Bonhams presents the upcoming Asian Decorative Art auction, featuring a wide array of Asian works of fine art, decorative art, furniture, and more. Highlighted in this sale is a three-tier cosmetics box and cover with a Qianlong mark. The top of the box is painted with a vignette of two birds, a rose bush, and asters growing behind a garden rock. It is said that in Qianlong’s time, the Qing Empire reached its most splendid and prosperous era with a thriving economy.
Another highlight of the auction is a Republic period enamel vase. This piece is decorated with landscapes and bands of dragons on a blue and yellow enamel background. An 18th-century Huanghuali center table is also among the notable lots. The square top of the table is split into three main pieces. It is set in a mitered, mortise, and tenon frame and rests on a carved key fret apron. Additional lots include a 20th-century six-panel screen depicting cranes both resting and in flight on the main panel. The other panels feature nandina, chrysanthemums, pinks, magnolias, and irises. Also available is a group of books on Chinese art by R. Hobson. Explore the full listings and register to bid online on Bonhams.
Jan Fabre is regarded as an innovative leader in the world of contemporary art. According to his website, he calls himself “… a consilience artist because he always leaps forward in knowledge through the linking of fact-based theory and practice across disciplines.” Fabre’s works connect different artistic styles, providing a new perspective on the visual arts. His work titled Skull with Frog is among the highlighted lots of the upcoming First Open auction, offered by Christie’s.
Another key item in the sale is a painting by Kehinde Wiley, a contemporary African-American painter. By capturing the faces of people of color in his paintings, he explores the boundaries of portraiture. The subjects of his works include fellow artists, complete strangers, and President Barack Obama. His portraits are often set atop floral backgrounds to heighten the viewer’s focus on the subject. One of his pieces, entitled Thomas Armory I, shows a young man in a green sweatshirt atop a background of traditional red flowers. Another featured lot is a piece from Sarah Morris. Inspired by Pop art and Minimalism, her paintings use sharp geometric outlines and pastel hues. View each of these lots and register to bid on Christie’s.
Designer Bob Mackie never felt bad about accentuating Cher’s body with his clothing. “Even at her most naked,” Mackie said of Cher in an interview, “she never looked vulgar.” The upcoming auction from the archive of Bob Mackie, offered by Julien’s Auctions, presents sketchings of the designs Mackie produced not only for Cher, but also Elton John, Barbra Streisand, and others.
Among the more revealing outfits Mackie produced for Cher was a two-piece for the 1975 Rock Awards. Available in this auction is a sketch of that outfit. Studs line the top’s two straps and the v-shaped opening of the bottom. The drawing is also hand-signed by Mackie. During the awards show, Cher was carried out on stage by four men to present an award for Rock Personality of the Year to Elton John.
Bob Mackie also produced costumes for Elton John with themes ranging from Donald Duck to the devil. A 1975 sketch of the singer in both a fringed outfit and a beaded jumpsuit is highlighted in this auction. In the 70s and 80s, Elton John asked Mackie to produce hats to match his costumes. In this resulting drawing, a purple-feathered hat accompanies the fringed top and bell-bottom pants. Other featured items include a sketch of the outfit Cher wore in the first musical number of her self-titled CBS television program. In the show’s opening moments, Cher unwraps a white feather boa to reveal the top seen on the right-hand side of the sketch. Register to bid and view each lot on the Julien’s Auctions website.
Phillips presents a collection of furniture pieces by world-famous designers in their upcoming Design auction. The auction will feature an Ours Polaire sofa by Jean Royère. It reflects Royère’s design style through its minimalistic curves and the velvet fabric covering the skeleton. The sofa retains its original red upholstery and cherry wood feet, particularly preferred for this particular design. A Boule armchair, Persane floor lamp, and Œuf chest of drawers are other featured designs by Royère.
Also available is the Lectori Salutem desk by designer Jeroen Verhoeven. The successor of Verhoeven’s whimsical Cinderella table, this piece breaks barriers in traditional furniture. The design of this steel desk blends craftsmanship, research, and modern technology. The auction also highlights furniture by Ron Arad and armchairs by Charles Eames and Ray Eames. Explore the full listings and register to bid online on Phillips.
The upcoming Fine Chinese Paintings, Ceramics, Bronzes and Works of Art Auction presented by Gianguan Auctions offers a variety of Chinese fine art, jewelry, antiquities, pottery, and porcelain. Highlighted in the auction is a blue and white porcelain vase dating back to the Yuan Dynasty. Measuring around 14 inches tall, this vase is decorated with a dragon and leaf-like motifs at the rim.
From the Yuan Dynasty, the auction presents another highlight— an ink and paper lettering by Zhao Mengfu, a Chinese calligrapher. Rejecting the general calligraphy style of his era, he imitated an older style of the Jin and Tang dynasties. Also featured in the sale is a landscape painting by Chen Jiang-Hong, a Chinese-born French painter. He is best known for his abstract works and gestural brushstrokes. Made with ink and color on paper, the artist’s painting demonstrates a combination of both traditional Chinese brush painting and the technique of American artists like Helen Frankenthaler. A blue-green glazed plate incised with dragons will be on offer as well. To view these items and explore more of this auction, register to bid on Invaluable.
Sculpted of aluminum and measuring seven feet tall, Manuel Carbonell’s sculpture of two mythological tritons and a nymph is highlighted in the upcoming auction presented by Whitley’s Auctioneers. The first day of the Home and Interiors Auction offers fine and decorative art, glasswork, and collectibles. The sculpture at auction was created around 1982 by one of Cuba’s leading Modernist sculptors. Carbonell’s work has been found in museums and private collections around the world, including Shanghai, the Republic of Panama, and the Rose Garden at the American White House.
Royal Doulton figurines and collectibles are also featured in this sale. A kneeling jester flambé figurine modeled by Charles Noke stands out. Noke was one of Royal Doulton’s head designers and was given significant freedom in his early days at Doulton to pursue his own artistic aims. The available jester was made in the twilight of his career, around 1938, and is coated in a copper oxide glaze to achieve a deep red color. Various Doulton figurines and prototypes are both presented, as well as several shadowboxes of insect and mineral studies from artist Christopher Marley. View each of these lots and register to bid by visiting Bidsquare.
The first location of Doulton Pottery was along the River Thames in Lambeth, London. The company would eventually grow to include a site in Burslem, Stoke-on-Trent before King Edward VII awarded Doulton the right to add “Royal” before its name. In 1934, Doulton revived their character jugs by incorporating whimsical faces and images from popular culture. The second day of the upcoming Home and Interiors auction presented by Whitley’s Auctioneers will feature many of these character jugs. Several holiday-themed lots show a Santa Claus face with variants of reindeer, wreaths, and candy canes forming the handle. Other jugs form the faces of the Beatles, King Henry VIII, and both American and British politicians.
Other Doulton wares available in this sale include Art Nouveau vases, decorative plaques, and individual figurines. A floral and butterfly Doulton Burslem vase designed by Harry Nixon will be included, glazed in shades of green and purple. The low relief base is notched with half-circles and stamped with the company mark. Though dominated by ceramics and decorative art, this auction will also feature a Weber baby grand piano. An updated model, this piano can be played manually or set to self-play with a CD. View the full catalog for this auction and register to bid by visiting Bidsquare.
The Antique Cane Auction from Kimball Sterling showcases a collection of dress, folk, and porcelain canes from around the world. Featured in this timed auction is a 19th-century cane by Michael Cribbins. The patinated cane is carved with images of folk art, along with symbols such as a cross, foot, cloverleaf, and fish. The cane bears a scalloped lead ferrule on an elongated handle, which is Cribbins’ signature artistic style. A late 20th-century dress cane is another highlight of the auction. This lot is topped with an ebony carved female head, divided between a normal face and an exposed skull. The cane also includes a fluted walrus collar, silver skull lower collar, ebony shaft, and a metal ferrule.
Also among the notable lots are a 1922 Art Nouveau-style dress cane with a silver German handle and a ladies’ cane with a Lalique handle. Made in 1920, the handle of the latter cane is cross-shaped with raised and frosted flower and foliage designs. A porcelain dress cane from around 1900 will also be included. The cobalt and gold decorated knob of this cane depicts a courting scene on the top and has a gold-filled collar and mahogany shaft. Browse the entire collection and bid online on Bidsquare.
As a prominent painter in the Florentine Renaissance of the late 1400s, Sandro Botticelli was married to his work. He was trained at the feet of masters before overtaking his teachers and making his own contributions to Italy’s artistic Renaissance. Known best for his religious and mythological works, such as The Birth of Venus and Primavera, Botticelli was strongly patronized by secular figures, including the powerful Medici family. One of his secular commissioned works is a small portrait of a gentleman, dated 1501. Representing Botticelli and the Renaissance painters, this piece will cross the auction block in Helmuth Stone Gallery’s upcoming Important European & American Fine Art, Antique, & Jewelry Auction.
Complementing Botticelli’s work in this sale is a portrait of a young man, believed to be King Henry VII in his youth. The oil painting is attributed to Meynnart Wewyck, a Dutch artist who was the king’s favorite painter. For over 500 years, Wewyck’s work and name were unknown, as he left his paintings unsigned.
Another featured item in this auction is Down From Summer Grass, an oil painting showing a Western rancher and his cattle, painted by real-life cowboy Bill Anton. A two-piece glass sculpture from Dale Chihuly and a modern painting of two women by M. Suriyamoorthy will also be presented. The latter artist creates his work without regard to European or global art movements, mixing his paints from scratch using natural materials and water from India’s rivers. Visit Bidsquare for more information and to register to bid.
The Winter Comic & Toy Auction will be offered by . Featured in this sale are original blueprints from science fiction movies, including a drawing used to produce Star Wars: Episode IV. The available lot shows the floor plan of the Death Star’s main bay. This blueprint, along with others in the sale, was sourced from the estate of Shane Johnson, a writer for Starlog Journal and the Star Wars Technical Journal. The blueprints were given to him directly by the studio to assist in writing his books. Other Star Wars-related items include a number of early toy figures, vehicles, and playsets—some in their original packaging.
Beyond Star Wars items, more than 250 comic books, rare Pokémon cards, and antique toys will be offered. Featured is a set of Hasbro Jumpin Mr. and Mrs. Potato Head toys from 1966. Some examples of the newer toys under the gavel are an unused digital Ferrari slot car set and a Namco Ms. Pacman and Galaga video game cabinet. View any of these lots and register to bid on Bidsquare .
