Jasper Johns is an American painter and printmaker associated with Abstract Expressionism, Neo-Dada, and Pop Art movements. Since 1960, the artist has worked with Universal Limited Art Editions, Inc. (ULAE) and engaged in various printmaking techniques. Lithography enabled Johns to enhance his existing compositions. At ULAE, he emerged the leading printmaker to use the handfed offset lithographic press. False Start II, a lithograph printed in colors on A. Millbourn & Co. paper and published by ULAE, is a key highlight of the upcoming Sotheby’s sale of prints and multiples. Executed in 1962, the image is signed in pencil, dated, and noted as an artist’s proof. It is one of six proofs by the artist apart from the numbered edition of 30.
The auction will feature several other important works by Johns. 0 – 9 is one such set of ten etchings on Barcham Green Paper with the J. Johns watermark. Each image is signed in pencil, dated, and numbered 20/100. Published by Petersburg Press, these impressions are number 20 from the edition of 100 plus 20 proofs by the artist. Visit Sotheby’s to view the complete catalog and register to bid in the upcoming Prints & Multiples Including Jasper Johns from the Estate of Mark Lancaster sale.
As one of America’s greatest conceptual artists, Mel Bochner has developed groundbreaking pieces by analyzing photography, painting, and sculpture, intellectually and materially. For most of his career, the artist was involved in exploring the interplay between linguistics and visual representation. A significant part of this investigation is the thesaurus paintings he produced. This series of paintings features lists of synonyms arranged in colorful palettes, often with a singular word repeated in painterly capitals. This upcoming Editions & Works on Paper sale, offered by Phillips, will feature Mel Bochner’s seminal monoprint with collage, titled Blah, Blah, Blah. This quintessential work by Mel Bochner combines the artificial with the organic elements of art and language. Reading and looking, as well as representation and abstraction, are woven into the work.
Schwarz, Rot, Gold III (Black, Red, Gold III) by German artist Gerhard Richter also leads the listings. In Richter’s oeuvre, abstraction has recurred across all styles. By incorporating photography effects into his abstractions and figurative works, he explores the relationship between painting and photography. Berlin’s German Bundestag commissioned this edition to coincide with Black, Red, and Gold. To view the catalog and register to bid online in the upcoming Editions & Works on Paper sale, visit Phillips auction.
A round diamond weighing 5.92 carats is leading this Important Jewelry auction, presented by Doyle. This round, brilliant-cut diamond is set in a platinum ring and is complimented by two tapered baguette-cut diamonds on either side. The central diamond has a GIA report stating it has F color and VVS1 clarity. The bright diamond looks flawless even on close inspection. It was the property of a former Plaza Hotel resident. Another leading lot is a Harry Winston diamond ring. The central diamond is emerald-cut, weighs 8.24 carats, and comes with a GIA report stating it has G color and SI1 clarity.
Another notable lot in the sale is a Cartier gold, black onyx, and white enamel minute repeater clock. This clock is made of 18 karat gold, is mechanical, and has key-wind, rectangular black onyx panels atop a stepped gold platform. It also has a circular pink opalescent sunburst guilloché numberless dial and rose-cut diamond ornate hands. The white enamel chapter ring has applied gold Roman numerals spaced by gold florets. The clock is protected by a glass-domed crystal and a chalcedony push-button to activate it. The auction also offers jewelry from Tiffany & Co., Van Cleef & Arpels, Seaman Schepps, and David Webb. Among watches, a Patek Philippe gentleman’s white gold annual calendar wristwatch and an Audemars Piguet Gentleman’s gold Royal Oak watch stand out. Visit Doyle for more information on the upcoming Important Jewelry auction and to place a bid.
The upcoming April live auction from Art Showcase will feature an original sculpture head attributed to Jean-Michel Basquiat. Titled Sam II, this work was created in 1985. It is comprised of acrylic and ink on a wig mannequin that bears large stereo headphones. This piece stands 12 inches high and ten inches wide. Basquiat created the sculpture for WWF professional wrestling manager Jimmy Hart (nicknamed “The Mouth of the South”). According to the auction house, Basquiat had dinner with Hart, Andy Warhol, and Andy Kauffman in March of 1985, one week before WrestleMania 1. Basquiat gifted this sculpture to Hart as a token of admiration.
Other notable works in the catalog include an original acrylic on canvas painting by Peter Max, which shows an idyllic sunset scene, and an original etching hand-signed and numbered by Pablo Picasso. The latter work shows a group of people gathered under a tent, which may allude to a circus. The etching comes with a certificate of authenticity. Additional lots of interest include an original lithograph by Joan Miró and assorted works by Dutch American painter William Verdult, who referred to himself as “the Dutch Master.” These signed works depict subjects such as kings and queens, religious icons, and Native Americans. Over 850 lots will be presented in this sale. To view the complete Fine Art Auction catalog and browse other online auctions, visit Bidsquare.
Artist Kerry James Marshall is well known for his representation of the marginalized Black American community, deeply influenced by his own origins. His depictions are marked by the striking use of glitter to emphasize the “unseen.” Curtained Window (2005), one such mixed media and glitter on paper by Marshall, is a key highlight of the upcoming sale from Hindman. The composition portrays an urban landscape with a tree in the center and residential buildings in the background. Experimenting with optics, Marshall creates a sense of three-dimensional entry into the two-dimensional space with the golden shimmery curtains. Strongly inspired by Ralph Ellison’s 1952 classic Invisible Man, Marshall employed sparkle as a tool of shifting attention from hypervisibility to “un-visibility.” Another noteworthy painting in the sale is Jack Bush’s oil on canvas titled Green Diamond. It characterizes his association with Color Field Painting and Lyrical Abstraction, under the tutelage of American art critic Clement Greenberg.
Gertrude Abercrombie’s Birds Eggs and Dominoes with Pyramid also leads the offerings. The still-life composition includes the frequently-portrayed eggs and dominoes that were of personal significance to Abercrombie. However, the pyramid was relatively unusual in her works. Visit Hindman to view the complete catalog and register to bid in the upcoming Post War & Contemporary sale.
This upcoming Noonans auction will offer a selection of rare Orders, Decorations, Medals, and Militaria for sale. Leading the catalog is a group of six Conspicuous Gallantry Cross (CGC) medals belonging to Warrant Officer Class II AW Miller of the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (REME). On May 21, 2007, Miller helped recover a civilian low-loader carrying high-profile military vehicles in Basra, a militia stronghold. The officer put up a brave front for nearly two hours while facing constant heavy machine gun and rocket-propelled grenade fire.
Another noteworthy lot is a set of two campaign medals awarded to Rorke’s Drift defender Sergeant Alfred Saxty. The medals include a campaign clasp marked South Africa 1877-79 and an India General Service 1854-95 clasp. Saxty was one of the last few survivors of Rorke’s Drift, a historic battle fought in the Anglo-Zulu War in South Africa in 1879. Also included in the sale is a unique Waterloo medal presented to Lieutenant Thomas Baynes, a German World War II parachutist’s helmet, and the Small Army Gold Medal for Corunna belonging to Major Chichester McDonnell. Visit Noonans’ to find more information on the upcoming Orders, Decorations, Medals, And Militaria and to register to bid.
An 1814 George III Silver Peace Medal will lead Hindman‘s upcoming Native American Art, Session I sale. As part of the War of 1812, American and British forces recruited Native American warriors. Notable Native Americans were presented with silver peace medals depicting the “old head” of King George III following the war as a symbol of loyalty and friendship to the United States. These were only given during important events, such as signing treaties. The available medal may have belonged to Chief John Aisance, leader of the Chippewas of Lakes Huron and Simcoe. The rare War of 1812 period medal featured in the auction shows George III in a mantled bust; the reverse features Royal Arms.
Another significant lot of interest is a pair of Eastern Woodlands beaded moccasins, thread-sewn with floral cuffs and vamps. Various Indigenous peoples in Canada traditionally wear moccasins made from animal hide. Moccasin designs changed in the 1850s with European materials like silk thread and glass beads becoming more readily available. As well as functional outerwear, moccasins are works of art and handicraft by Indigenous people. Visit Hindman to view the complete catalog and register to bid in the upcoming Native American Art, Session I sale.
Cuff checklists are tiny spiral-bound pages of text attached to astronauts’ wrists to guide them through extravehicular activity (EVA). During Apollo 17 EVA-1, Commander Gene Cernan wore a cuff checklist, which is a key highlight of the upcoming sale from RR Auction. It was exposed to the lunar environment for seven hours and 12 minutes, and its pages are still marked with lunar dust. This checklist is visible on his wrist in the still photographs and film footage taken during the EVA. Another striking lot in the upcoming event is a moon rock (lunar feldspathic breccia, North West Africa). This specimen is part of the NWA 12691 event. It is akin to the other lunar meteorites and moon rocks returned to Earth by Apollo missions. The analysis of the meteorite was led by Dr. Anthony Irving, and the classification was published in the Meteoritical Bulletin.
The sale also offers a Mercury Program Earth Path Indicator (EPI) manufactured by the Minneapolis Honeywell Regulator Company. It features a window to interior Earth globe and five knobs. The EPI was a navigational tool installed in the Mercury space capsule. To view the complete catalog and register to bid in the upcoming RR Auction: Space Exploration sale, visit Bidsquare and browse other online auctions.
![Green Bank [Wapping], Humphry Boone, square Halfpenny](https://auctiondaily-prod.s3.ap-northeast-2.amazonaws.com/uploads/2023/04/Internet-Image-1.jpg-edited.webp)
Believed to be the only known specimen of a Humphry Boone imprint, a square halfpenny of the highest rarity is leading the upcoming British 17th-Century Trade Token auction from Noonans. All details are clearly visible on the coin. It bears the mark of Green Bank in Wapping. This halfpenny was found during the excavation of the Wendover bypass (Buckinghamshire) in 1995. Noonans will also offer a rare Ratcliff Cross coin in this auction. The name ‘Ratcliff’ derives from the Red Cliff, a bank of light-red gravel which once rose from the Thames above Wapping Marsh. The gravel is now impossible to detect as much of it was dug out and distributed around the globe as ballast in the ships that left Ratcliff for destinations far and wide.
A heart-shaped halfpenny issued in 1669 by Peter Dale is a notable coin. Peter Dale of Scarborough, Yorkshire was an issuer of private tokens. He was an active merchant of his time. This rare piece was found in 2001. The auction offers 600 coins and collectibles. Special collections include the Geoff Percival tokens, the James Lamb tokens, and Warwickshire tokens. Visit Noonans for more information on the upcoming British 17th Century Trade Tokens sale and browse other online auctions.
A pair of antique Regency silver wine coolers will lead the upcoming The Collector: New York auction at Christie’s. The vase-form coolers stand on four scroll supports topped by acanthus and with acanthus pad feet. The body is flanked by loop handles rising from lion heads. It has detachable collars and cylindrical liners. According to the lot essay, the pair belonged to Henry Thorold (1797 – 1871) of Cuxwold Hall. Since then, the coolers have passed by descent to the current consignor. The coolers bear the mark of Paul Storr, a celebrated English goldsmith and silversmith. Storr created simple tableware, trophies, and sculptural presentation pieces. His works reflect Neoclassical and Rococo Revival styles.
A pair of mintons pâte-sur-pâte chocolate-brown and black-ground vases (circa 1881) is another key lot in the sale. The finely painted vases are hand-tooled in white slip. They feature images of maidens, putti emblematic of love, bell flowers, caducei, and rinceaux. Another auction highlight is an Agra carpet dating back to 1900. The classic Mughal-style carpet has individual flowering plants arranged in a row. It is lined with an ivory border featuring interlacing flowering vines. Visit Christie’s to find more information on the upcoming The Collector: New York sale and to register to bid.
