BEIJING (AFP) – An ancient Chinese tower tilting at a perilous angle has earned comparisons with Italy’s Leaning Tower of Pisa and worried a school in its shadow, state media reported Thursday.
The Wanshou Temple Tower in the central city of Xi’an, which dates from the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), began to lean dramatically after a heavy rainstorm in May 2011, state-run China Radio National said.
Local authorities erected a steel frame to support the tower, which looms over the school athletics field. The report said school administrators were concerned because “strong winds or heavy rains could exacerbate the problem.”
School officials have asked authorities for assistance, the report said, although a local government official said the tower was stable at present and did not show any sign of further tilting.
“Everyone’s heard of the Great Wall of China and the Forbidden City. But who knew that China had its very own Leaning Tower?” the report said.
A member of staff at Xi’an’s cultural relics bureau, who asked not to be named, told AFP her office was working on a plan to reinforce the tower, but that “we have a lot to do … and need to cooperate with other departments.”
The building faces stiff competition for the title of China’s leaning tower. A slanting structure in Sichuan province and a 900-year-old pagoda in Shanghai, which leans at a steeper angle than the Tower of Pisa, also claim the honor.
TOKYO – Christie’s Japan will present an exhibition of works by artist Hiroshi Sugimoto. On view Dec. 7-8, the exhibition is being held to recognize the artist for his design of the new Christie’s Tokyo office.
An internationally acclaimed Japanese artist with a celebrated body of work, Sugimoto produces art in a variety of mediums. Recognized for his accomplishments in contemporary art and architecture, Sugimoto is also known as an avid collector, passionate for a wide range of art, from ancient artifacts to contemporary works. Comprising a series of his photography presented alongside a selection of works of art from his personal collection, the exhibition will be held in the gallery of the Christie’s Tokyo office, designed by the artist.
The year 2013 marks the 40th anniversary of Christie’s Japan, and to coincide with this auspicious achievement, Christie’s Japan has relocated to a prewar stone building designated as “Important Cultural Property” in Marunouchi, one of Japan’s most prestigious business districts, and located between Tokyo station and the Imperial Palace.
Sugimoto oversaw the design of the entire Tokyo office, with special emphasis placed on the aesthetics of the entrance area, gallery space and the main meeting room facing the outer garden of the Imperial Palace.
“What manner of design might befit the Tokyo office of Christie’s, to best reflect its leading role in the booming world art market? I posed this question to myself as an architect,” said Sugimoto. “Artworks both soothe and enrich the human spirit. No matter how opposed we as people might be politically, the artworks gathered here under one roof from so many different countries will surely please our eyes. Accordingly, I based my design for the entrance area in keeping with Prince Shotoku’s injunction to ‘uphold harmony as to act with respect’ that appears at the very beginning of the Seventeen Article Constitution of Empress Suiko’s reign.”
Ryutaro Katayama, managing director of Christie’s Japan, noted that Sugimoto has created a space where the East and the West harmonize, and the past and the present blend together seamlessly.
“This interior marks the artist’s latest aesthetic achievement and one with which Christie’s is proud to be associated,” he said.
Winslow Homer, ‘Home, Sweet Home,’ about 1863, oil on canvas, National Gallery of Art, Washington, Patrons’ Permanent Fund.
WASHINGTON (AP) – Paintings and photographs depicting the raw reality of the U.S. Civil War marked a major change in American art that tossed out romantic notions of war.
Some of the finest artists of the day, including Winslow Homer, Eastman Johnson, Frederic Church and Sanford Gifford, painted landscapes and scenes of everyday life to show how the 1861-1865 war transformed America.
Their best works, along with some of the first photographs of soldiers killed on the battlefield, have been gathered by the Smithsonian American Art Museum for a major exhibition on how artists represented the war and how the war changed art. “The Civil War and American Art” is on view in Washington through April and then moves to New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Curator Eleanor Jones Harvey spent years researching the project and borrowing many of the 75 works featured in the show. It features Civil War scenes from Washington, Baltimore, New York, and points south at Fort Sumter, Charleston, South Carolina, Georgia and Virginia.
Rather than make portraits of war generals and heroes, however, artists of the day focused on the common man. There was a realization that “art that presents normal human beings, rather than celebrities and luminaries, carries more lasting weight.”
One painting in the show, Gifford’s 1862 painting Preaching to the Troops, depicting a scene near Washington, was displayed in the Oval Office for 13 years.
Photographs had perhaps the greatest impact on art of the era. Battlefield photographs by Alexander Gardner showing piles of dead soldiers and images by George Barnard showing Charleston in ruins destroyed any romantic notions of war being a heroic adventure. Such images were shown in art galleries in the Northeast during the war and made people realize “this is not what I signed up for,” Harvey said.
“Photographs from Antietam make it stunningly impossible for anyone associated with the New York art world to make romantic pictures of the war because they look like lies,” Harvey said.
Art also changed the rhetoric about war by depicting gruesome reality. Raw imagery shown to President Abraham Lincoln likely influenced the words he drafted for his Gettysburg Address, Harvey said.
“There’s a realization that this is a war that left nobody unscathed,” she said. “As a result, as rich as you are, there is no insulation from the impact of the war.”
Landscape paintings reflected the mood of the nation. Artists depicted scenes of nature and weather to represent the war’s destruction and impact. There are layers of coding in such paintings, Harvey said, as with Church’s depiction of ice as Northern fortitude, an erupting volcano to represent slavery and the tropics to represent the South.
At the same time, Homer and Johnson addressed slavery and emancipation with scenes of ordinary people, including a slave family escaping to freedom on horseback and a slave man reading from the Bible.
In postwar America, Homer painted a scene of former slaves meeting with their former mistress, renegotiating their relationship to involve wages. “Homer is saying, ‘until this gets fixed, we’re not done,'” Harvey said.
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Smithsonian American Art Museum: http://americanart.si.edu/
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Copyright 2012 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
AP-WF-11-23-12 2201GMT
ADDITIONAL IMAGES OF NOTE
Winslow Homer, ‘Home, Sweet Home,’ about 1863, oil on canvas, National Gallery of Art, Washington, Patrons’ Permanent Fund.Conrad Wise Chapman, ‘Fort Sumter, Interior, Sunrise, Dec. 9, 1863,’ 1863, oil on board, The Museum of the Confederacy, Richmond, Va., photography by Alan Thompson.Frederic Edwin Church, ‘Our Banner in the Sky,’ 1861, oil on paper, collection of Fred Keeler.George N. Barnard, ‘Ruins in Charleston, South Carolina,’ 1865, vintage albumen print, The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Kansas City, Mo. Gift of Hallmark Cards Inc. Photo credit: Michael Lamy.
The original photograph of the iceberg suspected of sinking the Titanic. RR Auction image.
AMHERST, N.H. (AFP) – A rare original photograph of the iceberg suspected of sinking the Titanic in the North Atlantic in 1912 will be sold at an RR Auction on Dec. 16.
LiveAuctioneers.com will provide Internet live bidding.
RR Auction says that the towering iceberg seen in the mounted black-and-white image is “eerily similar” to the one depicted in sketches by two crew members of the ill-fated liner.
It was snapped by W.F. Wood, captain of another vessel, the Etonian, two days prior to the disaster, “at a position arguably two to three days’ iceberg travel time to Titanic’s foundering position,” the RR Auction website said.
“The photo shows a massive iceberg with a very distinctive elliptical shape,” added the auctioneers, who estimated its value at $8,000 to $10,000.
The reputedly unsinkable Titanic, on its maiden voyage from Southampton, England to New York, struck an iceberg on the night of April 14, 1912 and sank less than three hours later, with the loss of some 1,500 lives.
RR Auctions’ Titanic memorabilia auction will be held at the Crown Plaza Nashua in Nashua, N.H.
Internet live bidding will be provided by LiveAuctioneers.com.
ADDITIONAL IMAGE OF NOTE
The original photograph of the iceberg suspected of sinking the Titanic. RR Auction image.
Chateau Lafite Rothschild, 1986 vintage. Leland Little image. HILLSBOROUGH, N.C. – Impressive collections of fine and decorative arts alongside rare and fine wines will be offered at Leland Little’s Nov. 29-Dec. 1 Winter Estate Auction. LiveAuctioneers.com will provide the Internet live bidding for the sale, which features estate jewelry, silver, Asian jade, fine art, furniture and other fine and decorative arts.
Highly anticipated objects in the fine and decorative arts session include a rare Chinese carved jade lidded urn, a still life by Peter (Pierre) Nilouss (1869-1943), a stunning 4.16ct Edwardian diamond solitaire, two works by Alfred Stieglitz (American, 1864-1946), and two works by Edward Steichen (American, 1879-1973).
A strong representation of North Carolina objects is led by an important late 18th-century china press, a circa-1800 Hepplewhite cellaret, a Chester Webster stoneware jug, and original Benny Carter folk art.
The rare and fine wine session offers more than 300 lots, including six lots of Chateau d’Yquem, a case of 2002 Chateau Lafite Rothschild, and 30 lots from Pride Mountain Vineyards.
Leland Little commented, “We are privileged to continue our positive momentum from the 2012 auction year with this outstanding sale that represents an exciting range of inventory from prominent local and regional collections.”
View the fully illustrated catalog and sign up to bid absentee or live via the Internet at www.LiveAuctioneers.com.
‘Ma’ and Fred Barker died in the upper left bedroom of this cottage, which has been restored since this photo was taken in 2007. Image by The Goodspeeds, courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.
OCKLAWAHA, Fla. (AP) – The central Florida house known as the Ma Barker hideout, site of the longest shootout in FBI history, is up for sale.
The two-story house was slated to be auctioned in October and drew international attention, but the event was canceled when agents said their clients were cool to the $1 million starting bid. It’s now listed at $889,000.
The house was made famous after fugitive gangster Fred Barker and his mother, Kate “Ma” Barker, were killed in a shootout with the FBI on Jan. 16, 1935. Ma Barker had been labeled Public Enemy No. 1 by the federal government for a spree of murders, kidnappings and robberies throughout the Midwest.
The Orlando Sentinel reports the sale will include FBI documents, diagrams from the 4-hour-long shootout and photographs showing the bodies.
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Information from: Orlando (Fla.) Sentinel, http://www.orlandosentinel.com
Copyright 2012 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
AP-WF-11-27-12 1318GMT
ADDITIONAL IMAGE OF NOTE
‘Ma’ and Fred Barker died in the upper left bedroom of this cottage, which has been restored since this photo was taken in 2007. Image by The Goodspeeds, courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.
Antiques Roadshow appraiser Colleene Fesko (right) with a guest and his Diego Rivera painting. Photo courtesy of Jeffrey Dunn. All rights reserved.
CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas (AP) – A South Texas man who inherited a painting from his mother took it to appraisers with the popular PBS program Antiques Roadshow and has learned it’s worth up to $1 million.
Rue Ferguson says his great-grandparents bought the painting by Mexican artist Diego Rivera in the 1920s. He got it last May when his mother died. He showed it to appraisers when the PBS program came to Corpus Christi to tape three episodes for its 17th season, which starts in January.
The program’s account executive Mariel MacNaughton tells the Corpus Christi Caller-Times it’s exciting to come up with such a gem. The painting is the highest appraisal so far for the upcoming season.
Rivera (1886-1957) painted El Albanil in 1904 when he was in his teens. The portrait of a stonemason measures about 3 feet by 2 feet.
Ferguson had kept it in a box in his office. It’s now in a bank vault.
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Information from: Corpus Christi Caller-Times, http://www.caller.com
Copyright 2012 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
AP-WF-11-23-12 1547GMT
ADDITIONAL IMAGE OF NOTE
Antiques Roadshow appraiser Colleene Fesko (right) with a guest and his Diego Rivera painting. Photo courtesy of Jeffrey Dunn. All rights reserved.
Auctioneer Tim Chapulis shows off this gorgeous antique carved oak eagle that made $9,000. Tim’s Inc. image.
BRISTOL, Conn. – A 1970 Pontiac GTO known as “The Judge,” one of the most iconic cars of the muscle car era, sped off for $25,875 at the first-ever Fall Sizzler Estate Extravaganza Auction held Sept. 30 and Oct. 7 by Tim’s Inc. The event was originally planned for just one day Sept. 30, but there was so much unfinished business the following weekend was required. Internet bidding was facilitated by LiveAuctioneers.com.
“This auction was living proof that the auction industry has officially entered a new, electronic age,” said Tim Chapulis of Tim’s Inc. “Those firms that choose not to embrace this new age will simply be left behind. The online bidding would have gone on forever if we’d let it, but we had to draw the line somewhere. We had 500 people registered online, in nine countries.”
The Sept. 30 session lasted 13 hours 15 minutes, but so many lots had still not come up for bid Chapulis had no choice but to schedule another day to finish up. That day was set for one week later, Oct. 7. The Sept. 30 session had live, Internet and absentee bidding, while the Oct. 7 session (which lasted 11 hours) had no live bidding component, just Internet, phone and left bids.
“It was a mammoth event, totaling more than 24 hours,” Chapulis remarked,” but it was well worth the end result.” About 1,400 lots crossed the block, many of them multiples and shelf lots, with the live action taking place at Tim’s Inc.’s showroom in Bristol. “It was a sizzler of a sale, just like its name,” Chapulis said.
He added, “People couldn’t get enough of this auction. I was getting calls from people days later, asking me, ‘Do you have anything leftover?’ or ‘Are there any coins that didn’t get picked up?’ It was unbelievable. And it was the Internet that created the buzz. A live bidder can’t outlast somebody who’s at home, on the Internet, bidding leisurely and for as long as he wants.”
The GTO was by far the top lot of the auction, and it got an overwhelming response from bidders. The car boasted matching VIN numbers, Hurst four-speed transmission, a 400-cubic-inch engine generating 366 horsepower and a Quadrajet four-barrel carburetor. The interior was all-original and the owner, who bought the car new, had kept it in a dry garage for the last 34 years.
Following are additional highlights from the auction. All prices quoted include a 15 percent buyer’s premium (for in-house bidders) or 20 percent (for Internet, phone and left bids).
The second top lot was a gorgeous hand-carved gold gilt carved oak spread eagle made by a Boston carver in the early 1900s and inscribed “Live Free or Die.” With a 20 percent buyer’s premium, it soared to $9,000. Furniture items included a magnificent Victorian princess dresser that rose to $3,000 and a mahogany two-piece secretary desk that brought $720.
An Atkins & Downs pillar-and-scroll clock made for George Mitchell of Bristol, Conn., with wooden works, made circa 1820s, chimed on time for $863; a set of five oil paintings, all of fox hunts and rendered by F. Crooke, in gold gilt frames, sold for $2,460; a beautiful vintage 16-inch 18K gold necklace with 50 pennyweights of gold totaling 2 1/2 gold troy ounces hit $3,420; and a heavy ladies size Elgin pocket watch garnered $720. Other jewelry pieces also did well.
One intriguing multiple lot was a group of early letters, with French stamps from the 1840s and ’50s, plus an early hand-stitched baseball, that commanded $468. Also, a Winchester cast-iron cannon ignited the crowd for $661.
Gold and silver coins proved to be enormously popular, both with live bidders and those participating online. Gold, in particular, did extremely well. A 1907 gold $20 Saint-Gaudens coin, graded MS 63, brought $2,136, while a 1924 gold $20 Saint-Gaudens coin realized $2,041. Also, a 2006 U.S. one-ounce gold coin made $1,984, while a 1910 Indian Head $2 1/2 gold coin hit $390.
An 1895-O $10 Liberty Head gold coin went for $926, while an 1882 $10 Liberty Head gold coin breezed to $960, a 1986 French 100-franc gold coin garnered $840, a 1945 British Armaco 4-pound gold coin climbed to $1,955, a 1945 UK brilliant uncirculated gold coin fetched $1,725, and a group of three 1988 UK gold proof coins changed hands for $1,150.
A set of nine 1983 gold Chinese half-ounce Panda coins averaged $1,020 each. The last lot of the Oct. 7 session was a Chinese gold half-ounce Panda coin that climbed past the $1,000 mark, bringing $1,002. Other gold coins included a Mark Twain commemorative gold coin that sold for $1,668, a 1901 Liberty Head cold coin for $1,002 and a 1915 $5 Indian Head for $449.
As for silver coins, a complete set of Mercury dimes, including the key date 1916-D, coasted to $870, an 1878 Morgan silver dollar, graded MS 66, chalked up $372, and a 1921-D Walking Liberty half-dollar coin (also a key date, coveted by collectors) changed hands for $270.
Rolls of 1964 Kennedy silver half-dollars went for around $200 each, plus the premium, while 20 1991 Silver Eagle one-ounce U.S. coins in a government package roll realized $840. Also, an 1878-CC Morgan silver dollar went for $169, a 1904-S Morgan silver dollar brought $208, an 1895-S Morgan silver dollar made $1,196, and an 1877-S trade silver coin earned $817.
With regard to silver coins, there were price points for every level of collector, as some sold for as little as $35, plus the premium, and went up to many hundreds of dollars. Gold, of course, was much higher, as the price-per-ounce remains high in a still-depressed economy.
Meanwhile, estate “treasure troves” of jewelry, offered in multiple lots, found new owners.
Admittance to the auction was a suggested $10 donation to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, in memory of Peter W. Chapulis, Tim’s late father. “The outpouring of support for this effort has been tremendous,” Tim said. “With the donations received from the recent auction, we were able to meet and surpass our 2012 goal of $50,000, a meaningful amount considering St. Jude’s is celebrating its 50th anniversary.”
Tim’s Inc. Auctions, which is celebrating 33 years in business, is always accepting quality consignments. To consign an item, estate or collection, you may call Tim Chapulis at 860-459-0964, or send him an e-mail at tims.inc@snet.net.
Edward August Bell (American 1862-1953), ‘Still Live with Oranges & Cherries,’ oil on canvas, signed lower right ‘E.A. Bell.’ Estimate: $3,000/5,000. Michaan’s Auctions image.
ALAMEDA, Calif. – Michaan’s final estate auction of the year, on Sunday, Dec. 2, holds a variety of treasures. LiveAuctioneers.com will provide Internet live bidding. The auction will begin at 10 a.m. PST.
The fine art department features American artist Edward August Bell’s (1862-1953) Still Life with Oranges & Cherries. Bell is most readily known for his elegant and idealized portraits of women, but is also recognized for his genre, interior and still life works. Bell was a celebrated artist and an influential figure in the Peconic Art Colony, located on the North Fork of Long Island. The oil painting for auction is a vibrant and rich depiction of groupings of lush fruits surrounding the base of a graceful turquoise vase with a trellising floral design. The painting measures 20 x 16 inches and is signed in the lower right corner “E. A. Bell” (lot 116, estimate: $3,000-5,000).
Other noteworthy American art works available in the sale include Ray Strong’s San Miguel Hills, 1965 which was acquired directly from the artist (lot 088, $2,000-2,500), Theodore Morrow Criley’s Tabletop Still Life (lot 091, $2,000-3,000) and Michael David Ward’s Second Star to the Right, 1992 (lot 166, $3,500-4,500). Highlights from the European selection include Louis Justin Laurent Icart’s Coursing III, 1930 (lot 052, $1,500-2,500), Thomas Maillard’s Belgian Electric (lot 017, $1,500-3,000) and Franz Rederer’s tribute to his wife in Portrait of Margaritte, 1944 (lot 005, $2,000-4,000).
The jewelry department presents a 260-lot sale featuring a myriad of gemstone pieces, numerous certified jades and over 30 lots each of coral and pearl offerings. Impressive diamond pieces in the auction are seen in a diamond and platinum ring featuring a lovely old European-cut stone set in a platinum mounting (lot 421, $900-1,200) and a diamond and 14K white gold covered ladies wristwatch (lot 431, $800-1,200). Reflecting the breadth of property available from the department is a handsome 14K yellow gold and wood presentation cane (lot 449, $400-600) as well as a beautifully carved meerschaum cameo that doubles as a brooch or pendant (lot 219, $350-550).
A standout piece found in the sale lies in a jade, diamond, 18K white gold and platinum necklace (lot 392, $800-1,200). The jade plaque measures approximately 30 x 20 x 2 millimeters and bears a delicate green hue. Stylized carvings of a perched bird among flora and fauna decorate both sides of the piece. The plaque is then set in a diamond accented, 18K white gold linked bail of geometric form. The pendant hangs from a delicate platinum, open-link 16-inch chain, subtlety complementing the overall look. The necklace is accompanied by an original, leather bound box, denoting “Pentington & Batty, Diamond Merchants, Liverpool & Manchester” on its interior.
Pieces of Chinese, Japanese, Thai and Tibetan origins will be a part of the Asian department’s offerings. Scholars’ objects, scrolls, furniture, statuettes, jade carvings and porcelains will be among the represented works of art in the 130-plus-lot sale. Notable are decorative vases of various forms, including a creamy turquoise-blue crackle-glazed stoneware vase of moon flask form (lot 574, $700-900), a landscape gilt painted porcelain vase bearing a Qianlong six-character mark (lot 552, $450-650), an enamel painted porcelain vase depicting village fishermen (lot 564, $700-900) and a pear-shape vase featuring a dragon and phoenix upon a bed of peony blossoms in an iron red hue (lot 548, $1,200-1,800).
Highlighting the sale’s Asian decorative objects is a hardwood table screen with a hardstone embellished serpentine plaque (lot 507, $1,000-1,500). Detailed carving workmanship is clearly seen throughout the piece, in both wood and stone alike. A delicate woodwork pattern borders the serpentine stone inset nature scene, complementing it beautifully. The plaque’s three-dimensional carvings center a long tail bird perched on a blossoming peony tree. Rock formations, additional foliage and a soaring butterfly complete the scene, wonderfully bringing it to life.
Period furniture and decorations features over 270 lots primarily composed of 19th and 20th century European and American pieces. However, a fine selection of international carpets and rugs is highlighted by substantial Persian carpets. Pieces include a Kashan carpet of dense weave bearing an intricate design in lovely tones of red and blue (lot 747, $3,000-5,000), a Kerman carpet measuring an approximate 14 x 21 feet (lot 746, $2,000-3,000) and a vibrant floral motif Sarouk corridor carpet, also offered at an estimate of $2,000-3,000 (lot 815).
Categorically, silver is often a top performer at auction and this month’s selection also appears to be quite promising. Available in the sale are lots from Tiffany & Co. (lot 658, lot 648, lot 662), Gorham lot 653, lot 660, lot 644) and Georg Jensen (lot 696). A collection of seven silver lots of Scandinavian origins from flatware to cups will also be sold, with estimates ranging from $200 to $800.
Unique is a mid-19th century suite of Schulz & Fisher sterling flatware in the Cleopatra pattern (lot 643, $6,000-8,000). The set is in excellent condition, originally given as a wedding present. The pieces are presented in a custom-made retail box with Aesthetic Movement silver embellishments to the exterior. The interior is lined, complete with a decorative chenille flower. A lower drawer pulls out to reveal spoon sets. The entire collection’s silver weight measures 92.8 troy ounces.
For details call the front desk at 510-740-0220.
Internet live bidding will be provided by LiveAuctioneers.com.
Edward August Bell (American 1862-1953), ‘Still Live with Oranges & Cherries,’ oil on canvas, signed lower right ‘E.A. Bell.’ Estimate: $3,000/5,000. Michaan’s Auctions image.
Ray Strong (American 1905-2006), ‘San Miguel Hills, 1965,’ oil on Masonite, signed lower left ‘Ray Strong.’ Estimate: $2,000/2,500. Michaan’s Auctions image.
Michael David Ward (American 20th Century), ‘Second Star to the Right,’ 1992, Cibachrome. Estimate: $3,500/4,500. Michaan’s Auctions image.
Bone netsuke depicting a sennin grasping a mokugyo, Kyoto, mid-18th century. Provenance: F. Meinertzhagen. Est. $12,000-$18,000. Quinn’s Auction Galleries image. FALLS CHURCH, Va. – Netsukes – the miniature carvings used in Japan as ornamental fasteners on boxes and silk robes – have been a high-end niche collectible in the United States for many decades. Intricately detailed netsukes have won the favor of a number of distinguished collectors, including the late diplomat Jack A. Mang and his wife Helen Randall Mang, whose estate collection will be auctioned at Quinn’s Auction Galleries on Friday, Dec. 7, 2012. Internet live bidding will be provided by LiveAuctioneers.com.
The Mangs were longtime residents of the nation’s capital and founding members of the Washington DC chapter of the International Netsuke Society (INS). Their door was always open to fellow collectors, who regarded Jack and Helen as the ultimate resource for information on netsukes. Some traveled from as far away as Europe and Hawaii to visit with the Mangs and view their fabled collection.
In an Isabel Cunningham article about the Mangs, which appeared in a 1983 issue of the INS Journal, the author wrote that the couple “combined discriminating taste, conscientious scholarship, delight in sharing with others, and never-failing interest in all aspects of netsuke collecting.”
Quinn’s Auction Galleries’ president, David Quinn, said the Mangs spotted their first netsuke in a New York shop window in 1950. “They were fascinated by the exquisite workmanship on such a relatively small piece. They bought a gold lacquer inro cord with netsuke on that particular day, and a 60-year collection was born,” Quinn said.
The auction catalog’s cover lot is an 18th-century Kyoto school ivory netsuke of a crouching baku – a mythical beast whose name means “eater of bad dreams.” The carving incorporates all of the baku’s distinctive physical characteristics – a long snout, two tusks, clawed feet and the body of a horse with flaming posterior. Measuring 2¾ inches long, it is expected to make $15,000-$20,000 at auction.
A latter-18th-century ivory netsuke of a dragon emerging from an alms vessel amid a vapor cloud was fastidiously carved to render the effect of a heavily scaled body from neck to tail. The piece was purchased from Joseph U. Seo in 1955 and will appear at Quinn’s auction with an estimate of $8,000-$10,000.
Another dragon netsuke that collectors may find appealing is a carved-wood example that clutches a white glass ball in its claws. Created circa 1833-1843 by Kaigyokudo of Osaka, Japan, it is artist-signed under the tail and commands a presale estimate of $7,000-$9,000.
A mid-18th-century bone netsuke, also Kyoto school, depicts a perplexed older Immortal, known as a sennin, grasping a mokugyo (drum) and looking skyward in the character’s typical pose. The piece comes with provenance from the collection of F. Meinertzhagen, who described it as “probably the best netsuke in bone that I have seen.” Part of the Mang collection since 1959, it carries an auction estimate of $12,000-$18,000.
Carved in the mid-19th century by Yoshinaga Miura Kanjuken, an ivory netsuke of a standing Dutchman with a karako (small boy) hoisted onto his right shoulder is 3 3/8 inches tall and artist-signed on the right leg. The Mangs purchased the piece from R. Koscherak in 1951, while their collection was still in its infancy. Estimate: $1,800-$2,200.
A most unusual wood netsuke simulates a grouping of five realistically carved turtles climbing over a larger sixth turtle that forms the base for the piece. Crafted by Hoju in the mid-19th century, the netsuke is artist-signed on an inlaid oval ivory plate. It comes to auction with an estimate of $1,800-$2,000.
A wonderful ivory netsuke of the Lunar Hare, attributed to Shigmasa No. 3, Osaka, dates to the second half of the 19th century. The red-eyed hare is depicted as though climbing up the side of the moon, grasping a rice pounder in its left paw. Provenance: Sotheby’s London, Dec. 20, 1967, Lot 374. Estimate: $2,500-$3,000.
On the subject of hares, Quinn said a much wider audience has become aware of netsukes since the publication of the New York Times bestseller The Hare with Amber Eyes. “We see new bidders entering the competition whenever a long-held collection of netsukes comes to auction. It will be interesting to see if the popularity of this book adds a new level to the competition already expected for this legendary collection,” said Quinn.
As a tribute to the Mangs, INS president Marsha Vargas will present a lecture on Saturday, Dec. 1 at Quinn’s gallery. Vargas will speak on highlights of the Mang collection and her memories of the Mangs themselves. The event also includes a preview of the Mang collection and a catered reception. All interested parties are invited to attend.
Additionally, netsuke books from the Mangs’ personal library will be offered in Waverly Rare Books’ Dec. 6 evening sale. A selection of inro and ojime with a few netsukes attached will be featured in the Asian portion of Quinn’s Dec. 8 Decorative Arts sale.
The Friday, Dec. 7 auction of the 1,100-piece (632-lot) Mang collection of Japanese netsuke will commence at 11 a.m. Eastern Time. For information on any item in the upcoming auction, call 703-532-5632 or e-mail info@quinnsauction.com.
View the fully illustrated catalog and sign up to bid absentee or live via the Internet at www.LiveAuctioneers.com.
Bone netsuke depicting a sennin grasping a mokugyo, Kyoto, mid-18th century. Provenance: F. Meinertzhagen. Est. $12,000-$18,000. Quinn’s Auction Galleries image.
Ivory netsuke of the Lunar Hare, attributed to Shigemasa No. 3, Osaka, 2nd half of 19th century. Provenance: Sotheby’s London, Dec. 20, 1967. Est. $2,500-$3,000. Quinn’s Auction Galleries image.
Wood netsuke of roaring dragon holding ball, carved by Kaigyokudo, Osaka, circa 1833-1843, signed by artist. Est. $7,000-$9,000. Quinn’s Auction Galleries image.
Ivory netsuke of dragon emerging in vapor cloud from alms vessel, Kyoto, late 18th century. Provenance: Purchased from Joseph U. Seo, 1955. Est. $8,000-$10,000. Quinn’s Auction Galleries image.
Ivory netsuke of Dutchman with karako seated on right shoulder, carved by Yoshinaga Miura Kanjuken, mid-19th century. Provenance: Purchased from R. Koscherak, 1951. Est. $1,800-$2,200. Quinn’s Auction Galleries image.
Wood netsuke of turtle group, carved by Hoju, mid-19th century. Est. $1,800-$2,000. Quinn’s Auction Galleries image.
