“The most important book on art history since Janson’s “History of Art,” says John Buxton, a leading expert in ethnographic art, founder of ArtTrak.com and long-time appraiser on PBS’s popular series Antiques Roadshow.
The Commonality of Humans Through Art: How Art Connects Mankind Through the Ages, by Stuart Handler (Paul Holberton Publishing, 576 pages, $78)
(CHICAGO, IL, October 1, 2024) — The Commonality of Humans Through Art, created and edited by Stuart Handler (Paul Holberton Publishing, London, October, $78.00), is a trailblazing volume that delves into the captivating intersection of art and human behavior, revealing how tribal and ancient art has shaped and reflected our existence across millennia. This extraordinary book–now available on amazon.com–brings together ten esteemed scholars to explore the impact of art on human life from birth to death, offering a fresh perspective on art history and cultural anthropology.
In a departure from traditional approaches, this book eschews geographical and chronological constraints in favor of thematic exploration. It presents an innovative framework where art is examined through the lens of universal human experiences—family, motherhood, conflict, sickness, healing, religion, and death. Each thematic chapter, penned by a leading expert, illuminates the profound ways in which art captures and influences our social experiences across diverse cultures and epochs.
With 400 vibrant color photographs of tribal and ancient art objects sourced from world-renowned museums, The Commonality of Humans Through Art serves as a centralized exhibition of humanity’s artistic legacy. This stunning collection not only provides a feast for the eyes but also offers deep, thought-provoking insights into the interconnectedness of art and human behavior.
Says Stuart Handler–a prominent Chicago industrialist and an ancient art collector in his own right, “I’ve had the privilege of seeing thousands of photos of art that mankind has made throughout their existence. Selecting 400 images which represent the human experience was a sobering and astounding experience to see what the human brain has created to make sense out of life.”
This book features expansive essays by a distinguished lineup of contributors:
Dr. Dahlia W. Zaidel, Brain Research Institute Member and Adjunct Professor of Behavioral Neuroscience, UCLA — “The Brain and Art”
Wilfried van Damme, Art Historian and Anthropologist — “Aesthetics and Human Cultures”
Barbara C. Sproul, Former Chair of the Department of Religion, Hunter College, CUNY — “Creation Myths”
Herbert M. Cole, Professor Emeritus of Art History, University of California, Santa Barbara — “Motherhood and the Family”
Lark E. Mason, Former Senior VP at Sotheby’s Chinese Works of Art Department — “The World Around Us”
David H. Dye, Professor of Archaeology, University of Memphis — “Conflict and Warfare”
John F. Scott, Professor Emeritus of Art History, University of Florida — “Portraying Ourselves and Others”
Todd J. Pesek, MD, Holistic Physician and Founding Director of the Center of Healing Across Cultures — “Sickness and Healing”
Alex W. Barker, Former President of the American Anthropological Association — “Religion and Rituals”
Robert B. Pickering, Professor Emeritus of Anthropology and Founding Director of the Museum Science and Management Program, University of Tulsa — “Death”
“Instead of following the standard geographical or historical arrangement, this book [The Commonality of Humans Through Art] groups work thematically in terms of human life events. Each essay teases out how the language of art captures and forms social experience across cultures and history,” praises anthropologist Nigel Barley, who reviewed the book for World of Interiors.
The Commonality of Humans Through Art is more than just an academic reference book. It’s a visually stunning coffee table book that will captivate art enthusiasts and scholars alike. This remarkable volume is a testament to the enduring power of art to shape and mirror the human experience.
An exceptional, astonishing collection traces the history of a family that gave France some of its finest marble treasures.
Attributed to Jean Baptiste Santerre (1651-1717), Portrait of Nicolas Coustou (1658-1733), oil on canvas, 97 x 74 cm/38.18 x 29.13 in. Estimate: €12,000/15,000
Surprisingly, the collection has just a few sculptures, and they are painted. The name Coustou evokes Louis XIV and Louis XV’s great royal commissions gracing the Louvre’s Marly Courtyard by Nicolas (1658-1733) and Guillaume (1677-1746), the illustrious nephews of Antoine Coysevox (1640-1720). The artistic dynasty they founded passed down 17 intimate portraits from one generation to the next.
Alexandre Roslin (1718-1793), Portrait of Guillaume II Coustou (1716-1777), oil on canvas, 92 x 71 cm/36.22 x 27.95 in. Estimate: €40,000/60,000
The Origins of the Coustou Story When Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris reopens to the public on December 8, visitors will again be able to see Nicolas Coustou’s most famous work, Pietà, opposite his brother Guillaume’s Louis XIII and Antoine Coysevox’s Louis XIV. Our view of the altarpiece, and of all the other works miraculously rescued from the fire, undoubtedly will have changed. In the meantime, those who cannot wait can see Cardinal Forbin-Janson’s elegant funerary monument (by Nicolas) at Beauvais Cathedral, The Allegory of the Saône (by Nicolas and Guillaume) at the Musée des Beaux-Arts de Lyon or the host of works in the Louvre. But the delicate portrait of Nicolas Coustou in Cannes attributed to Jean Baptiste Santerre is also thrilling (€12,000/15,000). The figure of Coustou twirls, like a sculpture in the round, responding to the small copy of the Belvedere Torso so precious, so essential to the imagination and intrinsic to the identity of the artist, who here says everything he owes to his three-year stay at the French Academy in Rome from 1683 to 1686. Pianists should perhaps more than anyone seize the vibrations of each finger on Nicolas Coustou’s right hand. His official portrait, by Jean Le Gros, in the Chateau of Versailles, shows a prince of the arts whose father-in-law, René-Antoine Houasse, headed the French Academy in Rome. The portrait that has remained in the family of his brother’s descendants is one of an impetuous young man who embraced his destiny as a sculptor. Portraits of his parents, the Lyon master joiner and wood sculptor François Coustou and Claudine Coysevox, will also be presented. When Claudine’s brother, Antoine Coysevox, lodged his nephews in Paris, he began a veritable artistic dialogue with them, from the great waterfall of Marly to the famous equestrian figures, now in the Louvre. Like Antoine, Nicolas died childless, but Guillaume passed his artistic streak on to his two sons, sculptor Guillaume II Coustou (1716-1777) and lawyer and architect Charles-Pierre Coustou (1721-1797). The portrait of Guillaume II Coustou made two years after his death by his friend Roslin (€40,000/60,000) closed a parenthesis in the history of royal sculpture and the family’s devotion to its kings. Before succumbing to tuberculosis on July 13, 1777, Guillaume II finished the most prestigious work of his career: the dauphin and the dauphine’s funerary monument for Sens Cathedral, which Roslin evokes here with a preparatory terracotta model.
Artcento
The End of a “Holy Family” The history of this family portrait gallery took a different turn when Charles-Pierre Coustou married architect Jacques-Germain Soufflot’s great-niece. With her he had a son from whom the sellers of all the paintings presented descended, especially a daughter, Madeleine Julie (1765-1795), who married the goldsmith Henri Auguste. Like her uncle, Guillaume II, she was painted posthumously. François Gérard’s famous Portrait du C*** et de sa famille (Portrait of the C*** and Her Family), renamed Portrait de l’orfèvre Henri Auguste (1759-1816) et de sa famille (Portrait of the Goldsmith Henri Auguste [1759-1816] and His Family), exhibited at the 1798 Salon, has never been on the market before (€80,000/120,000). Thanks to the ricordo held in the Chateau of Versailles collections, it already had a choice place in studies of the revolutionary period, particularly by the late Tony Halliday (1946-2006): “A pastiche of a Renaissance altarpiece, Gérard’s Auguste family is a painted translation of the doctrines and rites of theophilanthropy. Borrowing the symbols of a fallen cult, he lends dignity and grandeur to the banalities of his successor. In this work, the ‘Holy Family’ of the future is embodied not by a carpenter in a stable, but a fashionable goldsmith in a Parisian mansion—a Jean-Baptiste Say-like vision, perhaps, of the universal benefits expected from the free market. This work raises bourgeois domesticity to the rank of heroism.” In his review of the 1798 Salon for La Décade philosophique, theophilanthropist Pierre Chaussard praised Gérard’s “great boldness of conception”, writing, “In the painting of Psyche [editor’s note: Paris, Musée du Louvre], Gérard imitated Raphael. Here, he rivals Rembrandt and surpasses Caravaggio.” The same connections with the two 17th-century masters also seemed obvious to the critic at Mercure de France: “The light of the moon contrasts with that of the lamp, which, fitted with its shade, only directly illuminates the items on the table and some of the figures. Its light is perhaps too golden for a Quinquet lamp, reflecting off the other objects and mingling with the silver rays of the moon. Caravaggio would have chosen this double lighting effect and treated it no better. Rembrandt would surely have done it darker.” The critic in La Vérité en riant, ou Les Tableaux traités comme ils le méritent, en vaudevilles, called the painting Lamp Effect and wrote this acclamation: “Gérard again! Always him! … What more praise could we give a painting whose effect is admirable? Yes, Gérard, from the bosom of the arts, you fly to glory/Your great genius opens the way/And history prepares its chisel to inscribe your name in the Temple of Memory.”
François Gérard, called Baron Gérard (1770-1837), Portrait of the Goldsmith Henri Auguste and His Family, oil on canvas, 184 x 132 cm/72.44 x 51.96 in. Estimate: €80,000/120,000
“Gérard again! Always him! … What more praise could we give a painting whose effect is admirable?” La Vérité en riant, 1798
“A Caravaggesque Icon” As Adélaïde Labille-Guiard had done before him by exhibiting the posthumous portrait of Madame Infante at the 1789 Salon (Versailles, musée national des châteaux de Versailles et de Trianon) under the title Une femme et un enfant à un balcon (Woman and Child on a Balcony), Gérard did not mention his model’s death. The backlighting and “Rembrantesque” or “Caravaggesque” play of candlelight on his face were a clever and delicate way to subtly evoke his absence. Portrait of the Goldsmith Henri Auguste and His Family is an edifying scene for the public and a pious memento for the family. Géricault and Delacroix spent countless evenings in front of this “icon” (dixit Tony Halliday), which is mentioned in the will of Jules Robert Auguste, Henri and Madeleine Julie’s second son (see page 16), who left the painting to his cousins so that it could enter the family portrait gallery. History does not say which heir had the clumsy restoration of the drapery in the lower part of Gérard’s monumental composition carried out. Whoever buys the painting on October 22 may see fit to repair the botched job.
Monsieur Auguste a “Shy and Mysterious Man”
François André Vincent (1746-1816), Portrait of Jules Robert Auguste (1789-1850), oil on canvas, 64.5 x 54.5 cm/25.39 x 21.45 in. Estimate: €80,000/120,000
In the Coustou family, I ask for the great-great-grandson, Jules Robert Auguste (1789-1850). Horace Vernet, Géricault, David d’Angers and Delacroix were apparently greatly inspired by the figure studies this pioneer of Orientalist painting brought back from his travels in Greece, Egypt and Morocco. While the extensive collection held by the Musée des Beaux-Arts d’Orléans provides a good understanding of his paintings and drawings, a fine essay published in 1910 by Charles Saunier, Un artiste romantique oublié. Monsieur Auguste, made him a legend, as Paul Signac explained at the time. “I already liked this Monsieur Auguste, even though he is a little shy and mysterious,” Signac wrote. “But thanks to you, I have gotten to know and like him better.” As a child, the dandy of rue des Martyrs, in Paris, had the privilege of stirring the emotions of two great painters who exhibited his portrait at the Salon. Henri Auguste and Madeleine Julie’s youngest son posed for François André Vincent the year his mother died. In his monograph on the artist, Jean-Pierre Cuzin surmised from Pierre Chaussard’s review of the 1795 Salon that the “two children’s portraits” were of “Mr. Auguste’s sons”, without, however, being able to identify the family with certainty. The work, full of truth and emotion, shows the future resident and architect of the French Academy in Rome drawing a house. At the 1798 Salon, Gérard exhibited Portrait of the Goldsmith Henri Auguste (1759-1816) and His Family, a more enigmatic image of the elegantly dressed and already dashing nine-year-old child, while his older brother religiously listens to their mother. François André Vincent’s portrait of the older brother remains to be found.
Vera Molnár, who died in 2023, received recognition late in life. A pioneer of generative art, she never stopped experimenting, as demonstrated by the approximately fifty works offered up for sale.
Vera Molnár (1924-2023), Interstices, 1987, computer printout on heavy paper, monogramed and dated lower right, signed, titled and dated on the back, 42 x 29.5 cm. Estimate: €2,000/3,000
At the age of almost 100, Vera Molnár was still giving interviews and continuing to innovate. A woman who could not go a day without drawing a line, she tirelessly pursued her research without worrying about the museumization of her work. As part of the “Elles font l’abstraction” exhibition at the Centre Pompidou in 2021 and at the Venice Biennale in 2022, she was labeled a pioneer for the experimental nature of her approach and her early integration of computer technology into her artistic process. While participating in a number of monographic exhibition projects and cultivating her loyalty to the Musée des Beaux-Arts in Rennes and the Espace de l’Art Concret in Mouans-Sartoux, she developed new collaborations with a young artist such as Paul Mouginot and embarked on NFTs. While the Museum of Digital Art in Zurich revisited the major contribution of her research to several generations of creators, this year’s “Parler à l’œil” exhibition at the Centre Pompidou offered a more individual vision of her work, highlighting the long-term process through the Journaux intimes (Diaries) (1976-2020) donated by the artist to the museum. Several donations to French public institutions, such as the INHA (The French National Institute of Art History), should soon fuel new research on Vera Molnár. The colloquium co-organized by Vincent Baby in June testified to a genuine ambition for transmission, to which this sale contributes in its own way. Bringing together some fifty original works on paper, by hand or by computer, including gouaches, collages and canvases from the artist’s estate, the catalog offers a representative selection of her work since the 1970s, when her practice began to develop with computers. In this respect, the sale shows not so much a break as continuities. Even before discovering IBM machines that allow us to visualize calculations in real time, Vera Molnár was using “imaginary machines”. In the confined space of a sheet of paper, she imposed constraints and protocols on herself. It’s already programming, a work that’s certainly rigorous but close to play. At the same time, the members of Oulipo, many of whom were mathematicians, were applying these same attempts to exhaust possibilities and explore combinatorics to literature.
Vera Molnár, Ligne blanche sur fond bleu (White Line on Blue Background), 1995, torn paper and collage on cardboard, signed, titled and dated, 50 x 25 cm each. Estimate: €2,000/3,000Vera Molnár, Hypertransformation, 1974, computer plotter drawing, ink on Benson paper, monogrammed and dated lower right, from the series «Job from Molnar», 50 x 36 cm. Estimate: €3,000/4,000
The GRAV Experiment
Geometry is everything human,” declares Vera Molnár, reminding us that there are no circles, squares or even lines other than those drawn by human beings and which serve as tools for grasping the world. Born in Hungary in 1924, she attributes the beginning of her artistic vocation to the discovery of Albrecht Dürer. Trained as a musician from an early age, she went on to study painting at the Beaux-Arts in Budapest, where she was confronted with the single horizon of figuration. The pleasure of theme and variation would soon reveal itself, notably through the engraving of the Mélancolia, a lasting reference, which she interprets through the figures of the magic square. Various artists discovered during her formative years became discreet references throughout her career, including Cézanne and Monet. After leaving for Paris in 1947 with her Beaux-Arts classmate François — whom she married in 1948 — ,they discovered the French contemporary art scene, which included Auguste Herbin, Michel Seuphor and Sonia Delaunay, who encouraged her. The 1973 hand-drawn Haie is interesting in that it seems to be a return to those Parisian years that ended her figurative period and opened the way to abstraction, which she would never abandon. It recalls the motif of the “Trees and Geometric Hills” drawings in the collection of the Musée National d’Art Moderne, in Paris. Was there an unexplored avenue in this motif? The artist, who had already simplified her forms, took full advantage of the line. She developed a geometry that gradually freed itself from any attempt to represent reality. When she met François Morellet and Jesús-Rafael Soto in the 1950s, she went back to the sources of geometric abstraction, those of the Bauhaus and the Russian Constructivists, and began to emulate them. With François Molnár, she was invited to Zurich in 1960 by the critic Max Bill for the landmark exhibition “Konkrete Kunst: 50 Jahre Entwicklung”. Recognized by her peers, she took part in the creation of the Centre de Recherche d’Art Visuel (CRAV): this commitment testifies to a roped-off approach in which the notion of authority is debated as a potential brake on experimentation; she left the group (which became GRAV) partly for this reason.
Drawing freehand, the artist joyfully pushes her lines beyond the confines of classical representation.
Vera Molnár, Trapèzes penchés à droite, B1, B2, B3 (Right-Leaning Trapezoids), 1987-2018, triptych, acrylic on canvas, signed, titled and dated on the back, 40 x 120 cm ; 40 x 40 cm/15.7 x 47.24 ; 15.7 x 15.7 in each. Estimate: €4,000/6,000
Computer Drawings
In 1980, Vera Molnár co-founded the Centre de recherche expérimentale et informatique des arts visuels at the University of Paris-I, where she was also a lecturer. Long an outsider on the art market, Vera Molnár developed a personal body of work, but she is far from isolated, as demonstrated by the American exhibitions “Code: Arts Enters the Computer Age”, at LACMA in 2023, and “Thinking Machines: Art and Design in the Computer Age, 1959-1989”, at MoMA in 2017. The sale includes Interstices, a computer plotter drawing from this period (1987), which shows the circulation and transformation of forms. In this composition of squares, the degree of disorganization is minimal, but allows us to see one of the cursors with which the artist works. Disorder is part of the program. An earlier drawing from 1974, computer-generated on Benson paper and part of the historic “Job From Molnár” series, shows a dizzying potential for transformation through a series of concentric squares. Vera Molnár addresses the eye first and foremost, as evidenced by several texts and even the title of her latest exhibition. The vibrations that the eye perceives beyond preconceived forms have something of a liberating quality. With her free hand, the artist would jubilate lines outside the framework of classical representation. With time and the evolution of technology, her playground expanded. Following the death of her husband in 1993, she began to be more present on the market, and a succession of collaborations enabled her to experiment with larger formats and new media such as ceramics, glass (stained glass) and textiles (carpets and tapestries). Open from an early age to the idea of art going beyond its own confines, no doubt because she herself stands on the edge of other fields, she conceives of installations that enable new spaces to be approached. The 2018 triptych entitled Trapèzes penchés à droite (Right-Leaning Trapezoids) uses three frames to reproduce the motif of an installation created in 1987-1988 by collaging red adhesive tape at the Museum of Concrete Art in Ingolstadt. With the original materials themselves, the construction game is assumed, reminding us of the extent to which her work was nourished by everyday experience, where the weave of a fabric or the lines of a clothesline could become a colorful pretext, a motif for disorder. Vera Molnár’s work is shaped by obsessions, including Cézanne and his Sainte-Victoire. The first image of France for the artist, this mountain was a summit to be repeated over and over again. Sometimes materialized as a diagram, sometimes as a tear, the horizon line — which can be sensed, for example, in the diptych Ligne blanche sur fond bleu — became an opening for her.
Featured: Hupfeld Phonoliszt-Violina Model A music machine, $250K-$500K, 1904 Caille Bros. 5¢ floor-model Roulette slot machine, $150K-$300K, fortune tellers, arcade machines, 825 advertising signs
Hupfeld Phonoliszt-Violina Piano-Violin Model “A”
LAS VEGAS – There will be no shortage of accomplished entertainers at Morphy’s Oct. 17-19 Coin-Op & Antique Advertising Auction in Las Vegas. A world-class lineup of European antique music machines is waiting in the wings to thrill auction guests with bravo-worthy performances rivaling famed orchestras and musicians of a century ago. Those who cannot attend the event in person are invited to bid absentee, by phone or live online through Morphy’s bidding platform.
Leading the A-list lineup is a circa-1912 Hupfeld Phonoliszt-Violina Model “A,” which is regarded as the most successful automatic violin and piano-playing machine ever made and one of the most spectacular of all music machines. Its complex mechanisms reproduce violin expression, bowing, vibrato, staccato, etc., as well as piano expression, replicating the technique of highly accomplished pianists. Restored in 1986 and again in 2014, it was acquired in 2012 by its present owner from Sanfilippo Place de la Musique in historic Barrington, Illinois. Jasper Sanfilippo obtained the unit in 1983 from a restaurant in France. Its auction estimate is $250,000-$500,000.
Another musical wonder, a Coinola Model SO Super Orchestrion is one of approximately 50 manufactured circa 1920 by the Operators Piano Company of Chicago. Its “orchestra” includes an 88-note piano (78 notes play automatically), a mandolin, violin and flute pipes; drums, a cymbal and other smaller percussion instruments. It is designed to plays 10-tune “O” rolls. Marketed at the start of the Prohibition Era, its original owner is reputed to have been a Chicago mobster. Restored twice, in 1986 and again in 2015, it is ready to grace a new collection and is estimated at $100,000-$200,000.
Also ready to step into the spotlight is a circa-1920 Mills Deluxe Violano-Virtuoso comprised of two violins that play elegantly and simultaneously. Housed in a Brazilian mahogany cabinet, this unit underwent a scrupulous 36-month restoration in which no small detail was spared. The U S Government designated the Violano-Virtuoso as “one of the greatest scientific inventions of the age,” and this fine example is a functional testament to that distinction. Estimate: $40,000-$70,000
Extremely rare and sought after, a circa-1895 Symphonion No. 38B Eroica 3-disc music box with clock was made by Symphonion Musikwerke of Leipzig, Germany. Housed in a Lenzkirch oak hall-clock case, it plays 14-inch discs in sets of three across six individual combs. Estimate: $40,000-$70,000
A circa-1890 French musical automaton picture clock with music box is as artful as it is scientifically precise. It depicts what appears to be the Crystal Palace, which was built in 1851 in London’s Hyde Park to house the “Great Exhibition.” Its three-dimensional diorama painting shows die-cut horses and jockeys in the foreground, and the Revel clock with a near-perfect porcelain dial is adorned by flowering vines. In excellent condition, this stunning piece is estimated at $12,000-$30,000.
Front and center amongst the 145 rare slot machines is a circa-1904 Caille Bros. Roulette 5¢ floor-model slot with a 7-way roulette wheel payout. Housed in a rare Honduran mahogany cabinet with ornate copper-flashed and plated iron castings, this desirable machine has been fully restored and is one of the finest examples Morphy’s antique coin-op experts have ever seen. Since the 1990s, it has been held in a private collection. It now comes to auction with a $150,000-$300,000 estimate.
A 1912 Caille Bros “Tourist” cast-iron slot machine shows off intricate castings and has its original “country” reel and back door. The unit is fun to play. The user deposits a nickel, pulls the handle, and if the “winning country” comes up, the machine pays out. In remarkable untouched condition with a great patina, it even retains its proper key. Estimate: $40,000-$60,000
Bidders wondering if it will be their lucky day at the auction might want to consult a circa-1891 Roover Bros. Donkey Wonder floor-model fortune teller machine. One of only three or four original machines of its type known to exist, the auction example retains its original “lady” equine fortune teller, who moves her head from side to side, scans the audience and flips her baton to spin the wheel of fortune. It operates by clockwork and is electrified only for the specific purpose of illuminating the cabinet section. The auction estimate is $40,000-$70,000.
Another clairvoyant who will be on hand to predict the future is Princess Doraldina, who holds court behind the glass of a circa-1918 5¢ fortune-telling machine. Manufactured in Rochester, NY, it is one of few surviving examples. The wax figure of the mystical princess moves its head and arm, selects a fortune and dispenses it on a card. An older restoration, this machine is in excellent working order and comes with a supply of both original and reproduction fortune cards. Estimate: $30,000-$50,000
Both baseball fans and collectors of arcade machine are expected to step up to the plate for a circa-1948 “Bat A Score” arcade machine with great-looking baseball graphics. Made by H.C. Evans, Chicago, the unit has been beautifully restored, inside and out. Animated manikin figures of a pitcher and batter, plus a stationary catcher, are on the interior field. When a nickel is dropped into the slot, a player gets 10 pitches, with the goal being to hit the steel ball into one of the five rear levels. In perfect order and retaining its keys, this American classic is expected to drive home a $20,000-$40,000 winning bid.
When it’s snack time at the auction, bidders can imagine what it might have been like to enjoy a freshly popped treat from a circa-1905 Cretors (Chicago) Model D horse-drawn popcorn wagon. Extensively restored to a very high standard, its beveled, cobalt blue flash-cut and chipped-glass signage says HOT BUTTERED POPCORN and IT’S SOOOO GOOD. The spotless interior is just as nice as the exterior, and is finished in red with oak trim, and fitted with metal drawers, counter, etc. Measuring 12½ feet in length, the Cretors wagon will roll across the auction block with an estimate of $15,000-$30,000.
Another lot that serves up tasty turn-of-the-century nostalgia is a Royal #5 coffee roaster made around 1910 by A J Deer Co of Hornell, New York. Complete with its load hopper and cooling pan on the original cast-nickel-trimmed base, this roaster has been restored in a Planters Peanut roaster motif. A sizable 88 inches long by 65 inches high, it could inspire a winning bid of $20,000-$40,000.
An attractive circa-1880 carved and painted Native American cigar store figure attributed to Samuel Robb stands 50 inches high (70 inclusive of stand). Its original polychrome palette shows no signs of touch-up paint or restoration. Originally, the figure would have held a spear in the right hand and a bunch of tobacco in the left hand. Its auction estimate is $20,000-$40,000.
As any collector will attest, antiques know no national boundaries as they pass from one pair of hands to the next over decades or centuries of ownership. One can only speculate about the journey one particular sign in the October auction might have taken before now. It is a massive 17ft by 4ft reverse-painted half-moon glass sign that advertises DEANE & ADAMS / PURVEYOR OF MILITARY ANTIQUITIES / WAR DEPARTMENTS & RULERS OF INDIA / ALL THE PRINCIPAL COLONIES SUPPLIED. It displays the British Royal Arms, the motto of the British Monarch – Dieu et mon droit (God and my right) – and the royal warrant (endorsement) tagline: GUN MAKER TO THE ROYAL HOUSEHOLD. Whether it remains in the United States, returns to its country of origin (England) or ends up in some other distant locale remains a question mark until auction day, when it will be offered with a $16,000-$25,000 estimate.
The Oct. 17-19, 2024 auction will be held live at Morphy’s satellite gallery located at 4520 Arville St., #1, Las Vegas, Nevada 89103. Start time is 9am Pacific time (12 noon Eastern time). Preview Monday through Wednesday, Oct. 14-16 from 9am-4pm local time; or on auction days from 8-9am. All forms of remote bidding will be available, including absentee, by phone (please reserve line in advance), or live via the Internet through Morphy Live. For condition reports or other questions, call tollfree 877-968-8880 or email [email protected]. Online: https://www.morphyauctions.com.
Battle royale for top-lot honors pits magnificent Tsar Nicholas II shashka – only royal sword ever offered for public sale – against circa-1509 gilded suit of armor by Della Cesa, ‘armorer to kings’
Superb Italian Etched And Gilt Armour By Pompeo Della Cesa
LONDON – Apollo Art Auctions’ October 12-13 Fine Ancient Art & Antiquities sale offers the company’s flourishing audience of bidders a chance to acquire pieces of unrivaled excellence and integrity, each one supported by venerable provenance. The 905-lot auction includes important rarities sourced from the Imperial Russian Romanov Collection, the Prince Collection, the Stephen Joel Albert Collection, the Spencer Joshua Alwyne Compton (Second Marquess of Northampton) Collection, the Alison Barker Collection, the Mrs B Ellison (of the Egyptian Exploration Society) Collection, the Duc de Dino Collection, and the Nicholas Wright Collection.
As the fully-illustrated auction catalog attests, the sale comprises a broad range of desirable items, including wearable jewellery vetted by ancient jewelry specialist Sami Fortune, fascinating military relics, and seals studied by renowned archaeology expert Professor Wilfrid George Lambert FBA (1926-2011). Egyptian decorative pieces come with historical reports from Simone Musso, consultant curator for Egyptian antiquities at the Stibbert Museum in Florence and a member of the Nuri Archaeological Expedition. Expertly-vetted Roman, Greek and Asian artifacts come with historical reports from Alessandro Neri, an international cultural heritage expert based in Florence, Italy. Also, bidders have the assurance of knowing all auction items have been cleared through the Art Loss Register database.
Two absolutely unique productions lead the ancient and antique armor category. First, there is an extremely fine-quality Caucasian shashka gifted to Nicholas II, Tsar of Russia, when he was Tsesarevich (heir apparent). Research suggests the saber was presented to Nicholas during a tour of the Caucasus with his father Tsar Alexander III, in 1888. An Arabic inscription in gold on the blade translates to: (M)ay the dominance of the owner of this sword grow, and his life, and his greatness, and may Allah bless his family, and he will achieve his goal. It is also monogrammed with the letters “N” and “A” (for Nicholas Alexandrovich), surrounded by a golden laurel and surmounted by the Imperial Russian crown. Its wonderfully-decorated scabbard bears a calligraphic Arabic inscription that would be the equivalent of a European maker’s mark. Translated, it says “Abdullah worked.” Held in consecutive European private collections, including the Eugene Mollo collection (Switzerland), it is the first royal sword ever to be offered for public sale. It requires an opening bid of £900,000 ($1,203,370).
The second armor highlight is a breathtaking circa-1590 AD Italian etched and gilded half-suit of armor created by Pompeo Della Cesa, armorer to Philip II of Spain and many European dukes. The central boss on its breastplate features an image of Infant Christ in the arms of the Virgin Mary, under which appears “POMP,” the celebrated Milanese armorer’s signature. Weighing 14.4kg (31lbs 12oz), this suit would have been made for an infantryman. The illustrious line of provenance most recently includes the Prince Collection and the 2009 Galerie Fischer (Lucerne, Switzerland) auction of the Schulthess family collection. Its prior ownership can be traced back as far as the Duc de Dino Collection, which was cataloged by the Baron de Cosson in 1901 and acquired by the Metropolitan Museum of Art in 1904. The opening bid is £450,000 ($602,000).
Another noteworthy armor lot is a circa 600-575 BC Corinthian helmet of hammered bronze with large almond-shape eyeholes with beveled perimeter, a slender nose guard with raised edges, and gracefully-sloping cheek guards. Similar to an example in the MET Museum, it has been XRF-tested to confirm no modern trace elements. Its well-documented lineage includes a European collector; the K Deppert collection (Frankfurt, Germany) following a 1973 purchase; and S Tarab (Geneva, Switzerland). The opening bid on this wonderful-looking opalescent-green helmet is set at £40,000 ($53,560).
Of a later but no-less-captivating era, a circa 900-1100 AD Viking or Norman conical helmet is ruggedly constructed of a single sheet of hammered iron with a T-shape nasal guard attached by five rivets. Both the brow and nose guard are artfully inlaid with dragon motifs. Its line of provenance includes an English art gallery, with acquisition in the 2010s; a private southern Germany collection formed in 1980s-2000s; and the Kenneth John Hewett collection (London), formed from the 1960s-1980s. Strong competition could ensue on auction day when this helmet opens for bidding at £6,000 ($8,035).
The array of “precious metals” continues with a very rare medieval (circa early 13th century AD) bronze lion-form aquamanile of a type that would have been used for ceremonial hand-washing before religious services or dining, especially at banquets. Its ingenious design incorporates a movable tail that serves as a pump to send water coursing through the lion’s body and out its mouth via a spout. A handsome artwork displaying a superb natural patina, its line of ownership includes a 1990s European collection and subsequent acquisition on the British art market in the 2010s. It is similar to an example in the Cleveland Museum of Art’s collection. Bidding will start at £80,000 ($107,100).
An awe-inspiring Egyptian Eighteenth Dynasty (reign of Amenhotep IV-Akhenaten, circa 1353-1336 BC) limestone relief stele fragment features carved images of a queen of the Amarna Kingdom, King Akhenaten, and a child, most likely the young Princess Meritaten. Of vertical form with hieroglyphic inscriptions, this historically significant piece actually appears in A Wiese’s 2001 book about ancient Egyptian holdings in the Basel Museum of Antiquities. Its provenance includes the Prince Collection, 1990s-2014; and before that, the Hans Humbel Collection (Zurich). Opening bid: £20,000 ($26,740)
A leading entry from the popular category of ancient Mediterranean pottery is an ornate Apulian red-figure volute krater, circa 400-350 BC, with handles depicting Medusa. Scenes on its body include female figures, naiskos and symbolic offerings. It stands 650mm (25.6in) tall and is similar to an example at the Civic Archaeological Museum, Milan, Italy. Provenance includes a Central London gallery; a southern England estate collection since its 1990s acquisition from Andre de Munter, Brussels, Belgium; and prior to that, an old European collection. Opening bid: £5,000 ($6,695)
Only an upper-class stable could have produced the type of high-quality equine that inspired the Chinese Tang Dynasty (circa 618-906 AD) terracotta horse sculpture to be sold on Day 1 of the auction. In a resting pose with a gracefully arched neck, low head, finely drafted features and well-detailed musculature, it wears an elaborate harness with dangling tassels, a bridle, blanket and saddle. It has been TL-tested by Ralf Kotalla (report conveys to buyer), and its provenance includes a UK private collection following acquisition in the early 1990s in Hong Kong. Bidding will open at £2,000 ($2,680).
A sizable selection of ancient jewelry includes every imaginable type of adornment. A rare and very fine pair of circa 1100-1200 AD Byzantine enameled gold earrings is designed with lunar-shape bodies engraved and enameled with a central cross and two doves. The pair is similar to earrings seen in the book The Glory of Byzantium, Art and Culture of the Middle Byzantine Era. From a London private collection, elegant adornments come to auction with an opening bid of £8,000 ($10,720).
An attractive gold ring is set with an oval amethyst cameo dating to the Late Roman period (circa 300-350 AD) which depicts Constantine the Great, who reigned from 306-337 AD and was the first emperor to convert to Christianity. Its line of provenance includes a London ancient art collector; the Mayfair private collection of Mr P S; and earlier acquisition (1970s) on the UK art market. The opening bid is £2,000 ($2,680).
Apollo Art Auctions’ Saturday/Sunday, Oct. 12-13, 2024 Fine Ancient Art and Antiquities Auction will be a live gallery event with online bidding also available through Apollo’s bidding platform or LiveAuctioneers. Start time: 7am US Eastern Time/12 noon GMT on Day 1; and 6am US Eastern Time/11am GMT on Day 2. Goods may be previewed at the gallery October 7-11 from 10am-5pm daily. Address: 63-64 Margaret Street, London W1W 8SW. Apollo accepts payments in GBP, USD and EUR; and ships worldwide. No import charges are assessed on most antiquities sent to the United States. All packing is handled in-house by white-gloved specialists. Questions: Please call +44 7424 994167 or email [email protected]. Visit Apollo Art Auctions online at www.apolloauctions.com
A rare collection of Japanese Tin litho buses will be up for auction at SJ Auctioneers October 27th Online Auction “Estate Silverware,Toys, Decor, Glass Art,”
A rare japanes tin litho bus collection from a private estate collector includes brands such as Yonezawa, Ichiko, Red China, Distler,Cragstan,Marx. The consist of friction and windup models
The auction also features outstanding sterling silver flatware sets and Estate Silverware, Toys, Décor, Glass Art and Toys; more auction lots include items by famous name designers and makers, including Georg Jensen, Cardeilhac, Paul Storr, Wallace, Tiffany &; Co., Cartier, Buccellati, Gucci, Montegrappa, Baccarat, Judith Leiber, Louis Marx, Hasbro, Lionel,
Tootsie Toy, Agglo, Steuben, Lalique, Herend, Swarovski, Louis Vuitton, Gorham and others.
Bidding is available online now, at LiveAuctioneers.com.
Pre-bidding is also available, meaning for those who are unable to attend the online auction, they can still leave their bids now. A link to the catalog is here:
Historically important camera was used by Volz to document Christo + Jeanne-Claude installations worldwide, becoming a tangible part of their ephemeral art and, later, a wrapped work of art itself
Christo (Bulgarian, 1935–2020), ‘Wrapped Leica,’ Leica M4 camera belonging to photographer and longtime Christo + Jeanne-Claude.
WETZLAR, Germany – Every artist, whether famous or obscure, adds something to the collective consciousness of art. But every once in a great while, a true innovator emerges to take the art world down an entirely new path. That certainly applied to the late duo known as Christo + Jeanne-Claude, whose jointly-conceived, grand-scale installations of environmental art captivated the world for several decades. Since the early 1960s, their collaborative projects – whether involving a monument such as the Arc de Triomphe or 11 islands in Miami’s Biscayne Bay – were headline-makers with one thing in common. All featured unexpected physical subjects imaginatively hand-wrapped in some sort of material. After Jeanne-Claude passed away in in 2009, Christo carried on with the genre he and his wife had invented, orchestrating sensational site-specific installations that attracted millions of visitors.
Christo + Jeanne-Claude believed that art was fleeting, therefore their work should be ephemeral as well. After an installation had spent its preallotted time in the public eye, it disappeared. In Rita Gilbert’s Living with Art book series, Christo said of their creations: “They all go away when they’re finished. Only the preparatory drawings and collages are left, giving my works an almost legendary character. I think it takes much greater courage to create things to be gone than to create things that will remain.”
Indeed, Christo’s design sketches for the couple’s wrappings, as well as his earlier Wrapped Objects, Wrapped Books and editions, are widely regarded as their only surviving works. Each is a sought-after rarity on the art market. But now something very special has emerged – something unique, personally associated with Christo + Jeanne-Claude, and of course, wrapped. It is a Leica M4 camera belonging to the famed photographic artist and Christo + Jeanne-Claude collaborator Wolfgang Volz (German, b. 1942-).
Volz officially accompanied the Christo + Jeanne Claude projects over a period of nearly 50 years, photographically documenting each of their finished projects. Because of the temporary nature of those installations, Volz’s photographs are all that remain in a tangible form from those experiences. Therefore, one may conclude that the camera creating those images became, by extension, a contributory part of the actual works of art.
On the occasion of Wolfgang Volz’s birthday on January 17, 1994, the photographer’s Leica M4 camera joined the Christo oeuvre of wrapped objects when it was returned in its newly-enhanced state as a unique gift from the artist.
Some time prior to its wrapping by Christo, Wolfgang Volz had redesigned the originally silver chrome-plated Leica M4 with a Summicron 35mm lens in a red-and-blue motif. Volz explained that this was done specifically for a job he had been commissioned to do in New York’s Bronx borough for the German news magazine Der Spiegel. Volz wanted to take his photos as unobtrusively as possible and was concerned that the eye-catching silver chrome-plated camera might attract attention.
Through the cord-wrapped foil – which was personally signed by Christo with the inscription “For Wolfgang / Jan. 17, 1994 / Christo” – one can see the Leica M4’s red and blue colors. The historically important camera, which has never before been seen in the marketplace, will be offered as Lot No. 80 in Wetzlar Camera Auctions’ October 12, 2024 sale.
The 248-lot live auction will take place at the Hotel Bürgerhof, Konrad-Adenauer-Promenade 20, 35578 Wetzlar, Germany. Bidders worldwide may participate absentee, by phone, or live via the Internet through LiveAuctioneers. For questions or to obtain additional information, call Wetzlar Camera Auctions at +49 6441 9822322 or email [email protected]. View the fully illustrated catalog and sign up to bid either absentee or live online through LiveAuctioneers at https://www.liveauctioneers.com/catalog/340352_auction-6/. Wetzlar website: https://www.wetzlarcameraauctions.com/en-gb/home
A Chinese Carved Pale celadon Jade Archaistic Covered Vessel, Tulu, Qing Dynasty (Estimate: $4,000-6,000)
New York NY: Lark Mason Associates is delighted to announce that over 300 lots of Chinese and other works of Asian art treasures will open for bidding from October 1st through October 15th on iGavelAuctions.com
Among the highlights are a set of Eight Korean Painted Panels, late Joseon Dynasty (Estimate: $20,000-30,000), a Chinese Carved Pale celadon Jade Archaistic Covered Vessel, Tulu, Qing Dynasty (Estimate: $4,000-6,000), a Chinese Formal Court Robe, Chaofu, Qing Dynasty (Estimate: $10,000-15,000), a Chinese Gilt Lacquer Seated Lohan, Qing Dynasty (Estimate: $5,000-8,000), an 18th century Chinese Blue and White Dragon Dish, (Estimate: $5,000-8,000), and a set of Five Chinese Blue and White and Café-au-Lait Triple Gourd Form Vases, Kangxi Period (Estimate: $5,000-8,000).
Other treasures include an Eight-Panel Japanese Flower Screen, Rimpa School, 17th / 18th century (Estimate: $12,000-18,000), a Chinese Gilt Bronze Figure of Guanyin, Ming Dyansty (Estimate: $4,000-6,000), and a Chinese Underglaze Blue Painted Porcelain Landscape Bowl, 17th/18th century (Estimate: $3,000-5,000).
Says Lark Mason: “This is a solid, highly appealing sale which offers a wide range of significant Asian works that span centuries and traditions at reasonable estimates. It’s a great opportunity for collectors, and we look forward to connecting Asian art enthusiasts with these extraordinary objects.”
“We are Here.” With this title, urban art asserts its claim to territory, just as a mountaineer would plant his flag on a newly conquered peak. The XXL bomb-sculpture by D*Face, which greets the visitor, sets the scene. Long branded as vandals, street artists are now taking their revenge by officially investing the Musée des Beaux-Arts de la Ville de Paris, at the Petit Palais with Mehdi Ben Cheikh, Director of the Galerie Itinerrance, as its conductor. Known for his ambitious projects such as “Tour Paris 13” (2013), “Earth Crisis” under the Eiffel Tower (2015) and “Boulevard Paris 13” (since 2014), the free exhibition set within the museum’s permanent collections is sure to impress. The exhibition’s manifesto is both an ode to the movement and to the French capital. “Paris, cradle of the avant-garde, reaffirms its central role in contemporary creation. Once the epicenter of artistic movements from Montmartre to Montparnasse, the City of Light now embodies a worldwide movement: street art. Between impertinence, humor and admiration, the artists weave links with works that, in the 19th century, were presented at the Salons. We move from the monumental creations of Swoon, Inti and Cleon Peterson to the iconic works of Obey and Invader, with a detour to discover Seth’s immersive installation, La Tour de Babel, depicting a child sitting on a pile of books, his face immersed in a rainbow. Whether in dialogue or rupture, juxtapositions work better for paintings in the large-format gallery than for 3D works in the sculpture gallery. The highlight of the show is the Concorde Room, featuring paintings by sixty artists in a symbolic nod to the hangings at the Salon. Does this legitimization mean that street art is now an official art form?
“We are Here” Petit Palais – Musée des Beaux-Arts de la Ville de Paris, Paris 75008. Until January 19, 2025 www.petitpalais.paris.fr
Featured: 1920s ‘Pig Sandwich’ neon sign from America’s first drive-in restaurant, 1930s Texas Pacific ‘tepee’ sign, Sinclair ‘Dino’ and Husky Oil dog-mascot signs; rare gas pump globes, ’34 Ford Tudor
1920s die-cut porcelain neon sign from Pig Stand drive-in restaurant (Dallas, Texas)
DENVER, Pa. – Few collecting categories can rival gas and oil advertising signs for color, imaginative graphics or the level of bidder enthusiasm they generate at auction. That has been proven time and again at Morphy’s blockbuster Automobilia & Petroliana sales, which, over the years have featured some of the hobby’s most revered collections, including those of Bobby Knudsen Jr, and the late Kyle Moore. The Pennsylvania company’s next stellar selection of motoring-related signage and service station items will cross the auction block on October 6, with all forms of remote bidding available in addition to live participation at the gallery.
The 651-lot auction features 425 signs, 64 gas pumps, 134 gas globes and lenses, 25 motor oil and other product cans, display items, and other uncommon service station accessories. A number of pieces have been certified and graded by AGS, the premier authentication and grading service for antique advertising.
The auction’s headliner is a 1920s die-cut porcelain neon sign from the Pig Stand drive-in restaurant in Dallas, Texas. Measuring an impressive 73 by 41 inches, the sign advertises “Pig Sandwich,” which, according to Texas Monthly magazine, was the Pig Stand’s lead menu item. The famed barbeque restaurant, which went on to become a chain operation with locations in six states, is entrenched in motoring history. The original Dallas Pig Stand held the title of first-ever drive-in restaurant in America and was established in 1921 on the premise that many patrons – including travelers – would rather dine in their cars than go inside. Accordingly, they came up with yet another innovation: carhops to deliver meals to their parked customers. The Pig Sandwich sign entered in Morphy’s auction would be an astonishing rarity in any condition, but luckily for collectors, it displays phenomenal color and gloss throughout. Its neon illuminates through the lettering in green, as well as in red along the outer border. It has a well-made metal can with new electricals throughout and tabs on its top edge to make the sign easy to hang. This lot has been AGS certified and graded 91, and its pre-sale estimate is $35,000-$75,000.
Also from the Lone Star State, a rare circa-1930s double-sided porcelain sign advertises Texas Pacific Gasoline & Motor Oil Products, which were manufactured by Texas Pacific Coal & Oil Co., of Fort Worth. At its center is an appealing red tepee graphic, overlaid by the letters “TP” and encircled decoratively in a motif suggestive of Native American art. Bright and glossy, its sides are graded 84 and 82, respectively. This visually-compelling 42-inch-diameter sign would be hard to improve upon. Estimate: $30,000-$60,000
Popular petroleum mascots will be crossing the auction block, including the lively Arctic dog who represented Husky Oil Co., of Cody, Wyoming. The excellent double-sided porcelain sign offered by Morphy’s is formed as a shield with the phrase “Husky Service” and the iconic Husky dog leaping playfully against a rising sun as its central graphic. It measures 42 by 48 inches and has been AGS certified with sides graded 89 and 87, respectively. Estimate: $20,000-$40,000
Another endearing mascot is Sinclair’s “Dino” the dinosaur. A highly sought-after circa-1930s double-sided porcelain curb sign advertising Sinclair Pennsylvania Motor Oil is dominated by a well-detailed profile graphic of Dino with the slogan “Mellowed 100 Million Years.” Measuring 24 inches in diameter, the red, white and black sign is AGS certified, with sides graded 90 and 93, respectively. Described in Morphy’s catalog as “an exceptionally clean example,” it comes to auction with a $10,000-$20,000 estimate.
Among the dozens of desirable gas globes and lenses, is the classic every collector wants: a one-piece baked-porcelain globe for Musgo Gasoline (Muskegon, Mich.) with the companies iconic Native American graphic and the slogan “Michigans Mile Marker.” The globe is dated Sept. 17, 1929, and ink-stamped “Made In USA” along the outer collar. An excellent example graded a strong 92, it is expected to sell in the vicinity of $20,000-$30,000.
Also not to be missed is an outstanding 15in-diameter Gilmore Blu-Green Gasoline globe lens with a fantastic, well-detailed six-color graphic of a roaring lion that commands attention. The lens is very clean throughout and is set on a high-profile metal body that has been skillfully repainted. Graded 95, it carries a $10,000-$20,000 estimate.
Nicely-restored, an Air Scale service station air meter has an especially nice look with its one-piece baked-porcelain globe marked “AIR.” It boasts brilliant color and gloss throughout and has hand-painted lettering that advises patron their tire is filled when the whistle stops. Made by Air Scale Co., Toledo, Ohio, for Brunner Mfg. Co., Utica, NY, this esoteric gas station accessory would enhance even the most advanced petroliana collection. Estimate: $5,000-$10,000
Speaking of “sideshow” items, many gas and oil advertising fans enjoy displaying a specialty collection of oil and other petroleum-product cans. A rarity to be offered on October 6 is an outstanding 1-lb. grease can for Rainbow Lubricant, which was manufactured by True’s Oil Co., Spokane, Washington. Standing 4¼ inches high, it is a fine example with its original lid and a brightly-hued logo that depicts a gas pump and service station attendant filling a car’s tank as the customer looks on. AGS certified and graded 95, its pre-sale estimate is $3,000-$5,000.
An exciting way to carry home one’s purchases from the October 6 auction would be in a 1934 Ford Tudor Sedan, a hotrodder’s delight with an odometer reading of a mere 8,817 miles. Retaining its original sheet metal, it is described as having a 302 H.O. C-4 engine, a 4-inch dropped axle, and disc brakes. It was purchased in 1965 for $50, and its restoration was completed in 1994. The car’s black paint with red and white accents is VG overall, and it has an aftermarket, steering wheel, gas pedal and seating. Mechanically sound, it starts up and runs nicely. Estimate: $10,000-$40,000
The Sunday, Oct. 6, 2024 Automobilia & Petroliana Auction will be held live at Morphy’s gallery, 2000 N. Reading Rd., Denver, PA 17517, starting at 9am Eastern Time. All forms of bidding will be available, including absentee, by phone and live via the Internet through Morphy Live. For questions pertaining to any item in the auction, to reserve a phone line, or to discuss consigning to a future Automobilia & Petroliana auction at Morphy’s, call 877-968-8880, email [email protected]. Visit Morphy’s online at www.morphyauctions.com.
