Sunday, September 30, 2012
Saturday, September 29, 2012
Meteorite
Auction house description: GIBEON MASK - AN INCOMPARABLE IRON METEORITE
Iron, fine octahedrite - IVA
Great Nama Land, Namibia - (25° 30'S, 18° 0'E)
Closing out the Gibeon section is arguably the most aesthetic iron meteorite known to exist. In 1992, indigenous tribesmen in Namibia's Kalahari recovered this matchless specimen with the aid of a metal detector. It is extremely rare for meteorites to have naturally formed holes, and rarer still when the holes are positioned in the matrix in such a way as to yield a magnificent aesthetic specimen-let alone the highly zoomorphic example seen here. Defined by the two adjacent hollows that perforate its mass and separated by perfectly sculpted ridges, there is an exquisite asymmetric balance between this meteorite's two sides: the outward flanging of one side is offset by the larger hollow and more prominent opposing crest.
In addition to the mechanisms involved in the shaping of aesthetic iron meteorites described in the previous lot, there is one other critical detail that was of particular significance to the current example: the moment of extraction from beneath the Earth's surface. If removed several hundred years earlier, this specimen would not have been the perfectly singular zoomorphic evocation before us. If removed several hundred years later, the holes would be far too large and outsized. Adorned with a sumptuous natural patina from its stay in the Kalahari and accompanied by a custom armature and Lucite dome, this is an incomparable meteorite from the finest collection of aesthetic iron meteorites in the world. 195 x 212 x 177mm (7.66 x 8.33 x 7 inches) and 9.37 kilograms (20.66 pounds)
Provenance: The Macovich Collection, New York City
Available at Heritage Auctions.
Iron, fine octahedrite - IVA
Great Nama Land, Namibia - (25° 30'S, 18° 0'E)
Closing out the Gibeon section is arguably the most aesthetic iron meteorite known to exist. In 1992, indigenous tribesmen in Namibia's Kalahari recovered this matchless specimen with the aid of a metal detector. It is extremely rare for meteorites to have naturally formed holes, and rarer still when the holes are positioned in the matrix in such a way as to yield a magnificent aesthetic specimen-let alone the highly zoomorphic example seen here. Defined by the two adjacent hollows that perforate its mass and separated by perfectly sculpted ridges, there is an exquisite asymmetric balance between this meteorite's two sides: the outward flanging of one side is offset by the larger hollow and more prominent opposing crest.
In addition to the mechanisms involved in the shaping of aesthetic iron meteorites described in the previous lot, there is one other critical detail that was of particular significance to the current example: the moment of extraction from beneath the Earth's surface. If removed several hundred years earlier, this specimen would not have been the perfectly singular zoomorphic evocation before us. If removed several hundred years later, the holes would be far too large and outsized. Adorned with a sumptuous natural patina from its stay in the Kalahari and accompanied by a custom armature and Lucite dome, this is an incomparable meteorite from the finest collection of aesthetic iron meteorites in the world. 195 x 212 x 177mm (7.66 x 8.33 x 7 inches) and 9.37 kilograms (20.66 pounds)
Provenance: The Macovich Collection, New York City
Available at Heritage Auctions.
Thursday, September 27, 2012
Bonnie and Clyde Death Car Items
Five items originally obtained from the floor of Bonnie and Clyde’s
bullet-riddled car after it was brought to Arcadia, Louisiana, along
with the bodies of the notorious outlaws.
Available at RR Auction.
Available at RR Auction.
Bonnie and Clyde Freak Show Banner
Original early 1930s traveling side-show banner exploiting the antics of criminals, Bonnie and Clyde.
Available at RR Auction.
Available at RR Auction.
Wednesday, September 26, 2012
Tuesday, September 25, 2012
Sports Silhouettes
Monday, September 24, 2012
"Darkness and Dawn"
Seller's Description:
This is a souvenir of a visit to a Coney Island Bowery amusement called Darkness and Dawn. It was a Cyclorama, and had been created for an exposition in Omaha, Nebraska in 1898. It was brought to the Coney Island Bowery at the turn of the century. The souvenir is card stock, in the shape of a coffin, and has a skull and crossbones illustration at top. It also has a quote from "The Devil." The same image and text is printed on both sides (shown). The attraction on the Bowery was destroyed by fire in 1903, and was rebuilt for Luna Park several years later.
This is a souvenir of a visit to a Coney Island Bowery amusement called Darkness and Dawn. It was a Cyclorama, and had been created for an exposition in Omaha, Nebraska in 1898. It was brought to the Coney Island Bowery at the turn of the century. The souvenir is card stock, in the shape of a coffin, and has a skull and crossbones illustration at top. It also has a quote from "The Devil." The same image and text is printed on both sides (shown). The attraction on the Bowery was destroyed by fire in 1903, and was rebuilt for Luna Park several years later.
Homestead Portrait
Sunday, September 23, 2012
Ohio Lions
Early 20th century folk art concrete lions molded and carved by an artist named George Dietrich. Found buried among tree roots on the old Dietrich farm in Southern Ohio.
Available at Anonymous Works.
Saturday, September 22, 2012
Off to Cuba
Friday, September 21, 2012
Pre-Mickey
Metal top of a child's study desk from 1925. Three years later in 1928, Walt Disney debuts Mickey Mouse in "Steamboat Willie".
Photo from "Cartoon Collectibles" by Robert Heide & John Gilman.
Photo from "Cartoon Collectibles" by Robert Heide & John Gilman.
Thursday, September 20, 2012
Hooked Rug With Two Horses
Monday, September 17, 2012
Friday, September 14, 2012
1885 Folk Art Pipe Head
Dated 1885 folk art pottery pipe head. Huge, fist-sized scale makes it seem less like a practical pipe and more like an end of day whimsey. Found in Ohio.
Available at Anonymous Works.
Available at Anonymous Works.
Thursday, September 13, 2012
Obsessive Construction
Wednesday, September 12, 2012
Monday, September 10, 2012
Survival!
Friday, September 7, 2012
Double Fisted
Late 19th or early 20th century folk art carved and painted cane with two hands forming fists and an entwined snake. Great crackled surface. Found in Illinois.
Available at Anonymous Works.
Wednesday, September 5, 2012
Tuesday, September 4, 2012
Delta Blues
Circa 1920's - 1930's folk art steel lap guitar. Stylized notes are painted on the face. Found in an African American estate in Chicago.
Available at Anonymous Works.
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