Heritage showcases Hermes special-order Birkin bags Dec. 5

Shiny Rose Scheherazade & Vert Vertigo Niloticus Crocodile Hermes Birkin, est. $40,000-$50,000
Shiny Rose Scheherazade & Vert Vertigo Niloticus Crocodile Hermes Birkin, est. $40,000-$50,000
Shiny Rose Scheherazade & Vert Vertigo Niloticus Crocodile Hermes Birkin, est. $40,000-$50,000

DALLAS — This season’s gift-giving just got easier thanks to Heritage Auctions‘ Dec. 5 Holiday Luxury Accessories Signature™ event. From hard-to-get handbags and fabulous jewelry to pieces for travel and home, there’s something for everyone in this sensational sale. Absentee and Internet live bidding will be available through LiveAuctioneers.

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Skinner Historic Arms & Militaria auction totals $757K

Cyrus B. Allen Elgin patent cutlass pistol with holster/scabbard, $27,025. Image courtesy of Skinner, Inc. www.skinnerinc.com
Cyrus B. Allen Elgin patent cutlass pistol with holster/scabbard, $27,025. Image courtesy of Skinner, Inc. www.skinnerinc.com
Cyrus B. Allen Elgin patent cutlass pistol from 1837 with its original holster/scabbard, $27,025. Image courtesy of Skinner, Inc. www.skinnerinc.com

MARLBOROUGH, Mass. — Skinner’s Historic Arms & Militaria auction, under the leadership of Christopher Fox, was met with great enthusiasm and posted strong results well exceeding presale expectations, with a final sale total of $757,784 including buyer’s premium. The October 29 live sale held at Skinner’s Marlborough gallery was headlined with the William Rose Colonial and Revolutionary War Arms Collection Part I and saw extremely active bidding. The collection featured a vast selection of military arms of all types spanning the late 17th century through the American Revolution.

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Vatican Library opens doors to public with new-old art space

A detail shot of the clock and bell of St. Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican, taken in 2013. The Vatican recently opened an exhibition space for contemporary art in its Apostolic Library. The inaugural show, Tutti, closes February 22, 2022. Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons, photo credit Dietmar Rabich. Licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution ShareAlike 4.0 International license.
A detail shot of the clock and bell of St. Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican, taken in 2013. The Vatican recently opened an exhibition space for contemporary art in its Apostolic Library. The inaugural show, Tutti, closes February 22, 2022. Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons, photo credit Dietmar Rabich. Licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution ShareAlike 4.0 International license.
A detail shot of the clock and bell of St. Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican, taken in 2013. The Vatican recently opened an exhibition space for contemporary art in its Apostolic Library. The inaugural show, Tutti, closes February 22, 2022. Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons, photo credit Dietmar Rabich. Licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution ShareAlike 4.0 International license.

VATICAN CITY (AP) – The Vatican’s Apostolic Library, which is home to ancient manuscripts, rare books and reading rooms for scholars is opening its doors to the general public with a small new exhibition space aimed at pairing its artistic treasures with contemporary art.

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Hong Kong’s M+ museum opens amid censorship controversy

Image of Hong Kong’s M+ Museum, which is situated in front of the International Commerce Centre and overlooks Victoria Harbor. Image courtesy of WikiMedia Commons, taken in January 2020 by WikiTL65 and licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license.
Image of Hong Kong’s M+ Museum, which is situated in front of the International Commerce Centre and overlooks Victoria Harbor. Image courtesy of WikiMedia Commons, taken in January 2020 by WikiTL65 and licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license.
Image of Hong Kong’s M+ Museum, which is situated in front of the International Commerce Centre and overlooks Victoria Harbor. Courtesy of WikiMedia Commons, photo credit WikiTL65. Licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license.

HONG KONG (AP) – Hong Kong’s swanky new M+ museum – Asia’s largest gallery with a billion-dollar collection – opened earlier this month amid controversy regarding politics and censorship.

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Yongzheng-marked bowl, estimated at $500-$800, commands $160K

 

Chinese porcelain bowl with lid bearing Yongzheng markings
Chinese porcelain bowl with lid bearing Yongzheng markings, sold by Stefek’s for $160,000 + buyer’s premium on Oct. 28

ROSEVILLE, Mich. – A porcelain bowl with lid bearing Yongzheng period (1678-1735) marks and assigned an estimate of $500-$800 sold on October 28 for the stunning sum of $160,000 plus buyer’s premium at Stefek’s Auctioneers & Appraisers. Absentee and Internet live bidding during the sale was provided by LiveAuctioneers.

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Wilmington highlights Black art with return of exhibition

‘Brother,’1967-1969, Charles Searles (1937–2004). Oil on canvas, 16 1/4 × 20 inches. Delaware Art Museum, Acquisition Fund, 2020 © Estate of Charles Searles. From the exhibit Afro-American Images 1971: The Vision of Percy Ricks, open at the Delaware Art Museum through January 23, 2022.
‘Brother,’1967-1969, Charles Searles (1937–2004). Oil on canvas, 16 1/4 × 20 inches. Delaware Art Museum, Acquisition Fund, 2020 © Estate of Charles Searles. From the exhibit Afro-American Images 1971: The Vision of Percy Ricks, open at the Delaware Art Museum through January 23, 2022.
‘Brother,’1967-1969, Charles Searles (1937–2004). Oil on canvas, 16 1/4 × 20 inches. Delaware Art Museum, Acquisition Fund, 2020 © Estate of Charles Searles. From the exhibit Afro-American Images 1971: The Vision of Percy Ricks, open at the Delaware Art Museum through January 23, 2022.

WILMINGTON, De. (AP) – It was 1968 and Wilmington was recovering. The National Guard had occupied Delaware’s largest city for nine months in the wake of Martin Luther King Jr.’s assassination, and the trauma from both of these events left the Black community reeling, marking a moment in Wilmington’s history that city residents still recall today. Percy Ricks, an artist and longtime educator, however, had something he thought people needed to see. A momentous exhibition composed of drawings, paintings, prints and photographs created by 66 Black artists.

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