DOUGLASS, KAN.- The massive single-owner collection of Emerson and Freda Moore of Wichita, Kansas, consisting of ten artworks by the Swedish-born American painter Birger Sandzen (1871-1954), plus fine examples of French cameo, miniature lamps, Loetz, Nippon, Rookwood and more will be sold by
Woody Auction on Saturday, February 18th, in the firm’s gallery at 120 East 3rd Street in Douglass.
The sale will start promptly at 9:30 am Central time. For those unable to attend live, internet bidding will be provided by LiveAuctioneers.com. Absentee bids will also be accepted. “The Moores were longtime collectors who had continued their aunt’s antique collection they’d inherited from years before,” said Jason Woody of Woody Auction. “There are many truly beautiful pieces in this auction.”
As with every Woody auction, all 380 lots will be sold to the highest bidder without reserve. The entire catalog may be viewed online now, with crisp color photos, at www.woodyauction.com. The Sandzen artworks are expected to generate keen bidder interest. The group includes four oil paintings, three lithographs, one drypoint, one watercolor and one student oil. Sandzen’s works are highly collectible.
Sandzen’s mother was an accomplished watercolorist and he showed an interest in art at a very young age, enrolling at art schools in Stockholm and later Paris. Around 1890, he joined a group of artists that became known as the Artists League. He was best known for his landscapes and produced most of his work while teaching as an art professor at Bethany College in Lindsborg, Kansas, from 1894 to 1946.
Collectibles will feature an unmarked Loetz Streifen und Flecken ruffled bowl made from iridescent amethyst, with a silver punte and stripe design; a signed La Verre Francais French cameo vase with a lavender cameo carved overlay of stylized tree design and the rare “candy cane” mark; and a marked Zsolnay art pottery jardinière with an elaborate iridescent scene of ducks flying over trees and hills.
Fans of Rookwood will be treated to a rare art pottery pitcher dated 1889, done in a brown glaze and having an exceptional décor of frogs in suits, artist signed (“A.R.V” for Albert R. Valentein), in perfect condition, 10 ¾ inches tall; and a set of two art pottery handled mugs, one depicting a frog holding a flute and flower (1889), the other a frog holding a rose branch (1890), both mugs signed by Valentein.
Asian offerings will include a marked Nippon (blue maple leaf) embossed vase, 9 ¼ inches tall having a basket weave background and with a blown-out hydrangea décor; and a scarce and diminutive (3 ¼ inch by 3 inch) Peking cameo art glass vase having a clear/frosted body with lavender cameo carved phoenix overlay and highly detailed Asian-themes scenes hand-painted onto the interior of the vase.
Miniature lamps will feature a hard-to-find figural miniature Santa Claus lamp, 9 ¼ inches tall, with a wonderful milk glass base and shade, all original, with strong color and even a nice glass display dome; and an exceedingly rare miniature hanging kerosene parlor lamp, 5 1/5 inches in height, with milk glass shade having an embossed shell design, very colorful with gold highlights and the original metal frame.
Internet bidders are encouraged to register a day or two ahead of the auction. Absentee bids should be submitted with a written statement indicating the amount of the bid. All bids must be received no later than Thursday, Feb. 16th. Bids may be fax’d to 316-746-2145, or e-mailed to info@woodyauction.com. Douglass is 35 miles southeast of Wichita. The gallery is a half-block from Woody Auction’s offices.
As for lodging, the recommended hotel is the Holiday Inn Express, located in Andover, Kansas, about a 15-20 minute drive away. To reserve a room there, call 316-733-8833. Many more area lodgings are also available. Moving forward, Woody Auction will conduct regular auction events in the Douglass location. Other auctions will be held at the St. Charles Convention Center in Missouri, as well as Iowa.
