yale university

Skull and Bones Ballot Box Up For Auction

Filed under: Auctions

A rather intriguing lot will be up for auction at Christie's later this month. An 1872 skull ballot box from Yale University's mysterious Skull and Bones society will be sold as part of Christie's New York's Important American Furniture, Folk Art, Silver & Chinese Export sale on January 22. The skull has a hinge on top and is surrounded by charred-looking crossbones one inscribed with the word Thor. Skull and Bones was founded in 1832 and has been the subject of many works of history and fiction (I found Secrets of the Tomb to be particularly riveting). Many notable Yalies including both Bush presidents have been members. The lot includes a black book with names and photographs of earlier members and is estimated at $10,000 to $20,000.

UPDATE: This lot has been withdrawn from sale due to a "title claim."

[via ArtDaily]

Tags: auction, christies, skull and bones, SkullAndBones, yale university, YaleUniversity

Featured Cigar Lounge: The Owl Shop in New Haven, Connecticut

by Tom Johansmeyer (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Cigars

Not far from Yale, you'll find a cigar oasis that is comparable to any major city lounge in the country. The Owl Shop offers a complete experience, with a full bar to complement the cigars housed in the large humidors that line the walls. So, plop into one of the large, soft leather chairs, sip a cabernet and light up the stick of your choice. This is the one place in New Haven where lovers of the leaf can pass a few hours blissfully unaware of what the outside world holds.

Owl is long and fairly narrow, though there is plenty of room to walk up and down the store; it isn't cramped. You can sit at the bar or in the lounge chairs set back near the wall, where the waitresses will take your cigar and drink orders. Large flat-screen televisions are usually tuned to the sporting event of the day, which can be a draw for many cigar smokers, though I'm generally not interested (just a quirk, I guess). At the back of the store, which widens, there is a large table where a crowd can gather, along with other seating. Back here, you can dodge the television gauntlet and converse or just relax.

Gallery: The Owl Shop in New Haven

Tags: cigar, cigar lounge, cigar shop, CigarLounge, cigars, CigarShop, connecticut, new haven, NewHaven, yale, yale university, YaleUniversity

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Yale Sued by Former Van Gogh Owner

by Tom Johansmeyer (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Art

Pierre Konowaloff believes that Van Gogh's painting, "The Night Café," was stolen from his great-grandfather during the Communist takeover of Russia. Now, it belongs to Yale University, and he wants it back.

According to this claim, Ivan Morozov acquired the painting in 1908 and owned it until the Russian government snatched it in the 1918 "change" to Communism. What was Morozov's, it seems, became Lenin's. Then, it passed through galleries in Europe and New York until it was eventually left to Yale by a collector in 1961.

The hook, for Konowaloff, is that Yale took the painting "with reason to know that it had been unlawfully confiscated or 'nationalized' without compensation," according to a report in Bloomberg.

This isn't the only claim that Yale is facing. The university also has to contend with a suit by the Republic of Peru, which wants to reclaim artifacts excavated from Machu Picchu.

Source

Tags: art, artist, artwork, communism, communist, communist party, CommunistParty, communists, machu picchu, MachuPicchu, russia, scandal, scandals, van gogh, VanGogh, vincent van gogh, VincentVanGogh, yale, yale university, YaleUniversity