Prince Twins Seven Seven

Prince Twins Seven-Seven: In Memoriam

An article memorializing Prince Twins Seven-Seven, who spent time as Artist in Residence at Material Culture and passed away last June, appears in the spring 2012 issue of African Arts. We received permission from the author, Henry Glassie, to post it here to commemorate the anniversary of his death. A pdf of the full text, complete with original photos, is also available online. In Memoriam: Prince Twins Seven-Seven 1944–2011 by Henry Glassie To begin at the end is to begin in sorrow. Prince Twins Seven-Seven died in Ibadan on the morning of June 16, 2011. For seventy-two days he lay in the hospital, unable to move, communicating only by blinking his eyes. It was reported as a stroke, but whatever the cause, it was wrong—the wrong end for an ebullient man of constant action whose body was charged to the full. He beat rhythms on trees in childhood, danced on the road in youth; he whistled and sang while his hand darted and glanced, filling spontaneous shapes with intricate patterns bound for infinity. Prince was born on May 3, 1944, in Ijara, near the northeastern edge of Yorubaland. His father, Aitoyeje, was a Muslim from Ibadan. His mother, Mary, was a [...]

Material Culture Editor2022-01-13T12:44:39-05:00September 16th, 2013|Uncategorized|

Dec. 8, 2012 Sale: December Estates Auction

Material Culture's December Estates Auction presents an exciting array of fresh-to-the-market art and artifacts from Pennsylvania and regional estates. The auction features more than 90 lots of museum-quality modern, self-taught and animation art, providing extremely fine opportunity for collectors looking to expand current collections, or start new ones. Over 200 lots of 20th century art glass, 100 lots of antique and vintage Navajo jewelry, and 40 lots of antique and decorative Oriental textiles and carpets contribute to the auction's wealth of more than 600 lots. Additional highlights include selections of Lalique crystal sculptures, 19th century Sevres porcelain vases, 19th century Japanese ivory, and over 30 lots of 18th and 19th century Asian and continental snuff boxes. From painting and sculpture to decorative art and jewelry, the auction offers items valued in varying price ranges for collectors of all ages. Bidding begins at 10 AM on December 8, 2012. Visit the auction catalogue at liveauctioneers.com >> With this auction, Material Culture continues to be a leader in the field of self-taught art, featuring a wide selection of sculptures as well as paintings, drawings, and mixed-media pieces. The sale opens with three sculptures by Polish-American artist Ted Ludwiczak (born 1927), whose work [...]

Material Culture2020-01-07T13:16:01-05:00December 1st, 2012|Uncategorized|

Successes of Oct. 14, 2012 Auction

Material Culture is proud of the successes of its October 14 sale, “The Spirits of My Reincarnation Brothers and Sisters: Art, Textiles, Antiquities, Carpets, Ethnographic Arts, Navajo Jewelry.” Art and artifacts of diverse origin, bound together by quality and rarity, provided unique opportunities for collectors of all levels. An impressive percentage of the lots were sold, at 0ver 90%. International participation was high, with bidders from 32 different countries, an interest matched by local and domestic collectors bidding in person, online, and by telephone. Early Thangka scroll painting depicting Vajra Varahui The auction’s top lot was a bold, masterfully-rendered early Thangka scroll painting, dating to 14th-16th century Tibet, which saw an extremely spirited bidding war and sold for $46,000—over ten times its estimated selling price of $3,000-$4,000. This Thangka, depicting the deific reincarnation known as Vajra Varahi in Sanskrit and Dorje Pakmo in Tibetan, came to the auction from the Bill Liske Collection of Tibetan and Chinese Textiles and Artifacts. Other textiles that exceeded their estimates from Liske’s collection include a rare Tibetan High Lama Temple throne canopy of pieced silk brocade with dragons, from the late Ming period (1368-1644), which sold for $2,000 (est. $500-$700), and a [...]

Material Culture2020-01-07T13:15:59-05:00October 21st, 2012|Uncategorized|