Asian antiques, English porcelain, at forefront of Rago auctions March 17-18

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Important Chinese Qianlong porcelain cup, famille rose enamels of cockerels and hens with their chicks, China, 18th century, 3in diameter. Estimate: $6,000-$8,000. Rago Arts and Auction Center image

 

LAMBERTVILLE, N.J. – Art and artifacts spanning centuries and continents will be on offer in Rago’s March Great Estates Auctions, with a stand-alone segment for Asian Fine and Decorative Arts on Friday, March 17, followed by American and European Fine and Decorative Arts on Saturday, March 18. Absentee and Internet live bidding is available through LiveAuctioneers.

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Many faces of tribal art appear in Jasper52 auction March 11

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Antique Songye cat mask, Democratic Republic of the Congo, 14in x 7in x 6in. Estimate: $5,000-$7,000. Jasper52 image

 

NEW YORK – Jasper52 is presenting a substantial auction of tribal art on Saturday, March 11. Carved out in this treasury are masks and figures integral to traditional African ceremonies. Imbued with stylized detail and tremendous depth of meaning, handcrafted African, Native American and Pre-Columbian pieces enchant collectors worldwide. Absentee and Internet live bidding is available through LiveAuctioneers.

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Roland Auctions NY selling noted modern & contemporary art collection March 14

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Jeff Koons, ‘Balloon Dog (Blue).’ Estimate: $8,000-$10,000. Roland Auctions NY image

NEW YORK – When auctioneers William J. Roland and Robert Roland open their March 14 sale, “Selections from The Aviva and Jacob Baal-Teshuva Collection,” Roland Auctions NY will present a storied collection of postwar and contemporary art thoughtfully assembled over more than half a century. The artwork in this auction is selected to provide opportunities for collectors from novice beginner to blue-chip connoisseur. Absentee and Internet live bidding is available through LiveAuctioneers.

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Gray’s travels back to 1904 St. Louis World’s Fair, March 13

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Three Rowland & Marsellus-Staffordshire porcelain vases commemorating the Louisiana Purchase Exposition. Estimate: $2,000-$4,000. Gray’s image

 

CLEVELAND – Gray’s auction on March 13 takes bidders back over 100 years to the Louisiana Purchase Exposition, informally known as the 1904 St. Louis World’s Fair. The fair celebrated the centennial of the 1803 Louisiana Purchase. The grand scale of the exposition featured advances in science, agriculture and introduced audiences to exotic, distant lands with travel exhibits. The auction catalog features a wide ranging collection of memorabilia and souvenirs. Absentee and Internet live bidding is available through LiveAuctioneers.

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Elvis Presley’s Graceland opens a new $45 million complex

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The Jungle Room at Graceland. Elvis Presley’s Graceland image

 

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) – Nearly four decades after Elvis sang his last tune, his legacy got a $45 million boost with the Thursday opening of a major new attraction at his Graceland estate – an entertainment complex that Priscilla Presley says gives “the full gamut” of the King of Rock ’n’ Roll.

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Allard Auctions offering hundreds of Native American items March 11-12

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Early 1900s Navajo rug/weaving, a classic tight weave Third phase chief’s blanket, done in traditional colors, 70 inches by 98 inches (est. $4,000-$8,000). Allard Auctions image

 

MESA, Ariz. – A pair of Native American cradleboards (one Iroquois, one toy Crow), an elk hide Cheyenne war shirt and an early 1900s Third Phase Navajo chief’s blanket are a few of the expected top lots at this year’s Big Spring Phoenix auction set for March 11 and 12 by Allard Auctions. Absentee and Internet bidding is available through LiveAuctioneers.

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Material Culture selling art collections of film director Jonathan Demme & set designer Ford Wheeler, March 19

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Hector Hyppolite (Haitian/St. Marc, 1894-1948), ‘Bosou Toi Conne,’ oil-on-board, 19.75 x 27.25 inches, Jonathan Demme collection. Est. $30,000-$50,000. Material Culture image

 

PHILADELPHIA – One world is enough for Material Culture, the Philadelphia auction house that respectfully celebrates the art of all nations and societies, past or present. On Sunday, March 19, the company will shine its spotlight on premier works from the folk and self-taught art collections of Academy Award-winning Hollywood director Jonathan Demme and his friend and past collaborator, the renowned movie set designer Ford Wheeler. “I believe many motion picture professionals would argue that, between the two, Jonathan and Ford are the best ‘eyes’ in Hollywood,” said George Jevremovic, owner of Material Culture.

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2 important glass collections on tap at Jeffrey S. Evans auction March 18

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A sample of the more than 300 lacy-period salts from the Harvey collection, including the rare CD-4 Lyre covered salt in opaque soft violet blue with subtle mottling (top left). Jeffrey S. Evans & Associates image

 

MT. CRAWFORD, Va. – Jeffrey S. Evans & Associates will hold a special collections glass auction on Saturday, March 18, beginning at 9:30 a.m. Eastern Time. The two-owner sale will comprise the collections of Paul Harvey of Naples, Florida, and Bryan Grapentine of Phoenix, Arizona. Absentee and Internet live bidding is available through LiveAuctioneers.

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Rare Mozart Manuscript, Fleming’s Penicillin Mold Auctioned, and More Fresh News

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Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart as seen in a painting by Barbara Krafft (1764-1825) with background provided by RR Auction

 

News and updates from around the arts and auction community:

  • A fragment from Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s manuscript for the third movement of his Serenade in D Major is being auctioned in Boston. The complete manuscript was split up after it was sold in 1975. [Read more from Fine Books & Collections]
  • You think the price of prescription drugs has gotten out of hand? We would have to agree after seeing the auction price fetched by two samples of Sir Alexander Fleming’s original penicillin mold. [Read more from the Mirror]
  • Former All My Children star Susan Lucci (a k a Erica Kane) is auctioning off hundreds of personal items to benefit a charity. There are scores of dresses, shoes, handbags and accessories that she wore on TV and on the red carpet. [Read more from UPI]
  • The Metropolitan Museum of art has received an extraordinary gift — a 10th-century Chinese painting. Titled Riverbank, it’s one of the most important Chinese landscape paintings in existence. [Read more from The Met]

For more news and updates, follow LiveAuctioneers on Twitter and Facebook.

Rago auction of coins & currency surpasses high estimate

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Pan-American Exposition Gold Medal, 1901. Estimate: $12,000-$15,000. Price realized: $46,995  Rago Arts and Auction Center image

 

LAMBERTVILLE, N.J. – Rago Arts and Auction Center’s Coins and Currency Auction on Feb. 24 brought $360,042 in sales, 10 percent above the high estimate. Of the 358 lots of rare and ancient coins and currency, gold and silver coins, primarily those of U.S. origin, sold strongest. Absentee and Internet live bidding was available through LiveAuctioneers.

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