Leo Tolstoy's Grandson's World War II Flight Jacket will be Auctioned by EstateOfMind on Oct 3rd

2024-04-23 11:13:43 Art & Entertainment

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Middletown, NY, USA, Sep 12, 2020 -- The personal World War II flight jacket of Count and Colonel Ilya A. Tolstoy, the grandson of the renowned Russian author and Count Leo (Lev) Tolstoy (War and Peace), plus other items from the estate of Ilya Tolstoy, is an expected top lot in a two-session auction scheduled for Saturday, October 3rd, by EstateOfMind, live and online, at 11 am Eastern.

Ilya A. Tolstoy was an officer with the Office of Strategic Services (CIA) from 1942-1946. The size 42, type A-2 Army Air Force Flying Tigers flight jacket has a China-Burma-India theater insignia and retains a ?Blood Chit? American flag with Chinese characters that reads, ?This foreign person has come to China to help in the war effort. Soldiers and civilians should rescue and protect him.? The jacket comes with a notarized document from the estate of Mr. Tolstoy.

Included with the flight jacket are 29 albums of Ilya A. Tolstoy?s top-secret photos for the Office of Strategic Services? China-Burma-India theater mission, including approximately 1,860 land, sea and aerial photos, plus an index identifying the place and location of each, for years 1942-43.

Also from the Tolstoy estate is a large watercolor equestrian-themed scroll titled Dancing Horse, signed by Beihong Xu (Chinese, 1895-1953) with three seal marks and calligraphy. The scroll has an overall size of 80 inches by 25 inches. Beihong Xu (also known as Ju P?on) was famous for his ink paintings of horses and birds and for his huge oil paintings with epic Chinese themes.

Other items from the Ilya Tolstoy estate will be sprinkled across both sessions of the auction. These include important Tibetan bronze Buddha figures Mr. Tolstoy acquired during his travels.

The auction ? over 750 lots ? will be held outside, under several large open-air tents, on the grounds of EstateOfMind, located at 195 Derby Road in Middletown. ?We?re mindful of the health and safety of everyone in attendance and will be following strict CDC, state and local regulations and guidelines,? said Darrell Dirr, owner of EstateOfMind. ?There will also be a donation table for Veterans Memorial Park, staffed by Purple Heart recipient Michael Cody.?

Session 1 will consist mainly of militaria, antique firearms, swords, daggers, fishing tackle and other items. That will be followed by Session 2, headlined by items from the Tolstoy estate. It?ll also feature fine art, historical documents, vintage posters, a watchmaker?s collection of watches and parts, jewelry, silver and a 1988 Chevrolet Corvette with removable top and 11,000 miles.

Paintings will feature a 16th century Old Master oil on canvas portrait of Isabella de Medici, unsigned, from the Circle of (or by) Allessandro Allori (Florence, Italy, 1535-1607); and an oil on canvas portrait of Mary Magdalene, painted in the Old Master style after Giampietrino in the 18th or 19th century, 35 inches tall by 28 inches wide, housed in a fine period Baroque gilt frame.

Certain to generate local interest is an original broadside for ?The Great American Mastodon?, unearthed not far from the EstateOfMind facility, printed circa 1846 and measuring 25 ? inches by 18 inches. The broadside states the mastodon is ?Now Exhibiting at the Hall? and provides ?Dimensions of the Skeleton?, its approximate weight (?20,000 Pounds?) and other particulars.

In-person previews will be held by appointment on Friday, October 2nd, from 11 am to 6 pm; and on Saturday, auction day, October 3rd, from 8 am to 10 am. The first gavel falls at 11 am. All times are Eastern. To schedule an appointment, you may call EstateOfMind at 845-386-4403.

To learn more about EstateOfMind and the two-session auction planned for Saturday, October 3rd, please visit www.EstateOfMind.biz.

Readmore: https://www.prpocket.com/2020/09/leo-tolstoys-grandsons-world-war-2-flight-jacket-will-be-auctioned-by-estateofmind-on-october-3rd-live-and-online.html

Media Contact:
Darrell Dirr
EstateOfMind
195 Derby Road
Middletown, NY 10940 (USA)
845-386-4403, 845-741-7373
EstateOfMind2009@yahoo.com
http://www.EstateOfMind.biz