NEW YORK (ABP) — Scantily clad nymphs attended by flower-bearing maidens. Strapping young gallants gently bending over lovers' bosoms. Frolicking cupids surrounded by doves and gilt-edged arrows.
The mythological figurines are not exactly the kind of art you'd expect a legendary Baptist pastor to collect.
But at least one did — W.A. Criswell. And his collection of 19th century Meissen porcelain was grand enough to earn an estimated half a million dollars Oct. 25 at Christie's art auction house in New York City.
Criswell, the renowned pastor who led First Baptist Church in Dallas for more than 50 years, first developed an interest in Meissen during a post-World War II mission visit to Germany. For decades after that trip, Criswell and his wife, Betty, studied and collected the figurines, Schneeballen, and flower-applied serving and toilette sets made in the region.
The culmination of the Texan's collecting years comprised the 200-plus lots expected to take in more than $500,000 at auction. Proceeds will benefit the W.A. Criswell Foundation and Criswell College, the Dallas-based college he founded in 1971.
Christie's international head Jody Wilkie described the collection as “fabulous.”
“I would say it's certainly one of the largest collections of 19th century Meissen to come to auction,” she said. “It really is encyclopedic. It's got both great breath and depth. … If you like mythological subjects, there's not just one example to choose from, there are 15 examples to choose from.”
Named after the German town of its birthplace, Meissen is special because it was the first high-quality porcelain made outside of China. The signature logo of Meissen porcelain, crossed swords, was introduced in 1720 and is one of the earliest trademarks known in modern history.
Roughly 25 men and women of varying accents and bidding styles, if not age, arrived Oct. 25 to bid on those very pieces at 20 Rockefeller Plaza. Others placed bids by phone, on the Internet and with absentee ballots.
Wilkie said she had early and intense interest from international collectors — interest that hinged partly on the careful research and cultivation done by the Criswell Foundation since the pastor's death in 2002. Betty Criswell died in 2006.
“Since Dr. Criswell died, we have been in contact with members of the foundation keeping them up to date with where the market was going,” she said. “In terms of a client, where the client isn't a person but an organization, doing the due diligence and really make sure that what they did was the best thing, they really did their homework.”
Four figure groups on gilt-lined stands — with Venus, Apollo, Diana, Bacchus, Saturn and other gods sitting on clouds and representing the seasons — fetched the highest bid of the day: $26,000.
Most of the 300 figurines sold for between $2,000 and $6,000. Standout pieces included a $12,000 Meissen rocaille-moulded mantle clock surmounted by a flower-filled vase and cherubs with flowers; a pair of $19,000 armorial flower-encrusted vases, covers and stands commemorating King Albert of Saxony; and an 18-inch, $16,000 figurine of Neptune and Thetis in a clam-shell chariot.
“I was very, very, very extremely happy” with the sale, said Jack Pogue, an executor of Criswell's estate and a trustee at Criswell College. It will be a couple of days before the total proceeds are calculated. But Pogue said the operation went “smoothly” from start to finish. Criswell's wishes were carried out completely, and his memory was honored, he added.
“He wanted his money to go to the Lord's work,” Pogue said. “It's tough that he's gone. I don't think I'll ever get over that. But he wanted his money to go to Lord's work to educate preacher boys and missionaries and … that's exactly what we've done.”
Criswell is not the first man of God to sell his earthly belongings at such a prestigious auction house.
Christie's has in the past managed several donor sales on behalf of notable pastors, Wilkie said. In 1981, the auction house held an on-site sale in Tulsa, Okla., for televangelist T.L. Osborn, who had collected sculptures, paintings and tribal art from around the world.
And Wilkie's team just finished selling a sizeable paperweight collection to benefit a monastery of Benedictine monks, who were strikingly pleasant to work with, Wilkie said.
Judging from her compliments for the executors of Criswell's estate, working with faith-based clients has been a respite from the often demanding world of high-end auctioneering.
“When we have clients that work well together and the whole thing falls into place, it just always feels better,” Wilkie said. “The karma really does come back … your chickens come home to roost.”
The auction house will hold a second auction for much of the rest of the Criswell estate in April 2008.
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