by William A. Gage, Department Head

Grouse Hunting, Ogden Minton Pleissner

Ogden Minton Pleissner (American, 1905-1983) was a twentieth century American artist who is best known for his fishing and hunting paintings, though most of his works were landscapes in both oils and watercolors. Early in life he painted in oils and executed landscapes including paintings of the American west. He was stationed in the Aleutian Islands during WWII and found that painting in oils was difficult as the damp climate was not conducive to drying oils. This forced him to switch to watercolors which sped up the drying process. He was a prolific artist and painted many works depicting life for the troops on the islands as well as the islands themselves. This wartime collection of works is housed at the Pentagon.

At the completion of the war he went to Europe and painted landscapes in France, Italy and England. 600 of his works reside at the Shelburne Museum that is located in Shelburne, Vermont; the museum has recreated his Manchester, Vermont studio, and rotates the collection throughout the year. Being an avid hunter and fisherman it was only natural that he would apply his artistic talent to the realistic depiction of gentleman’s pursuits, his attention to detail and ability to portray action in his sporting scenes make his paintings desirable to the sporting collector.

Other Sporting Art to be Included

One of the finest salmon fishing watercolors he executed will be a highlight in Julia’s February 2018 auction. He depicts a fisherman seated in a canoe held fast at the edge by his guide and a fellow angler. The fisherman’s rod is bent and a salmon can be seen leaping to escape the hook. The viewer is immersed into the scene and can feel the excitement of the oncoming fight. Titled “A Big One Hooked” it should find plenty of auction action as the buyers will not want this one to get away!

In addition there is an equally fine watercolor of a hunting scene titled “Grouse Hunting” featuring a wonderful action packed scene of two hunters with guns up aiming at a recently flushed grouse which flies out over a brook with cascading water. The two hunters flank a dirt road which runs through the side of a low hill which provides an interesting vantage point for the scene. We see in both of these outstanding paintings the skill of an artist as well as the acute knowledge of a sportsman.

These works will be offered in our Winter 2018 Fine Art, Asian & Antiques auction on February 7-9, 2018. Click here for details.

FAIRFIELD, MAINE – Every fall, two separate firearms auction companies, James D. Julia, Inc. & Poulin Auctions, conduct firearms auctions back-to-back in Fairfield, Maine. Each time these auctions occur, the results generate the largest offering and largest sales gross for firearms auctions anywhere in the world. This year the Julia fall auction generated more than $15.1 million in sales, and combined with approximately $3.2 million produced at the Poulin auction pushed the entire gross to more than $18.3 million. For years Julia’s has sold at auction more rare and high end firearms for over $10,000 each than any other auction house in the world. This was proven again with no fewer than 9 World Records achieved and approximately 390 lots realizing $10,000 or more, 136 lots hitting $25,000 or more, nearly 40 lots coming in over $50,000 or more, and 9 lots topped out over $100,000.

For nearly two decades now, Julia’s has been the world’s leading auction house for rare and valuable sporting arms. This auction featured over 500 lots of sporting arms which generated nearly $5 million, again confirming Julia’s leadership as the place to buy and to sell truly great sporting guns. Sporting guns showed great strength, regardless of gauge, as collectors seek out high quality arms. Stars of the sale included several of the A.H. Fox shotguns from the Dana J. Tauber Estate Collection, undoubtedly the finest collection of A.H. Fox shotguns to ever come to auction. The pièce de résistance from this collection was the exceptionally rare (1 of 3), extremely fine 20 bore Fox FE with special gold inlays. This highly coveted gun was estimated at $150,000-225,000 and realized $166,750, making it the top shotgun of the sale. Parkers and Winchesters did well and an outstanding Parker A-1 Special from the Bouwkamp Collection brought an astounding $142,600 against an estimate of $75,000-125,000, an exceptional price for an exceptional 12 gauge A-1 Special. Numerous fine Winchester Model 21s were included in the auction, the most important of which was a custom 20 gauge finished with 5 inlaid gold stars for the first chairman of the Joint Chief of Staff and one of just nine 5-star generals in the history of the US armed forces, Omar Bradley. Estimated at $100,000-200,000, it generated $115,000.

Not to be outdone by their American counterparts, fine sporting guns from England and Europe also performed quite well in this auction. A stunning masterpiece by Holland & Holland known as the “Swan Gun”, a Royal Hammerless Ejector gun with extraordinary sculptured decorations with multi-gold inlays was estimated at $70,000-110,000 and sold for $120,750. A pair of truly superb original condition, lightweight, 16 gauge Golden Age Boss Sidelock Ejector guns came on the block with an estimate of $35,000-55,000 but flew far, far above the high estimate to an incredible $155,250. A stunning James Purdey and Sons Hammer Underlever 8 bore rifle was estimated at $60,000-80,000 and brought $69,000. Golden Age H&H Royal Hammerless Double Rifle .30 caliber Super was estimated at $35,000- 60,000 and realized $50,600. A superb Purdey Hammer Pigeon shotgun with exquisite relief engraving was of Royal descent, which at one time belonged to King Alphonso of Spain, sold for $57,500. An unusual cased pair of high condition John Dickson Sidelock Ejector Game Shotguns in 12 gauge were estimated at $45,000-55,000 and when the bidding stopped, the final price realized was $51,750.

Julia’s also regularly sells more high end, rare and valuable Confederate and Civil War arms than any other auction house extant today and this auction featured three well-known collections. The most competed for gun was an extremely rare Confederate Scoped Second Quality Whitworth Sharp Shooter’s rifle from the outstanding estate collection of Confederate and historical arms of Morris Racker. Estimated at $40,000- 60,000, it flew to almost 3 times the high estimate at $161,000 setting a new auction world record for this model. One of the true rarities and among the most coveted revolvers in Confederate collecting is the brass framed percussion revolver made in Portsmouth, Virginia by Thomas W. Cofer. This auction included Cofer revolver serial number 11, which is by far the finest example known. Estimated at $100,000-150,000, it sold for $103,500. Also from the Racker Collection was an extremely rare inscribed and cased early 1st model LeMat Grapeshot revolver that belonged to Confederate surgeon Thomas B. Memminger, son of Confederate Secretary of Treasure Christopher G. Memminger that sold for $57,500 against an estimate of $25,000-35,000. A very rare Colt Walker percussion revolver from the Robert Roughton Collection brought $71,875. The Fred Donaldson Estate featured a fine 1st model Griswold revolver that belonged to Confederate Captain John Morton that brought $23,000. A fine Civil War Cyrus Alger 1853-dated bronze 12 pounder Mountain Howitzer was estimated at $45,000-60,000 and sold above estimate at $69,000. After all was said and done, more than 170 rare Civil War arms and related items were sold in this auction, generating a total of nearly $2 million.

This auction also featured the largest offering of Virginia Manufactory firearms to come to auction in many years, a total of 15 arms. The top performer was a rare 1809 dated 1st model pistol from the 3rd Virginia Regiment from the collection of Robert Roughton. It is very difficult to find examples of this gun in original flint, especially with the very desirable Virginia Regiment markings such as this one. After some intense bidding, this nearly all-original gun sold for $46,000, nearly four times the high end of its $8,000-12,000 estimate.

Since 2008, James D. Julia, Inc. has sold more Class 3 firearms than all other North American auction houses combined, both in the number of units and in dollar value. This auction continued that tradition, generating extremely strong results with 102 lots sold bringing in excess of $2.3 million and six new auction world records. Leading the way for the Class 3 results was a Chinese Type 56 (AK-47) which came with a signed and notarized history from the U.S. Airforce pilot who acquired this gun during his combat tour in Viet Nam, and subsequently registered it during the Amnesty of 1968. A stellar specimen for its kind, it was estimated at $70,000-100,000 and when the hammer fell it had sold for $86,250. An exceedingly rare and highly desirable Cadillac Gage Stoner Model 63 LMG brought an auction world record price of $74,750 against an estimate of $50,000-80,000. Another world record came from an iconic and original German WWII MG-42 with tripod, which shattered its estimate of $35,000-40,000 and sold for $74,750. Another rare Class 3 record breaker was an exceedingly rare Model 1919 Colt Monitor Automatic Machine Rifle estimated at $50,000-75,000 and sold for $71,785. A historic Savage US Model 1917 Lewis machine gun that featured a US Navy anchor proof on the receiver and bolt soared past its estimate of $15,000-25,000 to bring an auction world record price of $57,500. A Japanese Type 92 Heavy Machine Gun on Tripod with numerous accessories was highly competitive and sold for an auction world record $40,250 against an estimate of $18,000-28,000. Rounding out the Class 3 offerings were a number iconic Thompson sub machine guns, aka Tommy Guns, which were all highly sought after and brought strong prices. The best of these was an early Colt Model 1921 Thompson, serial number 935, originally purchased by the Santa Maria, California Police Department with just one private owner since. When Thompsons with serial numbers under 1000 surface for sale it is noteworthy. To find one in this kind of original condition with such provenance is truly extraordinary. Estimated at $45,000-60,000, this fantastic high condition example brought $51,750.

In addition to being the undisputed leader for Class 3 firearms, Julia’s also specializes in other military arms and related items. This auction showcased a number of hard-to-find military weapons, including a Mauser C96 with exquisite factory engraving, special grips and matching burl stock. This gem of a gun was estimated at $35,000-65,000 and achieved a final price of $51,750. An extremely rare 20-shot Astra Model 900 semi-auto pistol with holster stock and original Astra box in excellent condition brought $37,375 against a $30,000-40,000 estimate. Gas Trap Garand rifles are a Holy Grail for many military collectors and are rarely offered at any price. This auction included an early production Springfield Armory M1 Gas Trap Garand rifle that was assembled in January 1938 with provenance attributable to well-known author and Springfield rifle collector, William S. Brophy. It carried an estimate of $17,500-22,500 and after some very competitive bidding was sold for $20,700. Several military vehicles were also sold in this auction, including a rare and desirable Soviet T-34/85 tank. The T-34 was arguably the best tank of the Second World War, and this particular example sold for $46,000.

As is usually the case for James D. Julia, this auction included numerous important and in some cases, iconic collections. The Warren Buxton Collection is a great example of an old iconic collection. Warren was a wonderful man, passionate collector, great scholar and amassed what is most certainly the finest, most comprehensive collection of Walther arms remaining in private hands today. He was also the author of what is considered to be the three Bibles on Walther pistols. This auction represented the second session for this collection, and among the notable items that are representative of discretion that Warren applied to his collection was an experimental Walther PP with a unique mechanism and semi-shrouded/solid hammer, distinctly different from production versions of this gun. It sold for $31,625 against an estimate of $20,000-30,000. Another fantastic example from the Buxton collection was a Walther Armee-Pistole in original condition with two matching magazines that is one of just 50 such firearms made for testing prior to the military’s acceptance of the P38. The late production, all matching specimen was estimated at $27,500-35,000 and sold for $28,750.

There were a great many other exciting results for various other rare firearms and related items, drawing interest of collectors from around the world. The iconic and historic silver mounted Hawken Rifle of George W. Atchison of St. Louis, Missouri, 1836 is no doubt the finest and most elaborate of all Hawken rifles. Until now this gun had never left the family descents of E.R. Butterworth, who obtained the gun during his travels west in the 1870s, and was displayed in the Cody Firearms Museum for two decades. It sold for $109,250, exceeding its estimate of $80,000-100,000. The Winchester “1 of 1000” rifle is legendary, and a very rare and well documented Winchester Model 1873 “1 of 1,000” estimated at $75,000-125,000 brought a price of $103,500. A superb condition cased pair of double barreled flintlock carriage pistols with spring loaded bayonets by Isaac Blissett landed an auction world record price for any pair of bayonetted carriage pistols at $63,250 against an estimate of $27,500-35,000. An engraved and nickel plated Colt Medium Frame Lightning Rifle, which was Colt’s first attempt at a pump action rifle, that belonged to seven-term Mexican President Porfirio Diaz exceeded its estimate of $25,000-45,000 and sold for $51,750.

Dozens of edged weapons were sold in this auction, including an extremely rare inscribed Scagel utility knife with ultra-rare ivory scales and original sheath from the Douglass H. Sandrock Collection. The blade on this extraordinary Scagel knife is marked on the right side in period script and sold for $23,000 against an estimate of $20,000-30,000. Also from the Sandrock Collection was a mint condition Scagel camp knife that was also estimated at $20,000-30,000 and sold for $20,700. A quite rare “War of 1812” US regulation naval boarding ax sailed through its $7,000-9,000 estimate and sold for $20,125.

The majority of the high value items in this auction were sold in Julia’s first session known as the “Extraordinary Session.” The last two days of the auction featured what Julia’s refers to as the “Sporting & Collector Session” which consists of quality, moderately priced collectible firearms. There was particularly strong participation on both of those days with an unprecedented number of bids for a Julia firearms auction, and moderately valued guns did extremely well, achieving prices that were on average 28% over low estimate of the lots sold.

Julia’s actively pursues rare and collectible firearms from all over the world and they are now preparing for their Spring 2018 auction. Their advertised special 0% commission rate to consignors selling high value guns is unique in the industry and is one of the many reasons Julia’s continually sells so many high end guns. As the #1 auction house in the world for rare and expensive firearms, James D. Julia doesn’t want to compete with their consignors by purchasing firearms but rather focuses on consigning them for auction and then working hard to achieve the best return on behalf of their consignors.

ABOUT JAMES D. JULIA, INC.
James D. Julia, Inc. is one of the top 10 antique auction houses in North America as measured by annual sales. It is headquartered in Fairfield, Maine. The company also has an office just outside Boston, Massachusetts in Woburn and has been in business for nearly 50 years. The company conducts high end, antique collectables and fine art auctions throughout the year. Julia’s has routinely established new world auction records through its auction events. The company consists of three key divisions. The rare Firearms Division in which they are the leader today for high end, rare and valuable guns. Julia’s next Firearms Auction is scheduled for Spring of 2018 and will again include a fabulous collection of spectacular arms. Their next Fine Art, Asian & Antiques Division auction will take place in February 2018. Also, the Rare Lamp, Glass & Fine Jewelry Division, again a leader in this genre, will hold their next auction on December 1, 2017. Each division is regarded for its excellence and is staffed with world class specialists to ensure fair and professional authentication, identification and evaluation services. For more information on James D. Julia, Inc. please visit www.jamesdjulia.com.

Image	Description
	Lot 1027. Very Rare & Well Documented Winchester Model 1873 “1 of 1,000” Lever Action Rifle (Est. $75,000-125,000) SOLD: $103,500
	Lot 1157. Engraved & Nickel Plated Colt Medium Frame Lightning Rfile the Belonged to Porfirio Diaz, former President of Mexico (Est. $25,000-45,000) SOLD: $51,750
	Lot 1244. Finest Known Example of Extremely Rare Cofer Percussion Confederate Revolver, Serial Number 11, with Holster (Est. $100,000-150,000) SOLD: $103,500
	Lot 1271. Rare Enscribed and Cased Early 1st Model Lemat Grapeshot Revolver Belonging to Confederate Surgeon Thomas Memmiger, Son of Confederate Sectrratary of Treasury Christopher Memminger (Est. $25,000-35,000) SOLD: $57,500
	Lot 1281. Extemely Rare Confederate Scopes 2nd Quality Whitworth Sharpshooter”s Rifle (Est. $40,000-60,000) SOLD: $161,000
	Lot 1320. Fine Civil War Cyrus Alger 1853-Dates Bronze 12 Pounder Mountain Howitzer (Est. $45,000-60,000) SOLD: $69,000
	Lot 1339. Historic Silver Mounted Hawken Rifle of George W. Atchison, Finest and Most Elaborate of All Hawken Rifles (Est. $80,000-100,000) SOLD: $109,250
	Lot 1355. Rare 1809 Dates Virginia Manufactury 1st Model Pistol, Sold for Auction World Record Price (Est. $8,000-12,000) SOLD: $46,000
	Lot 1387. Exteremely Rare Inscribed Scagel Utility Knife with Ultra-Rare Ivory Scales and Orignal Sheath (Est. $20,000-30,000) SOLD: $23,000
	Lot 1403. Exceptionally rare (1 of 3) and Extremely Fine A.H. Fox “FE” Grade Shotgun with Special Gold Inlays (Est. $150,000-225,000) SOLD: $166,750
	Lot 1448. Parker Brothers Grand Old Parker “A-1 Special” 12 Gauge Shotgun, Described and Illustrated in “The Parker Story” (Est. $75,000-125,000) SOLD: $142,600
	Lot 1498. Historically Important 20 Gauge Winchester Model 21 Factory Custom Finished and Gold Inlaid Shotgun Presented to Five Star General and First Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Omar N. Bradley (Est. $100,000-200,000) SOLD: $115,000
	Lot 1535. Splenid Cased Pair of Flintlock Carriage Pistols with Spring Loaded Bayonets by Isaac Blissett, Sold for Auction World Record Price for Any Pair of Bayontted Carriage Pistols (Est. $27,500-35,000) SOLD: $63,250
	Lot 1557. Stunning and Possible Unique James Purdey & Sons Hammer Underlever 8 Bore Rifle (Est. $60,000-80,000) SOLD: $69,000
	Lot 1590. Holland & Holland “Royal” Hammerless Ejector 12 Gauge Masterpiece Shotgun, Known as “The Swan Gun” with Multi-Colored Gold Inlaid High Relief by Rashid El Hadi (Est. $70,000-110,000) SOLD: $120,750
	Lot 1612. Superb “As Found” High Original Condition Pair of 16 Gauge “Golden Age” Boss Sidelock Ejector Double Trigger Light Game Shotguns (Est. $35,000-55,000) SOLD: $155,250
	Lot 2009. Exquisite Factory Engraved Postwar Mauser C96 with Special Grips and Matching Burl Wood Stock (Est. $35,000-55,000) SOLD: $51,750
	Lot 2018. Experimental Walther PP with Unique Mechanism and Semi-Shrouded/Solid Hammer (Est. $20,000-30,000) SOLD: $31,625
	Lot 2063. Rare & Desirable Soviet T-34/85 Tank (Est. $45,000-85,000) SOLD: $46,000
	Lot 2070. Rare Colt Monitor U.S.M.C. Marked Machine Gun, Sold for Auction World Record Price (Est. $50,000-75,000) SOLD: $71,875
	Lot 2083. Exceedingly Rare Cadillac Gage Stoner Model 63 Light Machine Gun, Sold for Auction World Record Price (Est. $50,000-80,000) SOLD: $74,750
	Lot 2102. Outstanding & Iconic Original German WWII MG-42 Machine Gun with Tripod, Sold for Auction World Record Price (Est. $35,000-45,000) SOLD: $74,750
	Lot 2123. Japanese Type 92 Heavy Machine Gun on Tripod with Extremely Rare Original Manual, Sold for Auction World Record Price (Est. $18,000-28,000) SOLD: $40,250

by William A. Gage, Department Head

Detail of important and rare “Sagittarius” Bronze by Paul Manship, a relief from a model of his work “Celestial Sphere”

In the early 1930s Paul Manship, one of the foremost, highly respected, and influential American artists of the Art Deco period, set in motion an idea that had been percolating in his mind for many years. Manship was always fascinated by the ancient mythical stories associated with the signs of the Zodiac and the heavenly constellations, and after three years of intense study and work he produced his first “Celestial Sphere.”

The Celestial Sphere represents the sky that surrounds the earth and shows all of the major constellations and symbols of the Zodiac from the world’s major civilizations, both past and present. The sphere itself was initially five feet in diameter having outside circular supports at the equator allowing the sphere to rotate on its polar axis which allowed it to be able to be set for any hour.

The Celestial Sphere Aero Memorial by Paul Manship in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

The five foot diameter sphere was perforated with an outside surface made of sixty-six constellations (including the signs of the zodiac) and stars of the first four magnitudes. The whole supported by a blindfolded figure of a woman representing night in a style that recalls both classicism and Art Deco.

Each constellation and zodiacal sign are modeled separately depicting a representational motif including the twelve zodiacal signs with corresponding constellation(s). The inter-relationship of these symbols was designed to create a harmonious ensemble.

The five foot diameter Celestial Sphere was selected to become Aero Memorial in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, which is located opposite the main entrance of the Franklin Institute and is dedicated to the aviators who perished in World War I.

In 1956, Manship gifted a relief from a model of his Celestial Sphere, a bronze Sagittarius, to his family. In a letter dated July 3, 1956 which accompanied the gift and is addressed to his nephew Will, Paul Manship writes in part, “…from a model of the celestial sphere I made some years ago and represent constellations of the sky – Sagittarius = the zodiacal sign = Nov 22 to Dec 21-22 with the Corona Australis = the little band of stars is the outline of the milky way…curved as to conform to the sphere which is about 5 ft in diameter = I made the sphere larger – about 12 ft, as a Woodrow Wilson Memorial at the Garden of the United Nations Bld. at Geneva Switz.”

The importance of this gift was not lost on Will, who retained and treasured his Sagittarius sculpture. He proudly displayed it over the fireplace mantel in his Minnesota home, where it was enjoyed by several generations of the Manship family and appears faithfully in snapshots taken at family gatherings over the course of many decades. Today the Manship family has decided to place this important piece of American art history into the trusted hands of James D. Julia, Inc. to be included in our upcoming auction in February of 2018.

After developing the five foot version, Manship was not yet finished with the concept of the Celestial Sphere. He reduced the five foot original to a miniature size of 20-inches in diameter, an example of which can be seen at Harvard University’s Fogg Museum in Cambridge, Massachusetts. He also would go on to develop a more massive twelve foot version of the sphere.

“Sagittarius” Bronze by Paul Manship as it was displayed until recently in the Manship family home. At left is Will Manship (nephew of the artist) and his wife Stella; at right is John Manship (son of the artist).

The board of the Woodrow Wilson Foundation contacted Paul Manship for his ideas for a memorial to the president of the United States Woodrow Wilson (Founding Father of the League of Nations). It was at this time that the Palais des Nations was under construction in Geneva, Switzerland, which was to be the seat of the League of Nations, later re-named as the United Nations.

Manship’s proposal for the Woodrow Wilson Memorial was a large scale Celestial Sphere based on the earlier five foot version. It was to differ from Philadelphia’s Aero Memorial not just in size but also in that the sphere would be supported upon the backs of four tortoises which rest upon a stepped socle bearing a cast representation of the Chinese “Celestial Sea.” This twelve foot diameter version of the sphere was equipped with a motor which would allow it to rotate slowly around an axis turned to the pole star and was intended to be illuminated at night. The sphere was positioned in a small reservoir that would reflect the image of the sphere as well as the building in the water.

The Celestial Sphere Woodrow Wilson Memorial was installed in August of 1939 in a most prestigious location: in the court d’honneur of the Ariana Park at the Palais des Nations. The Celestial Sphere is the pride of Geneva and has adorned a UN Geneva postage stamp as well as a postal card. The twelve foot sphere is adorned with 85 constellations of the universe and 840 stars showing four stars of the first four magnitudes. Today the sphere remains a symbol of peace worldwide and an important landmark for the city of Geneva.

The Sagittarius zodiac sculpture that James D. Julia, Inc. will be offering depicts the centaur (half man, half beast) holding a bow and arrow above which is a title banner “Sagittarius.” Also a banner with “Corona Australis” under a crown depicting the constellation found below Sagittarius in the sky. A string of 15 stars represent the stars of the Milky Way.

Having remained in family hands and never being offered for public sale until now, this important discovery has been vetted and authenticated by Rebecca Reynolds, a Manship scholar and curator who was formerly with the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston and currently is the board President for the Manship Artists Residency + Studios, as a life-time cast authorized and overseen by Paul Manship. Accompanying the bronze is the aforementioned letter written in Manship’s own hand, dated July 3, 1956.

Sagittarius is the ninth sign of the zodiac. Sagittarians are truth-seekers, they are interested in philosophy and religion. What they want most is to know the meaning of life.

To view the auction item page for the Sagittarius bronze being offered in February of 2018, check out the digital flip book below or click here.