Philadelphia Antiques Show 2016_

W 121 W From the Collection of… From the Collection of… Jeffrey Cooley The Cooley Gallery Old Lyme, CT Ernst von Maydell (1888–1960) The Queen’s Chariot Signed lower left Watercolor and pencil on paper 5½" x 6½" OD frame size 14" x 15" I was first introduced to the work of Baron Ernst von Maydell by a single fanciful and wonderful watercolor of a fairy on a Calla Lily that my father owned. I subsequently began searching for other works by him. Von Maydell painted delightful, whimsical, and technically superb watercolors most often incorporating insects, fairies, and other miniature creatures on highly detailed botanical subjects. They are fun, imaginative, and utterly fascinating. We have had great pleasure finding them over the years! Diana &Mark Jacoby Philip Colleck, Ltd., NewYork, NY Sailing ships opened up the world for discovery and exploration for centuries before the invention of the combustion engine. The lore and legends of these ships and their voyages have always fascinated me, along with the artifacts they brought back. Artifacts such as this piece of scrimshaw, which my wife Diana and I discovered at London’s Olympia fair some twenty-five years ago. This piece of scrimshaw is unusual as it is a decorated boar’s tusk, not a whale bone or tooth. On the front is a fully rigged, three-masted ship, with sailors in long boats after a successful hunt. There is an anchor to the left and an island to the right. The Tusk is inscribed “Whaling in the Pacific.” On the reverse is written, “Feejee Islands taken in exchange i/2 lb Tobacco.” It is interesting that there were no pigs native to the Figi Islands until Christopher Fletcher and his band brought pigs ashore after the infamous mutiny on the Bounty on April 28, 1789. When pigs are released in the wild they become feral and grow tusks. This tusk must be from a descendant of one of the Bounty pigs. It was highly prized as the holes at one end suggest it was hung as an amulet around the neck of the original owner.