Orion Antiques to Offer Purvis Young Paintings and Wedgwood Porcelain

A lifelong resident of the Miami, Florida area, Purvis Young was a self-taught artist who offered the art world a completely fresh perspective. He was unrestricted by formal training or conventions. Instead, he depicted his disenfranchised Black American community with grace and humanity, executed his works on found pieces of cardboard and scrap wood, and displayed paintings on chain link fences surrounding abandoned lots. Several works on paper by Purvis Young will soon come to auction with Orion Antiques. Among them is a figurative scene completed with black oil paint on paper. Human-like squiggles dominate the page, as do tiny crosses and fluid circles along the bottom edge. The catalog also offers fine art from Joseph Thony Moise, LeRoy Neiman, and J. G. Brown.  

Ceramics collectors will find several notable items in this sale, including a pair of Wedgwood blue and white porcelain urn lamps. These pieces bear the brand’s iconic “Wedgwood Blue” in a deep cornflower shade. The color was developed while founder Josiah Wedgwood was experimenting with Jasperware. Decorated in a Neoclassical style, these lamps feature swooped laurels and detailed Greco-Roman figures along the sides. Other notable lots in this event include a set of Imari-style tableware, Chinese carved jade sculptures, and Kachina dolls by Alex West. View the complete catalog of this and other online auctions by visiting Bidsquare.