Pook & Pook, Inc. presents a selection of fine and decorative art in the upcoming Americana and International two-day auction. The first session will feature two Chinese Trade oil paintings from the 1840s. One of them, View of Whampoa Anchorage from the South, depicts the fast-growing maritime warfare and trade in China during the 18th and 19th centuries. As the East began developing its connections with Europe and the United States, numerous anonymous paintings showing the expanding trade culture were made. These “Chinese Trade” paintings offer little information about their creators, only documenting the ships, ports, and battlefields that marked the industrial development.
Diminutive furniture like Chippendale and Queen Anne style chests and drawers will also be featured in this sale. Among the notable furniture lots is a Chippendale mahogany drop-leaf table made for Captain James Mugford. Beyond furniture, various ceramics are also available. Staffordshire is best known for its salt-glazed blue porcelain wares. Many of these are painted with images of famous personalities and country scenes, several examples of which are available in this auction. Glassware, bronze figurines, and silverware are also on offer. Explore the full listings and register to bid online on Bidsquare .
Brazilian artist Vik Muniz is known for his use of uncommon materials such as garbage, toys, and chocolates to create detailed photographs and installations. Drawing inspiration from other artists, Muniz recreates historical and pop culture imagery using unconventional methods. Medusa, after Caravaggio (Pictures of Junk) by the artist, is among the top lots of the upcoming Art + Design auction offered by Wright.
The sale features a collection of mid-century furniture, as well as Modern and contemporary art. Also highlighted are pieces from the collection of interior designer Mar Silver, including works by Richard Prince and Vik Muniz, a selection of African and Asian lots, and Silver’s own designs. Available in the auction is an untitled c-print from the Cowboys and Girlfriends portfolio by Richard Prince, celebrated for his photographs of Western cowboys. Featured is a lacquered mahogany bench from Mauritania by French designer Charlotte Perriand. Resting on the wood is one drawer and three upholstered cushions. Additional lots include a Thai stone torso fragment, a VM2T Faro Basso scooter, and an Indus Valley style earthenware piece. Rounding off the auction is a chromed steel and blown glass chain chandelier by Aldo Nason. To view the complete catalog and register to bid online, visit Wright.
The work of Mort Künstler combines the worlds of fine art and early history. One of his paintings, titled Green Corn Ceremony of the Creek, will be featured in the upcoming Fine & Decorative Arts Monthly Internet Auction offered by Heritage Auctions. This piece depicts a celebratory ritual practiced among Native Americans to mark the corn harvest. The ritual is an expression of gratitude for a successful harvest and is also spiritually associated with the purification of bad deeds.
Another highlight of the sale is an acrylic painting by Esther Mahlangu. She was among the first African artists to apply the traditional Ndebele painting technique to a canvas. Her style uses many vibrant colors to form geometric patterns. Besides fine art, the lots also include a George II Repoussé silver tankard attributed to William Shaw and William Priest. Embellished with floral designs, the vintage tankard comes from the 18th century. Alongside the fine and decorative art is a 367-piece flatware set produced by Gorham Manufacturing Co. in 1905. Find more lots and register to bid online on Heritage Auctions.
American painter and graphic artist Robert Rauschenberg’s paintings are shown in museums around the world. Mixed media paintings by the artist are vivid, abstract, and use different techniques to achieve various effects. Available on the first day of the upcoming New Year’s Signature Estates Auction presented by Ahlers & Ogletree is a piece by Rauschenberg. The abstract painting imitates satellites, utensils, 3-D constructs, and medallions.
The auction also features a horse sculpture from the Han Dynasty. The horse has an open mouth, bulging eyes, clipped mane, upright tail, and long neck. Brought into China from Central Asia during the second century B.C., this new breed of horses became the image of prestige and power during the Han Dynasty. Horse sculptures such as the one available were an important element of aristocratic tombs. Also offered in the sale are contemporary lithographs and prints by Pablo Picasso, Marc Chagall, Louise Nevelson, David Nash, and many more. Native American art, handbags, wooden sculptures, and Chinese vases are highlighted in the auction. Explore the full listings and register to bid online on Bidsquare.
Belgium clockmaker Zacharie Joseph Raingo was particularly known for his astronomical clocks, which his sons sold through their Raingo Frères firm in the early 1800s. Recognized in the 1860s for the quality of their bronzes, Raingo Frères supplied several clocks to Emperor Napoleon III. Many of these now reside in the Musée du Louvre. One of the firm’s Napoleon III gilded bronze mantel clocks will be featured in the upcoming New Year’s Signature Estates Auction, presented by Ahlers & Ogletree. Over 600 lots will be available, including paintings, antique furniture, modern Lalique pieces, and sculptures.
An oil painting, titled After the Ball by English painter Thomas Benjamin Kennington, is another highlight of the sale. The painting depicts a half-length portrait of a woman; she wears an Art Nouveau patterned wrap with a fur trim. In her left hand, she holds a compact. The auction also includes a bird painting by American ornithologist, naturalist, and artist John James Audubon. To view the full catalog and register to bid, visit Bidsquare.
The upcoming auction offered by Morton Subastas will present a selection of books, maps, and paintings from various explorers and travelers. The available items represent the work of many acclaimed writers, thinkers, cartographers, and artists, including Charles Darwin, Conrad Wise Chapman, José Antonio Decaen, and others.
“The mystery of the beginning of all things is insoluble by us, and I for one must be content to remain an agnostic,” Charles Darwin has been quoted. His scientific and conceptual work laid the foundations of the theory of evolution, and his contributions continue to be relevant today. A first edition copy of Darwin’s Origin of Species/ Letter Addressed to Dr. Ogle is a highlight of this auction. Interested bidders can also find Landscape of the Valley of Mexico by Conrad Wise Chapman in the sale. This oil painting depicts everyday life in Mexico and takes a broad view of the landscape at sunrise. An 1863 map mounted on linen, known as General Map of the Mexican Republic by José Antonio Decaen, is also available. For more information, visit Bidsquare.
Maximilien Luce created several paintings in the Pointillist style, a technique of neo-Impressionist painting using tiny dotted patterns. This particular approach differentiated him from many of his contemporaries. One of his oil paintings, entitled La Charrette de Foin, is featured in the upcoming Cleveland Collections auction. Besides Luce’s oil painting, Cowan Auctions will also offer a piece from Henry John Yeend King, a celebrated British artist. He is best known for his paintings depicting rustic English farms and young women from the countryside. While his style was inspired by Impressionism, his paintings display realistic details that differ from Impressionism’s broad brushstrokes and playful use of light. The available painting by King depicts two well-dressed women on a terrace, chatting with each other.
Other featured items include a glasswork sculpture by Jon Kuhn. This piece is a composition of tiny glass shards alternating with smooth glass pieces. A pair of purple blown glass sculptures by Dale Chihuly will be available as well. To bid for the above-mentioned items and view the complete catalog, visit Cowan Auctions.
The upcoming Palm Beach Collections auction, offered by Hindman, will feature contemporary and post-war works from the Boca Raton Museum of Art. A selection of modern furniture, Art Deco pieces, and decorative arts will be available. A highlight of the auction is a 1984 Rosenthal porcelain tea set designed by Roy Lichtenstein. These glazed ceramics bear the artist’s signature Benday dots, as well as Rosenthal Kunstreihen Germany stamps on the bottoms. Known for his mastery of two and three-dimensional pieces, Lichtenstein first began experimenting with sculpture in the 1940s and 50s. By repeating dots and lines in his ceramics, Lichtenstein attempted to reduce the three-dimensional objects to their two-dimensional forms, breaking down each sculpture into its pure graphic elements.
Also highlighted in the sale is an untitled oil and glitter painting by Neo-Expressionist artist Hunt Slonem. Other notable lots include a 1973 dining table with matching chairs by Paul Evans, who is known for his contributions to the American Craft Movement of the 1970s. An untitled Macchia vessel by Dale Chihuly will be available as well. Explore the full listings and register to bid online on Hindman.
Over several decades, renowned American art pottery collectors Hilda and Ted Pritsker amassed a collection that includes Rookwood, Roseville, and Newcomb College pieces. The upcoming auction presented by Rago features many of the works assembled by the Pritskers. Particularly highlighted in the sale is a 1901 sea-green lamp by Kataro Shiramadani and Tiffany Studios. Made of glazed earthenware, the base of the lamp is decorated with daffodils and leaves in a metal overlay.
A featured lot of the sale is a large relief iris vase decorated in poppies by William Purcell McDonald for Rookwood. A glazed plaque depicting a steamboat on the ocean by Sturgis Laurence and a vase depicting flying geese designed by Albert R. Valentien are presented as well. Other notable lots include a 1906-07 Della Robbia vase bearing stylized flora by Frederick Hurten Rhead and a wall-hanging plate with tall pines from Newcomb College Pottery. Explore the full listings and register to bid online on Bidsquare.
George E. Ohr, often called the United States’ first art potter, blended his artistic vision with extraordinary skill. An 1897-1900 vase designed by Ohr stands out in the upcoming Early 20th Century Design auction, offered by Rago. The vase features a deep in-body twist and ribbon handles with a green and gunmetal sponged-on glaze. The uncommon design of this vase presented a challenge to traditional pottery. With over 300 lots, the sale follows the cultural and artistic drift towards Modernism over the early 20th century.
Another standout lot is a vase created by Frederick Hurten Rhead for University City. This matte-glazed earthenware piece depicts stylized trees. Additional lots include a set of fourteen enameled boxes, several wood cabinets, and an early Vasekraft table lamp by Fulper Pottery. The latter lamp features a Cat’s Eye flambe glaze. Rounding off the collection is a carefully-designed tile inspired by a vintage postcard of Joseph Fortune Meyer, designed by Leona Nicholson for Newcomb College Pottery. Explore the full catalog of this auction and register to bid on Bidsquare.
