May 8, 2014 - Auction Central News

Blyton-owned painting in Dreweatts & Bloomsbury sale May 20-21

Marion L. Broom (1878-1962), ‘Anenomes,’ watercolor, 16 x 22 inches. Estimate: £300-£500. Dreweatts & Bloomsbury Auctions.

LONDON – A painting belonging to children’s author Enid Blyton will go under the hammer in an interiors sale at Dreweatts & Bloomsbury Auctions’ Donnington Priory saleroom on May 20-21 alongside a diverse and eclectic mix of furniture and works of art. Day One will include Asian and European ceramics, clocks and paintings with Day 2 focusing on furniture, rugs and works of art.

LiveAuctioneers.com will provide Internet live bidding.

Anemones, by Marion L. Bloom (1878-1962), was owned by Blyton, whose bestsellers include the Famous Five, Secret Seven and Malory Towers series.

The painting is accompanied by A Childhood at Green Hedges, an autobiography by Blyton’s daughter, Imogen Smallwood, which describes Bloom’s work; “ … above the cases of flowers, were flower paintings. My mother particularly liked Marion Broom, and her anemones … ”

The current owner, who inherited the work, has a letter from Blyton’s daughter to say that it was owned by her mother. It is estimated at £300-500 [lot 253].

Quirky, collectible and sure to attract attention on day two are a collection of Black Forest carved and stained wood works of art, including a stereoscopic viewer, circa 1900. Black Forest wares were produced in Switzerland in the late 19th and early 20th century as luxury and novelty items aimed primarily at wealthy tourists, typically depicting bears and other majestic wild animals. This unusual carved stereoscopic viewer is accompanied by viewing cards detailing grand tour views of Rome, Venice, Pompeii and other Italian sites as well as a guide manual for the cards, Italy Through the Stereoscope, 1903, by D.J. Ellison D.D. It is estimated at £500-£800 [Lot 505].

Additional auction highlights:

– Pair of 19th century blue and white beaker vases each of cylindrical form with splayed base and everted mouth, loosely decorated with trailing vines, 23.6cm, (9.44 inches) [lot 35]. Estimate: £2,500-£3,500.

– Pair of Chinese famille rose Canton enamel vases of baluster shape, decorated with panels depicting figures engaging in leisurely pursuits, 37.3cm (14.92 inches) [lot 60]. Estimate: £1,200-£1,800.

– A cream painted 20th century parcel gilt and marble mounted side cabinet in early 19th century style [lot 350]. Estimate: £700-£1,000.

– A French patinated bronze and marble mounted Bacchic group of a maiden and a putto, after Claude Michel, last quarter 19th century. The maiden is portrayed as seated on a rocky outcrop and scantily draped. The nude putto is standing to her left and leaning across her lap to watch a pair of doves. The naturalistically cast base with a tambourine overflowing with grapes is inscribed “CLODION” on the reverse, 34cm (13.6 inches) high overall [lot 586]. Estimate: £800-£1,200.

– An oak extending dining table, late 19th-early 20th century, in the manner of Sir Robert Lorimer, with an additional leaf insertion, the circular top above a dentil-decorated frieze and downswept square section supports and stretchers, the central pedestal dividing when the table is extended. Reputed to have belonged to Ivor Novello [lot 687]. Estimate: £400-£600.

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

Black Forest carved stereoscopic viewer, circa 1900. Estimate: £500-£800. Dreweatts & Bloomsbury Auctions.

Pair of 19th century blue and white beaker vases. Estimate: £2,500-£3,500. Dreweatts & Bloomsbury Auctions.

Pair of Chinese famille rose Canton enamel vases. Estimate: £1,200-£1,800. Dreweatts & Bloomsbury Auctions.

Painted, 20th century parcel gilt and marble mounted side cabinet in early 19th century style. Estimate: £700-£1,000. Dreweatts & Bloomsbury Auctions.

Large diamond ring has spotlight in Sworders auction May 20

Estimated to sell for £65,000 to £75,000 is this 3.41-carat diamond in a platinum ring setting. Sworders image.

LONDON – Sworders is about to auction the finest diamond the company has ever sold in its 200-year history. The 3.41-carat stone is in a four-claw platinum ring setting, and will go under the hammer at the silver and jewelry sale on Tuesday, May 20, with an estimated selling price of £65,000 to £75,000 ($110,000-$127,000).

Internet live bidding will be provided in LiveAuctioneers.com.

Helen Jonas from Sworders silver and jewelry department said, “When it comes to evaluating the quality of diamonds, we work with what we call the Four C’s: carat, cut, clarity and color. This particular stone excels in every category and is accompanied by a GIA grading report – one of the most respected organizations in the diamond industry.

“To have a weight of nearly three and a half carats is exceptional; it’s one of the largest diamonds we have ever sold. In fact, it’s almost the size of the little fingernail of the model wearing it!”

The oval brilliant cut means that the diamond can refract light internally from one facet to another, before reflecting it back up through the center to give the stone its characteristic sparkle.

“Most diamonds contain tiny natural imperfections called inclusions, which interfere with the passage of light through the stone and affect their clarity, but this example is internally flawless. There is also no yellowish or brownish tint to the stone, meaning that it’s colorless – which is the best color for a diamond to have. In short, we rarely see examples as fine as this one,” added Jones.

Other highlights in the sale include some highly collectible provincial Irish silver, a 1907 silver serving dish and cover by Guild of Handicraft with a guide price of £300 to £500, and a pair of natural pearl and diamond drop earrings that Sworders found loose in a large cardboard box among mixed costume jewelry, and surprised the owner with an estimated selling price of £3,000 to £5,000.

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

Pair of natural pearl and diamond drop earrings. Estimate: £3,000 to £5,000. Sworders image.

Nazmiyal Collection to hold auction of fine carpets May 22

Antique Judiaca silk Kashan Persian rug, 4 feet 4 inches x 6 feet 9 inches, circa 1910. Estimate: $50,000-$70,000. Nazmiyal Collection image.

NEW YORK –The Nazmiyal Collection will conduct a special auction of fine and decorative antique rugs on Thursday, May 22, beginning at 7 p.m. Eastern. A collection of more than 80 exceptional pieces will be featured, including rugs on consignment from a variety of estates, beautiful rugs from dealers, and a special selection of fine antique rugs from the Nazmiyal Collection.

LiveAuctioneers.com will facilitate Internet lived bidding.

“This auction represents a rare opportunity for dealers, customers and interior designers to acquire extraordinary antique rugs at unprecedentedly low prices,” said owner Jason Nazmiyal.

The Nazmiyal Collection encourages interested parties to be in contact with the gallery in order to place absentee bids or phone bids, to obtain condition reports, to arrange a private viewing, or to request any other information that they may require.

One of the top items in the auction is an antique Judiaca silk Kashan Persian rug. This exceptionally rare silk rug is an outstanding example of Judaic carpet weaving traditions in Persia. This piece, 4 feet 4 inches x 6 feet 9 inches, features an impressive number of people and animals placed in a natural setting based on Biblical locations and events. It carries a $50,000-$70,000 estimate.

Additional highlights include:

Decorative Turkish Oushak carpet, 9 feet x 12 feet, early 20th century;
Geometric Persian Heriz Serapi carpet, 9 feet 5 inches x 12 feet 3 inches, circa 1910
Moroccan rug primitive Beni Urain Berber carpet, 4 feet 3 inches x 6 feet 7 inches, mid-20th century;
Mughal Dynasty Indian rug, 4 feet 7 inches x 6 feet 6 inches, 17th century;
Uzbekistan Suzani embroidery Uzbek textile, 3 feet 8 inches x 5 feet, circa 1880.

The collection will be available for viewing at Nazmiyal’s Midtown Manhattan gallery, located on the second floor at 31 E. 32nd St., on May 20 through May 22 at the following times: Tuesday, May 20, 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.; Wednesday, May 21, 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.; and Thursday, May 22, 10 a.m. – 6:30 p.m.

For details contact Omri Schwartz by email at omri@nazmiyal.com or phone 212-545-8029.

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

Antique decorative Turkish Oushak carpet, 9 feet x 12 feet, early 20th century. Estimate: $15,000-$20,000. Nazmiyal Collection image.

Antique geometric Persian Heriz Serapi carpet, 9 feet 5 inches x 12 feet 3 inches, circa 1910. Estimate: $8,000-$10,000. Nazmiyal Collection image.

Antique Uzbekistan Suzani embroidery Uzbek textile, 3 feet 8 inches x 5 feet, circa 1880. Estimate: $3,000-$6,000. Nazmiyal Collection image.

Vintage Moroccan rug primitive Beni Urain Berber carpet, 4 feet 3 inches x 6 feet 7 inches, mid-20th century. Estimate: $2,000-$3,000. Nazmiyal Collection image.

Antique Mughal Dynasty Indian rug, 4 feet 7 inches x 6 feet 6 inches (1.4 m x 1.98 m), 17th century. Estimate: $8,000-$12,000. Nazmiyal Collection image.

From pistons to Picasso: a new Brussels art house

Aerial view of the European Quarter (a k a Quartier Leopold) in Brussels. Source: Quartier Europeen Bruxelles, Zinneke. Licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license.

BRUSSELS (AFP) – A landmark building which residents of Belgium’s capital Brussels associate with the grease and grime of a garage isset to be transformed into a centre of modern art.

After reaching a deal with French car manufacturer Citroen, the regional government of Brussels announced Thursday it would buy its 16,000-square-meter (170,000 sq ft) depot to house the very latest in contemporary art.

“We will have our MoMa, our Guggenheim,” Brussels Region president Rudi Vervoort told a Belgian newspaper, referring to the famous modern art museums of New York and Bilbao.

The imposing white building features the large windows of Art Nouveau architecture from the 1930s, and is located close to the Brussels canal, northwest of the city center.

The museum is scheduled to open in 2017 and will showcase modern and contemporary art from Belgium’s Royal Museums of Fine Arts, including works by Pablo Picasso, Joan Miro and Francis Bacon which are currently in storage awaiting a wall.

The regional government, which takes in the greater Brussels area, says the deal is part of its efforts to make the city one of Europe’s cultural capitals.

“We need to start playing in the big league,” Vervoort said, adding that Brussels, home to a number of European Union institutions, was too often overlooked as a center of culture.

Meanwhile, Citroen announced it will relocate its operations to “a more appropriate location” which it is redeveloping in the same suburb.

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ADDITIONAL IMAGE OF NOTE

Appleton museum exhibits signed Time magazine covers

APPLETON, Wis. (AP) – An Appleton museum is featuring signed covers of Time magazine in a new exhibition.

The covers came from the late collector Jerry Gottleib, who from 1964 to 1974 sent a copy of the covers to the people featured on them for autographs.

More than 250 people responded to his request and the Gottleib family shared some with The Trout Museum of Art.

According to the museum, Gottleib’s greatest challenges were securing signatures for covers featuring more than one person. Some of his successes included all four of the Beatles as well as the Apollo 11 astronauts.

The exhibit also features the Robert Kennedy cover designed by Roy Lichtenstein and dated two weeks before Kennedy’s assassination.

The exhibit, called “Moments in TIME,” will be on display through June 29.

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Rare Edward VIII gold proof sovereign sells for record £516,000

Considered Britain's most valuable coin, this Edward VIII 1937 gold proof sovereign sold for £516,000 ($874,700). A.H. Baldwin & Sons Ltd. image.

LONDON – An Edward VIII, 1937, gold proof sovereign sold for £516,000 ($874,700) today achieving a world record price for any Royal Mint Coin ever produced in the UK. It was sold as part of the Hemisphere Collection of gold sovereigns at A.H. Baldwin & Sons Ltd., the first complete monarchical collection of gold sovereigns ever to be offered at auction.

LiveAuctioneers.com provided Internet live bidding.

The King Edward VIII gold proof sovereign, dated 1937, was the only single example available to collectors anywhere in the world. Never produced for currency use, due to the abdication of King Edward VIII, the coin originally formed part of a proof set of proposed coinage, the designs of which would have been minted and put into circulation after the king’s coronation in 1937.

After the death of Edward’s father, King George V, in January 1936, Edward ascended the throne and proposals for his coinage were produced. Controversially he refused to follow the coinage traditions of facing in the opposite direction to his predecessor and insisted on using his left facing profile that he preferred. The tradition was started with King Charles II who wished to face the opposite way to Oliver Cromwell, and had been followed ever since until Edward.

This is only the third time this example has appeared at public auction, and the first time it has been seen for sale in the UK since its first auction outing in 1984 when it achieved £40,000 (hammer). Today a tense battle between bidders in the room saw this exceptional coin finally settle at £516,000, it sold to an anonymous buyer in the room [Lot 2079].

“For the first time the Hemisphere Collection brought together sovereigns from every monarch, from the first sovereign struck under the reign of Henry VII to those of our current monarch, Elizabeth II. The Edward VIII gold proof sovereign that sold today, for a record breaking price, was a fitting celebration of the iconic British denomination, both the owner who formed the collection and Baldwin’s are thrilled with the result,” said Steve Hill, director of British coins at Baldwin’s.

Elsewhere in the sale prices were driven high by a room full or bidders that were competing with buyers online and on the phone. An Elizabeth II gold proof sovereign dated 1953, another rarity, sold for £384,000 ($650,600) [Lot 2081] and topping the hammered coins was an impressive Henry VII gold sovereign, 1502-1504, which sold for £120,000 ($203,300) [Lot 2001].

The Hemisphere Collection was part of Baldwin’s three-day May auction calendar.

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

ADDITIONAL LOTS OF NOTE

Elizabeth II gold proof sovereign dated 1953 sold for £384,000. A.H. Baldwin & Sons Ltd. image.

Henry VII gold sovereign, 1502-1504, sold for £120,000. A.H. Baldwin & Sons Ltd. image.

Swiss museum surprised to be willed Gurlitt art trove

The Museum of Fine Arts in Bern, Switzerland, released a statement Wednesday saying it was stunned at having been bequeathed the collection. Photo by Supermutz at the German-language Wikipedia, licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license.

GENEVA (AFP) – A Swiss museum said it was shocked to learn Wednesday the son of a Nazi-era art dealer had left it a disputed hoard of priceless paintings – some thought to have been plundered from Jews.

One day after the death of Cornelius Gurlitt aged 81, his lawyer told the Museum of Fine Arts in the western Swiss city of Bern that it was the sole heir of the German’s spectacular collection.

The institution said in a statement that it was stunned by the “happy surprise” but would now wrestle with the huge legal and historical burden accompanying the artworks.

“Despite speculation in the media that Gurlitt had bequeathed his collection to an art institution outside Germany, the news came like a bolt from the blue, since at no time has Mr. Gurlitt had any connection with Kunstmuseum Bern,” it said.

While expressing “gratitude,” the museum acknowledged that the inheritance also handed it “a considerable responsibility,” and raised “sensitive questions, especially of a legal and ethical nature.”

It said it would now review the documentation provided to it and consult with the “appropriate authorities” to decide how to proceed.

The Museum of Fine Arts in Bern already boasts a valuable collection of modern masters including works by Picasso and Paul Klee.

But the inheritance will dramatically expand the breadth and quality of its holdings.

Gurlitt, who died Tuesday following heart surgery, had hidden a remarkable trove of 1,280 artworks including long-lost masterpieces by Picasso, Matisse and Chagall in his flat in the southern German city of Munich for decades.

The eccentric recluse never married and had no children, calling his art the love of his life.

The works, whose value has been estimated at hundreds of millions of dollars, were seized in February 2012 when they were discovered by chance in the course of a small-scale tax evasion investigation.

Gurlitt last month struck an accord with the German government to permit research to track down the rightful owners of pieces, including Jews whose property was stolen or extorted under the Third Reich.

Independent experts estimate that around 450 of the works are so-called Nazi-looted art.

The Bavarian state justice ministry told AFP that this review would continue and the commitment to restitution would remain binding for Gurlitt’s heir.

More than 200 other paintings, sketches and sculptures were discovered in February this year in a separate home of Gurlitt’s in Salzburg, Austria including works by Monet, Manet, Cezanne and Gauguin.

They are not covered by the German accord and Gurlitt’s spokesman Stephan Holzinger said it was not immediately clear whether they had also bee bequeathed to the Bern museum.

Gurlitt’s art dealer father, Hildebrand, acquired most of the paintings in the 1930s and 1940s, when he was tasked by the Nazis with selling works taken from Jewish families and avant-garde art seized from German museums that the Hitler regime deemed “degenerate.”

Holzinger told AFP that he did not want to “speculate” on why his client had decided to leave the collection to the museum.

However media reports said Gurlitt had been angered that the German authorities had seized his collection over a small tax claim and then dragged their feet with the investigation.

Holzinger said that a Munich court would still have to rule on whether the will was valid.

“If it is found that the Bern museum is the rightful heir, and the museum accepts this inheritance – a key condition – then the museum will have to contend from that moment with all legal issues including the question of restitution of looted art,” he said.

The Bavarian culture ministry said it would also commission a mandatory review of whether any of the works were on the list of Germany’s national heritage.

A spokesman said the ministry assumed few works if any in the collection would fall under this category and lead it to stake a claim.

Meanwhile prosecutors in Munich ordered an autopsy for Gurlitt to determine his definitive cause of death.

ADDITIONAL IMAGE OF NOTE

Report: Disbarred attorney who stole $9M bought pricey Batman comic

Cover of 'Detective Comics' No. 27 (May 1939), in which Batman makes his first comic-book appearance. Art by Bob Kane. Source: The Grand Comics Database via Wikipedia. All DC Comics characters and the distinctive likeness(es) thereof are Trademarks & Copyright © 1939 DC Comics, Inc. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. It is believed that the use of low-resolution images of the cover of a comic book to illustrate the issue of the comic book in question qualifies as fair use under the terms of US Copyright Law. Note: This image does not depict the comic book that was purchased by Anthony Chiofalo.

HOUSTON (AP) – A disbarred attorney who authorities say stole $9 million from his employer has been sentenced to 40 years in prison.

The Houston Chronicle reports Anthony Chiofalo bought valuable collectibles, including a first-edition Batman comic book worth $900,000, with the money he embezzled. He was sentenced Monday.

Authorities say Chiofalo took the money while working in Houston for Tadano America Corp., a subsidiary of a Japanese company that manufactures large cranes.

He had been a New York attorney but was disbarred. Prosecutors say Chiofalo set up dummy law firms as part of his scheme.

Lonnie Blevins, an ex-investigator with the Harris County District Attorney’s Office, which prosecuted Chiofalo, was later arrested, accused of selling some of the comic books seized in the case. Blevins’ case is pending in federal court.

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Information from: Houston Chronicle, http://www.houstonchronicle.com

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US to return ancient sandstone statue to Cambodia

The statue is alleged to have been looted from an ancient temple at Koh Ker, Cambodia. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license.

NEW YORK (AFP) – An ancient statue of a warrior stolen in 1972 and which almost went on the auction block three years ago will be returned to Cambodia, U.S. authorities said Wednesday.

The 10th-century sandstone “Duryodhana bondissant” was stolen from the Prasat Chen temple at Koh Ker in Cambodia and first sold at auction in London in 1975.

It was supposed to have come back on the auction block at Sotheby’s in New York in March 2011 but the sale was stopped after Cambodian authorities made an appeal through UNESCO.

The Koh Ker site is significant from a religious, historical, and artistic perspective, and the Duryodhana is considered a piece of extraordinary value to the Cambodian people and part of their cultural heritage.

At a ceremony with Sok An, a Cambodian deputy prime minister, District Attorney Preet Bharara hailed the happy ending and return to Cambodia of “a priceless piece of art, a priceless part of Cambodia’s unique cultural history.”

“After almost two years of litigation the (private) sellers have agreed to return it to where it belongs, the Kingdom of Cambodia,” he added.

The 5-foot-tall statue was part of a group of two fighters. The second statue, “Bhima,” was bought in 1976 by the Norton Simon Museum in Pasadena, Calif.

After months of discussions, the U.S. museum also agreed to return its statue to Cambodia, according to Sok An.

“Duryodhana’s” homecoming is expected in June, officials said, and it is hoped that “Bhima” will follow around the same time.

ADDITIONAL IMAGE OF NOTE

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