Born in Boston, John Ritto Penniman came from a talented family, his father was a physician and entrepreneur, and his ten siblings include booksellers, an artist and inventor, and a teacher. Penniman trained as an ornamental painter in Roxbury, Massachusetts, which was, at the time, a community of artisans, including clock and furniture makers. Some of his early work was as a dial painter for noted clockmakers Aaron and Simon Willard.

A Federal work table possibly by Thomas Seymour with paint decoration attributed to Penniman

(p4A item # E8974306)

Penniman later moved to Boston and successfully embedded himself into a network of clock and furniture makers, including Thomas Seymour and John Doggett. He also increased his versatility by expanding his business into carriage and architectural painting, as well as numerous other related fields. He advertised throughout New England:

John R. Penniman… will execute MILITARY STANDARDS, with original designs – CLOCK DIALS for Steeples, and the inside of Public Edifices – MASONIC PAINTING of every description – Designs for Masonic and other Diploma – ORIGINAL VIGNETTES for title pages – Sign & Ornamental Painting, in all their various branches – LANDSCAPE PAINTING – VIEWS OF GENTLEMEN’S SEATS, if required.

By the eighteen-teens, Penniman was also working in prints as a designer for certificates, etc., and he was among the earliest lithographers in the nation. He befriended, and worked for, portraitist Gilbert Stuart, and did aspire to higher forms of art. He did paint a few portraits, including three members of the Willard family of clockmakers.

Penniman’s two major works were large paintings, one on canvas of the Gloucester “sea serpent,” which he sent on tour and was exhibited at Peale’s Museum in Philadelphia. His other, more famous work, was a “transparency” of the Conflagration of the Exchange Coffee House, Boston. The building, designed by Asher Benjamin, burned in 1818, and Penniman depicted this scene on a fifteen by fifteen sheet of oiled paper so that it could be backlit, which, given the subject, must have been a sight to behold. Penniman also executed this scene on canvas, which survives in a private collection (the location of the transparency, or if it even survives, is not known).

Penniman’s Conflagration of the Exchange Coffee House, Boston. This version was painted in 1824.

(p4A item # E8932731)

Penniman’s versatility and artistic success were, unfortunately, marred by a rocky personal and financial life. He was kicked out of the Masons in 1821, allegedly for his excessive drinking. Financial difficulties compelled him, in 1827, to have an auction of his works and supplies. This infusion of cash was apparently not sufficient as Penniman spent time in debtor’s prison, and in 1834, was imprisoned again, this time for printing counterfeit money.

By the late 1830s, Penniman moved to Baltimore, where his son lived, and there died penniless and disgraced in 1841.

The decorative arts world has many “squishy” and vague vocabulary words, but few are “squishier” and vaguer than cartouche. Originally, the term comes from Egyptology and is used to describe a oval enclosing hieroglyphics and having a horizontal line at one end. (The line denotes royalty.) The oval had significance not unlike that of a closed circle, in that it was believed that an oval around a person’s name provided protection to that person. The strong association with the god-like royalty of ancient Egypt and the “good luck charm” nature of the symbol meant that it was eventually co-opted by the rest of the population and, as a result, it appears on all manner of structures and objects from the era.

Centuries later, when Egypt was a land divided constantly by conflicts, soldiers, seeing these ovals everywhere, are said to have found them to resemble the paper cartridges used in muskets. The French word for cartridge is cartouche and thus it became, in its original use, the term applied to this particular hieroglyphic element.

A Civil War-era example of a paper cartridge. (p4A item # D9865000)

Sterling silver vase with blank cartouche. (p4A item # E8906323)

Over a span of 40 years, Burton and Paula Geyer have assembled one of the finest private collections of works by Tiffany Studios, with a special emphasis on museum-quality lamps and fancy goods. Starting in Brooklyn as schoolteachers, Mr. and Mrs. Geyer were enthusiastic collectors of Tiffany Studios works early on, often buying pieces on installment plans from top galleries. They learned from many of the pioneers of the Tiffany market, including Lillian Nassau, Gladys Koch, Beatrice Weiss and Simon Lieberman. Over the years, the Geyers slowly began assembling their impressive collection by combing auction houses, antique stores and galleries for the best of the best.

“After 40 years of passionately collecting works by Tiffany Studios, our journey has not yet ended, and we continue to curate and refine our collection. However, we have simply run out of room, and we are reluctantly parting with aspects of our collection so that the next generation of enthusiasts can enjoy these rare and beautiful works, rather than keeping them stored away in boxes,” says Mr. Burton Geyer.

Biographical note from Sotheby’s sales information for the auction, December 2012.

Discerning collectors, dealers, and museum curators of Asian art regularly made pilgrimages to a charming 18th century saltbox home in Wilton, Connecticut: Vallin Galleries. Owned and operated by Peter L. Rosenberg for nearly thirty years until his sudden death in December of 2013, Vallin Galleries was widely regarded as an outstanding source for the best of Asian art and antiques. Skinner is proud to offer Peter’s estate, a testimony to the nearly 75 years of the family business of selling Asian art, in a two-day auction April 26-27, 2014 in Boston.

The story begins with Peter’s mother, Josephine, who opened a lampshade and lamp store on 10th Street in Greenwich Village in 1940. Making lamps from Chinese porcelain vases was very much in vogue at the time and Josephine produced many for the finest homes. As the business grew so did her passion for Chinese porcelains and Asian art. In 1951, she moved to Wilton and established Vallin Galleries. Twenty-five of the lamps, made by Josephine and offered in the sale, were found in one of the large hearths. Buying from families whose forebears were missionaries, diplomats, or businessmen in the Far East and from the 1944 government sale of the Yamanaka Company’s inventory, the gallery was a well-established purveyor of fine Asian art when Peter joined the family business.

Under the direction of Peter and his wife Louise, who pre-deceased him, Vallin Galleries acquired and sold works of art to museums, dealers and private collectors, including the eminent art dealer, author, and scholar, Robert H. Ellsworth, who purchased an extremely rare 15th century altar coffer which is published in his book on Chinese furniture, as well as an 11th century Song period fresco, originally in the C.T. Loo collection, now at the Chicago Art Institute. A Chinese marriage collar, in this sale, was purchased from Vallin in 1986. Objects offered in auction houses frequently have a Vallin Gallery provenance. Like any dealer or private collector, Peter was proud to have sold to the Metropolitan, the Brooklyn, and Los Angeles County museums, among others.

Peter belonged to several professional and educational organizations including: The Art and Antique Dealers League of America, serving as a board member; The Oriental Ceramic Society of London; The Asia Society; and the China Institute. He encouraged and mentored many young collectors and dealers with a generous spirit and a passion for Asian art. He felt that part of the pleasure of the profession came from finding and presenting exceptional material, but, he also felt that the greater pleasure came from welcoming to the gallery people who were serious collectors as well as those who were beginners.

It is with pleasure that Skinner offers what remained in the gallery upon Peter’s death. Since Peter bought aggressively right up to his death, the more than 700 lots in the April 26-27, 2014 Asian Works of Art auction represent treasures still to be had. We [Skinner, Inc.] would like to extend special thanks to Richard Kenworthy and Yuanfei Bellido for their research and cataloging.

Information courtesy of Skinner, Inc., April, 2014, Judith Dowling.

“Vermeil” is a French word co-opted by the English in the 19th century for a silver gilt process. Vermeil is a combination of silver and gold, although other precious metals are also occasionally added, that is then gilded onto a sterling silver object. The reddish (vermilion) hue of the addition of the gold gives the product its name. Vermeil is commonly found in jewelry, and a standard of quality (10 karat gold) and thickness (1.5 micrometers) has been set.

Vermeil was initially created through fire or mercury gilding, a technique developed in the 18th century, which requires the application of a solution of mercury nitrate to the object and then the application of a silver and gold/mercury amalgam. In order for the gilding to adhere to the surface, the coated object is placed in a kiln and exposed to extreme temperatures, which burns away the mercury. (This is similar to the technique used to produce ormolu, a form of gold-gilt.) As a result of the intense and prolonged exposure to mercury, it has been estimated that most mercury gilders died before the age of 40. Mechanical or chemical gilding techniques were largely replaced by electroplating by the mid-19th century, and the process was banned in many countries in the mid-1800s.

The White House has a room known as the Vermeil Room, so named for a collection of vermeil tableware.

A Gorham sterling silver compote with vermeil interior – note the reddish hue. (p4A item # D9827145)

Scandal & the Story of Bakelite

Bakelite hit the market in 1907, heralding the arrival of the modern plastics industry. Bakelite was the first completely man made plastic, as until then, plastics such as celluloid, casein, and Gutta-Percha all had as a base a natural material. It was developed by Belgian-born chemist Dr. Leo Hendrick Baekeland who started his firm General Bakelite Company to produce the phenolic resin type plastic. Bakelite was inexpensive to manufacture and extremely durable, and made its inventor a wealthy man. In subsequent generations, however, the Baekeland’s family story was one of tragedy rather than triumph. In 1972 the schizophrenic great grandson of Dr. Baekeland stabbed his mother to death. Savage Grace, by Natalie Robbins and Steven M.L. Aronson, a book about the family and the murder, was a best seller when it was published in 1985.

Bakelite for Appliances & Jewelry

Early Bakelite was used almost exclusively in the manufacture of radios, appliances and electrical components because it was lightweight, inexpensive, durable, moisture-resistant and non-flammable. The limited color range of black, brown, and the occasional burgundy and dark green was appropriate for use as radio cabinets, vacuum cleaner parts, and electrical elements, but eventually, formulas were developed to produce the plastic in a range of appealing colors. Its ability to be carved and molded made it ideal for inexpensive jewelry. Early jewelry attempts to mimic more expensive materials like ivory amber, onyx, and jade, but by the 1930s, consumers began to appreciate the plastic for own qualities and Bakelite jewelry made its appearance everywhere from Sears Roebuck to Sacks 5th Avenue.

Colorful Art Deco Bakelite Gems

Artists and designers discovered the beauty and workability of Bakelite (and Catalin, a competitor who also produced a phenolic resin plastic). New technology created additional colors, and the plastic became available in scarlet, green, amber, brown burgundy, red-orange, and Kelly green and black and marbled. By 1934, yet another plastics company had produced a formula for Bakelite in pastel colors including willow green, light blue, pink and yellow. Due to the unstable nature of the chemicals used in the pastel colors formula, these pieces are hard to find, and as such, are among the most costly of Bakelite jewelry.

Bakelite Jewelry & Values

Bakelite could be molded, carved, or laminated, and designers and turned to the material for brightly colored, inexpensive flights of fancy to adorn everything from wrists to waists. Necklaces featured beads in a variety of sizes and colors, sometimes terminating in carved or laminated pendants. A popular choker style necklace consisted of pairs of bright red cherries on celluloid stems and leaves dangling from a celluloid chain (today $150-300.)

Bakelite Bracelets

Bracelets were stretchy, cuff, charm, wrap or tank-track styles. Stretchy bracelets consisted of beads or lozenges strung on elastic. Cuff styles could be wide and deeply carved, or narrower bands intended to be stacked together. The band could be smooth, molded (usually in a geometric pattern), carved, or pierced. Wrap bracelets were beads strung on wire, and tank-track bracelets featured overlapping semi-circular links. A quick check on eBay turned up bracelets on offer in prices ranging from $50-300. Deeply carved, wide red cuffs seem to fetch the highest prices, followed by amber, then green.

Bakelite Pins

A variety of pins were produced, either whimsical figurals or geometrics. The Art Deco love affair with the Scottie Dog was evident in the jewelry on offer. Horses also had a strong presence, but pins of elephants, penguins, marlins, and cherries are also available. Pins range in price from $118 for a lovely carved leaf, $130 for a carrot, $102 for a red horse head, and an almost shockingly low $18 for a classic Scottie in red.

Bakelite Jewelry Affordable (Again)!

Prices reached almost ludicrous levels in the early 1990s, and the jewelry became so popular that other Bakelite pieces such as poker chips, Tootsie Toys and Mah Jong tiles were frequently fashioned into jewelry. The market seems to have cooled, meaning that it’s once again possible to buy a fine Bakelite cuff bracelet for less than a gold one.

Reference note by p4A Contributing Editor Susan Cramer, August, 2011

Bakelite

Bakelite is named after its inventor, Belgian-born chemist Leo Hendrik Baekeland (1863-1944). After emigrating to the United States in 1889, Baekeland dabbled in photography. In the late nineteenth century, photographic paper was so insensitive to light that prints had to be exposed outdoors in sunlight. Baekeland invented a more sensitive paper that he called Velox. He sold the rights to George Eastman in 1899 for a million dollars.

Now independently wealthy, Baekeland bought a farm near Yonkers, New York and set up a laboratory in the barn. He wanted to develop an insulating coating for copper wire, the kind of wire used to wind solenoids and motors. In those days wire was coated with shellac, which was laboriously made from the shells of the lacca beetle that inhabited southeast Asia. Shellac was expensive and in short supply. Could Baekeland develop a synthetic substitute?

In 1907, he prepared a mixture of phenol, formaldehyde and lye which had the color and the consistency of honey. Unexpectedly, the mixture hardened in its container, producing a solid whose surface faithfully duplicated the shape and the texture of its container.

It occurred to Baekeland that his mixture could be heated in molds to create objects of any desired shape. Thus was born Bakelite, the world’s first synthetic plastic. Baekeland founded The Bakelite Corporation to manufacture his material.

Bakelite is known by several generic names. It is referred to as phenolic because phenol (C6H5OH) is the main ingredient. Phenol is the preservative that is responsible for the “mediciney” smell of preschoolers’ paste and is the “mediciney” ingredient in antiseptic mouthwash.

It is also known as thermosetting because the chemical reaction that creates the solid actually occurs while the molding compound is being heated in the mold. Once the solid object has been formed, it cannot be softened again, unlike thermoplastics such as polystyrene that can be melted and re-used. This property makes thermosets useful for objects that might become warm, such as housings for electrical devices or even handles for kitchen pots and pans.

A Manning-Bowman coffee pot with bakelite handle, base and spigot handle. (p4A item # D9810832)

Baekeland’s competitors also made thermosets, and the word “bakelite” (small b) became a generic term denoting phenolic from any manufacturer. To further complicate things, The Bakelite Corporation later became a distributor of polystyrene, which was sold under the trade name Bakelite.

The original lump of Bakelite was a transparent amber-colored solid whose appearance Baekeland described as “frozen beer”. A few products were actually molded that color, notably ladies’ combs that were meant to simulate hand-carved tortoise shell.

Most Bakelite was made with additives that altered its appearance or mechanical properties.

Flock (short cotton threads) was often mixed with molding compound so that the threads would become embedded in the finished product. The fibers improved Bakelite’s mechanical strength, much as steel reinforcing rods strengthen concrete.

The most common appearance for a Bakelite object was opaque black, which was produced by incorporating carbon black into the molding compound. The ubiquitous black rotary-dial telephone was manufactured of black Bakelite.

A Henry Dreyfuss bakelite telephone. (p4A item # B126428)

A bakelite “bow tie” pattern bangle bracelet. (p4A item # D9769092)

Bakelite’s popularity began to decline in the 1940s as thermoplastics became more readily available. The first major thermoplastic was cellulose acetate, which was made from a byproduct of the cotton gin. Intricately-shaped objects can be fabricated by injection molding. Molten plastic is forced into a mold under high pressure, where it cools and solidifies. Since cellulose acetate was derived from an agricultural product, supply could not keep pace with the growth of demand. After World War II, polystyrene (made from petroleum) quickly became the most popular thermoplastic.

The days of manufacturing collectible jewelry from Bakelite are over, but phenolics continue to be used for applications where heat resistance is required, such as electrical equipment or cookware.

Reference note by p4A Contributing Editor Joseph H. Lechner, Ph.D.