ATLANTA – At the start of each month, ACN columnist Ken Hall gathers top auction highlights from around the United States and beyond. Here’s what made headlines since last month’s report:
Chinese bracket clock, $332,750, Fontaine’s Auction Gallery
A Chinese two-sided animated bracket clock, set up for two time zones and showing an Asian theme on one side and a Western theme on the other, sold for $332,750 at an antique and clock auction held Feb. 27 by Fontaine’s Auction Gallery in Pittsfield, Mass. Also, a Chinese triple fusee animated bracket clock, housed in a carved teak and wood bracket case, soared to $102,850; and a Tiffany & Co. banded Dogwood table lamp, 27 inches tall with an 18-inch signed shade, fetched $36,300. Prices include a 21 percent buyer’s premium.
Michael Jordan 1991 sneakers, $12,000, Philip Weiss Auctions
A pair of black sneakers worn by Michael Jordan during the 1991 NBA championship playoff series against the Los Angeles Lakers while he was a member of the Chicago Bulls, signed by the star, sold for $12,000 at an auction held Feb. 27 by Philip Weiss Auctions in Lynbrook, N.Y. Also, an original color art page by the French artist and cartoonist Moebius (1938-2012) brought $56,500; and original cover art for the comic book Hawkman #103 by the legendary Joe Kubert (1926-2012) hit $15,800. Prices include a 13 percent buyer’s premium.
Pair of British portraits, $14,160, Ahlers & Ogletree
Two 17th century portraits of British nobility, painted by English artist John Hayls (1600-1679), sold as one lot for $14,160 at an estates auction held March 5-6 by Ahlers & Ogletree in Atlanta. Also, a pair of palatial European 20th century Bohemian-style dore bronze mounted crystal floor urns fetched $12,980; a large hand-blown Murano glass sculptural charger by Lino Tagliapietra (Italian, b. 1934) reached $7,670; and a bronze artwork by the Spanish surrealist Salvador Dali (1904-1989) made $6,785. Prices include an 18 percent buyer’s premium.
19th century Russian icon, $17,220, Crescent City Auction Gallery
A 19th century Russian icon of the Virgin of Kazan, with a gilt silver relief decorated oklad (Moscow, 20th century), marked “DS” in Cyrillic, 12 1/2 inches tall, sold for $17,220 at an auction held Feb. 27-28 by Crescent City Auction Gallery in New Orleans. Also, a terra-cotta figure by Enrique Alferez (Louisiana, 1901-1999), titled Mother and Child (1959), pen signed, 29 1/2 inches tall, made $10,200; and an oil on board painting by noted folk artist Clementine Hunter (1886-1987), titled A Burial (1969), hit $6,765. Prices include a 23 percent buyer’s premium.
Masonic historical flask, $56,160, Norman C. Heckler
A rare Masonic emblem historical flask, produced circa 1820-1830, probably by Coventry (Connecticut) Glass Works and showing the Masonic crossed keys and star logo, sold for $56,160 at an online auction held from March 7-16 by Norman C. Heckler & Co. of Woodstock, Conn. Also, a “Firecracker” pint historical flask showing a bust of George Washington, one of only a few known and made circa 1820-1830 by Kensington Glass Works (Philadelphia), changed hands for $49,140. Prices include a 17 percent buyer’s premium.
1864 Lincoln campaign flag, $23,656, Hake’s Americana
An 1864 Abraham Lincoln-Andrew Johnson oilcloth campaign parade flag with the candidates’ names across the banner’s 13 stripes sold for $23,656 at an auction held March 15-17 by Hake’s Americana in York, Pa. Also, an 1812 $5 gold capped bust half eagle coin graded MS63 went for $22,264; a linen-mounted one-sheet poster from the 1954 movie Creature From the Black Lagoon gaveled for $18,108; and an 1848 Lewis Cass-William Butler presidential/VP campaign coattail ribbon made $12,523. Prices are inclusive of the buyer’s premium.
Colt/Vickers machine gun, $16,100, Rock Island Auction
A Colt/Vickers Model 1915 “Balloon Buster” Class III machine gun sold for $16,100 at a firearms auction held Feb. 25-28 by Rock Island Auction Co. in Rock Island, Ill. Also, a pair of engraved Henry rifles, the predecessor to the Winchester rifle, hit the mark for a combined $23,000; a 4-inch Smith & Wesson lever-action pistol, chambered in .31 caliber, hammered for $10,350; and a Steyr Schwartzlose Model 07/12 Class III machine gun, mounted on its tripod, went for $14,950. Prices include a 15 percent buyer’s premium.
1849 pattern U.S. $10 coin, $35,520, Legend Rare Coins
An 1849 pattern $10 coin, struck in copper at the Paris mint, sold for $35,250 at a Regency XVI auction held Feb. 18 by Legend Rare Coins, in Las Vegas, Nevada. Also, a copper 1883 Hawaiian pattern $1 coin sold for $117,500; a gem 1907 high relief $20 gold coin, graded PCGS MS66, soared to $67,562; an 1898 Morgan dollar, PCGS PR67+, gaveled for $39,950; a 1964-D JFK half-dollar, PCGS MS68, brought $22,325; and a cameo proof 1942 Walking Liberty half-dollar went for $13,512. Prices include a 17.5 percent buyer’s premium.
6.25-carat diamond ring, $46,875, Doyle New York
A diamond ring set with a cut-cornered step-cut, emerald-cut diamond of approximately 6.25 carats, S-T, VS2, sold for $46,875 at a jewelry auction held Feb. 24 and 25 by Doyle New York in New York City. Also, a pair of diamond stud earrings with two cushion-cut diamonds, totaling about 4.08 carats, each D color, SI1 and VVS2, fetched $31,250; and a bib necklace fashioned from 13 Tahitian gray and light golden cultured pearls and diamonds sailed past its estimate of $4,000-$6,000 to sell for $18,750. Prices include a 25 percent buyer’s premium.
Chinese brush washer, $89,250, Clars Auction Gallery
A Chinese Longquan type ice-crackled brush washer sold for $89,250 at a fine art, decorative, jewelry and Asian art sale held Feb. 20-21 in Oakland, Calif. Also, a Chinese celadon wall vase rose to $77,350; a painting by Maurice Utrillo (French, 1883-1955), titled Eglise de Chatou, gaveled for $77,350; a Chinese turquoise gauze Jifu dragon robe went for $45,750; a painting by Jasper F. Cropsey (American, 1823-1900), titled Mallards on the River, brought $44,625; and a George III double fusee bracket clock made $35,700. Prices include a 19 percent buyer’s premium.
A. Delacroix-P. Dalpayrat vase, $118,750, Rago Arts & Auction Center
A symbolist vase designed by Alphonse Voisin-Delacroix and Pierre Adrien Dalpayrat sold for $118,750 at a three-day 20th century design auction held Feb. 26-28 by Rago Arts & Auction Center in Lambertville, N.J. Also, a pair of massive hand-carved columns, displayed by T. Kingsford & Son Starch at the 1876 Centennial Exhibition in Philadelphia, commanded $100,000; a Judy Kensley McKie “Cat Bench” realized $75,000; and an exceptional Tiffany Studios Dragonfly chandelier fetched $100,000. Prices include a 25 percent buyer’s premium.
Benoit Rougelet sculpture, $10,000, Litchfield County Auctions
A circa-1875 white marble sculpture by Benoit Rougelet, titled Three Putti, sold for $10,000 at an antiques sale held Feb. 10-11 by Litchfield County Auctions in Litchfield, Connecticut. Also, a pair of Chinese bronze Bodissatva hammered for $6,562; a set of four circa-1900 Italian bronze and iron Faldistorio stools sold as one lot for $6,250; a Native American beaded basket from the Pome tribe in California fetched $1,812; and a wooden sculpture by David Hostetler, titled Woman in Flowing Gown, made $4,800. Prices include a 25 percent buyer’s premium.
Jim Dine abstract oil painting, $45,000, Palm Beach Modern
An abstract oil on canvas painting by Jim Dine (America, b. 1935), titled Room Painting, signed and dated 1958, sold for $45,000 at an auction held Feb. 20 by Palm Beach Modern Auctions in West Palm Beach, Fla. Also, an Italian-made Gabriella Crespi ‘Elisse’ coffee table with four leaves, lacquered wood and brass, coasted to $27,500; a signed, original painting by Larry Rivers (American, 1923-2002), fetched $16,250; and a signed, limited edition lithograph by Tom Wesselmann (American, 1931-2004), went for $12,500. Prices include a 22 percent buyer’s premium.
Queen Anne doll, $46,360, Morphy Auctions
A 17-inch-tall, all-original Queen Anne doll in a presentation case and detailed with leather gloves and several layers of clothing, sold for $46,360 at a toy, doll and figural cast-iron auction held March 4-5 by Morphy Auctions in Denver, Pa. Also, a rare Japanese friction tin litho Imperial toy car rolled off for $11,590; the same amount was paid for a large, onionskin marble with blizzard mica; a Lionel No. 381 Green State toy train set (five pieces) brought $7,320; and a Bru Jne 7 bebe doll hit $7,930. Prices include a 22 percent buyer’s premium.
Framed Tibetan Thangka, $59,375, Schwenke Auctioneers
A framed Tibetan Thangka depicting Padmasambhava, founder of Tantric Buddhism, in pigment and gilt on fabric, 52 inches by 28 inches, sold for $59,375 at a Connecticut Fine Estates Auction held Feb. 28 by Schwenke Auctioneers in Woodbury, Conn. Also, an Asian gilt bronze figure of Guanyin in elaborate dress on a foliate base, 8 1/2 inches tall, realized $29,280; a Mid-Atlantic inlaid Federal clock, 98 inches tall, hit $24,400; and a pair of signed Chinese snuff bottles, 2 inches and 2 1/2 inches tall, rose to $12,700. Prices include a 20 percent buyer’s premium.
Matisse color aquatint, $93,750, Swann Auction
A circa 1935-1936 color aquatint of an Henri Matisse color aquatint titled La Danse sold for $93,750 at a sale of 19th & 20th Century Prints & Drawings held March 8 by Swann Auction Galleries in New York City. Also, an 1889 Winslow Homer etching titled Fly Fishing, Saranac Lake hammered for $87,500; a 1930 etching by Giorgio Morandi realized $54,600; a drypoint and sand-ground work by Martin Lewis titled Shadow Dance (1930) hit $47,500; and a circa 1890 lithograph by Georges Seurat made $45,000. Prices include a 25 percent buyer’s premium.
Rare early map of Texas, $10,500, Heritage Auctions
A rare early map of Texas and related historical documents, purchased for $10 at an estate sale decades ago, sold for $10,500 at a Texas History Auction held March 12 by Heritage Auctions in Dallas. Also, an 1853 edition of Jacob de Cordova’s Map of Texas went for $10,000; and an 1876 first-edition copy of Fourteen Hundred and 91 Days, in the Confederate Army, one of the most coveted books on the U.S Civil War, and one of only 100 copies hand-printed by the author, rose to $45,000. Prices include a 25 percent buyer’s premium.
Chinese bottle vase, $411,000, Skinner Inc.
A Chinese sky blue-glazed bottle vase with six-character Qianlong mark sold for $411,000 at an Asian Works of Art Auction held March 19 by Skinner’s in Boston. Also, a Junyao tea bowl with a delicate pale blue glaze with purple splashes soared to $315,000; a 19th century Asian Sang de Boeuf beehive water coupe realized $255,000; a Chinese blue and white bowl decorated with dragons and phoenixes climbed to $104,550; and a pair of blue and green covered dragon jars, possibly Daoguang period, hit $195,000. Prices include the buyer’s premium.
Hudson Valley 18th century kas, $10,000, Carlsen Gallery
An 18th century Hudson Valley kas, a large Dutch-made cabinet, sold for $10,000 at an auction held March 6 by Carlsen Gallery in Freehold, N.Y. Also, an American silver teapot attributed to Barent Ten Eyck hit $8,500; an oil on canvas rendering of the Mona Lisa, after Leonardo Da Vinci, gaveled for $8,000; and an oil on canvas painting signed by Arthur Parton, titled From the Clove, went to a determined bidder for $6,000. Prices are hammer, exclusive of the buyer’s premium.
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By Ken Hall
