A few examples of appraisal values for
SANTA AT PLAY

• Executive Officer Henry W. Washburn
  Executive Officer Henry W. Washburn USS Morning Light Civil War Archive War-date archive of five letters one partial letter and three transmittal covers. Written by ill-starred Acting Master Henry W. Washburn executive officer of USS Morning Light he recounts dullard crewmates timid commanders and chasing smugglers along the Florida coastline. Washburn an experienced seaman served on the 937-ton sailing ship USS Morning Light of 8 guns on blockade duty along the Gulf Coast. Son of Captain Noah Washburn his desires of making his own name and career as a naval officer were dashed when he was assigned to the dumpy Morning Light. As a converted merchant ship with no steam engine it was hardly suited to chasing blockade runners. In Washburn??Ts first letter dated April 25 1862 from Ship Island Mississippi the Union base of operations for the attack on New Orleans the Morning Light had delivered supplies to the fleet but was ordered to stay behind on picket duty for the army camp while Farragut??Ts fleet destroyed the forts guarding the entrance to the Mississippi River. Washburn notes: I suppose there will be some hard fighting there and I would like to do some of it just for the fun so as to see if I have any spunk. He adds that things are quiet and boring: ...there is no prospect of us getting into a fight so there is no need of anyone at home worrying about my getting shot.  A bit of excitement does present itself when a ship ??|stood in too near the island after being warned not to do so. I was ordered to fire at him... I sent one shot close under his bow upon which he soon put his helm alee and tried another tack.   In a 4pp letter from Pensacola dated May 24 and a second one in the same envelope dated June 1 1862 a homesick Washburn sends fond wishes to his children and wife and expounds on the deficiencies of his fellow officers none of whom are experienced sailors or regular officers. The Morning Light??Ts commander who played favorites among the officers and crew resigned and the acting commander had little sea experience and no command experience. The Union had recently recaptured Pensacola after the Confederate army abandoned it and Washburn notes that the houses are still in disrepair after the huge bombardment of the previous November blew the windows out all over town and set fire to some buildings: I have not been on shore yet but it looks bad the houses are all deserted some with windows broke in and some they seemed bent on destroying as much as possible. In a separate letter to his father dated May 24 1862 Washburn tells how the acting executive officer whom he describes as the stupidest jackass I ever saw in in any office a regular thick head besides being a little in want of pluck chickened out halfway across the bay when a rebel schooner was sighted tied up on shore: ...off he goes in our first cutter with 10 men armed to cut her out. He pulled half way to her... then turned around and come back to the ship. On his way back he pulled slow so as to get to the ship after dark.  This officer regularly took a ship??Ts boat and some men then hid out in the bay while pretending to hunt smugglers in order to get out of work. Tired of this Washburn asked the commander for permission to hunt coastal smugglers in one of the boats. Heading out that night in a captured fishing smack with an armed crew of eight men Washburn patrolled Santa Rosa Sound for smugglers. They chased three small boats into the shallow bayous where their sailing ship couldn??Tt reach then decided to disguise themselves as fishermen and surprise the next one. Just at daylight I saw a large lugger coming down before the wind and after dodging him a spell I managed to get inshore of him... My Yankee trick seemed to answer and came down most to me when they smelled a mice and hauled in for the beach.  The smuggler kept running after being commanded to stop even after Washburn ordered a shot across their bows with the small cannon but a volley of fire from his crew??Ts Sharps rifles convinced the smuggler to heave to. The lugger loaded not only with livestock but also having a noted Secessionist shipowner as passenger was brought back under guard to the Morning Light. Washburn calculated the value of ship and cargo at $1000 and expected some prize money from it but his commander wishing to appear noble hearted gave up the lugger and gave the prisoners a pass to New Orleans. Washburn decided after this that if he can??Tt get off Morning Light and into a regular Man of War with regular Naval officers I do not think I shall stay in the Navy... On July 27 1862 Washburn wrote his wife relating how Lt Commander Moore his commander had resigned and left the ship but not before bilking the crew out of thousands of dollars! Now just before Moore left he made a deal with an owner of a ship to get the Ship off and ready for sea. He was to receive $6000 for it which was to be divided among the Crew. We thought it was all right until he divided the money.  Moore had used the crew as labor to pull off a ship which had run aground but kept all but $1450 of the $6000 for himself before taking off. August 9 found the Morning Light back at Ship Island. Washburn composed a letter to his father relating how his former commander Lt Commander Moore was inexperienced and lax in drilling and disciplining the crew. He tells his father about Moore using the crew as labor to make money for himself and that he the ship??Ts doctor and paymaster had filed a formal complaint with the senior commander in the area. Lt. Spear the brown-nosing executive officer became Morning Light??Ts acting commander. He was a tavern keeper in Maine before the war and Washburn described him thusly: Our Executive Officer a Pimp and rum seller who received his appointment though some Politician a man who knows nothing about a Ship and lacks all that goes toward making a Gentleman... Spear agreeing with Moore in all he said had kept in his good graces while the rest of us despising Moore for his meanness and vanity kept a distance. In an August 20th update on the same page Washburn described the Morning Light??Ts shortcomings: This ship is not fit for any other use than as a guard ship. We draw 15 ?? ft and are a sailing ship two bad qualities for Gulf service. Besides we are a very slow ship in stays she sails quite well when she has a leading breeze and would make a good ship for action because a shot striking her would go through without splinters she being very soft and in spots rotten. Noting that he had little chance of being retained in the post-war Navy if he could not distinguish himself in combat he doubted that he would see any at all: ...our Spear will never go into action if he can keep out and as long as I am in this ship I consider myself safe from all sesesh shots or knives. The partial letter is undated but is easily placed as immediately after the November 27-28 1862 actions at Cedar Lake Texas where Morning Light spent two days sending parties ashore to destroy the salt works. Washburn was wounded in the elbow in a heavy firefight with Rebel defenders. We stopped off Galveston today and communicated with the Senior Capt who thinks we done well... I rather be in a Steamer this craft is too unwieldy for a man of War and is not fit for such work as blockading a Coast where you can not see the land in 7 fathoms water. Signed Henry W. Washburn Acting Master & Executive Officer U.S.S. M Light. Washburn??Ts reservations proved to be well-founded as two months later USS Morning Light and USS Velocity were captured off Sabine Pass while on blockade duty by Confederate ?cotton-clad? steamboats filled with soldiers. Stranded by becalmed seas the engineless ships were unable to escape and surrendered after being fired upon by cannon and small arms. The Morning Light??Ts deep draft prevented the Rebels from getting her across the bar of the pass so she was burned two days later to prevent her recovery. Washburn spent 25 months of horrible disease and filth in Confederate POW camps in Texas before finally being released weeks before the war ended. He finally got his wish to serve in the post-war Navy on a real warship when he was assigned to USS Sabine after returning to the North but his health had been ruined by disease and dysentery while a prisoner of war. Declared unfit for duty he was honorably discharged from service on April 3 1866. His health never recovered from his imprisonment and he died 4 years later on October 11 1870 while fighting for a disability pension. His widow and four children were awarded his pension eleven months later.
• FIVE VINTAGE WHIMSICAL TIN LITHO
  FIVE VINTAGE WHIMSICAL TIN LITHO WIND-UP AND FRICTION T...Five Vintage Whimsical Tin Litho Wind-Up and Friction Toys. Mid-twentieth century animal and holiday-themed toys, four Japanese, one French, including Puss ‘N Boots; a skiing dog (friction); a hopping rabbit; anthropomorphic Santa Claus helicopter (friction); and tambourine-playing bear. Generally good condition with light signs of play-wear.
• 1969 NORTHERN CALIFORNIA CAL FOLK
  1969 NORTHERN CALIFORNIA CAL FOLK ROCK FESTIVAL Linda C. Gull, color concert poster, Santa Clara Fairgrounds, San Jose, CA, 5/23/1969, performers: Jimi Hendrix, Jefferson Airplane, Chuck Berry, Muddy Waters, and Doc Watson, (OP-1) Original Pre-Concert First Printing Poster, 20 1/2 x 14 in., unframed. Glen Trosch says of the work, "This poster from May of 1969 announced a three-day festival to be held at the Santa Clara fairgrounds in San Jose California. This event featured a powerhouse performance by Jimi Hendrix. Led Zeppelin was billed but did not play. Also in attendance were several legendary performers such as Chuck Berry, Muddy Waters and Doc Watson. The image is an illustration by Linda C. Gull that was used for several festival posters in the sixties."
• LLADRO PORCELAIN ORNAMENTS: 10
  LLADRO PORCELAIN ORNAMENTS: 10 Pieces to include Joan Coderch designer - SNOWMAN #5841 issued 1991 retired 1993 4''; SANTA #5842 issued 1991 retired 1993 4 3/4''; ELF #5938 issued 1992 retired 1993 3 1/4''; Mrs. Claus #5939 issued 1992 retired 1993 4 1/2''. Francisco Polope designer - SURPRISED CHERUB #6253 issued 1995 retired 1997 2''; PLAYING CHERUB #6254 issued 1995 retired 1997 2''; THINKING CHERUB #6255 issued 1995 retired 1997 3''. Design & Decoration Dept designs - CHRISTMAS TREE #6261 issued 1995 5 1/2''. Jose Alvarez designer - ROCKING HORSE #6262 issued 1995 retired 1997 3 1/2''. Marco Nogueron designer - DOLL #6263 issued 1995 retired 1997 3 1/4''. All with boxes sold as a lot.CONDITION: Unless already noted figurines appear to be in fine condition. Having a box does not specify to the condition of either the box the foam inside or the existence of a COA.
• FRAMED ELI LEVIN PAINTING - "OLD
  FRAMED ELI LEVIN PAINTING - "OLD BAG" 1991Eli Levin (American, b. 1938). "Old Bag" watercolor and/or gouache, 1990. Pencil signed "Eli Levin 1990" at bottom center. A wonderful genre painting - a scene of everyday life - that takes place in a seedy bar of the American West by American artist Eli Levin. Levin presents three people at the bar - the bartender is conversing with a man in a blue suit, and simultaneously gesturing toward a woman sitting at the other end of the bar. Perhaps she is the inspiration for the title of the work, "Old Bag" - dressed in an orange romper over a white blouse, her bosoms resting on the bar top, she holds her head with one hand and smokes a cigarette with the other. All is delineated with vibrant hues and bold forms - set in a custom matte and frame. Size of painting: 9" L x 10.625" W (22.9 cm x 27 cm) Size: 15.75" L x 17.75" W (40 cm x 45.1 cm) Levin has been dubbed "a narrative genius" and his paintings have been described as "impeccably crafted vignettes" by critics such as Suzanne Deats who also compared him to Honore Daumier and Pieter Breughel. According to Deats, these masters "interpreted scenes of everyday life in the same exuberant fashion" albeit with a difference in locale and time period. Born and raised in Manhattan, Levin grew up in one of the world's greatest cities, developing an appreciation for art and culture that was figural and realistic during the heyday of Abstract Expressionism. Years later, he would move to Santa Fe and find his muse - "the underworld of the bars where working class people hung out, drank, flirted, danced and fought." Levin would state, "People lose their inhibitions in a bar, in a way that would seem odd elsewhere. A bar is like a theatre in that people act out their drives and compulsions. There is a great deal of anxiety, and of course all that macho garbage." (Source: Suzanne Deats, "The Play of Life: From rowdy and exuberant to tender and subdued, there's a classical quality in Eli Levin's cast of characters" in Focus/Santa Fe/ June/July 1991 pp. 56- 59) Provenance: ex-William and Jane Frazer, Aspen, Colorado, USA, acquired 1980s All items legal to buy/sell under U.S. Statute covering cultural patrimony Code 2600, CHAPTER 14, and are guaranteed to be as described or your money back. A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany all winning bids. PLEASE NOTE: Due to recent increases of shipments being seized by Australian & German customs (even for items with pre-UNESCO provenance), we will no longer ship most antiquities and ancient Chinese art to Australia & Germany. For categories of items that are acceptable to ship to Australia or Germany, please contact us directly or work with your local customs brokerage firm. Display stands not described as included/custom in the item description are for photography purposes only and will not be included with the item upon shipping. #166666 Condition: Painting has not been examined outside the frame but appears to be in excellent condition. Pencil signed "Eli Levin 1990" at bottom center. Frame is wired for suspension and painting is ready to display.
• (TOPICAL) CHILDREN: 85 POSTCARDS
  (TOPICAL) CHILDREN: 85 POSTCARDS EARLY TO LATE 20TH CENTURY(TOPICAL) CHILDREN: 85 POSTCARDS, Early to Late 20th Century, Many real photo: some studio. Includes: child with American flag seated in steer horn chair, perambulators, birthday parties, Halloween costumes including three children dressed as Native Americans, girl with enormous dragon-applied and handled silver trophy, boy as Santa Claus, Santa with child and sleigh, class photographs on school steps, children with bikes, autos and carts, family gatherings, first communion, plays, Mahaney quadruplets (b. 12/25/23 in Saint John) and more. Wonderful time capsule.
• COLLECTION OF LIONEL TRAINS AND
  COLLECTION OF LIONEL TRAINS AND ACCESSORIES: To include 726 Engine 2 2333-20 Santa Fe Engines (one with significant battery acid damage) 2343C with box 2532 passenger car with box 2533 passenger car with box 2426W tender with box 2458 boxcar with box 6456 hopper with box 6457 caboose with box 3464 boxcar with box 2460 crane 3462 milk car 6465 Sunoco tanker 2357 caboose ZW-136 transformer assorted tracks and accessories.CONDITION: Note trains have been well played with and show it. Please call for condition.
• Texas & New Mexico Military
  Texas & New Mexico Military Correspondence of Jonas P. Holliday Lot of 3 ALsS. 1850-1857.Appointed to West Point from New York Jonas P. Holliday graduated 24th in the class of 1850 and remained in the military service for life. As a young officer in the 2nd Dragoons he was stationed initially on the Texas and New Mexico frontier and then after a lengthy sick leave he served at Fort Leavenworth Kansas the Utah Expedition of 1857 and in the Dakota Territory. His later career however was marked by tragedy. As the Civil War began Holliday was commissioned as Colonel of the 1st Vermont Cavalry and rushed into service well before he felt they were ready. Holliday fell apart. Being naturally of a nervous temperament and not very robust according to a newspaper account and troubled by fighting his southern countrymen he shot himself through the forehead in April 1862 while standing on the banks of the Shenandoah River. He had served with his regiment less than a month.This small collection of three letters reveals a great deal about a recent West Point graduate and young officer on his first assignment. The first surviving letter dated at Albuquerque Dec. 24 1850 appears also to be the first written home after traveling west. Holliday explains that mail arrives only once per month and departs for the U. States just as seldom. He offers a classic of early western travel: I was sixty days crossing the plains which would have taken us only forty but for an ox train we had to escort. We stopped at Las Vegas a week; one of the first settlements we come to & about seventy five miles from Santa F? to make the division of recruits & Horses our command being merely a detachment destined to recruit the Dragoon Arm stationed in this Territory... In the city of Santa Fe I saw but one building of wood & that a rather poor affair the buildings have a singular plan but one very well suited to the usages of the country [Holliday sketches a floorplan!]. The Mexicans are nearly all thieves... The people of New Mexico are generally small -- dirty -- lazy -- & worthless! Some however have become considerably Americanized in their dress manners & customs. I have not seen one yet who can speak English with any degree of fluency from which or rather because I am unable to speak or understand Spanish I been in some ridiculous positions. But I am learning. Some of the women are pretty but is not at all common however to see such. The Mexicans are all very fond of Dancing & music; their fiddlers play with an enthusiasm equaled only by that of the Negro. They give Bailes or (Balls) the manner in which the invitation is given I think quite original. The musicians who are engaged for the ball go through the streets playing a regular break-down usually followed by a gang of urchins half clad or with not clothing whatever showing their love for music by their grotesque antics & horrible nasal-twang accompaniments...?Datelined at Fort Worth Texas Sept. 15 1853 Holliday's second letter describes the general movement of troops in Texas to the Rio Grande in anticipation of Mexican troubles whether it will all turn out a false alarm or not I am unable to say.. So far as I am concerned I would rather see a little gunpowder burned than not just to see whether I could stand fire. I have heard there will be one or two new regiments formed this winter... He also discusses his efforts to gain political support for a promotion in one of the new regiments if formed being nearly alone on base and hunting on a grand scale.We had some very cold and stormy weather a number of men were frost bitten and our Horses and mules died from cold & starvation so fast that we had to abandon wagons & saddles in the road. In my company I lost about thirty horses between Laramie and this place.... No Mormons have been seen since the Dragoons came into the country. They seem to have a very wholesome fear of Dragoons. Some of the Valleys here were cultivated by the Mormons last summer but everything was laid waste before our arrival... Some think the Mormons will resist others myself among the number think that Brigham Young will run away before spring and that the Mormons will be very glad to submit to terms. I have hopes of being ordered back as soon as this Mormon war is ended. Much more.Though addressed to his relatives at home it seems likely that the letters were intended for publication in a newspaper -- one is docketed on the verso please return these letters after publication -- however if they were actually published or where has not been determined.A wonderful collection documenting the brief career and too-short life of a tragic West Point graduate. Condition: Good condition with only minor wear and signs of age.
• PARKER BROS. SANTA CLAUS GAME,
  PARKER BROS. SANTA CLAUS GAME, EARLY 20TH C.Parker Bros. Santa Claus Game , early 20th c. , with great early graphics on cover, game instructions on underside and inset gameboard, with spinner and wood playing pieces, 15" x 9". Competitive In-House shipping is available for this lot. Condition: excellent (aprons and sides restored)
• RUFINO TAMAYO "ESTUDIO" GRAPHITE ON
  RUFINO TAMAYO "ESTUDIO" GRAPHITE ON PAPERRufino Tamayo (New York/Mexico, 1899 -1991) unframed portrait portrayal of two ladies, signed to lower right "R. Tamayo" & measuring 20" in height with width of 16". Comes complete with Certificate of Authenticity (see photographs), & is in overall good condition. All measurements are approximate. Provenance: from the estate of a prominent Texas collector. Rufino Tamayo was a Mexican painter of Zapotec heritage, born in Oaxaca de Juarez, Mexico. Following the death of his parents, he moved to Mexico City to live with his aunt, where he later (1917) enrolled in the Escuela Nacional de Artes Plasticas at San Carlos to study art. As a student, he experimented with & was influenced by Cubism, Impressionism, & Fauvism, but with a distinctly Mexican feel. He was later appointed the head designer of the department of ethnographic drawings at the National Museum of Archaeology in Mexico City. There he was surrounded by pre-Colombian objects, an aesthetic inspiration that would play a pivotal role in his life. In his own work, Tamayo integrated the forms and tones of pre-Columbian ceramics into his early still lives and portraits of Mexican men and women. In the early 1920s he also taught art classes in Mexico City's public schools. Despite his involvement in Mexican history, he did not subscribe to the idea of art as nationalistic propaganda. Modern Mexican art at that time was dominated by 'The Three Great Ones' : Diego Rivera, Jose Clemente Orozco, and David Alfaro Siqueros, but Tamayo began to be noted as someone 'new' and different' for his blending of the aesthetics of post Revolutionary Mexico with the vanguard artists of Europe and the United States. After the Mexican Revolution, he focused on creating his own identity in his work, expressing what he thought was the traditional Mexico, and refusing to follow the political trends of his contemporary artists. This caused some to see him as a 'traitor' to the political cause, and he felt it difficult to freely express himself in his art. As a result, he decided to leave Mexico in 1926 and move to New York, along with his friend, the composer Carlos Chavez. The first exhibition of Tamayo's work in the United States was held at the Weyhe Gallery, New York, in that same year. The show was successful, and Tamayo was praised for his 'authentic' status as a Mexican of 'indigenous heritage', and for his internationally appealing Modernist aesthetic. (Santa Barbara Museum of Art). Throughout the late thirties and early forties New York's Valentine Gallery gave him shows. For nine years, beginning in 1938, he taught at the Dalton School in New York. In 1929, some health problems led him to return to Mexico for treatment. While there he took a series of teaching jobs. During this period he became romantically involved with the artist Maria Izquierdo, with whom he lived and worked for several years. In 1933 he completed his first successful mural commission, a series of wall paintings for the Escuela Nacional de Musica (National School of Music). While working on this project, he met Olga Flores Rivas, a piano student at the school. Soon he separated from Izquierdo, and began a romance with Olga. The two were married in 1934. Although Olga was talented and had a budding performance career, she abandoned her musical pursuits to devote herself to promoting Tamayo's work. She was a lifelong muse to the artist, and over his seventy year career, he drew and painted many portraits of her. They moved to New York in 1937, and he began to exhibit his work internationally. From 1937 to 1949, Tamayo and Olga lived there, and he became widely recognized for his signature form of abstract figuration. Some of his most valuable works were created during that time. In 1943 Tamayo painted his first mural in the United States at the Hillyer Art Library at Smith College. Vogue magazine's 1946 issue referred to him as 'the best of young painters'. Look magazine also named him 'a fixed star in the New York art world'. (Santa Barbara Museum of Art) He was an elegant and media-savvy man, often photographed in his Upper East Side studio, with its wall of windows facing out onto Manhattan's fashionable townhouses. The 1940s were however not without problems for the couple. Olga suffered from health problems, leading to several miscarriages, and the marriage was strained. Tamayo dedicated his work to her by adding an extra 'O' to his signature. His fame was growing in Mexico. In 1948 his first major retrospective was held at the Palacio de Bellas Artes in Mexico City, and while he was still controversial, his popularity was high. He enjoyed broad commercial and critical success, but remained uncomfortable with the political differences and controversy, and so Tamayo and Olga moved to Paris in 1949. There he was welcomed by the artists and intellectuals of Europe. The French government named him Chevalier and Officier de la Légion d'Honneur in 1956 and 1969, respectively, and he was the recipient of numerous other honors and awards. Tamayo was among the first Mexican artists to be included in the Venice Biennale. He remained in Paris for 10 years, after which the couple returned permanently to Mexico. His work was exhibited internationally in group and solo shows. Important Tamayo retrospectives took place at the São Paulo Bienal in 1977 and the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York, in 1979. From 1933 to 1980, Tamayo painted 21 murals for an array of universities, libraries, museums, civic and corporate clients, hotels and an ocean liner. He was also an influential printmaker, and, in the latter part of his life embarked on the creation of sculpture. Tamayo eschewed the highly politicized themes explored within the works of his peers, and favored lyrical imagery and incorporated elements of Cubism, Surrealism and Expressionism. Mexican folklore and his Indian origins provided a constant source of inspiration for him. Through his 70s and 80s he continued to be a prolific artist, teacher, and collector. Critics have extolled his bold and saturated use of color as his most significant contribution to Modern art. He was elected an honorary member of the American Academy and National Institute of Arts and Letters in 1961. Rufino and Olga Tamayo donated the Museum of Pre-Hispanic Mexican Art to their native State of Oaxaca in 1974. Their personal holdings of more than 1,000 pieces of ceramics and sculpture formed the cornerstone of the collection. The Rufino Tamayo Museum of International Contemporary Art opened in Mexico in 1981, and it displays many of the artist's works, as well as paintings, sculpture and drawings from his private collection. At the time, it was the first major museum not run by the Government. An interesting sidelight regarding Tamayo's work has to do with a theft. Tamayo's 1970 painting 'Tres Personajes' was bought by a Texan as a gift for his wife in 1977, then stolen from their storage locker during a move in 1987. In 2003, a woman, Elizabeth Gibson, found the painting in the trash on a New York City curb. She knew little about modern art, but felt the painting "had power" and took it without knowing its origin or market value. She spent four years trying to learn about the work, eventually learning it had been featured on an episode of Antiques Roadshow. Ultimately, Gibson and the former owner arranged to sell the painting at a Sotheby's auction. In November, 2007 Gibson received a $15,000 reward plus a portion of the $1,049,000 auction sales price. Tamayo painted his last painting in 1989, at the age of 90, 'Hombre Con Flor' (Man with Flower), a self-portrait. Rufino Tamayo died in 1991 at the age of 92 in Mexico City. Olga passed away two and a half years later.
• 1980 BETTY GOLD IRON MAQUETTE FOR
  1980 BETTY GOLD IRON MAQUETTE FOR MUSEUM OUTDOOR WORKBetty Gold (American, b. 1935). Iron maquette for Holistic Image VIII, 1980. A Betty Gold maquette for her monumental sculpture "Holistic Image VIII" which was originally owned by the Indianapolis Museum of Art and is currently located in front of the Danville, Indiana Town Hall. Gold has been creating such abstract sculptures inspired by geometry, space, order, and form since the 1970's - with her oeuvre ranging from tabletop pieces and maquettes like this example to monumental installations throughout the world. In this maquette, Gold not only masterfully envisioned and modeled the form in space, she also intentionally left the piece in its raw state to oxidize to a rich patina. What's more, the warm russet hues conjure classical references, despite the fact that the form is cutting edge modern. An outstanding work by a prestigious sculptor who has works in more than 75 permanent collections and has exhibited in more than 130 solo and group exhibitions. Size: 16" L x 16.25" W x 15.875" H (40.6 cm x 41.3 cm x 40.3 cm) The outdoor sculpture entitled "Holistic Image VIII" modeled upon this maquette is a monumental steel geometric abstract public artwork that also consists of a triangle bisected by a pentagon form with a C-shaped negative cutout on the right proper side, and a pronounced curvilinear C-form intersecting the left proper front face. First owned by the Indianapolis Museum of Art and currently gracing the Town Hall of Danville, Indiana, it stands 16 feet tall and 16 feet wide. Of course, this maquette is a much more manageable scale. Betty Gold studied at the Octavio Medellin Sculpting School in Austin, Texas (1959-1964) and the Texas Trade Welding School in Dallas, Texas (1966-1970). Born in Austin, Texas, Ms. Gold has lived in Mexico City, Dallas, Los Angeles, Aspen, Palma de Mallorca, Spain, Venice, California, and currently has a home in Santa Fe, New Mexico. She has received many honors including: Honorary Degree of Humane Letters from Mary Baldwin College in Staunton, Virginia (2014); XAM's Artist of the Year in Mallorca, Spain (2014) - Betty was the second woman to receive this award; numerous government commissions including Presidential Garden, Bratislava, Slovakia, Gift of the U.S. Embassy, Monumental Sculpture, "Tiron IV" (2002); Universiada '99, Ajuntament de Palma de Mallorca, Spain, "Tiron 1" (1999); Ronald Reagan State Judiciary Courthouse, Los Angeles, California, Monumental Fountain, "Redwood Moonrise" (1989); and International Olympic Workshop, National Museum of Contemporary Art, Olympic Village, Seoul, South Korea, "Kaikoo Series" (1987); Ms. Gold has been granted countless Artist in Residencies and given dozens of lectures throughout the world; and her works are in many elite institutions including Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofia – Madrid, Spain; Austin Art Museum – Austin, TX; Es Baluard Museu d'Art Modern i Contemporani de Palma – Palma de Mallorca, Spain; Villas Buenaventura Sculpture Garden – San Juan, Cosala, Mexico; Milwaukee Museum – Milwaukee, WI; National Museum of Contemporary Art – Seoul, South Korea; Oakland Museum of California – Oakland, CA; Phoenix Art Museum – Phoenix, AZ; New Orleans Museum of Art – New Orleans, LA; Indianapolis Museum of Art – Indianapolis, IN; Orange County Museum of Art – Newport Beach, CA; Archer M. Huntington Gallery - University of Texas – Austin, TX; Georgia Museum of Art – University of Georgia – Athens, GA; Birmingham Museum of Art – Birmingham, AL; The Albuquerque Museum of Art and History– Albuquerque, NM; Art Museum of South Texas – Corpus Christi, TX; California Museum of Art Thousand Oaks - Thousand Oaks, CA; just to name a few. In 2016, an independent, full length feature film entitled "A Year with Betty Gold" - directed and produced by Professor J. McMerty of Elon University - provided a wonderful opportunity to learn more about Gold's body of work. The film was a 2016 Academy Award Nominee. In the film there is a wonderful moment when Gold describes her process, "My whole life is about order, form, and shape, and geometry. The sculptures come from one rectangle of steel, because that's how you sell steel. That's how you buy it, by the rectangles. .. Whenever I get to playing about making models, I have an idea, and then it's like making sisters of that one shape. You know, you can take that shape and then say, oh, I think I'll turn that wrong side out and make something else. I make about 50, and I throw them all away but maybe about 7 or 8 that I really like, and I cull down, and then that is a series." ("A Year with Betty Gold, 2016 - a film) Betty Gold's Artist Statement: "My inspiration comes from many directions, experiences and channels, but my work always begins with the simple act of folding paper. I create a flat, rectangular structure, deconstruct the parts and reassemble them into the whole, then create a set of drawings and geometric models based on the linear geometry of rotating movement." "From a basic set of shapes, I design several different models - or maquettes – then build them in steel and choose which piece integrates best into the commissioned landscape. The maquette also provides the visual and architectural reference needed to scale the work to its monumental dimensions. I still continue to personally oversee construction and site preparation for each of my installations to ensure the rigid-quality standards I’ve upheld throughout my 45-year career as a professional artist." "My continuing goal is to create art that brings a sense of joy and imaginative flight to those who engage with it, and that will endure long into the future. I also hope to motivate, represent, and inspire more women sculptors to assert themselves into the competitive art market, where they’ve yet to become dominant members." The monumental version of this piece was published in "Betty Gold Retrospectiva." Casal Solleric, Ajuntament de Palma, Spain (2005) p. 20 in addition to "Betty Gold: Permanent Installations Monumental Sculpture" p. 18. A copy of the latter catalogue as well as the artist's impressively extensive resume which opens with a few quotes from the artist. Here is a statement in which Betty Gold discusses her maquettes, "Based on a flat rectangular structure, I deconstruct the whole and reassemble the pieces into one. From a basic set of shapes a small number of models, or maquettes, are constructed in steel. The maquettes provide a visual and architectural reference for what can then be scaled to monumental dimensions." Media and Catalogues about Betty Gold: "A Year With Betty Gold". Full length Independent Feature film. Produced and Directed by Professor J. McMerty, Elon, NC, 2016; Block, Dick and Henry Breitrose. The Remarkable Journey of Betty Gold. Book and DVD. Los Angeles, CA: Block Communications Group, 2006; Betty Gold: Selected Sculptures 1970 – 2004. DVD. Block Communications Group, Los Angeles, CA, 2004; Serra, Pere A. Betty Gold: Velas de Mar. Soller, Mallorca, Spain: Museu Can Prunera, 2010; Serra, Pere A. Betty Gold: Mirades del Mon. Soller, Mallorca, Spain, 2008. Estacio del Ferrocarril de Soller; Pomar, Jaume, and Gold, Betty. Betty Gold: Retrospectiva. Casal Solleric. Palma de Mallorca, Spain: Ajuntament De Palma, 2005; Gold, Betty. Betty Gold: Acero. Santa Barbara, CA: Sullivan Goss--An American Gallery, 2004; Betty Gold. Nara, Japan: Nishida Gallery, 1989; Betty Gold. Seoul, South Korea: Walker Hill Art Center, 1987; Gold, Betty. Betty Gold: The Kaikoo Series. Venice, CA: Betty Gold Studio, 1985; Gold, Betty. Betty Gold: Venice. Venice, CA: Betty Gold Studio, 1984; Betty Gold: Los Angeles. Los Angeles, CA: Baum-Silverman Gallery, 1981; Gold, Betty. Betty Gold, Holistic Images. Santa Ana, CA: Bowers Museum, 1977. Forward by Suzie Pettit. Essay by Reilly P. Rhodes, Director; Gold, Betty. Betty Gold, Holistic Images: Palm Springs Desert Museum. February 26 through April 26, 1981. Palm Springs Desert Museum, Palm Springs, CA: 1977. Provenance: Private Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA collection All items legal to buy/sell under U.S. Statute covering cultural patrimony Code 2600, CHAPTER 14, and are guaranteed to be as described or your money back. A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany all winning bids. We ship worldwide and handle all shipping in-house for your convenience. #168267 Condition: Intact and excellent. Gold intentionally left the piece in its raw state to oxidize to a rich patina. Accompanied by a catalogue entitled, "Betty Gold: Permanent Installations Monumental Sculpture" as well as a copy of the artist's impressively extensive resume; both are in good condition save slight age wear.
• J. H. SINGER FAVORITE STEEPLE CHASE
  J. H. SINGER FAVORITE STEEPLE CHASE BOARD GAMEJ. H. Singer Favorite Steeple Chase board game, colorful cover art with jockeys and Santa Claus, wood framed box bottom with integral game board, spinner, and four stained cast metal figural playing pieces, 17 1/2" x 9 1/2". Provenance: The Collection of Bud & Judy Newman. Competitive in-house shipping is available for this lot. Condition: Damage and losses to apron corner areas, one playing piece missing rider, overall very good condition.