The upcoming two-day auction, presented by Lion and Unicorn, features a decorative piece by Charles Vyse. The 1920 work depicts a nude nymph on a rooster. Charles Vyse was an English studio potter popular in the early 20th century. Vyse initially learned his craft from his father, who was a renowned pottery copper plate engraver and engineer. He established a workshop in Cheyne Row after earning his degree from the Royal College of Art.
Also showcased is a Moorcroft pottery vase designed by ceramicist William Moorcroft. He created pottery designs for Macintyre’s Aurelian Ware. His works often employed a unique technique known as tubelining, which involves squeezing a line of clay through a nozzle to embellish a centerpiece. Moorcroft was also revered for producing hand-painted Florian ware, inspired by the Art Nouveau style. Moorcroft’s innovative designs won him great popularity in the early 20th century. The second session of the March Collectors Auction emphasizes Royal Doulton figurines, ranging from character jugs to animal sculptures. Interested collectors can explore the full listings and register to bid online on Lion and Unicorn.
Bid Global International Auctioneers will bring investment-worthy diamonds in a two-day event this spring. Day 1 kicks off with two emerald-cut diamonds weighing a total of 16.03 carats. They both have VVS2 clarity, E color, excellent symmetry, and GIA reports. Combined, their estimated worth is $2,364,300. Another emerald-cut stone that weighs a total of 2.50 carats is a solitaire. Although its weight is comparatively less, it has a clarity of VS2 and features an uncommon square emerald cut. It is a recently-cut diamond that comes with a GIA certificate.
Day 2 is equally eventful with diamonds collectively worth $300 million up for bidding. A 16.40-carat natural, fancy, brownish-yellow diamond is available with an appraised value of $1,457,700. It has even color and a clarity of VS1. Other than the emerald cut, the diamond’s distinctly long shape is also noteworthy. Another cut less common among diamonds, especially for solitaire rings, is the marquise. A 3.59-carat marquise-cut diamond with D color and VS1 clarity will be available in the auction. For diamonds of different shapes and sizes worth investing in, visit Bidsquare to browse this and other online auctions.
With a history that dates back to the Western Han dynasty (c. 200 BCE), Chinese jade censers have long served multiple purposes. These intricate vessels hold incense in place while evoking mist-wrapped mountains and other artistic forms. A notable pair of lavender jadeite carved Chinese jade censers is available with Akiba Antiques in the upcoming Lucky Numbers event. These highly articulated censers feature delicate lotus flowers and a domed finial. They were previously held by the Lyman Museum of Hilo, Hawai’i. Other Asian items in the catalog include a Chinese jade and Zitan wood ruyi, Meiji-era Japanese vases, and other carved pieces of jade. Gilt bronze Buddha statues are on offer as well.
From the European continent comes a selection of Viennese clocks. Highly accurate regulator clocks exploded in popularity during the mid-18th century. Vienna quickly emerged as a creative destination for clockmaking and remained so for decades. Akiba Antiques will offer a miniature Viennese clock from the 19th century in this auction. Decorated with silver and enamel, the clock shows idyllic mythological scenes dotted with angelic cherubs. Another key Viennese clock in the catalog more closely resembles sculpture than many timepieces; a seated woman made of silver leans on a table while reading a novel. The clock face is discreetly positioned on one side of her bejeweled table. Find the complete listings and register to bid on LiveAuctioneers.
One of the best-known “firsts” accomplished by German-born educator, designer, and artist Josef Albers was that he was the first living artist with a solo show at both the Museum of Modern Art and at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. His reputation as an abstract painter, theorist, and teacher from Bauhaus, Black Mountain College, and Yale University made him one of the 20th century’s most influential visual arts educators as well as a sought-after artist in his own right. A set of ten screen-print variants of a Josef Albers design is up for bid in the Spring International Fine Art Sale, offered by Barridoff Auctions.
Beyond abstract designs are figurative works from well-known artists such as Edouard Manet, Christopher Pugliese, and Léopold Survage. One of the featured “March Finds” is by Survage, featuring a posed woman draped in white cloth. The title, Baigneuse, appears on a verso label along with the number “184.” Other artists with work in the sale include Pablo Picasso, Lynn Mapp Drexler, Wolf Kahn, Henry Calvert, and more. Visit Bidsquare to browse the full catalog of this and other online auctions.
A bright red-wheeled 1926 Bryan Steam Tractor leads the upcoming East Moline 2022 sale from Mecum Auctions. The tractor comes from the world’s first light steam tractor manufacturers. This extensively restored beauty has a grey body atop bright red wheels and a new wood dashboard. The steam tractor has two cylinders, a single-acting piston-valve engine, and a high-pressure water-tube boiler. When the engine is running, the condenser collects the steam exhaust and returns it to reuse in the boiler. According to Motor Age magazine, the Bryan light steam tractor made it possible to use the very lowest grade of fuel. Due to its limited production, this 1926 Bryan Steam Tractor is one of only five left in the world.
Another notable lot in this Mecum Auctions event is a three-wheeled 1919 Toro TO-RO Motor Cultivator. When the company introduced TO-RO, it was deemed a revolutionary farm machine. It had morphed from a two-row power cultivator to a standard farm tractor. It enabled farmers to perform multiple tasks while saving time, money, and labor. The tractor still has its rare, original Donaldson air filter. Its honeycomb-design brass radiator and tank were custom built to replace the old one. Only a few surviving TO-ROs and even fewer in running condition are available in the world. Find the mentioned items and more on Mecum Auctions and register to place a bid.
Vladimir Kagan moved to America in 1938, where he began to produce furniture while working under his father, a renowned cabinetmaker. In 1948, Kagan launched a shop in New York, and it earned him international recognition. His clientele included popular figures such as Marilyn Monroe and Andy Warhol. Revere Auctions’ upcoming Post-War & Contemporary Art sale will feature a pair of sofas designed by Vladimir Kagan. The snake-shaped sofa was introduced in 1950. “Up to this point, it was most common to place a straight sofa along the wall,” said Chris Eitel, director of design and production of Vladimir Kagan Design Group. “By bringing the sofa into the middle of the room, Vladi was able to create space for his clients to view and appreciate their new, larger-scale artworks.”
Also available in the sale is work by Elizabeth Catlett. Titled Madonna, the offered lithograph depicts a woman embracing her two children. While working as a mural artist for two months in the 1930s, Catlett became familiar with the social activism of Diego Rivera. Influenced by Rivera’s style, her sculptures, prints, and paintings address the issues of Black American women. Explore the sale catalog and register to bid online on Bidsquare for more online auctions.
Highlighted in EHC Fine Art’s upcoming Winter Contemporary Art & Editions Sale is an untitled Yves Klein print featuring the artist’s signature International Klein Blue (IKB) color. The 2015 piece is one in an edition of only 50 and based on the artist’s 1961 original. Hand-numbered in pencil, this print has been certified by the Yves Klein Archives.
Also found in the auction is a rare Yoshitomo Nara poster. The 2012 sales promotional poster for teachers was produced by Matsumura Book Publishing Co. and never released to the public. The 33-inch by 23-inch poster features the profile of a young woman with brown hair and matching eyes in front of a gradient-pink background and Japanese lettering near the bottom right corner. Other notable lots include a Barbara Kruger American flag print from 2020, a 2012 print from Yayoi Kusama, and a Jasper Johns facsimile print. View the complete collection and browse more online auctions on Bidsquare.
Joan Mitchell was a seminal artist famous for her dribbling color paintings and emotional approach. Her artworks featured the influences of painters like Henri Matisse. The upcoming Sotheby’s auction presents Allo, Amélie by Joan Mitchell. The title of the 1973 oil painting is after Jean-Paul Riopelle’s granddaughter Amélie, born the same year. The available artwork portrays Mitchell’s signature broad brushstrokes and swathes of translucent paint. The balanced composition also shows the countryside influences of her Vétheuil home in Paris.
A highlight among the available lots is Wayne Thiebaud’s still life titled Cherries #1. Thiebaud was famous for his artworks featuring daily objects. The offered oil painting portrays a bowl of cherries against a simple white background. Also showcased is an acrylic landscape by Pop artist Ed Ruscha. Tulsa Slut is a notable example of the artist’s Mountain Paintings. It features two black boxes on both sides of the mountain, offering a complex outlook to the otherwise simple photograph. These boxes are not just black patches but intentionally hide the text. Explaining the motive behind his text paintings, Ruscha said, “I cross out words, so you read them more.”
The auction also features a bronze by Arnaldo Pomodoro titled Frammento. Pomodoro is well-known for his geometry-inspired sculptures. These shapes are torn and broken to generate intense surfaces of transformation and regeneration. Collectors can also consider a gold patinated bronze sculpture by George Condo, a series of screenprints by Keith Haring, and artworks by Jean-Michel Basquiat, Andy Warhol, and Yoshitomo Nara. Interested collectors can explore the entire catalog and register to bid online on Sotheby’s.
The first session of Crescent City Auction Gallery’s upcoming Important Spring Estates Auction will offer a Turkish Angora Oushak rug. The rug originated in Oushak, a small town located in the western part of Turkey. Since the Ottoman period (1299 CE – 1922 CE), the town has been a preeminent center for producing unique rugs. These pieces are recognized for their texture and scale of design. The available lot has floral and geometric patterns against a dark ivory background.
Over 900 lots will be presented over both days of this sale, including luxury jewelry, vintage furniture, and sculptures. Several pieces of diamond jewelry are available in the second session. Among them, a platinum dinner ring stands out. Designed to resemble a flower, the lot is set with a 1.69-carat diamond and is surrounded by tiny round-cut diamonds. A 14-karat white gold ladies ring is among the highlights of the second day, in addition to a cast-iron terrarium from circa 1920. View the complete catalog on Bidsquare, and visit the platform to find more online auctions.
Rufino Tamayo’s paintings have broken records for Latin American art at auction for many years. Although the Mexican artist was a contemporary of Pablo Picasso and Diego Rivera, he distanced himself from politics. Tamayo, however, did not shy away from using vivid colors when painting Mexican iconography and everyday life. This spring, Christie’s will showcase Sandías (Watermelons) by Rufino Tamayo in the upcoming Latin American Art auction. It is a graphite and colored pencil on paper completed in 1986. The artist uses green, red, and white— the colors of the Mexican flag— to create several slices of watermelon. Another painting of watermelons by Tamayo was Audrey Hepburn’s favorite and even inspired the décor for the room in which the painting remained until Hepburn passed away.
Frente a la catedral, an oil on canvas by Fernando Botero, is a featured lot in the auction. It is signed and dated ‘Botero 94’ in the lower right. The oil painting shows a family of four standing in front of a cathedral, wearing their Sunday best. Of particular note in this painting is the portrayal of the subjects as giants. They are almost as big as the cathedral. Botero was only 19 years old when he left Colombia for Madrid in 1952, but he never failed to include Columbian themes in his works. The upcoming live auction also features exceptional paintings, sculptures, and drawings from Eugenio Landesio, Diego Rivera, masterworks by Wifredo Lam, Claudio Bravo, Jesús Rafael Soto, Tomie Ohtake, Olga de Amaral, Antonio Bandeira, and a monumental bronze by Fernando Botero. Find the listed items and more on Christie’s and register to place a bid.
