Maine Antique Digest, December 2016

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10-A Maine Antique Digest, December 2016
Maryland Man Admits Stealing Works
of Art and Selling Them in New Jersey
On October 26 William C. Reed III, 42, of Rock Hall,
Maryland, pleaded guilty to one count of interstate
transportation of stolen property. Reed admitted to steal-
ing at least 40 pieces of art and taking them to New Jer-
sey to sell them.
Starting in June 2013, Reed was employed as a care-
taker for an individual in Rock Hall. Reed’s client was an
art collector and dealer who collected and maintained an
eclectic collection of fine art by American and European
artists. The collection included paintings, sculptures, and
etchings.
Between June and November 2014, Reed took various
works of art from his client’s Rock Hall property without
the owner’s permission and sold the art at various loca-
tions, including a pawn shop in Salem, New Jersey, and
to an individual in Chestertown, Maryland.
The interstate transportation of stolen property charge
carries a maximum potential penalty of ten years in
prison and a $250,000 fine. Reed’s sentencing is sched-
uled for February 3, 2017.
George Eastman Museum Collections Now Accessible Online
Fenimore Art Museum Attendance Up 42.8%
The Fenimore Art Museum in Cooperstown, NewYork,
saw a 42.8% increase (as of September 14) in paid
individual visitors during the summer with the help of
exhibitions featuring famous names such as Ansel Adams,
Toulouse-Lautrec, and James Whistler—among others.
“An average of 7440 people visited the museum each
month since its opening on April 1,” said Todd Ken-
yon, director of marketing and communications. “We’re
well on our way to surpass our record-breaking season
of 44,000 visitors in 2004, which featured an amazing
Winslow Homer exhibition.”
The Fenimore benefited this year from a Market NY
grant through I Love NY and the New York State Divi-
sion of Tourism, which provided additional marketing
dollars for the Ansel Adams exhibition.
“Our increased visitation not only benefits the Feni-
more but all the attractions and businesses in the Coopers-
town and Otsego County area,” Kenyon added.
The museum has several new exhibitions that opened
this fall, including The Instruction of Young Ladies: Arts
from Private Girls’ Schools and Academies in Early
Americaand Arnold Newman: Luminaries of the Twenti-
eth Century in Art, Politics and Culture.
Kenos Fail to Honor Settlement with Kamelot
by Clayton Pennington
O n October 11 lawyers for Kamelot Auction House
in Philadelphia filed papers in the Court of Com-
mon Pleas in Philadelphia charging that appraisers and
dealers Leigh and Leslie Keno, twins who are perhaps
best known for their appearances on Antiques Road-
show, had failed to live up to a settlement agreement.
“This is only temporary,” said Leigh Keno on
November 8. “It’s a cash flow problem,” Keno noted,
adding that he and his brother have a plan to address
their debt.
On May 7 Leigh Keno was the high bidder on 67
lots at Kamelot’s auction for a total of $117,162.50
(includes buyers’ premiums); Leslie was the high bid-
der on 22 lots for $75,270. Leigh’s most expensive pur-
chase was an elaborate Syrian bench with mother-of-
pearl inlay that cost $7150 (est. $800/1200). Leslie paid
$28,600 for an Art Nouveau glazed terra-cotta architec-
tural frieze of a young woman (est. $2500/4000).
Kamelot requires buyers to pay within five business
days of the sale, meaning that the Kenos had until May
13 to pay for the 89 lots. They did not, claims Kamelot.
On June 13 Kamelot sent correspondence including an
invoice to the Kenos and told them they had until June
17 to pay their bills, a courtesy extension of 35 days.
On June 17 Leigh Keno sent an e-mail to Kamelot,
apologizing for the nonpayment. “Leslie and I deeply
apologize—once again—for the fact that [Kamelot
has] not been paid for our purchases at your sale,”
Keno wrote. He added that the brothers were “making
two Major [sic] sales on Monday which will enable
us to pay you in full. Hopefully—this will be on
Tuesday.”
The same day, June 17, Leslie sent an e-mail reiterat-
ing Leigh’s sentiments, noting that the brothers “appre-
ciate all of your patience, and realize that you have cli-
ents that need to get paid. Our integrity is everything
to us.”
No payment was made. On June 23 Kamelot notified
the Kenos that they had to pay by June 24 or the auction
house would initiate legal proceedings, which it did.
On June 30 the Kenos’ attorney, Mark Lawless,
e-mailed Kamelot’s attorney, Anthony Gallia, noting
that the Kenos recognized their obligation to Kamelot
and its consignors. “Their problem has been liquidity.
The Kenos were dealing in the expectation that they
would be effecting a very large commissionable sale on
another item more quickly than has been the case. They
still expect that sale, or the sale of other personal assets
currently in negotiation, to generate cash sufficient to
satisfy your client in the near future, and they are will-
ing to agree to substantial interest and a reasonable late
payment fee in anticipation of that payment. I am pre-
pared to address any proposals your client may have.”
Lawless also noted that Kamelot was storing “an
item that the Kenos had purchased some time ago, and
they are prepared to collateralize their obligation with
that piece. It is described as follows: IMPORTANT
REGENCE ORMOLU-MOUNTED AMARANTH
BUREAU PLAT, Paris, Circa Signed by Joseph Baum-
hauer and Charles Cressent on a drawer bottom.
“Although the piece was purchased for a price far
lower than the current obligation, the brothers believe
that it was purchased on an extraordinarily favorable
basis, and that its value is far greater than it was pur-
chased for, and that its true value may well exceed the
amount owed to your client.”
Lawyers for both sides negotiated, and a Warrant of
Attorney for Judgment of Confession was executed. (A
confession of judgment is a type of contract in which
a party agrees to let the other party enter a judgment
against him or her.) The terms of the deal called for
the Keno brothers to pay Kamelot $221,578.45 for the
lots won at auction, interest, late fees, storage fees, pen-
alties, and attorneys’ fees. The payment structure was
$20,000 to be wire transferred to Kamelot on July 14,
and $201,578.45 to be paid on or before September 30,
2016.
The Kenos made the $20,000 payment but didn’t
make the larger payment—and that’s where the judg-
ment of confession kicks in.
According to the agreement, “Kamelot may imme-
diately institute or continue appropriate proceedings
at law or equity to collect the outstanding principal
amount and accrued but unpaid interest then due and
proceed therein to final judgment.”
The judgment of confession warned that “by signing
this paper you give up your right to notice and court
trial. If you do not pay on time, a court judgment may
be taken against you without your prior knowledge and
the powers of a court can be used to collect from you
regardless of any claims you may have against the cred-
itor whether for returned goods, faulty goods, failure
on his part to comply with the agreement or any other
cause.”
Kamelot claims that $201,578.45 is due immediately,
with 8% interest accruing since October 1.
Leslie Keno said in an e-mail: “Kamelot has a history
of selling rare and high quality antiques. As passionate
treasure hunters since a young age, we are fascinated
by the great craftsmanship and often obscure markings
on 18th-century French furniture and decorative arts.
In fact, one of the first treasures purchased at Kamelot,
paid for in full, was originally commissioned by Ver-
sailles and marked by the master craftsmen who fash-
ioned it in the mid-18th century. The brass drawer key
alone is inscribed at least eight times by the renowned
‘sculpteur du roi’ who chiseled it. Our diligent presale
research revealed that many of the lots purchased in the
subsequent Kamelot auction of garden sculpture had
18th-century Royal French pedigree as well.
“It is important to point out that all of the lots pur-
chased at Kamelot are still in their possession, as are
all of the lots at New Orleans Auction Galleries [see
below], many [of] which, in our opinions, are not
described as the mid to late 18th-century Louis XV
and XVI works that they are. As such, in our opinion,
the presale estimates on these lots were low. We also
recognize the importance of attracting interest with
extremely conservative estimates, which is not a bad
thing for the consignor.
“We would like to stress that each of us are thrilled
with our respective purchases and intend to pay for the
lots purchased. We have heartfelt compassion for the
auction houses and consignors and deeply regret any
and all inconvenience caused to them. We are each
working diligently to resolve matters with Kamelot and
all auction houses at which items were purchased.
“Happily, we have a plan for selling certain very
important works and are conscientiously moving for-
ward so that all of this is fully resolved and all parties
The George Eastman Museum
in Rochester, New York, has
launched a new platform that
allows public online access to
more than 250,000 objects from
the museum’s photography, tech-
nology, and George Eastman Leg-
acy collections are now searchable,
and more objects from the muse-
um’s holdings are being added on
an ongoing basis. Objects from
the moving image collection will
become accessible in the coming
months.
“The George Eastman Museum
has a long tradition of making our
unparalleled collections—encom-
passing several million objects
in the fields of photography, cin-
ema, and photographic and cine-
matographic technology, as well
as objects related to George East-
man—physically accessible to
scholars, curators, and the pub-
lic through our study centers and
library, traveling exhibitions, and
object loans,” said Bruce Barnes,
the Ron and Donna Fielding
Director of the George Eastman
Museum. “Online access to our
extensive collections will trans-
form the public’s understanding
of our holdings and facilitate new
forms of collaboration with cre-
ators, curators, scholars, and col-
lectors. Whether you are conduct-
ing research on a particular subject
or simply interested in seeing what
works we have by your favorite
photographer, you can now do so
much more easily.”
Not everything in the George
Eastman Museum’s collection is
available online, but more than a
quarter of a million objects are cur-
rently searchable by artist, collec-
tion, classification, and date.
The museum recently an-
nounced a grant award of $148,000
from the Institute of Museum and
Library Services to support the
cataloging and digitizing of the
museum’s Gabriel Cromer collec-
tion. Donated to the museum by
Eastman Kodak Company, this is
one of the seminal collections of
early French photography and is
considered the most important col-
lection of such materials outside
of France. The Gabriel Cromer
collection will be fully accessible
online by 2019.
Founded in 1947, the George
Eastman Museum is the world’s
oldest photography museum and
has one of the largest film archives
in the United States.
and scroll corner ornaments. A
companion portrait frame in the
museum’s collection will serve
as reference for re-creating the
missing ornament.
The Georgia Museum of
Art, University of Georgia,
Athens, Georgia, will get a
grant for the restoration of
the frame enclosing Still Life with
Pears, 1888, by De Scott Evans,
a.k.a. Stanley S. David. This
unique frame, which has various
structural and surface losses, was
painted to mimic a craquelure surface and is essential to
understanding the trompe l’oeil element in the painting,
which extends onto the face of the inner frame. The work
was discovered in 1990 and is believed to be the only
one of four versions to have retained the original frame.
The Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, Phila-
delphia, will use its grant for restoration of the original
frame enclosing Tanagra, 1909, by Thomas Anshutz.
This reeded frame has a tarnished finish, open miters,
and missing corner straps, among other losses, and
requires overall restoration. The poor condition is par-
ticularly noticeable in the context of the gallery where
the painting hangs alongside large-format portraits by
Beaux, Eakins, Sargent, and Chase.
A grant was awarded to Columbia University Librar-
ies, New York City, for the restoration of the original and
likely artist-designed frame enclosing Portrait of My
Sister, Ettie Stettheimer , 1923, by Florine Stettheimer, in
addition to the faithful replication of this frame for two
other paintings, Portrait of Myself and Portrait of My
Sister, Carrie W. Stettheimer, that complete a triptych.
The three paintings will be in a 2017 Stettheimer exhibi-
tion at the Jewish Museum, New York City, before con-
tinuing to another venue in Toronto and possibly Paris.
In addition to providing frame restoration, the grants
entitle staff members and donors of the above institutions
to a private tour of the Eli Wilner studio during the frame
restoration process. The costs of crating and shipping are
covered by the grant.
For more information, contact Eli Wilner & Company at
(212) 744-6521 or see the website ).
Detail of the damage
on the frame of the
Gilbert Stuart portrait
at the Colby College
Museum of Art.