BOSTON – A handwritten letter by Ludwig van Beethoven sold for $251,240 at RR Auction on April 13. The four-page letter was rendered in German and dated September 24, 1815. Beethoven wrote it to his librettist, the court poet Friedrich Treitschke, asking him to help secure 200 gold ducats in payment for their planned opera Romulus und Remus. The letter read in part: “Many sacrifices I have willingly made and am making for the sake of my art.”
GLEN COVE, N.Y. – Roland Auctions NY will present its Spring Multiple Estates auction on Saturday, April 23, beginning at 10 am Eastern time. The sale showcases fine art, collectibles, furniture, antiques, silver, decorative arts and jewelry consigned from prominent East Coast estates and private collectors across the Northeast. Absentee and Internet live bidding will be available through LiveAuctioneers.
DOUGLASS, Kan. – Woody Auction LLC will hold a Fantastic Art Glass Auction with more than 450 lots on Saturday, April 23, starting at 9:30 am Central time. Absentee and Internet live bidding will be available through LiveAuctioneers.
CHICAGO – Property from The Strong National Museum of Play’s collection, offered on March 28 at Hindman, realized more than $821,600. Extraordinary prices were achieved for Chinese amber fish carvings, bronzes, porcelain figures and Japanese inro.
CHICAGO – Potter & Potter Auctions will hold a 239-lot Fine Literature and Modern Firsts sale on Tuesday, April 26 starting at 10 am Central time. Absentee and Internet live bidding will be available through LiveAuctioneers.
NEW YORK — Centuries before watches and cell phones took over the task of keeping track of the time, people could roughly discern the hour by looking up at the sun. Alternately, they could look down to mark the sun’s passage across the sky, which could be tracked by where it cast its shadow on the ground. This fact gave rise to the sundial, a scientific instrument that lends itself to decorative beauty and lush garden settings.