This month’s Auction Block features a fascinating array of items. Pop culture lovers will recognize the “M” from “The Mary Tyler Moore Show.” History buffs will be intrigued by the gloves President Abraham Lincoln brought to that fateful performance of “Our American Cousin” at Ford’s Theatre. One of the works of art, a 1923 painting by Henri Matisse, sold for $1.4 million.
Doyle
The Iconic Wall-Mounted “M” from The Mary Tyler Moore Show
Estimate: $5,000–$8,000
Sold for: $35,200
The gold-painted, wall-mounted “M” from the Minneapolis apartment of “Mary Richards” in the long-running 1970s sitcom “The Mary Tyler Moore Show” sold for four times its estimate. The eye-catching initial appears about halfway through the pilot and for the last time in the series finale, when Mary gives a farewell hug to Rhoda, played by Valerie Harper. The lot also included five stills taken on the set, each with the letter in the background.
Freeman’s | Hindman
Pair of Stained Leather Gloves Carried by President Abraham Lincoln on the Night of His Assassination at Ford’s Theatre
Estimate: $800,000–$1,200,000
Sold for: $1,512,500
This pair of leather gloves, carried by President Abraham Lincoln on April 14, 1865, the night of his assassination by John Wilkes Booth, sold for over $1.5 million. A Brooklyn Eagle article from March of 1925, stating that the items were delivered to Lincoln’s friend, memorabilia collector Capt. Benjamin Richardson, by the president’s son Tad, featured a photo of the gloves and a handkerchief, both possibly stained with Lincoln’s blood.
Bonhams
Raffaello Sorbi’s ‘The Bocci Court’
Sold for: $28,160
Signed and dated “Raf Sorbi/1893” at lower center left, this oil painting by Raffaello Sorbi (1844-1931) from the Louis Pisani Gallery in Florence, Italy, went to a private collection in the first decade of the 20th century, then descended in the family. A smaller version painted by Sorbi in 1881 was part of Sotheby’s European and British Paintings auction in December of 2023.
Christie’s
Henri Matisse’s ‘Henriette, robe jaune’
Estimate: $300,000–$500,000
Sold for: $1,405,200
The authenticity of this portrait of Henriette Darricarrère, one of the favorite models of Henri Matisse (1869-1954) in Nice, France, was confirmed by the artist’s great-grandson Georges. The painting, which portrays Matisse’s muse with a lemon-yellow blouse, bright red lips and soft peach skin, sold for over twice its estimated value at Christie’s Impressionist and Modern Art auction.
The Potomack Company
Rookwood Pottery Silver Overlay Decanter
Estimate: $1,500–$2,500
Sold for: $3,250
From a private San Francisco collection, this decanter made at Cincinnati’s famed Rookwood Pottery, with silver overlay and a stopper on a chain, dates from around 1892. It was decorated by William Purcell McDonald (1882-1931). The silver is stamped “GORHAM” and “R336.”
