October 24, 2013 - Auction Central News

Il mercato dell’arte in Italia: Dipinti antichi e dell’Ottocento da Babuino

Angiolo Tommasi, ‘La visita alla balia’, olio su tela, cm 195 x 280, stima €40.000-€50.000. Courtesy Babuino, Roma.

ROMA – Dopo più di mezzo secolo esce da una collezione romana un’importante opera di Angiolo Tommasi, Visita alla balia, che andrà all’asta da Babuino il 30 ottobre all’interno della vendita di dipinti del XIX secolo.

La scelta del soggetto, un momento di vita della società borghese, ha fatto accostare l’opera ai contemporanei di Tommasi, Giuseppe De Nittis e Giovanni Boldini, anche loro profondamente interessati alla raffigurazione della vita dei ceti borghesi.

Stilisticamente, però, si riconosce l’insegnamento di Silvestro Lega, che fu maestro di Tommasi e spesso ospite della villa di famiglia a Bellariva, presso Firenze, tra il 1878 e il 1885. Il quadro risale proprio alla prima metà degli anni 80 dell’Ottocento. Anche l’impostazione dell’opera rivela l’influenza del maestro: anche Lega ha rappresentato gruppi di donne nelle opere La visita (1868, conservato alla Galleria d’Arte Moderna di Roma), Un dopo pranzo (1968, alla Pinacoteca di Brera a Milano), e La visita della balia (1873, alla Galleria di Palazzo Pitti di Firenze). Quanto alla scelta di collocare la scena in un’ampia veduta, questa si ritrova anche nell’opera La culla (1882, al Museo Fattori di Livorno), e in alcune opere di De Nittis dell’epoca, come Al Bois de Boulogne (1873) e Che freddo! (1874), entrambi in collezioni private.

Nato a Livorno nel 1858, già in vita Tommasi ottenne successo di pubblico e critica. Nel 1889 fu premiato all’Esposizione Universale di Parigi per “Le bagnanti”, e nel 1899 partecipò alla Prima Biennale di Venezia con Il riposo delle gabbrigiane. All’inizio del Novecento viaggiò in Sud America e lavorò per il governo argentino. Tornato in Italia si avvicinò agli Impressionisti livornesi. Morì nel 1923. La stima del dipinto offerto da Babuino, un olio su tela di 195 x 280 cm, ammonta a €40.000-€50.000.

Alla stessa asta di dipinti dell’Ottocento si ritrovano due opere che rappresentano una vera occasione per i collezionisti per il prezzo a cui sono offerte: un’opera di Alessio Issupoff, nato in Russia nel 1889 e trasferitosi poi a Roma dove ricevette un’immediata consacrazione di critica e mercato e dove morì nel 1957. In questo caso si tratta di un’opera di sapore verista che risale al periodo russo, quindi prima del 1926, un ritratto di Contadina (olio su tela, 98 x 74 cm) che testimonia la capacità del pittore di ritrarre i costumi e i caratteri locali con la potenza del colore. La stima è di €2.000-€3.000.

L’altra opera è una Mamma col bambino di Francesco Longo Mancini (Catania 1880 – Roma 1954), un olio su tela, 97 x 99 cm, stimato €2.500-€3.000. Longo Mancini fu attivo nei primi del Novecento. Rimase sempre estraneo alle avanguardie ed è conosciuto, invece, per i nudi e i ritratti femminili. Non disdegnò i soggetti orientalisti, infatti in vita ricevette notorietà perché una sua opera rappresentante La preghiera di Maometto fu acquistata dal Re Umberto di Savoia.

Oltre a quest’asta di dipinti dell’Ottocento, Babuino tiene a fine mese altre due aste, una di dipinti antichi (il 29 ottobre) e l’altra di Libri, argenteria e porcellane (il 31 ottobre). In totale i lotti che vanno all’asta sono circa 700. Per i dipinti le stime vanno da circa €1.000 a €50.000.

Tra i dipinti antichi c’è attesa per i vedutisti del Settecento. L’asta, infatti, offre due opere del periodo a soggetto architettonico: una è di Gian Paolo Panini, nato a Piacenza nel 1691 dove studiò scenografia teatrale, si trasferì a Roma nel 1911 dove lavorò come decoratore di palazzi, pittore e insegnante di prospettiva all’Accademia francese. Morì a Roma nel 1765. Come pittore fu famoso per le vedute reali e immaginarie della città e i dipinti di rovine. In questo caso l’opera intitolata “Capriccio architettonico con figure e statua di Achille”, nota anche col titolo Mario sulle rovine di Cartagine, è un olio su tela, 65 x 44 cm, realizzato intorno al 1718, poco prima dell’opera Alessandro visita la tomba di Achille, che da Panini fu donata all’Accademia di San Luca. Lo stesso soggetto si trova in altre opere dell’artista. L’opera è stimata €35.000-€45.000.

L’altra veduta architettonica è una collaborazione tra Michele Marieschi (Venezia 1710-1743) e Francesco Albotto (Venezia 1721-1757), a cui sono attribuite le figure. Si tratta di una Veduta con capriccio architettonico, obelisco e monumento equestre, olio su tela di 69 x 83 cm, stimato €15.000-€20.000, che fu replicato da entrambi in numerose opere successive conservate in musei e collezioni importanti.

ADDITIONAL IMAGES OF NOTE

Alessio Issupoff, ‘Contadina’, olio su tela, cm 98 x 74, stima €2.000-€3.000. Courtesy Babuino, Roma.

Gian Paolo Pannini, ‘Capriccio architettonico con figure e statua di Achille’, olio su tela, cm 65 x 44, stima €35.000-€45.000. Courtesy Babuino, Roma.

Michele Marieschi e Francesco Albotto, ‘Veduta con capriccio architettonico, obelisco e monumento equestre’, olio su tela, cm 69 x 83, stima €15.000-€20.000. Courtesy Babuino, Roma.

Met signs amendment to 1878 lease with City of NY

The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. Metropolitan Museum of Art image.

NEW YORK—The Metropolitan Museum of Art announced today that, at the City’s request, it has signed an amendment to its 1878 lease with the City of New York. The new amendment confirms and continues the 42-year-long agreement under which the Met and the City first established, and has since maintained, a discretionary admission policy for the institution.

In addition to confirming the existing admission policy first introduced in 1971, and regularly modified with the approval of City administrations in the years since, the new amendment authorizes the museum, should the need arise, to consider a range of admission modifications in future years, subject as in the past to review and approval by the City.

“It is important to make clear as we sign this amendment that we remain very much committed to maintaining—and further widening—public access to the Museum,” commented Thomas P. Campbell, Director and CEO of the Metropolitan. “Toward this end, we recently expanded our hours by opening the Met seven days a week, and have enhanced programs designed to reach out to attract visitors from every community of the City. The effort to broaden and diversify audiences will continue. At the same time, however, faced with perennial uncertainties about future funding sources, the Met and the City concluded that it makes sense now to consecrate our longstanding and wholly legal admissions policies.”

“The continued generosity of our visitors under pay-what-you-wish remains crucial to our ability to build and maintain the Met’s encyclopedic collections and magnificent galleries, and to present special exhibitions and public programs at no additional cost to visitors who enter the building,” Mr. Campbell added. “When the policy was first introduced, the Met was a 750,000-foot-square museum attracting a million visitors a year. The building is now more than twice the size and commensurately more expensive to maintain and secure for its more than six million annual visitors. The quantity and quality of service provided by the Museum makes the preservation of its varied income streams more important than ever.

“We are extremely grateful that the City, which has long provided essential operating support to the Met, has moved now to reaffirm a policy that not only allows visitors to pay what they wish at the door, but has encouraged us to offer same-week entrance at no additional cost to the Cloisters museum and gardens in Fort Tryon Park, and has enabled us to provide free-with-admission access to all special exhibitions, as well as cost-free gallery tours, curatorial lectures, library access, and visits by New York City school groups. We expect and trust that the museum and the City will continue to work cooperatively into the future to preserve full access to the Met under the generous admissions policies so wisely created in the past.”

The new lease amendment acknowledges that by 1970, municipal funding, once the major source of revenue to operate the Metropolitan’s City-owned building, was “no longer sufficient to allow the Museum to operate without charging admission fees,” and formally reiterates that the Parks Department fully authorized the Museum to begin charging visitor fees in 1971, and that the City subsequently approved all modifications in writing.

According to the new lease terms:

The Museum may set the terms of admission to its permanent galleries to the general public, including admission fees and days and hours the Museum shall be open to the public, with the written consent of the Commissioner of the City of New York Department of Cultural Affairs, which consent shall not be unreasonably withheld. In granting such consent the Commissioner shall consider the fiscal needs of the Museum in light of the Museum’s commitment to serving the public and the City’s monetary support. Admissions for special exhibitions, group tours, educational programs, performances, lectures, conferences, symposia, classes, and shows mounted in the Museum’s theater and event spaces may be charged such amounts as the Museum shall from time to time prescribe.

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Lapthisophon installation opens Oct. 27 at Dallas Museum of Art

Stephen Lapthisophon in his Dallas studio. Photo courtesy of Dallas Museum of Art.

DALLAS — Dallas-based artist Stephen Lapthisophon will present an installation featuring new works on paper, mural elements, and found objects at the Dallas Museum of Art in his first solo museum exhibition. Concentrations 56: Stephen Lapthisophon—coffee, seasonal fruit, root vegetables, and “Selected Poems,” on view October 27, 2013, through March 30, 2014, is part of the Concentrations series of project-based solo exhibitions by international emerging and under-represented artists. The series began in 1981 as part of the DMA’s commitment to showing the work of living artists, while preserving the excitement of the work.

“The Dallas Museum of Art is very pleased to be the first museum to present the work of Stephen Lapthisophon, a North Texas artist, in both his first solo exhibition and as part of our long-standing Concentrations series,” said Maxwell L. Anderson, The Eugene McDermott Director of the Dallas Museum of Art. “For more than thirty years, Concentrations has showcased large-scale installations of over fifty emerging artists, with the goal of making the work of contemporary artists more accessible to DMA audiences.”

Stephen Lapthisophon openly embraces chance and mistake, as evidenced by the accidental nature of his gestural mark-making. In his installations and collaged works on paper, he rejects ideas of high polish and refined craftsmanship in favor of a chaotic, de-skilled aesthetic that is open to chance; humble materials; and the experiences of daily life. His work often employs food materials such as eggshells and coffee grounds that imbue his work with a palpable material presence that is at once fragile and ephemeral.

Other elements such as pigment infused with saffron or bacon fat, or sprigs of rosemary scattered throughout the space, call upon our sense of smell, creating a full-sensory art experience. The artist’s interest in a full-sensory experience of art relates back to his loss of sight in the early 1990s, resulting from an optic nerve disease. Now legally blind, Lapthisophon’s work goes beyond the typical realm of the visual and encourages viewers to think of radically different possibilities for artistic production.

“Stephen has been an influential mentor to a generation of emerging artists from North Texas, and it is a privilege to showcase his richly layered, thought-provoking work for the community at large,” added Gabriel Ritter, The Nancy and Tim Hanley Assistant Curator of Contemporary Art.

For his current installation at the Dallas Museum of Art, Lapthisophon has created a space reminiscent of his studio, in which walls layer and obscure space, similar to his collage technique. Works on paper—some framed, others pinned directly to the wall—will be joined by anachronistic objects such as an antique record player, milk crate, and desk. These objects, much like the ubiquitous text throughout Lapthisophon’s work, are carefully selected for their datedness, and they function as a form of quotation, alluding to past moments or literary/philosophical references.

Lapthisophon studied comparative literature and theory at Northwestern University and received his M.F.A. from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago in 1979. He spent the next thirty years living and working in the Chicago area. In August 2007, he relocated to Dallas after participating in the University of Texas at Dallas’s Artist in Residence program. Lapthisophon was the recipient of the 2012 Moss/Chumley Artist Award, given annually to an outstanding North Texas artist. In 2008, Lapthisophon was awarded the prestigious Wynn Newhouse Award for artists with disabilities. He has taught at Columbia College in Chicago, the School of the Art Institute, and the University of Texas at Dallas. Lapthisophon currently teaches art and art history at the University of Texas at Arlington, and has exhibited at various institutions and galleries throughout the U.S. and Europe.

Concentrations 56: Stephen Lapthisophon is included in the Museum’s free general admission. The exhibition will be accompanied by a full-color illustrated brochure with an essay by exhibition curator Gabriel Ritter, The Nancy and Tim Hanley Assistant Curator of Contemporary Art. Stephen Lapthisophon will discuss his work featured in the exhibition on Wednesday, October 30, 2013, during the Museum’s weekly lunchtime gallery talk at 12:15 p.m. He will also discuss his work with his friend and colleague John Judd during a special exhibition lecture on Thursday, December 5, 2013, at 7:30 p.m. Additional programming will be scheduled throughout the run of the exhibition.

Concentrations 56: Stephen Lapthisophon—coffee, seasonal fruit, root vegetables, and “Selected Poems” is organized by the Dallas Museum of Art. Additional support provided by the Contemporary Art Initiative and TWO X TWO for AIDS and Art. Air transportation provided by American Airlines.

For additional information, log on to www.dma.org.

About the Dallas Museum of Art:

Established in 1903, the Dallas Museum of Art (DMA) ranks among the leading art institutions in the country and is distinguished by its innovative exhibitions and groundbreaking educational programs. At the heart of the Museum and its programs is its global collection, which encompasses more than 22,000 works and spans 5,000 years of history, representing a full range of world cultures. Located in the vibrant Arts District of downtown Dallas, the Museum welcomes more than half a million visitors annually and acts as a catalyst for community creativity, engaging people of all ages and backgrounds with a diverse spectrum of programming, from exhibitions and lectures to concerts, literary events, and dramatic and dance presentations. In January 2013, the DMA returned to a free general admission policy and launched DMA Friends, the first free museum membership program in the country.

The Dallas Museum of Art is supported, in part, by the generosity of DMA Partners and donors, the citizens of Dallas through the City of Dallas Office of Cultural Affairs, and the Texas Commission on the Arts.

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Art Market Italy: Old Masters, 19th C. paintings at Babuino

Angiolo Tommasi, ‘La visita alla balia,’ oil on canvas, 195 x 280 cm, estimate €40,000-€50,000. Courtesy Babuino, Rome.

ROME – After more than half a century in a Rome collection an important work by Angiolo Tommasi titled La visita alla balia will be offered at auction by Babuino on Oct. 30 during the sale of 19th century paintings.

The choice of the subject, a scene of daily life of bourgeois society, evokes the work of some of Tommasi’s contemporaries like Giuseppe De Nittis and Giovanni Boldini, who were also deeply interested in the depiction of the life of the middle class.

Stylistically, however, one can recognize the teaching of Silvestro Lega, who was a teacher of Tommasi and a frequent guest of the family house at Bellariva, near Florence, between 1878 and 1885. The painting dates to that time, the first half of the 1880s. Even the setting of the work reveals the influence of the master. Also, Lega represented groups of women in his works La visita (1868, now preserved at the Modern Art Gallery of Rome), Un dopo pranzo (1968, at Pinacoteca di Brera, Milan), and La visita della balia (1873, at the Gallery of Palazzo Pitti in Florence). As for the decision to place the scene in a bright view, this choice is also taken in the work La culla (1882, at the Museo Fattori in Livorno), and in some works by De Nittis from that time, such as Al Bois de Boulogne (1873) and Che freddo! (1874), both now in private hands.

Born in Livorno in 1858, Tommasi achieved success with audience and critics during his lifetime. In 1889 he was awarded at the Universal Exhibition in Paris for Le bagnanti, and in 1899 he participated in the First Biennial of Venice with Il riposo delle gabbrigiane. At the beginning of the 20th century Tommasi traveled to South America and worked for the Argentinean government. Back in Italy he came in contact with the Livorno Impressionists. He died in 1923. The estimate of the painting offered by Babuino, an oil on canvas of 195 x 280 cm, amounts to €40,000-€50,000.

At the same auction of 19th century paintings there are two works that represent an opportunity for collectors. The first is a work by Alessio Issupoff, who was born in Russia in 1889 and then moved to Rome where he received immediate consecration of critics and market, and where he died in 1957. In this case, we speak of a work of realist flavor that dates back to Russian period, which means before 1926: a portrait of Contadina (oil on canvas, 98 x 74 cm) that shows the ability of the artist to portray the local customs and characters with the power of color. The estimate is €2,000-€3,000.

The other work is a Madre con bambino by Francesco Longo Mancini (Catania 1880–Rome 1954), an oil on canvas of 97 x 99 cm, estimated at €2,500-3,000. Longo Mancini was active in the early 20th century. He remained alien to the avant-garde and is known, instead, for his nudes and portraits of women. He did not disdain orientalist subjects, either, in fact he received recognition during his life because one of his works depicting La preghiera di Maometto was purchased by King Umberto of Savoy.

In addition to this auction of 19th century paintings, Babuino holds at the end of this month two other auctions, one of Old Masters (Oct.29) and the other one of books, silverware and porcelain (Oct.31). The total number of lots going up for auction is about 700. For paintings, estimates range from around €1,000 to €50,000.

Among the Old Masters, there are expectations for the “vedutisti” of the 18th century. The auction, in fact, offers two works from the period with architectural subjects: one is by Gian Paolo Panini, who was born in Piacenza in 1691, where he studied theater design, and then moved to Rome in 1911, where he worked as a decorator of palaces, a painter and a teacher of perspective at the French Academy. He died in Rome in 1765. As a painter he was famous for his real and imaginary views of the city and depictions of ruins. In this case, the work offered is titled Capriccio architettonico con figure e statua di Achille, and is also known under the title Mario sulle rovine di Cartagine. It is an oil on canvas of 65 x 44 cm, realized around 1718, just before the work Alessandro visita la tomba di Achille, which was donated by Panini to the San Luca Academy. The same subject is repeated in other works by the artist. The work is estimated at €35,000 to €45,000.

The other architectural view is a collaboration between Michele Marieschi (Venice 1710-1743) and Francesco Albotto (Venice 1721-1757), to whom are attributed the figures. It is a “Veduta con capriccio architettonico, obelisco e monumento equestre,” an oil on canvas of 69 x 83 cm, estimated at €15,000-€20,000. It was replicated by both painters in numerous later works, which are now preserved in important museums and collections.

ADDITIONAL IMAGES OF NOTE

Alessio Issupoff, ‘Contadina,’ oil on canvas, 98 x 74 cm, estimate €2,000-€3,000, Courtesy Babuino, Rome

Gian Paolo Pannini, ‘Capriccio architettonico con figure e statua di Achille,’ oil on canvas, 65 x 44 cm, estimate €35,000-€45,000. Courtesy Babuino, Rome.

Marieschi Michele and Francesco Albotto, ‘Veduta con capriccio architettonico, obelisco e monumento equestre,’ oil on canvas, 69 x 83 cm, estimate €15,000-€20,000. Courtesy Babuino, Rome.

Michaan’s offerings span Noguchi to neoclassical Nov. 3

Lot 325: diamond, platinum cross pendant. Estimate: $5,000-$6,000. Michaan’s Auctions image.

ALAMEDA, Calif. – Michaan’s auction Nov. 3 will feature fine art with a concentration on early 20th century European and California landscapes and Spanish artists. The auction will begin Sunday at 10 a.m. Pacific. LiveAuctioneers.com will provide Internet live bidding.

An especially lovely piece is found in a landscape titled California Foothills by Franz Arthur Bischoff (1864-1929). The picturesque image of natural growth trees framed by rolling hills is from a private San Francisco collection and remains in wonderful condition (lot 048, $2,500-$3,500). Selections from Chilean artist Roberto Matta’s (1911-2002) series “Les Oh! Tomobiles” are seen in lots 574 and 571, each at an estimate of $750-$1,000. The childlike, frenzied color etchings burst with energy from Chile’s leading surrealist artist.

Bay Area artist Justin Faivre’s (1902-1990) Girl Fixing Her Hair, 1958 is a rare image from his collective body of work (lot 059, $600-$800). He is largely known for watercolor landscapes and abstracts, making this bold portrait an unusual find. Rich, saturated colors are utilized to depict a young lady combing her hair, as large swathes of blue and red are placed in dynamic composition. Faivre made Oakland the location of his first studio before eventually settling in Alameda. Throughout the 1930s he was exhibited at what is now known as the Oakland Museum and a large portion of his subjects have revolved around Alameda County.

The jewelry department presents quite a large sale in November, with over 280 lots available. A variety of gemstones abound, with substantial carat weights held in numerous pieces. A platinum and diamond cross pendant carries 85 princess-cut diamonds weighing a total of approximately 7.85 carats (lot 325, $5,000-$6,000). Certified gemstone rings are found in lot 323 which centers an approximate 9.09 carat cushion cut spinel ($3,000-$4,000) and lot 497, which features a pear cut demantoid garnet of approximately 2.47 carats ($1,400-$1,800). A ring adorned by three round-cut zircons weighing a total of approximately 9.25 carats will be sold as lot 214 ($1,200-$1,500) and a certified jadeite suite of a pendant, earrings and ring will sell as lot 295 at an auction estimate of $5,000-$7,000.

Highlighting the jewelry selection is an Ippolita rose quartz, diamond and 18K yellow gold ring (lot 208, $800-$1,200). Ippolita jewelry pieces have been wildly successful at Michaan’s Auctions, as previous offerings have achieved anywhere from an approximate 95 percent sell-through to a 100 percent sell-through. The ring for sale is undoubtedly a playful and fashion-forward piece, as a sprinkling of nine round rose quartz cabochons and eight full-cut diamonds are splayed across five delicate bands of gold. Ippolita Collection pieces remain a Hollywood favorite, as they have adorned A-list starlets such as Halle Berry, Reese Witherspoon and Kate Hudson. The line has also been carried at major high-end retailers such as Bergdorf Goodman and Saks Fifth Avenue.

Michaan’s 20th century design department features many furniture pieces in the November estate auction, including wall and shelving units, tables and chairs. A varied collection of 10 lots of lighting are highlighted by Kurt Verson floor lamps, a pair of Noguchi paper shades and a 1973 flexible chrome model Charmer lamp in mint condition with its original tag. A modern design lot of children’s items provides a unique grouping of collectible pieces, including a Fageol Walkee bike, a Temco Jet scooter and a Super Jet Speedster. A Marco Zanuso and Richard Sapper child’s chair rounds out the grouping, finished by an assortment of catalogs and literature.

Arne Jacobson’s (1902-1971) iconic Swan chair stands as a testament to his fluid modern furniture designs, to be offered as lot 894 ($1,200-$1,600). He enjoyed worldwide success for simple and effective chair forms, which also included The Ant, Series 7 and The Egg. The Swan was commissioned for the SAS Royal Hotel in 1958, combining modernist ideals with a sense of Nordic naturalism. Shortly before his death Jacobsen reflected upon his career, concluding, “The fundamental factor is proportion … that is the essential thing.” The first year production chair will be sold alongside an additional Swan chair, with both remaining in excellent original condition along with original materials.

Quality furniture offerings are at the forefront of the November auction, evidenced by a lengthy list of pieces. Seating includes a Renaissance Revival hall chair adorned with masks (lot 124, $800-$1,200). Louis XV-style pieces include a pair of leather upholstered walnut chairs (lot 095, $500-$800), a verdure tapestry armchair (lot 096, $300-$400) and a pair of leather upholstered pear chairs in the Art Nouveau style (lot 097, $300-$400). Additional seating includes a chaise lounge with burgundy upholstery (lot 120, $800-$1,200), a leather-top inlaid davenport (lot 108, $800-$1,200) and a Renaissance Revival bench (lot 126, $800-$1,200).

A substantial furniture piece in the sale is an Art Nouveau marble-top buffet in the Louis XV taste (lot 102, $600-$800). Chests are highlighted by lot 115, a Janson Napoleon-style tall chest complete with six drawers and brass gallery ($1,000-$1,500) and a Renaissance Revival chest on chest listed as lot 131 at an estimate of $800-$1,200.

For general information phone 510-740-0220 ext. 0 or e-mail info@michaans.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

Lot 048: Franz Arthur Bishoff (American, 1864-1929), ‘California Foothills,’ oil on canvas laid to board. Estimate: $2,500-$3,500. Michaan’s Auctions image.

Lot 059: Justin Faivre (Californian, 1902-1990), ‘Woman Fixing Her Hair,’ oil on canvas. Estimate: $600-$800. Michaan’s Auctions image.

Lot 131: Italian Renaissance Revival chest on chest. Estimate: $800-$1,200. Michaan’s Auctions image.

Lot 208: Ippolita rose quartz, diamond, 18K yellow gold ring. Estimate: $800-$1,200. Michaan’s Auctions image.

Lot 894: Arne Jacobson Swan Chair, first year production. Estimate: $1,200-$1,600. Michaan’s Auctions image.

Blacksparrow to auction Hunger Games costumes Nov. 16

Lot 176: Katniss arena costume. Blacksparrow Auctions image.

LOS ANGELES – Blacksparrow Auctions will conduct The Hunger Games costume auction on Saturday, Nov. 16, at Blacksparrow headquarters beginning at 11 a.m. Pacific. LiveAuctioneers.com will provide Internet live bidding.

Over 200 original screen-worn costumes will be up for auction, including costumes worn by Jennifer Lawrence as “Katniss,” Josh Hutcherson as “Peeta,” Elizabeth Banks as “Effie,” Stanley Tucci as “Caesar,” Liam Hemsworth as “Gale,” Woody Harrelson as “Haymitch,” Lenny Kravtiz as “Cinna,” Donald Sutherland as “President Snow,” Wes Bentley as “Seneca,” and many more.

Blacksparrow will host an invitation-only pre-auction reception at its headquarters on Thursday, Nov. 14 at 6 p.m. For information or the opportunity to attend, contact Blacksparrow.

Email blacksparrowauctions@gmail.com for details

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

Lot 9: Effie trinket reaping costume. Blacksparrow Auctions image.

Lot 15: Peeta baker's costume. Blacksparrow Auctions image. — Lot 15: Peeta baker’s costume. Blacksparrow Auctions image.

Lot 17: Katniss hunting costume. Blacksparrow Auctions image.

Lot 18: Katniss hunting jacket. Blacksparrow Auctions image.

Lot 69: Katniss chariot costume. Blacksparrow Auctions image.

Lot 113: Katniss training costume. Blacksparrow Auctions image.

Lot 141: Katniss interview dress. Blacksparrow Auctions image.

Romanian who admitted Dutch art heist to get reduced sentence

'Femme devant une fenêtre ouverte, dite la Fiancée' by Paul Gauguin (1888) was one of the paintings stolen in the Dutch art heist last October. Rotterdam Police photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.

BUCHAREST, Romania (AFP) – A Romanian who admitted stealing seven masterpieces from a Dutch museum will get a reduced sentence because he acknowledged his guilt, a local court ruled Thursday.

The court accepted Radu Dogaru’s request to benefit from an article in Romania’s penal code stipulating that a sentence can be reduced by a third if the suspect admits guilt.

Dogaru, the alleged brain of the spectacular three-minute heist, faces a maximum 20-year jail sentence if found guilty of “aggravated theft.”

On Tuesday, he admitted stealing the paintings, including works by Gauguin, Picasso and Monet, in October 2012, but blamed the museum for failing to protect the masterpieces properly.

He told the court the back door he used to break into the Kunsthal museum in Rotterdam was not fastened so he hardly needed to use the pliers he had brought.

But the prosecutor contradicted Dogaru, accusing him of trying to play down his part in the burglary.

One of Dogaru’s accomplices, Eugen Darie, the driver in the heist, will also get a reduced sentence after he admitted guilt.

The court rejected similar requests from two other accomplices. It also rejected pleas from the four suspects currently in custody, including Dogaru and Darie, to be released on bail.

The next hearing is due on November 19. No date has been set for the verdict.

Despite their 18-million-euro ($24-million) estimated value, none of the paintings was equipped with an alarm, Dutch authorities said.

Among the paintings stolen were Picasso’s “Tete d’Arlequin,” Monet’s “Waterloo Bridge” and “Femme Devant une Fenetre Ouverte, dite La Fiancee” by Paul Gauguin.

The missing paintings are feared destroyed after Dogaru’s mother, who is also facing trial, said she had torched them in her stove in the sleepy Romanian village of Carcaliu in a bid to destroy evidence against her son.

She later retracted her statement, but experts from Romania’s National History Museum said ashes retrieved from her stove included the remains of three oil paintings and nails from frames used before the end of the 19th century.

A separate investigation into the possible destruction of the artwork is under way.

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Downton Abbey Wines launches Bordeaux collection

'I'll have a top-up, please, Mr. Carson.' Poster courtesy of Downton Abbey Wines.

NEW YORK – British period drama Downton Abbey® has become a global sensation, with around 120 million viewers glued to TV screens worldwide. Now, it’s possible for fans everywhere to bring a taste of Downton Abbey® home with a collection of wines inspired by the award-winning television series. The Downton Abbey Wine Collection features two enticing blends from the Bordeaux region of France: a “Blanc” white wine and a “Claret” red wine available in the United States on November 1, 2013 and in Europe and Australia later this year.

In creating this unique collection, Downton Abbey Wines looked to GrandsVins de Bordeaux, a family-owned Winery with more than 130 years of winemaking experience in the prized Entre-Deux-Mers region of Bordeaux, France. Winemaker Jean-Marc Dulong enlisted time-honored winemaking practices as well as modern techniques to create a collection of finely balanced, elegant wines that are eminently drinkable: Downton Abbey Blanc is a light and crisp white blend, while Downton Abbey Claret is medium-bodied red with bright fruit and a silky finish.

“We are excited to launch the Downton Abbey Wine Collection, made in the finest Bordeaux winemaking tradition,” said William Zysblat, co-creator of the wines. “Our collaboration with the Dulong family made perfect sense, as we wanted the same vines, soil and region used to produce the wines from the Downton Era. Having Dulong as our winemaker allows us to create accessible wines that we truly believe the Crawley Family would have been proud to serve at their table.”

Winemaker Jean-Marc Dulong added, “It is exciting for me to think about my Bordelaise ancestors crafting their clarets and blancs in the Downton Abbey® era. Their know-how, passed down to me through five generations, has inspired my own winemaking. With Downton Abbey Wines, I have strived to capture the essence of Bordeaux in this collection of delicious and approachable wines.”

Downton Abbey Wines are available online at www.Wine.com and www.DowntonAbbeyWine.com, and will also be available at specialty wine retailers and supermarkets nationwide including Cost Plus World Market beginning November 1, 2013 for $14.99 per 750-ml bottle.

About Downton Abbey Wines:

The Downton Abbey Wine Collection is inspired by the critically acclaimed and award winning drama Downton Abbey®. Downton Abbey Wines are produced from grapes grown in the famed region of Entre-Deux-Mers by The Dulong Grand Vins of Bordeaux, France. The family-owned vineyard has over 130 years of experience in creating the world’s best wines.

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ADDITIONAL IMAGE OF NOTE

Leslie Hindman to auction collection of Western US art Nov. 13

Gerard Curtis Delano (American, 1890-1972), ‘Wood Smoke,’ oil on panel, signed Delano (lower left), titled and inscribed (verso), 23 x 28 3/4 inches. Estimate: $80,000-$120,000. Leslie Hindman Auctioneers.

DENVER – Leslie Hindman Auctioneers will sell property from the John W. Grund Collection of Western Art on Nov. 13 at the company’s Denver gallery. LiveAuctioneers.com will provide Internet live bidding.

The auction will feature 87 lots of early 20th century and contemporary Western paintings and works on paper, Audubon prints, photographs and bronzes. Highlights of the sale are important works by Gerard Curtis Delano, Eangar Irving Couse and Charles Partridge Adams. In addition to paintings by these respected Western artists, are works by more contemporary artists appealing to seasoned and young collector alike. The auction will commence at 6 p.m. Mountain time.

Grund was a fourth generation Denver native whose love for the Colorado Mountains began at an early age. He grew up surrounded by family, who were early members of the Colorado Mountain Club. Grund attended Pomona College, earned his master’s degree in English from the University of Washington, and graduated from the University of Colorado Law School. He was a civil defense attorney in Denver for more than 30 years, most recently at Grund Dagner P.C., which he founded in 2003. John W. Grund died in December 2012 and a scholarship in his name was established at the University of Colorado Law School.

As a young lawyer Grund collected art that reflected his love of nature and depicted the majesty of the Colorado mountains. He greatly admired the work of Charles Partridge Adams, a Colorado landscape artist, who painted many of the mountain ranges Grund had climbed during his youth. He became passionate about collecting works by Gerard Curtis Delano. Delano moved to Colorado in 1933, where he earned a reputation as a magazine illustrator. He later concentrated on painting and became known as “The Painter of the Navajo.”

Grund was influenced by Denver collector and author Richard G. Bowman and fell in love with the rich palette Delano used and the respect for the Navajos reflected in many of his paintings. For sale from the collection is Gerard Curtis Delano, Wood Smoke (estimate: $80,000-$120,000), which is illustrated in Richard G. Bowman’s book, Walking With Beauty; The Art and Life of Gerard Curtis Delano, and reportedly the last work ever painted by the artist.

Also featured in the John W. Grund Collection are works by Eanger Irving Couse, Charles Partridge Adams, Charles Fritz, William Moyers, William Cather Hook, Edward S. Curtis, John James Audubon, Merrill Mahaffey, James Disney, Ramon Kelley, Thomas Moran, William Henry Jackson and more. In addition is a selection of works by contemporary Western and Colorado artists such as Bruce Gomez, Jay More, Shaun Horne, Kevin Macpherson, Mitch Caster, Bruce Paton and Tim Diebler. This sale will interest traditional Western art collectors and young collectors interested in the Western art genre.

For information contact the Denver office at 303-825-1855.

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

Gerard Curtis Delano (American, 1890-1972), ‘Navajo Sheep 3,’ oil on canvas, signed Delano (lower right), titled and inscribed (verso), 22 x 27 inches. Estimate: $30,000-$50,000. Leslie Hindman Auctioneers.

Charles Partridge Adams (American, 1858-1942), ‘Sierra Blanca at Sunset from San Luis Valley Near Garland,’ watercolor on board, signed Charles Partridge Adams (lower left), 8 x 12 inches. Estimate: $2,000-$4,000. Leslie Hindman Auctioneers.

Eanger Irving Couse (American, 1866-1936), ‘Hopi Archway, Walpi Arizona,’ 1903, oil on panel, signed E I Couse (lower right), 8 1/2 x 11 1/2 inches. Estimate: $12,000-$18,000. Leslie Hindman Auctioneers.

Baldwin’s and Dreweatts military sale Nov. 6 heavy into medals

Important Boer War Officer Casualty Group of four awarded to Capt. Gilbert MacDonald Stewart, 2nd Battalion Lancashire Fusiliers, killed in action at Spion Kop. Estimate: £3,000-£4,000. Baldwin’s and Dreweatts image.

LONDON – On Nov. 6, Baldwin’s and Dreweatts will conduct the second of their biannual military sales, comprising 320 lots of medals, militaria and military ephemera. The sale will be held at Dreweatts London saleroom in Mayfair and contains a plethora of historically important material for collectors.

LiveAuctioneers.com will provide Internet live bidding.

Among a fine selection of medals sits lot 18, an Afghan and Indian Campaigns Group of four awarded to Maj. Gen. Henry Pelham Burn. The major general served at the siege of Jellallabad, in the Afghan Campaign of 1840-2, and also during the Mutiny of 1857-8, where he was present at the siege of Delhi and was granted the position of military governor upon its fall. Burn personally interrogated the great Mughal court poet Mirza Azadullah Khan Ghalib, but aware of his fame and importance, he provided him safe passage to his home, helping to ensure the survival of his own correspondence and writings from that time.

This group is made exceptionally special by the addition of an India General Service Medal, 1854-95, single clasp medal, Burma 1885-7, awarded to his eldest son, Capt. Henry Pelham Burn. He served in Burma between 1885-7 and was awarded the India General Service Medal with clasp, his only entitlement. As mentioned in Alumni Catabrigensis, while on leave from the army he rode with only a single native guide from the Persian Gulf to the Mediterranean, passing through several areas previously unexplored by Westerners. This fascinating lot is estimated to sell for £4,000- £6,000.

Another India lot forms the highlight of the militaria section. Lot 248 is a fine Edwardian secretaire cabinet by Waring & Gillow of London, with royal significance. A brass plaque affixed to the drawer is inscribed “H.M.S. Medina used on state visit of the King & Queen to India 1911-12 Warings” (Waring & Gillows) London.

The RMS Medina was the last of 10 ships ordered by the Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Co. of the ‘M’ class. She was initially commissioned into the Royal Navy as the Royal Yacht, and her crew were mainly naval personnel. During building it was decided that Medina would take King George V and Queen Mary to India for the Delhi Durbar, leaving Portsmouth in November 1911, and returning in February 1912. Medina was provided with an extra mast, necessary to maintain Royal flag etiquette and furnished with a white hull with bands of royal blue and gold and buff funnels.

She was then delivered to P&O in June 1912 where she had only two years of peacetime service before the Great War broke out, but remained with P&O during the war. The Medina was torpedoed and sunk by SM UB-31 off Start Point, Devon on April 28, 1917. Today the wreck is upright with a 15-degree list to port, and is reasonably intact. This historically fascinating piece is estimated to sell for £5,000-£7,000.

Rounding off the sale is a small collection of watercolors, books and ephemera from the collection of the military historian Lionel Leventhal. Focusing principally on the Napoleonic and Second World Wars they include an important and rare Wyld atlas covering the battles of the Peninsular War; works by the artist Geoff Hunt; original German maps and plans issued as part of Operation Sea Lion; and a number of posters, leaflets and broadsides relating to the Blitz, British home front preparedness and the German occupation of the Channel Islands.

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

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