Boulle marquetry was introduced by the French cabinetmaker André-Charles Boulle (1642-1732). Known as the “furniture jeweler,” Boulle was considered a preeminent artist in the field of marquetry or inlay furniture. He made furniture for Louis XIV of France. A late 18th or early 19th-century Boulle marquetry diminutive secretary bookcase is one of the featured lots in Neue Auctions’ Marvin Drucker Lifetime Collection. The bookcase has a rectangular top with a pair of hinged glazed doors opening to a mirrored back glass shelf. The front doors have gilt bronze mounts, red tortoiseshell details, and a floral medallion centered by a pair of winged lion terms. The interior is fitted with leather and three small drawers, above a pair of hinge doors with Boulle marquetry inlay, raised on a bracket base and fitted with gilt bronze mounts.
The auction of Marvin Drucker’s lifetime collection also includes Asian antiques. A set of 12 Japanese 19th-century sword fittings is available in the sale. The set includes one signed Tsuba (sword guard), eight Menuki (hilt fittings), one Seppa (spacers placed above and below the tsuba), and two Kashira (caps for the sword handle). The Mito Kinko Tsuba is attributed to the workshop of the Hamano Shozui master. The cast resembles an Oni (demon or troll in Japanese mythology) wearing a loin cloth and basket hat— probably the disguise of a humble, holy man. The sale also has Asian porcelain, pottery, carvings, lacquer, bronze, and cloisonné works that honor Mr. Drucker’s passion for collection. Find the listed items and more online auctions on Bidsquare.
A 1960 Ferrari 250GT Pininfarina Coupé is a key highlight of the digital auction platform Bring a Trailer’s (BaT) premium listings. The 250GT Ferrari exemplifies a series of modern grand touring (GT) cars sought for their combination of high speed, luxury, and performance. The Pininfarina design version is considered to be a sophisticated variant of the company’s sporty 250MM car. It is the 338th of 353 Pininfarina coupés, powered by a 3.0-liter Colombo V12 and a four-speed manual transmission with overdrive. Trimmed with beige Connolly leather over the seats, transmission tunnel, and door panels, the car is finished in Blu Sera paint. Another noteworthy vehicle is a 1968 Shelby Mustang GT500KR. The rare vintage car is one of the 1,053 “King of the Road” fastback models produced in the year. GT500KR models resembled the GT500 in their styling but were equipped with a more powerful 428ci Cobra Jet engine.
Automobile enthusiasts can view a selection of such vintage and classic vehicles onsite at the 2022 BaT Alumni Gathering on June 25 at The Shop in Seattle, Washington. The auction platform is hosting the third Alumni event for BaT’s buyers and sellers community. To bid online and register for the event, visit Bring a Trailer.
Although he was known primarily as an artist who created kinetic mobiles and monumental public sculptures, Alexander Calder was an artist who found himself a niche in many different formats. He created prints and paintings, designed theatrical sets and jewelry, and developed abstract motifs for aircraft, automobiles, textiles, rugs, and more. Three of those designs— in the form of modern rugs— are currently under the hammer in the Vintage & Modern Rugs auction at 1stbid.
The available lots include traditional designs from around the world. Over 90 of the almost 200 rugs on offer are from Persia, and there are also pieces from Turkey, Morocco, Pakistan, the Caucasus, and more. Some of the notable individual pieces include an antique Serapi rug listed in very good condition, a Mohtasham Kashan rug from the Hajji Jalilli period, an antique Bakhshaish rug also in very good condition, and a French tapestry rug that depicts the grape harvest. Visit Bidsquare to browse the full catalog of this and other online auctions.
Originally known as an enamel painter in Germany, Severin Roesen moved to the city of New York in 1848 during the Revolution. By the 1900s, he had created his own signature style by frequently painting realistic depictions of grapes and foliages. His intricate still-lifes often show nature and its beauty in its details. Some of his works will be made available at New Haven Auctions’ Antiques & Decorative Arts From Estates & Collections. One of the top lots shows a display of fruits including oranges, and grapes. Strawberries have been showcased as though they have fallen from the basket.
A Steinway & Sons Model O piano will lead the upcoming auction. Known as “small grands,” the Model O pianos were produced from 1900 throughout 1924. Mahogany case decorates the offered Model O. Bidders can also find an array of items, ranging from Cubist Painting by Albert Gleizes to Gorham Sterling Flatware. Interested collectors can explore the full listings and register to bid online on Bidsquare.
Born in 1788, Ammi Phillips was among the most influential folk artists of the 19th century. A self-taught portrait painter, the artist produced over 2,000 works during his artistic career. An example of his art will be presented in the upcoming Americana Including the Collection of Luis Arroyo sale, hosted by New Haven Auctions. The available Ammi Phillips lot is a set of two oil paintings depicting a man and a woman dressed in black. It was executed around 1830.
The event also includes a portrait painting by Sheldon Peck. Many of Peck’s known works were painted in the folk art style and consist of portraits. Describing the nature of his work, the Lombard Historical Society noted that his paintings sought to “humanize his subjects in a way that few of his contemporaries could with an attention to detail and an uncanny resemblance to the sitters. The viewer feels the spirit of the sitters as their eyes follow you around the room.” Find more notable lots in this and other online auctions on Bidsquare.
Austin Auction Gallery will spend three days highlighting more than 1,600 items across several categories, including Western fine art, Italian and French décor, rare firearms, and more. Featured is an oil painting by American artist G. Harvey (1933 – 2017). Known for his traditional rustic Western oil painting and sculptures, Harvey showcased his work worldwide and in places such as the White House and the Embassy of the United States, Moscow. His collectors include the likes of Lyndon B. Johnson, Margaret Thatcher, and Texas Governor John Connally. Available in the upcoming auction is G. Harvey’s oil painting titled Morning Chores. The framed 1968 painting of a cowboy with two horses at the stables is signed and dated by the artist. On the back side is the detailed inventory tag, “inventory number 3493, Grand Central Art Galleries, Inc., New York, Santa Fe Art Auction, New Mexico.”
A rare .410 shotgun custom made by Joseph Jurjevic will also be offered by Austin Auction Gallery. Jurjevic, a well-known name in the arms industry, was a member of the Firearm Department of Abercrombie & Fitch, NYC, and listed in the Hallowell & Co., Illustrated Firearms Directory. This single shot .410 shotgun appeared in Gun Digest’s 1977 Deluxe 31st Anniversary Edition. The ready-to-fire firearm has a 26-inch vent rib barrel with an ivory bead front sight and a rear slide safety. “Designed and Made by Joseph Jurjevic, Gunsmith, Cairo, N.Y.” is found engraved on the left receiver. View the entire sale catalog and explore more online auctions by visiting Bidsquare.
New and established collectors can find a selection of Asian artifacts in Freeman’s Collect: Asian Arts auction. Leading the listings is a Chinese pottery figure of a rider on a horse from the Han dynasty. The body of the rider and the horse are separate forms brought together and supported on a modern acrylic stand. This piece is accompanied by an original University of Hong Kong thermoluminescence test report #82.94, dated June 15, 1994. The Han empire lasted between 202 BCE and 220 CE. This period is considered to be a golden age in Chinese history. Many reforms were made that benefited the citizens and improved the overall condition of the empire. Collectors of Chinese art will also find several striking works of painting and calligraphy on fans or silk in this auction, including pieces by Liu Zhan and Cao Kejia.
A featured lot from Japan is a selection of enameled Satsuma pottery vessels. A delicate, long neck Japanese Satsuma cabinet vase from the Meiji period (late 19th century), decorated with figures at various pursuits, is available in the auction. Works from across Asia like Chinese porcelains and jades, Japanese vases and writing boxes, Vietnamese decorative objects dating back to the 12th century, and works from Tibet, Korea, and India will be available. Lush, detailed examples of Tibetan thangkas depicting important Buddhist deities are particularly notable. Find the listed items and more on Freeman’s and register to place a bid.
The upcoming Editions Southampton New York auction at Phillips will feature works by both rising and established modern and contemporary artists like Roy Lichtenstein, Julian Opie, Pablo Picasso, and Andy Warhol. Leading the catalog is an iconic comic-style painting by Roy Lichtenstein. Titled Nude Reading, the painting belongs to the Nudes series. It was the final major series Lichtenstein created before his death in 1997.
A Pablo Picasso painting from 1962 titled Portrait de Jacqueline de face II is also part of the sale. Using the linocut printing technique, Picasso created a series of portraits of women, most of whom were modeled after his second wife and muse Jacqueline Picasso née Roque. A complete set of four lenticular acrylic panels by Julian Opie is also available. To view the full catalog or place a bid, visit Phillips.
To American painter James Tormey, few things are more powerful than a still life. This often-overlooked style is sometimes dismissed as boring or unoriginal. In Tormey’s hands, however, still lives are vehicles for values, ideas, and imagination. His signature style places fruits, vegetables, and eggs in bright and airy spaces, then surrounds them with stately architectural details. As noted by John A. Parks for Artists Network, “Instead of being presented with a saint or a Madonna within such a context, we are given a fully realized, but quite ordinary, vegetable.” One such painting by James Tormey will be available in Willow Auction House’s upcoming June Estate finds event. The available still life places three golden pears beside a round vessel. In the background, an arid desert scene is visible below a clear blue sky.
Other notable lots in this auction include a signed basketball from the 1976 Philadelphia 76ers. The 1976 to ’77 season was an exciting one for the Sixers—Julius Erving (“Dr. J”) was sold to the team for $3 million. The American Basketball Association (ABA) had just merged with the National Basketball Association (NBA). The available signed ball contains the signatures of Erving, George McGinnis, and 12 others. Interested collectors will find a selection of furniture items in the catalog, including an Egyptian inlaid settee from the 20th century and a set of three Mid-Century Modern style club chairs. To browse the full catalog, visit LiveAuctioneers.
Dubbed the “jewel of heaven,” jade holds a very coveted place in Chinese history. Jade objects are prized for their exquisiteness and are symbolically associated with purity and immortality. In days of yore, ritual plaques were carved out of jade slabs. A large antique Chinese jade exhibition plaque from the 19th century is a key highlight of Akiba Antiques’ upcoming auction. Mounted on a wooden carved base, the circular foundation is decorated with abalone shell, coral, malachite, and other semi-precious stones. It portrays a lush green landscape with water, riverboats, cliffs, and pagoda architecture. The reverse side of the plaque has two seal stamps and character markings.
A pair of French parcel-gilt patinated bronze and cloisonné enamel vases also leads the listings. Designed by Emile Reiber for Christofle & Cie, each covered vase is intricately engraved with Japanese-style motifs and an elephant mask handle on either side of its neck. Another noteworthy pair of vases is made of rare Chinese greenish-white jadeite. Each piece comprises a finely designed phoenix bird along with a hollow carved blossom vase on a rugged rock formation. The vases are displayed on ornate floral wood stands. To view the complete catalog and register to bid online, visit LiveAuctioneers.
