Press Contact:	Catherine Riedell	Stephen Fletcher, Director
	Director of Marketing	American Furniture & Decorative Arts
	Skinner, Inc	Skinner, Inc
	978-779-6341, x231	978-779-6241 ext. 228

RARE AMERICAN COLLECTIONS
WEEKEND AT SKINNER

Auctions feature a Chippendale Mahogany Carved Scroll-top
Bombé Chest-on-chest,Fine Shaker Material,
Rare Civil War Quilt and Important Presidential Documents

BOSTON, Mass. - October 8, 2003 – www.skinnerinc.com - Skinner, one of the nation's leading auction houses, will host a weekend of auctions in Boston on October 31st, November 1st, and November 2nd featuring a fine and unusual selection of American material. The weekend opens with a Friday evening auction of Shaker objects from three important collections, to be followed the next day with fine American furniture and decorative arts led by a rare and important Chippendale mahogany carved scroll-top bombé chest-on-chest. Sunday's auction will focus on rare books and manuscripts, and will feature a single owner collection of important American documents, including signed material from all of the country's presidents, and many of the signers of the Declaration of Independence.

Chippendale Mahogany Carved Scroll-top Bombé Chest-on-chest
American bombé furniture was chiefly made in Boston in the third quarter 18th century, and was in favor for only a few decades, its appeal fading by the end of the century. These pieces were extremely difficult to make, with their complex curves and support systems, and represent a highly sophisticated form of early American furniture. Of particular rarity is the recently discovered bombé chest-on-chest made in Boston or the North Shore of Massachusetts, such as the one to be offered by Skinner on November 1st, an example all the more desirable because of its old surface and original brasses. The piece is one of only six known to exist today.

According to renowned furniture expert and conservator Robert D. Mussey, Jr., "for balance harmony and architecturally derived proportion, few Boston cases exceed this one. It blends the flat planes of the upper case facade and sides with especially successful curves of the bombé lower case, ogee bracket feet, and beautiful serpentine shaping of the scrolled pediment."

Family papers verify that the piece once belonged to Robert "King" Hooper, prominent Marblehead merchant and one of the wealthiest men in 18th century America. Hooper, through a series of provident events and strategic decisions, became a powerful force in the colonial fishing industry in Massachusetts, playing a vital role in providing cargo essential to the British "Triangle Trade". A Loyalist during the American Revolution, Hooper subsequently lost the fortune he had amassed, but in the middle decades of the 18th century, his lifestyle and the home and furnishings he enjoyed had reflected that of British high society across the ocean.

Shaker Material
For the auction on Friday evening, Skinner has amassed 300 lots of Shaker artifacts, including over 250 pieces from three major collections. This is the most distinguished Shaker auction that Skinner has presented since 1996, with collections acquired in the 1960s and 1970s and desirable forms, surfaces, and provenances. Two of the Shaker consignors have collected for at least 40 years. Both are professors; one is historically focused, and the other is artistically oriented and admires purity of design.

The first of these two is the collection of June and Gus Nelson, which is extremely well documented. By his own admission, Gus Nelson learned much of what he knows of Shaker material from the Lassiter collection, one of the earliest Shaker collectors. Nelson is a longtime educator and historian at Berkshire College in western Massachusetts, and for many years was director of the Shaker Seminars, highly regarded and known for disseminating Shaker scholarship.

The highlight of the Nelson collection is the chrome yellow pine and butternut cupboard and case of drawers, which originated in the Enfield, Connecticut community during the second quarter of the 19th century. Purchased from Hazel Hayes over 30 years ago, this rare piece with its tapered drawer sides was highlighted in the Whitney Museum of Art's 1986 Shaker exhibit Shaker Design, and its accompanying catalogue. Also from the collection is a multiple drawer chest with eight over six drawers, which came originally from the Upton collection and was published in an article in The Magazine Antiques in 1969.

Richard Klank assisted comedian Bill Cosby and his wife, Dr. Camille Cosby, in the early years of the formation of their Shaker collection, advising and representing them in their collecting. His interest in the Shakers began in his 20s with the writings of the Museum of Fine Arts Boston's curator, Ananda Coomeraswammy. Klank has been an artist, painter, and professor of painting and art theory at the University of Maryland for 40 years. He uses Shaker objects to illustrate the purity of their work, and the perfection of their ideals to illuminate a philosophy of art.

Much of his collection has been published in books, including the Essential Book of Shaker by David Larkin and Shaker Style by John S. Bowman. The signed "John Winkley Canterbury" Shaker wall clock has been published in New Hampshire Clocks and Clockmakers, by Charles S. Parsons, as well as in the Bulletin of the National Association of Watch and Clock Collectors. Other highlights in the Klank Collection include a pair of blue paneled cupboards from the Mount Lebanon community, published in two books; a pair of trestle-based pedestal meetinghouse benches; a set of five early Canterbury cane-seated side chairs; and a red-washed cobbler's lighting device similar to the one in Religion in Wood, published in the 1960s by the most influential Shaker collectors, Edward Deming Andrews and his wife Faith.

Presidential Collection
The collection of Bennett McGee was acquired over 50 years of collecting and features more than 250 lots of historical American paper, from official government documents and letters to photographs and personal notes. Material for sale dates back to 1704 and features some of the most important men, women, and historical events in American history. Authors of signed material include William Penn, George Washington, John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, John Quincy Adams, Abraham Lincoln, Robert E. Lee, Theodore Roosevelt, and important figures from the Revolutionary and Civil War eras.

Highlights include a signed letter by George Washington discussing his Mount Vernon estate, and three letters penned by John Adams. One of these was written in 1777 at a very critical juncture in the Revolutionary War. Other noteworthy lots from the 19th century include a note by Abraham Lincoln accompanied by his carte-de-visite, and a carte-de-visite of Robert E. Lee. Material from the 20th century includes a very personal note penned by Theodore Roosevelt, espousing the virtues of American fighting in World War I. Estimated prices in the auction range from a few hundred to several thousand dollars.

Civil War Quilt
The auction also features an extraordinary Wisconsin quilt made by Mary Bell (Polly) Shawvan as she awaited the return of her soldier husband during the Civil War. The piece was created with an eagle and flower design, the eagle reflecting Polly's patriotism and her devotion to the Union cause, and the flowers her love for her husband. John Shawvan died of wounds sustained in the battle of Chickamauga in 1863, and the quilt was never used. It remains in pristine condition.

Additional Highlights
Also featured is a painting by Edward Lamson Henry of Judge Charles P. Daly, depicting the man on a boat with his dog, with Sag Harbor in the background. Additional marine paintings include Yachting Scene off Staten Island by J.E. Buttersworth, signed in the lower right, and labeled on the reverse. The work, similar to a composition in Rudolph J. Schafer's J.E. Buttersworth, shows the yacht Columbia with the New York Yacht Club station in the background, the wonderful details including a crowd of people on the wharf. A fine selection of Boston material highlights the sale as well, including an extraordinary set of eight high Boston classical carved Grecian-style chairs, and a classical gilt pier mirror of Boston origin. An unusually fine canopy bed, and property from the Estate of Helen Shumway Mayer, an ardent supporter of Winterthur, also will be featured.

Previews and Special Event
Previews for the auction will be Tuesday, October 28th, Wednesday, October 29th, Thursday, October 30, and Friday, October 31st. On Monday, October 27th, there will be a gallery walk featuring Stephen Fletcher, director, and Martha Hamilton, specialist, of Skinner's department of American Furniture and Decorative Arts, as well as Stuart Whitehurst, director of Books & Manuscripts, who will discuss Shaker objects of particular note, the bombé chest-on-chest, the presidential collection, and other highlights of the upcoming auctions. The private preview begins at 5:00 p.m., with the gallery walk immediately following at 6:00 p.m. Reservations are required. All those interested in attending should R.S.V.P. to 617-350-5400.

Catalogue Information
Illustrated catalogs #2240 (Shaker Material), #2241 (American Furniture & Decorative Arts), and #2218 (Rare Books and Manuscripts) are available by mail from the subscription department at 978-779-6241 x240. They are also available at the gallery. Prices realized will be available at www.skinnerinc.com during and after the sales. For more information on the auctions, auction preview times, and the gallery walk, visit Skinner's website at www.skinnerinc.com. Skinner's site also allows users to view all lots in the auctions, leave bids, and order catalogues online.

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Note to Editors: Photos available upon request. Contact Catherine Riedel at 978-779-6241 x 231.

About Skinner:With galleries in Boston and Bolton, Mass., Skinner is a full-service auctioneer and appraiser of antiques and fine art. Regularly seen on the PBS series, Antiques Roadshow, Skinner is one of the nation’s leading auction houses. Skinner conducts auctions year-round and has received world-record prices for many pieces sold at auction. Departments include American Furniture & Decorative Arts, Paintings & Prints, English & Continental Furniture & Decorations, Fine Ceramics, Jewelry, Couture, 20th Century Furniture & Decorative Arts, Fine Musical Instruments, Asian Art, Fine Judaica, Toys, Dolls & Collectibles, Science & Technology, Oriental Rugs & Carpets, American Indian & Ethnographica, and Discovery. For more information on upcoming auctions, visit Skinner’s web site www.skinnerinc.com.