MEXICO CITY (AP) – The Mexican government says a Mayan-style statue that brought $4 million at auction Monday is a fake. The auctioneers say it is genuine.
The Paris-based gallery that sold the shield-toting clay warrior figure says the attack on its authenticity is an attempt by Mexican officials to ruin the market for pre-Hispanic artifacts.
The stakes in the dispute are high, and not just because of the cash laid down by the as-yet-unidentified buyer.
Representatives of the Paris-based Binoche Et Giquello auction house said Wednesday that attacking the credibility of public auctions may only drive the artifacts trade into the uncontrolled black market.
Mexico’s archaeological agency says the warrior is a recent creation made to look old.
Copyright 2011 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Gold and citrine brooch/pendant. Estimate: $600-$900. Image courtesy of Rago Art and Auction Center. LAMBERTVILLE, N.J. – The 2011 economy has been drawing more fine jewelry to market. But the broad retail market once available to sophisticated buyers is now going, going, gone to auction. Rago Art and Auction Center will demonstrate what’s driving this trend when it conducts a fine jewelry auction of nearly 400 lots on Sunday, April 10, beginning at 9 a.m. Eastern. LiveAuctioneers will provide Internet live bidding.
Studio and craft jewelers continue to create unique offerings. But as the price of gold continues to climb, retailer and wholesalers alike are offering ever lighter gold jewelry or eschewing gold altogether. Bead jewelry, by such makers as Pandora, has been the strongest seller for over a year. Many local jewelry stores would have to close their doors if bead jewelry and gold scrapping were to go out of style. A number of major mall chains have consolidated or filed for bankruptcy in the past three years, as the lucrative bridal diamond market has migrated to web vendors. Wal-Mart is now the largest retailer of jewelry in the United States.
By contrast, auctions across the country are selling jewelry featuring heavy gold, fine workmanship and significant gemstones, unavailable or unaffordable in the retail market, to a clientele in search of classic, well-designed jewelry, whether 20th century or antique.
“Sellers, who have been holding back their best pieces waiting for an economic upturn, are consigning them to auction, where they are bringing strong prices as an alternate investment that can be enjoyed or resold,” said Sarah Churgin, who directs the Jewelry and Silver department at the Rago Art and Auction Center. “I’ve been holding annual, multimillion dollar sales in December. But with an increase in consignments in 2011 meeting a growth in demand, I’ve added my first spring jewelry sale on April 10. It’s a no-reserve sale. Good pieces in the $150-2,500 range with an average price around $500. I’ve coupled with silver and couture. Buyers simply can’t find this at retail and if they could, they’d pay more.”
Those with interest in the April 10 auction at Rago’s can view and bid online now at ragoarts.com and liveauctioneers.com or preview at the auction house in Lambertville, N.J.
Art Deco diamond and platinum cocktail ring. Estimate: $700-$900. Image courtesy of Rago Art and Auction Center.Gold, coral, diamond and sapphire starfish brooch. Estimate: $500-$700. Image courtesy of Rago Art and Auction Center.Emerald and diamond ring. Estimate: $1,500-$2,000. Image courtesy of Rago Art and Auction Center.Coral bead necklace and earrings. Estimate: $600-$800. Image courtesy of Rago Art and Auction Center.Diamond and sapphire ring. Estimate: $1,200-$1,500. Image courtesy of Rago Art and Auction Center.
Fans of Alfred Hutty would have traded all of their engravings for this colorful spring oil painting. The painting, 31 7/8 inches by 34 inches, opened at $5,000 and sold to the phones for $67,200. Image courtesy of Brunk Auctions.
ASHEVILLE, N.C. –Alfred Hutty (1877-1954) is best known for his role in the Charleston Renaissance and for his drypoint etchings of Charleston’s architecture, its moss draped trees and African-American residents. His oils on canvas, like At Noon which sold at Brunk Auctions on March 12, are not as well known. The signed painting, 31-7/8 inches x 34 inches, sold for $67,200 (est. $5,000-$10,000), a price that might encourage others with Hutty oils to make a beeline for their nearest auction house.
At Noon, which depicts a Southern landscape with cypress trees in considerably larger than Hutty’s etchings. Hutty’s lush painting graced the cover of the sale catalog and was the top lot of the 750-lot, one-day, $1.53 million sale. All selling prices contain a 20 percent buyer’s premium.
While the single Hutty painting left its estimate far behind, no group did better at demolishing estimates than embroideries. There were 20 embroidery lots from the same private collection with most from late 19th to early 20th century Greece, Turkey and Uzbekistan. Estimates ranged from $300 to $3,000. Thirteen of the 20 exceeded their estimates, some by exceptionally large margins.
The most dramatic was for a fine embroidered silk three-panel cover, 86 inches x 49 inches, from Turkey, possibly in the 19th century. With blue pinwheel flowers encircled by red serrated leaves, the panel opened at $600, its high estimate. Eighteen phones were active with bidders quickly answering the competition. It sold to a persistent phone bidder for $45,600. The next lot, four central Asian embroidered panels, also began at $600, the top of its estimate range. The four, all from the late 19th or early 20th century included one Suzani, two with floral sprays and one probably Greek. The quartet soared to $21,600.
Southern furniture may be undergoing an economic renaissance of its own. Of the 26 lots in the March sale, three were in the sale’s top 10. The leader was a Queen Anne chamber table that descended in the Pringle family of Charleston. The mahogany and cypress table, dating from 1745-1755, South Carolina, had a single dovetailed drawer, molded top, turned legs and pad feet. It was deaccessioned from the Museum of Early Decorative Arts and was pictured in the classic text, The Furniture of Charleston, 1680-1820. The table opened at $10,000 and sold to the phones for $43,200 (est. $10,000-$15,000).
Close behind at $38,400 (est. $12,000-$18,000) was a fine Federal inlaid cellaret, probably from North Carolina or Virginia in the early 19th century. The mahogany and cherry cellaret with elaborate quarter fan, fan, line and bellflowers inlays was illustrated in the 1988 book, Bayou Bend: American Furniture, Paintings and Silver from the Bayou Bend Collection.
The third Southern furniture standout was a fine Queen Anne walnut table attributed to 18th century Virginia. The table with a two-board top, single dovetailed drawer, turned legs and pad feet was acquired by MESDA in 1956 and recently deaccessioned. In overall excellent condition it brought $26,400 on a presale estimate of $2,000-$3,000.
With a fierce, but friendly face that children must have loved was a carved wooden carousel tiger attributed to master carver Daniel Muller (active 1903-1917). Said to have been from the now-closed West View Park, Pittsburgh, the finely repainted tiger sold within estimate for $25,200.
Among the sale’s 83 Asian lots, one was the clear and unexpected leader. It was a Chinese silvery bronze mirror from the Tang Dynasty (A.D. 618-907). Its $2,500-$5,000 estimate belied its worth. With a scalloped border of birds around a central dragon, the mirror sold for $28,800.
Silver was one of the sale’s longest categories and there was one clear standout: 350 pieces of Tiffany Chrysanthemum pattern sterling flatware. The set was acquired by the family of Henry W. Oliver (1840-1904), founder of Oliver Iron Mining Co., Pittsburgh, Pa. From 1873-1891 silver pieces were added to the mostly monogrammed set. The entire collection sold within estimate for $33,600. A smaller gilt set of 12 forks and 12 soup spoons in Tiffany Chrysanthemum was consigned by an Oliver descendant. It realized $2,640 (est. $1,000-$2,000).
The next catalog sale will be May 28-29, at the Asheville gallery. For more information, call 828-254-6846 or visit www.brunkauctions.com.
Fans of Alfred Hutty would have traded all of their engravings for this colorful spring oil painting. The painting, 31 7/8 inches by 34 inches, opened at $5,000 and sold to the phones for $67,200. Image courtesy of Brunk Auctions. A certificate of authenticity accompanied the 7 3/4-inch Chinese bronze mirror from the Tang Dynasty. At $28,800 it was the star of the Asian lots. Image courtesy of Brunk Auctions. Brunk devoted an entire page in the color catalog to this saddled carousel tiger. The outside row stander measured 54 inches high, 66 inches long and 17 inches wide. It sold for $25,200. Image courtesy of Brunk Auctions. No single lot exceeded its estimate more than this fine embroidered silk cover probably from the 19th century. The cover consisted of three joined panels, 86 inches by 49 inches, with a border of red serrated leaves and central blue pinwheel flowers. It sold for $45,600. Image courtesy of Brunk Auctions. Stemmed magenta leaves and floral sprays, patterns and borders were contained within the borders of these four panels from the late 19th or early 20th century. The sale moved from a $300 opening bid to a sale at $21,600. Image courtesy of Brunk Auctions. From North Carolina or Virginia in the early 19th century with elaborate inlaid corners and legs, the Federal cellaret sold for $38,400. Its drawer pulls and carrying handles are original. Image courtesy of Brunk Auctions. This walnut table was one of 14 lots deaccessioned from the Museum of Early Southern Decorative Arts to benefit the acquisition fund. It has a two-board top, molded edge, single dovetailed drawer on turned legs with pad feet. It raised for $26,400 (est. $2,000-$3,000). Image courtesy of Brunk Auctions. Also deaccessioned from MESDA was this mahogany Charleston Queen Anne chamber table from 1745-1755. In overall excellent condition with turned legs and pad feet, it went for $43,200. Image courtesy of Brunk Auctions. There are 501.28 Troy ounces of silver excluding hollow-handle items in this 350-piece set of Tiffany Chrysanthemum sterling silver flatware. The late 19th-set set sold for $33,600. Image courtesy of Brunk Auctions.
Selling for over 60 times its high estimate, this celadon oval plaque lot sold to a Taiwanese collector for an astonishing $94,800. Image courtesy of Clars Auction Gallery. OAKLAND, Calif. – Clars Auction Gallery hosted its monthly sale of fine antiques, arts and furnishings on March 12-13. Anticipated to be a strong sale across the board, it was not anticipated that one of the Asian lots would account for over 10 percent of the sale’s $900,000 gross.
Anyone tracking Asian antiques buying at auctions around the world is aware of prices escalating, a trend that’s been developing over the past year. Clars has seen this grow steadily in their own sales with an increased number of Internet and phone bidders from both Mainland China and Taiwan.
“Astonishing” was the word Redge Martin, president of Clars, used to describe the prices realized on their Asian lots at their March sale. While non-Asian offerings, like a Jensen sterling flatware set which sold for $18,960, and a Continental Gothic Revival tall-case clock, which earned $10,000, were solidly within estimate, the Asian pieces went beyond over-the-top.
Expected to sell for $1,500 on the high side was lot 6590, a well-carved Chinese celadon jade oval plaque measuring just 6 inches high. “There was absolutely no reason to expect this piece to do what it did,” said Martin. Even Clars expert Asian specialists could not believe it when the price escalated in heated bidding to an “astonishing” final selling price of $94,800 going to a Taiwanese collector. Sixty times it’s high estimate – that might be a new record for Clars.
And the trend continued throughout the sale. Lot 6723, an Asian celadon glazed porcelain jardinière on a footed wood stand, measuring 14 inches high, came to the sale with an estimate of $500 to $1,000. Going for a mere 14 times its high estimate, it sold for $14,220. This was followed almost immediately by a set of eight Chinese tinted ivory figural carvings of the Eight Daoist immortals, which sold for $18,960.
To date for their fiscal year, Clars Auction Galley is over 50 percent ahead of this time last year with Asian results contributing substantially to these numbers. “While we have always been strong in the Asian category,” said Martin, “it’s astonishing how it keeps increasing.
“It’s not just Clars,” he added. “This trend is happening at many auction houses around the world. We will just keep watching how this category continues to develop.”
Back to the non-Asian offering in the sale, jewelry also performed very well with a 2.07- carat brilliant diamond ring selling for $15, 405 and a demantoid garnets by the yard chain necklace earning $10,665.
Complete results of the March sale are available at www.clars.com.
For details contact Clars Auction Gallery at (888) 339-7600, or e-mail info@clars.com.
This Jensen sterling flatware service for 12 in the Pyramid pattern sold for $18,960. Image courtesy of Clars Auction Gallery.Going for over 14 times its high estimate, this lovely celadon jardinière sold for $14,220. Image courtesy of Clars Auction Gallery.Continuing the unbelievable prices on Asian lots offered, this set of Chinese tinted ivory figural carvings of the Eight Daoist immortals sold for $18,960. Image courtesy of Clars Auction Gallery.
Hurricane Katrina destroyed the Biloxi Maritime and Seafood Museum in 2005. Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons. BILOXI, Miss. (AP) – The Biloxi Maritime and Seafood Museum will be rebuilt at its original site on Point Cadet.
The Sun Herald reports that FEMA and MEMA have told Biloxi officials they won’t fund any additional archaeological studies to determine whether the proposed Tullis-Toledano Manor property was a Native American burial site or for remediation costs should it prove to be a burial site. Tullis-Toledano Manor was a historic Greek Revival mansion on the Gulf Coast that was destroyed by Hurricane Katrina.
The city and museum officials decided to return to their original site at Point Cadet.
The new building will cost about $6 million, which will be paid for by FEMA and insurance. The property will include a 15,000-square foot Seafood Museum and a 5,000-square foot Hurricane Katrina museum.
Construction is expected to take about 2 1/2 years after FEMA approves the site.
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Information from: The Sun Herald, http://www.sunherald.com
Copyright 2011 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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Hurricane Katrina destroyed the Biloxi Maritime and Seafood Museum in 2005. Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.
The Meeting House at Old Sturbridge Village, Mass. Image by Dale E. Martin. This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 License. STURBRIDGE, Mass. (AP) – The Old Sturbridge Village living history museum says attendance was up 12 percent last year, its best numbers in seven years.
On Tuesday, the museum announced it had 273,752 visitors in the fiscal year ending Jan. 30, compared to 244,008 for the same time last year.
The museum said it was its third straight year of gains. The biggest increase last year came from visits by Massachusetts residents, which rose 32 percent. Foreign visits were up 18 percent and out-of-state visits rose 11 percent.
The increases follow recent tough times at the museum, which portrays life in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. The museum had as many as 600,000 annual visitors during the 1980s, but by 2006 had to sell 826 acres of land amid financial troubles caused by falling attendance.
Copyright 2011 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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ADDITIONAL IMAGE OF NOTE
The Meeting House at Old Sturbridge Village, Mass. Image by Dale E. Martin. This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 License.
A self-portrait by George Caleb Bingham, painted 1834-35. Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons. KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) – The celebration of Missouri artist George Caleb Bingham’s 200th birthday is being marked by the possibility that his body of work could include 10 more paintings – all unsigned – that have been discovered in recent years.
Fred R. Kline, a Santa Fe art dealer and researcher, is updating online standard catalogs of Bingham’s works to include the paintings of a Western scene and nine portraits. One of the standard catalogs was published in 1986 by art historian E. Maurice Bloch, who identified about 450 Bingham paintings and itemized many more that had been documented but not located, The Kansas City Star reported Monday.
Bingham was born on March 20, 1811, in Augusta County, Va. He and his family moved to Franklin, Mo., in 1818.
Kline’s advisory panel of authenticators includes William Kloss, an art historian in Washington, D.C., and Paul Nagel, a noted Missouri historian and Bingham biographer.
“Like any lost art, anything can be anywhere,” Kline said of his finds. “I wish they had all been in one little collection with impeccable provenance.”
Some art historians have raised questions about Kline’s conclusions.
“Since authentication involves rigorous analysis, scientific examination, which can include testing of paint samples, X-rays and infrared technologies and consensus by several connoisseurs expert in the particular artist, it will be interesting to see what evidence supports these possible discoveries,” another Bingham researcher, Patricia Moss, told The Star.
Kline responds that his authentications are based on a nearly 30-year career as a generalist art historian during which he has identified several unsigned lost or homeless paintings, drawings and sculptures.
“With Bingham, I have closely studied most of his paintings in museums,” he said. “Also, I have made countless comparative studies of images and paintings, and this enables me to expertly read a good image or photograph. It is an uncommon talent, which I have cultivated.”
Kline has posted the works he says he has authenticated as Bingham works on his website. He said they were found in private homes and for sale in various locations.
The paintings include Horse Thief, a Western scene dating to 1852, which Kline authenticated as Bingham’s six years ago. The other paintings are all formal portraits, mostly of prominent Missourians – a steamboat captain, attorneys, Civil War veterans, a banker.
One of the portraits is owned by Kate McGonigal, a professor of sociology at Fort Hays State University in Hays, Kan. She said she found it in 2000 at an antique store in Hermann, Mo.
Kline and his panel authenticated McGonigal’s painting in 2010.
“We think it is clearly by Bingham,” Kline said, “and actually one of his best portraits.”
McGonigal said other Bingham experts disagree with the authentication, but she believes she owns a Bingham.
“There was a recent article in our local Hays daily newspaper that proclaimed, ‘Ellis woman discovers famous painting,’” McGonigal told The Star. “It should have been more like, ‘Ellis woman finds other people who agree with her opinion that it’s a famous painting.’”
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Online: www.georgecalebbingham.com
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Information from: The Kansas City Star, http://www.kcstar.com
Copyright 2011 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
AP-CS-03-22-11 1200EDT
ADDITIONAL IMAGES OF NOTE
A self-portrait by George Caleb Bingham, painted 1834-35. Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.‘Daniel Boone Escorting Settlers through the Cumberland Gap,’ oil on canvas, 1851–52. Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.
