June 2014 - Page 6 of 19 - Auction Central News

Dreweatts & Bloomsbury art auction July 3 covers Op to Pop

Richard Hamilton, 'B is for Bee.' Estimate: £12,000-15,000. Dreweatts & Bloomsbury Auctions image.

LONDON – One of Bridget Riley’s earliest monochromatic Op art prints from the 1960s will share center stage with a unique work by Pop art’s Richard Hamilton in Dreweatts & Bloomsbury Auctions’ Modern and Contemporary Print sale on Thursday, July 3. LiveAuctioneers.com will provide Internet live bidding.

“These early works by Riley represent the start of dramatic developments in the artist’s oeuvre. To see them presented alongside some of her later color injected works is a retrospective joy of visually stimulating geometry,” said Alexander Hayter, head of Modern and Contemporary Art at Dreweatts & Bloomsbury Auctions.

Produced in 1962, the same year as her first solo exhibition at Musgraves Gallery One in London, Untitled (Circular Movement) (k.2) is the second black and white optical abstraction Riley produced. The rare signed and dated screenprint is typical of her black and white style, exploring the nexus between art and illusion. Numbered 17/35, the work is estimated at £30,000-50,000 ($51,000-85,000) [Lot 300].

Bridget Riley: “the eye can travel over the surface in a way parallel to the way it moves over nature. It should feel caressed and soothed, experience frictions and ruptures, glide and drift. Vision can be arrested, tripped up or pulled back in order to float free again … one moment there will be nothing to look at and the next second the canvas suddenly seems to refill, to be crowded with visual events.”

Other works by Riley include La Lune En Rodage (k.6), 1965, estimated at £5,000-7,000 ($8,500-11,900) [Lot 301], Untitled (Not in Schubert), ca. 1960, estimated at £3,000-5,000 ($5,100-8,500) [Lot 302] and Green Dominance (s.22), 1977, estimated at £2,500-3,500 ($4,250-5,950) [Lot 303].

British and American Pop Art

From Op Art to Pop Art, the Modern & Contemporary Print sale features a previously unseen and unique work by Richard Hamilton. B is for Bee was produced at the request of the artist Ian Breakwell for a special double issue of Exit Magazine, however Breakwell ran out of money before the issue could be published.

The present work was acquired from Breakwell in the early 1970s by the current owner, and has since remained in their private collection. Appearing at auction for the first time, it is estimated at £12,000-15,000 ($20,400-25,500) [Lot 186].

Representing the American Pop art movement are prints by Roy Lichtenstein, including Moonscape, 1965, estimated at £18,000-22,000 ($30,600-37,400) [Lot 251], Self-Portrait, 1966, by Andy Warhol, estimated at £10,000-15,000 ($17,000-25,500) [Lot 335] and a group of unique mixed media collages by Robert Rauschenberg [Lot 289, 290 and 291]. Topping the Modern Pop Art works is The Pink Bow from Jeff Koons’ Celebration Series. Signed in pencil the work, dated 2013, is estimated at £10,000-15,000 ($17,000-25,500) [Lot 244].

European Conceptual Movement

A collection of works by Marcel Broodthaers represents almost half of the Belgian artist’s graphic work. Following in the footsteps of Rene Magritte and preceding Joseph Kosuth, Broodthaers’ work is pivotal in the development of conceptual word-based art.

Museum – Museum, 1972, is exemplary of Broodthaer’s integral theme of repetition. The image of the ingots systematically covers the paper in a grid, with each ingot named a different name or noun, covering everything from Ingres to butter. The work is estimated at £12,000-15,000 [Lot 154]. Regarded as one of the leading artists of the European conceptual movement, Marcel Broodthaers’ reputation continues to grow.

The sale will be held on Thursday, July 3, at Dreweatts & Bloomsbury Auctions’ saleroom in London’s Mayfair.

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

Bridget Riley, 'Untitled (Circular Movement) (k.2),' signed and dated screenprint. Estimate: £30,000-50,000 ($51,000-85,000). Dreweatts & Bloomsbury Auctions image. — Bridget Riley, ‘Untitled (Circular Movement) (k.2),’ signed and dated screenprint. Estimate: £30,000-50,000 ($51,000-85,000). Dreweatts & Bloomsbury Auctions image.

Marcel Broodthaers, 'Museum - Museum,' 1972. Estimate: £12,000-15,000. Dreweatts & Bloomsbury Auctions image. — Marcel Broodthaers, ‘Museum – Museum,’ 1972. Estimate: £12,000-15,000. Dreweatts & Bloomsbury Auctions image.

Kovels Antiques & Collecting: Week of June 23, 2014

This French mother-of-pearl ‘egg’ is a ‘necessaire’ that holds sewing tools. The 6-1/2-inch-high piece was made in about 1875 and holds an awl, scissors, needle case and thimble. Price at a Theriault's auction in January 2014 was $1,064.

BEACHWOOD, Ohio – The skill of sewing with a needle and thread was required in the centuries before the sewing machine was invented. A machine, probably the first, was used in England in 1715, and another was patented in 1844. But the Elias Howe (1845) and Isaac Singer (1851) machines were the ones that gained fame and sold by the thousands.

Women were expected to hand-embroider monograms on bedding and towels, cut and sew parts of a dress properly, and be able to mend. The mistress of the house was expected to sew in the evening, and equipment and fabrics were stored in a table in the living room near a fireplace. The wealthy of the 19th century had tools, scissors, bobbins, tape measures, thimbles and more made of gold or silver, stored in a fancy case.

Twentieth-century housewives had metal or plastic tools and a sewing machine. At a January 2014 Theriault’s sale, a collection of sewing utensils brought high prices. A tape measure shaped like a sewing machine sold for $504. An English silver piglet topped by a purple velvet pincushion sold for $224. And a cash-metal thimble with brass finish sold for $112. Look in Grandma’s sewing basket and junk drawer. There may be sewing treasures hidden there.

Q: I have a pottery casserole dish stamped with a Wilkinson Royal Staffordshire mark. I think the casserole dates to the 1890s from what I have learned about the mark. It has a gold-colored pattern around the edge of the base and lid. I’m wondering what it’s worth.

A: Arthur J. Wilkinson took over the Royal Staffordshire Pottery in Burslem, England, in 1885. The company, known as A.J. Wilkinson Ltd., continued to operate for more than a century. Some Royal Staffordshire casseroles, even from the 1890s, sell for under $20. Others sell for prices in the hundreds.

Q: My mother bought a rocker at a Goodwill store in the 1960s for about $10. When we brought it home, Dad found a crest and date under the seat. It says “S. Bent & Bros., Inc., Gardner, Mass., 1867.” It’s still sturdy, although the arms have been imperceptibly braced where they meet the seat and the paint is worn down where the hands rest. Can you tell me something about the maker and an approximate value?

A: S. Bent & Bros. was founded in 1867 by Samuel, Charles and Roderic Bent. The company made Colonial-style furniture. The company closed in 2001. The furniture was mass-produced and a rocker sells for about $50 to $75 today.

Q: I own an antique Snoopy candy jar. It’s glass with a color picture of Snoopy on it. Is it worth anything?

A: Anything related to Snoopy, Charlie Brown’s pet dog in the Peanuts comic strip, can’t be called an “antique” because it’s not 100 or more years old. The comic strip, the work of Charles Schulz (1922-2000), debuted in 1950. The Snoopy candy jar dates from about 1965, which makes it a “collectible.” The jar, in excellent condition, sells for $5 to $20.

Q: I have a glass butter churn, approximately 14 inches tall and 6 inches in diameter, with a metal lid and crank churning mechanism on the top. It has wooden paddles that do the work. The glass is embossed “Dazey Churn No. 40, Patented Feb. 1922, Dazey Churn & Mfg. Co., St. Louis, Mo., Made in USA.” What is it worth?

A: Nathan Dazey became manager of the EZ Churn Co. of Dallas in 1904. He bought out the owner a couple of years later and moved the company to St. Louis. Dazey was granted a patent for improvements to small churns for household use on Feb. 14, 1922. The company was sold in 1947. Reproductions of the churn have been made. Dazey made 1, 2, 3 and 4 quart churns given Nos. 10, 20, 30 and 40. Smaller churns are reproductions. Vintage Dazey No. 40 churns sell for about $100.

Q: I own many beautiful items I would like to sell, but I’m not sure about finding a good antiques buyer in my city. I have lost two good Oriental rugs through consignment. When I called to check on my rugs, the owner told me they had been donated and I never received any money. Please give me some advice. I’m not originally from the area where I live now.

A: Before taking any of your antiques to a consignment shop, check on the shop by contacting your local Better Business Bureau. Never give anything to someone to repair, restore or sell without first getting a signed receipt that includes a detailed description of the items and states what you want the shop to do with them. Some places accept items for donation as well as for consignment. Be sure you are specific about what you expect. Some shops have policies that allow them to dispose of items if you don’t pick them up within a certain length of time. Be sure you understand what their policy is before you leave your items. If you feel the business has been dishonest, file a complaint with the bureau. To find your local Better Business Bureau, go to BBB.org.

Tip: Never wash plastic dishes in the dishwasher. They may warp.

Terry Kovel and Kim Kovel answer questions sent to the column. By sending a letter with a question, you give full permission for use in the column or any other Kovel forum. Names, addresses or email addresses will not be published. We cannot guarantee the return of photographs, but if a stamped envelope is included, we will try. The amount of mail makes personal answers or appraisals impossible. Write to Kovels, Auction Central News, King Features Syndicate, 300 W. 57th St., New York, NY 10019.

CURRENT PRICES

Current prices are recorded from antiques shows, flea markets, sales and auctions throughout the United States. Prices vary in different locations because of local economic conditions.

Papier-mache hat stand, woman’s head, flower top, Gemma Taccogna, Mexico, 1960s, 10 inches, $35.
Pressed glass creamer, Cupid & Psyche, footed, 1880s, 7 inches, $80.
Bradley & Hubbard student lamp, double, brass, white glass shades, painted design, c. 1890, 21 inches, $180.
Hooked rug, ship, anchor border, wool on burlap, c. 1930, 28 1/2 x 22 inches, $195.
Anatomical model of human left foot, cross-section, inflexible plastic, 1960s, 10 1/2 inches, $295.
Match safe, St. Louis World’s Fair, eagle, flag, map, celluloid, 1904, 2 1/4 x 1 1/5 inches, $330.
Dresser, maple, six drawers, angled legs, signed Renzo Rutili, Johnson Furniture, 1960s, 40 x 45 inches, $375.
Paris porcelain plate, river landscape, house, family, cafe-au-lait border, gothic designs, c. 1850, 9 inches, $430.
Chinese famille rose jar, lid, porcelain, figures, palace, flowers, gilt dragon handles, foo dog finial, c. 1735, 18 inches, $1,355.
Icon, St. George slaying dragon, enameled flowers, silver riza covering, impressed mark, c. 1892, 5 3/4 x 7 inches, $3,250.

Keep up with changes in the collectibles world. Send for a free sample issue of our 12-page, color-illustrated newsletter, “Kovels on Antiques and Collectibles,” filled with prices, news, information and photos, plus major articles and opinions about the world of collecting. An important tool for anyone who buys or sells antiques and collectibles. To subscribe at a bargain $27 for 12 issues, write Kovels, P.O. Box 8534, Big Sandy, TX 75755; call 800-829-9158; or subscribe online at KovelsOnlineStore.com.

ADDITIONAL IMAGE OF NOTE

Picasso museum reopening pushed back to Oct. 25

The Musée Picasso is an art gallery housed in the Hôtel Salé in Paris. The mansion was built circa 1656-1659. Image by Beckstet. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license.

PARIS (AFP) – The reopening of Paris’s Picasso museum after an extensive five-year renovation has been pushed back by a month to Oct. 25, France’s Culture Minister Aurelie Filippetti said Monday.

The museum, which houses one of the world’s most extensive collections of the Spanish master’s work, had initially closed for a two-year renovation and its reopening has been deferred several times.

Filippetti said the delay was to ensure “good security conditions” to display the works. The reopening will coincide with the 133rd anniversary of Picasso’s birth.

The repeated delays have caused controversy, with the painter’s son Claude Picasso accusing the French government of indifference and saying he was “scandalised and very worried” about the future of the museum.

The Picasso museum had been scheduled to reopen in June and it was earlier pushed back by Filippetti to mid-September.

The final bill for the refurbishment of the 17th-century baroque mansion in Paris’s historic Marais quarter has also shot up.

It now stands at 52 million euros ($71 million), 22 million euros higher than the original budget, due to changes in the scope of the work.

Its exhibition space will be more than doubled to 3,800 square meters (41,000 square feet) after the renovation.

The museum has around 5,000 paintings, drawings, sculptures, ceramics, photographs and documents, previously only a fraction could be displayed at any one time due to limited space.

ADDITIONAL IMAGE OF NOTE

Fight over money puts Woody Guthrie project in jeopardy

Singer-songwriter Woodie Guthrie (1912-1967). Image Al Aumuller 'New York World-Telegram and the Sun,' courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.

TULSA, Okla. (AP) – A dispute over the finances and control of a planned rebuild of folk legend Woody Guthrie’s boyhood home in Oklahoma could put the project in jeopardy.

The spat, an ironic turn considering Guthrie’s songs that railed against greed, began after two Gibson guitars crafted with wood salvaged from the iconic singer’s home in Okemah failed to sell last month on eBay.

Profits from Gibson’s donated guitars were to go toward reconstruction of the 1860s-era property, called London House, using piles of lumber rescued from the site when the dilapidated structure was torn down in the late 1970s.

The builders had grand plans for the property: Restoration of the home from its sandstone foundation on up, then construction of a museum to house all things Woody.

They also envisioned picnic areas, gardens and RV parking to accommodate the throngs of tourists and musicians who flock to town of 3,000, about 75 miles east of Oklahoma City, each July for the Woody Guthrie Folk Festival.

It would all cost around $600,000. The home was to be finished in time for this year’s festival.

The contractor, Dan Riedemann, and the man he hired last year to raise funds for the undertaking, Johnny Buschardt, banked on the guitars to sell fast so they could start building in the spring.

Riedemann and Buschardt hoped each guitar would fetch around six figures and only offered on eBay the first two of the eight made. Buschardt hoped the other six would be snapped up by museums or A-list musicians eager to own a piece of Woody history.

When neither guitar sold, the finger-pointing began. Riedemann accused Buschardt of not doing enough to publicize the sale. Buschardt accused Riedemann of being greedy.

Both men insisted they were still attached to the project in interviews this week with The Associated Press.

“When the guitars didn’t sell and the money wasn’t there, that’s when we started going from strained to downright acrimonious,” Buschardt said. “We’re hoping Dan comes to his senses.”

Buschardt said he was still working with Gibson to auction off the guitars – with the first guitar planned to go on the block in September.

A representative from Gibson, who said in an email that he hadn’t heard of the dispute, did not respond as of Thursday to questions about who has rights to the guitars.

Riedemann disputed Buschardt’s comments and said Buschardt was booted from the project because he “screwed up auctioning off the guitars.”

“Johnny has nothing to do with this thing,” Riedemann said. “When Johnny talks, I don’t think he realizes people are going to hold him to his word. His reality is different.”

News of the dispute has upset Guthrie’s granddaughter, Annie Hays Guthrie, who had praised the plan to rebuild Woody’s boyhood home.

“It’s unfortunate,” Hays Guthrie said. “Maybe we’re not ready for the house right now.”

But she said that won’t stop her or the thousands of other Woody fans from coming to the festival to honor a man revered as one of the best songwriters in American history.

AP-WF-06-19-14 2108GMT

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‘My Gal Sal’ color art direction Oscar to be auctioned

Movie poster for the 1942 musical 'My Gal Sal.' Image courtesy of LiveAuctioneers.com archive and Heritage Auctions.

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) – A 1942 Oscar statuette is being sold an auction in Rhode Island.

The Providence Journal reports the statuette will be sold Monday by Briarbrook Auctions in East Greenwich. Art director Joseph C. Wright won the Oscar in 1942 for color art direction on the film My Gal Sal.

The Oscar belongs to Wright’s nephew, who lives in Cranston and wishes to remain anonymous.

Oscars rarely come onto the market. Since 1950, Oscar winners are required to sign a contract agreeing that if they or their heirs ever want to sell an Oscar, it must first be offered to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for $1.

Wright died in California at the age of 92.

AP-WF-06-20-14 1046GMT

Vermont promotes Abenaki tribal heritage

Abenaki couple, an 18th-century watercolor by an unknown artist. Courtesy of the City of Montreal Records Management & Archives, Montreal and Wikimedia Commons.

MONTPELIER, Vt. (AP) – Vermont is promoting the state’s Abenaki heritage.

This summer the Department of Tourism and Marketing is working with Abenaki tribes to help people learn about the first people to live in what is now Vermont.

The information on the VermontVacation.com/Abenaki website serves as a hub for events, exhibits and destinations that welcome visitors to explore the 12,000-year history and culture of today’s Abenaki.

Abenaki Heritage Weekend is scheduled for June 28-29 at the Lake Champlain Maritime Museum in Vergennes.

The weekend will feature members of Vermont’s four Abenaki tribes and members of the Abenaki Artists Association.

There will be beadwork, quillwork, basketry, pottery, woodworking, and demonstrations and performances of songs, drumming, dancing, games, food preparation, and other life skills.

AP-WF-06-22-14 1241GMT

ADDITIONAL IMAGE OF NOTE

Memphis Rock ’n’ Soul Museum marks music milestone

The Rock 'n' Soul Museum in Memphis, Tenn. Image by Thomas R Machnitzki. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) – It’s one of the most well-known bits of lore associated with Memphis, that of a 19-year-old singer who, in July 1954, walked into a recording studio and belted his raucous version of the blues song That’s All Right (Mama) into Sam Phillips’ microphone.

That episode 60 years ago next month saw Elvis Presley hasten the explosive arrival of rock ’n’ roll, and because the moment is now at its six-decade milestone, it’s being celebrated in Memphis with an affectionate tribute.

The Memphis Rock ’n’ Soul Museum has teamed up with Graceland and the Memphis Convention & Visitors Bureau to launch “60 Years of Rock ’n’ Roll,” an exhibit at the museum running through January that features star-studded memorabilia and a timeline that traces rock’s long, exuberant arc.

It’s an arc that originated in Memphis and today is a magnet for a chunk of the tourism and entertainment dollars that flow through the city. The museum exhibit is being presented by FedEx and Hard Rock Café and features a variety of rock-themed memorabilia on loan from Hard Rock Café in Orlando that’s never before been displayed in Memphis.

Examples include heart-shaped glasses worn by Elton John, a dress from Whitney Houston and many other pieces of memorabilia from the likes of Bruce Springsteen, Isaac Hayes and others.

As they soak up the history, museum guests are encouraged to tweet their thoughts and opinions with the hashtag (hash)rocknsoul60. The museum will “favorite” and “retweet” certain posts, and writers of some of the best tweets will be given “60 Years of Rock” prizes.

Besides sharing museum guests’ postings via its social media platforms and website, the museum will post a regular stream of daily additions to the timeline of rock’s greatest moments.

“Wise on Elvis Presley Enterprise’s part to recognize this from a tourist standpoint and from the standpoint of refocusing an international spotlight on Memphis, as far as rock starting based around Elvis recording That’s All Right (Mama) at Sun and Memphis’ role in starting rock ’n’ roll,” said museum executive director John Doyle. “We saw it as an extension of our mission and an extension of our storyline through the museum and really talking about rock as a complete entity.

“It’s not just about what happened here in Memphis. If you’re talking about a Springsteen or an Eric Clapton, there’s an influence of Memphis as the epicenter of rock ’n’ roll that permeates all those. So we didn’t mind including memorabilia from Elton John or Aerosmith or Whitney Houston, just because the whole package of rock ’n’ roll embraces all that.”

Items in the exhibit include a guitar played by Joe Perry of Aerosmith and an amp used by Bruce Springsteen. Also on display is a 1933 Richenbacher Electro guitar, a precursor to rock’s electric guitar. Acoustic guitarist Adolph Richenbacher created the electricity-driven Electro to make his instrument better able to be heard over the orchestra music during his 1920s vaudeville performances.

The “60 years” gallery is found at the end of the regular Smithsonian exhibit at the museum, in a temporary space where the museum can install things that Doyle says enhance the visitor experience.

“We try to change things out in that gallery often so that it complements the Smithsonian exhibit but also adds something unique,” Doyle said.

The new exhibit is included in regular admission to the museum, which is open seven days a week from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.

___

Information from: The Memphis Daily News, http://www.memphisdailynews.com

AP-WF-06-21-14 1642GMT

ADDITIONAL IMAGE OF NOTE

‘Great Race’ vintage road rally headed down East Coast

A 1953 Hudson Hornet Hollywood Hardtop. Image by Armchair Aviator. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license.

OGUNQUIT, Maine (AP) – A road rally with 115 vintage cars kicked off Saturday in Maine, where drivers embarked on a nine-day drive to Florida in vintage vehicles, including a couple that looked like they were straight out of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.

Participants in the “Great Race” departed at timed intervals from Ogunquit, Maine, traveling through New Hampshire and Vermont en route to in Lowell, Mass., the first stop. It’ll take nine days and 2,100 miles for the antique cars to meander down the Atlantic Coast to Florida, said spokesman Jeff Mahl.

Participants included Humpy Wheeler, a legendary NASCAR promoter who was participating with his grandson in a 1953 Hudson Hornet painted to look like “Doc Hudson” from the Pixar movie Cars.

Others included a 1916 Studebaker racer, a 1930 Rolland Pilain, 1935 Auburn Cabriolet, 1936 Bentley Saloon, 1932 Auburn Special Speedster, and all manner of muscle cars, including a replica of the “General Lee” 1969 Dodge Charger.

The event is a time/speed/distance rally with each driver and navigator being judged on how well they follow precise instructions that detail every move down to the second.

Part of the challenge is following the instructions to win the race; the other challenge is finishing the race without any major mechanical breakdowns, officials said.

___

Online:

http://www.greatrace.com/

AP-WF-06-21-14 1902GMT

ADDITIONAL IMAGE OF NOTE

Chinese porcelain screen brings $126,900 at Elite Decorative Arts

Large 19th century Chinese porcelain screen with four Famille Rose panels, mounted in a carved wooden frame. Price realized: $126,900. Elite Decorative Arts image.

BOYNTON BEACH, Fla. – A large, important 19th century Chinese porcelain screen consisting of four large panels – each one Famille Rose, with mountain scenes and elders – sold for $126,900 at a Fine Asian Carvings & Works of Art Auction held June 14 by Elite Decorative Arts.

LiveAuctioneers.com provided Internet live bidding.

The porcelain screen, a truly gorgeous piece with the four panels mounted in a carved wooden frame and measuring 38 1/2 inches by 46 3/4 inches, was the top lot of the sale.

Just under 50 people held bidder cards in person at the event, while thousands more participated online.

“There’s always a strong Internet component whenever we feature Asian items,” said Scott Cieckiewicz of Elite Decorative Arts, adding that a handful of people submitted left (absentee) and phone bids.

Following are additional highlights from the auction. All prices quoted include a 21 percent buyer’s premium for winning bids submitted online, and 18 percent for in-person and phone bids.

Chinese red coral carvings are always a huge hit with collectors and this sale had several great examples. One grouping, depicting a family tree, with birds and a carved flower arrangement, 15 1/2 inches tall, was the auction’s second top lot, bringing $90,750. Also, a massive hand-carved red coral depicting a Quan Yin, 9 1/2 inches tall on a 1-inch footed base, topped out at $30,250.

Another Chinese carved red coral rendering of a Quan Yin dressed in a beautiful carved gown standing on a patch of flowers, standing 7 inches tall, changed hands for $5,566; while a large Chinese carved red coral grouping of a Quan Yin with children, boasting a fabulous carved detail of a bird of paradise holding a necklace to the back of the Quan Yin’s head, topped out at $6,665.

A palace-size Chinese porcelain Famille Rose fish bowl from the Guangxu Period (circa 1875-1908), 21 3/4 inches in diameter, with cleverly painted fish to the interior and the exterior displaying dragons, birds and flora climbed to $16,520. A Chinese silver dragon footed bowl with two dragon handles and various panels of dragons and people throughout realized $3,509.

Japanese lots were highlighted by an ink and brush watercolor painting by the noted and listed French/Japanese painter Leonard Tsuguharu Foujita (1886-1968), titled The Bolivian Shepherd, artist signed and dated 1932. It achieved $18,150. Also, an antique Japanese Tsuba Samurai sword guard made of 22K gold, bronze and copper and showing a puppeteer and a rat in a kimono, hit $4,961.

A pair of 19th century Japanese bronze and mixed metal floor vases, both 30 inches tall with gold peacocks to the front and rooster handles and niello trim to the top and bottom, went for $8,772, and a vintage Japanese heavy bronze planter, 14 1/2 inches tall and depicting two warriors holding up a heavy bronze planter, finished at $3,993.

A pair of 18th century Chinese yellow porcelain rice bowls sold as single lots. One, 5 1/2 inches in diameter, brought $5,566, while the other, 4 1/2 inches in diameter, sold for $3,751. Also, a late 19th century Chinese silver hand mirror with dragon jade handle, 8 inches long, with carved jade floral disk to the top of the mirror and eight small round jade disk inserts, topped out at $4,838.

Two late 19th or early 20th century Famille Rose covered vases, 17 1/2 inches tall and depicting Quan Yin surrounded by foo dog handles and finial, with attached tops, wowed the crowd for $8,722. Also, a rare Chinese antique hand-painted enameled Grisaille-decorated yellow ground planter with a flower and leaf design over yellow ground, circa the Qing Dynasty, made $5,324.

Rounding out just some of the auction’s major highlights, an outstanding pair of Chinese sterling silver vases, each one standing 7 1/2 inches tall and depicting scenes of warriors among the mountains in relief, with dragon handles, breezed to $4,840, and a Chinese hand-painted enameled porcelain plaque attributed to He Xu Ren, with a winter scene and poem, hit $4,719.

For further information call Elite Decorative Arts at 561-200-0893 or email an inquiry to info@eliteauction.com.

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

ADDITIONAL LOTS OF NOTE

Extraordinary pair of 19th century Japanese bronze and mixed metal vases, each one 30 inches tall. Price realized: $8,772. Elite Decorative Arts image.

Intricately carved Chinese red coral figural group depicting a family tree, 15 1/2 inches tall. Price realized: $90,750. Elite Decorative Arts image.

Palace-size Chinese porcelain antique Famille Rose fish bowl with orange fish painted to the interior. Price realized: $16,520. Elite Decorative Arts image.

Ink and brush watercolor painting by the Japanese/French artist Leonard Tsuguharu Foujita, dated 1932. Price realized: $18,150. Elite Decorative Arts image.

Pair of late 19th or early 20th century Chinese Famille Rose covered vases depicting Quan Yin, 17 1/2 inches tall. Price realized: $8,772. Elite Decorative Arts image.

Chinese huanghuali furniture leads Clars’ to $1.6M auction

This lot of five Chinese hardwood and huanghuali official’s hat armchairs achieved the event’s highest price of $143,800 against its high estimate of $40,000. Clars Auction Gallery image.

OAKLAND, Calif. – Clars Auction Gallery’s June 14-16 Fine Art, Jewelry and Decoratives Auction will go down as the firm’s most successful June sale in their history and ninth-highest performing sale overall. Total sales achieved over $1.6 million with Asian winning highest sale of the auction.

LiveAuctioneers.com provided Internet live bidding.

A lot of five Chinese hardwood and huanghuali official’s hat armchairs achieved the event’s highest price of $143,800 against its high estimate of $40,000. Following close behind were two Chinese hardwood and huanghuali small compound cabinets that brought $131,000 (estimate: $15,000 to $20,000). Both of these top sellers came to the sale through the Edward Gerber Estate.

An exciting surprise was realized during the Saturday session on a Himalayan thangka, Amitayus. Thee estimate on this piece was $700 to $900 but, in typical auction style, this lot skyrocketed to $15,500.

Fine jewelry came on strong with exceptional results. A fine jadeite and platinum ring, which featured one free-form jadeite cabochon measuring approximately 15.9 x 8.47 x 5.20mm, sold within estimate for $29,000. A pair of diamond and yellow gold stud earrings featuring two brilliant cut diamonds achieved $6,500.

An oil on panel by Emilio Sanchez-Perrier (Spanish, 1855-1907) titled Man in a Boat on a Lily Filled Pond sold for $17,900. A painting titled Miss Chy Thanh Nhan #3, by Do Quang Em (Vietnamese, b. 1942) sold for $10,700.

Turning to American works, a combined group of seven earthenware sculptures by Beatrice Wood (1893-1998) sold for $13,800. From Samuel L. Margolies (1897-1974), a dry point etching, circa 1940, titled Men of Steel went for $7,700. A new global record was achieved for Clyde Frederick Kelley (1886-1965) when his oil on canvas board titled The Soul Saver flew past high estimate selling for $5,355. In photography, a gelatin silver print by Richard Misrach (b. 1949) titled Saguaro #7, from the Saguaro Suite Arizona, brought $5,000.

A new world record for a Koran pierced brass box in the Safavid style was also set at Clars’ June sale. Coming from the Edward Gerber Estate, this offering was expected to sell for $300 to $500 but high demand for its form and beauty, drove the selling price to $5,000 selling to a Middle Eastern Sheikh.

Sterling from Tiffany & Co., New York, was the high seller in this category. A sterling silver flatware service in the Olympian multimotif pattern, 1878, sold extremely well achieving $7,800. And from the same time period but coming from France, an ormolu mounted and champlevé decorated clock executed in the Renaissance taste, sold for $5,600.

For more information contact Clars by email: info@clars.com or call 510-480-0100.

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

ADDITIONAL LOTS OF NOTE

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