HODGEPODGE

STEVEN S. POWERS
SUMMER 2019

STEVEN S. POWERS
HODGEPODGE
hodgepodge noun
hodge· podge | \ ˈhäj-ˌpäj \
: a heterogeneous mixture : JUMBLE
Some define "hodgepodge" as a confused mixture. Ignore that and
go with the definition above "a heterogeneous (or diverse) mixture."
As one is exposed to more art and is receptive to expanding
beyond one's preconceived notions or a tight focus, ones aesthetic
evolves and lets art from one period or genre overlap with
another—either in complement or contrast.
Over the last twenty-plus years, my primary focus on early treen
has expanded to where it is hard to see the connections between
a-to-z. However, if one looks at a-to-b, b-to-c, c-to-d etcetera the
connections and overlaps make sense—like an evolving an
expanding Venn diagram.
This is not to say there is not a focus or discipline—there very
much is! The catalog herein has a diverse mix for sure—but
everything was deliberately chosen and vetted for the integrity of
vision, craftsmanship, surface, and condition. Enjoy!
Our next fair is:
Antiques In Manchester | August 7-8, 2019
Saint Anselm College, 100 St Anselm Dr., Manchester, NH 03102
Show information: antiquesinmanchester.com
W O R K S O F
A R T
& americana
109 3rd Place #2, Brooklyn, NY 11231 | 718.625.1715 or 917.518.0809 | stevenspowers.com | member: ADA

Mischief Cats (detail)
William Fellini ( -1965)
Oil on canvas
Circa: 1957
Size: 27" (h) x 33" (w)

Southern Folk Art Limestone Carving of a Kissing Couple
Kentucky (found)
Circa: 1930-40
Size: 8” x 8” x 9” (h)
A dynamic carving of a nude male and female embraced in a
kiss with the man’s hand on her upper thigh. She is not
resisting, but her slight push may be a signal to slow it down
a bit.
Carvings as such in limestone are quite rare in that this small
sculpture packs a lot of life into the stone. The work is carved
in-the-round, and the figures have remarkable tension
between them.
It was found in a river 65 years plus ago in Prestonsburg,
Floyd County, Kentucky.

The Snake Handler
Oil on canvas
Circa: 1930
Size: 39”(w) x 69” (h)
Provenance: Larry Dumont Collection; Marna Anderson,
Frederick Hughes.
Large and engaging painting of an African-American
woman wearing a grass skirt handling three snakes in tall
grass.
A related painting of a “Fat Woman,” by the same hand is
in a private collection. Though they are on stretched canvas
and not painted like other carnival banners, they were
likely part of a sideshow.

The Key To My Fantasy
Pen & Ink on canvas board
Circa: 1960-70
Size: 16”(w) x 20” (h)
This is a remarkable
illustration by an as of yet
unknown artist. The
adeptly rendered nude
figure and intricate design
are masterfully worked and
executed.
Atypically, the substrate is
canvas board (not paper or
bristol board). The artist
must have used a steel pen
versus a mechanical
rapidograph-type pen as
the tips would have broken
over and over.

This small masterwork by Materson recalls a day when Materson as a young
teenager skipped school and played strip poker with a couple of older girls. The
event was exciting, but not in the way that he had imagined. His figure lay in the
scene like Christ with outstretched arms and a loincloth (tighty-whities).
From The American Visionary Art Museum, "Born March 15, 1954 in Milford,
Connecticut, Raymond Materson grew up in the Midwest. He earned a G.E.D. and
attended Thomas Jefferson College as a drama and philosophy major, but was
plagued by a serious drug problem. To support his habit, he committed a string of
robberies with a shoplifted toy gun, was eventually arrested and sentenced to 15
years in a state penitentiary in Connecticut. To keep himself sane Ray taught himself
to embroider, using unraveled socks for thread and a sewing needle secured
from a prison guard. He stitched miniature tapestries depicting life outside prison
walls and sold his works to other inmates for cigarettes. Most of Materson's miniature
embroideries include approximately 1,200 stitches per square inch and
measure less than 2.5 x 3 inches.
Since his release from prison in 1995, Ray has worked as a teacher, counselor,
caseworker, program director, design consultant and speaker. With the help of his
former wife Melanie, he published his autobiography, "Sins and Needles: A Story
of Spiritual Mending." In 2003, he became the first artist to ever receive the Robert
Wood Johnson Foundation's Innovators Combating Substance Abuse Award.
Materson's work has been featured in numerous exhibitions at The American
Museum of Folk Art in New York City, The American Visionary Art Museum in
Baltimore, MD, The Center for Contemporary Art in Seattle, WA, The Boston
Metropolitan Museum of Art, and The New Museum of Contemporary Art in New
York City to name just a few."
Provenance: Peter Brams Collection
Illustrated & Discussed in: Sins & Needles, p.27

Public School Girls
Ray Materson (1954 –)
Unraveled socks
Circa: 1994
Size: 2 1/4" (h) x 2 3/4" (w) (sight)
12" (h) x 14" (w) (framed)

Induction Center
Thomas King Baker (1911 - 1972)
Watercolor, charcoal, and calendar scrap on craft paper
Size: 13 1/4"(h) x 9" (w)
Exhibited: Albrecht-Kemper Museum of Art, MO, 1997
Illustrated and discussed in: Oh For Pity’s Sake, We’ve Already Seen
This Opera: The Art of Thomas King Baker; p. 37
Thomas King Baker was an insurance underwriter by day, self-taught,
basement artist by night. He and his wife, Mila Hoover, were
middle-class socialites and enjoyed the opera, galleries, museums and
a vibrant nightlife. King was friendly with local artists and was a
collector. Among friends and family, his art-making was a poorly kept
secret—they knew of his passion but were unaware of the extent of
King’s breadth and body of work. King never exhibited while he was
alive.
King died from the effects of alcoholism in 1972.
In 1991, Thomas McCormick, an art dealer, stumbled upon a few
interesting paintings that he could not immediately identify. After
some detective work, McCormick figured out that the works were by
Baker. McCormick contacted Baker’s wife Mila, who was still alive and
cataloged a large cache of works that Mila had kept together.
King’s paintings, illustrations, and sketchbooks were exhibited at the
Albrecht-Kemper Museum in 1997.

In 2007, the bulk of King’s estate was donated to Intuit: The Center
for Intuitive and Outsider Art in Chicago.
The two works herein illustrate King’s use of scrap materials and his
gifted use of line and color. Like one of the works herein, King
produced several works with calendar fragments. King was not
ignorant of art history and contemporary art and the use of block
numbers on, “Induction Center,” is likely a nod to Jasper Johns.
Edward, Edward
Thomas King Baker (1911 - 1972)
Oil on shirt cardboard on craft paper
Size: 12" (h) x 9" (w)
Exhibited: Albrecht-Kemper Museum of Art, MO, 1997
Illustrated and discussed in: Oh For Pity’s Sake, We’ve Already Seen
This Opera: The Art of Thomas King Baker; p. 58

Study of a Male Nude &
Young Highlander with
Raised Arm
John Kane (1860–1934)
Circa: 1930
Pencil on note paper
Size: 8 1/2" x 5 1/2"
Provenance: Galerie St.
Etienne
A rare John Kane double-sided pencil sketch. Kane is regarded as one of the masters of s
artists.
On the above or recto, note how Kane makes room for the hands to complete the sketch—
room while drawing the figure's arms, so he placed them to the lower left. Above the han
19thC English painters that he must have been studying.
The verso illustrates a young boy in a Highlander outfit (Kane would use this figure in a
paintings). The writing on this side lists the colors of the rainbow (Roy G. Biv).
References: The Highland boy relates to figures in the following; Highland Hollow, Scotc
Kennywood and Scotch Day, Kennywood (Arkus 68, 71 and 73).

lf-taught American
he ran out of
ds, Kane lists 18thfew
finished
h Day at
verso

Nine Hands Cane with Shorebird and Dog
Georgia (attributed)
Circa: 1880
Size: 35" (h)
Provenance: Southern collection
Literature: for a cane by the same hand
see, Carved & Whittled Sculpture:
American Folk Art Walking Sticks,
Selections from the Pamela and Tim Hill
Collection, page 98.
A fascinating and mysterious carving with
nine hands around the stick interspersed
with carpentry tools and lizards. The top
has a conjoined shorebird feeding its
young and a dog’s head.
Though the meaning is not known—the
tools and hands make me think of
“helping hands.” Or from a different
perspective, the religious act of “laying
on of hands.”

[from Wikipedia] "Miroslav Tichý was a photographer who from the 1960s until
1985 took thousands of surreptitious pictures of women in his hometown of Kyjov
in the Czech Republic using homemade cameras constructed of cardboard tubes,
tin cans and other at-hand materials. Most of his subjects were unaware that they
were being photographed. A few struck beauty-pageant poses when they sighted
Tichý, perhaps not realizing that the parody of a camera he carried was real."
In the 2000s a friend convinced Tichý that his work should be shown and
organized an exhibit of his photography for the 2004 Biennial of Contemporary
Art in Seville, Spain. Since then Tichý’s work has been recognized worldwide and
has had major retrospectives at the Kunsthaus in Zurich in 2005, the Pompidou
Centre in 2008, and the International Center of Photography, New York in 2010.
His work is now part of most major institutional and private collections.

Untitled [Woman in a White Tank-Top]
Miroslav Tichý (1926-2011)
Unique gelatin silver print on Tichý mat
Circa: 1960-1980 (n.d.)
Size: 5" (w) x 6 3/4" (h) (sight)

Untitled [Woman Turned Right]
Miroslav Tichý (1926-2011)
Monotype etching
Circa: 1970s (n.d.)
Size: 6 1/2" (w) x 10" (h) (sight)
Untitled [Woman with Apple]
Miroslav Tichý (1926-2011)
Monotype etching
Circa: 1970s (n.d.)
Size: 11 3/4" (w) x 16 1/2" (h) (sight)

Ange Boaretto (1920-??)
France
Circa: 1950s-60s
Size: 43" x 8" (sight) / 48" x 12" (framed)
Three large one piece, six paneled erotic
paintings by self-taught artist Boaretto. Ange
Boaretto was a master shoemaker in Southern
France and self-taught painter.
Although he had some recognition during his
lifetime and a small exhibit at the Centre
Georges Pompidou in 1979, entitled ‘Le Bible
du Bottier’ (The Boot-makers Bible), he has
mostly been forgotten.

Wall Street
Vestie Davis
Oil on Canvas
Dated: 1959
Size: 16” (w) x 20” (h)
An early Davis—unusual for its placid depiction of a
bustling area. Though you wouldn’t think it, the Wall
Street area can be this quiet and deserted on an early
Saturday or Sunday morning.

Second Avenue Barbershop
Professor Arthur Cucino
Oil on wood panel
Circa: 1920s
Size: 10 5/8" x 10 5/8"
Provenance: The Meryl & Jay Weiss Collection, 2007; Don &
Faye Walters Collection, 1986
One cannot help but think of Edward Hopper’s, Early Sunday
Morning, from a similar time. Though signed and stamped on
the back, no records of Professor Arthur Cucino (or Cugino)
have been found.
From the May 31, 1896 edition of the New York Times, “Little
Italy in New-York:”
They are laborers; toilers in all grades of manual work; they are
artisans, they are junkman, and here, too, dwell the rag pickers. ...
There is a monster colony of Italians who might be termed the commercial
or shop keeping community of the Latins. Here are all sorts
of stores, pensions, groceries, fruit emporiums, tailors, shoemakers,
wine merchants, importers, musical instrument makers.

Oblivious To Danger
Oil on canvas
Circa: 1930
Size: 31 1/2" (w) x 29 1/2" (h)
Provenance: Patty Gagarin, Private New York
Collection; Private California Collection.
Amusing allegorical folk art painting of a man fishing
on a river or lake with a bear coming up behind him, a
thunderstorm with sharp lightning, a fish out of the
creel, a 'No Trespassing / Private Property' sign, a spilt
bottle, and a sinking boat...but there is a rainbow on
the horizon! I am not a fisherman, but I guess the
message here is, "I'd Rather Be Fishing."

Folk Art Fetish Figure
Wood, wheat paste/sawdust glue
composite, paint, pitch
Circa: 1900
Size: 5 5/8" (h) x 1 1/2" (w)
I regard this small figure as one of the
most mysterious and striking figural
carvings that I have ever seen.
The body is carved from hardwood,
and the rest of the female figure has
applied composite features, including
her face, breasts, belly button, and
pubic area. The composite material
appears to be made from a wheat
paste mixed with glue and sawdust.
The result of the applied facial
“mask” looks like transplanted skin.
The lips of her face and vagina have
traces of applied dark red paint.
The whole is finished with a natural
tree pitch varnish.
One can only speculate why this doll
was carved. I have never seen a
similar, but believe it to be more
fetish in nature versus a simple play
doll.

A Sailor’s Love Token
New York State
Ash Burl
Circa: 1840-1860
Size: 9 1/2" (w) x 5 3/4 (d) x 4 1/2" (h)
A masterpiece of design and craftsmanship. Large lift top box
with a deep relief-carved heart and (anthropomorphic) anchor
composition.
Carved from one block of ash burl. A tour-de-force of carving
and execution.

Folk Art Hand Pipe
New York State
Ash Burl
Circa: 1840-1860
Size: 4 3/4" (l) x 3 1/2 (h)
I’ve seen a few hand pipes
over the years—and this is
hands down (pun
intended) the very best!
Not only for the choice
burl specimen or the rich
patina, but also for the
first-rate modeling and
carving of the hand.
Measuring a little less than
life-size (so you can cup it
in your hand), the fingers
are well defined, and the
thumb lifts to reveal a tin
lined bowl a tin heart.
Best of kind!

DR. SAMUEL JOHNSON’S SNUFFBOX
Dr. Samuel Johnson (1709-1784) is "arguably the most distinguished man of letters in English history." His,
Dictionary of the English Language, of 1755 is considered one of the great triumphs of lexicography. In 1764,
Johnson and Sir Joshua Reynolds (painter) founded, The Club, which met every week at Turk's Head Inn,
London to eat, drink, snuff, and smoke while discussing literature, politics and intellectual themes of the day.
Other noted friends of Johnson's were, Oliver Goldsmith, (writer), David Garrick (actor), Giuseppe Baretti
(lexicographer), Edmund Burke (statesman), and James Boswell (biographer, writer).
The silver mounted box is carved in the form of a leather-gloved hand issuing a "fare la fica" gesture. La fica
(Italian meaning "the fig"), is an ancient phallic hand gesture whereas the thumb is placed between the fore
and middle fingers and shown to ward off the evil eye. It later became a more course gesture offered as
contempt of another. Relating to tobacco culture of the 18thC, John Knox wrote, "any stranger who cannot
take a pinch [of snuff], or give one, is looked upon with an evil eye."
The carving and overall sculpture of the hand has a remarkable sensitivity—as we do not see a lifeless
pillowed glove; we see a gloved hand! We hear the squeaky crunch of the leather as the fist clenches, and the
fingers gain position!
The etched inscription, "Dr. Samuel Johnson, The Lexicographer, 1770, From a Friend" begs the question,
"who is the friend?" From the 17th to late 19th centuries snuffboxes were routinely given as gifts for
friendship, respect or service. Though research did not a definitive answer, one name kept rising to the top—
Giuseppe Baretti!
Giuseppe Baretti (1719-1789) was an Italian writer, literary critic, and lexicographer who came to London in
1751 and befriended Dr. Johnson. In the fall of 1769, Baretti was assaulted and accosted by a woman in the
streets of Haymarket. Instinctively he pushed back at her. She screamed, and three-man attacked Baretti. In
self-defense, he lashed out at them with a pocket knife and stabbed one man in the chest. Baretti was arrested
and tried for murder. Johnson came
to his defense as a character witness,
and Baretti was acquitted.
Arguably the "friend" is Giuseppe
Baretti. He was a friend of Johnson's
and a fellow lexicographer. He was
an Italian living in London and
culturally familiar with the "fare la
fica" gesture. And the date is
consistent with his legal troubles and
someone who would want to thank
and gift something special to
Johnson for his friendship and legal
support.

Dr. Samuel Johnson’s Snuffbox in the form of a Gloved Hand
Dated: 1770 / Size: 4"(h)

Mischief Cats
William Fellini ( -1965)
Oil on canvas
Circa: 1957
Size: 27" (h) x 33" (w)
William Fellini was a self-taught painter
who worked as a house painter and day
laborer in New York City. In his spare
time, he would often buy used canvases
and paint on the clean side (this
painting has a half-finished figure by
another hand on the other side).
Though little is known about Fellini
except for a few anecdotes, he produced
a decent body of work from the late
30s-60s.
His paintings often have a quiet surreal
quality or an element of surprise or
humor to them. He used his marketable
skill as a decorative painter and often
incorporated faux marble tabletops as a
foundation for his inventive still-lifes.
Writing for the New York Times, Vivian
Raynor reviewed the Schoelkopf
Gallery’s December 1978 exhibit,
(continued on next page)...

“Emile Branchard and William Fellini:
Two 20th Century American Primitive
Painters.” She wrote of Fellini, “His
work is remarkable for its range of
mood.... Many of the pictures include
animals, sometimes to their detriment,
as in the stately and minutely-painted
flowers that are so upstaged by a
demented kitten appearing over the far
edge of the table.”
The American Folk Art Museum has
two works by Fellini in their collection.
Bibliography: American Folk Art of
the Twentieth Century, Johnson &
Ketchum.
Twentieth-Century American Folk Art
and Artists, Hemphill & Weissman.
Swan Lake
William Fellini ( -1965)
Oil on canvas
Circa: 1960
Size: 27" (h) x 35" (w)

Gas Station Beauty Queen
Enamel paint on masonite
Circa: 1960
Size: 72" (h) x 24" (w)

Photo of Joseph Garlock,
circa 1944, in front of his
store, Bloomfiled, NJ
Joseph Garlock
immigrated from Russia
to New York in 1904.
After a bunch of odd
jobs, Garlock and his
wife settled in
Bloomfield, NJ as the
owners of a small fruits
and vegetable store. In
1948 he retired, and at
sixty-four years, he
found himself itching
for something creative
to do with his time.
For the next several years, Garlock painted
and sculpted somewhat compulsively. He
painted at home and a while visiting his
daughter Rose at her cabin in Woodstock, NY.
Garlock's subjects ranged widely family
portraits, local landscapes, pop culture, and
religious ceremonies. He was inspired by
images he saw in Life and Look magazines
and created paintings based on photographs
from these references.
In his late 70s, Garlock developed palsy and
sadly had to give up his brushes. He died in
1980 at the age of 96.
Joseph Garlock (18
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In the mid-1990s a cache of Garlock's work
was found in a woodshed at his recently
deceased daughters Woodstock property.
James Cox, a local gallery owner, was called
and immediately recognized the importance
of the find and catalogued the work.
Since then Garlock’s has been widely
exhibited and collected.
Exhibitions: "Joseph Garlock Paintings and
Sculpture," The Cecille R. Hunt Gallery,
Webster University, St. Louis, MO, 2003.
"Old World, New Country: The Art of Joseph
Garlock," The Center for Intuitive and
Outsider Art, Chicago, IL, 2005.

Joseph Garlock (1884-1980)
Woman with Roses
Oil on canvas
Circa: 1958
Size: 23 1/2" (h) x 27 5/8" (w) sight
Possibly a portrait or a tribute to his daughter Rose, who
encouraged him to retire from his grocery store and paint. Rose
had a cabin in Woodstock, NY—where this cache of works was
discovered.

Woodlands Miniature Bowl & Ladle
Circa: 1820-1840
Size: bowl; 3 3/4" (l) x 2 1/2" (w) / ladle; 3" (oal) x 2 1/2" (w)
Probably Ojibwa based on the shape of the bowl. The ladle is one of the
smallest that I have ever seen. The oval bowl is thinly hewn and exhibits
a beautiful patina.
Due to the scale and limited wear, they were probably part of a medicine
bundle. I am not sure if they started life together, as it is difficult to tell,
but together they make a special pair.

Woodlands Fawn Effigy Ladle
Maple
Circa: 1820
Size: 5 1/8" (oal)
An exquisite ladle that I first owned about twenty years ago.
The effigy is quiet and skillfully carved with an economy of form.
The elegantly shaped handle has thinly channeled accents.
Provenance: Brant Mackley; Steve Powers; Ned Jalbert; Peter Brams

Southwestern Dance Mask (Kachina)
Hide, earth pigments, trade cloth
Circa: 1900
Size: 10" (h)) x 8" (w)
Provenance: John Molloy; Peter Brams

(right) Folk Art [Woodlands] Carved Grizzly Bear
Iowa (possibly Mesquakie / Meskwaki)
Circa: 1875
Size: 10 7/8" (l) x 6 5/8" (w) x 6" (h)
A large one-piece carved sculpture of remarkable character and surface.
The hefty bear is down on all fours with one hind leg coming through to
the front.
Based on my extensive
experinece with both
Woodlands carvings and
"white man" folk art, I am
inclined to believe that this
sculpture was carved by a
Mesquakie / Meskwaki
native (who at the time had a
presence in Iowa). The
sensitivity of line, character,
and wood surface are
hallmarks of reference and
both the creature and craft.
(left) Bear & Birch
Walter L. Steward (Maine)
Circa: 1920
Size: 11 1/2" (h)) x 8 1/2" (w)

Folk Art Carved Greater Yellowlegs
Long Island, NY
Circa: 1900
Size: 12" (l) x 6" (h)
Provenance: Stephen O’Brien Jr. Fine Arts, Peter Brams Collection
Attributed to Nelson Verity (1854-1947) and related to birds from the
Powell Hotel rig. Three piece laminated construction (body one piece with
laminated wings).
Folk Art Carved Lesser Yellowlegs
Polpis, Nantucket, MA
Circa: 1880
Size: 9" (l) x 4 1/2" (h)
A geometric carving with a baleen bill. Previously had a label which read:
"Lesser Yellowlegs found under (illegible) barn at Polpis 1929."
Old second coat of paint covers a few shot scars.
Literature: Joel Barber, "Wildfowl Decoys," New York, NY, 1932, pp. 68,
87, plates 1, 54.
Provenance: Copley Fine Arts, Peter Brams Collection

Folk Art Carved Golden Plover
Massachusetts
Circa: 1900
Size: 13 1/2" (l) x 3 3/4" (h)
Provenance: Russ & Karen Goldberger, Peter Brams Collection
Stylish original paint and shoe button eyes with original bill. Flaking on
other side.
Folk Art Carved Turned-Head Yellowlegs
Lombard Jones
Sandwich, MA
Circa: 1916
Size: 7" (l) x 5" (h) (not including driftwood base)
With it's head sharply turned almost ninety degrees this decoy was made by
Lombard Jones for his uncle, Dr. Lombard Jones. Influenced by the Chipman
family's hollow turned-head shorebirds that were also gunned in Sandwich's
Old Harbor. Jones is known to have made
yellowlegs and several peeps.
In very good condition with gunning wear, bill is old replacement.
Provenance: Copley Fine Arts, Peter Brams Collection

A Rare Mechanical Black-Bellied Plover Decoy
Boston, MA
Circa: 1868
Size: 11 3/4" (l) x 8" (w) x 5" (h)
Provenance: Stephen O’Brien Jr. Fine Arts, Peter Brams Collection
A Rare Mechanical Black-Bellied Plover Decoy by Nathaniel Wales
& Snow, Boston, MA, circa: 1868. Based on the Wales patent of
1868, the wings are fabricated from cardboard and canvas and a
cord weaves through the wood carved body. Stamped “WALES &
SNOW PATENT.”

Maine Duck Guide Sign
Circa: 1900
Size: 36" (l) x 17" (h)
Here is a cool well weathered and worn sign. Constructed from the
top of an old blanket chest (ghost marks from big strap hinges
visible) and a duck decoy (cut in half), this sign served as a marker
for an old duck hunting guide.
Old losses as visible in the photo with a great crazed paint surface.

Folk Art Miniature Ducks
Willie Ross (1878-1954)
Chebeague Island, Maine
Circa: 1900
Sizes range from: 4 1/2" (l) to 2" (l)
A rare set of miniatures, mostly mergansers, by
known decoy carver, Willie Ross of Chebeague
Island, Maine. Ross gifted the set to a family
member before his death in 1954
(documentation letter included).

Tyger Tyger, burning bright,
In the forests of the night....
Carved and Painted Folk Art Tiger Wall Box
David Heber Kimball (1850-1927)
Dated May 5, 1917
Meadowville, Rich County, Utah.
Size: 18" (h) x 15" (w) x 5" (d)
The carvers father was Heber C. Kimball (1801-1868) who was a
leader in the early Latter Day Saint movement. He served as one of
the original twelve apostles in the early Church of the Latter Day
Saints and as the first counselor to Brigham Young in the First
Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Dilmus Hall (1900-1987)
Lamb
Concrete, rebar, paint
Circa: 1970’s
Size: 18" (l) x 10" (w) x 13 1/4" (h)
Provenance: Barbara Archer Gallery; Larry Dumont Collection
As a child Hall would fashion small sculptures made from flour mixed
with tree sap. Discouraged by his father, he didn’t pursue art until later
in life.
After serving in WWI as a stretcher bearer, he returned to Georgia and
worked as a hotel bell captain, a sorority house busboy and then as a
fabricator of concrete blocks for a construction company. It was here
that Hall found himself again
working with his hands.
He began making concrete
sculpture around his home. His
sculpture combined a mix of
Christianity with an African
conjuring culture that empowered
objects with protective powers.
Later he would make little tableaus
with wood and putty that recall the
modeling technique he developed
as a child.
Still image from the documentary, The
Mind's Eye, with Hall at his home, circa
1987.

BUG KILLER
Gorham, Maine
Oil paint on tin
Circa: 1890
Size: 13 1/2" (w) x 38" (h)
A graphically strong advertsing sign from Carswell The
Druggist, Gorham, ME. Painted in a vibrant yellow and black
with red shadowed letters on BUG KILLER and an orange on
the huge bug (Maine Potato Beetle).

Physical Graffiti
English School Desk
Circa mid 1920s
Size: 29" x 16"
Most dates are from the mid 1920s with one errant “1943.”
Some of the surnames are: Leitch; Robin; Hunter; Boyd; Somerville;
Marshin; Bonnar; Black; Grant; Stephen; Conner; Baxter; Hately; Irvin;
Lamont and Dunford.

"Perpitraight, Peerless, Perponderant"
Melvin Way (1954-)
Black ink on paper
Circa: 2000
Size: 5 1/2" (w) x 4" (h)
The Outsider Artist Melvin Way suffers from schizophrenia,
bi-polar disorder, and diabetes.
Way has stated, “All my works have to go thru emissions,
baptisms, and transmigrations before I release them into the
stratosphere, I carry 500 drawings at a time in my raincoat, and
they go thru rain sleet and snow, sometimes staying in my pocket
for 6 months at a time.”
Art critic Jerry Salz says of Way’s work, “[He is] a mystic
visionary genius...one of the greatest living American artists.
Melvin Way makes knotted diagrams of numbers, letters, lines,
and arrows that look like alchemical equations.”

Three early drawings by
Jonathan Borofsky from his
number series.
Provenance: Paula Cooper
Gallery; Peter Brams Collection.
(left) 2522585 / 1978 / 8 1/2"x 11" a
strong early Borofsky ballpoint pen
drawing.
(above) 2481385 / 1976 / 4 3/4"x 4
3/4" done with red, black and blue
ballpoint pens on graph paper.
(right) 2829924 / 1983 / 5"x 3" on
"Phone with Paula and Parents" blue
ballpoint pen on note paper.

Rare Redware Monkey Bank & Whistle
Pennsylvania
Circa: 1860
Size: 5" (oah)
Provenance: David Good, Peter Brams

Rare Redware Serpent & Figural Jug
Leonard Kopp
Lineboro, MD or Black Rock, PA
Circa: 1860-1880
Size: 7 3/4 (h)" x 8" (wide w/handle)
Provenance: Kopp family by descent;
Robert Girouard, Peter Brams
Collection
Signed on bottom in incised script “L.
Kopp.”
Kopp was a known production potter in
the Maryland area and all his known
pieces are stamped—this is the only
known with freehand script signature
and by far the finest example of his
documented work.

A large screw-type nutrcr
featuring an expressive m
well defined features and
mouth. His hair is finely
shaped almost like a leaf
handle is carved as a fish
surface is first rate—a rea
lovers piece.
A tour-de-force of design
execution. One of the mo
intricate, complex and h
carved coquilla boxes I h
(left) Exceptional English
Figural Nutcracker
Boxwood (or fruitwood)
Circa: 1720-1760
Size: 11" (oal")
(right top) French Folk Ar
Snuffbox - Six Men & A D
Circa: 1854
Size: 3" x 2" x 1 1/2"
An exceptional French co
nut snuffbox. Masterfully
with six men and a dog o
top. The interior is signe
maker and dated 1854.

een
acker
an with
an open
done—
. The
. The
l treen
t Treen
og
quilla
carved
n the
d by the
(below) Treen Alligator Nutcracker (Screwtype)
French
Circa 1830-40
Size: 9 1/2” (l)
The Leavenworth Nutcracker Museum has one that looks to be by
the same hand.
and
st
gh-relief
ave seen.

Folk Art Religious Tableau, "The Sacred Family"
Buffalo, New York
Italian-American
Circa: 1930
Size: 16" x 13"
Provenance: Tim Hill, David Wheatcroft, Peter Brams
Illustrated: Folk Art Magazine, Winter 2003/2004, p. 15
A complex folk art tableau of the Sacred Family; Mary,
Joseph and the baby Jesus. Made out of crate wood, the
carved and painted figures and elobotate platform were
carved by an Italian-American in New York.

ANTI-SLAVERY MEETINGS!
Salem, Ohio
Circa: 1850
Size: 10 1/2” (w) x 15 1/2” (h) (sight)
Rare Abolitionist broadside. Excellent condition.
Union with Freemen—No Union with Slaveholders.
ANTI-SLAVERY MEETINGS!
Anti-Slavery Meetings will be held in this place, to commence on
at in the To be Addressed by Agents of the Western ANTI-
SLAVERY SOCIETY.
Three millions of your fellow beings are in chains—the Church
and Government sustains the horrible system of oppression.
Turn Out!
AND LEARN YOUR DUTY TO YOURSELVES, THE SLAVE AND
GOD.
EMANCIPATION or DISSOLUTION, and a FREE NORTHERN
REPUBLIC!
HOMESTEAD PRINT, SALEM, OHIO.

Stop Lynching - Shame of America
Rebel arts
Circa: 1939
Size: 22" (w) x 28" (h) (sight)
Bold and graphically strong red silkscreened banner. Designed by
Rebel Arts to be carried in May Day.
Rebel Arts was a politically left arts collective formed in New
York City that included, among others, Harry Herzog, Alex
Haberstroch and Fairfield Porter.

It’s About Time!
Circa: 1920
Size: 27" x 29"
An unusual and graphically strong American Folk Art
hooked rug. It has a very contempory aesthetic and feels
like a precursor of early Pop Artist Dorothy Grebenak.

Family Gathering At Our Texas Farm / graphite on paper / 1936 / 7 5/8" (h) x 11 3/4" (w)
This unsigned, but dated group of folk art drawings, completed over a
few weeks in July and August 1936, captures the quaint insight into
the world of an unknown proudly Texan artist.
They illustrates a family gathering, the interior, and exterior of a small
home, church, school, farm life and a couple in a field of bluebonnets.
The renderings are drafted with a good sense of composition,
perspective, and handling of the graphite.

(top) My Sunday Texas Church / graphite on paper / 1936 / 7 1/2" (h) x 11 3/4" (w)
(bottom) Our Texas Home / graphite on paper / 1936 / 7 5/8" (h) x 11 3/4" (w)

Rare British Sign Language (BSL) Copper Plate Printed Handkerchief
Circa: mid 19th century
Size: irregular and unmounted ~ 12" x 14"
“How To Teach The Deaf and Dumb a Language....” I have not been able
to locate another like (BSL) example.

Rare American Sign Language (ASL) Copper Plate Printed Handkerchief
Circa: mid 19th century
Size: irregular and unmounted ~ 12" x 14"
“How To Teach The Deaf and Dumb a Language....” Have only located one
other - in the Cotsen Children’s Library, Princeton University.

Provenance: Cavin-M
Gallery; Ricco/Mare
Gallery; Larry Dumo
Collection
The front is compos
two families at hosp
beds. The back, with
large Hell Hound, is
recent discovery fou
while considering a
mat board—now ref
to show both sides.
Sister Gertrude Mor
(1900-1980)
Untitled [Hospital Be
with Hell Hound]
Tempera, graphite o
window shade
Circa: 1965-1975 (n
Size: 17" (w) x 17"

.d.)
(h)
gan
ds
n
orris
sca
nt
ed of
ital
a
a
nd
new
ramed

Eye Opener Liquor Bottle
Circa: 1880
Size: 11 1/4" (h)
Who doesn’t love a rebus—even if its just a short one. Unusual
stoneware bottle with a three dimensional and realistically glazed
eye ball sticking out of one side with the word “opener” below it
and a minstrel-like figure dancing on the other side.

Eight is Enough
Iowa
Concrete and polychrome
Circa: 1920-1930
Size: range from 4 1/4" (h) - 7 1/4" (h)
Provenance: Larry Dumont
Illustrated in, The Magazine Antiques, July/August 2019, p. 118
A family of eight concrete dolls. Found as a group in Iowa,
these “dolls” are unique and mysterious. Sensational surfaces.

A Group of Fine Gogottes (offered individually)
Fontainbleu France
Oligocene epoch (33.9 million to 23 million years old)
Size: 22" (l) / 9 1/2" (h) / 9" (h) / 13" (h)

A gogotte is a millions years old naturally shaped mineral concretion formed of tiny
quartz fragments held together by calcium carbonate. Principally found in
Fontainebleau, France, these mother-nature made sculptures have inspired artists from
Jean Arp, Henry Moore and Louise Bourgeois. Louis XIV favored them and the have been
exhibited at Versailles since the late 17thC.

Unusual Set of Nine Scale
Model Photographs
Circa: 1915-25
Size: 5" x 7" (each)
Aside from the mayhem, I
have not figured out fully
what is going on within this
set of images, but a lot of
work went into creating the
sets and subjects.
I am not exactly sure of the
scale of the original sets, but
I am figuring something like
an elaborate train set.

Willian (Bill) Anhang was born in Poland in 1931 and immigrated to
Canada with his family in 1939 to escape the Nazi occupation. As a
young man, Anhang trained as an engineer and worked in
telecommunications. In 1975, A Guru spoke to him and said he must
become an artist. Since then Anhang’s has devoted himself to bring “new
light to the planet.”
The enamel works seen here are among Anhang’s earliest works. They are
small-scale abstractions—many with suggestions of another world or
grand universe. They have undeniable energy. Well composed, not too
busy and with intense, saturated color.
Anhang later incorporated real light into his work—paintings illuminated
by hundreds if not thousands of blinking and programmed LEDs and
fiber optics.
These early enamel works may be
seen as his acoustic period, like Dylan
before Newport, and then he plugged
in, went electric, and never really
went back.
Anhang’s work was recently exhibited
at American Folk Art Museum in the
exhibit, When the Curtain Never
Comes Down, 2015.
The Canadian Broadcasting
Corporation (CBC) produced a 20
minute documentary on Anhang,
Billsville, and is available on Youtube.
Photo of William (Bill) Anhang in his studio.

William Anhang (1931-)
Untitled [Winged Boots]
Enamel on copper
Circa: 1979
Size: 6 3/4" (w) x 4" (h)
William Anhang (1931-)
Untitled
[Character on Blue]
Enamel on copper
Circa: 1979
Size: 7 1/8" x 6 1/2" (h)

STEVEN S. POWERS
W O R K S O F
A R T
& americana
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