Metal Detectorist Finds Medieval Ring, Chicago Shows Some Skin, and More Fresh News

500-year-old ring found with a metal detector in northern England. Image courtesy of Wartski
500-year-old ring found with a metal detector in northern England. Image courtesy of Wartski

 

News and updates from around the arts and auction community:

  • A British man who became enamored of metal detecting after buying a basic detector for his daughter hit the jackpot after a mere 18 months in the hobby. In a North Yorkshire field, his device alerted him to something metallic in the ground – a 500-year-old jeweled gold ring. [Read more from The Northern Echo]
  • TV cameras rolled as scientists and volunteers recently unearthed the bones of an Ice Age mastodon in Michigan’s Lower Peninsula. Experts say the mammoth creature was a male and about 11,000 years old. [Read more from The Times Herald]
  • The ‘Tattoo’ exhibition that drew more than 700,000 visitors in Paris will open next week at Chicago’s Field Museum. The exhibition explores the art and history of tattooing, going as far back as Ancient Egyptian times. [Read more from Chicagoist]
  • Thomas Hart Benton’s 10-panel mural titled ‘America Today’ panoramically depicts American life in the 1920s. Thanks to a major donation, Benton’s mural – which is on view at The Metropolitan Museum of Art – has been reunited with the original drawings and studies for the finished artwork. [Read more from Artnet]

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Meissen cupids winning hearts in Oct. 16 porcelain auction

Nineteenth-century Meissen figurine, ‘Cupid Annointing Hearts,’ 7 1/2 inches. Estimate: $1,00-$1,400. Jasper 52 image
Nineteenth-century Meissen figurine, ‘Cupid Anointing Hearts,’ 7 1/2 inches. Estimate: $1,00-$1,400. Jasper 52 image

 

NEW YORK – Meissen figurines appear to be the top draw in a Jasper52 porcelain auction that will conclude Sunday, Oct. 16. Absentee and Internet live bidding on this 72-lot online-only auction is available exclusively through LiveAuctioneers.com.

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Bertoia’s Nov. 11-13 auction filled with antique toys, banks, trains & Christmas antiques

Circa 1920-30 Marklin ‘Amerika’ Series II steam-powered liner, retained for generations by original owner’s family, exquisitely detailed, fresh to the market, est. $40,000-$50,000
Circa 1920-30 Marklin ‘Amerika’ Series II steam-powered liner, retained for generations by original owner’s family, exquisitely detailed, fresh to the market, est. $40,000-$50,000

 

VINELAND, N.J. – Bertoia’s is a house of many collector specialties, but it’s a rare occasion when all of those specialty categories come together under one roof in one fabulous sale. That will be the case on Nov. 11, 12 and 13 when Bertoia’s presents its perennially popular Annual Fall Auction featuring selections from many premier collections of antique toys, trains, banks and vintage holiday collectibles. More than 2,100 lots will be offered, and absentee and Internet live bidding will be available through LiveAuctioneers.com.

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Modern & contemporary art ruled at Palm Beach Modern’s Sept. 24 auction

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – If Palm Beach Modern Auctions’ (PBMA) season opener on September 24 is to be taken as any indication, there are more active buyers in the marketplace for high-quality modern and contemporary art than anyone may have thought. More than 1,800 online bidders vied against 125+ guests in house, with additional competition from six continuously engaged phone lines. LiveAuctioneers provided Internet live bidding services for the sale.

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Nakashima fans gather at Rago Auctions to support documentary

From left: Robert Aibel, John Nakashima, Mira Nakashima, David Rago and Suzanne Perrault. Rago Arts and Auction Center image
From left: Robert Aibel, John Nakashima, Mira Nakashima, David Rago and Suzanne Perrault. Rago Arts and Auction Center image

 

LAMBERVILLE, N.J. – More than 100 enthusiasts and collectors of the work of George Nakashima gathered at Rago Arts and Auction Center on Oct. 7 for a preview of the documentary George Nakashima, Woodworker.

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