Asian antiques lead Clars to best ever December auction

This pair of Chinese huanghuali demi-lune tables came to the sale with an estimate of $10,000-$15,000 but demand drove the final sale price to $72,600. Clars Auction Gallery image

OAKLAND, Calif. – Clars Auction Gallery hosted their monthly auction of Fine Art, Decorative Art, Furniture, Jewelry/Timepieces and Asian Art Auction on Sunday, Dec. 17. Asian Art and Antiques were expected to highlight the sale and the results did not disappoint. In fine art, one of the most important global collections of 19th century British East Indian and China Trade paintings were offered and the prices realized were over the top. Overall, the collections and property offered in this sale fueled it to be the strongest December auction in the firm’s history. Absentee and Internet live bidding was available through LiveAuctioneers.

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Opulence abounds in Roland Auctions’ daylong sale Jan. 6

Korakrit Arunanondchai, mixed media ‘Korakrit Triptych,’ three laserjet prints, 8.5in. x 11in. Each image bears the artist’s gold paint hand print. Unsigned and not numbered. Estimate: $25,000-$45,000. Roland Auctions NY image

NEW YORK – Roland Auctions NY will present a prodigious estate auction on Saturday, Jan. 6. The marathon sale boasts nearly 900 fresh-to-market lots comprising luxury items from prestigious Manhattan estates, Wilton, Conn., Long Island, N.Y., and West Hollywood, Calif. Absentee and Internet live bidding is available through LiveAuctioneers.

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Experts try to keep O’Keeffe paintings from fading

Georgia O’Keeffe, ‘Jimson Weed/White Flower No. 1,’ oil on canvas, 48 by 40 inches (121.9 by 101.6 cm), painted in 1932. Sold for $44,405,000 at Sotheby’s in 2014. Property from the Georgia O’Keeffe Museum sold to benefit the acquisitions fund. © 2014 The Georgia O’Keeffe Museum / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York

SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) – Chemical reactions are gradually darkening many of Georgia O’Keeffe’s famously vibrant paintings, and art conservation experts are hoping new digital imaging tools can help them slow the damage.

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What became of Billy Sims’ Heisman award?

The original plaster sculpture for the Heisman Trophy by Frank Eliscu, 1935. Image courtesy of LiveAuctioneers archive and Sotheby’s

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) – So whatever happened to the real Billy Sims Heisman Trophy? Sure, the legendary Sooner running back sold the prestigious award – twice it turns out. But what happened then? That remains a mystery.Continue reading

Bidding volleys drive $2.1M sale at Millea Bros.

Imperial Chinese porcelain was led by a Qing dynasty porcelain reticulated stand that realized $100,000. Millea Bros. image

BOONTON, N.J. – Asian arts routinely bring top dollar, surpassing their estimates, so their robust performance at Millea Bros. auction Dec. 7-9 is notable but perhaps not the main story of this sale. Instead one can look at the wealth of items – 27 in all – that brought five-figure prices to measure the sale’s success. Absentee and Internet live bidding was available through LiveAuctioneers.

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Bruneau & Co. to offer extraordinary artworks Jan. 6

Oil on canvas still life table-top painting of fruit by Robert Spear Dunning (American, 1829-1905). Estimate: $2,000-$3,000. Bruneau & Co. Auctioneers image

CRANSTON, R.I. – Bruneau & Co. Auctioneers will ring in the new year in grand fashion with a 379-lot Winter Antiques & Fine Arts Auction on Saturday, Jan. 6, featuring fine items pulled from several prominent New England homes. Absentee and Internet live bidding is available through LiveAuctioneers.

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Exhibit explores the history of China’s first emperor

View of terracotta army excavation pit #1, X’ian China. Aug. 2007 photo by Maros M r a z, licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) – The discovery in China of an underground army of nearly 8,000 life-size terracotta soldiers is considered one of the greatest archaeological finds of the 20th century.

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19th/20th century Japanese woodblock prints up for bid Jan. 2

Yoshitsuya Utagawa woodblock print, Yorimitsu & Hakamadare, 1858, est. $1,500-$2,000

NEW YORK – The appreciation for Japanese woodblock prints goes far beyond the Land of the Rising Sun. The elegance and high standard of artistry had a profound effect on the development of modern art. That’s why you’ll find Japanese woodblock prints by such masters as Hokusai and Hiroshige in many of the world’s finest private and institutional collections.

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