Collectibles for dad and all will be auctioned at SJ Auctioneers on Sunday June 16th.
Rare tin Japanese windups in its pristine condition. A huge variety of Georg Jenses sterling silverware and dazzling designer jewels. Lalique, Steuben and of course Disney are always part of the SJ Auctioneers family.
Bidding is open!
https://www.liveauctioneers.com/catalog/330149_fathers-day-decor-toys-silverware-jewelry
SJ Auctioneers the new way to bid!
To consign please email [email protected]
FALLS CHURCH, Va. – A signed etching by Pablo Picasso from 1933 titled Marie-Therese Kneeling, Studying a Sculpted Group, a bronze sculpture of a woman with two dogs by Demetre Chiparus, and a pleasing selection of American portraiture are just a taste of what bidders will find in Quinn’s Fine & Decorative Arts Auction slated for Friday, June 7. The auction is online-only, with absentee bids also accepted through Quinn’s website.
The 468-lot sale consists primarily of consignments from upscale estates and collections in the northern Virginia region, with an emphasis on Asian, American, European and Modern arts. The catalog is replete with antique and modern furniture, prints, bronzes, art glass, and other high-quality vintage goods.
The 1933 etching by Pablo Picasso (Spain, 1881-1973), titled Marie-Therese Agenouillee Contemplant Un Groupe Sculpte (Marie-Therese Kneeling, Studying a Sculpted Group), is from the artist’s Vollard Suite published in 1939 and printed by Lacouriere Paris. From an edition of 260, the work is signed at lower right, with the Vollard watermark. The leaf size is 17½ inches by 13½ inches. Bids are guided by a pre-sale estimate of $8,000-$10,000. Other fine prints and lithographs in the auction include pieces from Salvador Dali, Keith Haring and other collected artists.
An 11-inch-tall bronze sculpture of a woman with two dogs by Demetre Chiparus (Romanian, 1886-1947) is titled Friends Forever. It displays an etched signature on its marble base and is stamped 54 on the back of the woman’s dress. This desirable bronze designed by one of the greats of Art Deco sculpture is expected to achieve $6,000-$8,000 at auction. A large (37½ in) signed bronze by Claire Jeanne Colinet (French, 1880-1950), titled Swaying Dancer, should sell for $800-$1,200.
A pastel-on-paper portrait of Mary B. Humphreys (1763-1836), the step-grandmother of Mary Todd Lincoln (1818-1882), was created by the British-American portrait artist Harriet Anderson Stubbs Murphy (1853-1935). Rendered in 1895, it is artist-signed (under her husband’s name) and dated at lower left. It measures 26¾ inches by 21¾ inches (sight) and comes to auction with a $2,000-$3,000 estimate.
Among the fine-jewelry highlights is a stunning 18K white gold ruby and diamond necklace and earrings suite designed in an overlapping leaf (or petal-style) motif. The 20-inch necklace consists of prong-set, brilliant-cut round diamonds having a total weight of 19.0 carats and prong-set oval faceted rubies totaling 30.0 carats. The matching 18K white gold ruby and diamond drop earrings are of a style compatible to the necklace and feature 6.46 carats of diamonds; 12.0 carats of rubies, and an additional .45ct pear-shape faceted ruby on each earring clip. The suite is presented in a custom-fitted box and has a pre-sale estimate of $13,000-$15,000. The nicely varied jewelry selection also includes a 14K white gold ring with a 3.09ct round diamond solitaire, $18,000-$20,000; and an 18K yellow gold, diamond and emerald matrix pin, $2,000-$2,200.
A cire perdue vase executed in 1929 by Rene Lalique (French, 1860-1945), 9 inches tall and displaying strands of foliage across a frosted glass body, is expected to reach $2,000-$3,000 at auction. The vase is wheel-carved R Lalique FRANCE and engraved 20-5-29 on the base. Cire perdue – or “lost wax” – is a method of metal casting in which the model is produced in wax prior to being coated with clay and fired. The wax is then lost, resulting in a mold into which molten metal is poured for casting.
Other art glass items up for bid include a colorful Enrico Cammozzo Murano glass sculpture of a tree hosting more than a dozen birds on its branches, $800-$1,200; an Emile Galle “Purple Hydrangeas” cameo vase, $600-$800; and a Galle-style “Irises” torchiere floor lamp, $400-$600.
A 1973 German biscuit-porcelain figural sculpture of great blue herons by Gunther Granget (German, 1932-2010) for Hutschenreuther, is titled The Challenge and numbered 42 from a limited edition of 200. Measuring 18½ inches by 19 inches by 12 inches, the artwork is etched with Granget’s name on the lower branch and is well marked under the base. It carries a $1,500-$2,500 estimate.
The furniture category delivers comfort and modern style in the form of a three-seat wing sofa manufactured by Thomas Moser, Maine, and retaining its original Knoll Venue “Alligator” soft chenille fabric. The 79-inch-wide sofa is signed and dated 2004 on the underside and has an estimate of $2,000-$3,000. Also of note is a Harry Bertoia for Knoll “Bird” chair and matching ottoman, in blue fabric over a metal frame. Estimate: $800-$1,200.
A signed oil-on-canvas by Eugene Joseph Verboeckhoven (Belgian, 1798-1881) measures 19 inches by 23 inches (sight) and depicts an endearing interior barnyard scene of a ewe snuggling with her lamb. It is ornately framed and has a metal tag identifying the artist. The auction estimate is $2,000-$3,000.
Asian decorative arts encompass several popular subcategories, including Japanese weapons, jade, porcelain and netsuke. Lot 292 is a Japanese Edo Period (1615-1868) naginata (polearm sword) whose name literally translates to “mowing-down sword.” The fearsome weapon measures 27 inches overall, has a 15-inch blade, an unsigned tang, silver habaki, and 80-inch mother-of-pearl and lacquer ebu staff with silvered bronze semegane rings and an iron ishizuki. It is sheathed in a saya wooden scabbard. Estimate: $1,000-$2,000.
While there will be no in-person gallery bidding for the Friday, June 7, 2024 auction, Quinn’s cordially invites bidders to participate live via the Internet through LiveAuctioneers or Invaluable. Additionally, absentee bids may be placed through Quinn’s website. Auction start time: 10am ET. Quinn’s helpful staff will be on hand at an open gallery preview Monday, June 3 through and including Thursday, June 6, from 11-4 each day. For information about any auction item or to discuss consigning to a future Quinn’s sale, call Corrie Brady at 703-532-5632 ext. 572, or email [email protected]. Visit Quinn’s online at www.quinnsauction.com.
HARWICH, Essex, UK – With a history that dates back to a legendary gem and fossil dealership founded in 1858, TimeLine Auctions proudly continues that long and illustrious tradition as the world’s foremost auctioneers of ancient art and antiquities. Their fascinating sales, held four times a year, offer an impeccably curated array of material, each piece notable for its quality, authenticity and historical importance. TimeLine’s next auction, slated for June 4-8, offers an exciting new selection to its worldwide following of collectors, all of whom have the option of bidding at the gallery, by phone, absentee, or live online. As an extra courtesy to potential bidders, videos of many auction lots may be viewed on TimeLine Auctions’ website.
Throughout the sale, there is a strong emphasis on the appreciation of each society’s contributions to material culture. TimeLine Auctions’ Chief Operating Officer, Aaron Hammond, observed: “Owning ancient art is a truly beautiful experience. Each piece embodies unique craftsmanship, meticulously created by hand. These artifacts are not just objects; they are windows into the lives of people who lived thousands of years ago. The intricate details and artistry reflect the skills and stories of past civilizations, offering us invaluable insights into their cultures and daily lives. They inspire us to appreciate our shared human heritage and the enduring legacy of creativity and innovation.”
Even collectors at the connoisseur level would want to make room for heads of state – or stately heads – like the ones entered in TimeLine’s distinguished selection of sculptures. A top choice is the Roman marble portrait head of Gaius Caesar Vipsanianus (20 B.C.-4 A.D.). Born to Julia, daughter of Augustus Caesar, and the emperor’s advisor Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa, Gaius was later adopted by Augustus because he had no male heirs. Likely created in 1 A.D. to celebrate Gaius’ consulship, the head is modeled in the round, probably using Parian marble, and portrays the subject with hair trimmed in Julian style. Its height is 48cm (19in), inclusive of its custom-made stand. Comparable sculptures are seen in JMC Toynbee’s Roman Historical Portraits, E La Rocca’s Rom als Vorbild für Pompeji: Aspekte der Kolonisierung, and many European museum publications. Its line of provenance can be traced back to its acquisition on the London art market in the 1970s and also includes a 2007 sale at Christie’s London. Accompanied by an academic report by Dr Raffaele D’Amato, this artwork is estimated at £30,000-£40,000 ($38,220-$50,960).
Another exceptional sculpture is a 3rd-1st century B.C. Greek Hellenistic marble head of a ruler. Carved in the round with a thick wreath of laurel leaves to the brow, the subject is shown with short tousled hair and a stern face with thick jaw. The use of marble and the quality of the work would suggest it is a portrait of a nobleman or possibly a prince. Inclusive of its custom-made stand, the head measures 42.5cm (16¾in) high and weighs 23.7 kg (52lbs 4oz). Its provenance predates 1998 at Artemis Gallery, Munich, Germany; followed by Oliver Forge, London; and a private collector. The work will convey with an academic report by Professor Neritan Ceka. Estimate: £30,000-£40,000 ($38,220-$50,960)
The triumvirate of finely-fashioned heads is completed by a marble of a youthful Dionysus, Greek god of fertility, wine and pleasure. Dating to the 3rd-1st century B.C. and carved in the half-round in three-quarter view, the head’s visage displays stern features, with horns to the brow, and hair gathered in a browband. According to TimeLine’s experts, the 7 3/8-inch-tall artwork, which includes a custom-made stand, was originally part of a frieze or relief. Its provenance includes a European private collection and, prior to that, acquisition on the Swiss art market in 2013. Accompanied by a copy of the 2013 invoice and an academic report by Dr. Raffaele D’Amato, it is offered with a £12,000-£17,000 ($15,290-$21,660) estimate.
Egyptian treasures abound in this sale, with one prime example being an Egyptian limestone shabti from the New Kingdom, 19th-20th Dynasty, 1295-1077 B.C. This intriguing piece is painted and inscribed to “Ir-Nu” with advice about cultivation from the Book of the Dead. It has a carefully modeled face and long, incised tripartite wig. The figure holds a pick and hoe, and has a seed bag slung over one shoulder. This 28.4cm (11.18in inclusive of stand) shabti has appeared in several noted reference books and was exhibited at TEFAF in 2016. Its old-line provenance goes back to the Carieau family collection in Belgium, subsequent to its 1952 acquisition; then the Maspero collection, Paris, acquired in 1963; and a private European collection following its acquisition in 1978. It comes to auction with a technical report by Edmund S Meltzer PhD and an academic report by Egyptologist Paul Whelan. Estimate: £20,000-£30,000 ($25,480-$38,220)
An Egyptian wooden mummy mask from the 22nd-24th Dynasty, 944-716 B.C., displays finely carved facial detailing and notably recessed eyebrows with distinctive Egyptian-blue inlay. A discussion of the piece appears in Parlasca and Sailor’s 1999 reference Mummy Portraits and Egyptian Funerary Art from Roman Times. Its height is 7 7/8in, and it has an old mounting to the reverse. Most recently held in a Suffolk, England, private estate; its earlier provenance includes a UK antiques fair, Mr. E.D., and a UK professional. Estimate: £12,000-£17,000 ($15,290-$21,660)
Through the efforts of scholars, several classical vase painters have been identified, if not by actual name, then by style. In the latter case, they become known by monikers, such as the Ampersand Painter or the Achilles Painter. Yet there are many highly accomplished black-figure and red-figure painters who remain entirely unidentified, like the unknown artist who created a circa 380-370 BC Greek Lucanian red-figure bell krater. Decorated with a meander with saltire squares below the figural scene and a laurel band below the rim, its sides portray two quite different scenes. Side A depicts a nude gesticulating satyr running with arms outstretched toward a maenad who looks back at him, as a second maenad stands behind him, facing in the opposite direction. Side B is painted with images of three youths in draped, hooded cloaks. Similar specimens are held in the collection of The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; and are seen in past Met reports as well as in The Italic People of Ancient Apulia: New Evidence from Pottery for Workshops, Markets, and Customs (2014, by Robinson, Carpenter & Lynch). Its line of provenance includes a Belgium private collection, 1950s; Christie’s New York, June 4, 2008; and a private central European collection. Together with an academic report by Dr. Raffaele D’Amato, it is estimated at £10,000-£14,000 ($12,740-$17,835).
A monumental and highly important Apulian red-figure volute krater attributed to the Licurgus Painter, circa 330 B.C., has meander patterns around the lower body, with rosettes encircling the neck and gusseted handles with masks to the outer faces. Side A shows Nike at the reins of a quadriga; Side B depicts two seated males and two females offering votive gifts. Similar to a volute-krater (attributed to the Baltimore Painter) in the Metropolitan Museum of Art it stands 78.5cm (30 7/8 in) high. It can be traced back to a Neuchatel, Switzerland collection, it is accompanied by an academic report by Dr. Raffaele D’Amato. It is estimated at £50,000-£70,000 ($63,875-$89,430).
A Greek Apulian red-figure calyx-krater, late 4th century B.C., has an elegant fluted body and stands 56cm (22in) high. Side A depicts the semi-nude hero Bellerophon riding Pegasus, with mythological characters Princess Filinoe and King Iobates of Lycia shown below. Side B is painted with the figure of a young beardless man, wrapped in a large cloak and holding a staff. Similar bell-kraters are seen in A.D. Trendall’s Paestan Pottery: a Revision and a Supplement, and in the British Museum collection. The vessel was acquired in the mid 1980s-1990s, then joined the family collection of Mr. S.A., Switzerland, and thence by descent; and, since the late 1990s, has been in a private collection. It comes with an academic report by Dr Raffaele D’Amato and carries an £18,000-£24,000 ($22,930-$30,575) estimate.
One of the most significant pieces in the auction is a Byzantine fresco panel of crowned women, possibly queens or wise virgins. The painting possibly comes from a representation of the Last Judgment, including the crowned men and women mentioned in the Apocalypse (Chapter IV, Verse 4). This piece was acquired in the early 1980s and joined an old German private collection. Subsequently, it was in the pre-1992 private collection of Mr S.A., they conveyed by descent. Estimate: £30,000-£40,000 ($38,220-$50,960)
A rare and insightful testament to the importance of farming and animal husbandry in the “cradle of civilization” is the auction’s circa 2400-2340 B.C. dynastic terracotta tablet written in dense cuneiform. The 78mm (3in) pillow-shape artifact served as an administrative record of livestock, specifically 146 sheep and their owners or shepherds. It was acquired from Laemmle Gallery in Los Angeles in the early 1970s; then was auctioned at Bonhams London in 2011. Its next home was in a private central European collection. Offered with copies of relevant Bonhams catalog pages, it will cross the auction block with an £18,000-£24,000 ($22,930-$30,575) estimate.
TimeLine Auctions adheres to the highest standards of compliance to laws governing the sale of ancient art. All auction items requiring clearance through the Interpol Database of stolen works of art are noted as such in the catalog with the inclusion of unique Interpol Search Certificate numbers. As an extra layer of security, TimeLine also employs the Art Loss Register to check all lots valued over £1,500 and all Western Asiatic lots regardless of value, so clients may buy with confidence.
The June 4-8, 2024 auction will be held live at the company’s head office located at The Court House, 363 Main Rd., Harwich, Essex CO12 4DN, UK. All lots featured in TimeLine’s printed catalog will be auctioned during the June 4 opening session. Internet bidders may pre-register online. London previews will be held at the prestigious Institute of Directors, 116 Pall Mall, St James’s, on May 30 from 12 noon-6pm and May 31 from 9am-noon. A champagne reception follows on the evening of the May 30 London preview, with a 7:30pm talk by Paul Whelan on the subject “Egyptian Servants and Seeds of Osiris.” Auction start time: 7am US Eastern time/12pm (midday) GMT. All remote forms of bidding will be available, including absentee, by phone (please book phone line 48 hours ahead of time) or live via the Internet through TimeLine’s bidding platform or LiveAuctioneers. TimeLine Auctions accepts payments in GBP and ships worldwide. Questions: call +44 7494 866514 or email Aaron Hammond at [email protected]. Website: https://timelineauctions.com.
This June, an ancient art festival will be held for the first time in Korea to raise interest in Korean cultural heritage.
The Korea Association of Antiquities (KAA) will hold the first Janganpyeong & Dapsimni Ancient Art Festival at Dongdaemun-gu Office in Seoul from June 3 to 5, 2024. The festival is designed to promote cultural heritage, which is the foundation and inspiration of K-culture, such as K-Pop and K-Content, as interest in K-culture grows. This event will be held in line with the transformation of the national heritage system, such as changing to the term “cultural heritage” instead of “cultural properties.”
The cultural heritage displayed in this festival does not only refer to colorful and noble old paintings, white porcelains, and celadon. It encompasses all items containing traces of years and life, such as simple furnaces, small dining tables, and rice cake stamps used in everyday life in the past. This ancient art festival is prepared to share these cultural heritages with citizens.
Ancient art companies participating in Korea’s first ancient art festival are located in the ancient art shopping centers located in Dapsimnri and Janganpyeong. This ancient art shopping center began in the early 1980s and is the largest in Korea, with trading of ancient artworks. Currently, there are more than 100 stores in this shopping mall, and about 70,000 cultural heritages can be found, including ceramics, ancient books, paintings, wooden elements, folklore, stone objects, and other crafts. Antiques, old props, and unexpected luxury goods can be found.
However, there are cases in which conflicts or disputes arise over the authenticity of ancient art. Therefore, on June 5, the Free Appraisal Event will be held to find out the value of relics. Appraisal committee members who appeared in the famous television program Genuine Luxury Goods will evaluate items.
“As it is the first exhibition to be held at a time when the name is changed from cultural properties, which had a strong character of goods, to cultural heritage linking the past and the future, we will try to discover preliminary cultural heritage that can be delivered more valuable to the next generation,” said Kim Kyung-soo, president of the KAA. “We hope to discover new attractions of Dapsip-ri and Janganpyeong Ancient Art Shopping Center with rich future values.”
Established in 1971, the Korea Ancient Art Association is an organization with 450 full members working in 13 branches nationwide to preserve, inherit, and utilize cultural heritage.
Find additional information about Korean cultural events and auctions on Auction Daily.
The theme of a Man with a Guitar, to which he returned several times in his early years in Paris, inspired the Lithuanian-born artist to create a Cubist sculpture. A proof now up for auction is an ideal moment to look back at this artist’s pioneering work.
According to Lipchitz, the memory of a street scene—a sailor playing a guitar in Mallorca—led him to explore the theme of the musician for the first time in 1914. The artist had arrived in Paris a few years earlier to enter the Beaux-Arts academy and flee Lithuania, where pogroms were on the rise, the artist was still searching for his identity. He studied academic techniques as well as modelling and working in plaster and, most importantly, met Juan Gris, Picasso, Modigliani and other artists. Their discovery of African masks and statuary fascinated them, leading the artists to re-examine their relationship with perspective and the representation of space and bodies. Having witnessed the beginnings of Cubism—the joint experiments of Braque and Picasso and Picasso’s explorations of volume—, Lipchitz undoubtedly saw Picasso’s guitars gradually emerging from the medium of drawing through the use of assembled cardboard and collage, from 1912 onwards. The instrument, with its shadows and interplay between interior, exterior and the lines of its strings, had a sculptural quality all of its own. It symbolized both music and a way of life: the Parisian atmosphere of cabarets, like the Le Boeuf sur le Toit and the nights when the young artists would meet up after working in the studio. With his guitar-playing sailor, Lipchitz made his first attempt at transposing Cubist experimentation. As he said: “Perhaps the greatest revelation that took me in this direction was the importance of light for sculpture. I suddenly discovered that in sculpture, volume is created by light and shadow.”
In this work, where the human figure is very present and immediately recognizable, the gesture seems arrested, frozen in the instant, expressing the joy of a particular moment. A friend of Zadkine, who was influenced by Scythian art, Lipchitz created several guitar players in 1915 and 1917, always standing and increasingly deconstructed. In 1916, he signed a contract with the art dealer Léonce Rosenberg. This enabled him to work with a stonemason, as the state of his health prevented him from carving directly. He continued to explore instrumentalists with a clarinet player, and began to use sitting figures, producing a version of Seated Man with a Guitar in stone in 1918. The terracotta proof on sale today (estimated at €380,000/450,000) dates from 1920. That year, Lipchitz presented a solo exhibition at the L’Effort Moderne Gallery, then broke off the collaboration to regain his freedom and escape pressure from the Cubists’ dealer. This sculpture thus marks a transition and a change of technique. In this 1920 version of Man with a Guitar, whose original plaster is now in the Musée National d’Art Moderne-Centre Pompidou, Lipchitz showed his awareness of negative space and began to use its effects. Proof of the importance he attached to this in his output, he commissioned a version in reconstituted stone and two editions of seven in bronze and terracotta. Authenticated by Professor Kosme de Barañano, this copy, numbered 4/7, is similar to the one the artist gave his friend Jean Cocteau. The empty space suggests parts of the body and creates a vibration. Guitarists continued to appear in the artist’s work until 1928, going ever further in the interplay of tension and balance.
Thursday 30 May 2024 – 18:00 (CEST) – Live
Salle 9 – Hôtel Drouot – 75009 Paris
Giquello
After a first opus last year (June 6, 2023), the Giquello auction house is back at it again with the dispersal of some fifteen works whose only common denominator is… diversity.
A gold and steel saber by Nicolas Boutet (Empire, c. 1805), a possible gift given to Prince Joachim Murat, is sure to be the subject of a fine bidding battle. It will garner no less than €500,000/800,000, while a terracotta sculpture by Jacques Lipchitz Homme à la guitare, from 1920, is expected to fetch €400,000/450,000. Leaving Cubism behind, we head towards the neo-classical: that of Hubert Robert (1733-1808) and a pair of Ruins d’architecture et figures, testifying to the artist’s great debt to Gian Paolo Panini, who was particularly popular with Robert’s Russian clientele at the time. Circus, fountain, monumental vase, ruins of the colonnade of the Temple of Jupiter, fragment of relief for a monument representing Marcus Aurelius… These canvases are a harmonious example of the architectural intermingling that Robert specialized in, and which earned him his first commission from Count Stroganoff in the early 1770s. Although he declined two invitations from Empress Catherine in 1782 and 1791, the French painter was able to add the finest Russian names to his client list: the Chouvaloff, Galitzine, Vorontsov, Demidoff and Youssoupoff families, to whom the future Tsar Paul I confided: “You can order paintings by Vernet and Robert without fear, without skimping on price”…
Alongside these works, a charcoal drawing bearing Edgar Degas‘s signature stamp, Trois danseuses, will enter the scene at €80,000/100,000, an Upper Jurassic pterosaur (or flying reptile) fossil from the Eichstätt region of Bavaria at €60,000/80,000, and a necklace of 63 carnelian beads from the Indus Valley, dating from the Sumerian period, at €40,000/60,000. Estimated at €8,000/12,000, a silver lamé stage costume by Camps de Luca is one of four examples of an outfit used extensively by Claude François in the spring of 1975. It was given by the French singer to a reader who won a contest for his monthly magazine Podium, and features burn repairs, the singer ending each of his shows with fireworks. Oscar Wilde once said, “You have to resist everything except temptation”. Let’s hear it…
Thursday 30 May 2024 – 18:00 (CEST) – Live
Salle 9 – Hôtel Drouot – 75009 Paris
Giquello
WILLOUGHBY, Ohio – Milestone Auctions is mixing it up for their June 15 sale, with a pop culture-focused selection that’s right in sync with the fast-approaching first day of summer. Collectors can take a virtual road trip across America as they explore the catalog for this 794-lot auction. The emphasis is on fresh-to-market gas, oil and travel-related signs, along with toys, coin-op machines and amusements; country store items, and dozens of other types of antiques, including timepieces and gold coins.
“Throughout the auction inventory, the keyword is condition,” said Miles King, co-owner of Milestone Auctions. “Many of the signs are in amazing condition, either mint or near mint. At the heart of the category is an advanced collection we picked up recently in California.”
The star attraction is an all-original Studebaker Art Deco porcelain neon bullnose sign. Double-sided with a sharp-looking cobalt blue, red and white motif, this automotive classic measures 10 feet 6 inches long, 47 inches tall from the top to the Studebaker red dot, and 2 feet tall at the other end. Made by the noted sign manufacturer Walker & Co, this dazzling Art Deco sign comes from an advanced private collection and is expected to sell for $15,000-$25,000.
A double-sided round porcelain sign for Cadillac Authorized Service is another example of how effective a combination of primary colors can be in conveying a message. In equally fine condition on both sides and marked Walker & Co. Detroit, this appealing sign emblazoned with the distinctive Cadillac brand’s crown-and-shield French coat of arms is estimated at $5,000-$7,000.
Yet another boldly-colored production is the red, white and blue double-sided porcelain sign for Buick Valve In Head Authorized Service. Large and impressive at 42 inches in diameter, the sign is marked Walker & Co Detroit along the bottom and is in excellent condition. Estimate: $5,000-$7,000
A “Night Lubrication” double-sided porcelain sign produced for Shell Gasoline & Oils Co boasts a bright palette of colors and equally nice condition on both sides. With its included stand, it measures 31¾ inches tall and is estimated at $4,000-$5,000.
It’s a good bet that bidding paddles will be airborne when a single-sided Texaco ‘Black T’ New Motor Oil die-cut tin sign is introduced. Its image of a one-quart Texaco oil can has a fantastic pop-art look that could be likened to Andy Warhol’s timeless Campbell’s Soup can art. Measuring 3 feet tall by just under 2 feet wide, the sign has a clean field, vivid colors and a shine that belies its age. Miles King remarked that its condition is “very close to new/old stock and really beautiful.” Estimate: $7,000-$9,000
A subcategory that has been growing by leaps and bounds is that of plate signs made specifically to affix to gas pumps. The June 15 auction includes a Time Super Gasoline single-sided porcelain gas pump plate sign adorned with the image of a clock and made for the Time Oil Company of Los Angeles. It measures 24 inches by 9 inches, and with excellent condition to boost its desirability, it should easily achieve an auction price of $3,000-$4,000.
Toy trucks made of sturdy pressed steel have been hot sellers in Milestone’s recent sales, especially those made by Tonka. “Kids started playing with Tonka construction trucks in 1954 when the company’s first toy, a dump truck, rolled off the production line. They were made for active play, which is why it’s so unusual to find a Tonka truck in truly mint/boxed condition.” The auction includes just that, a Tonka #0875-5 Builders Supply Fleet set in its crisp original factory box with original inserts. The toy is new/old stock in never-played-with condition and includes a Pickup Truck and Interchangeable Body Truck with two beds. The lot is estimated at $3,000-$4,000.
An earlier example of top-notch pressed-steel is Lot 129A, a Kingsbury #272 Pumper Fire Truck is as original as they come and even retains its correct Kingsbury wood box (missing top and one panel). It has original white rubber tires, original rubber hoses and its scarce accessory fire hydrant. This particular version has a motor-driven pump, which is in working order. In spite of its age (pre-WWII), its appearance and condition require no apologies, as the paint on this beauty is very nice throughout. A collector favorite, the 24½-inch fire toy from a legendary New Hampshire brand could blaze its way to a winning bid in the $4,000-$6,000 range.
Highlights from the many other categories appearing in the June 15 sale include: Danbury Mint “History of America” set of 200 sterling silver medals, $6,000-$8,000; Corum watch with a face comprised of 1904 $20 Double Eagle gold coin, $4,000-$6,000; VMC 81D 10¢ Pepsi vending machine $4,000-$5,000; 4-ring “bowling alley” neon clock, $2,000-$3,000; Herschell carved-wood carousel horse, $1,500-$2,500; ladies 14K white gold and diamond crisscross ring, $1,200-$2,400; US Navy WWII ship’s binnacle made by Lionel Corporation, $1,000-$2,500; and an all-original 1¢ Pulver Chewing Gum porcelain vending machine with a clown figure inside, $800-$1,000. Also waiting their turn to cross the auction block are pedal cars, slot machines, games of skill, bar figures, cash registers, tobacciana, barber shop, soda pop and snack signs; knives, oil lamps and much more.
Milestone’s Saturday, June 15, 2024 “Advertising Signs, Toys, Coin-ops, Coins & More” auction will be held at Milestone Auctions’ gallery at 38198 Willoughby Parkway, Willoughby (suburban Cleveland), OH 44094. Start time: 10AM ET. All forms of remote bidding will be available, including absentee, by phone, and live online through Milestone’s bidding platform or LiveAuctioneers. Milestone ships worldwide. Note: upon request, auction purchases can be delivered free of charge to the June 20-24, 2024 Check the Oil Show in Columbus, Ohio. To reserve a phone line or for additional information about any item in the sale, call 440-527-8060 or email [email protected]. Online: www.milestoneauctions.com
Centuries of history and tradition have informed European rugmaking, with countries located across the continent weaving carpets of all shapes, sizes, and colors. The latest Fine & Decorative Antique, Vintage & Modern Rugs sale from Nazmiyal Auctions particularly features these antique European rugs. Live bidding will begin at 12:00 PM EDT on June 2, 2024. Learn more about some of the top lots before the sale begins.
Leading this upcoming sale is an Art Nouveau Irish Donegal rug (lot #218). Measuring 17 feet long and over 10 feet wide, this example comes to auction in very good condition. It has a presale estimate of USD 20,000 to $30,000. Irish Donegal rugs are associated with the country’s northwestern region. Weavers in Donegal have produced carpets for generations, and their work gained greater exposure with the founding of the Donegal Carpets company in 1898. The firm created wool spreads with classic Celtic designs through the 20th century.
Donegal rugs were also influenced by the Art Nouveau movement, which embraced natural forms and beautiful details for everyday objects. American designer and manufacturer Gustav Stickley encouraged the development of Art Nouveau Irish Donegal rugs by exhibiting them in London and promoting them abroad. The pieces remain popular for their rich colors, Celtic influence, and detailed craftsmanship.
A 17th-century Transylvanian rug is another notable antique European rug in the upcoming sale (lot #207). This piece, which employs jewel tones and a center medallion, comes to auction in its original condition. It measures nearly six feet long and over four feet wide. It is estimated to sell for between $15,000 and $20,000.
The Transylvanian region of Central Europe encompasses present-day central Romania. Historically, the area has served as a critical link between Europe and traders from the East. Rugs have held an important place in Transylvania’s culture for centuries. Their style is a composite of multiple influences, including Persian patterns and Turkish designs. Many were displayed and preserved in churches as decorative wall hangings.
Several antique European rugs in the upcoming sale were inspired by the Art Deco movement, which flourished in Europe and the United States in the 1920s and ‘30s. Notable among them is a round French Art Deco rug designed by Jules Leleu (lot #250; estimate: $8,000 – $12,000). This large piece measures nearly ten feet round and features a cream background. A zigzag pattern borders the piece, accented by red and blue stars. Like many Art Deco pieces from the era, this carpet includes symmetrical elements and bold colors.
French furniture designer Jules Leleu turned to the decorating field after World War I, opening a gallery in Paris in 1924. He exhibited and won a prize at the Exposition internationale des arts décoratifs et industriels modernes show in 1925, securing his place as a founder of the Art Deco movement. Maison Leleu has continued as a legacy brand of French design.
Another key antique European rug in the upcoming event was inspired by the Art Nouveau movement and was produced in Austria (lot #217). With multiple borders and an elegant design, this carpet embraces the aesthetics of Art Nouveau. It features shades of cream, tan, and pale yellow. Thin blue lines, arranged in neat rows, dominate the center of the rug. It comes to auction with an estimate of $8,000 to $12,000.
The international Art Nouveau movement sought to create a new set of design values, marking a clear departure from earlier sensibilities. Curved lines were prominent. Designers also turned to the natural world for inspiration, joining flower motifs with new materials and streamlined modernism. In rugs, Art Nouveau designs often achieved a harmonious, almost pictorial quality. Every element was intended to contribute to a bigger picture.
In addition to antique European rugs, this upcoming sale will present over 150 lots of Persian, Turkish, and Chinese spreads. These range from a silk Tabriz Haji Jalili carpet to large Serapi area rugs.
Live bidding for these items will begin on June 2, 2024 at 12:00 PM EDT. To browse the complete catalog and register to bid, visit Nazmiyal Auctions. Find additional coverage of this event on Auction Daily.
New York: Lark Mason Associates is delighted to announce that “The Consummate New Yorker: Books and Other Collections from Robert Gottlieb” will be open for bidding on iGavelAuctions.com, from May 30th to June 13th, 2024.
Robert Gottlieb–renowned for his editorial stewardship at Simon & Schuster, Alfred A. Knopf, and The New Yorker–shaped a bibliophile’s library of novels, nonfiction books, and magazine articles by a Who’s Who of prominent writers from the mid-to-late 20th century. In his private life, Gottlieb was a collector in his own right, amassing a quirky assortment of Lucite handbags from the 1950s, American travel postcards, Art Deco and early 20th Century decorative arts, and his primary love, books.
The sale, with over 130 lots, includes volumes penned by highly acclaimed 20th century writers Joseph Heller, John le Carré, Robert Caro, Toni Morrison, Bill and Hillary Clinton, John Cheever, Doris Lessing, Bill Gates, Katharine Graham, Barbara Tuchman, Jessica Mitford, and many others.
“Robert Gottlieb was one of New York’s most venerated and influential literary personalities in publishing,” says Lark Mason. “This auction offers bibliophiles and contemporary design enthusiasts an opportunity to acquire an important selection of first edition books and mid-twentieth century decorative objects.”
Among the books are three by Joseph Heller: a first edition, first printing, first issue dust jacket of Catch-22, bearing a personalized inscription (Simon & Schuster 1961) (Estimate: $20,000-30,000), an inscribed Something Happened, (Alfred A. Knopf, 1974) (Estimate: $2,000-3,000), and an advance reader’s copy of the uncorrected proof of Closing Time, with a letter from the author to Gottlieb (Estimate: $2,000-3,000).
Jane Austen’s four-volume first edition set of Northanger Abbey and Persuasion, (London: John Murray, 1818) (Estimate: $4,000-6,000) and Bill Gates’ How to Avoid a Climate Disaster, (Knopf, 2021), with a personalized note to Gottlieb from the author (Estimate: $2,000-3,000) are also of interest.
Lucite handbags feature a highly desirable Llewellyn Beehive Box Bag together with a Wilardy Two-Compartment Box Bag (Estimate: $150-350), and two Wilardy bags, one lace-inset with flowers, the other black with rhinestones (Estimate: $150-350).
Decorative arts highlights include a Pair of Tiffany Studios Four-Light Bronze and Green Favrile Glass Candelabra, circa. 1915 (Estimate: $3,000-5,000) and an Austrian Silver Coffee, Tea and Creamer Set, Vienna, 1872-1922 (Estimate: $600/900).
About Robert Gottlieb
Robert Gottlieb had a long and distinguished career as an editor and writer, having served as the head of Alfred A. Knopf, the editor in chief of Simon and Schuster, and the editor of The New Yorker. As an editor he worked with many notable authors, including Toni Morrison, John Le Carré, Bruno Bettelheim, Katharine Graham, Doris Lessing, Bill Clinton, Nora Ephron, Bill Gates, and Joseph Heller—whose debut novel, Catch-22, helped establish Gottlieb’s reputation as a keen discerner of literary talent.
In recent decades, he wrote extensively for The New York Review of Books, The New Yorker, The New York Times Book Review, and The New York Observer, where he was the dance critic for many years.
An author in his own right, his books include A Certain Style: The Art of the Plastic Handbag, 1949-59; Sarah: The Life of Sarah Bernhardt; George Balanchine: Ballet Maker; Lives and Letters; Great Expectations: The Sons and Daughters of Charles Dickens; Near-Death Experiences…and Others; and Garbo.
In 2015, Gottlieb received the annual Award for Distinguished Service to the Arts from the American Academy of Arts and Letters. A feature documentary about his collaborations with author Robert Caro titled Turn Every Page was released in 2022.
Works by artist Kim Tschang-yeul, widely known as “the water drop artist,” will be exhibited at several upcoming auctions, including May sales by two major auction houses in Korea. Kim died in January of 2021. His works are appearing one after another at auction houses, including exhibitions, to mark the third anniversary of his death. At a 2022 Christie’s Hong Kong auction, a water drop painting titled CSH 1 was sold for HKD 9.85 million (including purchase fees), setting a new record for the artist. Attention is focused on whether the upcoming sales will set a new record price.
Two pieces of Kim’s artwork were exhibited by K Auction at its headquarters in Seoul on May 22. They are Waterdrops PA81006, produced in 1980, and Waterdrops SA2001-001, produced in 2001. A total of 72 pieces, about USD 5.43 million, were also exhibited at the K Auction event.
Kim’s Water Drops (1980) will also be exhibited at Seoul Auction’s May sale, held at Gangnam Center on May 28. The estimate ranges from $87,000 to $145,000. Seoul Auction will also unveil a black-and-white Pumpkin (1991) by Yayoi Kusama, one of Korea’s best-selling foreign artists, at an estimated price of $426,000. Unlike other colorful pumpkin paintings, Kusama’s monochrome piece is painted vertically. Compared to other pumpkin paintings since the 2000s, the available work has a tighter dot representation.
Seoul Auction will display a total of 80 artworks, worth about $3.96 million, including these artworks. Lee Ufan’s Untitled (1985), which was painted on a six-page paper measuring more than five meters wide, is also drawing attention, with an estimated price of $254,000 to $436,000. The artwork was exhibited at the artist’s folding screen exhibition in Tokyo in 1986.
In addition, the sale will present Kim Whan-ki’s Bird and Moon (estimated at $254,000 to $400,000), which harmoniously blends a bird, moon, and dots on the canvas, as well as masterpieces by the likes of Ha Chonghyun and Shim Moonseup that have left traces of Korean art history. As for overseas artists, Ayako Rokkaku’s Untitled (2022) will find a new owner. It has been displayed as one of the highlight works in the artist’s first solo exhibition in the UK and has an estimated price of $254,000 to $363,000.
Following this, 17 Korean artworks including Kim Tschang-yeul’s Water Drops (1975 – 1977) will be exhibited at Christie’s Evening/Day Auction to be held at the Hong Kong Convention Center from May 28 to 29. Kim’s artwork will be displayed at the 20th Century Evening Auction on May 28, with an estimated price of HKD 4 million to 6 million. The key point to watch is whether this artwork will break the artist’s auction record from 2022.
On the same day, first-generation Korean abstract artist Rhee Seundja’s Mountain Without Shadows (1962) will also be presented at an estimated price of HKD 4 million to 6 million. Media artist Paik Nam-june’s Root 66 (1993) is estimated at HKD 1.5 million to 2.5 million, and Lee Bae’s Brush 3-88 is offered with an estimate of HKD 300,000 to 500,000 in the 21st Century Evening Auction.
At the Day Auction held on May 29, two works from the 1960s by artist Kim Whan-ki and works by Lee Ufan and Ha Chonghyun will find a new owner.
