A. Elmer Crowell’s decoy depicting a preening curlew is one of the highlighted lots in the upcoming Winter Sale 2021, presented by Copley Fine Art Auctions. The 1941 sculpture depicts a curlew bird with its head arched back to groom its feathers. A 20th-century decoy carver, A. Elmer Crowell was known for his American wildfowl sculptures. Crowell spent his early years observing and hunting Cape Cod’s birds, which helped him gain an understanding of avian anatomy. Later, this learning would allow him to incorporate life-like details in his work.
The sale also features John Charles Terelak’s Dory Fisherman Off the Grand Banks. Many of Terelak’s works experiment with new techniques, distinct compositions, and color combinations. “Every painting takes a life of its own as it develops and evolves, taking the artist along for the ride,” he once said. The available piece shows three long-line dories returning to a fishing schooner to unload their catches. Paintings, sculptures, firearms, and sporting decoys are available in the auction catalog. Register to bid for any of these lots by visiting Bidsquare.
In 1953, Milo Baughman began his career-defining collaboration with Thayer Coggin, the North Carolina-based furniture manufacturers who continue to produce his furniture today. Together, they created classic pieces that married creativity and functionality. The upcoming Cain Modern Auctions sale highlights a vintage sectional sofa by Milo Baughman. Created for Thayer Coggin in the 1970s, the three-piece sectional sofa boasts a curved frame and a sleek brass base. It retains the original fabric, brass, and manufacturer label.
In addition to some vintage furniture pieces, the auction includes a selection of fine art and collectibles. A Norma Goldberg bronze sculpture titled Love is notable. It depicts two nudes seated together and embracing. The statue rests on a wooden base. Marc Chagall’s artwork titled After Winter, From Beyond the Mirror is also available. The original lithograph was published in 1972. Browse the entire catalog or register to place a bid on Bidsquare.
Dox Thrash was a prolific painter and printmaker famous for his social realism artworks and his contributions to the Carborundum printmaking technique. In his early years, Thrash worked as an elevator operator and later went on to study at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. During the Great Depression, Dox Thrash worked as a part-time graphic designer and an independent painter. The upcoming Kodner Galleries auction presents multiple American scenes by Dox Thrash. The highlight is a sporting watercolor painting. This piece takes inspiration from Thrash’s Southern childhood. It also reflects his experiences during the 1940s, when Philadelphia’s Black American society underwent cultural changes. Artworks by Dox Thrash are known for their contemporary appeal.
Another highlight is a limited edition Swarovski golden dragon sculpture from 2009. The ornamental sculpture—from Swarovski’s Myriad Collection—captures the dragon in flight. It rests on a marble base and features Swarovski’s signature Pointiage technique. The Pointiage method involves setting crystals without glue or prongs.
Pieces of diamond and platinum Art Deco jewelry will also be available. A pair of GIA-certified natural pearl, diamond, and platinum earrings is among the key lots. The jewelry collection also offers a vintage New York Yankees pendant necklace. It includes a 14-karat yellow gold chain with six enamel and pearl charms.
The Estate Jewelry, Fine Art, & Collectibles auction also features Chinese red lacquer furniture, Baccarat Crystal vases, Reed & Barton silverware, Limoges Haviland dinnerware, and Chanel jewelry. Interested collectors can explore the entire listings and register to bid online on Bidsquare.
Day 3 of the ABC: Estate Finds auction, presented by Millea Bros. Ltd., will feature important historical and literary books. Leading the event is André Breton’s Anthologie de l’Humour Noir. Known as a founder of literary Surrealism, Breton started developing the book in the 1930s. Breton designed it to be an anthology featuring 45 Surrealist writers. It was published in 1940 and was immediately forbidden by the Vichy regime. The available book is the first revised edition that came out in 1950. This copy bears Breton’s signature and comes with a color lithograph by Joan Miró.
Also featured is the first edition of Poems by British poet Wilfred Owen. Published posthumously in 1920, Poems was edited by Owen’s friend and mentor Siegfried Sassoon. Considered a leading poet of World War I, Owen’s best-known works discuss the horrors of trench warfare. The auction will include books by several Surrealists and modern artists, including Georges Bataille, Angel Zarraga, and Jose Herrera Petere. Explore the full listings and register to bid online on Bidsquare.
Wine-producing countries from around the world will be represented in Sotheby’s upcoming New York wine sale. The auction features rare bottles from France, Italy, Spain, and the United States. Winemaking techniques and location define the quality of the available wines. For example, France uses a more traditional method of aging while Italy is recognized for using grapes that are native to southern Europe. Showcased in the auction are 12 bottles of 2009 Petrus. This rare French wine is full-bodied with aromas of blackberries, dark chocolate, and hazelnut. It has an intense plum color. These bottles are expected to hold for 25 years or longer.
12 bottles of 2000 Château Mouton Rothschild will be available as well. Also from France, these wines have a purple-violet color that is nearly black. The dominant aromas are redcurrant, cherry liqueur, and bilberry with slight floral hints of lily, violet, and vanilla. This wine reaches peak maturity between 18 and 60 years after the vintage.
Screaming Eagle, produced in California, is also represented in Sotheby’s Finest and Rarest Wines Auction with three bottles of 2012 Cabernet Sauvignon. This full-bodied wine has a fragrance of blackcurrant liqueur, licorice, acacia flowers, and graphite with a hint of new oak. Cabernet Sauvignon is known as one of the best aging wines available: these bottles will keep for seven to 10 years. View the full collection of wines and register to bid at Sotheby’s.
Osiris, the Egyptian god of fertility, vegetation, the dead, the afterlife, and resurrection, was known as the judge of the underworld. He is traditionally represented as an immortal being with a pharaoh’s beard. One of the key lots in the upcoming Exceptional Antiquities, Asian, Ethnographic Art auction, presented by Artemis Gallery, is a tall and elaborately cast Osiris bronze figure. This piece has a round face, almond-shaped eyes, thick lips, and large ears. This ritualistic figure was most likely used for prayer ceremonies in prosperous homes or temples. The figure wears an Atef crown and shroud while holding a flagellum and a heka scepter. These are significant symbols of kingship in Egyptian culture.
Another notable lot is a fossilized Hoplophoneus skull with large teeth. Most of the lower jaw is in its original condition. This species is the second oldest sabertooth mammal, dating back to prehistoric North America. One of the auction’s fine art highlights is a portrait of John F. Kennedy by William Franklin Draper. The artist was given the rare opportunity to paint Kennedy from life. The available painting shows Kennedy in a rocking chair and comes in a gilt frame. To view the complete catalog and register to bid online, visit LiveAuctioneers.
Raymond Pettibon rose to prominence after producing album art for Sonic Youth, Foo Fighters, and his brother’s band, Black Flag. Pettibon wears his influences on his sleeve, referencing pop culture and his California upbringing with little concern for appearing derivative. Bonhams’ upcoming Post-War & Contemporary Art sale will feature an untitled piece by Raymond Pettibon depicting a surfer. Having spent much of his childhood near Venice Beach, surfing plays a major role in Pettibon’s work. This particular acrylic on plexiglass piece shows a surfer getting his bearings inside the tube of a large wave.
Also heavily influenced by pop culture was Pop artist Mel Ramos. This sale includes a portrait from Ramos depicting Academy Award-nominated actress Ali MacGraw. Ramos was particularly known for juxtaposing nude figures with the most popular products of his day, from Baby Ruth candy bars to Coca Cola. With MacGraw, though, Ramos takes a more conservative approach. He dresses MacGraw in a black top balanced by a white and blue choker.
Another featured work comes from graffiti and studio artist RETNA, titled Blackstone Camo. The script on this and many of RETNA’s other works is a language all its own, inspired by hieroglyphics and Native American pictographs. Also influencing this piece is another RETNA project, in which the artist turned an abandoned Douglas DC-3 airplane in the Arizona desert into an art installation. Those interested in this or any other lot can register to bid on Bonhams’ website.
Cowan’s Auctions will present its first dedicated African Americana sale in mid-February. Leading the event is an early daguerreotype of Joseph Jenkins Roberts, the first and seventh president of Liberia. Roberts was born the son of free Black Americans in the early 19th century before settling in Liberia. He helped establish Liberia as a republic and headed the state before and after the American Civil War. The available daguerreotype shows Joseph Jenkins Roberts in the 1840s. It was taken earlier than all previously-known images of Roberts.
The upcoming auction traces the history of the Black American experience from the 18th century through the civil rights movement of the 1960s. One of the key lots is a recording of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s 1956 address at a National Negro Funeral Directors Association convention. Few copies of these 33 RPM vinyl records were produced and this is the first to come to auction. The catalog also offers photography from the civil rights movement, including a press photo from Dr. King’s 1965 march in Montgomery, Alabama. He is shown arm-in-arm with Reverend Ralph Abernathy, James Foreman, Reverend Jesse Douglas, and John Lewis.
Bidders can consider ephemera from America’s history of legal slavery and segregation. Reward papers for runaway enslaved people, a “colored” restroom sign, and a selection of abolition documents will be available. Visit Bidsquare for the complete catalog and to place a bid.
Félix Ziem, an aspiring artist with an urge to travel, visited Italy in the 1840s. Smitten by the landscape, Ziem began painting Venice. Although he captured still lifes, portraits, and landscapes in the Ottoman Empire and Egypt, Ziem’s best-known works depict Venice. The upcoming New York City Estate Auction, offered by Showplace, will highlight a Venetian canal scene by Félix Ziem. The piece depicts a central gondola in the San Marco basin. A handwritten message on the reverse, possibly written by Ziem, indicates it was painted around 1905.
The auction features an oval Burmese ruby ring set in 18-karat white gold with 36 round single-cut diamonds. An American Gemological Laboratories certificate will be provided with the lot. Burmese rubies are highly valued for their pigeon blood color. An 18-karat gold link chain from Italy is another leading jewelry item. Along with fine art, sculptures, and jewelry, the upcoming auction will offer Tiffany and Co. porcelain, furniture, and decorative art, as well as Native American and Mexican silver from New York City estates. Visit Bidsquare for the full listings and to place a bid.
elady Ltd. presents a selection of luxury watches from Cartier, Rolex, and Omega in its timed Important Timepieces auction. Featured in the sale is a vintage Rolex Air-King 5500. Released during World War II, the Rolex Air-King was a tribute to the British Royal Air Force pilots. The first model had a simple design. In 1957, Rolex introduced a newer model, the Air-King 5500. This model became the longest-running generation of Air-King watches. The available Rolex Air-King 5500 features a 34mm stainless steel case topped with a domed steel bezel and fitted with a steel Oyster bracelet.
Other luxury watches featured in this event include a Cartier Santos women’s dress watch. Louis Cartier created the Santos in 1904 to assist his friend Alberto Santos, a Brazilian aviator, in easily accessing the time while flying a plane. It became the first mainstream men’s wristwatch and first pilot’s watch. During the 1970s and 1980s, Cartier introduced yellow-gold versions of the Santos for ladies. The available watch has an 18-karat yellow gold case and bracelet. Those interested in this piece or other wristwatches from Cartier, Rolex, and Omega can register to bid on Bidsquare.
