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 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…
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…
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…
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),…
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…
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…
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…
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…
Auction Industry, Press ReleaseQuinn’s to auction exceptional array of Pre-Columbian & Ethnographic Art, Nov. 3
Las Bocas Olmec Seated Figure, Mexico, 900-600 BCE Featured: Las Bocas Olmec (Mexico) figure, Maya (Guatemala) plumbate dog, Jaina (Yucatan) figures, 1983 Cheri Samba (Congo) painting FALLS CHURCH, Va. – Quinn’s Auction Galleries of northern Virginia takes pride in announcing a November 3rd Pre-Columbian and Ethnographic Arts Auction featuring a fine array of Pre-Columbian ceramics from Peru, Mexico, Guatemala, and Costa Rica; as well as African figures, masks, paintings, and utilitarian objects. More than three dozen pieces come with provenance from distinguished collections or noteworthy auctions of the past. Among those esteemed sources are: Harold E Rayburn (12 objects), Peter Wray (8 objects), Ted Van Dyke (5 objects), Frances Pratt (2 objects), and Merrill Rueppel for the Merrill Gallery (2 objects). Five lots were formerly the property of A. Emmerich Gallery, and another five were auctioned by Sotheby’s Parke-Bernet in New York. Sotheby's Parke-Bernet was an interim name used in the 1970s for the auction house previously known as Parke-Bernet that became an arm of London's Sotheby's after its purchase in 1964. By the mid-1970s, the Parke-Bernet had been phased out entirely, and from then on, only Sotheby's name was used. Standouts among the many highlights include a Las Bocas Olmec seated figure from Mexico, a Maya plumbate dog from Guatemala, and a 1983 Cheri Samba painting from the Democratic Republic of the Congo. It is an online-only auction with bidding through LiveAuctioneers or Invaluable. Phone and absentee bidding is available through Quinn’s, and online absentee bids may be placed via HiBid, using Quinn’s website. The rich array of Pre-Columbian art is led by a Las Bocas Olmec seated figure displaying all of the correct characteristics and physical attitudes of Las Bocas (Puebla, Mexico) human-figural pottery. The figure has a downturned mouth and leans on the right hand, with the left arm raised. The knees are slightly bent, and the head is tilted slightly to the left, while the mouth is downturned. The 3¾-inch-high figure crafted of burnished buff to orange ceramic dates to the Middle Formative period, 900 to 600 BCE, and is estimated at $10,000-$15,000. Also from the…
Auction Industry, Press ReleaseClassical, traditional, Asian and Modern art share the spotlight at Quinn’s Sept. 24 Fine & Decorative Arts Auction
Listed 17th-century Dutch artist Jan van Goyen’s “City View at a Canal” oil painting was once part of the Baron Koningswarter Collection auctioned in Berlin in 1906 FALLS CHURCH, Va. – On Saturday, September 24, northern Virginia’s Quinn’s Auction Galleries will present a 375-lot Fine and Decorative Arts Auction with selections from distinguished residences and collections of the Mid-Atlantic region. The auction will commence at 10 a.m Eastern time, and all bidding will be live online, by phone or absentee. The auction features a broad array of Asian, American, European, and Modern arts. Among the artists represented in the fine art category are Merton D. Simpson (co-founder of Harlem’s Spiral Collective), 17th-century Dutch painter Jan van Goyen, neo-pop artist Peter Tunney, and many others of marketplace significance. Decorative art categories include bronzes, art glass, tall-case clocks, Modern and antique furniture; and Galle cameo-glass lamps. Ceramics include Greek pottery from 6th century Corinth and 5th century Sicily. An excellent variety of Asian decorative arts incorporates porcelain, jades, Japanese Fuchi Kashira, Chinese bronzes, South Eastern Asian wood carvings, and Chinese screens. And as Quinn’s clientele has come to expect, there will also be a boutique selection of fine jewelry that includes rings, bracelets and necklaces, crafted from gold and sterling silver. Jan van Goyen (Dutch, 1596-1656), ‘City View at a Canal,’ oil-on-panel, circa 1640s. Sight: 19 x 25¼in; framed 30 x 36in. Partial gallery label on verso from Konigswarter auction held by Friedrich Schwarz and Eduard Schulte in Berlin on Nov. 20, 1906. Listed as No. 25 in the Collection of Baron Koningswarter auction catalog. Estimate $10,000-$15,000 Paintings are led by a circa-1640s Jan van Goyen (Dutch, 1596-1656) oil-on-panel titled City View at a Canal. The 19- by 25¼-inch work retains a partial gallery label on verso from a 1906 auction of the Baron Koningswarter Collection held on Nov. 20, 1906 in Berlin and conducted by Friedrich Schwarz and Eduard Schulte. Van Goyen is a listed artist, shown in Volume 8 (1927) of Cornelis Hofstede de Groot's Catalogue Raisonne of the Most Eminent Dutch Painters of the 17th Century. Quinn’s has placed…
Auction Industry, Press ReleaseQuinn’s June 4 Fine & Decorative Arts Auction highlighted by Tiffany lamps, 1928 Rene Lalique vase, Frishmuth bronze
Rene Lalique, "Borromee" glass vase. Also featured: Large selection of midcentury modern chairs, jewelry, silver and high-quality Asian antiques, including 17th-century Chinese libation cup FALLS CHURCH, Va. – On Saturday, June 4, 2022, Northern Virginia’s Quinn’s Auction Galleries will conduct a fully curated Fine & Decorative Arts sale featuring stunning early 20th-century Tiffany Studios lamps, a Rene Lalique (French, 1860-1945) “Borromee” vase, Asian antiques and a large selection of modern chairs, many of them associated with mid-20th-century design luminaries. More than 500 lots will be offered. The Tiffany Studios lamps are led by a Curtain Border floor lamp, 77½ inches tall, of yellow and green leaded glass with a diamond band and curtain border shade on a bronze base. Tiffany markings appear on both the shade and base. Sourced from a Baltimore-area estate where it had resided since the early 20th century, it comes to action with a pre-sale estimate of $40,000-$60,000. Also adding color and luminescence to the auction lineup is a Tiffany Studios bronze and leaded-glass Daffodil desk lamp standing 21½ inches tall. The verdant shade is profusely adorned with images of yellow and white daffodils, with additional glass accents in complementary garden tones. The shade is stamped “Tiffany Studios NY 1448,” while the base is stamped “Tiffany Studios NY 538.” Estimate: $12,000-$16,000. A 9-inch-tall Rene Lalique “Borromee” blue molded-glass vase exemplifies a model first introduced at the height of the Art Deco era, in 1928. Peacocks decorate the circumference of the vase, and its base is stencil-etched R. Lalique France. This highly desirable vessel is expected to achieve a winning bid in the $10,000-$15,000 range. The sizable array of modern seating includes several designs by Finn Juhl, including a Chieftain chair and ottoman manufactured by Baker. Of black leather with wood framing, the chair is marked on the bottom and is expected to reach $3,000-$5,000. A pair of teak lounge chairs Juhl designed for France and Sons is upholstered in red fabric and has a wood frame and tapered legs; and a set of two Model 48 armchairs designed jointly by Finn Juhl and Niels Vodder is…
Auction Industry, Press ReleaseQuinn’s to host April 21 auction of African, Asian and Pre-Columbian ethnographic art with important provenance
Featured: Unique, published example of a stunning Iraqw (Tanzania) beaded hide and fiber skirt FALLS CHURCH, Va. – Quinn’s April 21 Ethnographic Arts Auction, the next specialty event in its popular Collectors Series, shines a spotlight on the art and relics of some of the world’s greatest cultures and civilizations. The curated selection includes antiquities, tribal treasures and ancient art from Asia, Africa and the Americas. Some of the works are “published” examples and many come with provenance from distinguished collections. Iraqw beaded skirt, north-central Tanzania, East Africa, composed of animal hide with beads and natural fibers. Framed size: 61 5/8 x 38¾in (framed). Unique artwork. From the Estate of Dr. Giraud V. Foster, Baltimore, Maryland. Estimate $3,000-$5,000 Among the top lots is a stunning Iraqw (north central Tanzania) beaded skirt constructed from natural fibers and animal hide. Iraqw skirts are amongst the most elaborately decorated textiles to emerge from eastern Africa. Each creation is unique, reflecting the skill of the individual maker and the resources available to them. Typically, the skirts consist of four panels made from cow- or goat-hide, with thousands of beads attached using a lazy stitch to create the characteristic long bands and geometric motifs. In historical examples, such as the one offered by Quinn’s, the beads are typically white, red, blue and black, with some to accent in yellow. Those made in later decades incorporate other colors, such as light blue and green. The auction example, which is mounted, framed and estimated at $3,000-$5,000, comes from the Estate of Dr Giraud V Foster of Baltimore, Maryland. A medical doctor, archaeologist, photographer and world traveler, Dr Foster was employed as the personal physician to the last king of Yemen, Al Imam Ahmad bin Yahya Hamiddin. The auction lineup includes several outstanding masks of African tribal origin. A 20th-century Songye Kifwebe mask from the Republic of the Congo is composed of wood, feathers, pigment and fibers. A sizable piece, it measures 46 inches long and 12 inches across. Its provenance includes, most recently, the Estate of Marshall and Shirley Jacobs of Germantown, Maryland. It holds the distinction of…
Auction Industry, People, Press ReleaseStephen M. Silvia Appointed Director of Jewelry Department at Quinn’s Auction Galleries
Silvia’s distinguished 40+ year career includes management positions at Saks Fifth Avenue and Neiman-Marcus as well as in the auction trade FALLS CHURCH, Va. – The executive team at Quinn’s Auction Galleries takes great pleasure in announcing the appointment of Stephen M Silvia as director of the company’s jewelry department. With a distinguished 40-year career in retail fine jewelry, Silvia is a highly skilled professional, both at the technical and business levels of the trade. STEPHEN M SILVIA “Stephen comes to us with unrivaled experience in management, business development and the implementation of standardized practices. In addition, he holds industry credentials that place him at the highest level of his chosen field. These assets will prove invaluable to his new position at Quinn’s,” said the auction company’s senior vice president, Matthew Quinn. Stephen Silvia is a formally trained goldsmith whose education includes qualifications from the Gemological Institute of America (GIA), Jewelry Design Institute, and International Society of Appraisers (ISA). Prior to choosing fine jewelry as his career specialty, he also completed a structural engineering apprenticeship with Tenneco Corporation in Newport News, Virginia. Growing up in a New England military family with a father who was frequently stationed abroad, Silvia had the opportunity to experience life in several European countries, including England, France, Germany and Belgium. Because encountering new environments and making new friends were a constant in his life, Silvia says he had to learn to adapt quickly, which helped him hone social skills that served him well when he later established a career in the jewelry business. Before joining Quinn’s, Silvia worked as director of jewelry for an auction house in the Mid-Atlantic region and, prior to that, was the estate manager of three households owned by a prominent family in Chevy Chase, Maryland. Over a 25-year period beginning in 1977, Silvia held management positions in the jewelry divisions of upscale retail concerns that included Saks Fifth Avenue (Chevy Chase), Neiman-Marcus (Washington, DC), J.B. Rudolph (Tampa, Fla.), and J E Caldwell & Co (Washington, DC). After initially retiring in 2018, Silvia quickly realized that he missed the gratification gained…
Auction Industry, Press ReleaseQuinn’s to host Jan. 29 Fine & Decorative Arts Auction featuring elite consignments from Mid-Atlantic region
International art selection includes portraits of nobles, contemporary works, Picasso and Marblehead pottery, Asian antiques, elegant furniture, Trist family silver FALLS CHURCH, Va. – Quinn’s Auction Galleries will conduct its first Fine & Decorative Arts Auction of 2022 on Saturday, January 29, starting at 10 a.m. Eastern Time. While gallery attendance will not be an option for this sale, bidders may participate conveniently by phone, absentee, or live online through their choice of three bidding platforms. Abdul Qader Al Rais (Emirati, b. 1951-), Untitled, watercolor on paper, 30 x 22¼in (sight), signed/dated 2000 at lower right. Estimate $12,000-$16,000 The auction includes an outstanding selection of Asian, American, European and Modern artworks, with selections by Norah McGuinness, Jean Louis Voille, Harlem Spiral Collective co-founder Merton D. Simpson, and many other significant artists. A collection of lithographs and etchings includes works by such notables as Man Ray, Anders Zorn, Peter Max and Salvador Dali. Bronzes, clocks, Russian icons, rugs, glass, porcelains and ceramics will cross the auction block together with fine silver by Dominick & Haff, S. Kirk and Son, Lunt and other esteemed firms. In addition, Quinn’s will offer a variety of Asian decorative arts, including Chinese porcelains, paintings and scrolls; jades, bronze censers, Japanese woodblock prints, netsukes, snuff bottles and other treasured objects of the Far East. An array of elegant and beautifully crafted furniture will be presented, with French, English Queen Anne, American Aesthetic Movement and Norwegian Modern styles represented. Art to suit every taste and décor can be found within the fully curated 459-lot auction. A superbly executed oil-on-canvas portrait of Count Paul Alexandrovich Stroganoff (1774-1817) by Jean Louis Voille (French/Russian, 1744-after 1801) is signed and dated 1792. With a framed size of 33 by 28½ inches, this aristocratic depiction comes to auction with a $10,000-$15,000 estimate. Another noble, General Charles Cornwallis, 1st Marquess Cornwallis, KG, PC, is the subject of a Johann Nikolau Grooth oil-on-canvas portrait painted in 1761. The sitting probably took place after Cornwallis’ promotion to brevet lieutenant-colonel. It is signed and dated, and has a pre-sale estimate of $2,000-$4,000. Roadside Grasses, a contemporary oil-on-canvas…
Auction Industry, Press ReleaseQuinn’s presents curated Arts of the Americas Auction featuring Pre-Columbian gold, Nov. 4
Also featured: Olmec-style jade masks, collection of Maximon/San Simon saint figures, pottery, sculptures, textiles, baskets, paintings and other Mesoamerican cultural treasures FALLS CHURCH, Va. – On Thursday, Nov. 4, 2021, Northern Virginia’s Quinn’s Auction Galleries will conduct a beautifully curated “Arts of the Americas” auction from its popular Collector Series. The 145-lot specialty event features a collection of Pre-Columbian, Native American and Central American objects that include pottery, sculpture, gold, textiles, baskets, paintings and Guatemalan folk santos. While there will be no in-person floor bidding, many other convenient options are available, including live online through a choice of three bidding platforms. Among the auction’s highlights are a group of Diquis and Veraguas pendants, a 600-900CE Veracruz palma, a Doug Hyde sculpture titled Grandma’s Goat Thinks He’s a Dragon, and an assortment of 20th-century Maximon figures. Diquis/Chiriqui pendant depicting two figures within a framework of linked gold rectangles, 22K gold, Costa Rica, weight 129.6g. Estimate $7,000-$8,000 It’s impossible not to gaze admiringly at the beautiful 22K gold that composes a Diquis pendant from Costa Rica. The Diquis culture flourished from 700-1530 AD, and its people formed part of the Greater Chiriqui culture that inhabited a substantial region that spanned from southern Costa Rica to western Panama. The Diquis are known for their stone spheres and masterful gold designs. The pendant consigned to Quinn’s weighs 129.6 grams and depicts two figures standing within a framework of linked gold rectangles. Like many of the gold pieces in the auction, it comes with provenance from the Ehrich Locke family. It is estimated at $7,000-$8,000. A number of other important pendants follow, including a 22K gold Diquis pendant of figure in “feathered” headdress, weighing 20.7 grams and estimated at $1,000-$1,500; and two designs from the Veraguas (Costa Rica) culture, whose goldsmiths were known for the high quality of their workmanship. A 14K gold example depicting a mythical two-headed creature weighs 72.9 grams and is estimated at $2,000-$4,000, while an 18K gold pendant in the form of an antlered animal, which weighs 38 grams, is expected to make $1,500-$2,000. A fascinating back story explains the design…
