






Large and Impressive Inverted Sand Picture in a Bottle Andrew Clemens, McGregor, Iowa, 1887.
Sold for US$277,575 inc. premium
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Paul O'Hara
Sale Coordinator & Cataloguer

Christopher Fox
Director
Large and Impressive Inverted Sand Picture in a Bottle
with text reading "Merry Christmas" surrounded by flowers on one side and an uncommonly detailed view of an approaching ship at full sail on the other, with a visible striped American flag flying atop the ship. Both images surmounted by a rare intricate floral and foliate frieze in contrasting black and pale yellow. Above the frieze are concentric circles with geometric motifs at the edges progressing upwards to the top of the bottle. Below and between the two images are some of the polychrome geometric motifs that characterize Clemens' work, though in a finer and more complex manner than is usually seen. The sides of the bottle also feature a very uncommon bellflower motif. 10cm in diameter, 22cm high (4in in diameter, 9in high).
Footnotes
Provenance
Created for Mary Walter as a gift for her son and daughter-in-law, 1887.
Literature
Sucholeiki, Roy, The Sand Art Bottles of Andrew Clemens, 2015. pp. 88-89.
Note
This bottle is one of a pair that were commissioned by Mary Walter, presumably at the same time, as holiday gifts in the year 1887. The sister bottle is almost identical except its text reads "Happy New Year 1887" where this bottle's "Merry Christmas" greeting appears. The "Happy New Year" bottle is known to have been given to Mary's close friend and neighbor, Margaret Bergman.
The bottle's uncommon size and impressive attention to detail, even among Clemens famously meticulous work, set this piece apart.