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Folk art, antiques, and outsider art   Other Recent Additions

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Ordered.  (What this means.)
This is a wonderfully done bottle whimsey of a china hutch or dresser. It is extremely detailed and is covered with individually carved and painted items. These include a tea pot with plate, cups and saucers, glasses or cups, a lidded bowl, vases, and flowers. The assemblage almost completely fills the bottle. The woods making up the furniture piece are not painted, but are naturally various colors from different woods. They are actually inlaid. This is probably the best workmanship we have ever seen in a bottle whimsey. This piece is 10" high by 3 1/4" by 2 1/2" deep. It is signed on the bottom "Puky 7/7/2010 Omaja, Cuba". The maker is from Cuba. Inventory Code: CSRH.   See a slideshow of several views [804k] ... Exceptional Cuban bottle whimsy ... Closeup ... Another angle ... A third view ... Two more closeups ... Side views ... Back view ... Closeup from above ... From below, signature ... From below, town ... From above ... With a soda can for scale.
Some much larger photos:   Exceptional Cuban bottle whimsy ... Closeup ... Two more closeups ... Side views ... Back view.

This is a folk art stand made from wood and covered all over with dowels of various sizes. It was likely made as a plant stand. The top section is actually constructed primarily of dowels. The stand has very nice form, with a three tiered base, tapered center column, and circular, three layered top. The stand is painted in white with little bits of glitter here and there. The paint has weathered over the years, as this piece may have been used outdoors. While there is just a little loss to five of the small pieces, it really is very sturdy, clean, and usable. It was probably made about the 1950's or earlier. The stand is about 28 1/2" high, while the top is about 11" square, with a 5 1/2" circular opening. The price is $475.00. Inventory Code: CPAA.   See a slideshow of several views [1.3 Mb] ... Folk art plant stand ... Another angle ... The other side ... Closeup of the top ... Overall, from above ... Second side of the top ... Third side of the top ... Fourth side of the top ... Closeups of the column ... A closer view of the detail ... Closeup of the base ... Second side of the base ... Third side of the base ... Fourth side of the base ... From above ... From below ... Another view from below ... Overall, from below ... With a soda can for scale.
Some much larger photos:   Folk art plant stand ... Another angle ... The other side.

Ordered.  (What this means.)
This is a very well done and expressive carved head made from a large coconut. It is very detailed, and has a lot of personality. The eyes seem to have been made from some other material and inserted into the head. The piece is in excellent condition. It is about 9" high by 7" wide by 7" deep and has some good age to it. Inventory Code: TOWC.   See a slideshow of several views [754k] ... Figural carved coconut ... Another view ... Third angle ... Fourth angle ... Side view ... The other side ... From above ... From below ... Another view from below ... With a soda can for scale.
Some much larger photos:   Figural carved coconut ... Side view.

This is a wild piece of history - and also a visually strong piece of industrial art. These are the cooling controls from the original UFO shaped Famous-Barr department store in St. Louis. They were found in the boiler room and purchased when that store was closing and selling off their fixtures.

The top section has pressure gauges. From these hang the hand written tags indicating which areas went with the particular gauge. Below these are the main controls with the working swivels and knob. These regulated what took place. On the rear the copper tubing still remains. The entire metal front is 18 1/4" long by 12" high by about 5 1/2" deep from the face of the big center knob. It is in excellent visual condition - perfect for outfitting your mad scientist's laboratory. The price is $225.00. Inventory Code: CPAS.   See a slideshow of several views [690k] ... Industrial cooling controls ... Showing the hand written tags ... Back view ... Another angle, from back ... From above ... Another view from above ... Closeup of the guages ... Another closeup ... Third closeup ... From below ... With a soda can for scale.
Some much larger photos:   Industrial cooling controls ... Showing the hand written tags ... Back view.

Featured Sale Posted January 4, 2012: An African-American quilt in a vivid, folky pinwheel pattern. The cotton fabrics have hearts, clubs, diamonds, and spades woven in. The colors are a medium blue with white, and a warm terracotta orange and white. It is 65" by 78", and looks great hung or on a bed. Please visit the feature sale page for full details.

Some previous "Most recent additions" still available:

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This is a very unusual and folky frame. It has a central section constructed of 5 wavy layers in a tramp art style. The outer portion of the frame has a series of deeply carved serrations, and between this and the inner tramp portion are carved corner blocks and decorative pieces. The construction of the rear of the frame is also unusual and interesting, with hand saw marks. This piece is about 1 3/4" deep. The outer dimensions are 11 3/4" by 9 3/4", while the opening is about 5 7/8" by 3 3/16". The frame has a rich dark surface with reddish/brown tones. It was finished in a dark lacquer which has taken on a very desirable patina. The outside edge was sponge painted. The condition is very good with a slight split on one edge, some minor chipping to the wood quite a long time ago, and the loss of a little of the wood on the back inner section. It was probably from the mid to late 1800's. The price is $425.00. Inventory Code: CSKS.   See a slideshow of several views [463k] ... Tramp art frame ... Side view ... The other side ... One end ... The other end ... Closeup of corner ... Back ... Back, from an angle ... With a soda can for scale.
Some much larger photos:   Tramp art frame ... Side view ... The other side ... End view ... Back.

These are two metal and glass railroad reflectors. Each one is made from a piece of heavy corrugated steel on which has been mounted a rectangular frame for holding 25 glass reflectors. The glass pieces are green and the corrugated metal has been painted green. They were used outside apparently for many years. The green paint is worn but still strong and the center of the metal frames have rusted, but they too are strong. Each of the pieces measures 18" by 14" by about 2" deep. Each has some bends, holes from mounting, a bit of rust and a little minor wear to some of the edges. One of the glass pieces is chipped on each. They were probably from the early 1900's. They are priced individually at $300.00 each. Inventory Code: CPSR.   Railroad reflector ... Another angle ... Side view ... Back view ... With a soda can for scale.   The second reflector ... Two side views ... From above ... Back view ... With a soda can for scale.
Some much larger photos:   Railroad reflector ... The second reflector.

These are two very expressive and well done hand carved faces by the same artist. They are each mounted on a stone base and carved from hardwood, probably walnut. The bases are each 7 1/2" wide by 6" deep by 1 1/2" high. They were likely done around the mid-20th century and are both in very good condition with some slight chips only to the stone bases. The artist is unknown. They are priced individually. This first carving has a larger face with two smaller heads below. It stands 12 1/4" high by 6 3/4" wide by 5" deep. The price is $425.00. Inventory Code: TKSA.   See a slideshow of several views [549k] ... Carved bust on stone base ... Another angle ... A third view ... Side views ... Back view ... From above ... From below ... The bottom ... With a soda can for scale ... With the other carving (listed below) ... Both carvings, from above.
Some much larger photos:   Carved bust on stone base ... Another angle ... Side views ... Back view ... With a soda can for scale.

The second carving is a bust with a strong face. On the stone base it is 12 1/2" high, 6 1/2" wide, and 3 1/4" deep. The price is $425.00. Inventory Code: TKST.   See a slideshow of several views [543k] ... Carved bust ... Another angle ... A third view ... Side views ... Back view ... From above ... From below ... The bottom ... With a soda can for scale ... With the other carving (listed above) ... Both carvings, from above.
Some much larger photos:   Carved Indian bust ... Another angle ... A third view ... Side views.

This is a copy of the book Hobo & Tramp Art Carving by Adolph Vandertie and Patrick Spielman. It was published by Sterling Publishing Co. in 1995 and is now out of print. The book has some wonderful photos of tramp art and whimseys. It also includes step-by-step instructions for many of these carving techniques. You can see some of them and read excerpts from the book here.

This copy is in extremely good condition and seems almost unused. There are a few almost unnoticeable blemishes around the edges of the cover. It is 10" by 8" by 3/8". It is a nice reference book whether you want to learn to carve tramp art and whimseys or just enjoy the photographs. The price of $40.00 includes Priority Mail shipping. Inventory Code: CPAT.   Front cover ... Back cover.

This is a metal Steckley Genetic Giant sign. Used in the field to mark the corn variety, it is 12 1/4" by 12 1/2". This sign was found in Missouri in the former house of a seed merchant. It is in good condition with a little rust and wear to the paint, yet very strong visually. The piece was likely from the 1950's and has precut holes in each corner to mount it. The price is $125.00. Inventory Code: CPPK.   Metal "Genetic Giant" seed sign ... Side view ... Back ... With a soda can for scale.

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