Date: Fri 16-Apr-1999

Publication: Ant

Author: LIZAM

Quick Words:

boos

Full Text:

Boos Sets World Record For American Pressed Glass At Auction

By Rita Easton

BLOOMFIELD HILLS, MICH. -- Collectors of fine glass converged from all points

on the map at the Frank H. Boos Gallery for a February 10 and 11 auction. The

catalogue listed the usual array of paintings, furniture, decorative arts,

with a collection of glass having modest estimates, but the buzz was out.

"The lot causing the biggest excitement wasn't even illustrated," a pleased

Frank Boos said. "It was a Nineteenth Century modelled blue pressed glass

inkstand. It was not even in the ad. We used similar auction type items in

preparing the estimate [of $200/400]."

"When the catalogue was done we discovered that this was an exceedingly rare

inkwell," he continued. "Only six known in the world. It was illustrated on

the cover of a book written at Corning. There's an example at the Metropolitan

Museum, although it's not as nice as the one we sold."

Boos recalled approximately 20 international bidders vying for the piece when

it came to the block, which pushed the hammer price to $46,000 (plus 15

percent buyers premium).

"According to all information we have been provided," he stated, "and which

everyone else acknowledges -- including the Sandwich Glass Museum -- [that's]

a world record price for Nineteenth Century American pressed glass."

The inkstand, a mottled blue from pale to dark, with two ribbed vessels, (the

sander and the inkpot), had an overall floral relief decoration and measured

seven by four by 3¬ inches high. It was purchased by Frank Judlica, a private

Boston collector.

"The background on this," Boos continued, "goes back to the mid '80's. Dick

Bourne held three auctions offering what was considered the benchmark sale of

American glass: the Elsholz collection. Borne had three auctions and produced

three hardbound catalogues."

"Immediately, when we put out our ad, people were saying, `What are you

talking about? You can't have the Elsholz collection -- it was all sold at

Dick Bourne's in 1986.' What people didn't realize is that Mr. Elsholz, who

was a successful CPA in Detroit, sold only the collection that was kept in his

office in down Detroit."

"What we had was the glass that Elsholz and his wife were living with at home

on the Detroit River. It was never even show to Dick Bourne. Bill Elsholtz

died and his wife, Artilla, maintained the glass in the residence until her

death at age 96 a few months ago. Then we were commissioned to sell some 200

pieces of [the collection]."

The moment the Elsholz name was connected with the auction, "glass collectors

came out of the woodwork," Boos said.

If you offer it, they will come.

Although the sale of the inkstand created the greatest pre-sale interest, it

was far from the highest-selling lot. An unsigned, four-color stemmed example

of art glass, one of only three known (another housed in the Chrysler Museum

collection in Virginia), fetched a stunning $75,000 before buyer's premium,

the starring bid of the auction. The green, red, lavender and blue lot was

slightly askew on its stem, carried a pre-auction estimate of $1,5/2,500, and

was purchased by a private collector.

"There were glass people here who said, `There's no way that that's Tiffany.'

But a lot of people thought it was," Boos commented.

A slightly smaller amber, yellow and red stemmed Tiffany stemmed glass with

globular bowl, estimated at $1/1,500, hammered at $7,500.

The entire collection of 200 pieces of American glass was estimated to bring

$35,000, but escalated to $220,000 total.

A sampler signed "Sophie, Bailly, Mackinac, Janviers, 1828," 13 inches high by

10× inches wide, together with a detailed family history of the maker, which

was thought to have strictly local interest, sold to a private Philadelphia

collector at $7,500. The sampler depicted trees, birds, and butterflies, was

bordered with a geometric design, and contained three series of the letters of

the alphabet.

Born in 1807 to a mother who was an Ottawa native American Indian, and a

father who was a French fur trader, one of seven children, Sophie Bailly was a

teacher for the Catholic Archdiocese, assigned to Mackinac Island.

A drypoint by Mary Cassatt, (American, 1844-1926), depicting a mother and

child, realized $15,000, a somewhat depressed price due to a crease; a Victor

Manuel Garcia y Rodriques, (Spanish, 1863-1925), oil on mahogany panel of a

quiet tree-lined residential street, fell within estimate at $9,000; an

Antoine Blanchard, (French, 1910-1988), oil on canvas, a view of a busy

Parisian street, went out slightly above the $3,000 high estimate at $3,250; a

Nineteenth Century oil on canvas after Dolce of St. Andrews's crucifixion made

the high estimate of $4,000; and a 51 inch high W. D. Allen Manufacturing

Company cast tin lawn sprinkler, in the form of a little girl with an

umbrella, a two-sided, decorative lawn piece, was an endearing image at $650.

Nine hundred ninety four lots were offered at the two-day event, for a gross

of $550,000.

Prices quoted do not reflect the buyers premium.