We're holding our first public auction, as part of re-thinking the furnishings of the House. Here's the announcement: For the first time since the Locust Grove collection was assembled in the 1960s, a portion of the late-eighteenth and early-nineteenth century collection will be deaccessioned and sold at public auction on September 29th, 2009. Proceeds from the auction, in accordance with the museum’s policy, will be used only for the purchase, maintenance and repair of the National Historic Landmark’s collection of furnishings, documents, and paintings.
The auction is the result of a plaster, paint and woodwork study conducted in 2008 by historic paint analyst, Matthew Mosca, whose report indicates that the interior of Major William Croghan’s Kentucky home was more similar in appearance to the great Federal homes of the East than previously thought. With wall and floor covering renovations now underway, the site’s Acquisitions and Collections Committee is making recommendations for the deaccession of approximately 6% of the collection.
The items to be sold have been selected because they are dated outside Locust Grove’s period of interpretation (after 1822) or were made in regions that were not likely to have provided furnishings for this house. Other pieces are considered to be of inappropriate quality for the relatively wealthy Croghan household, and some have deteriorated to the point that they do not represent their appearance at the time they were made.
Following our Collections Policy, which states: "Out of scope material, items that have been replaced by more appropriate samples or items whose condition has deteriorated beyond museum quality may be deaccessioned, or removed from the collection, by recommendation of the committee and approval by the Board of Directors," items to be considered for removal from the collection were first reviewed by the Collections and Acquisitions Committee before being voted on by the Board of Directors.* The items to be sold include furniture, ceramics, silver, textiles, and decorative objects.
The auction will begin at 7:00 pm in the Locust Grove Visitors Center, with previews on Sunday, September 27, from 10-4:30 as part of our Antiques Market event (admission to the site is $6 on that day); and before the sale on the 29th from 5:00 to 7:00 pm, with no admission fee. Auctioneer Walt Robertson, of Swinebroad-Denton of Lexington, will conduct the sale.
*In accordance with the Ethics Policy of the Historic Locust Grove Board, our Board members, staff, and committee members from the Collections and Acquisitions Committee and the Restoration Committee will not be eligible to purchase any de-accessioned items at this auction.
