John Lennon and Yoko Ono record ‘Give Peace a Chance’ in a Montreal hotel in 1969. In the background is a ‘Bed Peace’ sign that Lennon made. Pictured in the foreground are Timothy Leary (center) and Paul Williams. Photo by Roy Kerwood. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.5 Generic license.
LONDON (AFP) – A placard reading “Bed Peace,” which was made by former Beatle John Lennon during his peace-in with wife Yoko Ono at a Canadian hotel, fetched almost £100,000 at a London auction on Tuesday.
The sign, sold at Christie’s auction house, was bought by an anonymous telephone bidder for £97,250 ($153,835, 113,670 euros).
The iconic singer-songwriter made the placard in 1969 during his second week-long bed-in to protest the Vietnam War.
The demonstration took place in Montreal’s Queen Elizabeth Hotel and followed an earlier event during the couple’s honeymoon in Amsterdam.
Christie’s director Neil Roberts said: “We are thrilled with the results of the Rock and Pop Memorabilia sale which was led by pieces relating to important moments in the development of The Beatles.”
Another bidder paid £34,850 ($55,131; 40,749 euros) for a letter written by fellow Beatle Paul McCartney, offering an audition for the role of drummer in the band.
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ADDITIONAL IMAGE OF NOTE
John Lennon and Yoko Ono record ‘Give Peace a Chance’ in a Montreal hotel in 1969. In the background is a ‘Bed Peace’ sign that Lennon made. Pictured in the foreground are Timothy Leary (center) and Paul Williams. Photo by Roy Kerwood. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.5 Generic license.
American School, 18th Century, Portrait of Abigail Rose, North Branford, Connecticut, 1786, at the Age of Fourteen. Unsigned. Provenance: Family descent to the late wife of the consignor. Estimate $150,000-250,000. Sold for $1,271,000. BOSTON – Skinner Inc. has announced the results of its American Furniture and Decorative Arts auction, which was conducted Nov. 5. The highly successful sale brought $2.9 million including buyer’s premium, nearly $1 million dollars more than the estimate high, and saw a record established for an American folk art portrait.
The rare 18th-century portrait of Abigail Rose of North Branford, Conn., sold for $1,271,000. The portrait broke the previous record for American folk art portraiture, set in January 2007, and is one of three folk art portraits to have passed the million-dollar mark at auction. The painting, from 1786, depicts a 14-year-old Abigail seated in a Queen Anne chair next to a table on which rests a group of books and a Battersea patch box. The asymmetrical composition is unique for the time period. Well-preserved, in original condition, and not seen publicly since the 1930s, the portrait descended through the family of the sitter.
According to Stephen Fletcher, director of American Furniture and Decorative Arts at Skinner, “I knew the portrait of Abigail Rose had potential, as it is the finest early American folk portrait offered here at Skinner in 40 years. There were a couple of quiet predictions in the trade that the picture might well bring a million dollars, and we were delighted that it brought a record-setting price.” Fletcher continued, “Apart from the success of the portrait, this sale showed strong results across the board and demonstrated that the market for rare and distinctive American antiques and art remains healthy.”
The landmark Rod MacKenzie collection of early photography did especially well. The 150 lots of daguerreotypes, ambrotypes and tintypes realized over $220,000. As a collector, Mackenzie has a sophisticated taste for images that speak to the viewer emotionally, historically and artistically. Rare portraits of a class of school children and an architect at work each sold for $15,405, and a daguerreotype of two hunters with their dog brought $18,960. The picture was carefully composed in a painterly manner—truly the work of a daguerreian artist. Portraits of military officers, soldiers, men at their occupations, young couples and families, and children at school showed strong results.
American furniture also did well. A Queen Anne cherry scroll-top high chest of drawers sold for $33,180, and a pair of Federal mahogany carved and flame birch inlaid card tables, attributed to the cabinetmakers Joshua Cumston and David Buckminster, with excellent provenance, sold for $28,440. A rare Chippendale carved mahogany reverse serpentine bureau made in the Boston area sold for $94,800.
Drawn in by an alluring history, bidders drove the price of a carved and painted Indian princess tobacconist figure, attributed to Samuel Robb of New York, circa 1880, well past the high estimate, to sell for $71,100. Tobacconist figures, which attracted buyers into tobacco shops, were common in their day, yet few have survived. This carved Indian, which has an old weathered painted surface, was acquired from the estate of Helena Penrose 50 years ago.
American School, 18th Century, Portrait of Abigail Rose, North Branford, Connecticut, 1786, at the Age of Fourteen. Unsigned. Provenance: Family descent to the late wife of the consignor. Estimate $150,000-250,000. Sold for $1,271,000.
Quarter Plate Daguerreotype Picture of Students in a Classroom, in original pressed-paper/leather case, (edge tarnish, minor dust). Estimate $1,000-1,500. Sold for $15,405.
Rare Chippendale Carved Mahogany Reverse Serpentine Bureau, Charlestown or Boston, Massachusetts, c. 1760-70. Provenance: Direct descent in the family of a prominent 18th century Boston merchant; Skinner, American Furniture and Decorative Arts, June 16, 1990, lot 154, to a private collection. Estimate $75,000-150,000. Sold for $94,800.
Carved and Painted Indian Princess Tobacconist Figure, attributed to Samuel Robb (1851-1928), New York, New York, c. 1880, on original base, old painted surface, (imperfections), figure ht. 56, overall ht. 80 in. Provenance: Acquired from the Estate of Helena Penrose, New York, New York. Other trade figures formerly in the collection of Helena Penrose were sold at Christie’s in October, 2007. Estimate $30,000-50,000. Sold for $71,100.
Russian silver and niello silver beaker, 1814, with two exotic niello scenes featuring urban landscapes with palm trees, surrounded by flower festoons with birds and fruit, height: 3 1/4 inches, assayer’s marks ‘I.B. 1814’ and ‘Senik’ on base, Moscow town mark, 84 standard. Estimate: $1,500-$2,000. Image courtesy of Gene Shapiro Auctions LLC.
NEW YORK – Gene Shapiro Auctions LLC, a firm specializing in Russian fine and decorative arts, will conduct its final semiannual auction of the year on Saturday, Nov. 19 beginning at 10 a.m. Eastern. LiveAuctioneers.com will provide Internet live bidding.
The sale titled “Russian + International Art & Antiques” will be the fourth auction to take place at the house’s new headquarters at 506 E. 74th St., just two blocks north of Sotheby’s. With over 550 lots the sale will be the largest in the company’s history, and will be preceded by a week-long preview exhibition of the works, allowing the perspective clients and art lovers to interact with the works before placing bids.
As in the past, the auction will include items from the 16th to the 21st century, and will cover a large range of categories—from Cossack weapons and Soviet militaria, to European and Russian imperial porcelain. Some of the highlights include spectacular bronzes by Evgeny Lanceray, several works from the Fabergé workshop, paintings by Stepan Kolesnikoff (including pieces from the Vladislav Mayevsky collection), numerous works by Konstantin Korovin, and seascapes by Ivan Aivazovsky and Ilya Zankovsky. A variety of important works by contemporary artists such as Mikhail Roginsky, Komar and Melamid, and Natalia Nesterova will also feature prominently in the auction. As always, works by European old masters, as well as American and Asian artists from a variety of periods will form an integral part of the auction, including a harbor scene by Raoul Dufy, a striking painting by Chuang Che, and a dynamic battle scene by Joseph von Brandt.
The sale will include two mesmerizing paintings by Georgi Gabashvili, including the extraordinary oil on canvas, Still Life With Fruit, 1916, which was acquired directly from the artist at the date of production and then later formed a part of a private New York collection before being sold at Sotheby’s New York in 2008 (currently estimated at $120,000-150,000). Another striking work by the artist, Campfire, circa 1895, was showcased at the “From Russia with Love” exhibition at the National Arts Club in New York in March ($60,000-80,000). A precious oil painting, Moonlit Passage in Jupille, 1911, signed and dated by Ivan Pokhitonov is also available for sale ($25,000-30,000). The work has been included in an exhibition of works by the artist at the State Tretyakov Gallery in 1963, “Ivan Pavlovich Pokhitonov: 1850-1923,” was included in a variety of publications, and will form a part of the forthcoming catalogue raisonné of Pokhitonov’s work by Oliver Bertrand.
Decorative objects and works of art play a significant part in the auction, and form about a half of the lots available for sale. A delicate nephrite and guilloché enameled kovsh set with diamonds, apparently unmarked, but probably from the Fabergé workshop is a wonderful example of the items one can expect to find ($5,000-7,000). A similar unmarked kovsh was exhibited as a work by Fabergé at the Metropolitan and the Cleveland Museum of Art, and recently sold at Christie’s New York, where it was estimated at $30,000-50,000 and purchased for $41,825.
The auction and the preview will take place at 506 E. 74th St. in New York, and a detailed full color catalog as well as bidding forms are available on the company’s website, http://www.geneshapiro.com. Representatives can be reached by phone at (212) 717-7500, or email at info@geneshapiro.com.
Russian silver and niello silver beaker, 1814, with two exotic niello scenes featuring urban landscapes with palm trees, surrounded by flower festoons with birds and fruit, height: 3 1/4 inches, assayer’s marks ‘I.B. 1814’ and ‘Senik’ on base, Moscow town mark, 84 standard. Estimate: $1,500-$2,000. Image courtesy of Gene Shapiro Auctions LLC.
Konstantin Ivanovich Gorbatov (Russian 1876-1945), ‘Island of Capri,’ circa 1910, oil on canvas, 23 1/4 x 29 3/8 inches, signed and dated in Cyrillic ‘K. Gorbatov 191[0?]’ lower right. Estimate: $45,000-$65,000. Image courtesy of Gene Shapiro Auctions LLC.
Russian Reliquary icon of St. Feodor with gilded silver oklad, Moscow, 1827, the oklad with Cyrillic maker’s mark ‘P.F.’, 84 standard, 7 1/8 x 6 1/8 inches. Estimate $1,200-$1,500. Image courtesy of Gene Shapiro Auctions LLC.
John Lennon (British 1940-1980), Paul McCartney (British b. 1942), George Harrison (British 1943-2001) and Ringo Starr (BrItish b. 1940), a collection of signatures of the Beatles including doodles by Lennon and McCartney, 1969, all on one paper, framed together with photos of the band members and two LPs (‘Hey Jude’ and ‘Let It Be’), size including frame: 25 5/8 x 39 3/4 inches. Estimate: $1,000-$1,500. Image courtesy of Gene Shapiro Auctions LLC.
Ernest Trova (American 1927-2009), ‘Falling Man,’ 1969, polished aluminum and polished bronze, 13 x 10 5/8 x 3 3/4 inches, stamped and dated on bottom. Estimate: $1,000-$1,500. Image courtesy of Gene Shapiro Auctions LLC.
The Jaeger Le Coultre Memovox wristwatch that sold at Mid-Hudson Auction Galleries to a LiveAuctioneers bidder for $15,600 had a black dial and a stainless steel case and bracelet. Image courtesy of LiveAuctioneers.com and Mid-Hudson Auction Galleries.
VAILS GATE, N.Y. – A Memovox wristwatch made by luxury Swiss maker Jaeger Le Coultre set the crowd at Mid-Hudson Auction Galleries abuzz with excitement Saturday when it sold for $15,600 (inclusive of the buyer’s premium) to a LiveAuctioneers bidder.
The surprising result for the 1960s stainless steel wristwatch with alarm feature—estimated to bring $300-$500—is thought to be a world record price for a Memovox.
“It’s an astounding and unprecedented price,” said Joanne C. Grant, president of Mid-Hudson Auction Galleries, who was as surprised as anyone by the result.
Grant said a leading expert cataloged the vintage watch collection in the sale and later offered several possible explanations:
As awareness increases, new players are coming into the market and responding to highly specific information that is being published or promoted on the Internet.
What is happening in the wrist(watch) field is a lot of promotion and pronouncement of rarity and desirability factors that are catching on.
More collectors are coming to appreciate the quality watches of this period, which were all but ignored 20 years ago.
A LiveAuctioneers participant opened the bidding on the watch at $6,500. After a bidder in the gallery increased it to $7,000, Internet bidders took over the rest of the way.
View the fully illustrated catalog for Mid-Hudson’s Nov. 12 auction, complete with prices realized, at www.LiveAuctioneers.com.
ADDITIONAL IMAGE OF NOTE
The Jaeger Le Coultre Memovox wristwatch that sold at Mid-Hudson Auction Galleries to a LiveAuctioneers bidder for $15,600 had a black dial and a stainless steel case and bracelet. Image courtesy of LiveAuctioneers.com and Mid-Hudson Auction Galleries.
Cy Young won two games in the 1903 World Series to lead the Boston Americans to victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates. A baseball autographed by Young sold at the Hunt auction for $51,570. Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) – A program from the first World Series game has sold at auction for $241,500. Hunt Auctions says the program was sold Saturday at the Louisville Slugger Museum.
Company President David Hunt said there was enormous demand for the rare 1903 program from the series between the Boston Americans and the Pittsburgh Pirates, which Boston won.
He said he was “aware of only one other copy of this 1903 World Series program, and that copy resides in the Baseball Hall of Fame.”
The program is well-preserved with its bound edge intact. It features pictures of Pittsburgh Pirates stars including Hall of Fame shortstop Honus Wagner. The item sold for 5 cents at the game
Other auction highlights included a Pete Rose-autographed, 4,000th-hit baseball that sold for $66,700 and a baseball signed by Cy Young that sold for $51,570.
Copyright 2011 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
AP-WF-11-13-11 2302GMT
ADDITIONAL IMAGE OF NOTE
Cy Young won two games in the 1903 World Series to lead the Boston Americans to victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates. A baseball autographed by Young sold at the Hunt auction for $51,570. Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.
![Konstantin Ivanovich Gorbatov (Russian 1876-1945), 'Island of Capri,' circa 1910, oil on canvas, 23 1/4 x 29 3/8 inches, signed and dated in Cyrillic 'K. Gorbatov 191[0?]' lower right. Estimate: $45,000-$65,000. Image courtesy of Gene Shapiro Auctions LLC.](https://www.liveauctioneers.com/news/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/2011_1115_lot344.jpg "Konstantin Ivanovich Gorbatov (Russian 1876-1945), 'Island of Capri,' circa 1910, oil on canvas, 23 1/4 x 29 3/8 inches, signed and dated in Cyrillic 'K. Gorbatov 191[0?]' lower right. Estimate: $45,000-$65,000. Image courtesy of Gene Shapiro Auctions LLC.")
