Terry and Ralph Kovels’ “Life Collection” Heads to Auction Nov. 1

A cross-section of collecting interests, pottery by George Ohr highlights the 188-lot event at Rago and Toomey & Co.

Taureau, c. 1860, by pioneering feminist artist Rosa Bonheur, 1822–1899.
Image courtesy of Rago and Toomey & Co.

A curated 188-lot collection belonging to Terry and Ralph Kovel, the “duke and duchess of the antiques world,” including rare ceramics by George Ohr, paintings by pioneering female artist Rosa Bonheur, and American Renaissance Revival furniture by Alexander Roux, heads to auction Wednesday, Nov. 1, at Rago and Toomey & Co.

A fine Louis XVl Revival music-themed cabinet, c. 1865, attributed to Alexander Roux.
Image courtesy of Rago and Toomey & Co.

The Kovels are widely known throughout the antiques and collectibles world, establishing a beachhead in the collecting space in 1953 with their first book together, Dictionary of Marks: Pottery and Porcelain. In the following 70 years, the Kovels name became synonymous with the antiques and collectibles hobby, thanks in large part to the more than 100 books they published, including Kovel’s Antiques & Collectibles Price Guide, which has sold more than four million copies as the bible in the collecting field. Through their work, antiques and collecting were made accessible to the masses.

The Kovels were incredibly diversified in their interests, collecting everything from banana stickers and textiles to furniture and American art pottery. Of all the work championed by the Kovels, they clearly had a close connection to George Ohr and the man who sold the potter’s work to the world, James Carpenter. The Kovels discovered Ohr pottery while researching in the basement warehouse of the Smithsonian Museum. Fascinated by his work, they wrote the first article to appear on Ohr, published in May 1972 in The Western Collector magazine. As popular as Ohr is today, such radical work was a very hard sell back in the dark ages of pottery in 1972-73.

An exceptional vase standing 8 3/4 inches tall by George Ohr.
Image courtesy of Rago and Toomey & Co.

Billed as “The Life Collection of Terry & Ralph Kovel,” the auction represents a cross-section of many of the Kovels’ collecting interests, a compendium of what America was hunting once the baby boomers came of age and started nesting. Still, as diversified a glimpse as this sale offers, at its heart, it is mostly about the mad genius from Biloxi, Miss., George Ohr. These pieces are presented for the first time in half a century and only the second time since they left the Ohr family in Biloxi.

In addition to the more than 30 pieces by Ohr, the auction includes pottery from Taxile Doat, Martin Brothers, Fulper, and others; furniture, silver, tableware, and even a whimsical collection of Pixieware from Holt-Howard.

A rare and exceptional glazed porcelain vase by Taxile Doat.
Image courtesy of Rago and Toomey & Co.

You can preview the auction in person at Rago, 333 N Main St Ste 4, Lambertville, N.J., from now until the day of the auction, or view lots online at RagoArts.com. The auction begins at 11 a.m. EST, Nov. 1. For more information, call 609-397-9374 or email info@ragoarts.com.

Terry Kovel Featured in AARP Magazine 

The June/July edition of AARP Magazine has a special treat for collectors: Terry Kovel is featured in a “Real People” story as a “walking encyclopedia.” Readers of the hundreds of books written by Terry and her late husband Ralph Kovel, as well as their TV shows and appearances, already knew this! In the article, Terry talks about how she and Ralph furnished their first apartment with flea market finds and how their first book, on marks, was written when they realized there was no good resource out there on marks! Terry also shares tips on collecting, selling and even how to find a trustworthy antiques dealer.

terry kovel in aarp magazine in article the find of her life june july 2021

 

 

Terry Kovel Honored in “Antique Trader” Magazine: A Lifetime of Antiques and Having Fun

It started with a “mustache cup,” which protected men’s mustaches from getting drenched while sipping coffee or tea, and has evolved into a lifetime of sharing a love and knowledge of antiques. Now, Terry Kovel, 92, has been named the “Grand Dame of Antiques” by Antique Trader magazine. Terry and her late husband Ralph Kovel published their first book, Kovels’ Dictionary of Marks – Pottery and Porcelain, in 1953. Before that, antiques collecting was an obscure field left to dry experts speaking, well, dryly about the history and identification through marks of porcelain, furniture and other collectibles. Today, “the Kovel name … is synonymous with the antiques and collectibles field. The couple … were pioneers in the truest sense,” noted the article.

The article details how that first 25-cent purchase of a mustache cup at Niagara Falls by Terry as a child, and husband Ralph’s intuitive observation in the 1950s that there were no resources for average collectors, were the sparks that have made the Kovel name synonymous with antiques. In addition to millions of copies of the annual Kovels’ Antiques and Collectibles Price Guide, there are dozens of other books, the longest-running national newspaper column by the original author, a website, a monthly newsletter, Kovels On Antiques & Collectibles, articles in Forbes and House Beautiful, and last-but-not-least, former television series for PBS and HGTV.

The article also shows pictures of Ralph and Terry through the decades, including the couple gleefully waving pedestals found at a flea market that are still in Terry’s home today, and on home guru Martha Stewart’s TV show, with Martha intently reading a page in one of the Kovels’ books.

Terry Kovel in the cover of Antique Trader Magazine May 2021 edition.

Terry Kovel on the cover of Antique Trader magazine, May 15, 2021, edition.

The Story Behind the Auction of Ralph and Terry’s Enamels

Have you seen many of the gorgeous enamels that are getting harder and harder to find? Enameling was a minor art form that included ashtrays, boxes, desk sets, bowls, plaques, architectural tiles and even jewelry.

Ralph and I received our first enamels as wedding gifts in the 1950s. As a result, we became curious about the artists and the simply beautiful, handmade techniques that were almost forgotten. Ironically, Cleveland (our hometown) was the epicenter of the enameling art world, so we were so fortunate to find incredible pieces right here.  What’s more,  we bought many of our pieces directly from the artists themselves, even at their studios. We got to know some of the artists personally and watched them work on their creations. My own collection was displayed on a wall. And the fact these things don’t break, don’t fade and are safe to hold makes for a collection that a busy home can handle.

As I reach the point in life where I am downsizing, I know I can’t keep any collection forever. So I’ve decided it’s time to let others enjoy our collection and build their own. You’re invited to go online and take a look at our special collection of enamels. Just go to the Treadway Gallery (treadwaygallery.com) to see this beautiful work. Or you can own a piece of art and history yourself by bidding at the auction of the Ralph and Terry Enamels on February 7, 2021, starting at  11:00 am EST.

Terry Kovel Signature

annemarie davidson enamel on copper plates

Two plates from the Ralph and Terry Kovel Enamels

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