Sold
$500
Starting Bid: $125
Est.
$250
- $350
Live Auction
A Baroque Holiday: The Selby Collection
Category
Description
Late 18th/19th c., Italy, one a painted terracotta figure kneeling on a rock,12.75"h, the other a carved and painted wooden figure, with metal post for placement, 10"h x 14"w x 7.5"d
Condition
Good/Fair, wear and chips to paint, accumulated surface dirt, the terracotta with losses at fingers and toes **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
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.