Items included in the upcoming Fine Books and Manuscripts auction, offered by Christie’s, range from medieval illustrations and classics of Russian and German literature to early maps and atlases. Among the items up for auction is David Roberts’ copy of what many consider to be his greatest work, titled The Holy Land, Syria, Idumea, Arabia, Egypt & Nubia. This is a first edition copy of the artist’s pictures of the Middle East, and the lot includes a complete set of tinted proofs. Also up for bid is a Hendrik Van Schoel map derived from Arnoldo di Arnoldi’s single-sheet map. Only three other copies of this map have crossed the auction block.
Among the rare books in the sale are two volumes from the first collection of verses published by Alexander Pushkin. The poems in the collection were organized by year so readers could see the progression of Pushkin’s style, though they were carefully examined by Russian censors. A more contemporary book available in this sale is the first edition of Vladimir Nabokov’s first book, Stikhi, published at his own expense while the author was still in school. This book did not pass muster with the censors and most copies were destroyed. View any of these lots and register to bid on Christie’s.
Chippendale furniture takes its name from Thomas Chippendale, an 18th-century cabinetmaker. He combined Gothic, Rococo, and Chinese techniques to create his furniture with wooded lattices, broad chair seats, and fretwork. The style became popular from 1750 to 1780 in England and the American colonies. Chippendale’s book, The Gentleman and Cabinet-Maker’s Director, became the guide book for North American cabinetmakers until the end of the 18th century. A Chippendale-inlaid blanket chest from Chester County, Pennsylvania will be offered in the upcoming Interiors @1600 auction, presented by Freeman’s.
Among the featured fine art and decorative art pieces, a pâte de verre vase and bowl set by Daum stand out. Founded in 1878 by two brothers, Auguste and Antonin Daum, the company is best known for pâte de verre vessels and sculptures. These are made when finely ground colored glass is mixed with a binder, placed in a mold, and then fired in a kiln. The available pieces, executed in pink and green, resemble rose blossoms. Tin toys, flatware, and Persian rugs will also be available. View the complete catalog and register to bid on Invaluable.
Hindman will offer the upcoming Arts of the American West, Session 1: Western Paintings and Sculptures sale in early June. This auction brings works from artists such as Martin Grelle and Luke Frazier and includes sculptures from Henry Shrady and Harry Jackson, among others. Grelle is an American artist best known for his Western paintings. Featured in this auction is A Warrior’s Pride. This 2001 oil painting shows a Native American warrior riding a brown horse with a white horse walking beside the pair. The available oil painting from Luke Frazier, another American artist, shows a polar bear on a beach and is titled Polar Strolled.
A well-known artist made famous for his sculpted Ulysses S. Grant Memorial in Washington D.C., Henry Shrady’s available bronze buffalo piece stands 22.5 inches tall and is 32 inches long. A 1983 sculpture by Harry Jackson, titled The Flag Bearer, will be available as well. This signed, dated, and numbered sculpture shows a man on a horse carrying a flag. Other items on offer include a Thomas Molesworth dressing table and a Roy Rodgers Stetson hat. View the entire collection and place a bid by visiting Bidsquare.
Peter Helck rose to fame with his automobile and train illustrations. Helck began painting at a young age, eventually creating more than 600 illustrations and advertisements in his career. The second session of the upcoming Ed McHugh Railroadiana Collection sale includes one of Helck’s works. This painting, offered by Dirk Soulis Auction, was commissioned for the New York Central Railroad. It is signed by the artist and dated 1945.
Besides collectibles and fine art, the auction will also offer an 1855 model locomotive lamp case. The lamp has an internal burner set behind a bowl shape reflector, as well as two strap handles and a nickel-plated interior. This auction also offers a Great Northern Railway enamel sign and a Chicago and Eastern Illinois railroad drum head lens. For more information, visit Invaluable.
As Théodore Deck began his ceramics career in early 19th-century Paris, he developed an interest in traditional Islamic pottery and glazes. This interest fueled decades of research and development, eventually defining Deck’s style. One of his glazed earthenware vases will be highlighted in Schmidt’s Antiques’ upcoming Ceramics 2020 Gallery Auction. The piece was created in the style of the Mamluk sultans, who ruled Egypt between 1250 and 1517. During their reign, they sponsored many ceramicists in the western Anatolia region. Deck’s lamp invokes the style of those Persian artisans. Made with turquoise, red, and navy blue colors, decorative Arabic calligraphy wraps around the vase. Many of the artist’s other works are also available in this auction, including a swirled yellow and blue charger, a Turkish-inspired covered box, and an arabesque rosewater sprinkler.
Several available ceramic tiles from Persia follow the same style as Deck’s vases. One notable piece from 1319 shows a man fighting a winged lion with mountains in the background. White calligraphy frames the scene, where the man appears to be stabbing the beast’s stomach. A more recent tile from the early Qajar dynasty shows Khosrow and Shirin, two characters from a Persian tragic romance, against a dark blue background.
An Edo period tokkuri, or sake flask, will be available as well. This white porcelain piece has a low-relief decoration of dragons, tigers, flowers, and scrollwork. Completing the sale is a selection of English transferware items from the “Durham Ox” and “Indian Sporting” series. View each of these lots and register to bid on Bidsquare.
During the Cretaceous Period, much of western North America was covered by shallow seawater. As the water receded, it left behind large quantities of sediment, which paleontologists still study today. This includes the Hell Creek Formation, a 300-foot-thick ancient deposit near Jordan, Montana. The tooth of an adult Tyrannosaurus rex uncovered in the Hell Creek Formation is among the highlighted lots in the May Exceptional Antiquities Sale, presented by Ancient Resource Auctions. The unbroken, fossilized tooth measures 4.25 inches around the base.
Those interested in extinct species can also consider an auroch’s skull. Believed to be the ancestors of domestic cattle, the last recorded auroch died in Poland in 1627. However, this example is far older, between 25,000 and 10,000 years old. Both horns remain intact. Also available is an Egyptian sarcophagus lid. The piece is decorated with an image of the goddess Ma’at, who kneels and stretches out her wings. Register to bid and view each of the lots on Invaluable.
A gold-filled compartment cane with an ebony shaft is a highlight of the upcoming Antique Cane Collections Auction, presented by Kimball Sterling. Named after a U.S. Marshall, the Bat Masterson compartment cane has a high relief casting and can be used to store money, medicine, or other small objects. The auction also showcases several carved ivory and jade dress canes, among which a sterling silver sea monster cane by Charles Daugherty is notable. To make this hand-carved contemporary cane, Daugherty used the lost-wax technique. Other cane designs offered in this auction include an 1860 percussion gun cane and an 1890 umbrella gun cane with a working mechanism.
Art Nouveau canes were known for their functionality and their use as an accessory. A featured Art Nouveau silver opera dress cane has a curled vine shaft wrapped with ribbon, a silver handle, and a button end cap. Folding suitcase canes and convertible trick seat canes are offered as well. Interested collectors can explore the full listings and register to bid online on Bidsquare.
The Ming dynasty ruled China from 1368 to 1644. During this time, the country was popularized in the West by expanding trade and cultural ties. China also came to be known for its drama, literature, and sculptures. In the upcoming Eclectic Collection of Estates Worldwide sale, presented by Akiba Antiques, a set of archaic terracotta sculptures from the Ming dynasty is on offer. The pieces use intricate detailing and earthy tones to depict a male and female pair of servants.
The auction especially highlights decorative arts and a range of collectibles, accessories, fine art, and furniture. Among the lots of interest is an extendable dining room table designed by Theodore Alexander for Pavlovsk. The table is made of birch, maple, and chrome hardware and can be folded out to extend the circumference of the table. Several watches and jewelry items are also available. Visit Bidsquare to explore the catalog and register to bid online.
Born in Queens, New York, Reuben Natkian was one of the most influential Abstract Expressionist sculptors of the 20th century. He was admired for his pieces that explored themes of Western art, classical mythology, and the foreground of human consciousness. His bronze sculpture titled Herodias will be presented in the upcoming Fine Art, Jewelry, Midcentury, Antique, and Asian Estate Auction, offered by Clarke Auction. In the Christian Bible, Herodias is known as a Jewish princess who influenced the death of John the Baptist.
This auction of more than 400 items will also include a ceramic work from Pablo Picasso. The artist discovered his passion for pottery in the 1940s and produced ceramics over the next several decades. A blue and white pitcher, one of only 100 editions in the series, is among the lots of interest. The partially glazed piece is decorated with black and blue paint. A Steinway & Sons grand piano, which belonged to a concert pianist, is also available. Browse the complete catalog and register to bid for these items on Bidsquare.
The upcoming auction, presented by Freeman’s, features several paintings by Pennsylvania Impressionists Edward Willis Redfield and Daniel Garber. Among these works is Redfield’s Spring at Point Pleasant on the Delaware River. The view of the river from Point Pleasant, Pennsylvania, is a subject Redfield would return to regularly. “[T]here is a real ‘church’…” the artist said of the view in a 1928 interview. “[G]o there at sundown and watch the changing colors in earth and sky and water. It is a place to worship.” Collectors of Redfield paintings can also consider The Peaceful Valley and May, Point Pleasant, which are both available in this event.
Coming to auction from fellow Pennsylvania Impressionist Daniel Garber is a 1922 painting titled Rodger’s Meadow. Garber and his family moved from Philadelphia to Bucks County, which is northeast of the city, in 1907. By the 1920s, Garber found himself painting more intimate scenes of his rural surroundings, including this piece. View each of the lots and register to bid on the Freeman’s website.
