Tag Archives: Lee Lawrie

Labor Day Weekend Find – What is It??!!

This past Labor Day Weekend, as Chris and I struggled trying to finish our last post on our 2023 summer trip to Detroit, we decided to do some “freakin’, tiquen”. It’s been a while since we antiqued in Clarence, New York, we decided to take the trip west. After a less than an hour trip we arrived. Because it was the first Sunday of the month, it was “Super Sunday – Great American Garage Sale”. Since only hitting the three mall buildings was my reason for the trip, examining the many dealer tables put me in a surly mood.

Chris at the Antique World Flea Market, Labor Day Weekend.

Chris checking out the dealer tables at the Antique World Flea Market, Clarence, NY.

After only a cursory look at the flea market, we went inside. Our only purchases in the first two building were chocolate covered dried cherries, candied cashews and two soft drinks. But once I had some sugar in me, my mood improved. As far as antiques went nothing really caught our eyes. So it was onto the last building.

Premier Antique Center, Clarence, New York.

Premier Antique Center, Clarence, New York. Image from antiqueworldmarket.com.

The Premier Antique Center generally has higher quality pieces than the other two buildings. After going through about half the store, Chris noticed a polished chrome, footed centerpiece sitting on the floor, propped up against a case on the floor of one of the booths. Supporting the shallow, chrome bowl are three, circular, transparent yellow (apple juice) Bakelite feet. Engraved in the middle of the bowl is the Roman Goddess Pomona with out stretched arms over a stylized orchard. The chrome rim is serrated and not smooth. It is very striking and very Deco.

Pomona Bowl on the floor at the Premier Antique Center.

Pomona Bowl as Chris found it on the floor at the Premier Antique Center.

The piece has a good weight to it, appears to be of high quality and most surprising – unmarked. With a price tag of over one hundred dollars, while we both liked it, we needed more information. We thought this would be easy, we were wrong. Our Google searches began with Pomona bowl, no luck. Chrome, deco, Pomona bowl, nothing. We did learn that Pomona was the Goddess of fruit trees, orchards, gardens and abundance.

The Pomona Bowl in its new home, my dining room table.

The Pomona Bowl on my dining room table.

Detail of the engraving in the middle of the Pomona Centerpiece bowl.

Detail of the engraving on the Pomona Centerpiece.

The stylized engraving reminded me of the work of several artists of the 1930s. The first one that came to my mind was Rockwell Kent. Trying to make a connection I immediately thought of Kent’s General Electric Pavillon mural at the 1939 New York World’s Fair.

 

Rockwell Kent Mural General Electric Pavillon.

Rockwell Kent mural for the General Electric Pavillon. Image from miSci-Museum of Innovation & Science.

So we tried searching Rockwell Kent, chrome, deco bowl. Nothing. Next, I thought of  Hildreth Meière’s Radio and Television Encompassing the Earth (1932) from the facade of the R-K-O Roxy Theatre.

Radio and Television Encompassing the Earth (1932).

Hildreth Meière’s Radio and Television Encompassing the Earth (1932), on the 49th Street facade of the R-K-O Roxy Theatre in Rockefeller Center.

I thought the hair in both were similar as well as the attitude of the out stretched arms. And just like with Kent, nothing showed in searching Hildreth Meière and Pomona, Deco chrome. Next up, Lee Lawrie. Arguably Lawrie’s most famous works are Wisdom (1933) or Atlas (1937) both in Rockefeller Center.

Lee Lawrie's Wisdom (1933).

Wisdom by Lee Lawrie over the entrance to the RCA Building in Rockefeller Center.

Statue of Atlas in Rockefeller Center.

Atas (1937) Lee Lawrie in collaboration with Rene Chambellan.

Again no luck with a Lee Lawrie search. Lastly, we looked for a connection with William P. Welsh, whose seasonal covers for the Woman’s Home Companion were familiar to Chris and me.

And just like all the other searches, nothing came up with Welsh. As the adage goes when buying art or in this case antiques or collectibles, “buy what you love”, so that’s what we did. But we still want to know more about this piece. Here are a couple of more photos of the centerpiece.

Transparent yellow (apple juice) Bakelite foot.

Detail of one of the transparent yellow, Bakelite feet and serrated rim.

Unmarked, polished chrome, Art Deco, Pomona centerpiece bowl.

Unmarked, polished chrome, Art Deco, Pomona centerpiece bowl.

So if any readers of this blog recognize this piece and can provide some information to the artist or the manufacturer, please let us know.

Anthony & Chris (The Freakin’, ‘Tiquen Guys)

Christmas at Radio City

The 2014 Christmas Tree in Rockefeller Center.

The 2014 Christmas Tree in Rockefeller Center.

Normally, I would avoid Rockefeller Center the Saturday before Christmas at all costs, but this past Saturday I found my self only a block away and it was early enough in the morning to take some photos and avoid the large mobs. Rockefeller Center, whose nickname was “Radio City” back in the 1930’s was and is dominated by the enormous slab of the RCA Building (known as the GE Building since 1988, or 30 Rock, or the Top of the Rock).  Noted architect, Raymond Hood (1881-1934), who was the model for the fictional Peter Keating in Ayn Rand’s The Fountainhead, designed the 70 story, 842 foot building. The RCA Building is the home of NBC studios, the best observation deck in New York City (in my opinion) and the famed Rainbow Room restaurant.

The lobby is one of the best Deco spaces in New York City. Decorated with huge murals by Catalan artist Jose-Maria Sert (1874 – 1945), “American Progress” is the mural on the main wall of the lobby, which replaced Diego Rivera’s (1886 – 1957) controversial “Man at the Crossroads”. Rivera’s mural was destroyed at the order of Nelson Rockefeller before it’s completion in 1933. “Time” is the ceiling section of the mural.

 Above the Rockefeller Plaza entrance are huge frosted glass windows and bass reliefs. The main relief designed by Lee Lawrie (1877 – 1963) was carved out of limestone and cast in glass. Known as “Wisdom”, the official title is “Genius, which interprets to the Human Race the Laws and Cycles of the Cosmic Forces of the Universe Making Cycles of Light and Sound”. I can understand why it was shortened to “Wisdom”.

 

I’ve always enjoyed spending time at Rockefeller Center, even if I don’t like crowds. It is one of the best Art Deco city spaces anywhere in the world.

Chris & Anthony (The Freakin’ Tiquen’ Guys)