Leading SJ Auctioneers’ upcoming Happy Hour of Fine Collectibles sale is a fine sterling silver footed centerpiece bowl from S. Kirk & Son. The silver company’s founder, Samuel Kirk, was active in Baltimore, Maryland during the mid-19th century. Kirk helped popularize the repoussé technique in America, adding elaborate low-relief decorations to many of his works. The available centerpiece bowl measures 13 inches in diameter and has an everted rim. Floral imagery covers the bowl and adds texture. Another notable silver work in the catalog is a pair of sterling Dutch salt and pepper shakers from 1911. These novelty shakers were produced in Schoonhoven and resemble owls. They feature hinged covers, glass eyes, and engraved feathers.
Other notable lots in this catalog include collectible games and leisure activities, from a Nintendo Entertainment System to a Swarovski chess set. Coming to auction with the Nintendo system are three factory-sealed video games from 1991: Quattro Sports, Big Nose the Caveman, and The Fantastic Adventures of Dizzy. Bidders can also consider a sealed Topps Merlin collectible card box from 2020/21, a pair of extra large Herend fishnet roosters, and a set of porcelain charger “Le Roi Soleil” plates by Rosenthal for Versace. Visit LiveAuctioneers to view the full Happy Hour of Fine Collectibles catalog and to place a bid.
The latest sale from Doyle will offer more than 300 lots of rare books, maps, and autographs. Leading the catalog is the first Latin edition of the earliest collection of voyages, including Columbus and Vespucci. The work, compiled by Fracanzano da Montalboddo, contains accounts of various voyages such as the first three voyages of Columbus; Pedro Alvares Cabral’s discovery of the Brasilian, Guianaian, and Venezuelan coasts from 1500 to 1501; Alvise da Cadamosto’s explorations along the West African coast in 1456; and Vasco da Gama’s expeditions. Before the Latin edition, it was first printed in Italian in 1507 as Paesi Novamente Retrovati.
Also available is the first edition of Charles Darwin’s On the Origin of Species. The offered lot was published by John Murray in 1859. It is one of the 1,250 copies printed. The book introduced the theory that living beings evolve for generations through a process of natural selection. Interested collectors can also consider the Alecto edition of Karl Bodmer’s illustrations of Indian life, a presentation map prepared by David Livingstone in Cape Town, an uncut copy of Livio Sanuto’s 1588 atlas of Africa, and a war-date letter from General Washington to Colonel James Wood regarding a prisoner exchange. View the complete Rare Books, Autographs & Maps Including the Esmond Bradley Martin Collection catalog on Doyle’s website.
American ceramic artist Toshiko Takaezu worked with a wide range of media, including ceramics and paintings. Influenced by Japanese and Scandinavian designs, she explored aesthetic expression rather than functionality in her forms. Two of Toshiko Takaezu’s glazed porcelain objects are key highlights of the upcoming sale, presented by Rago. To attain these rich surfaces and hues, Takaezu used the kiln and firing cycle.
Two lots designed by McKinnon and Harris also lead the listings. One is a set of six McNeil rocking chairs, and the other is a set of three modern café tables. The luxury outdoor furniture brand produces aluminum furniture for estates, gardens, and yachts. Rocking chairs appeared in England for the first time in 1725 and were introduced in America a year later. These became popular among early Americans, especially farmers, whose daily routines involved immense physical labor. Owing to the rhythmic motion, the relaxing chairs helped them in reducing stress and relieving back aches. A Gino Russo New Hope modern-style cabinet is another notable piece of furniture on offer. The Italian American designer crafted along the natural characteristics of the wood and avoided making any fundamental changes. Visit Rago to view the complete catalog and register to bid in the upcoming Living Contemporary sale.
More than 400 lots of fine and decorative art, furniture, and sculptures will be offered in Palm Beach Modern Auctions’ upcoming Modern + Contemporary Art & Design sale. Six Jean Dunand eggshell lacquer chairs are among the top lots. The Art Deco period saw the rise of talents like Jean Dunand (1877 – 1942). He was a Swiss-French painter, sculptor, metal craftsman, and interior designer known for his lacquered screens and other art objects. Functional objects like these six chairs became works of art to be admired. These eggshell lacquer chairs showcase an ancient and almost forgotten technique of Japanese lacquer painting that Dunand learned from his time in Japan in the 1920s.
Among fine art lots in the sale is Tête de Mousquetaire by Pablo Picasso (Spanish, 1881 – 1973). This lot comes with a photocopy of the 1968 Sala Gaspar catalog featuring this drawing on the cover. It is a black conte crayon and sanguine on paper, signed and dated by Picasso. He drew many versions of Tête de Mousquetaire (musketeer’s head), some with a hat, some without, but always with the same long mane and moustache. The artist was in his 80s when he created this work. Most historians believe that the Mousquetaire is Picasso, gazing directly at the viewer. Other notable works in the sale are by artists Mary Cassatt (American, 1844 – 1926) and Claire Falkenstein (American, 1908 – 1997). View the catalog of the Modern + Contemporary Art & Design sale and find other online auctions by visiting Bidsquare.
Pierre Fix-Masseau was a significant poster designer of the 20th century, spellbound by new technology and speed. Transport was his favorite theme; many of his works depicted trains, cars and ships. The upcoming auction presented by Swann Auction Galleries will feature Exactitude, one of Fix-Masseau’s most renowned posters. It portrays a train, which has just pulled into a station, with bold geometric lines, warm hues, and strident angles. The imposing image was originally a painting, later converted into a poster for a promotional campaign by the French State Railway. The work exemplifies Fix-Masseau’s artistic philosophy of using a universal language in a simple and direct manner. Another key highlight of the sale is Roger Broders’ Les Sports D’hiver / St Pierre De Chartreuse. The travel poster illustrates sleekly-dressed tourists at the Alpine resort of Perquelin gathered to watch a bobsled team in action. The crowd scene is executed by the artist in a skillful way.
Emil Cardinaux’s Palace Hotel / St. Moritz, one of the two posters for the famous resort hotel, also leads the listings. Depicting lounging winter guests, it reflects the lifestyle of the hotel’s clientele. Visit Swann Auction Galleries to view the complete catalog and register to bid in the upcoming Rare & Important Travel Posters sale.
The widely famous motivational poster, Keep Calm and Carry On, was produced by the Government of the United Kingdom in 1939 to boost the morale of the public before World War II. Even though 2.45 million copies were printed, the poster was hardly displayed until 2000. Since then, it has been re-issued by a number of private companies as the decorative theme for various products. An original 1939 linen-backed Keep Calm and Carry On poster is a key highlight of the upcoming sale from Potter & Potter Auctions. It has minor creases and repaired tears along a central horizontal fold and slight nicks to the upper right. Another lot of interest in this event is titled Above and Beyond the Call of Duty. Designed by David Stone Martin, the WWII poster commemorates Dorie Miller, a United States Navy cook who died in the war. The image portrays Miller wearing his Navy Cross medal at Pearl Harbor.
Cycles Rudge, an 1897 color stone lithograph advertising poster by Jacques Debut, is also available. Printed by Caby & Chardin, the illustration depicts a man gazing at an Art Nouveau goddess holding a bicycle in a forest. Visit Potter & Potter Auctions to view the complete catalog and register to bid in the upcoming Vintage Posters sale.
Back of the Neck, a hand-colored screenprint by Jean-Michel Basquiat (1960 – 1988), is a key lot in the upcoming Prints & Multiples / ’80S NYC Auction, offered by Doyle. Basquiat created and signed the print in 1983 on Stonehenge heavyweight paper. It was published by New City Editions, Los Angeles. Before Basquiat’s paintings became auction favorites, they were rejected by many museums and auction houses in the 1980s. His art focused on dichotomies such as wealth versus poverty, integration versus segregation, and inner versus outer experience. In the available work, Basquiat marries abstraction and figuration with contemporary critique.
Other notable lots in this auction include works by Roy Lichtenstein (1923 – 1997) and Keith Haring (1958 – 1990). Jean Basquiat and Keith Haring were friends. Like Basquiat, Haring emerged from the New York City graffiti subculture of the 1980s. A 1988 framed color screenprint on Lenox Museum board, signed by Haring, is available in the sale. Haring included sexual allusions that turned into social activism by using the images to advocate for safe sex and AIDS awareness. Roy Lichtenstein’s print titled Road Before the Forest is available in this sale. It is a color lithograph, woodcut and screen-print on Arches 88 paper, signed, dated, and numbered in 1985. This lithograph is from his landscape series, printed and published by Gemini G.E.L. Los Angeles. The sale offers 240 books, manuscripts, photography, and more. View the complete catalog of the Prints & Multiples / ’80S NYC auction on Doyle’s website to place a bid.
Material from the estate of Marc Chagall will soon cross Christie’s auction block. The 78-lot auction celebrates prints that the artist created over a period of 60 years. These artist’s books, prints, and proofs are coming to auction for the first time. Leading the catalog is a set of lithographs that Chagall created to illustrate a French translation of Homer’s The Odyssey in 1975. About 20 years before, Chagall had visited Greece for the first time and was entranced with the landscape and mythical lore. These memories informed his illustrations for L’Odyssée in 1975. The works prioritize vibrant color and life, making the source material feel more contemporary.
Another available work by Mark Chagall from 1975 is Maquette pour Le quai des Célestins, a lithograph hand-colored with gouache and pastel. It depicts two figures relaxing by a tall window. A vase of flowers adds brightness to the piece. In Maquette pour Le cirque ambulant, another available lithograph, whimsical circus characters are shown in eye-catching colors. Bidders can consider a selection of prints from Parisian print shop Imprimerie Mourlot on rue de Chabrol, a self-portrait from 1973, and more. Visit Christie’s website for more information about the Marc Chagall, Color of Life: Prints & Artist’s Books Formerly From the Artist’s Estate sale and to register to bid.
Freeman’s upcoming sale, featuring works by prominent women artists, will present over 50 fine art pieces by the likes of Lê Thị Lựu and Gertrude Abercrombie. A painting on silk, titled Mother and Children in Landscape, by Lê Thị Lựu leads the sale. Lê Thị Lựu is considered to be one of the most influential Vietnamese artists of the 20th century. Born in Tho Khoi, Ha Bac Province, she was one of the notable alumni of Victor Tardieu’s École des Beaux-Arts de l’Indochine in Hanoi. This painting depicts a mother and her three young children dressed in the traditional Vietnamese ao dai dress.
Another notable lot in the sale is an oil painting titled The Fisherman by American artist Gertrude Abercrombie. According to the catalog, the available canvas was produced by the artist during her early career. This painting was part of the 53rd Annual Exhibition of American Paintings and Sculpture at the Art Institute of Chicago in 1942. Referred to as the ‘Queen of Bohemian artists,’ Abercrombie often chose to paint barren landscapes, self-portraits, interiors, and still lifes. Additional lots of interest include sculptural works by Harry Bertoia and George Rickey, a mixed-media work by Anselm Kiefer, and a rare print by Pablo Picasso. Works by Robert Indiana, March Avery, and Lê Phổ are available as well. View the complete catalog of the Modern and Contemporary Art auction and register to bid by visiting Freeman’s.
In this upcoming two-day sale from Lab Grown Auctions, a wide variety of lab-grown diamonds will be available. A total of 700 loose gems will be offered across both days. Based in Sheridan, WY, Lab Grown Auctions offers conflict-free diamonds that are ethically grown and cause minimal environmental damage. Each lot in the two-day event comes with a complementary presentation set and a grading certificate from both the Gemological Institute of America (GIA) and the International Gemological Institute (IGI). Leading the first day of the auction is a 21.58-carat emerald-cut diamond with F color and VS1 clarity. This recently-cut stone includes a laser-inscribed IGI number on the girdle, as well as a grading report. Also notable from Day 1 of this auction is a 19.78-carat oval-cut diamond, a 17.58-carat heart-cut diamond, and a 15.00-carat radiant-cut diamond.
Day 2 of the upcoming sale presents additional high-carat stones, including a 22.15-carat pear-cut diamond with F color and VS1 clarity. This large stone is also recently cut and can be customized for a ring, bracelet, pendant, necklace, or earring. During Day 2 of this diamond event, bidders can consider a range of cuts, from round and emerald cuts to cushion and heart cuts. A variety of carat weights are also on offer, starting at just 1.00 carat. To view the complete catalog for the GIA-IGI Certified Real Diamonds, Lab Grown sale and find other online auctions, visit Bidsquare.
