It certainly looked like a black woman, her features soft, the skin a little light, faint red lipstick on her lips. She had been painted by a Philadelphia artist named Nadine Karnow, whom I had never heard of.

Karnow was also a musician, teacher and illustrator from a creative and artistic family of  Russian heritage. She had performed with the Philadelphia Balalaika Orchestra in the 1950s and 1960s. 

Her presence was all around the auction house. She died last year, and many pieces of her collection – and some that apparently belonged to or was shared with her parents – were up for auction. They were in every room: sculptures, Russian nesting dolls, Russian religious icons, musical instruments, paintings, sketchbooks, brushes and paints, and likely more that I missed. I bought three wooden portfolios that I’m sure belonged to her or her mother.

I had never seen so much of someone’s life so visible at auction before. There was no doubt about which pieces belonged to the Karnow family. You could see Karnow’s style in the sculptures, her family legacy in the nesting dolls and religious icons. On tray tables in the back – where the cheaper items were sold in box lots – were the used paint brushes, paints, art supplies, sketchbooks and a ceramic wall-hanging of a woman.

Everywhere you turned, you bumped into them. It was like walking into their private lives.

There was a lovely oil painting by Karnow’s mother Ann of her daughter, a blue ribbon in her hair (it sold for $15). The auctioneer noted at one point that her father was a model airplane designer. In another room at the auction house, I came across a small pencil drawing that Karnow had done of her father for Father’s Day 1962.

Karnow’s sculptures filled several shelves and cases in one room of the auction house. There were so many pieces that it was overwhelming. Three sculptures that resembled houses or structures sold for $50 each; busts, $12-$17 each and vases, up to $12.50 each. Some busts went for $4 each.

Other auction cases held Russian nesting dolls, about 50 of them, in sizes small to large. These dolls are commonly referred to as babushkas but are actually matryoshka dolls. Nesting dolls – larger ones open to reveal small ones – are among the most popular Russian souvenirs. Traditionally, they are painted as Russian women in costumes. 

One buyer, a regular at the auction house, outbidded everyone on the dolls, which were sold individually. A row of nine small dolls went for $11 each. Five medium to large ones, $10 each. Three trays of small ones and other figures went for $23 per tray.  

My auction buddy managed to get her painting. To her chagrin, the auctioneer mentioned that it was a black woman. That sparked interest in the room. We’ve found that most items that are African American-related – especially black memorabilia – sell at auction. And we sometimes find ourselves in bidding wars for them.

This time, she was lucky. She got the painting for $15.

Related posts:

1. Religious icons at auction (& my own)
2. My family’s collections
3. Disassembling a Hess truck collection

The religious icons had belonged to a family with deep Russian roots. The mother and daughter traveled all over Europe, one of the auctioneers mentioned, and brought back many treasures, including a beautiful collection of black lacquered boxes.

Most of the items at auction came from the estate of a Philadelphia artist, musician, teacher and illustrator named Nadine Karnow, who died last July. She had performed with the Philadelphia Balalaika Orchestra in the 1950s and 1960s. It is now known as the Kauriga Balalaika Orchestra, renamed for Paul Kauriga Sr., who formed it in 1930s.

Throughout the auction house were signs of Karnow: sculptures lining the shelves up front; oil paintings and watercolors on a rack in back; balalaikas, domras and other musical instruments laid out in another room. In the tray-lot room, I came across other pieces of her artistic output.

Most of the items at auction were hers, but some pieces also belonged to her mother and father. They were a creative and artistic family who apparently enjoyed collecting. I’ll write about the other collections this week.

I had never heard of Karnow and found very little about her via Google, but her array of work at the auction house showed that she was prolific. She apparently found time for all the interests that she loved.

I don’t know much about icons, but I was impressed with the number and breadth of these works, which may not have been a collection but part of their worship. I was drawn to them because they were beautiful. There was a quiet simplicity about them, and the gold overlay just about sparkled.

Russian icons date back to the 17^th century, when the makers became influenced by Protestant and Catholic Europe, according to Wikipedia. They are normally painted on wood, and often small. “There is a rich history and elaborate religious symbolism associated with icons,” according to Wikipedia, which also offers information on icons in general.

The website Byzantine Icon Art described icons as the “visual Gospel,” a link between the worshiper and God.

In the confines of the auction house – and on some websites I checked, icons were also a source of commerce. I have no idea how old these were, but I can assume that since they ended up here, they were not antiques (maybe vintage).

They were sold at what I thought were reasonable prices: A pair of silver overlay icons sold for $70. Several went for $7 and up to $27. A tray of about four to six folding travel icons sold for $40. This was a good place to purchase them to build your own wall or space for worship in your home.

To see more icons, visit this Museum of Russian Icons. Founded in 2006, the site says that it has 400 icons and bills itself as the largest private collection outside Russia.

Note: I’d like to take a moment to pay homage to an icon of a different nature: Today, we’re celebrating the birthday of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. I’m sure Dr. King would not elevate himself to the ranks of the religious icons at Sunday’s auction, but to many of us in this country he is a man to be revered.

 Also, don’t forget to check out Yvonne Shinhoster Lamb’s faith blog “Soul Rhythms.”

Related posts:

1. A family’s collection
2. Black women artists at fine art auction
3. Marilyn Monroe collector’s plate at auction