This Folk Art table from around 1900 is purportedly one that was made in a penitentiary in Kansas, possibly Lansing Penitentiary.  Similar tables are in the Kansas State Historical Society and the Kansas Secretary of State’s Office.  The top (below) has extensive marquetry work and the feet are brass claws with glass balls.

Jackson’s Auction will be selling this table as well as the Victorian-period items shown in the thumbnails below.

Grand View Auction has several fine Victorian antiques in today’s sale including this George Henkels desk, once exhibited in the High Museum.  It is reminiscent of the desk and furniture in the Asa Packer Mansion.  Other notable items include an Allen & Brother Cabinet and J & JW Meeks Parlor Set.  I’ll need a little more substantiation, however, to agree with them that the inlaid center table is by Herter Brothers.

UPDATE: The desk above went for $8,500 plus buyer’s premium.

It’s fun to see antiques put up for sale with low sale range estimates and see them hit prices 10-times what the auction house anticipated.  Harlowe-Powell put a very conservative $2,500 top range price on this set which proceeded to garner $23,000 plus buyers premium of 20%.

They were on the right track with an attribution of “possibly Jelliff or Herter” and the bidders agreed with the latter of the two which explains the final price.

I think that the set is most likely by Gustave Herter, dating to before his association with Christian when they became known as the “Herter Brothers”.  If this is a Gustave Herter piece, it would date to pre-1864 which is when the partnership started.

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