CINCINNATI, OH.- Four Andrew Clemens sand bottles spanning the iconic artist’s career will headline Hindman’s American Furniture, Folk & Decorative Arts auction on March 30. The bottles, spread across three lots, will be offered alongside more than 300 lots of American furniture, silver, portraiture, textiles, and folk art.

“While we have had the pleasure of offering a number of sand bottles by Clemens, the four to be offered here tell the full story of the evolution of his remarkable talent as an artist,” commented Ben Fisher, Vice President & Senior Specialist of American Furniture, Folk & Decorative Arts.

Andrew Clemens Sand Bottles

As has come to be expected of Hindman American Furniture, Folk & Decorative Arts auctions, the sale features a selection of highly desirable sand bottles by the master of the medium, Andrew Clemens (1857-1894). The three lots perfectly demonstrate Clemens’ growth as an artist. The first bottle, dated 1876 (lot 171; estimate: $20,000 - $40,000), was made at a time when Clemens’ popularity, at least regionally, was just beginning to grow. In 1874 and 1875, he had been written up in several local newspapers and had begun making good money from his tourist trade. He had yet to hone his technique of crushing sand into fine grains, though, so his work at the time had less detailed motifs, focusing more on complex brightly colored patterns. The 1876 bottle does feature an American eagle, perhaps Clemens most famous motif, but lacks a motif on the reverse, which would be customary later in his career.

Chronologically, the next Clemens lot is a pair of “sweetheart” bottles dated 1883 bearing the names Charles Bramar and Maggie Bramar (née Heye) (lot 170; estimate: $60,000 - $80,000). By 1883, Clemens had attained significant publicity and had perfected his technique. According to family history, the Bramers acquired their pair of sweetheart bottles either on the occasion of their marriage in February 1883 or the birth of their first child, Charles, later that same year. The Charles Bramar bottle features a galloping horse on one side with a slipper ship at sea on the reverse while the Maggie Bramar bottle depicts an elaborate bouquet of flowers in an urn on one side and a pair of yellow birds perched around a nest of eggs on the other.

Though the exact circumstances of the commission are not certain, the existence of another Heye family bottle now in the permanent collection of the Smithsonian American Art Museum suggests that it is possible that Henry and Mary Heye commissioned at least three sand bottles from Andrew Clemens in 1883, one as a keepsake for Mary and the other two as a gift for their newlywed daughter Maggie and her husband Charles. Adding to the significance of the Maggie bottle in this auction is that its obverse is nearly the same as the one made as a keepsake for Mary in the Smithsonian collection. For both, Clemens employed urns with identical flower bouquets and patriotic bicolor lettering for the recipients’ names. This is just the third known example of a pair of Clemens sweetheart bottles.

Finally, an 1886 bottle (lot 172; estimate: $20,000 - $40,000) is one made by an artist who has fully mastered his craft. The bottle pairs the American eagle on the front with another staple motif of Clemens, a wreath of flowers, on the reverse. A comparison of the eagle on the 1886 bottle with the 1876 bottle show tremendous growth for the artist. While both depictions are unmistakably an eagle grasping an American flag, which is no easy feat in a medium as fickle as sand, the 1886 bottle features details that are so fine and so precise that viewers can hardly believe they were made with sand.

Important Tankard by Silversmith Myer Myers

The auction also features an important tankard by Myer Myers (1723-1795) (lot 92; estimate: $15,000 - $20,000). Myers was one of the most accomplished silversmiths in pre-industrial New England and the only Jewish smith operating in New York City in the mid-18th century. Opening his shop in New York in 1750, he became the city's leading silversmith during the late colonial period creating some of the finest silverware for both domestic and religious use. Examples of his work can be found in the collections of Yale University Art Gallery, Museum of Fine Arts Boston, Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York Historical Society Museum & Library, and Jewish Museum, to name a few.

The Myers tankard is expected to be one of many highlights in the American Silver category. A tea and coffee service with a matching tray (lot 113; estimate: $12,000 - $18,000) is a highly anticipated lot. The set features floral decoration, chased by Nicholas Heinzelman (1837-1900). A tea and coffee service by Tiffany & Co. (lot 125; estimate: $10,000 - $15,000) is another closely watched item. A six-piece American Repousse tea and coffee service (lot 116; estimate: $6,000 - $8,000) and a parcel gilt silver serving spoon, circa 1880s (lot 127; estimate: $5,000 - $7,000) should hammer for more than $5,000 each.

Fine Furniture and Clocks

Furniture highlights from the auction include a rare Federal inlaid and pierce-carved mahogany tall case clock which has been published in Journal of Early Southern Decorative Arts (lot 31; estimate: $10,000 - $20,000). Additional noteworthy lots are a Renaissance revival marble mounted carved and laminated rosewood étagère (lot 85; estimate: $10,000 - $20,000) and two lots of exquisite 18th century Queen Anne side chairs (lot 10; estimate: $4,000 - $6,000 and lot 12; estimate: $4,000 - $6,000). An Empire carved mahogany and cherrywood sideboard (lot 63; estimate: $3,000 - $5,000) and a Federal Vine and Leaf inlaid cherrywood chest of draws (lot 62; estimate: $2,000 - $3,000) are also impressive examples of 19th century Southern furniture.

Other notable lots in the sale include a 19th century portrait of a young boy in the manner of Joseph Whiting Stock (1815-1855) (lot 13; estimate $8,000 - $12,000); a 19th century portrait of a woman by Erastus Salisbury Field (American, 1805-1900) (lot 5; estimate: $5,000 - $8,000); a 19th century hooked rug depicting a black dog (lot 177; estimate: $3,000 - $5,000); and a Kazak-inspired hooked rug from the early 20th century (lot 182; estimate: $2,000 - $3,000).