March 23, 2012 - Auction Central News

Socialite’s estate to shine at J. Garrett sale Apr. 21-22

Palace size pair of carved Chinese ivory tusks. Image courtesy J. Garrett Auctioneers Ltd.

DALLAS – J. Garrett Auctioneers Ltd. will sell the Bertha Ahlschlager Estate at auction on Saturday, April 21, and Sunday, April 22. Ahlschlager was one of Dallas’ best-known and influential persons in antique and design circles and owner of Le Papillon in Highland Park Village, one of the area’s finest antique shops during the 1970s and ’80s.

LiveAuctioneers.com will provide Internet live bidding both days. Saturday’s auction will begin at 11 a.m. Central and at 1 p.m. Central. More than 800 lots will be sold.

Previews will be Thursday, April 19, from noon to 7 p.m. and Friday, April 20. from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. The auction will take place at 1202 N. Riverfront Blvd. in the Dallas Design District at the corner of Riverfront and Howell Street.

Ahlschlager began collecting at the age of 10, and her passion for antiques and design took her on regular buying trips to France as well as the Orient, where she found the finest pieces. Her home on Armstrong Parkway in Highland Park, Texas, is a Heritage Home, named one of Dallas’ 50 finest homes, and has been featured in Texas Home Magazine, Architectural Digest and other publications. It was often used for photo shoots for Neiman Marcus and Calvin Klein.

Ahlschlager was known for her exquisite taste and her penchant for acquiring only the finest from around the world.

Items to be offered include fine 18th and 19th century French and Continental antiques; Bacarrat chandeliers; signed antique marble and bronze statuary including pieces by Moreau, Carrier, Bouret and C.E. Dallin; exquisite antique accessories by Tiffany, Baccarat and other fine makers; more than 100 pieces of fine jewelry including a 10-carat diamond wedding ring; pieces by David Webb, Henry Dunay, Kurt Wayne, Tiffany and other high-end makers. A fine collection of ivory includes a palace-size carved tusk and palace-size pair of ivory phoenix. Other treasures include a large 18th century Flemish Tapestry, a pair of 18th century Italian giltwood torchieres, and incredible 18th and 19th century signed oil paintings.

Outstanding estate items include sterling silver, fine linens, Judith Lieber and other designer bags and accessories, a signed Sormani commode, a bronze cartel clock by Julien Leroy, an exceptional French five-piece salon suite, and various other important pieces of signed French furniture. Antique porcelain includes Sevres, Meissen, Royal Crown Derby, Imari, majolica, rose medallion, Malachite, dore’ bronze, gold overlay dishes, Waterford, Old Paris and Royal Vienna. Antique architectural elements and garden accessories including bronze fountains and statuary.

The sale also has fine consignments from the estate of Jane S. Crouch of Lookout Mountain, Tenn., and others.

For details visit J. Garrett’s website: www.jgarrettauctioneers.com.

View the fully illustrated catalog and register to bid absentee or live via the Internet as the sale is taking place by logging on to www.LiveAuctioneers.com.

ADDITIONAL LOTS OF NOTE

Exquisite French bronze lamp, 19th century. Image courtesy J. Garrett Auctioneers Ltd.

Nineteenth century oil on convas signed O. Erdmann. Image courtesy J. Garrett Auctioneers Ltd.

Ten-carat diamond solitaire. Image courtesy J. Garrett Auctioneers Ltd.

Pair of Italian giltwood torchieres, 18th century. Image courtesy J. Garrett Auctioneers Ltd.

Large 18th century Flemish tapestry. Image courtesy J. Garrett Auctioneers Ltd.

I.M. Chait Asia Week Auction nears $2.1M; Yuan bowl makes $128,100

Yuan Dynasty bowl, 14th century, provenance from T.T. Tsui Museum of Art, the auction’s top lot, $128,100. I.M. Chait image.

NEW YORK (LAPRS) – There are only a few high-profile auctions that Asian art aficionados consider accurate indicators of how the marketplace is trending. One of them is I.M. Chait’s annual Asia Week Auction, a perennially trustworthy point of reference for what’s selling today and what’s likely to be selling tomorrow, whether rare Chinese ceramics or precious jades.

With Chait’s recent Asia Week Auction results as the basis for market prognostication, it’s safe to say there’s no end in sight for the spectacular run Chinese antiques have been enjoying over the past few years. The Beverly Hills, Calif., company’s March 22 auction held at Manhattan’s historic Fuller Building chalked up nearly $2.1 million, with a robust 83% sell-through rate.ll prices quoted include a 22% buyer’s premium.

“The market for Asian art, especially Chinese, is not even slowing down. Even the Japanese market seems to be having a little resurgence,” said Chait’s founder and auctioneer Isadore M. Chait, who has been actively dealing in the specialty for 45 years. If there is any noticeable softness at all, it is in the area of ivory, Chait noted, and it’s not for lack of collector interest.

“Ivory has taken a little dip because people are still unsure as to the ramifications of our country and other countries’ viewpoints on endangered species. The laws are still vague,” Chait said. “Everything else in Chinese art is just rolling along at breakneck speed, and the appetite for good things is voracious.”

The 100+ bidders who attended Chait’s 5-hour sale – approximately 70% of whom were from Mainland China – showed obvious sophistication in their buying and claimed many of the day’s top prizes. But it was far from a cakewalk. They faced formidable competition from beyond the gallery walls. There were 180 absentee and telephone bidders in the mix, as well as 469 additional bidders participating online through LiveAuctioneers.com. Postsale statistics revealed that Internet bidders prevailed on nearly 30% of the 353 lots offered.

The auction’s top lot was a superb, 12-inch (dia.) Yuan Dynasty blue and white bowl with a classical motif of Mandarin ducks in a lotus pond. With provenance from the T.T. Tsui Museum of Art, the highly important 14th-century ceramic sold within estimate to an in-house bidder for $128,100.

Another stunning blue and white design was the marked 16th-century Chinese Ming Dynasty Wanli round box with domed cover. Both the base and lid were decorated with images of dragons contesting a pearl amid clouds. In pristine condition, it settled at $54,900, the midpoint of its $50,000-$60,000 estimate.

Eleven phone lines were on the ready as one of the auction’s signature pieces – a large and masterfully carved Chinese spinach jade brushpot – was introduced. Decorated with a continuous landscape scene of several groups of scholars playing chess amid bamboo, pine and rockery, the vessel attracted rapid-fire bidding before closing at the above-estimate price of $73,200.

A highly important Qianlong famille rose porcelain vase, 13 inches tall with a brilliant design of antithetical dragons contesting a flaming pearl, bore a distinctive coral-red Qianlong mark. It easily achieved its $60,000-$80,000 estimate with a winning bid of $70,150.

Many hands were raised when an artwork of quite a different style, a marked Daoguang Period square-form flambé porcelain vase in plum and blue glaze, was opened to bidding. The beautifully balanced baluster-form vase with tubular handles more than doubled its high estimate at $19,520.

If there was one category that took everyone by surprise, it was the Chinese textiles. A fine kesi-type robe adorned with images of a large four-claw writing dragon and two smaller dragons in the clouds had been entered in the sale with a $3,000-$4,000 estimate. Bidders had a different idea, however, and competitively pushed the selling price to $36,600.

Another textile-art highlight was a Chinese silk hand scroll adorned with hand-drawn landscape vignettes incorporating figures and seals. Estimated at $10,000-$12,000, the 160-inch-long scroll attracted widespread interest, ultimately garnering $57,950.

An Internet bidder claimed the top bronze in the sale, a gold-lacquered and polychrome-painted Ming Dynasty Buddha. The 16-inch Buddha with hands in “earth-touching” (bhumisparsha) mudra had been estimated at $8,000-$10,000 and sold online for $54,900.

I.M. Chait will conduct a May 6, 2012 auction at the company’s Beverly Hills gallery, with an 11 a.m. Natural History session and 1 p.m. Asian & International Fine Arts session. For additional information, call 1-800-775-5020 or 310-285-0182; or e-mail joey@chait.com. Visit the I.M. Chait website at www.chait.com.

# # #

Click here to view the fully illustrated catalog for this sale, complete with prices realized.

ADDITIONAL LOTS OF NOTE

Chinese spinach jade brushpot decorated with landscape scene of scholars playing chess amid bamboo, pine and rockery, $73,200. I.M. Chait image.

Qianlong famille rose porcelain vase, 13 inches tall, $70,150. I.M. Chait image.

Coral-red Qianlong mark on famille rose vase. I.M. Chait image.

Fine Chinese silk kesi-type dragon robe, $36,600. I.M. Chait image.

16th-century Chinese Ming Dynasty Wanli round box with domed cover $54,900. I.M. Chait image.

Wanli mark on 16th-century Ming Dynasty round box. I.M. Chait image.

Ming Dynasty Buddha, 16 inches, sold to Internet bidder for $54,900. I.M. Chait image.

Gallery of paintings awaits bids at Jenack auction Apr. 1

L.C. Tiffany Favrile Vase, #3190. Estimate: $2,000-$3,000. Image courtesy Estate Appraisers and Auctioneers.

CHESTER, N.Y. – William Jenack Estate Appraisers and Auctioneers will hold a fine art and antique auction at their New York facility, and with on-line bidding through LiveAuctioneers.com on Sunday, April 1, commencing at 11 a.m. Eastern.

The fine art portion of the auction is perhaps the highlight with a large canvas Gathering Firewood by Henry Hadfield Cubley; an oil on canvas Madonna and Child, Italian School of the 19th century and signed verso F. Alinari; an oil on canvas, Happiness & Fortune by Anton Skorubsky Kandinsky; an acrylic on canvas White House and Bouquet by Peppino Gino Mangravite (signed/titled, estate #142); a wonderfully executed oil on panel by Franz Nowak; an oil on canvas The Beet Wagon by Frans Van Leemputten; oil on panel Winter in the Forest, signed Jan Stanislawski; an oil on canvas, courtyard with peacocks, by Douglas Arthur Teed; and a small work by George Nemethy, oil on panel, Sailing Sloop on the Hudson.

For the collector of Chinese objects we will be offering several lots of porcelain, hard stone, wood and paper. Always fascinating scholar’s rocks seem to capture a huge landscape in a single stone as with the mountainous view afforded by the Lingbi stone to be sold. Also in the stone area will be a set of four dendritic stone panels that suggest brush painted landscapes that naturally occur in the stone. One of the auctioneer’s favorite lots is a finely carved soapstone weathered log with a cicada perched upon it that is so realistically done one expects the insect to move. There will be several watercolor scrolls and a collection of porcelain from a former prominent New York, Madison Avenue dealer.

There will be over 50 lots of African and tribal art being offered including a number of vintage carved elephant ivory and ebony figures. Some of the more unusual ivory pieces being offered are candelabra, a large camel bridge, a pair of vases with carved alligators and a copy of the Egyptian bust of Nefertiti. Of the vintage masks, carvings and other objects being offered will represent the cultures of Senufo, Yoruba, Mokonde, Cameroon, Dogon, Bambara, Baule, Dan, Chamba and others.

As with all of Jenack’s sales there will be furniture, carpets, silver, bronzes and collectible glass including Steuben, Victorian satin glass, Richard, Peking and others.

Previews will be held at the William Jenack auction facility located at 62 Kings Highway Bypass, Chester NY 10918 daily beginning Wednesday, March 28, including the morning of the sale from 9 to 10:45 a.m.

For details contact 845-469-9095 or email kevin@jenack.com.

View the fully illustrated catalog and register to bid absentee or live via the Internet as the sale is taking place by logging on to www.LiveAuctioneers.com.

ADDITIONAL LOTS OF NOTE

Jan Stanislawski (Poland 1860-1907), 'Winter in the Forest,' oil on panel. Estimate: $2,500-$3,000. Image courtesy William Jenack Estate Appraisers and Auctioneers. — Jan Stanislawski (Poland 1860-1907), ‘Winter in the Forest,’ oil on panel. Estimate: $2,500-$3,000. Image courtesy William Jenack Estate Appraisers and Auctioneers.

Louis Icart, etching and aquatint, 'Paresse.' Estimate: $500-$800. Image courtesy Estate Appraisers and Auctioneers. — Louis Icart, etching and aquatint, ‘Paresse.’ Estimate: $500-$800. Image courtesy Estate Appraisers and Auctioneers.

Henry Hadfield Cubley, oil on canvas. Estimate: $700-$1,000. Image courtesy Estate Appraisers and Auctioneers.

Anton Skorubsky Kandinsky, oil on canvas. Estimate: $700-$1,000. Image courtesy Estate Appraisers and Auctioneers.

SOFA art fair celebrates 15 years in New York City

Ann Van Hoey. 'Growing,' 2009. White earthenware, slab building and molding. H 15 x 30 x 30cm, H 13 x 23 x 23 cm, H 10 x 15 x 15cm. J. Lohmann Gallery.

NEW YORK – With a new design scheme and an exciting roster of international dealers, Sculpture Objects & Functional Art Fair (SOFA NEW YORK) celebrates its 15th anniversary on Friday, April 20, through Monday, April 23, at the Park Avenue Armory, 67th Street and Park Avenue. The fair’s invitation-only opening night preview is Thursday, April 19, from 5-7 p.m., followed by a public preview from 7-9 p.m. by ticket purchase.

“We are delighted to celebrate SOFA NEW YORK’s 15th anniversary in the art capital of the world,” said Mark Lyman, president of The Art Fair Co. and founder of SOFA. “SOFA dealers have always been at the forefront of promoting studio artists and designers when they were just starting to gain recognition.”

According to Lyman, SOFA was instrumental in bringing attention to luminaries such as Rudy Autio, Ruth Duckworth, Wendell Castle, Olga de Amaral, Dale Chihuly, Jun Kaneko, Betty Woodman, Stanislav Libensky and Jaroslava Brychtova, Sam Maloof, William Morris, Beatrice Wood, Philip Moulthrop, George Nakashima, Ted Noten, Lenore Tawney, Albert Paley, Ed Rossbach, Lino Tagliapietra, Peter Voulkos and Michael Zobel.

“These artists are always breaking new ground and SOFA dealers continue to reintroduce them, and many up-and-coming artists, to a whole new audience,” said Lyman, whose career as an art fair organizer spans 25 years.

Donna Davies, director of SOFA fairs in New York, Chicago and Santa Fe added, “In celebration of SOFA NEW YORK’s milestone 15th anniversary, plans are under way to reinvigorate the design and aesthetics of the exhibition hall. We look forward to presenting an exciting group of new dealers this fair who are strong in international ceramics.”

Renowned New York architect David Ling will transform the Park Avenue Armory into a veritable work of art for an event that itself overflows with top-tier contemporary and modern arts and design.

SOFA NEW YORK visitors will experience Ling’s creativity as soon as they step into the Armory.

“I conceived of it as a time machine-like procession,” said the architect/designer. “This procession leads visitors from the stately, Victorian-era foyer of the armory through a long, narrow tunnel, tantalizing you with the prospect of an unknown but exciting journey.”

The destination: the armory’s exhibition hall, modernized by Ling’s cutting-edge design, which will hover above the exhibition stands of the 50 participating international art galleries.

“Floating high over the exhibitions will be a huge cube of light, out of which smaller blocks of light explode, traveling to all points within the hall like newly formed stars,” said Ling. “I based the concept on the Big Bang Theory. It’s about creation, re-creation and energy, the origin of the universe in the Big Bang. It served as an inspiration for a modernist constellation to light this year’s SOFA NEW YORK. And with the fair’s universe of offerings,” added Ling, “I think my concept is a fitting one.”

Tickets are $25 for a single day and $40 for a four-day pass; both include catalog. For general information, visit www.sofaexpo.com; call 800-563-7632 or 312-587-7632; or email info@sofaexpo.com.

ADDITIONAL IMAGES OF NOTE

Honda Syoryu, 'Catalpa,' 2011. Madake bamboo, rattan. 28 x 12 x 13.25. TAI Gallery. — Honda Syoryu, ‘Catalpa,’ 2011. Madake bamboo, rattan. 28 x 12 x 13.25. TAI Gallery.

Martin Rosol, Untitled, 2011. Cast, cut, laminated, polished glass. H 15 inches, W 23 inches, D 3 inches. Photo: David Stansbury. Schantz Galleries.

Philipp Aduatz, 'Fauteuil II.' GFRP. 92 x 120 x 152 cm, edition size: 12 + 3 A/P. Wexler Gallery. — Philipp Aduatz, ‘Fauteuil II.’ GFRP. 92 x 120 x 152 cm, edition size: 12 + 3 A/P. Wexler Gallery.

Lichtenstein-inspired mural to go up in Chicago

A student at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago has been chosen to have his mural grace the Chicago skyline. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license.

CHICAGO (AP) – A student from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago will have his artwork displayed on a mural along one of Chicago’s busiest expressways.

Bank of America, the Art Institute of Chicago and the school announced Wednesday that Adam Horrigan’s artwork will be displayed along the Kennedy Expressway this spring and summer. Horrigan is a visual communication design student from Grand Island, N.Y. The mural is reminiscent of pop artist Roy Lichtenstein’s work.

The Art Institute of Chicago will launch the “Roy Lichtenstein: A Retrospective” exhibit later this year. Horrigan’s colorful design includes images of the Chicago flag, the Chicago River and architectural landmarks.

AP-WF-03-22-12 1113GMT

ADDITIONAL IMAGE OF NOTE

Sign up for daily highlights by email