved by A. H. Ritchie after the painting by F.B. Carpenter. A subtitle notes: “From the original picture at the White House in 1864.” Francis Bicknell Carpenter (1830-1900), was a portrait painter who gained notoriety in 1864 for capturing President Lincoln’s presentation of the famous document to his Cabinet on January 1, 1863. It was painted during numerous sittings with Lincoln at the White House; after its exhibition in the principal northern cities in 1865, the painting was purchased by Mrs. Elizabeth Thompson for $25,000, and presented to the government, and now hangs in the U.S. Capitol in Washington. (In 1866, Carpenter wrote about his creation of the famous painting in his book Six Months in the White House with Abraham Lincoln.) Some edge tears at margins not into image, crease lines at plate impressions along blank border are separating, very light dampstain at bottom left and very top, none of which detract from the bold presentation. (Faults along blank borders not seen with matting.) Most examples have extensive foxing – this print is quite bright. A really dramatic work to fill a wall.   (Est. $1,000-1,500)

901. Another example of the classic print, same as preceeding lot, this print 36 x 26”, light rippling along right side mostly at bottom, very light dampstain at bottom right half of titled portion, and at top border, the central image is bold.  (Est. $600-900)

902. 16 1/2 x 21” black and white lithograph of “Abraham Lincoln” published in 1865 by Bufford’s of Boston, drawn by J. E. Baker. Superb condition and a particularly well-done likeness.
(Est. $600-800)

903. 16 1/2 x 23” hand-colored engraving of “Abraham Lincoln President of the United States.” Published by John Sartain of Philadelphia after a painting by Boyle. It depicts Lincoln in the presidential chair, a rolled-up map in the corner, a bust of Andrew Jackson on the desk along with a newspaper, books and lap-desk, a globe on the floor with a chart or map inscribed Campaign of 1864. Vibrant colors, trimmed slightly all around, affecting only the last line of text. One of the prettiest Lincoln engravings we have seen and likely issued as an election item in 1864. Find a place on your wall for this baby!     (Est. $500-750)

904. 24 x 19” black & white lithograph published by Major & Knapp of New York City, titled “Grand Reception of the Notables of the Nation At the White House 1865. Dedicated to Mrs. Abraham Lincoln by the Publisher of Frank Leslie’s Chimney Corner.” Issued by Leslie as a premium to subscribers of his new paper. The image depicts Lincoln, Mrs. Lincoln, Andrew Johnson, Chase, Stanton, Seward, Farragut, Sheridan, Hancock, Grant, Sumner, Butler, Wells, Colfax, Greeley, Fillmore (sporting a moustache!) and a host of others. Likely issued around the time of the assassination. Minor edge tears with small loss to one corner. (Est. $800-1,200)

905. 21 x 16” black and white lithograph titled “Columbia’s Noblest Sons.” Published in 1865 by Henry and William Voight, printed by Kimmel & Forster of New York and sold by Manson Lang at 512 Broadway. Lincoln and Washington are crowned with laurels by Lady Liberty. Vignettes include the Bombardment of Ft. Sumter, the U.S.S. Monitor in battle, Lincoln’s entry into Richmond, the Boston Tea Party, the adoption of the Declaration of Independence, and the Surrender of Cornwallis. One 2” tear at right, minor brown tone in Ft. Sumter vignette, else very fine. (Est. $300-500)

906. 19 1/2 x 26” black and white lithograph published in 1865 by Kimmel & Forster of New York City, titled “The Outbreak of the Rebellion in the United States 1861.” This rare allegorical print shows Abraham Lincoln, Winfield Scott, Lady Liberty and the Goddess of Justice atop a stone precipice with a fissure, representing the split of the Union. To the left are arrayed the leaders and soldiers of the Confederacy. Davis and Stephens stand beneath a South Carolina palmetto with a hissing snake wrapped around its trunk. President Buchanan slumbers below while his Secretary of the Treasury, John Floyd, gathers in stolen coins. Federal forts are under siege in the background. Arrayed on the right are the ardent supporters of the Union, who willingly take up arms and make monetary contributions. In the far background, the sun rises over the mountaintop, representing the dawn of a new era. Excellent conditon and one of the most intruguing and graphically interesting prints of the period.    (Est. $600-800)

907. Hand-colored 1861 lithograph by Currier & Ives: “Death of Col. Ellsworth. After hauling down the rebel flag, at the taking of Alexandria, Va. May 24th 1861.” 11 x 15”, four pin holes at corners, light toning from previous framing, overall quite nice with fine colors.     (Est. $200-300)

908. 12 x 16” hand-colored lithograph by E. B. & E. C. Kellogg entitled “Abraham Lincoln, Sixteenth President of the United States.” Seated in the presidential chair, he holds a document. Small tears in the top and bottom margins which can be covered when framed. Moderate toning/damp-stains at left edge, strong colors.     (Est. $300-400)

909. 9 x 11 1/2” artist-signed print inscribed “Engraved in pure mezzotint & printed in color. Frederick Reynolds.” Dated 1919 on verso with paper mounting residue.   (Est. $200-300)

910. Robert E. Lee. Hand-colored front cover of Frank Leslie’s Illustrated Newspaper of March 24, 1866 bearing a seated portrait of Lee. Measures 9 x 12.5” (sight) 17.5 x 21” overall. Ornately matted and framed in rich wood tones. Light creases, else fine.     (Est. $100-200)

911. 16 x 12” print of a Lincoln painting by Douglas Volk in 1922, pencil signed by the artist. Slight wear, small tear on right side but otherwise in excellent condition. Son of the noted sculptor Leonard Wells Volk, Douglas (1856-1935) also established himself as a Lincoln artist.    (Est. $100-200)

912. 11 1/2 x 22” limited edition embossed tryptich etching of “Lincoln”. Inscribed by the artist “4/5 Lincoln E. D. Evelin 1970.” Small holes at corners, irregularly trimmed at the bottom. An original etching printed in 3 colors (brown, red, and black), given that only 5 were made, this, by definition, has to be rare! An interesting presentation.   (OPEN)

A period, 19th century casting in solid copper.
913. 7 x 5” solid copper (heavy!) cast of the hand of Lincoln grasping a broom handle, inscribed on the end “A. Lincoln. L. W. Volk fecit 1860.” The quality and detail is exceptional with an overall stippling to the skin and a deep patina. Leonard Wells Volk modelled Lincoln at his Chicago studio in the spring of 1860, producing a bust, life mask and hands. The bust was produced in plaster and marketed during the presidential campaign. The life mask and hand were also produced in plaster, but later editions were made and are ubiquitous in the market. It is difficult to discern original castings of these. The hand was also produced in bronze [copper] with later editions being marketed in the late 1870s and continuing until recent times. Based on the inscription and quality of this example, we feel that this is an original production of 1860, or shortly thereafter.
(Est. $3,000-4,000)




914. Dramatic and expressive artistic interpretation. Large, hollow plaster bust of our 16th president, 33” in height. This depicts Lincoln with his head slightly lowered, with deep, piercing eyes and a wise and benevolent countenance. It has great detail, especially in the hair and beard. Incised on the back side “Copyright 1909 Boston Studio.” Original, white painted surface. In very good condition, with some chips and areas of loss to the paint. Certainly the work of an accomplished scultpor. (Est. $400-600)

915. This solid plaster or ceramic work depicts a seated Lincoln wearing a cloak and clutching a document. It is signed on the base by the artist, Tom Clark, and has the incised title A. Lincoln 1809-1865. It is hand-painted and very detailed. Produced by the Cairn Studio of Davidson, NC. (Purchase price at time of issue was $576!) 14” tall with a 17” base. (OPEN)

916. Pair of parianware busts of Lincoln. A 7” bust is inscribed on the front “A. Lincoln” while the 8” bust on pedestal is unmarked. Both are in perfect condition and likely date from the last quarter of the 19th century.  (Est. $150-250)

917. Lincoln by Jo Davidson (1883-1952), a ruddy and earthy solid plaster bust painted bronze, standing 11” with pedestal. An unusual subject for Davidson who normally sculpted statues of living subjects, best known for designing the ubiquitous
Roosevelt dime in 1945. This work bears Davidson’s signature on verso and 1943 date. A fine example. (Est. $400-600)

918. Original works to commemorate the Lincoln Bicentennial! [Donated by the artist, proceeds to support Rail Splitter exhibition work.]  Contemporary art glass tiles by Frank “Daiwa” Douglass. Douglass (b.1965) of the Portland, Maine area, has been crafting art glass for many years. Having studied at the Vitrium Studio, Douglass’ work is now represented by the Maine Art Glass Studio of Lisbon, ME. This offering, unique works created for this year’s auction, are two (2) hand-blown glass tiles, each with profiles of Lincoln done in foil. One plaque measures 6 1/2” square and has Lincoln’s portrait against a magenta ground, an imbedded “clipped” signature panel and raised bubbles. The other plaque measures 7 x 9” and has a portrait of Lincoln on deep emerald glass with flowers, leaves and a clipped signature panel, all captured within the glass. Each of these is a unique art work… and a unique opportunity! (OPEN)

919. A gargantuan solid iron bas relief profile of Lincoln, 16 1/2 x 21 1/2”. An architectural element likely removed from a building, circa 1900. A most impressive, and heavy artifact. Building a court house? Designing a government building? You need this!  (OPEN)

920. Bas-relief, patinated copper, Lincoln portrait plaque in oak or chestnut frame, 11 x 16” overall, circa 1910. Good quality with an Arts and Crafts flavor.  (OPEN)

921. Pair of bronze or copper commemorative plaques. 8 x 10” two-piece, unmarked wall hanging, along with 6 x 8 1/2” easel-backed plaque. Late 19th, early 20th century. (OPEN)

922. INCREDIBLE reverse-painting on glass, 13 x 17” [sight], housed in a period walnut frame with gilt liner. We are unsure whether these were produced in China for export to the American market, or produced in the workshop of William Matthew Prior. Some minor paint loss at the top and bottom, generally in excellent conditon. (Est. $500-750)


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