Illuminated manuscripts to unfold at Bloomsbury auction, July 8

The Mckell Medical Almanack in German, illuminated manuscript on parchment, Alsace, circa 1445, 12 leaves. Estimate: £60,000–£80,000. Bloomsbury Auctions images
The Mckell Medical Almanack in German, illuminated manuscript on parchment, Alsace, circa 1445, 12 leaves. Estimate: £60,000–£80,000. Bloomsbury Auctions images

LONDON – The inaugural Western Manuscripts and Miniatures sale at Bloomsbury Auctions on Wednesday, July 8, is a journey through the history of writing and illuminating books in exactly 100 lots. The auction, which spans four millennia and a vast swathe of human experience, will be held at Ely House, 37 Dover St. LiveAuctioneers.com will provide absentee and Internet live bidding.Continue reading

Carnegie Museum exhibits its Edward Hopper collection

Edward Hopper, 'Sailing,' 1911, oil on canvas; gift of Mr. and Mrs. James H. Beal in honor of the Sarah Scaife Gallery. Courtesy of Carnegie Museum of Art
Edward Hopper, ‘Sailing,’ 1911, oil on canvas; gift of Mr. and Mrs. James H. Beal in honor of the Sarah Scaife Gallery. Courtesy of Carnegie Museum of Art

PITTSBURGH – In 1913, Edward Hopper sold his first painting at the first Armory Show. But it would be over a decade before the now-famed painter sold another. Instead, Hopper turned to etchings, drawings and watercolors, finding recognition for his masterful compositions of quiet, meditative moments.

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UN: Islamic State’s destruction of heritage sites a war crime

n March, Iraqi officials reported that the militant group Islamic State of Iraq had begun demolishing the ruins of Hatra. Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.
n March, Iraqi officials reported that the militant group Islamic State of Iraq had begun demolishing the ruins of Hatra. Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.

BERLIN (AP) – The U.N.’s cultural agency said Monday the destruction of antiquities and heritage sites in conflict zones by the Islamic State and other extremist groups could amount to war crimes.Continue reading

Johnny Unitas football jersey sets auction record, selling for $118K

Circa-1960 Johnny Unitas Baltimore Colts game-used and autographed home uniform. Sold for $118,230; record price for any professional football player’s jersey at auction. Grey Flannel Auctions image
Circa-1960 Johnny Unitas Baltimore Colts game-used and autographed home uniform. Sold for $118,230; record price for any professional football player’s jersey at auction. Grey Flannel Auctions image

WESTHAMPTON, N.Y. – Bidders didn’t give up easily in Grey Flannel’s June 24 Summer Games Auction, which took in more than $2 million dollars in sales of game-worn sports apparel and other gear used by professional sports icons.

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Kovels Antiques and Collecting: Week of June 29, 2015

This 60-inch-high pair of Chinese clobbered famille rose porcelain vases from the 19th or 20th century sold recently for $4,780 at a Neal auction in New Orleans. They have multicolored decorations and a yellow ground.
This 60-inch-high pair of Chinese clobbered famille rose porcelain vases from the 19th or 20th century sold recently for $4,780 at a Neal auction in New Orleans. They have multicolored decorations and a yellow ground.

BEACHWOOD, Ohio – Is an antique “clobbered” Chinese vase a valuable Asian ceramic? Fifty years ago, if you were clobbered it meant someone beat you up. Recent auction catalogs have been describing porcelains using this word, and at an April 2015 Neal auction, a pair of very large “clobbered” famille rose porcelain vases sold for $4,780.

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Artemission reveals ancient artifacts at auction July 8

Egyptian artifacts in the Artemission auction include the faience and gold necklace with lotus and flies amulets, circa 1570-1320 B.C., and the 6 3/8-inch-tall faience shabti, circa 664-343 B.C. Artemission images
Egyptian artifacts in the Artemission auction include the faience and gold necklace with lotus and flies amulets, circa 1570-1320 B.C., and the 6 3/8-inch-tall faience shabti, circa 664-343 B.C. Artemission images

LONDON – Artemission’s next auction of antiquities, which consists of 86 choice lots, will take place on Wednesday, July 8, and offer a range of ancient objects from across the Mediterranean and Near Eastern worlds. LiveAuctioneers.com will provide absentee and Internet live bidding.

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Tiffany lamps light up $2.37M fine & decorative arts sale at Heritage

Tiffany Studios leaded glass and bronze floor lamps: On the left is a circa 1910 Peony Border lamp which realized: $131,000. The Turtleback tile lamp, circa 1910, sold for $106,250. Heritage Auctions images
Tiffany Studios leaded glass and bronze floor lamps: On the left is a circa 1910 Peony Border lamp which realized: $131,000. The Turtleback tile lamp, circa 1910, sold for $106,250. Heritage Auctions images

DALLAS – A rare selection of Tiffany Studios lighting took top lot honors in Heritage Auctions’ $2.37-plus million Fine & Decorative Arts Auction event, as a Peony Border Bronze floor lamp sold for $131,000 and a Turtleback Tile bronze floor lamp sold for $106,250 June 19-21. LiveAuctioneers.com provide absentee and Internet live bidding.

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Guggenheim to exhibit works by abstract pioneer Vasily Kandinsky

Vasily Kandinsky, Improvisation 28 (second version) (Improvisation 28 [zweite Fassung]), 1912. Oil on canvas, 111.4 x 162.1 cm. Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York, Solomon R. Guggenheim Founding Collection, by gift 37.239
Vasily Kandinsky, Improvisation 28 (second version) (Improvisation 28 [zweite Fassung]), 1912. Oil on canvas, 111.4 x 162.1 cm. Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York, Solomon R. Guggenheim Founding Collection, by gift 37.239
NEW YORK —July 1 through spring 2016, the Guggenheim Museum will present an intimate selection of works by Vasily Kandinsky (b. 1866, Moscow; d. 1944, Neuilly-sur-Siene, France) that trace his aesthetic evolution. The exhibition, which will be on view in the museum’s Kandinsky Gallery, includes paintings selected from the artist’s early beginnings in Munich at the start of the century, the return to his native Moscow with the outbreak of World War I, his interwar years in Germany as a teacher at the Bauhaus, and his final chapter in Paris.

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Shoulao weaves auction magic at Michaan’s: $41,300

A Kesi-woven figural panel, 19th century, sold for $41,300. Michaan’s Auctions image
A Kesi-woven figural panel, 19th century, sold for $41,300. Michaan’s Auctions image

ALAMEDA, Calif. – Michaan’s June 13 estate auction produced many high-dollar sales, most notably in Asian offerings. The most astounding sale of the day was undoubtedly Lot 246, a 19th century kesi-woven figural panel depicting Shoulao. The auspicious piece featuring the Ancient Chinese Taoist god, his attendant and a deer amazed auction-goers as it rose to $41,300 (est $500-700). LiveAuctioneers.com provided absentee and Internet live bidding services for the sale.

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