In 1759, the Qianlong emperor ordered a review of the Qing court attire system. The dragon robe, in particular, was only given to those of high rank. It represented the professional attire of members of the military and civil service. The upcoming Ceramics and Works of Art sale, offered by Oakridge Auction Gallery, presents a Chinese blue dragon robe from the Qing dynasty. The decoration on the robe includes dragons, clouds, and mountains.
The sale offers several pieces of carved jade as well. In Chinese culture, jade symbolizes status, wealth, and spirituality. Featured in the auction is a circular white jade plaque with a zitan wood stand. Dating back to the 18th century, one side of the plaque features a landscape with the image of an old man and a young boy. The other side is accented with bird, flower, and rock designs. Register on Bidsquare to find more information and to bid for the available items.
Known as “Spiritual Father,” Joseph Henry Sharp’s life began in Ohio in 1859. A swimming accident when he was a boy left him deaf, and he began doodling to communicate. He was deeply interested in the outdoors, art, and Native American culture. Sharp first visited Taos in 1893 and completed hundreds of portraits, landscapes, and scenes of daily life there for years to come. The upcoming sale, presented by Shapiro Auctions, highlights an oil painting by Sharp. Titled A Prehistoric Bowl – Excavated Near the Pueblo of Zuni, New Mexico, the piece shows a prehistoric Zuni bowl, a chest, and a red drapery. The painting is sold together with the pictured chest, which, according to Sharp, belonged to Governor Charles Bent of New Mexico.
The auction also features the work of several Russian artists. A painting by Alexander Samokhvalov is particularly featured. Samokhvalov was one of the most prominent masters of Socialist Realism. His works often showed Soviet women as the face of modernity and strength. The available work, executed in 1970, a year before his death, shows the interior of a bus in a working-class Soviet society. Tiffany lamps, bronze sculptures, and timepieces will be available as well. View the full collection and register to bid online on Bidsquare.
The Morgan silver dollar series, minted in Carson City, is among the most sought-after currencies in the United States. The CC Morgan dollars were first struck in 1878 and depict the history of the American Wild West. Only 13 coins were part of the series. Carson City, until 1859, was an obscure location with a handful of gold and silver mines. However, after the largest reserve of gold and silver in the United States was discovered in Comstock Lode in Carson City, it became popular. The upcoming sale, offered by Alex Cooper Auctioneers, presents a complete set of 13 Carson City Morgan dollars. Due to the use of unrefined processes in the production of CC Morgan dollars compared to other coins, few of them were ever struck.
The auction also highlights Victorian and Art Deco jewelry, a Cartier Love bracelet, and David Yurman jewelry pieces. Showcased is a lady’s Chopard La Strada stainless steel watch, launched to appreciate the Italian film actresses of the 1950s. Also offered are silverware by Stieff & Kirk, Gorham, and Lunt; Navajo rugs; and timepieces by Chopard, Omega, Rolex, and Baume & Mercier. Interested collectors can explore the full listings and register to bid online on Bidsquare.
Maqbool Fida Husain, popularly known as M. F. Husain, was an Indian painter and filmmaker famous for his brightly colored modified Cubist paintings. Nicknamed the “Picasso of India,” Husain started his career creating Bollywood film posters. His paintings of horses depict his signature style – a combination of Indian tribal, mythological, and folk arts. The upcoming auction, offered by Bruneau & Co. Auctioneers, will highlight a 2002 watercolor painting of a horse by Husain. The Cubist piece shows a galloping golden horse illuminated with the power of the Sudarshan Chakra. The painting emphasizes the spirit of the horses, as well as words from Hindu scripture.
An oil on canvas piece featuring an Indian woman dressed in traditional attire by B. Prabha is another notable offering of contemporary Indian art. The elongated frame of rural women painted in bold colors is a distinguishing feature of her artwork. Other highlights include a figurative abstract egg tempera on paper piece by David Clyde Driscoll and Impressionist paintings of women by still-life painter Abbott Graves. Also offered are Chinese Qing dynasty porcelain wares, antique and modern furniture, Lalique glassware, jewelry, and bronze sculptures. Interested collectors can explore the full listings and register to bid online on Bidsquare.
The Books and Documents from the Collection and Library Backal Auction, offered by Morton Subastas, will feature works of natural science, geography, travel, executory documents, Mexican history, religion, and more. The available executory or contractual documents represent a primary document history of Mexico and are often used as a resource by scholars. Also of interest to collectors is a selection of original handwritten letters, such as one penned by José María Morelos y Pavón to Captain Gral. Ygnacio Rayón in which he discusses the formation of the Mexican nation and the end of the dominion of Spain. Pavón was a Roman Catholic priest and a leader in the Mexican War of Independence.
There are also several historical books in this sale, including the first French edition of History of the Conquest of Mexico by Antonio de Solís, a dramatist and secretary of state to Philip IV of Spain. His History was first published in Spanish in 1684. It is considered a classic of Spanish prose and is based on the letters of Cortés and the works of Francisco López de Gómara and Bernal Díaz del Castillo. It was first translated into French in 1691. View any of these lots and register to bid on Bidsquare.
A Parsi-Indian boy orphaned at 16 went on to become a household name in India. Schools, colleges, hospitals, and bridges are named after the merchant-prince of Bombay, Sir Jamsetjee Jeejeebhoy. He was known for his high spirit of enterprise, strict integrity, punctuality, and especially his generosity. In 1858, Jeejeebhoy was conferred the first Baronet of India by Queen Victoria. His wife, Lady Avabai Jeejeebhoy, paid to build the Bandra-Mahim causeway of Bombay (now Mumbai) in 1841 entirely on her own so citizens would not be charged for its use by the government. A portrait of Sir Jeejeebhoy will be featured this July in the upcoming Bonhams sale. It was painted by Lam Qua, the first Cantonese portrait painter exhibited in the West.
18th-century Cantonese waterfronts and landmarks such as the five-story Pagoda (now the Guangzhou Museum) are also depicted in this sale of fine Chinese paintings and works of art. Another 18th-century lot that stands out is a huanghuali side table with a cloisonné enamel inset. In Chinese, huanghuali means “yellow flowering pear.” The cloisonné top features a paradise flycatcher perched on a branch of a blossoming peony bush. A similar cloisonné panel from the Yuan Ming and Qing dynasties is in the collection of the Musée des Arts Décoratifs, Paris.
Paintings from Zhang Daqian, one of the best-known Chinese artists of the 20th century, as well as works from Yuan Jiang, Sun Qua, and Ting Qua are available in the sale. Alongside these paintings are lots such as two celadon-glazed jars from the Qianlong period, imperial surcoats, jade snuff bottles, and more. To view these items and to bid, visit Bonhams.
Highlighted in Rago’s upcoming Living Contemporary auction are two paintings by James Havard. An American painter and sculptor, Havard is a pioneer of the Abstract Illusionist movement that explored non-objective paintings that give the impression of three-dimensional space. He made his first forays into the Abstract Illusionist style in the 1970s. The following decade, he moved into figuration, creating works inspired by Art Brut masters such as Jean Dubuffet. Mixed media box constructions were another area of experimentation in his prolific 40-year career. The available works, titled Zuni and Zuni Heart Line, are three-dimensional abstract works, rendered in yellow, maroon, and blue.
Leading the furniture lots is a pair of Sahara lounge chairs by Pierre Chapo. Born in Paris to a family of craftsmen, Pierre Chapo hoped to become an artist. However, after apprenticing with a navy carpenter, Chapo discovered a growing interest in architecture. Chapo was greatly inspired by Bauhaus and French designers such as Le Corbusier. Created in 1965, the offered chairs are made from elm and stitched saddle leather. Explore the full listings and register to bid online on Bidsquare.
2001: A Space Odyssey was director Stanley Kubrick’s exploration into “man’s relationship to the universe.” The film released in 1968 to mixed reviews but is now considered an important cinematic achievement. Coming to auction as part of the Hollywood: Legends & Explorers event, presented by Julien’s Auctions, is a spacesuit worn in the film. It is unclear which scenes this suit or individual pieces appeared in. However, four different layers of paint on the helmet indicate it was reused for numerous scenes and characters.
The auction features other film memorabilia, including a tobacco pipe used by the late Sir Ian Holm on the set of The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001). Holm’s relationship with The Lord of the Rings started in 1981 when he played Frodo Baggins in a radio adaptation. Years later, director Peter Jackson called on him to play Bilbo in both of Jackson’s Middle-earth trilogies.
Outside of Hollywood, bidders will find parts of the Apollo 11 Columbia command module. Pieces available in this event represent each of the mission’s crew members: Michael Collins, Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin, and the late Neil Armstrong. Learn more about Apollo 11 and these lots in a recent Auction Daily feature article. Collectors can register to bid in this event on the Julien’s Auctions website.
A man of many hats, Gio Ponti (1891 – 1979) was an Italian architect, furniture designer, industrial designer, artist, writer, publisher, and teacher. He made several significant contributions to the modernization of Italian decorative art. A silver metal pot set by Ponti is among the highlights of the upcoming Italian Design and Decorative Arts of the 20th Century auction, presented by Finarte. The 1930s set includes three containers for a consommé soup: a vegetable pot, two bowls, and a gravy boat.
Another notable lot is a ceiling light by Carlo Nason. The Italian glass artist is well known for his use of traditional techniques in producing lamps, vases, and sculptures. He belongs to one of the oldest glass blowing families living in Murano. Some of his works are displayed in the collections of the Corning Museum of Glass and the Museum of Modern Art in New York. The sale also features a Carlo Zauli vase. Zauli is a famed ceramist who created a large frieze for the palace of Baghdad. To view the complete catalog and register to bid online, visit Bidsquare.
The Ballon Bleu de Cartier wristwatch combines Cartier’s signature jewelry designs and intricate watchmaking techniques. Launched in 2007, the Ballon Bleu de Cartier is a favorite among celebrities and royals such as Kate Middleton. The Ballon Bleu gets its name from its two prominent features: the blue sapphire cabochon set on the crown, which appears to be floating, and the balloon-shaped case. The upcoming Intervendue auction presents an 18-karat pink gold case Ballon Bleu de Cartier watch. The self-winding mechanical movement wristwatch has a silvered guilloché lacquered opaline dial and blued-steel sword-shaped hands. Along with the signature floating sapphire crystal, the watch has a black alligator-skin strap.
Also featured are examples of Victorian jewelry. The Victorian era revived several ancient jewelry styles, such as the Etruscan, and launched new ones, such as Art Nouveau. Showcased in the sale is a Victorian 18-karat gold, diamond, and peridot pendant, as well as a gold and tourmaline necklace. Also offered is jewelry by Tiffany & Co., Cartier, Pomellato, Van Cleef & Arpels, and timepieces by Jaeger Lecoultre, Patek Philippe, Audemars Piguet, and Bulgari. Interested collectors can explore the full listings and register to bid online on Bidsquare.
