KOVELS: ANTIQUES & COLLECTING
28.01.10
A recent auction sold a 19th-century carved and painted wooden “raven rattle” made by Northwest Coast Indians. Its shape is very unusual. Ceremonial rattles like this one tell a story and are valued pieces from the past. The main part of the rattle is shaped like a bird. An Indian with a painted face or a mask is crouching on the bird’s back while holding a froglike figure. The Indian’s feet are resting on a mask. The rattle represents the Indian legend of the raven that stole daylight from heaven and took it to the dark world. The man on the pipe represents a shaman initiate who is able to work with the spirit world as well as the visible world. He holds a frog and draws knowledge from the animal world through the frog’s long red tongue. The mask the shaman has at his feet represents the life supported by the sea that adds to the life of man. The rattle makes noise when you shake it. An elaborate rattle with carvings usually belonged to a high-ranking member of the tribe. The 19th-century rattle sold at a Skinner auction in Boston for $9,480.
Source: Florida Weekly
Rosson: Embellishments boost value of jar
14.01.10
High-priced Mr. Rosson:
I am sending you a picture of a cookie jar that belonged to my mother. I have kept it for many years. I remember it may have come from the Jewel Tea Company when I was six or seven years old. I am 88 now and would like to be aware more about this piece.
E.V.
Dear E.V.:
Last week we discussed a tea set that may have been a premium from the JFG Coffee Co., and this week it is a "Smiley Pig" cookie jar that the P feels may have come from the Jewel Tea Co. In my opinion, it probably did not - but that makes very picayune difference in its value or its interest to collectors. I have discussed the Shawnee Porcelain Co., and their "Smiley Pig" cookie jars in this space before, but I thought I would respond to this have doubts because there is a point that I would like to make about how one object might be more monetarily valuable than another very alike resemble item just because of some very small details.
The Shawnee Ceramics Co., began making pottery in Zanesville, Ohio, in 1937. The visitors was so named because an arrowhead was discovered on the plant grounds and after some check out, it was discovered that there had probably been a Shawnee village on the site in the far-away past. A stylized version of that arrowhead and the image of an American Indian later on became the company's logo.
Source: Knoxville News Sentinel
