In the late 18th and early 19th century, sailors on whaling ships practiced scrimshaw to pass time. It was the practice of creating artwork out of whalebone, as byproducts. Nothing went to waste. The sailors engraved folk art and embellished common tools and utensils. In the upcoming Marine Auction presented by Rafael Osona Auctions, a pierced panbone scrimshaw basket from circa 1850 is a leading lot. It is the work of Scarce Whaleman. Three tiers of carved openwork form the oval frame of the basket, and the edges are scalloped. It also has a rarely seen fixed handle and oval pine base.
This Marine Auction will also offer fine art, Asian art, Native American and ethnographic finds, decorative art, and furniture. Southampton Sunset by Anthony Vandyke Copley Fielding is a top lot among fine art offerings. It is a watercolor, signed and dated 1828 in gilt gesso and a wood frame. Copley Fielding belonged to the Golden Age of British watercolorists. A pupil of John Varley, he later became a teacher and the president of the Royal Society of Watercolours in 1831. One of his favorite subjects to paint was marine life. Find the listed items and more online auctions on Bidsquare.
Tropical trees with blue skies and floating clouds were a recurring theme for Albert Ernest Backus, also known as Beanie Backus. He was an American artist famous for his Florida landscape paintings, one of which is a leading lot in Helmuth Stone Gallery’s upcoming American & European Fine Art & Antiques auction. “Painting is something of a disease, you’ve just got to do it,” said Backus. He was a mostly self-taught painter who started his career at 11 by painting signs, billboards, and theater marquees. Years later, after some encouragement from Dorothy Binney Palmer, Backus pursued landscape paintings, mostly painting tropical flowers, beaches and river scenes of Florida.
Another notable lot from the auction is Emilcar Similien’s 1980 acrylic on panel painting. Similien’s work depicts a silhouette of a woman wearing a gown and jewelry. Upon closer look, the details of her jewelry, the dotted mélange of colors on her attire, and the background can be seen. The Haitian artist signed and dated the painting. Among furniture, notable lots include an Italian hand-painted late-19th-century chest, a rare 1793 Dutch sled, and a pair of antique Anglo-Indian carved chairs. The Italian chest has elaborately painted drawers with floral motifs. Find the listed items and more online auctions on Bidsquare.
One of the rarest gemstones in the world, tanzanite is found solely in the Manyara Region of Tanzania. The blue-violet stone has an optical quality of displaying myriad colors when viewed from different angles. A 14-karat white gold necklace designed with tanzanite and diamonds is a key highlight of the upcoming North American Auction Company sale. The four-prong oval center stone is a modified natural-cut tanzanite. With a total weight of 15.12 carats, the necklace also comprises a pendant and connectors liberally adorned with 230 prong baguette and round brilliant-cut diamonds.
Leading the decorative arts listings is a wildlife-themed bronze sculpture by American post-war and contemporary artist Danny D. Edwards. The piece exhibits an intricately detailed Sioux Brave man helping his wounded companion in a fluid motion scene. Both figures are mounted on a hardwood shield. Another noteworthy Native American lot is a rare half-pike war tomahawk from the Crow Native Americans of Colorado. Dating back to the early-to-mid-19th century, the piece features an iron hand-forged spontoon with a kite-shaped head that has pierced holes in the blade. To view the complete catalog and register to bid online, visit Bidsquare and browse other online auctions.
In the 1970s, the advent of quartz watches upended the Swiss watchmaking industry. Up until that point, intricate mechanical watches reigned supreme. Some designers made the switch to the new, simple, and cheaper technology. Swiss-trained horologist Michel Parmigiani instead chose to preserve the old style through meticulous restoration projects. Among the key lots of Bonhams Skinner’s upcoming sale is a unique open-face watch from Michel Parmigiani. This piece features an 18-karat pink gold case, blue translucent fire enamel details, and an original fitted maple box. It dates back to 1999, shortly after Parmigiani founded Parmigiani Fleurier, a luxury brand dedicated to preserving classic Swiss watchmaking techniques.
The August auction of Clocks, Watches, & Scientific Instruments will also include a Tornek-Rayville TR-900 dive watch from circa 1964. This rare example was commissioned for the U.S. Navy Underwater Demolition Teams (also known as “frogmen”), units that would eventually evolve to become Navy SEALs. This watch’s features include a moisture indicator and a screw-back engraved with military markings. A selection of Rolex and Patek Philippe wristwatches is available, as well as 19th-century shelf clocks, French mantel clocks, and American tall clocks. To view the complete catalogs of this and other online auctions, visit Bidsquare.
Known as canary diamonds, yellow diamonds are the most coveted among the fancy colored variety. Named after the small songbird, these diamonds have a rich yellow hue. They get this unique color from the small nitrogen components in their structure. A natural fancy yellow diamond ring designed in platinum and 18-karat yellow gold is a key highlight of Fortuna Auction’s upcoming sale. It is set with a 16.07-carat cut-cornered rectangular modified brilliant-cut diamond, flanked by two trillion-cut diamonds. Another noteworthy ring is a GRS-certified Mozambique ruby and diamond cocktail ring. Crafted with a cushion faceted Mozambique ruby and round brilliant-cut diamonds, the ring is fashioned in 18-karat white gold. Today, Mozambique is the world’s significant source for the blood-red colored gemstone. Ruby connoisseurs might find a Tiffany & Co Schlumberger ring equally interesting. Designed with 18-karat yellow gold and platinum prongs, it is crafted with square-faceted rubies. Schlumberger is acclaimed for designing such whimsical, nature-inspired creations.
An Art Deco bracelet crafted in platinum also leads the listings. Typical of the antique jewelry made in the Art Deco era, the bracelet features old European-cut, single-cut, and baguette-cut diamonds. To view the complete catalog and register to bid online, visit Fortuna Auction’s website.
Artist Kandis Williams is notable for her carefully curated collage arts. Her works usually shed light on issues like nationalism, race, and authority. Williams’ collages are full of layers of repetitive footage and photographs, a signature feature in her works. The artist utilizes a structured approach involving deconstruction and reconstruction of stories and pictures. The upcoming Sotheby’s auction presents Death Of A by Kandis Williams. The available four-channel HD sound and video installation has a running time of 26 minutes and 51 seconds.
Another highlight is a bronze sculpture by conceptual artist Hank Willis Thomas. Everything we see hides another thing depicts how Thomas addresses bias and inequality. He utilizes visualization theory to create awareness through art. The bold bronze artwork invites its viewers to witness and question societal disparity. Also featured is a Clare Rojas oil painting, titled What Is Really Going On. The Mission School artist’s work shows the influence of folk art. The offered painting depicts geometric abstraction, a style recently adopted by Rojas.
Showcased is a glazed ceramic stool by ceramist Hun Chung Lee. The modern design stool has round edges. It utilizes color schemes from the Joseon Dynasty. Lee’s handmade clay objects feature a celadon glaze dating back to the 15th century. Collaborating with nature, Lee develops sculptures with ultimate functionality. The auction also offers a ceramic sculpture titled Worlding Hands (Embrace) by Heidi Lau and artworks of Marcel Duchamp, KAWS, and Daniel Boccato, among others. Interested collectors can explore the entire catalog and register to bid online on Sotheby’s.
American author Edgar Rice Burroughs is known for his celebrated Tarzan series of 24 books. Tarzan, the title character, remains a highly popular fictional icon even today. The Son of Tarzan, published by A. C. McClurg & Co. in 1917, is the fourth book in this series. The original green clothbound book with gilt lettering is a key highlight of the upcoming online auction at Bonhams. It has slight shelf wear at the edges with the dust jacket refurbished with expert restoration. Another American author, L. Frank Baum, leads the listings with his Road to Oz, the fifth of his books based on the fantasy Land of Oz. Documenting the adventures of Dorothy Gale, the book was published by Reilly & Britton (1909). With illustrations by John R. Neill, the original dust jacket book has light green cloth adorned in red, tan and black. Baum is renowned for his popular children’s book The Wonderful Wizard of Oz and its sequels.
The auction also offers P. G. Wodehouse’s The Prince and Betty, published in the U.S. version and the U.K. edition. Both versions differ in the way they incorporate the plot of Psmith, Journalist. To view the complete catalog and register to bid online, visit Bonhams.
In the mid-19th century, a young Anton Werres set off from his native Cologne to study under renowned German sculptor Gustav Bläser. Under Bläser’s tutelage, Werres learned how to handle marble and manipulate it in the manner of the classical sculptors. He rode the wave of Neoclassicism to achieve wide renown. A marble sculpture by Anton Werres, once thought to be lost, will soon come to auction with Bonhams Skinner. This finely carved piece depicts Flora, the Roman goddess of flowers and the spring season. It is one of only two known marble sculptures by Werres depicting a mythological subject. The other, a tribute to Bacchus, sold at Sotheby’s for GBP 293,000 in 2015. Another notable marble sculpture in the sale depicts a child reaching for her mother’s locket. The piece hails from 19th-century Italy.
Also available is a Dutch gold oorijizer, or ear iron. This headdress evolved from a peasant fashion of wearing an iron helmet beneath a lace cap. As the fashion spread, the upper classes converted the headdress to gold ornamented with rosette pins that rest on the temples. The available oorijizer features elaborately wrought side pins and a cap split by a chain. A set of Georgian Chippendale carved dining chairs, Scottish fine art, and other works of European decorative art will be available. Visit Bidsquare for the complete catalog of this and other online auctions.
A native of California and a follower of French Impressionism, Guy Rose came to painting after a tragic childhood accident. He learned how to use watercolors and oil paints while recovering from a gunshot wound. Rose honed those painting skills in Paris before returning to the rugged Californian coast. Bonhams’ upcoming California Art sale particularly features a signed oil painting by Guy Rose depicting California’s Carmel-by-the-Sea and the Monterey Peninsula. Rose followed a tide of American Impressionists who rushed into the region in the early 20th century. A French sensibility for light and color set Rose’s paintings of the coast above those of his peers. The available Off Point Lobos painting was completed in the summer of 1918, Rose’s most prolific year on the Californian coast.
The California Art auction includes subjects such as sweeping landscapes, cowboys, and rodeos, as well as more contemporary themes. American Western art collectors will find a colorful mountain painting by Edgar Payne, titled Rider and Pack Horse in the Sierras. A largely self-taught artist, Payne grew to become one of the most famous and popular painters of sweeping mountainous views. In the available work, a cowboy leads a line of pack horses through a snow-dusted mountain pass. The catalog includes additional pieces by Alfred R. Mitchell, August Gay, Armin Hansen, and others. Visit Bonhams’ auction for the full catalog and to place a bid.
The watch that conquered the deep ocean is coming to 66 | A Collection of Assorted Timepieces auction at NY Elizabeth. It is the Rolex Sea-Dweller Automatic in stainless steel with a 40mm case. The Rolex Sea-Dweller is waterproof to a depth of 4,000 feet (1,220 meters). The first Sea-Dweller was launched in 1967. This watch is the ultimate manifestation of Rolex’s leadership in divers’ watches and the result of decades of collaboration with diving professionals. From deep sea divers to aviators, Rolex has made watches for record makers and breakers over decades. Other collector’s watches from Rolex like the Air-King, Oyster Perpetual 41, and Datejust are also available in the auction.
Apart from Rolex, this auction offers the world’s most famous reversible watch, Jaeger-LeCoultre’s Reverso Grande Night & Day. It is an 18-karat rose gold watch with a 27.50mm case and automatic movement. The story of its origin begins in the middle of the 19th century in Manipur (India), where the Manipur royals and locals played “sagol kangjei,” translating as horse hockey. The players on horseback hit a ball across a rectangular field. British Lieutenant Sherer reported his observations to Captain Robert Stewart, and the two began playing the game that is now known as polo. In 1930, during a visit to India, Swiss native César de Trey encountered polo-playing British officers who sought a robust timekeeper for use during the game. That resulted in the Reverso– a wristwatch that had a case primarily of two parts, one of which was a swiveling capsule that could be pivoted 180 degrees on a hinge. Find the listed items and more online auctions on Bidsquare.
