Yongzheng faux bois brush pots are always painted in grisaille (grey monochrome) enamel, however, the addition of Famille rose enamel makes them extremely rare. The faux bois and Famille rose porcelain brush pot offered in the Session I of the Asian Art Catalogue Auction was a part of the Royal Ontario Museum in 1969. A.H.Wilkens presents to its collectors rare deaccessioned objects from the Royal Ontario Museum in their upcoming auction.
Featured pieces are the Ming era’s carved and lacquered wood and pottery. Among them, a five-piece Sancai altar with Buddhist emblems is a highly valued set. Glazed in green and yellow and decorated with the Ruyi band, the set of emblems includes a vase, lotus, endless knot, chakra wheel, and umbrella. Multiple Ming and Qing porcelain, bronze, silver and cloisonné articles are also a part of the display. Explore the full listings and register to bid online on A.H.Wilkens.
This October, Louis Marie de Schryver inaugurates the sale of European Art Part II offered by Christie’s. ‘The Flower Market on the Île de la Cité’ is a detailed and colorful image of a flower market. Louis dabbled across landscapes and culture of the automobile but was most famous for his Parisian scenes. Leading the auction alongside Louis are equally famous artists from Europe like Jean-François Raffaëlli, Montague Dawson and François-Auguste Biard.
Along with 83 pieces of fine art, buyers can also explore through 5 sculptures and figures. Emanuele Caroni’s ‘Lover’s Net’ and Cesare Lapini’s ‘Romeo and Juliet’ will find special attention for its handiwork. Notable lots also include the three pieces, each by an American orientalist painter, Frederick Arthur Bridgman and Scandinavian painter, Frits Thaulow. Other highlights include Émile Munier’s oil on canvas Un sauvetage. For more information, please visit Christie’s.
Modern & Contemporary Art auction, presented by Freeman’s Auction, is an assemblage of artworks from the 19th and 20th centuries. The collection offers 107 works of Abstract Expressionism, Pop Art, Modernism and more. One of the leading lots is an Expressionism painting by a Bulgarian painter, Jules Pascin. Throughout his career, Pascin’s most frequent subject was the female body, often in casual poses, nude or partly dressed.
The auction displays the work of an artist whose originality made an impact on the field of contemporary art- Helen Frankenthaler. Frankenthaler is known for her unique method of working with colors. An example of her artistry can be seen in her work “Red Hot” which is a paper soaked in blood-red acrylic paint, later adding strokes of colors. Similarly, a sculpture by B. Prabha can intrigue buyers with the theme of a rural woman carrying her child. B. Prabha explored an array of related subjects alluding to society, identity and gender equality. For more information, visit Invaluable
At the bottom of almost all his paintings, folk artist William Hawkins signed his works with the date July 27, 1895. For a painter active in the mid- to late 20th century, repeatedly marking his birthday might seem odd. However, Hawkins created his art with a passion and excitement for life that fueled his work for years. In the first session of the Self-Taught, Outsider & Folk Art auction presented by Slotin Folk Art, one of Hawkins’ paintings will be available. Elk with Human Eyes was painted on Masonite in shades of brown, yellow, and black. The subject bears a pair of cut-out magazine eyes.
This fine art auction includes paintings, sculptures, wood carvings, and prints from a variety of folk artists. Clarence Woolsey was an American outsider artist who collected metal bottle caps; his cap sculpture of a mushroom-shaped birdhouse will be available in this sale. Also of interest is a stenciled dollar bill from street artist Banksy’s temporary Dismaland installation. Other lots from Howard Finster, Sam Doyle, and Dominique Lagru will be included as well. To view the full catalog and register for bidding, visit LiveAuctioneers.
Edward S. Curtis devoted his life to documenting the experience of Native Americans across the West. Several photographs produced by Curtis are available in the American Indian Art timed auction, offered by Cowan’s. Like Curtis’ photographs, each of the auction’s 273 lots offers a look into the lives of Native Americans across the continent, from the Plains Indians to the Great Sioux Nation.
Among the photographs by Edward S. Curtis available in this auction is “The Vanishing Race”. In the photograph, a group of Native Americans travels away from the camera’s view. Throughout his career, Curtis was aware that he was documenting a disappearing culture. “The mode of life of one of the great races of mankind,” writes Curtis in his 1907 book The North American Indian, “must be collected at once or the opportunity will be lost.”
Ethnographic pieces from the tribes of the Great Sioux Nation are among the lots with the highest estimated value. This includes a late-19th century beaded tobacco bag. The bag not only gets its color from its beads but also quills and tin cone bell embellishments. Those interested in lots from the Great Sioux Nation should also consider the Sioux beaded hide saddlebag. The bag is decorated with light green and red beads, as well as fringes. Those interested can register to bid on bidsquare.
On the second day of the upcoming Self-Taught, Outsider & Folk-Art auction, Slotin Folk Art will feature well-known outsider artists such as Howard Finster, Purvis Young, and Mose Tolliver. One key lot is an English cane from the 1880s, the handle carved to resemble a male bust. A phrenology design on the skull shows where one could anatomically find order, numbers, and even hope. The emphasis of this auction is on mixed media works and fine art, particularly that from Indigenous, African American, and Southern cultures.
Several of Howard Finster’s Coca Cola paintings are included in this sale, but of particular interest is his sculpture works. Calling Heaven, a rotary telephone covered in paint and marker, shows dozens of miniature figures in beige, pink, and blue. Levent Isik’s Dairy Queen is a mixed media piece depicting a crowned nude licking an ice cream cone. In stylistic contrast, Michael E. Smith’s Prophet Royal Robertson photograph takes a critical look at the political scene of the 1990s. View the full catalog offering over 400 lots and register to bid on LiveAuctioneers.
This November, Ross Auction Company will present its 2019 Americana auction featuring Caille Brothers, Gibson, Gamewell, and many other brands and artisans. The collection’s categories range from folk art and advertising to barber chairs and coin-operated machines. One slot machine showcased in the auction is an antique Caille Brothers’ floor model. Still in its original condition, this slot machine features a flower-shaped front face and several metal details of human figures and cherubs. Another highlighted item is a Mastertone banjo by Gibson, presented with its original case. This line of banjos has been especially influential in the development of bluegrass music, first rising to prominence in the 1920s. Other items of interest include a Gamewell fire alarm telegram gong and a Wernicke roll front filing cabinet. The cabinet measures seven feet high, with over fifty small drawers covering the front. For more information and to register to bid, visit bidsquare.
Plains Indians used catlinite claystone for pipes or ritual items because of their vibrant color. “It ranges in color from pale pink to brick or blood red,” says Rocks and Minerals, “and normally has small lighter spots – referred to as ‘stars’ – scattered throughout.” An example of a catlinite ritual item is available in the upcoming American Indian & Ethnographic Art auction, offered by Skinner. The piece is referred to as a “war club,” but Skinner notes that the delicate nature of catlinite means the club was most likely used as part of a ritual rather than in actual battle. The club’s end is decorated with birds, elk, and buffalo.
Unlike the catlinite club, a Plains Indian pipe tomahawk available in this auction was meant for the battlefield. This lot has the highest estimated value in the auction and, despite its use in battle, contains several decorative features worth noting. Brass tacks encircle the tomahawk’s pipe in seven different places, and there is a heart-shaped cutout on its blade.
While several of the auction’s featured lots are from the Plains Indians, the auction’s 624 lots are not exclusively pieces from Native American tribes. Civilizations across Oceania, Southeast Asia, and other regions are represented. Available in this auction are two woven bags from New Guinea. The bags are decorated with boar tusks and feathers from cassowaries, flightless birds similar to ostriches and emus. Also featured is a Java dance theater mask. The wooden mask’s prominent features include an exaggerated nose and eyes. To view these lots and many more, register to bid on Bidsquare.
Paul Howard Manship was an Art Deco sculptor whose modern style and subjects were largely inspired by classical forms. An example of his work is available in the American and European Fine Art Auction, presented by Rago. The featured bronze carving by Manship entitled Adjutant Stork shows the standing bird on a marble base. Alongside sculpture, the upcoming sale will also offer a range of drawings, watercolors, mixed media works, paintings, posters, and prints.
One of the many artists who turned to dance for sculptural inspiration was Harriet Whitney, whose sculpture will be presented in this auction. Two nude dancers balance on tiptoe, stretching upward and outward in imitation of a dance. Also among the featured lots is a set of two watercolors, gouache and gum arabic on paper by Herman Henstenburgh. A still-life and natural history painter, Henstenburgh is credited with inventing a new technique for creating realistic watercolor paintings. Visit Bidsquare to browse the full catalog and register to bid.
In Francois-Xavier Lalanne’s words, “I thought that it would be funny to invade that big living room with a flock of sheep”. Lalanne was a sculptor who fused animals and mythological ideas into furniture, much like the one in the upcoming Modern Art & Design: 3 Sessions presented by Palm Beach Modern Auctions. The French item in the form of a sheep is painted bronze and made up of epoxy stone, which is the item in this auction with the highest estimated value.
From Betty Woodman to Claude Venard, the Modern Design Art auction offers pieces from many contemporary artists. Richard Anuszkiewicz’s Op-Art Sculptural Painting is particularly highlighted in this sale. Produced in 1988, the art piece which is a painted wood construction.Fine art pieces are also available, including “Fred & Ginger”, a 3D lithograph by Larry Rivers. Rivers is considered to be the “Godfather” of Pop Art for his fusion of non-objective, non-narrative art with narrative and objective abstraction. View each of these lots and register to bid online at Bidsquare.
