Adolph Weinman met Chief Blackbird, a veteran of the Great Sioux War of 1876, while Blackbird was performing in a Wild West show in New York. Inspired by this experience, Weinman later created one of his best known sculptural portraits, Chief Black Bird. The sculpture captures the Chief’s likeness along with his intricate headdress. This bronze bust from Adolph Weinman—along with 79 other works of fine art—is included in the upcoming Bonhams auction of Western Art.
Another sculpture on offer is a full figure standing portrait by cowboy artist Gordon Snidow, titled Crazy Quilt. The figure is wrapped in a multi-colored, hand-painted quilt. This is a unique piece with foundry proof inscription. The auction includes another work by Snidow, titled The American Beauty. The painting depicts a woman cowboy standing against what appears to be a dilapidated building. Other painted works include a landscape by Maynard Dixon, a colorful riverbank piece by Birger Sandzén, a Neo-Expressionist painting by David Bates, and more. View any of these lots and register to bid on Bonhams.
Tom Slaughter was an American artist best known for his brightly colored prints and paintings. He often captured modern urban life through geometric lines and patches of colors. Much like Stuart Davis, Slaughter blurred the line between commercial design and fine art. The upcoming New York City Estate Auction, presented by Auctions at Showplace, will feature an acrylic painting from Tom Slaughter. Executed in 1990, the Pop Art painting depicts a man, house, and water tower.
An 18-karat yellow gold ladies dress watch by Bueche Girod is another lot of interest. Bueche Girod is a watchmaking company established in 1947 by Vital Bueche. Bueche was widely recognized for designing elaborate, jewelry-like timepieces. He also pioneered the moon-phase design and plain calendar feature. The available piece features a florentine textured bracelet and mechanical movement. A Korean ceramic moon jar from the Joseon dynasty is also highlighted. This monochromatic jar is characterized by a settled base and lunar arc. Interested collectors can explore the full catalog and register to bid online on Bidsquare.
A street painting by Ernest Lawson (1873 – 1939) will lead Stair’s upcoming Americana auction. The charm of American Federal-style architecture is captured in this painting. It depicts New York City Hall’s front façade along with a nearby park and a monument. Often called a Romantic by contemporaries, Lawson painted a now-vanished American landscape. Another key fine art lot in the auction is a set of 27 woodblock panels by the Zuber Manufactory. The panoramic scenes depict North American landscapes like the Natural Bridge of Virginia, Niagara Falls, New York Bay, West Point, and Boston Harbor.
The upcoming Americana sale will include a selection of furniture as well. A Federal mahogany linen press is particularly notable. Pierced cresting and an eagle finial decorate the upper section. The lower half has four inlaid graduating drawers and stands on bracket feet. Collectors of Americana can find 320 lots of art, weathervanes, patchwork quilts, needlework, sculptures, watches, and more in this sale. Visit Bidsquare to view the catalog and place a bid.
Eminent sprinter Michael Johnson made a particularly striking appearance in the Atlanta Summer Olympics of 1996. He entered the race wearing a custom-made pair of Golden Nikes. It was a bold statement to sport the golden shoes before the results were announced. However, Johnson went on to win two gold medals for the 200 and 400-meter sprints and was nicknamed “The Man with the Golden Shoes.” Sotheby’s will offer the historic pair of shoes worn and signed by Michael Johnson in an upcoming Olympics-themed auction. Nike designed the shoes to match Johnson’s distinctive running style. Another notable highlight is a rare pair of Converse Fastbreak sneakers. Michael Jordan signed and wore the shoes during the 1984 Olympic Trials. Jordan wore Converse before he signed with Nike in his rookie season.
The sale also features a 50-second animated illustration drawn by Muhammad Ali depicting “the fight of the century.” The illustration captures the world-famous fight between Ali and Joe Frazier. Chop Studios animated Ali’s original drawing under the direction of Muhammad Ali Enterprises. The lot also includes a PDF file of a letter penned by Lonnie Ali. To view the complete catalog and register to bid online, visit Sotheby’s.
Carter Harrison Jr.’s five non-consecutive terms as mayor of Chicago were mired by controversy, including the Iroquois Theatre fire and the growing power of the city’s red-light district. In his last years in office and in his post-mayoral life, though, Harrison became an art patron. Alongside businessman Oscar Mayer, Harrison paid for several notable artists to document the images of the West and Native Americans in Taos, New Mexico. Now, the work of three of these artists, Walter Ufer, Ernest Martin Hennings, and Victor Higgins, headline Bonhams’ Portrait of the West sale.
Representing Ernest Martin Hennings in this auction is the painting Indian Horsemen. After Harrison and Mayer sent him to Taos, Ernest Martin Hennings devoted himself to preserving the images of local Native American tribes. He postponed varnishing his works for as long as possible and applied only thin layers of paint to protect his artworks long-term. Collectors will notice the fruit of those efforts in the vibrant colors, particularly the yellow leaves, still present in Indian Horsemen.
Hennings’ contemporary, Victor Higgins, used his time in Taos and as a Taos Society of Artists member to explore Realism. Higgins studied under Ashcan School leader Robert Henri who wanted “paint to be as real as mud.” In Taos, Higgins focused first on still lifes and then landscapes. An example of Higgins’ early Taos still lifes, Pink and Black, is on offer in this auction. Those interested in the Taos Society of Artists will also find Walter Ufer’s The Washerwoman. In the painting, a Pueblo woman carries a heavy bag in New Mexico’s unrelenting heat. The rubble behind her points to a sadness that extends far beyond a hard day’s labor. Register to bid and view each of the lots on Bonhams’ website.
Before 1937, silk scarves primarily served functional purposes in Europe and the United States. Hermès was the first luxury fashion brand to turn scarves into fashion accessories. Other couture houses and independent designers followed suit in the early 20th century. SJ Auctioneers’ upcoming auction will present a selection of these luxury scarves, including examples from Salvatore Ferragamo, Longchamp, Cartier, Burberry, Gucci, and Valentino.
Among the available lots is a pink silk scarf from Salvatore Ferragamo. The Italian company commissioned its first silk scarf in 1961. Its earliest pieces served as advertisements for the brand, incorporating high-heeled shoe motifs in street scenes and various floral designs. The available Salvatore Ferragamo scarf continues that tradition. While butterflies cover the piece, colorful shoes appear in their outstretched wings. Another available silk scarf from the brand shows various birds and zoo animals amid flora and fauna.
Beyond fashion accessories, the upcoming SJ Auctioneers sale will feature several notable pieces of jewelry. This includes a pair of 18-karat gold and diamond earrings from Jose Hess. Now the head of a major luxury jewelry brand, Hess started his career sweeping the floors of a jewelry factory. He eventually received training from the Gemological Institute of America and David Webb before launching his company. The available set of earrings features linked gold rings surrounded by a halo of diamonds. Small gold ball accents suggest the shape of flowers. Jewelry collectors will also find an 18-karat tri-color gold chain bracelet from Cartier and an eternity platinum ring with lattice accents from Tiffany & Co.
Rounding out the listings is a selection of decorative art and collectibles. Two silver vases from Shanghai-based silversmith Ning Zhao Ji, a Herend hand-painted rabbit figurine, and several silver items from Georg Jensen will cross the auction block. For the complete catalog and to register to bid, visit LiveAuctioneers.
The upcoming timed auction from eLady Ltd will offer various GIA-graded loose diamonds weighing between 0.2 and 6.05 carats. The event features unmounted stones ranging in a variety of shapes, cuts, colors, and clarity. A highlighted lot is an unmounted 5.01-carat, F/VVS2, marquise-cut diamond. The marquise cut dates back to the 18th century, when King Louis XV of France commissioned a jeweler to create a style that resembled the lips of his mistress. The name “marquise” was assigned to this cut for its association with courtiers who wore the style to mark their ranks.
An unmounted 5.03-carat, D/VS2, emerald-cut diamond is also available in the auction. The first emerald cut was created 500 years ago to resemble emerald gemstones, which were then difficult to cut and shape. Pear-cut, round-cut, and cushion-cut diamonds are on offer as well. Interested bidders can view the full catalog or place a bid on Bidsquare.
The second session of the Rare Books, Prints, Historical Photography sale, offered by Jeschke van Vliet Auctions, features a French stereoscope with 14 slides. While looking through two glass eyepieces, the viewer can observe images such as the prehistoric station of Low Laugerie and Grand Roc Cave. The case was designed and constructed by A. Mattey, a well-known manufacturer of watchcasts and stereoscopes of the early 20th century.
Bidders will find a collection of more than 22,000 letters and proclamations from Napoleon Bonaparte, including his writings during his time on St. Helena. Another Napoleon-related lot is a collection of 100 works on Napoleon and his time. The auction also presents written works on the history of Sumatra, the first six books of the elements of Euclid, the Chemical Atlas of Edward Youmans, and more.
Photographic prints in the auction include an album of 200 original silver gelatin photos. The images show submarines and war ships, as well as their above and below-deck crews. The album is partially inscribed, and a few of the images capture the first radios on board a vessel, sinking ships, and artillery. View any of these lots and register to bid on Bidsquare.
Akiba Antiques presents a selection of decorative arts, antiques, and collectibles in the upcoming August Mid Summer Rush Auction. Highlighted is a LeCoultre Atmos mantel clock. Jaeger-LeCoultre grew from a partnership between two Swiss watchmakers in 1937. They went on to create one of the most efficient timepieces of the time, the Atmos clock. With each temperature change, a mixture of gases trapped in the clock’s glass capsule contracts and expands. This allows the mechanism to run without any intervention. Produced in the 1930s, the available Atmos clock is accented with a gilt metal frame. Its interior has an anchor escapement and filar suspension.
Other highlights of this auction include a Meissen porcelain Schneeballen urn. Meissen has been manufacturing porcelain for more than three centuries. It was Europe’s first porcelain manufactory and guided the development of European porcelain in the late 1750s. The offered urn features birds resting on branches and flower heads. Perching atop the piece is a colorful parrot with outstretched wings. View the full listings and register to bid on LiveAuctioneers.
Known for her plein air oil paintings of harbor views, seascapes, and sand dunes, Anne Ramsdell Congdon was an accomplished American artist of the early 20th century. She studied at the Académie Delecluse in Paris and under Rhoda Holmes Nichols, an assistant of William Merritt Chase. However, Congdon developed her own style while studying with American Impressionist painter Charles Woodbury. Rafael Osona Auctions will offer Congdon’s View from Mill Hill in its upcoming auction. The oil painting shows a figure (likely Ruth Haviland Sutton) in the foreground with a harbor view of Nantucket in the background. In its molded wood frame, the unsigned painting measures 16 ¾ inches by 20 inches.
A Dutch artist of the 1600s, Rembrandt Harmenszoon Van Rijn painted dozens of self-portraits. These self-portraits depict the artist in various scenes with different facial expressions and costumes. Found in this auction is Rembrandt’s 1639 etching titled Self-Portrait Leaning on a Stone Sill. The artist’s signature, along with the year of the self-portrait, can be found in the upper left corner. The etching is affixed to a mat with cardboard backing and comes in a thin black wood frame. View the entire auction catalog and place a bid by visiting Bidsquare.
