A fancy yellow diamond ring will lead the Jewels and Timepieces auction, presented by A Touch of the Past. The central yellow diamond weighs 5.42 carats and has a slight brown-orange tint. It is GIA certified with VS2 clarity. White, round-cut diamonds weighing around 1.15 carats surround the center stone. Jewelry from David Webb, Boucheron, Petochi, and others will also be available in the auction.
An 18-karat gold link bracelet with carved crystal circles and onyx is also among the leading lots. The bracelet comes from the House of Boucheron, founded in 1858. The house is particularly known for its signature clasp-less necklace, which won a Grand Prix for Outstanding Innovation in a Jewellery Collection at the 1889 World’s Fair. Another available bracelet, designed by David Webb, features diamonds with diagonally cut black and white panels. Interested bidders can browse the 464 available lots on Bidsquare.
The upcoming Multi-Estate Auction, presented by Old Kinderhook Auction Company, will particularly highlight sterling silver pieces. A decorative wine carafe from Howard & Co. leads the listings. Manufactured around 1895, this carafe sports an applied grape and leaf decoration around the neck with an engraved monogram on one side. Other sterling silver pieces in the auction include a Schultz repoussé basket and an elaborate wine bottle holder from Gorham.
This sale offers a selection of fine art and Americana, including Walter Koeniger’s October Snow in the Catskills. A New York-based artist, Koeniger was known for his snow-draped country scenes. Vose Galleries of Boston displayed these works, which were described by one early critic as “some-what somber but of much dignity and pictorial effectiveness.” The available Koeniger painting depicts the last leaves of autumn beside a dark blue stream. The Catskill Mountains are visible in the background. A KPM plaque showing Mary Magdalene with a winged angel and Arthur Clifton Goodwin’s painting of the George Washington Bridge in New York City are on offer as well. For the complete catalog and to place a bid, visit Bidsquare.
A major piece of printed Americana will go up for sale in the upcoming Highly Important Printed and Manuscript Americana event, presented by Sotheby’s. Coming from Barbara and Ira Lipman’s estate is the first book-form printed version of the Declaration of Independence. Patriot printer Robert Bell of Philadelphia published the book on July 8th, 1776. The book also includes The Genuine Principles of the Ancient Saxon, or English Constitution by Demophilus (also known as George Bryan).
The Bay Psalm Book – the first book printed in British North America – is another highlight of the collection. Published in 1640, The Bay Psalm Book is a sacred text meant for regular public worship. The book contains 150 Hebrew psalms, translated by John Cotton, Richard Mather, Thomas Welde, John Eliot, and others. There are only 11 surviving copies of this edition. Also available is a first edition copy of Meriwether Lewis and William Clark’s The Expedition. Under President Thomas Jefferson’s direction, the Lewis and Clark Expedition began to explore the newly acquired North American West in 1804. The expedition proved beneficial in mapping out uncharted land, rivers, and mountains. Register to bid and view each of these lots by visiting Sotheby’s.
In 1996, Patek Philippe released its annual calendar watch, which requires adjustment only once per year. The annual calendar is one of the watch’s distinctive additions. The mechanism overcomes the shortcomings of traditional watches since it utilizes a complex cam and a large lever. The upcoming timepieces auction, presented by Hindman, features an 18-karat yellow gold annual calendar Patek Philippe wristwatch. With a case diameter of 37.00 mm, this piece has an off-white dial, applied gold Roman numerals, and a date aperture at six o’clock. Another noteworthy watch on offer is B Haas’ yellow gold minute repeater pocket watch with a hunter case.
Ulysse Nardin’s jump hour dual time zone wristwatch in pink gold features a silver dial with grayed steel overlay. The ‘Sonata Cathedral’ wristwatch, which will come to auction with Hindman, has a date aperture at four o’clock and a subdial for alarms at one o’clock. Bidders will also find timepieces from Vacheron Constantin, Jaeger-Lecoultre, and others. To view the complete catalog and register to bid online, visit Bidsquare.
Chanel’s Boy bag line is an iconic collection in the history of the luxury fashion label. Boy bags, launched in 2010, are the creation of designer Karl Lagerfeld. The bags were inspired by Coco Chanel’s romantic affair with the polo player Boy Capel. During their relationship, Chanel often sported cartridge bags in place of handbags. This fashion statement formed the inspiration for Lagerfeld’s Boy bags. The upcoming Alex Cooper Auctioneers sale presents a Caviar leather Chanel Boy bag. The navy blue bag features a quilted texture, gold-tone hardware, and a metal clasp with the famous Coco Chanel double Cs.
The auction will also showcase an 18-karat white gold Kashmir sapphire ring. The ring has a GIA-certified 2.43-carat unheated Kashmir sapphire set between round-cut diamond arrangements. Kashmir sapphires were found only during the late 19th century in the Kashmiri mines. The reserves were soon depleted, making Kashmir sapphires one of the rarest gemstones on Earth. The auction also features a variety of Baltimore silver pieces. One highlight is a sterling silver alms basin. The liturgical silver vessel has a finely engraved border and scrolling foliage. The alms basin also carries Gothic font inscriptions and gilt quatrefoil medallions with amethyst, agate, and citrine adornments. Silver collectors can consider a Baltimore gemstone-set sterling silver chalice and a set of silver repoussé chargers as well.
Other key lots include Rolex, Hamilton, Louis Jacot, and Cartier timepieces; Japanese and Chinese sterling silver; a Louis Vuitton Takashi Murakami Alma PM handbag; and a Hermès Soleil de Soie scarf. Find the entire listings and register to bid online on Bidsquare.
Before he was known as a hero or demi-god, Greek scholars referred to Hercules as the ‘Master of Lion.’ Epigraphic evidence suggests that Herakles, as he was locally known, was worshiped as a local god protecting his people from natural threats. The second session of the upcoming Premier Auctions event, offered by Brunk Auctions, features a Cypriot limestone figure of Herakles from the early 6th century BCE. True to his imagery, the hero seems to be wearing a lion skin draped over his shoulders.
European and American fine and decorative art will also be available. A Louis-Léopold Boilly painting titled Les Joueurs de Dominos leads the auction. A French artist, Boilly was known for painting his miniature portraits in approximately two hours. Another key lot is a painting by Elizabeth O’Neill Verner. It is framed and signed. Furniture and decorative accessories are available in this auction as well. Interested bidders can view the entire catalog or place a bid online on Bidsquare.
William Eggleston is one of the most influential 20th-century photographers in art history. About his photography, he once said, “I’ve never felt the need to enhance the world in my pictures, because the world is spectacular enough as it is.” An example of his work, titled William Eggleston’s Graceland, will lead Phillips’ upcoming photography sale. In 1983, the artist was invited to photograph Graceland, Elvis Presley’s mansion in Memphis, Tennessee. Eggleston reportedly took most of the Graceland photographs at night after the crowds left the musician’s home.
Another highlighted lot is André Kertész’s Nature Morte, Chez Mondrian. This 1926 piece marked the launch of Kertész’s long career. It appeared in his first-ever solo exhibition at the Parisian Au Sacre du Printemps gallery in 1927. In the picture, the viewer can see several found objects placed within the frame. The upcoming two-session auction features works from some of the most prolific artists, including Richard Avedon, Robert Frank, and Hiroshi Sugimoto. View more key lots and register to bid online on Phillips.
The Center for Creative Photography at the University of Arizona is an academic art museum and study center for the history of photography. The Center was co-founded by University President John Schaefer and photographer Ansel Adams. The CCP was founded to “[expand] the history of photography to deepen an understanding of how the medium impacts society.” To that end, proceeds from the Ansel Adams and the American West auction at Christie’s will establish an acquisition fund for the Center. All items in the sale are original Ansel Adams prints, some of them coming from the Center for Creative Photography itself. Others were sourced from private collections.
Many of the available Ansel Adams prints are well-known, including works such as Moon and Half Dome, The Tetons and the Snake River, and Sand Dunes, Sunrise. Notable lots include desirable details such as those on Mount Williamson, Sierra Nevada. This piece was signed in ink and stamped with the photographer’s San Francisco credit and negative number. It includes a label from the Museum of Modern Art Lending Service. View the full catalog and register to bid at Christie’s.
The molten iron core of an asteroid broke apart to form a meteorite in 1947. It rained down in the Sikhote-Alin mountain region of Russia the same year. A piece of this Sikhote-Alin meteorite will be available in the upcoming Premier Spring Estate Auction, presented by Gallery 63. It originated in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter. According to the lot essay, the sculptured rock is over four billion years old.
The auction offers 345 lots of sculpture, jewelry, watches, silverware, and couture. A diamond wristwatch from Ebel Shanta is among the key lots. This 18-karat yellow gold watch is set with round, brilliant-cut diamonds. Mother of pearl and diamonds decorate the 20mm dial. Founders Eugene Blum and Alice Levy came together to establish Ebel Shanta in 1911. The company eventually became a noted producer in the industry. Also available in this sale is a Panthère bracelet from Cartier, a Calatrava WG watch from Patek Philippe, and a diamond quartz watch from Tiffany & Co. Visit Bidsquare to view the entire collection and register to bid.
Edward Weston’s Dunes, Oceano will lead Sotheby’s spring Photographs sale. An American photographer and founding member of Group f.64, Weston explored sharply-focused landscapes through his lens. The available print shows swelling sand dunes with pronounced shadows. Ansel Adams, another member of Group f.64, is also featured in this event. Clearing Winter Storm, Yosemite Valley was likely taken around 1937 and printed 30 years later. It shows Adams’ treasured Central California valley shrouded in fog.
The auction also features many leading artists from the 19th and 20th centuries. Some of the key lots also reference non-photographers. For example, an offered print by Irving Penn profiles jazz icon Miles Davis. In this piece, Penn contrasted Davis’ creased palm with his trumpet’s sleek lines. A photo by Richard Avedon pictures actress Marilyn Monroe while another by Vik Muniz references Jackson Pollock’s splatter paintings. Part of Muniz’s Pictures of Pigment series, the available print captures a recreation of Pollock’s Convergence.
Contemporary photographers are also highlighted in the catalog. Ahmet Ertuğ is a Turkish photographer known for his detailed prints of libraries, cultural sites, and other interiors. Ertuğ’s available 2019 chromogenic print features the Widener Library at Harvard University. Interested bidders will also find works by urban photographer Sze Tsung Leong, popular culture artist Malick Sidibé, and celebrity portraitist Annie Leibovitz. View the complete catalog and place a bid on Sotheby’s.
