Above: East Liverpool potters made this mocha ware porcelain during the second half of the 19th century. This covered sugar sold for $550 at Garth's. Pottery and porcelain production has always been about science, and, at one time, the most advanced technology a potter possessed was a handwritten ledger of formulas and techniques. During the 19th century, East Liverpool was at the heart of America’s porcelain production. Check out this month's column featuring Fascinating Obj

Review by Madelia Ring, Antiques and The Arts Weekly COLUMBUS, OHIO – Garth’s Auctioneers & Appraisers’ May 16 Country Americana sale offered more than 425 lots and was more than 96 percent sold at the end of the day, with some post-auction sales being transacted in the days immediately following. “The sale largely did as we expected, with a few surprises. We saw some very active and spirited bidding, which is always good to see,” Jeff Jeffers remarked afterwards. “We were ab

Review by Madelia Ring, Antiques and The Arts Weekly COLUMBUS, OHIO – Two Ohio collections – that of the late Chris Powell and his wife, Christine Powell of Zoar, and one belonging to James W. Gibbs of Salem – made up approximately half of the 427 lots offered in Garth’s Auction’s May 15 sale titled “Americana featuring Ohio Valley Items.” Several works from both collections featured among the top prices realized in the sale, which was more than 96 percent sold by lot. It was

Review by Madelia Ring, Antiques and The Arts Weekly COLUMBUS, OHIO – Leading Garth’s Auctions’ May 15 425-lot sale was a paint decorated trunk attributed to the Checkerboard artist that achieved the sale’s top price of $81,000. The piece related to another slightly smaller example Garth’s sold for $63,000 in November 2015. The trunk was attributed to Somerset County, Penn., and featured two facing birds, a decorative motif known on no other examples and which helped spark co

Above: This piece was produced during the 1920s, as the Kenton-based company began making toys alongside its functional cast iron products In the 19th century, cast iron became a type of wonder material. The raw ingredients were cheap, and molds could be used to readily produce objects in nearly any shape imaginable. It was used to create items as simple as hinges, as complex as bridges and as conventional as skillets. During the late 19th century and into the mid-20th centur

A Hepplewhite sugar chest was the top lot during the Americana sale held by Garth’s Auctions of Columbus, Ohio, on March 19, selling for $11,250 (includes buyer’s premium) against an estimate of $3000/5000. Dating to the first quarter of the 19th century and likely of Kentucky origin, the piece was walnut with inlay that included two tulips in a flowerpot. The front part of the chest and a lower drawer had line inlay, while the shaped skirt had an inlaid fan. On square tapere

Above: The Cincinnati artist is beloved for his minimalistic, nature-inspired works. The originals are pricey, but limited-edition prints of his work are more accessible. The late Charley Harper was a student of the natural world. An American modernist who distilled his work into a style he called “minimal realism,” Harper once said, “I could never get close enough to count the feathers in the wings, so I just count the wings.” Check out this month's column featuring Fascinat

Huntington, WV – March 6 - June 6, 2021 The long tradition of the artistic still life dates to ancient times in Egypt and the classical worlds of Greece and Rome, as depictions of tabletop arrangements of food and other objects have been found in Egyptian tombs, on Greek vases, and in mosaics and wall paintings unearthed in Pompeii. The genre began to thrive during the Renaissance, especially in northern Europe where Dutch and Flemish painters excelled in producing ultra-real

Whirligigs were invented centuries ago. They are both toys and tools, indicators of wind direction and the weather. Sources disagree on where the first were made; it was probably in China about 400 B.C. or by Native Americans about 550 B.C. The whirligig must have a spinning part and a base and many were made in fanciful shapes. The oldest known pictures of a whirligig were in tapestries made in medieval times. There are many names and many shapes of whirligigs. Old sources c

COLUMBUS, OHIO – Let’s talk about shopping at auctions. Not only is buying secondhand better for the environment, but you can also get some really incredible deals. The idea of shopping at an auction may seem daunting, but it’s actually fun. At Garth’s, and other auction houses, you can shop online. You can put in bids on items before the live auction opens, or you can wait to get it on the action day of. It’s really a choose your own adventure style of shopping. Garth’s Auct