April 27, 2012 - Auction Central News

Antiquities-Saleroom offers antiquities, tribal, pre-Columbian art May 12

Gandharan Schist Seated Buddha, Ca. 2nd to 4th Century AD. Estimate $3,000 - $5,000. Image courtesy of Antiquities-Saleroom.com.

BOULDER COUNTY, Colo. – In a collecting category as highly specialized as antiquities, the most valuable asset an auction house can possess is not a 2,500-year-old Egyptian statue or a rare pre-Columbian artifact – it’s integrity and reputation. And on May 12, 2012, Antiquities-Saleroom.com, a fully-owned subsidiary of Artemis Gallery Ancient Art, will offer 250+ lots of Antiquities from ancient Egypt, Greece, Rome, Italy, the Near East, the Fast East, as well as Pre-Columbian and tribal Art from the Ancient Americas (Mexico, Central and South America) and Africa.

This one-day online-only live auction will be hosted on the LiveAuctioneers.com bidding platform. Bidders can choose to bid live on the day of the sale or leave absentee bids anytime up until the day before the sale.

“All items offered for sale in this auction have been legally acquired, are legal to sell, and are guaranteed authentic as described. We believe an antiquity will find its correct price in the market almost every time if it is offered with the assurance that it is authentic, legal to purchase and meets the timeline qualifications for UNESCO and various national treaties,” said Teresa Dodge, Managing Director.

The first part of Antiquities-Saleroom’s May 12th auction is devoted to the more classical side of antiquities and includes a nice mix of Egyptian, Greek, Roman, Luristan and Chinese objects. Among the highlights offered for sale are a an important Old Kingdom limestone relief, ex-William Jamieson, a Greek bronze helmet of Illyrian type (Archaic Period, ca. 600 to 550 B.C.), a fabulous Canosan pottery horse and a nice collection of Ghandaran schist pieces. Additionally, there are offerings of Greek Attic pottery from Athens’ Classic Era (525-450 B.C.), as well as a several desirable Chinese pottery examples from the Han, Tang and Ming Dynasties.

Egyptian bronzes, including an Egyptian bronze Apis bull and an Egyptian bronze head of an Ibis, will be auctioned, and excellent examples of Egyptian faience will be available. Several ushabtis and two examples of ancient Egyptian blue faience jewelry will be offered, including an important Egyptian faience amulet gold necklace comprised of 12 ancient Egyptian amulets including 11 matched Amarna Period (18th Dynasty, ca 1549 to 1292 BC) amulets of Isis, each with an ancient carnelian bead, and large central pendant of the “holy triad” including Nephys, Isis and Horus.

The second part of the Antiquities-Saleroom’s live auction features a wide variety of authentic Pre-Columbian and tribal art. The selection of art from the ancient Americas includes ceramics from West Mexico, the Mayan territories and most of the major cultures of Peru, Costa Rica and Panama; plus many examples in stone and metalwork, including effigies made of gold. Some of the Pre-Columbian highlights include a Pre-Columbian Colima pottery dog, ex-Sotheby’s, a Taino stone ceremonial yoke; several beautifully carved Mayan pottery cylinders, stonework, gold and tumbaga, and ceramic figurines. There is also A Superb Pre-Columbian Moche stirrup vessel, ca. 300 AD, depicting a village elder with incredible scarification on his face.

In the tribal Art section, there is a nice selection of authentic ceremonial pieces including an African ewe magical figure, Ghana, a handsome African wood carved Pende mask and an African dogon wood Tellem figure.

For questions on any item in the sale, call Teresa Dodge, Managing Director, at 720-890-7700 or e-mail antiquitiessaleroom@gmail.com.

View the fully illustrated catalog and sign up to bid absentee or online during the sale on auction day at www.LiveAuctioneers.com.

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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

Greek Attic Siana Cup, From Athens, ca. 550-540 B.C. Estimate $6,000 - $8,000. Image courtesy of Antiquities-Saleroom.com. — Greek Attic Siana Cup, From Athens, ca. 550-540 B.C. Estimate $6,000 – $8,000. Image courtesy of Antiquities-Saleroom.com.

Greek Bronze Helmet of Illyrian Type, Archaic Period, ca. 600 to 550 B.C. Estimate $20,000 - $25,000. Image courtesy of Antiquities-Saleroom.com. — Greek Bronze Helmet of Illyrian Type, Archaic Period, ca. 600 to 550 B.C. Estimate $20,000 – $25,000. Image courtesy of Antiquities-Saleroom.com.

Fabulous Canosan Pottery Horse, Greece, Southern Italy, ca 325 BC. Estimate $4,000 - $6,000. Image courtesy of Antiquities-Saleroom.com. — Fabulous Canosan Pottery Horse, Greece, Southern Italy, ca 325 BC. Estimate $4,000 – $6,000. Image courtesy of Antiquities-Saleroom.com.

Egyptian Bronze Head of an Ibis, 26th to 30th Dynasties, ca 664 to 525 BC. Estimate $8,000 - $12,000. Image courtesy of Antiquities-Saleroom.com. — Egyptian Bronze Head of an Ibis, 26th to 30th Dynasties, ca 664 to 525 BC. Estimate $8,000 – $12,000. Image courtesy of Antiquities-Saleroom.com.

Amlash Bronze Stag, Ca. 1000 B.C. Estimate $3,000 - $5,000. Image courtesy of Antiquities-Saleroom.com. — Amlash Bronze Stag, Ca. 1000 B.C. Estimate $3,000 – $5,000. Image courtesy of Antiquities-Saleroom.com.

Roman Bronze Lamp Stand, Possibly from Herculaneum, ca. 1st century BC. Estimate $5,000 - $7,000. Image courtesy of Antiquities-Saleroom.com. — Roman Bronze Lamp Stand, Possibly from Herculaneum, ca. 1st century BC. Estimate $5,000 – $7,000. Image courtesy of Antiquities-Saleroom.com.

‘Scream’ set to make noise at New York art auction

One of several versions of the painting 'The Scream' by Edvard Munch (Norwegian, 1863-1944), this one being from the collection of The National Gallery, Oslo, Norway.

NEW YORK — The only privately owned version of Edvard Munch’s “The Scream” is estimated to sell for at least $80 million at Sotheby’s next week as the star of the New York spring art auctions.

Picasso’s portrait of Dora Maar, estimated to sell for $20 million to $30 million at Sotheby’s on Wednesday, and Cezanne’s “Joueurs de Cartes,” estimated to fetch $15 million to $20 million at Christie’s on Tuesday, are other highlights of the Impressionist and modern sales.

“The Scream” is one of four versions of a work that symbolized with its nightmarish central figure and lurid colors the existential angst and despair of the modern age.

Simon Shaw, head of the Impressionist and modern department at Sotheby’s, said it was “very hard to estimate” the value of the work being sold by Norwegian Petter Olsen, whose father was a friend and supporter of the artist.

Some believe bidding could go beyond $80 million, taking the work into the company of just eight other paintings in that price range.

On two occasions, other versions of the painting have been stolen from museums, although both were recovered. Copies have adorned everything from student dorms to tea mugs and the work is one of the few known equally to art experts and the general public alike.

The following week will see post-war and contemporary sales. Among the highlights will be Mark Rothko’s 1961 painting “Orange, Red, Yellow” at Christie’s on May 8, with an estimate of $35 million to $45 million.

A Jackson Pollock work, “No. 28,” also from the collection of philanthropist David Pincus, is estimated to sell for $20 million to $30 million. Christie’s says “there has not been a Jackson Pollock of this quality or scale at auction since 1997.”

On May 9, Sotheby’s will offer a strong focus on Pop Art, with Roy Lichtenstein’s “Sleeping Girl” from 1964 estimated at $30 million to $40 million, and Andy Warhol’s “Double Elvis” estimated at $30 million to $50 million.

The headliner, though, could be Francis Bacon’s “Figure Writing Reflected in Mirror” from 1976.

Sotheby’s said the painting, estimated at $30 million to $40 million, is “one of the artist’s most important paintings ever to come to auction, and is a summation of his simultaneously painterly and intellectual genius.”

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VIDEO: Space Shuttle Enterprise flies over LiveAuctioneers HQ

A Shuttle Carrier Aircraft, or SCA, flies over New York City carrying the Space Shuttle Enterprise to its final destination in April 2012. Photo by Tiffany Moy.

The Space Shuttle Enterprise, as seen from the offices of LiveAuctioneers.com, was originally named the 'Constitution.' NASA officials changed the name to 'Enterprise' after Star Trek fans organized a letter-writing campaign to have it renamed. Photo by Tiffany Mamone. — The Space Shuttle Enterprise, as seen from the offices of LiveAuctioneers.com, was originally named the ‘Constitution.’ NASA officials changed the name to ‘Enterprise’ after Star Trek fans organized a letter-writing campaign to have it renamed. Photo by Tiffany Mamone.

NEW YORK – I’m in New York again, spending some time in the LiveAuctioneers offices with the guys and gals responsible for Auction Central News and Grand Prix Cafe.

It’s my last day in the city, following a thoroughly enjoyable week of work, fine food and the odd glass of the good stuff. This morning I checked out of my Hotel in Chelsea and walked a few windy blocks to the offices located on 12th Avenue, right by the Hudson, for the last time.

After an hour of water-cooler chat and the odd email, we gravitated toward the window overlooking the river. From what I’d gathered, our CEO had organized for a plane (a single-prop affair, I assumed) to fly past bearing the company logo on a trailing banner – although I wasn’t entirely sure how this rather frivolous marketing scheme would enhance our good reputation outside of presenting a nice photo opportunity.

With cameras at the ready, we waited by the window. The flyover was scheduled at 10:15, but by 10:20 nothing had happened. Our CEO casually reminded me of the time he’d seen an Airbus A320-214 drop into the Hudson following an emergency landing – this comment, made to a reluctant flyer due to cross the Atlantic that very evening, was taken with a stiff gulp.

Helicopters hovered in the air. Each time one buzzed out of sight, I looked forlornly for a plane bearing our logo, but alas, nothing. Getting bored I decided to pop downstairs to grab a coffee; I’d still be able to see the sky from the shop in case the plane decided to make an appearance…

When I went downstairs, I was rather surprised to see a bunch of people staring at the sky infused with anticipation, which struck me as odd. Why would these people know, or even care, about our little corporate stunt? I was on the verge of asking when a ripple of aaahs and applause erupted and fingers began to excitedly jab at the sky in the direction of Liberty.

What happened next resulted in my stifling a scream. Flying low, perched on the back of a 747, the space shuttle glided toward me. It was such a surprise, I wasn’t sure if I was watching this on TV or not…The adjacent crowd began to get rather noisy, a very definite combination of genuine excitement and national pride. I stood quite still with my jaw resting on my chest, utterly speechless.

A fire truck pulled up and parked, and the crew got out to stand on the roof to watch it pass. The traffic slowed, horns began honking, with the odd driver yelling into the ether. In addition to being a shock, it was all rather moving. The shuttle flew uptown and I rushed into the offices, aware that the whites of my eyes were straining under the halogen lights.

I was back upstairs just in time to see the shuttle make a return pass, due to the enthusiasm of colleagues and friends, a distinctly non-British and intense ‘all right!’ popped from my face, at which point it occurred to me that I’d been subject to taking a passing quip too seriously.

Earlier, the CEO had suggested attaching a banner onto the back of the plane for the purposes of publicity, and I’d taken it as gospel. I have to say, as well as feeling elated by the spectacle, I felt like a complete and utter pillock – in American parlance, an idiot.

Obviously I didn’t tell anyone that…

Oh.

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Click to view a video of the Space Shuttle Enterprise as it flew over New York City today, above LiveAuctioneers’ headquarters en route to its final destination at the Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum. Video by Scott Miles.

VIDEO:

ADDITIONAL IMAGES OF NOTE

A NASA 747 jet carrying the Space Shuttle Enterprise from Washington, DC to JFK Airport, en route to New York's Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum, flew past the LiveAuctioneers.com corporate offices this morning. This was the last official flight for the shuttle, whose final NASA flight was in 1984, after 10 years of service. Photo by Tiffany Mamone. — A NASA 747 jet carrying the Space Shuttle Enterprise from Washington, DC to JFK Airport, en route to New York’s Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum, flew past the LiveAuctioneers.com corporate offices this morning. This was the last official flight for the shuttle, whose final NASA flight was in 1984, after 10 years of service. Photo by Tiffany Mamone.

Reading the Streets: VinZ’s misdeeds in Austria

One of VinZ's signature hybrid creatures painted on ephemera, art by VinZ, photo courtesy of Inoperable Gallery.

VIENNA – The Spanish street artist VinZ has been getting some much-deserved attention lately for his unique wheat pasting. He creates incredibly eye-catching, slightly disturbing figures with a painted animal head on a large-scale, black and white photograph of a human body. The colored head on the gray-shaded body makes the contrast all the more striking.

While he does sometimes involve mammals, mostly VinZ chooses reptile or bird heads to perch atop the usually naked bodies of the humans he decorates. These hybrid creatures, both incredibly alien and strikingly familiar, allow VinZ to tackle social issues such as police cruelty and abortion in a witty manner. Often, the titles of his pieces hide a charged message.

His studio work, currently exhibited in the show “Usual Misdeeds” at the Galerie INOPERAbLE in Vienna, is similar to his street art, but also incorporates paper ephemera behind the figures, rendering a collage effect.

To coordinate with the show, VinZ will also be painting Inoperable’s rotating wall on Siebensterngasse in Vienna.

“Usual Misdeeds” will be displayed until May 5 at the Galerie INOPERAbLE, phone 011 1 43 650 244 47 79.

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ADDITIONAL IMAGES OF NOTE

'This joint is good birdseed,' art by VinZ, photo courtesy of Inoperable Gallery. — ‘This joint is good birdseed,’ art by VinZ, photo courtesy of Inoperable Gallery.

Skinner April 20-21 Asian Art sale grosses $3.2M

18th-century copper red and underglaze blue flask, 16 1/8 in., Qianlong mark to base, $270,000. Image courtesy Skinner Inc.

BOSTON – Skinner Inc. has announced exceptional results with many lots far exceeding their presale estimates at its Asian Works of Art sale held on April 20-21. The sale grossed $3,241,279 inclusive of a buyer’s premium of 18.5% to $200,000 and 10% above that mount. LiveAuctioneers.com provided the Internet live bidding for the event.Judith Dowling, Director of Asian Works of Art at Skinner, said, “There continues to be a really strong market for fine art, and categories performed well across the board. In particular, Chinese art buyers are still very much looking to procure very popular Imperial pieces, as well as beautiful 18th- and 19th-century works, and this sale featured some fantastic finds.”

Flasks & Rhinoceros Horn Cups

Flasks and rhinoceros horn cups did exceptionally well in the sale. A disc-shaped, copper red and underglaze blue flask from the 18th century was the auction’s top selling lot, exceeding the presale estimate of $25,000 to realize $270,000. This flask depicts a leaping full-face dragon encircled with a “flaming pearl,” and a Qianlong mark is found on the base.

A blue, white, and copper red moon flask from the 18th/19th centuries depicting a scrolling lotus and tendrils brought $24,885. The lotus is rendered in pale copper red with ruyi-head borders and stylized chilong handles.

Top selling rhinoceros horn cups included a 17th-century libation cup depicting several chilong, which sold for $67,375, and a 19th-century libation cup in the form of a lotus that sold for $14,220.

Cloisonné

A vast selection of high quality cloisonné saw excellent results. Works from China, covering a range of periods from the 18th through 19th centuries, brought high prices and were highlighted by a bottle-form vase from the K’ang-hsi period. The vase exceeded its estimate high of $15,000 to sell for $79,625. Made from polychrome enamel on bronze with a turquoise blue ground, it came to Skinner from the collection of Robert M. Hoi and had previously been purchased at the American Art Association sale on Feb. 18, 1911.

Other notable pieces of cloisonné bringing high prices included an 18th-century censer decorated with scrolling lotus flowers and leaves, marked “Xuan De Nian Zhi Se” at the base, which sold for $24,885; a pair of cloisonné vases in the “nui tou zun” shape depicting the story of “He Lu Tong Chun” that brought $33,180; a pair of cloisonné pagodas that sold for $29,625; and a court necklace container decorated with fu, lu and shou seal script characters that went for $27,255.

Chinese Scrolls & Paintings

Scrolls and paintings fared exceptionally well, with a beautiful hanging scroll depicting branches attributed to Qi Baishi exceeding its estimate high of $500 and selling for $65,175. Other scrolls and paintings that performed well included a Chinese fan painting of a landscape, which sold for $41,475; a matted painting of a ladybug that went for $41,475; a framed fan with the painted image of a man in a boat on a river that brought $31,995. A hanging scroll with the image of a Chang Jiang river landscape sold for $28,440.

Huanghuali Furniture

Demand for fine furniture was also strong, highlighted by a beautifully crafted Chinese Huanghuali table that brought $41,475, exceeding its presale high estimate of $1,200. Other featured pieces that brought top prices include a Huanghuali settee, which sold for $23,700; a Huanghuali dressing table that went for $18,960; a Huanghuali folding armchair that sold for $14,220; and a 19th-century blackwood display cabinet that brought $11,850.

The Skinner Asian department is now accepting consignments for its September auction. Please contact 508-970-3263 or e-mail asian@skinnerinc.com to inquire.

View the fully illustrated catalog from the April 20-21 sale, complete with prices realized, online at www.LiveAuctioneers.com.

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

ADDITIONAL LOTS OF NOTE

K'ang-hsi Period cloisonne bottle-form vase, 1662-1722, ex Robert M. Hoi collection, $79,625. Image courtesy Skinner Inc. — K’ang-hsi Period cloisonne bottle-form vase, 1662-1722, ex Robert M. Hoi collection, $79,625. Image courtesy Skinner Inc.

Army regiment gets monument at Fort Benning museum

The National Infantry Museum & Soldier Center, Columbus, Ga. US Government image.

FORT BENNING, Ga. (AP) – Its soldiers fought in both world wars and in Vietnam, and now the Army’s 47th Infantry Regiment is getting a stone monument placed outside the National Infantry Museum in west Georgia.

A dedication ceremony was scheduled Thursday at the museum on Fort Benning. Veterans of the unit raised $22,000 to place the marker at the museum’s outdoor Walk of Honor.

The 47th Infantry Regiment was activated in 1917 and deployed to France during World War I.

Its troops saw heavy fighting in World War II while storming beaches in Morocco, Sicily and at Normandy during the D-Day invasion. Two decades later, the 47th Regiment fought on the rivers of Vietnam.

Today the unit has just two active battalions, both based at Fort Benning, that are used for basic training.

Visit the National Infantry Museum online at http://www.nationalinfantrymuseum.com.

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Thief takes copper at President Ford’s birthplace

Gerald R. Ford Birthplace & Gardens in Omaha, Nebraska, United States. Photo taken by Shadow2700 in 2006.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) – Copper thieves have targeted the birthplace of President Gerald R. Ford in Omaha.

KETV-TV in Omaha says police are investigating missing copper from a fountain at the Gerald R. Ford Birthsite and Garden.

Police say the fountain was shut off for the winter in November. When a city employee went to open the fountain on Tuesday, she removed the cover and discovered the copper water lines had been cut and removed. A water meter and water pump were also stolen.

No arrests have been reported.

The site marks the house where Ford was born in 1913. According to the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library and Museum website, Ford, the 38th president, lived in the house for two weeks. His parents separated and he and his mother settled in Michigan.

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Information from: KETV-TV, http://www.ketv.com

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Lawsuit seeks damages for statue broken during photo shoot

NEW YORK (AP) – An art collector has filed a lawsuit claiming a photographer broke an ancient terra-cotta sculpture in her Manhattan apartment during a photo shoot.

Corice Arman is asking Louise Blouin Media Inc., the parent company of Art+Auction, to pay for the damages caused by its photographer, Eric Guillemain.

She says the 2,630-year-old Nigerian figurine was worth about $300,000. She planned to give it to the Museum for African Art in Manhattan.

The statue was accidentally toppled last May 12 while the photographer was moving it to take advantage of the light.

Ben Harley, president of Louise Blouin, told the New York Post that he had not seen the lawsuit. He added, “we have the position that we have no liability in this incident.”

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Rolling Stones museum opens in German backwater

Novelty urinals similar to those ensconced at the Rolling Stones museum in Germany, these are in a bar in Brighton, England. The urinals pictured here are thought to have been designed by Dutch artist Meike van Schijindel. Photo by Elsie esq., licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license.

BERLIN – A German couple has opened a museum devoted to legendary British rock band, the Rolling Stones, complete with urinals in the shape of the group’s famous “tongue” logo.

The museum, in the small eastern German town of Luechow, will show “thousands of pieces” of memorabilia, including an original signed pool table the group took on tour, instruments, posters and a Stones pinball machine.

The Stones-mad couple, Birgit and Ulrich Schroeder, say the museum — in a town with a population of less than 10,000 — is the world’s first devoted to the ageing rockers.

The grand opening party last Friday was due to be attended by Stones back-up singer Blondie Chaplin, Birgit Schroeder said she was hopeful that they would soon have a visit from one of the band members, as well.

“There’s constant contact between us and the Stones,” she told AFP. “The problem is that it is up to the management to decide, not the band. But we think that if the Rolling Stones are anywhere in the vicinity that they will come to visit us…But we can’t expect them to fly over from San Francisco or Ireland just to visit the museum.”

The museum’s famous urinals made headlines around the world after several local women complained they were degrading.

“It was the best publicity we could possibly have had,” said Schroeder, confirming the toilets were still on display. “People came from far away just to use the toilet.”

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