One of the highlights of the upcoming Important Americana sale, presented by Sotheby’s, is a Corlis-Bowen Family Chippendale mahogany desk-and-bookcase. It originally belonged to Dr. William and Sarah Corlis-Bowen of Providence. Created in circa 1770, the piece features elements of Providence cabinetmaking with S-shaped curve bracket feet. The desk pieces are made of finely grained mahogany with secondary woods of chestnut.
Also available is a Chippendale carved and figured walnut scroll-top high chest of drawers. Created around 1755, the furniture piece was attributed to Nicholas Bernard, a skilled carver who was influenced by Samuel Harding. The design is typical of his work from the mid to late 1750s, when his concepts and techniques explored the possibilities of lines. The carvings are an expression of the Philadelphia Rococo aesthetic. Interested bidders can also find an oak and pine long table from 1685 and a Chippendale mahogany side chair. Explore more items and register to bid by visiting Sotheby’s.
Frans van Mieris the Elder was a Dutch Golden Age painter, known for his fijnschilder style of painting. The technique is characterized by fine detailing, lustrous texture, and invisible brush strokes. Mieris’ oil on panel painting of a young woman sealing a letter by candlelight is a key highlight of the upcoming sale from Sotheby’s. The painting depicts a woman melting wax to affix it to a folded letter. A boy, who seems to be the messenger, is standing behind the writing table. The scene also shows a Persian carpet on the table, pushed aside perhaps to make space for writing the letter. Another noteworthy oil on panel is Jan van der Heyden’s imaginary view of a serene canal in Amsterdam. The scene is marked by Heyden’s careful detailing, his poetic sense of illustration and harmony in depiction of light and perspective. The capital city of the Netherlands was a frequently featured subject in his paintings.
Jacob Isaacksz van Ruisdael’s oil on canvas also leads the catalog. It portrays a view of a stream and trees. The artist is known for depicting a variety of landscapes and Dutch countryside imagery. To view the complete catalog and register to bid online, visit Sotheby’s.
A wide range of fine art, jewelry, furniture, and decorative art items will be available in Crescent City Auction Gallery’s upcoming two-day sale. Among the top lots from the first session is a bamboo living room suite designed by Austrian-American maker Paul Frankl. Closely associated with the Art Deco movement, Frankl designed furniture using unusual materials that embraced a luxe brand of American Modernism. The available living room set was produced around 1950. A bold flower print decorates the blue-gray background of the cushions. Other notable lots from the first day of the event include a 14-karat yellow gold and ruby link necklace and a pierced triangular pendant necklace featuring a trillion-cut tanzanite.
The second session of the Winter Estates Auction particularly highlights fine paintings and art prints. Among them is a 1987 untitled painting on paper by Keith Haring. Signed by the artist along the bottom, this piece shows a Mickey Mouse-shaped red figure falling downward while clutching fistfuls of cash. This work also includes a signature from Haring’s former studio manager and the executive director emeritus of the Keith Haring Foundation, Julia Gruen. Collectors can also consider a woodland painting by Louisiana-based artist Robert Malcolm Rucker. The artist was an American Impressionist who used his skills to capture and uplift the culture of his community. The available painting depicts a weathered cabin nestled by a pond. To view the complete catalog or find other online auctions, visit Bidsquare.
Emperor Huizong, also known as Zhao Ji, was the eighth emperor of the Song Dynasty of China. Although Zhao Ji was considered to be an incompetent ruler, he was an outstanding painter. The Imperial Painting Academy was a significant organization that thrived during his reign. A mixed media painting in the manner of Zhao Ji is a key highlight of the upcoming sale from NY Elizabeth. It is an ornithological depiction of two wild birds perched on branches with plum blossoms. The birds’ eyes are hand-painted with rare plum decorations. Done with ink, gouache, and colors on silk, the lot includes a protective glass cover.
Another interesting item in this sale is a portrait of William Muirhead of Messrs by John McGhie. Depicted in a frontal half-length portrait, Muirhead was a Glasgow-based iron and steel merchant. The early-20th-century artwork portrays the merchant as a gentleman with his mustache, white shirt, tie, and suit-jacket. A noteworthy landscape painting of Exmoor by Arthur Wardle also leads the listings. The hilly open moorland in South West England is illustrated with grassland and a largely clear sky with some clouds. To view the complete catalog and register to bid online, visit Bidsquare and browse other online auctions.
Israeli artist Reuven Rubin (1893 – 1974) was known for his landscape paintings and use of earthy, radiant colors. His contribution to the Israeli art world is highly revered. Religious themes, folklore, and Jewish ethnic tribes like Yemenites and Hasidic Jews often featured in his paintings. Road to Safed, an oil on canvas painting rendered by Reuven Rubin in 1927, is a key highlight of Clarke Auctions’ forthcoming New Years Estate Auction. The piece reflects the artist’s trademark style of depicting Israeli landscapes in a warm, earthy color palette. Also on offer is a similar landscape painting by Rubin depicting three groups of homes set amid lush greenery.
Another lot of interest is Chinese artist Xiao-Hua Gao’s painting Ladies with Parasol. Born in Tongbai, Henan in 1955, Gao completed his graduation from the Oil Painting Department of Sichuan Fine Arts Academy in 1982. He formerly taught at the Sichuan Fine Arts Academy and Central Academy of Fine Arts. Also available is a white earthenware ceramic pitcher with colored engobe and glaze. It was designed by the Spanish artist Pablo Picasso. To view the complete catalog and browse other online auctions, visit Bidsquare.
A prominent figure in the development of American Studio furniture, George Nakashima contributed to Modernism through his outstanding skills as a woodworker and his background in architecture. The Japanese American furniture designer used gnarled and figured slabs of wood as the foundation for his innovative, organic designs, which were reminiscent of furniture of earlier periods. Nakashima preferred handmade materials and methods over industrial approaches. He always used solid hardwoods for his work, and he explored the infinite complexities inside centuries-old trees. The distinctive features of Nakashima’s work are his poetic style of design, an appreciation of wood, and an insistence on evoking emotion through furniture. An Arlyn coffee table by George Nakashima is a key highlight of the upcoming sale from Rago. The Nakashima Studios table features an expressive burl grain, free edges, and exposed knots.
Another noteworthy lot is Wharton Esherick’s captain’s chair. Known as the “Dean of American Craft,” Esherick was the connecting link between the Arts and Crafts movement and the revival of interest in woodworking initiated by the Studio Craft movement. The 1950s saw an increasing demand for contemporary, artist-made items among the general population – a trend that wasn’t limited to wealthy consumers. Consequently, Esherick’s captain’s chair provided an easy response to this issue and became one of his most desirable designs. To view the complete catalog and register to bid, visit Rago auction house.
Freeman’s upcoming auction will highlight numerous rare works from the personal collection of Vladimir Kagan. Keeping up with the family tradition of making and repairing furniture, Kagan (American, 1927 – 2016) reluctantly got into the family business. His interest, however, was in painting and sculpture. When his father advised him to measure three times before cutting furniture, he would cut three times and never measure. Eventually, he merged his passion and profession by becoming a furniture designer. The curvy lines of Kagan furniture were inspired by shapes found in nature. A classic example, like the Unicorn Sofa from circa 1963, is available in the sale. It is made of cast aluminum with matching fabric upholstery. Apart from furniture, a highlight of the auction is a Kagan-designed Stalagmite floor lamp created in 1971.
The sale also showcases Kagan’s taste in fine art. One of the featured lots in the category is a James Hiroshi Suzuki oil painting titled Poem in October. The color palate shows the vibrant red-orange of the fallen leaves of autumn against muted tones. It is signed and dated 1959. James Hiroshi Suzuki is a Japanese American artist who was introduced to the United States art scene in the 1950s and went on to teach at the University of California, Berkeley in 1962. Suzuki follows in the footsteps of Clyfford Still, Mark Rothko, and Barnett Newman, reducing any subject to its most basic components with color and abstraction. Visit Freeman’s to find the listed items and register to place a bid.
This January, Christie’s will feature a copy of astronomer Johannes Kepler’s monumental Astronomia Nova. One of the most significant works in the history of astronomy, this first edition copy was published in 1609. The book provides valuable insight into planetary movement along with the results of Kepler’s ten-year-long investigation on the motion of Mars. Also included in this fine copy are diagrams of the three models of planetary motion and scientific formulations. Born in Germany, Kepler was a key figure in the scientific revolution of the 17th century.
The upcoming Printed and Manuscript Americana & Science auction will also offer De Revolutionibus Orbium Coelestium by Nicolaus Copernicus (1473 – 1543). One of the most notable scientific publications of the 16th century, the work describes the earth’s annual rotation around the Sun and places the Sun at the center of the heavens. Published in 1566, this second authorized edition is reprinted from the first edition of 1543. Also available in the auction is a thick-paper copy of The Federalist from the Collection of William S. Reese, letters from Albert Einstein, a rare first printing of the final Emancipation Proclamation, and more. Visit Christie’s to view the catalog and register to bid online.
A leading figure in the history of American painting during the second half of the 19th century, Benjamin Champney is credited with founding the White Mountain School of painting, which developed in North Conway, New Hampshire and neighboring areas. As a result, he established one of the earliest colonies of artists in America. His style was based on the Hudson River School, which declined in popularity in the late 19th century. Many of Champney’s paintings were used in the making of chromolithographs, which were then sold to tourists who could not afford the originals. A notable piece of Benjamin Champney’s art is available with Christie’s in the upcoming 19th-Century American Art auction. The available oil on canvas piece is framed in wood and inscribed with ‘B Champney 1871.’
Another important item in the auction is a painting by the American artist and printmaker Thomas Moran. Despite his fame for paintings depicting the American West, Thomas Moran was captivated by Venice, which occupied more of his artistic attention in the later part of his long career. For Moran, Venice represented an endless source of artistic inspiration and a blissful memory for visitors. This oil on canvas work depicts a sunset Venetian scene by Moran. To view the full catalog and place a bid, visit Christie’s.
From the cotton fields of Alabama rose a self-taught artist who drew stories on papers. He was William (Bill) Traylor. Born into slavery in 1853 Alabama, Traylor spent most of his life as a sharecropper. It was not until his 80s that he started drawing since he could no longer work in the fields. Today, Traylor is revered as one of the few self-taught artists from the American South whose works reveal untold stories of slavery and segregation. Goat, Camel, Lion and Figures by Traylor, completed in 1939, leads the upcoming Outsider Art auction, presented by Christie’s. The reverse bears an original Shannon label. This iconic work by Bill Traylor is important from a historical standpoint because it is the drawing Traylor rendered throughout a series of now-famous images by Charles Shannon.
Another notable lot is Judas Kissing Jesus, an enamel on carved wood piece by Elijah Pierce (1892 – 1984). It was completed in September of 1960 and sold to Mr. and Mrs. Charles Bittle. The artist took pride in his work and ownership of his success. For Pierce, wood was his page and a pocket knife his quill, tools with which he left an enduring legacy. Christie’s upcoming Outsider Art auction features diverse masterpieces by other notable artists such as Henry Darger, Thornton Dial, Charles A. A. Dellschau, Eugene Von Bruenchenhein, David Butler, James Castle, Sam Doyle, William Hawkins, Clementine Hunter, Sister Gertrude Morgan, Nellie Mae Rowe, Minnie Evans and Joseph Yoakum. The auction also features sculptures and works by European artists such as Anna Zemankova and Sava Sekulic. Find the listed items and more on Christie’s and register to place a bid.
