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Lot 25
Large and elaborate Nativity diorama
Starting Bid: $50
Estimate:
$100
- $150
Sold
$700
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Starting Bid: $50
Est.
$100
- $150
Live Auction
A Baroque Holiday: The Selby Collection
Category
Description
19th c., hand-painted figures and scenery, with molded cliffs and castle, under glass in giltwood shadow box frame, Parish-Hadley Associates tag, 15.25"h x 17.5"w x 2.25"d
Condition
Good, well preserved, possibly some loose elements, adhesive residue from tape on outside of glass, not examined out of frame **Note: Condition reports are based on visual inspection under typical office lighting. Unless otherwise noted, items are not examined under UV light in advance of sale. If you are interested in bidding, please contact us to request a more thorough examination, or make an appointment for in-person inspection. Condition reports are rendered as specialist opinion by the staff of the Auction House and not as statements of fact. We do not guarantee the content of written or verbal condition reports. Remember, all sales are final. The absence of a condition report does not imply that there are no condition issues with the lot. Please call us at (973) 377-1500 or e-mail info@milleabros.com with any questions about this lot at least 24 hours prior to auction.
Provenance
The Collection of Linn Howard Selby; Parish-Hadley Associates, Inc., NY
Literature
Linn Howard Selby, building on the collection begun in 1925 by her mother, Loretta Hines Howard, continued the tradition of presenting the elaborate Nativity scene at the New York Metropolitan Museum of Art each Christmas. Beginning in 1957, more than two hundred 18th-century Neapolitan creche figures have been given to the Museum by the family. The families collection has also been displayed at the White House during both the John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson administrations, with President Kennedy participating in arranging the Bethlehem scene.
Loretta Hines Howard was an American artist (1904-1982) who studied at the Ashcan School of Robert Henri. Her paintings are included in the collection of the Whitney Museum of American Art and her papers are held by the Smithsonian. Her home at 36 East 74th St was a 6-level double brownstone that had an extensive collection of art and collectibles that included many of the items available.
