Rago and Toomey & Co. announce The Life Collection of Terry & Ralph Kovel, a major auction event on Nov. 1.
Dubbed the “duke and duchess of the antiques world,” the Kovels are nationally known authors and experts who have left an indelible mark on the field of collecting as the authors of more than 100 books and founders of the online platform Kovels.com.
This curated offering exhibits both the breadth and quality of the personal collection the Kovels assembled over the course of decades, including rare ceramics by George E. Ohr and Taxile Doat, paintings by the inimitable Rosa Bonheur, and American Renaissance Revival furniture by Alexander Roux.
Avid collectors, Terry and Ralph Kovel married in 1950 and, in 1953, the pair launched their tandem writing careers with the publication of their first book, now titled” Kovels’ Dictionary of Marks: Pottery and Porcelain, 1650-1850.” That same year, they began their jointly written “Know Your Antiques” column for The Cleveland Press, which would go on to become the longest-running syndicated weekly column in the country.
As their knowledge and reach expanded, the Kovels became recognized for helping to make the world of antiques and collecting more accessible to a broad public, as well as for their immense expertise.
The works featured in The Life Collection of Terry & Ralph Kovel represent a cross-section of the pair’s far-reaching collecting interests, including many significant works of American art pottery. Anchoring the collection is a large group of works by George E. Ohr, the “Mad Potter of Biloxi.”
As David Rago notes in his accompanying text, these Ohr works are being “presented for the first time in half a century, and only the second time since they left the Ohr family in Biloxi.” Led by the Exceptional vase (est. $35,000-45,000), this offering includes the Exceptional and Rare double Cadogan teapot (est. $30,000-40,000), the Rare snake vase (est. $10,000-15,000), and the especially humorous Rare potato trophy (est. $10,000-15,000).
Further highlights of the Kovels’ art pottery collection include Taxile Doat’s Rare and Exceptional vase (est. $10,000-15,000) and the Martin Brothers Pottery Double face jug (est. $4,500-6,500). The former was made at Doat’s private atelier in Sèvres, France, using the techinque of pâte-sur-pâte, or paste on paste, for which he became famous.
In addition to exceptional and rare art pottery, The Life Collection of Terry & Ralph Kovel features furniture, historical objects, antique silver, and artworks that speak to the Kovels’ generous eye. Especially notable are the Fine Louis XVI Revival music-themed cabinet (est. $5,000-7,000), attributed to Alexander Roux, and an Edward and John Barnard Victorian epergne (est. $2,000-3,000), in silver parcel-gilt and cut crystal. Several paintings from French painter Rosa Bonheur are also on offer.
“Ralph and I have had a lot of titles through the years,” Terry said in a 2021 interview. “We’ve been called the Mother and Father of Antiques. I like that. We made it possible for people to learn, to understand and appreciate antiques through our work. I take great pride in that.”
The Life Collection of Terry & Ralph Kovel will be on view at Rago, 333 N. Main St., Lambertville, N.J., from today to Nov. 1, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday. The live auction will begin at 11 a.m. Eastern on Wednesday, Nov. 1, and accommodates advanced bids, telephone bidding, and live online bidding. Visit Rago Arts online.
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