Quinn’s Auction Galleries
360 S. Washington Street, Falls Church, Virginia 22046
703-532-5632
About Auction House
Founded in 1995, Quinn’s Auction Galleries is a foremost auctioneer and appraiser of fine art, rare books, maps, autographs, antique furnishings, decorative arts, and collectibles including Chinese snuff bottles, Japanese netsuke. Located in Virginia, Quinn's has been a comprehensive service provider in the community for almost 25 years. Every Wednesday night, the auction house hosts treasure auctions of collectibles & antiques. Their high-end catalog auctions are held quarterly.Auction Previews & News
14 Results-
Auction Industry, Press ReleaseQuinn’s to auction political memorabilia archive of Washington insider and Kennedy family confidante Melody Miller, Feb. 18
Iconic JFK photo, Warhol portrait of Ted Kennedy, numerous signed personal letters, including from Jacqueline Kennedy, reflect Miller’s 40-year association with the Kennedy family Warhol, "Edward Kennedy," 1980, Serigraph. FALLS CHURCH, Va. – This year marks the 30th anniversary of Quinn’s Auction Galleries, northern Virginia’s most trusted auction and estate specialists. In addition to offering superior fine and decorative art, jewelry and rare books, the family-owned firm is also highly regarded for its sales of political memorabilia. Often the important political papers and mementos handled by Quinn’s come directly from the original sources, their heirs, or from long-held collections with distinguished provenance. On February 18 in an online-only auction, Quinn’s will present another exceptional archive: presidential and political memorabilia from the estate of Washington insider Melody J Miller (1945-2022). The personally-amassed collection focuses on material associated with the Kennedy family, starting in the “Camelot” years. “Melody Miller was a close confidante to the Kennedy family for over four decades,” said Matthew Quinn, executive vice president of Quinn’s Auction Galleries. “She started as an aide to Jackie Kennedy, worked on Robert F Kennedy’s campaign, and ultimately spent 38 years as Ted Kennedy’s deputy press secretary. Her collection presents a rare insight into the private lives of the Kennedy family through personal letters, photographs and mementos.” The 145-lot boutique auction also includes choice presidential memorabilia from other private collections. A top prize from the Miller holdings is an Andy Warhol (American, 1928-1987) portrait of Senator Edward M “Ted” Kennedy. In 1964, Warhol painted a series of high-profile Jacqueline Kennedy portraits based on newspaper photographs taken around the time of JFK’s assassination, but his 1980 portraits of the president’s youngest brother, Ted, are less familiar to the public. The auction example, a serigraph with diamond paint, was printed on Lenox museum board and is signed and editioned 37/300, in graphite. This particular edition was published by Feldman & Schellmann for the Kennedy for President Committee. Measuring 32 inches by 40 inches (sheet size) and in good condition, the artwork to be auctioned by Quinn’s has a presale estimate of $2,000-$3,000. Every US president…
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Auction Industry, Press ReleaseArt, antiques and fine jewelry from Northern Virginia estates add quality and elegance to Quinn’s Jan. 24 Fine & Decorative Arts Auction
Featured: Philadelphia Federal tall-case clock, Lyon & Heily 17-pedal harp, Nepalese gilt copper figures of Vajrapani, Rolex 41mm Oyster Perpetual Datejust wristwatch, emerald, diamond & gold necklace Vintage Lyon & Heily Professional 17 pedal harp. FALLS CHURCH, Va. – In its own way, each of the 294 lots in Quinn’s January 24th Fine and Decorative Arts Auction reflects the gracious interior décor of homes in Northern Virginia and the Mid-Atlantic region, as well as their owners’ refined taste in luxury goods. The online, phone and absentee-only event offers a diverse selection from upscale estates and residences that includes American, European and Asian artworks; antique furniture, fine jewelry, watches and silver. Jewelry is, in fact, one of the featured categories of the sale and is led by a coveted Rolex 41mm Oyster Perpetual Datejust wristwatch M126300-0006. It has a white dial, silver luminous hands and markers; and a sapphire crystal with the date appearing at the 3 o’clock position. Additional features include a cyclops lens, screw-down crown and case-back, polished stainless-steel bezel, 31-jewel self-winding automatic movement, and fold-over Oyster clasp. The Swiss-made treasure is COSC Superlative Chronograph Certified and Rolex Caliber 3235. Accompanied by its Rolex box, tags, and original sales receipt, it comes to auction with an $8,000-$8,500 estimate. Capturing the very essence of luxury, a 14K yellow gold, emerald and diamond necklace is designed with approximately 247 carats of cabochon emeralds graduated from 4.5mm to 7.5mm in three strands measuring approximately 16.0 inches long. The clasp consists of 25 prong-set round and seven baguette diamonds with a center prong-set oval sized approximately 6.0mm by 4.0mm, plus nine mixed-cut emeralds. The total diamond weight is approximately 4.57cttw, and the diamonds have been graded F-G color and VS clarity per an independent third-party appraisal. The necklace’s total weight is approximately 37.55dwt. Backed by a third-party appraisal, its estimate is $2,500-$3,000. One can only imagine the stately home in which a Ritter and Sullivan, Baltimore, 5-piece sterling silver tea set might have first served guests. It was made sometime between 1900 and 1915 and was retailed by J S Macdonald Co. The…
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Auction Industry, Press ReleaseQuinn’s Sept. 20 Fine & Decorative Arts Auction a diverse showcase for Asian, American, European and Modern rarities
451-lot online-only auction is led by historical archive with Andrew Wyeth original art and memorabilia related to Congressional Gold Medal authorized in 1988 by President Ronald Reagan (with closeups 228 A – the Wyeth artwork; 228 B – Act facsimiles and photo of Andrew Wyeth and Richard Schulze; and 228 C – photo of Wyeth and Schulze outside Brinton’s Mill)Grouping of two framed facsimiles of Act H.R. 593 authorizing issuance of Congressional Gold Medal in 1989 to artist Andrew Wyeth (American, 1917-2009). Original Act was signed and enacted by President Ronald Reagan on Nov. 9, 1988. Grouping includes three US Mint bronze replica medals, Parker pen used by Reagan when he signed the Act, and an original Wyeth pencil drawing titled ‘Top of Brinton’s Mill,’ which the artist inscribed and signed to Richard Schulze, former Representative for Pennsylvania’s 5th Congressional District. Measurements of Reagan-held pen and signed Wyeth note: 37in x 20in. Wyeth signed drawing: 37¾ in x 26½in. Accompanied by framed photo of Wyeth and Schulze outside Brinton's Mill, the artist’s home and studio in Chadds Ford Township, Pa. Estimate: $15,000-$20,000 FALLS CHURCH, Va. – Northern Virginia’s most respected estate specialists, Quinn’s Auction Galleries, will host a September 20 Fine and Decorative Arts event showcasing American, European and Modern works and featuring an Andrew Wyeth drawing and associated mementos of great historical importance. The auction presents a well-diversified international selection of fine art, including Italian school landscapes and battle scenes; and works by Jamaican-born Lester Gunter, Peter Waddell (New Zealander/American) and Mark Beard, an American artist whose specialty is nudes, depicted either in portraits or bronzes. Additionally, there are several desirable prints by Lou Stovall (1974 serigraph titled An Exanthma of Clouds), Salvador Dali (1973 lithograph titled Le Paradis Perdu), and Japanese woodblock-print artists Yoshida, Watanabe and Salto. The worlds of art, politics and history unite in a remarkable archive that documents a high point in the life and career of revered Pennsylvania artist Andrew Wyeth (1917-2019). The grouping consists of two framed facsimiles of Congressional Act H.R. 593, which authorized the presentation of a Congressional Gold Medal, the…
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Auction Industry, Press Release1945 draft of Japanese ‘Instrument of Surrender’ comprising WWII communications cables and auxiliary documents leads Quinn’s July 16 Rare Book Auction
Also featured: 1803 first edition ‘Reflections on the Cession of Louisiana to the United States,’ extolling benefits of Louisiana Purchase and suggesting the new territory be used as a colony for freed slaves First extant draft copy of the Japanese ‘Instrument of Surrender’ in English, dated ‘Aug. 31, 1945’ and stamped ‘1945 AUG 31 1 20,’ prior to the official surrender ceremony aboard the ‘USS Missouri’ in Tokyo Bay, Japan, on Sept. 2, 1945. Approximately 85% compatible with the document actually signed at the surrender summit. Draft’s 23 pages are raw cables from messages transmitted from the Pacific Front to the Communications Intelligence Organization. No examples of an early draft of the Japanese ‘Instrument of Surrender’ are held either in institutional collections or the National Archives. Provenance: Descendants of Charles A. Jensen, (1916-2007), who served during World War II in the US Navy in Communications Intelligence, receiving incoming encrypted Japanese messages; and whose name is stamped on each leaf of the auction document. Estimate: $2,000-$4,000 FALLS CHURCH, Va. – On July 16, Quinn's Auction Galleries of northern Virginia will present 226 high-quality lots at their Summer Rare Book Auction with a selection that includes signed books, first editions, American manuscripts, fine bindings and much more. The top historical highlight is an August 31, 1945 dated draft of the Japanese Instrument of Surrender, whose final iteration was signed aboard the USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay on September 2, 1945. The draft is essentially a collection of 23 raw cables, including several Japanese communiques, dated “Aug. 31, 1945” and stamped “1945 AUG 31 1 20.” The cumulative verbiage is approximately 85% compatible with the final surrender document that was signed by General Douglas MacArthur, Admiral Chester Nimitz, British Admiral Bruce Fraser, General Philippe LeClerc of France, and other Allies; as well as Japanese Foreign Minister Maoru Shigemisu and General Yoshijiro Umezu. The cables were transmitted from the Pacific Front to the Communications Intelligence Organization and, upon receipt, were stamped in purple with the name of Charles A Jensen (1916-2007). A US Navy cryptographer who worked in Communications Intelligence during World War II,…
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Auction Industry, Press ReleaseForward, march! Bidders ignored estimates at Quinn’s estate auction of Marine Corps Commandant and Four-Star General Alfred M. Gray Jr’s career mementos
Top lots included general’s US Marines ammunition chest, awards, USMC jewelry and watches; campaign desk, mounted bow and arrow gifted by Gray’s Korean counterpart Wood ammunition crate with presentation plaque from ‘Marines & Sailors, Marine Corps Combat Development Command’ to ‘General Alfred M. Gray Jr., USMC Ret’ to commemorate Marine Corps’ 234th birthday. Marine Corps imagery, emblems and the motto ‘SEMPER FIDELIS.’ Provenance: Estate of 29th US Marine Corps Commandant Four-Star General Alfred M. Gray Jr. (1928-2024). Sold for $9,525 against an estimate of $100-$150 FALLS CHURCH, Va. – If anyone exemplified the highest standards of the US Marine Corps, it was the late Alfred M Gray Jr (1928-2024). A highly-decorated four-star general and 29th Commandant of the Corps, Gray forged a distinguished 41-year military career that included courageous wartime duty in both Korea and Vietnam. On June 14, under instruction from the Gray estate, Quinn’s of northern Virginia auctioned the general’s treasured career mementos, awards and art objects in a boutique online sale that totaled $218,948. The unique contents of the 200-lot event generated tremendous presale buzz and attracted winning bids that consistently exceeded their high estimates. Matthew Quinn, executive vice president of Quinn’s Auctions, remarked: “Because of the number of potential bidders who contacted us prior to the auction, we anticipated many of the lots were going fly. There were constant enquiries about General Gray’s USMC KA-BAR knives and the Henredon Chesterfield chaise lounge from his office. Like everything else in the sale, they went for far more than their pre-sale expectations.” As aesthetically appealing as it was rugged, a wood ammunition crate decorated with Marine Corps images, emblems and the motto “SEMPER FIDELIS,” displayed an inscribed plaque on its lid that said Presented by the Marines & Sailors of Marine Corps Combat Development Command with respect and admiration to General Alfred M. Gray Jr USMC on the occasion of the 234th birthday of our Corps. Against an estimate of $100-$150, it stormed its way to $9,525. Although not designed for modern warfare, a bow and arrow – possibly an antique – was also of great interest to bidders. Attractively…
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Auction Industry, Press ReleaseSemper fi: Property of revered 29th USMC Commandant 4-Star General Alfred M. Gray Jr. to be auctioned June 14 at Quinn’s
Legendary Marine’s personal collection includes high-quality edged weapons, watches, decorative art, furniture, and White House, US Capitol and diplomatic gifts Wood ammunition crate with presentation plaque from ‘Marines & Sailors, Marine Corps Combat Development Command’ to ‘General Alfred M. Gray Jr., USMC Ret.’ To commemorate Marine Corps’ 234th birthday. Emblazoned with Marine Corps imagery, emblems and the motto ‘SEMPER FIDELIS.’ Size: 11½ in x 19¼ in x 11¾ in. Provenance: Estate of 29th US Marine Corps Commandant Four-Star General Alfred M. Gray Jr. (American, 1928-2024). Estimate: $100-$200 FALLS CHURCH, Va. – On Friday, June 14, Quinn’s Auction Galleries will auction personal property from the Estate of 29th US Marine Corps Commandant Four-Star General Alfred M Gray Jr (American, 1928-2024). Known as a “Marine’s Marine,” General Gray was a war hero who wielded enormous positive influence on the Corps during his 41 years of steadfast service. Because of his devotion to the Corps, it could be argued that only a thin line of demarcation separated his official and private life, since the objects and unique souvenirs with which he surrounded himself at home were very much a reflection of the military career he so earnestly embraced. Many of his most treasured mementos are included in Quinn’s single-consignor sale.General Gray’s collection includes watches, jewelry, many unique keepsakes bearing USMC emblems and historically important gifted items from The White House, US Capitol, FBI and diplomatic sources. Also, there are furnishings and library accessories from the general’s residence, plus high-quality edged weapons such as an inscribed Operation Snowcap Al-Mar 3004 fighting knife and a Randall Made Model M1-7 fixed-blade stag knife. Accompanied by its leather sheath, the M1-7 is displayed in a felt-lined, glass-lidded case with a plaque commemorating its presentation to “General Al Gray Commandant of The Marine Corps” from the "FBI Marine Corps. Association," in 1989. The 7in clip-point blade is engraved “GENERAL GRAY/ FBI - USMC ASSOC.” The dagger’s overall length is a formidable 12 inches. Estimate: $600-$800Another item that must have held special meaning to General Gray was a wood ammunition crate with a presentation plaque commemorating the Marine Corps’ 234th birthday…
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Auction Industry, Press ReleasePicasso etching, Chiparus bronze, American portraiture among highlights of Quinn’s June 7 Fine & Decorative Arts Auction
Jewelry category includes exquisite 18K white gold ruby and diamond necklace and earring suite FALLS CHURCH, Va. – A signed etching by Pablo Picasso from 1933 titled Marie-Therese Kneeling, Studying a Sculpted Group, a bronze sculpture of a woman with two dogs by Demetre Chiparus, and a pleasing selection of American portraiture are just a taste of what bidders will find in Quinn’s Fine & Decorative Arts Auction slated for Friday, June 7. The auction is online-only, with absentee bids also accepted through Quinn’s website. 18K white gold ruby and diamond necklace and earrings suite in overlapping leaf (or petal-style) motif. Total weight of diamonds in necklace is 19.0 carats with rubies totaling 30.0 carats. Earrings: 6.46 carats of diamonds; 12.0 carats of rubies, with each earring clip having an additional pear-shape faceted ruby weighing approximately .45 carats. Suite presented in custom-fitted box. Estimate: $13,000-$15,000 The 468-lot sale consists primarily of consignments from upscale estates and collections in the northern Virginia region, with an emphasis on Asian, American, European and Modern arts. The catalog is replete with antique and modern furniture, prints, bronzes, art glass, and other high-quality vintage goods. The 1933 etching by Pablo Picasso (Spain, 1881-1973), titled Marie-Therese Agenouillee Contemplant Un Groupe Sculpte (Marie-Therese Kneeling, Studying a Sculpted Group), is from the artist’s Vollard Suite published in 1939 and printed by Lacouriere Paris. From an edition of 260, the work is signed at lower right, with the Vollard watermark. The leaf size is 17½ inches by 13½ inches. Bids are guided by a pre-sale estimate of $8,000-$10,000. Other fine prints and lithographs in the auction include pieces from Salvador Dali, Keith Haring and other collected artists. An 11-inch-tall bronze sculpture of a woman with two dogs by Demetre Chiparus (Romanian, 1886-1947) is titled Friends Forever. It displays an etched signature on its marble base and is stamped 54 on the back of the woman’s dress. This desirable bronze designed by one of the greats of Art Deco sculpture is expected to achieve $6,000-$8,000 at auction. A large (37½ in) signed bronze by Claire Jeanne Colinet (French, 1880-1950), titled…
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Auction Industry, Press ReleaseQuinn’s Feb. 23 Fine & Decorative Arts Auction offers diverse array of Asian, American, European and Modern works
Featured: Thomas Hart Benton, Paul Reed & Bill Mack artworks; stunning Chinese Export sterling silver tea set, antique netsuke collection, paperweight collection, antique and Modern furniture Thomas Hart Benton (American, 1889-1975), ‘Running Horses,’ lithograph, 1955. Artist-signed in pencil. From the Associated American Artists edition of 75. Tipped onto matting. Plate size: 16½in x 12½in. Estimate: $6,000-$8,000 FALLS CHURCH, Va. – Works by Thomas Hart Benton, Paul Reed, sculptor Bill Mack and Old Lyme Colony Impressionist Will Howe Foote will join European and Modern furniture and beautiful objets d’art at Quinn’s February 23 online Fine & Decorative Arts Auction. The 474-lot sale consists primarily of consignments from prominent estates and collections in the northern Virginia region, with an emphasis on fine Asian, American, Continental and Modern arts. The sterling silver category is crowned by both a 4-piece Tiffany & Co., tea set and a stunning 19th-century Chinese Export dragon-and-pearl tea set; while specialty collections include high-quality paperweights and antique Japanese netsukes. A selection of fine prints is led by a 1955 Thomas Hart Benton (American, 1889-1975) lithograph titled Running Horses. Expressing a quintessential Benton theme of Midwestern progress, the 16½-inch by 12½-inch work portrays three wild horses running free as a steam locomotive barrels down a parallel train track – a juxtaposition of the modern era racing against the more-traditional but fast-fading way of life. The print is from an Associated American Artists edition of 75 and is artist-signed in pencil. The pre-sale estimate is $6,000-$8,000. Other noteworthy prints and lithographs run the gamut of genres and individual artistic styles, and include works by Joan Miro, Norman Rockwell, Albrecht Durer, Rockwell Kent and others. A circa-1997 Peter Max mixed media and acrylic on paper artwork titled Liberty Head II is signed and estimated at $600-$800, and three 19th-century Frederick S Remington (American, 1861-1909) cowboy-themed photogravures are entered with individual estimates of $500-$700. Six lots in the sale represent artworks by Washington DC artist Paul Reed (1919-2015). At the time of his death, Reed was the last living member of the Washington Color School, an art collective that gained national acclaim in…
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Auction Industry, Press ReleaseQuinn’s debut auction of diplomat Peter Cecere’s folk and outsider art collection set for Jan. 26
Cecere spent 50 years with the Foreign Service in Latin American nations and Spain, where he presciently amassed a collection that rivals those of even the most prestigious museums FALLS CHURCH, Va. – Eccentric? Visionary? An American original? All three descriptions apply to the late Peter “Pete” Cecere, a US Foreign Service officer who discovered the quirky beauty and cultural importance of folk art more than 50 years ago. “After I die, there’s no more stories,” Cecere said in a 2018 video documentary about his collection – but the colorful stories that already exist will be told one more time, on January 26 when Quinn’s of Falls Church, Virginia, auctions the first installment of Cecere’s vast holdings. A career foreign service and cultural affairs officer, Cecere’s first exposure to folk and outsider art came during his college days in the 1960s when a State Department scholarship enabled him to spend his junior year abroad in Chile. It was there that he first saw and bought unique and fanciful objects made by locals specifically to sell at tourist markets. After college, Cecere joined the US Foreign Service and, armed with a strong command of Spanish, was posted successively to embassies in Ecuador, Bolivia, Uruguay, Mexico, and Spain. Throughout his diplomatic journey, he acquired pieces that he found visually appealing and which reflected regional cultures. It was in Bolivia, for example, that he obtained the types of sophisticated textiles for which that nation’s folk artists are so well known. At some point, Cecere’s inner muse emerged and he started to craft his own distinctive pieces, quite skillfully. Cecere estimated that, in his lifetime, he owned between 20,000 and 30,000 antique and vintage pieces of folk and self-taught art. A 1990 auction, together with his gifts to museums, winnowed down that number, but his renewed vigor for collecting would threaten to close that gap. Pete’s generosity extended to many institutions: the Museum of International Folk Art in Santa Fe, N.M., the Tucson Museum of Art, the American Folk Art Museum in New York, and the San Antonio Museum of Art (SAMA), where Cecere…
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Auction Industry, Press ReleaseTop-shelf selections await at Quinn’s Rare Books auction, October 26
Featured: Darwin’s 1877 psychological treatise on childhood development, missionary’s 1724 account of Iroquois life, Reagan ‘An American Life’ boxed set FALLS CHURCH, Va. – Early printings, historical publications, a Poe thriller and other collectible page-turners will cross the auction block at Quinn’s Rare Book, Autograph and Print Auction on Thursday, October 26. In addition to top-shelf entries from the 16th through 20th centuries, the 220-lot sale also includes illustrated books, Presidential autographs and signatures; and the stamped, bookplated 1909 White House copy of The Plan of Chicago. Daniel H. Burnham, Plan of Chicago, prepared under direction of the Commercial Club, Chicago, 1909. No. 757 of 1,650 copies, The White House Copy, stamped as such on copyright page with date March 3rd, 1913. Library of Congress bookplate over original Commercial Club bookplate. Numerous plans, plates and illustrations, some folding or in color. Estimate $800-$1,200 The scientific and historical section reveals many exciting rarities, including several volumes on American exploration. A complete set of the Pacific Railroad survey, spanning the years 1853 to 1860, is estimated at $2,000-$3,000; while an early and complete (50-volume) run of the Bureau of American Ethnology Annual Reports is expected to make $1,200-$1,600. A 4-volume collection of early French Revolutionary pamphlets and publications, Constitution Civile du Clerge, pertains to the plight of the French Catholic Church from 1791 to 1793 and the effects of the Civil Constitution on the clergy. Comprising 28 pamphlets and publications in total, the lot is estimated at $300-$500. Another significant French production is Jesuit missionary Joseph Francois Lafitau’s Moeurs des Sauvages Ameriquains (Paris: Chez Saugrain & Hochereau, 1724). A 2-volume first edition with comprehensive information on the Iroquois and other Native tribes of upper North America, it has 42 engraved plates, including a map of the Americas. Estimate: $1,500-$2,500 The first psychological sketch on childhood development, authored by Charles Darwin in 1877, appears in Volume 2, No. 7, pages 285-294 of Mind: A Quarterly Review of Psychology and Philosophy. The study is based on Darwin’s personal notes from observing the development of his first-born son, William Erasmus, from 1839-41. The pre-sale estimate…
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Auction Industry, Press ReleaseGene Davis painting, Peter Max sculpture and Tiffany jewelry suite lead the lineup at Quinn’s Sept. 22 Fine & Decorative Arts auction
499-lot, online-only auction features American, Asian, European and Modern art consignments from prominent northern Virginia estates and collections FALLS CHURCH, Va. – A striking oil-on-canvas painting by Gene Davis (American, 1920-1985), a bronze sculpture of the Statue of Liberty by pop art icon Peter Max (American/German, b. 1937-), and a stunning Tiffany & Co., “Sutton” jewelry suite are three of the predicted top lots entered in Quinn’s September 22 Fine & Decorative Arts Auction. The online-only event will start at 10 am Eastern time with online bidding available through LiveAuctioneers or Invaluable, and absentee bidding through Quinn’s website. The 499-lot sale consists primarily of consignments sourced from prominent estates and collections in the northern Virginia region, with an emphasis on fine Asian, American, European and Modern arts. The oil-on-canvas painting by Gene Davis, titled Totem (1980), is appropriately named, as it is as tall as a totem pole (95 inches) and slender in stature (16¼ inches wide). The work is signed, titled and dated on verso and carries a pre-sale estimate of $30,000-$50,000. Davis was an American abstract painter whose body of work reflects a penchant for multicolored vertical stripes. He was a major contributor in the Color Field and Post-Painterly Abstraction movements, and was essential to bringing Washington, DC to prominence as a center of contemporary art, i.e., the Washington Color School. 1980 bronze sculpture of the Statue of Liberty by Peter Max (American/German, b. 1937-), #207 of 250, 22½in tall inclusive of marble base. Estimate: $5,000-$8,000 Peter Max’s hand-painted bronze Statue of Liberty (1980) is #207 from an edition of 250. Atop its marble base, the sculpture stands 22½ inches high. It displays an incised signature, date and number to the lower edge. This distinctive work is expected to attract a winning bid in the $5,000-$8,000 range. Max (born Peter Max Finkelstein) achieved international acclaim for his brightly-colored creations, some of which came to be synonymous with the visual arts and culture of the “psychedelic Sixties.” In addition to the pieces by Gene Davis and Peter Max, the sale also includes works by such notables as Alexander Calder (American, 1898-1976),…
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Auction Industry, Press ReleaseQuinn’s June 9 Fine & Decorative Arts online auction offers diverse array of American, European & Asian artworks, Modernist prints, furniture and British sports cars
Featured: Montague Dawson marine painting with purported White House connection, important Irish portrait of noblewoman, antique German suit of armor, 19th C. Tiffany silver tureen FALLS CHURCH, Va. – On Friday, June 9, 2023, Quinn’s Auction Galleries will conduct a beautifully curated Fine & Decorative Arts sale featuring American, European, Asian and modern art. All bidding will be online through a choice of platforms, as well as absentee or by phone; no in-person gallery bidding. The auction selection includes portraiture from the 17th to 19th centuries, an impressive marine painting by Montague Dawson, and a William Watson depiction of Highland cattle. Additionally, there are Modernist fine art prints, including an original lithograph by Elizabeth Catlett, and historical signatures and autographs of prominent figures such as Albert Einstein and Theodore Roosevelt. Other categories showcase antique and modern furniture, fine jewelry, Asian decorative arts (snuff bottles, textiles, screens, etc.), and eccentric interior décor, including a German suit of armor, Phillips 66 gas pump, and an antique harp. Three British sportscars are ready to roll: 1972 and 1980 MG Midgets, and a 1973 Triumph TR6 convertible. Montague Dawson (British, 1895-1973), untitled oil-on-board painting of ships in a harbor. Signed at lower left. Label on verso from Frost & Reed, London. Size: 19½ x 23½in (sight). Reputedly, the work was originally commissioned for The White House. Estimate $15,000-$25,000 Leading the fine art selection is a signed Montague Dawson (British, 1895-1973) oil-on-board painting of companion ships in a harbor. It retains a label on verso from one of the UK’s oldest art dealerships, Frost & Reed of London. The painting is untitled but displays a second label on verso that reads: "Montague Dawson was commissioned to paint this picture of ‘The Ark and the Dove off the Scillies with Lord Baltimore aboard’ for the White House, and when it was delivered, they found it was too small. He therefore painted a larger one of the same subject, which is now hanging in the White House." Sized 19½ by 23½ inches (sight), the auction example is estimated at $15,000-$25,000. A lovely oil-on-canvas work by the eminent…
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Auction Industry, Press ReleaseQuinn’s Feb. 20 Presidents Day Auction commands attention with its impressive array of Presidential autographs and historical Americana
Featured: Extraordinary archive chronicling Alexander Graham Bell’s battle for telephone patent and establishment of AT&T; women’s suffrage books inscribed by Susan B. Anthony FALLS CHURCH, Va. – This year marks the 150th anniversary of Alexander Graham Bell’s most famous invention: the telephone. While scientific history is mired in controversy over who actually devised the first electronic speech-transmitting device, with a number of contenders in the fray, it was Bell who received the US patent for the telephone, on March 7, 1876. In recognition of Bell’s world-changing invention, Quinn’s has included several significant early documents and other ephemera pertaining to the telephone patent dispute in its February 20 Presidential Autograph and Americana Auction. First edition of Alexander Graham Bell’s ‘Researches In Telephony,’ the inventor’s first report on the telephone, consists of new series Vol. IV and whole series Vol. XII (May 1876-May 1877), pp. 1-10. Publisher: John Wilson & Son, 1877. 8 vol. disbound. Contains Bell’s detailed description of first successful transmission of human speech via telephone. Estimate $2,000-$3,000 Papers associated with the many legal challenges to Bell’s invention are of inestimable importance, as decisions from those cases went on to set precedents that affected future patent litigation. Quinn’s is proud to present several significant lots of ephemera directly associated with the dawn of telecommunications, starting with a first edition of Bell’s first report on the telephone, titled Researches In Telephony. In this account, Bell includes a word-for-word description of the first successful transmission of human speech via telephone, occurring on March 14, 1876. The report is part of a disbound 8-volume set and is estimated at $2,000-$3,000. Bell’s The Second Bell Telephone Patent: Improvements in Electric Telephony relates to US Patent No. 186,787, which was issued on January 15, 1877. The second of Bell’s two fundamental patents for the telephone, it provided sweeping protection for the Scotsman’s invention, clearing a pathway for AT&T’s near-century-long monopoly in the marketplace. The lot offered by Quinn’s consists of three pages, two of them having intricately detailed illustrations and diagrams. Estimate: $1,000-$2,000 An extraordinary collection known as “The Telephone Cases” is a virtual archive…
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Auction Industry, Press ReleaseQuinn’s presents elegant online-only Fine and Decorative Arts auction Jan. 14
400-lot selection features high-quality Asian, American, European and Modern art FALLS CHURCH, Va. – On Saturday, January 14, Northern Virginia’s Quinn’s Auction Galleries will present an online-only Fine and Decorative Arts auction brimming with 400+ lots of beautiful Asian, American, European and Modern artworks. The auction will commence at 10am Eastern time, with absentee and Internet live bidding available through LiveAuctioneers.com or Invaluable, and absentee bidding (only) through HiBid. Oil-on-canvas painting by U San Win (Burmese, 1905-1981), titled ‘View of Shwedagon Pagoda,’ 1975, signed and dated, 15½in x 20½in. Estimate: $7,000-$9,000 The fine art category is headlined by works from Elliott Daingerfield, James McDougal Hart and other significant artists, along with a small selection by sought-after Burmese painters, including U San Win and Paw Oo Thett. The untitled oil-on-board by Elliott Daingerfield (NC, 1859-1932) is a landscape painting with trees silhouetted against a twilight sky. The diminutive work is artist-signed at lower left and measures 7½ inches by 6¾ inches (sight). It is entered with a $2,000-$3,000 estimate. The oil-on-canvas by U San Win (Burmese, 1905-1981), created in 1975 and titled View of Shwedagon Pagoda, is signed and dated at lower right. Measuring 15½ inches by 20½ inches (sight), it carries an auction estimate of $7,000-$9,000. The untitled 1969 oil-on-canvas by Paw Oo Thett (Burmese, 1936-1993) is an abstracted bird’s-eye view of a picturesque Burmese lake town, with boats traveling through the water and houses on either side. The signed and dated work, 48 inches by 20 inches (sight), should bring $5,000-$7,000. One decorative item certain to spark bidder interest is a gilt patinated bronze by Claude Lalanne (French, 1925-2019) titled Grand Vase Eventail. The 6 7/8-inch by 13 3/8-inch vessel is signed Cl. Lalanne along the base, inscribed Artcurial on the bottom, and numbered 73/900. It also bears the foundry mark Christian Maas Fondeur. In light of the great popularity Lalanne’s designs are currently enjoying in the art marketplace, there is every expectation that this grand vase will settle in the $6,000-$9,000 range. Antique furniture includes a Connecticut cherry highboy and a Dutch musical tall-case clock, as well as…
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Auction Industry, Press ReleaseQuinn’s Nov. 29 Rare Books, Prints & Autographs auction features collection and library of distinguished ecologist Dr. Thomas E. Lovejoy
450-lot sale also features US Presidential signatures and pens, 1776 map of NY, 1648 first edition of Historia naturalis Brasilia, Robert Frost signed books, many other great treasures. Offered will be more than 450 choice lots, starting promptly at 12 o’clock noon Eastern time FALLS CHURCH, Va. – On Tuesday, November 29, Northern Virginia’s Quinn’s Auction Galleries will present a Rare Books, Prints and Autographs auction, loaded with over 450 lots of rare books, antique maps and Americana. Absentee and Internet live bidding will be available through LiveAuctioneers.com. The auction will begin at 12 noon Eastern time. This 1648 first edition copy of Historia naturalis Brasilia, the most notable scientific work completed in Brazil in the 17th century, is expected to realize $4,000-$6,000. The catalog features such items as two Presidential signing pens, signatures of the presidents from Nixon to Joe Biden and the Rehnquist Supreme Court, a copy of the Faeden map of New York from 1776, books signed by Robert Frost and other rare and desirable items. The auction’s headliner, however, is the collection and library of Dr. Thomas E. Lovejoy (1941-2021), who became known as the godfather of biodiversity after he coined the term. Dr. Lovejoy was a pioneer in the conservation movement and a central figure in the effort to preserve the Amazon Rainforest since the 1960s. His collection showcases his dedication to the wilderness, flora, and fauna of the Amazon, as well as his interest in Brazil and SouthAmerica at large. A 1648 first edition copy of Historia naturalis Brasilia, the most notable scientific work completed in Brazil in the 17th century, is expected to realize $4,000-$6,000. The book, by Willem and Georg Marcgraf, is two parts in a one-volume folio, with over 400 woodcut illustrations after Georg Marcgraf and Albert Eckhout. The volume contains records of the first astronomical observations made in Brazil, and valuable ethnographic and linguistic information on the northeastern region of Brazil and its inhabitants. A first edition copy of De natura Novi Orbis libri duo by Jose de Acosta, dated 1589 on the title page but 1588 on the second…
