Fine art and sunken treasure are featured at Matthew Bullock March 2

E. A. Burbank, 'No-Flesh Sioux,' estimated at $5,000-$10,000 at Matthew Bullock.

OTTAWA, Ill. – An amazing array of Native American-themed fine art and sunken treasure recovered from the wreck of the Nuestra Senora De Atocha – along with reverse-on-glass portraits of George and Martha Washington — are featured lots at Matthew Bullock on Saturday, March 2. The catalog is now available for bidding at LiveAuctioneers.

The sale’s top lot is an original from Native American portraiture specialist Elbridge Burbank (1858-1949). Entitled No-Flesh Sioux, the 13 by 9in portrait was made in Pine Ridge, South Dakota, and the lot notes claim the image was used in a period railroad advertisement. Burbank created more than 1,200 portraits of American Indians from more than 125 tribes in his lifetime, so originals are highly sought by collectors. This one is estimated at $5,000-$10,000.

Grace Ravlin (1873-1956) was a free-spirited artist who painted the places she visited all across the world. She attended the Art Institute of Chicago and was a member of the Taos art community. Indian Dance is likely from her time in New Mexico, a framed oil on canvas measuring 28 by 36in. It carries an estimate of $5,000-$10,000.

In the 19th century, fabric banners were a common form of advertising for elections. This ‘extremely rare’ banner for the  Cleveland – T. A. Hendricks 1884 Democratic Party ticket is double-sided and measures 113 by 10.25in. Interestingly, Cleveland was the first Democrat to win the presidency since the Civil War. The banner is estimated at $4,000-$8,000.

Two items brought up from the depths by Mel Fisher at the Nuestra Senora De Atocha 1622 shipwreck should have bidders on the edge of their seats. Certified as genuine by Fisher’s Treasure Salvors, the silver ingot ($5,000-$10,000) and iron knife ($1,000-$5,000) represent an amazing opportunity to own a piece of history.

Dated to around 1800, the reverse-on-glass portraits of George and Martha Washington have an almost life-like quality to the renderings. The Martha portrait has a unfortunate crack but the works are otherwise in good condition. They are together estimated at $2,000-$4,000.

E. A. Burbank, 'No-Flesh Sioux,' estimated at $5,000-$10,000 at Matthew Bullock.

E. A. Burbank, 'No-Flesh Sioux,' estimated at $5,000-$10,000 at Matthew Bullock.

Grover Cleveland and T.A. Hendricks presidential campaign cloth banner, estimated at $4,000-$8,000 at Matthew Bullock.

Grover Cleveland and T.A. Hendricks presidential campaign cloth banner, estimated at $4,000-$8,000 at Matthew Bullock.

Large silver ingot recovered from the Spanish Atocha shipwreck, estimated at $5,000-$10,000 at Matthew Bullock.

Large silver ingot recovered from the Spanish Atocha shipwreck, estimated at $5,000-$10,000 at Matthew Bullock.

Iron knife recovered from the Spanish Atocha shipwreck, estimated at $1,000-$5,000 at Matthew Bullock.

Iron knife recovered from the Spanish Atocha shipwreck, estimated at $1,000-$5,000 at Matthew Bullock.

Jim Bunte

Jim Bunte

Jim Bunte has worked in editorial, design and the toy and auction industries for more than 30 years. He co-founded Auction Central News in 2007.

Chairs embroidered with Picasso custom art commanded $228K at Piasa

One from a pair of Louis XIII dining chairs upholstered with Picasso’s tapestry designs, which sold for €210,600 ($228,465) at Piasa.

PARIS – The February 15 sale at Piasa titled Pablo Picasso and his Friends included a series of artworks to which the great man had contributed in some way. Items from the collection of the French banker and Modern art collector Max Pellequer included a pair of otherwise humble Louis XIII dining chairs upholstered with two simple tapestry designs supplied to the necessary dimensions by Picasso in 1959. Thought to be the only chairs made to the design, they were embroidered by Pellequin’s wife Francine.

The two original sketches of a pensive face and a jolly creature with horns were individually estimated at €60,000-€90,000 ($65,090-$97,635), and each hammered at the low estimate and sold for €78,000 ($84,615) with buyer’s premium. Although both were signed and dedicated on the verso, only the Indian ink outline had been done by Picasso, with the colors added later in pencil by another hand (probably Francine Pellequer herself when choosing her palette).

However, the chairs, estimated at €4,000-€6,000 ($4,340-$6,510), found a far more enthusiastic response, together hammering for €162,000 and selling for €210,600 ($228,465) with buyer’s premium. The sale was facilitated by LiveAuctioneers.

One from a pair of Louis XIII dining chairs upholstered with Picasso’s tapestry designs, which sold for €210,600 ($228,465) at Piasa.

One from a pair of Louis XIII dining chairs upholstered with Picasso’s tapestry designs, which sold for €210,600 ($228,465) at Piasa.

1959 Pablo Picasso Indian ink drawing Tête, Tapestry Project, which sold for €78,000 ($84,615) at Piasa.

1959 Pablo Picasso Indian ink drawing Tête, Tapestry Project, which sold for €78,000 ($84,615) at Piasa.

1959 Pablo Picasso Indian ink drawing Tête, Tapestry Project, which sold for €78,000 ($84,615) at Piasa.

1959 Pablo Picasso Indian ink drawing Tête, Tapestry Project, which sold for €78,000 ($84,615) at Piasa.

Roland Arkell

Roland Arkell

Roland Arkell is editor of Auction Central News and deputy editor at Antiques Trade Gazette. He has been writing about all aspects of the art and antiques market for more than 25 years.

Bid Smart Recap: Women Designers

This Greta Magnusson Grossman Grasshopper lamp achieved $9,000 plus the buyer’s premium in March 2022. Image courtesy of Wright and LiveAuctioneers.

NEW YORK – This debut edition of Bid Smart Recap, which brings together Bid Smart articles on a specific topic, showcases leading women designers of furniture, lighting, and home fittings. Each, with her own visions, has shaped the look and feel of our homes.

 
A Gae Aulenti prototype Saint Moritz table for Pierluigi Ghiandi, which never went into production, brought €9,000 (about $9,195) plus the buyer’s premium in November 2019. Image courtesy of Viscontea Casa d’Aste srl and LiveAuctioneers
A Gae Aulenti prototype Saint Moritz table for Pierluigi Ghiandi, which never went into production, brought €9,000 (about $9,195) plus the buyer’s premium in November 2019. Image courtesy of Viscontea Casa d’Aste srl and LiveAuctioneers.

Gae Aulenti (1927-2012) excelled at translating architectural principles into décor. The Italian’s keen design acumen yielded furnishings and lighting that embodied the mid-century Modern aesthetic.

This Eileen Gray Transat chair achieved $4,250 plus the buyer’s premium in January 2020. Image courtesy of Wright and LiveAuctioneers.
This Eileen Gray Transat chair achieved $4,250 plus the buyer’s premium in January 2020. Image courtesy of Wright and LiveAuctioneers.

Irish-born Eileen Gray (1878-1976) went largely recognized in her own lifetime, but her designs, including her famed Transat chair, have since been ardently embraced.

A trio of snakes forms the legs of Judy Kensley McKie’s 1997 Serpent side table. All three snakes are engraved ‘JKM 97.’ It is numbered 15 of 16. It sold for $26,000 + the buyer’s premium in 2010. Image courtesy of Rago Arts and Auction Center and LiveAuctioneers
A trio of snakes forms the legs of Judy Kensley McKie’s 1997 Serpent side table. This example, numbered 15 of 16, sold for $26,000 plus the buyer’s premium in April 2010. Image courtesy of Rago Arts and Auction Center and LiveAuctioneers.

Judy Kensley McKie (b. 1944-) took up furniture-making for eminently practical reasons: as newlyweds, she and her husband were too poor to buy any. Now she ranks among the greats of American studio furniture.

This Greta Magnusson Grossman Grasshopper lamp achieved $9,000 plus the buyer’s premium in March 2022. Image courtesy of Wright and LiveAuctioneers.
This Greta Magnusson Grossman Grasshopper lamp earned $9,000 plus the buyer’s premium in March 2022. Image courtesy of Wright and LiveAuctioneers.

A pioneering woman architect and designer whose contemporaries were mostly men, Greta Magnusson Grossman (1906-1999) applied traditional Swedish sensibilities to her work.

A Mira Nakashima single-board Conoid dining table with six single-board Conoid dining chairs achieved $30,000 plus the buyer’s premium in April 2023. Image courtesy of Freeman’s and LiveAuctioneers.
A Mira Nakashima single-board Conoid dining table with six single-board Conoid dining chairs realized $30,000 plus the buyer’s premium in April 2023. Image courtesy of Freeman’s and LiveAuctioneers.

Mira Nakashima (b. 1942-) helped her famed father, George, in his New Hope, Pennsylvania atelier. After he died, she continued his legacy. Now, works bearing her name alone are gaining favor.

A pair of Rose Tarlow yellow velvet Lambertus chairs achieved a robust price of $7,000 plus the buyer’s premium in October 2021. Image courtesy of Andrew Jones Auctions and LiveAuctioneers.
A pair of Rose Tarlow yellow velvet Lambertus chairs achieved a robust price of $7,000 plus the buyer’s premium in October 2021. Image courtesy of Andrew Jones Auctions and LiveAuctioneers.

American interior designer Rose Tarlow (b. 1944-) has had her finger on the pulse of California design since the 1970s. Through her business, Rose Tarlow Melrose House, she and her team produces unique and spectacular pieces.

Andrea Valluzzo

Andrea Valluzzo

Andrea Valluzzo is an award-winning journalist who has worked for media publications for more than 20 years. Today, she enjoys writing about antiques, collectibles, art and the art of collecting. Based in Connecticut, she's also an avid scrapbooker who loves Broadway shows.

Photography by women comes into focus at LAMA March 8

Diane Arbus, 'Tattooed Man at a Carnival, MD,' estimated at $10,000-$15,000 at LAMA.

VAN NUYS, Calif. — A 201-lot sale of Photographs at Los Angeles Modern Auctions showcases some of the leading women in the world of 20th-century photographic art. Scheduled for Friday, March 8, the catalog is now available for bidding at LiveAuctioneers.

Nan Goldin (b. 1953-) is an award-winning American photographer whose career has focused on LGBTQ+ subject matter and the AIDS epidemic of the 1980s and beyond. She also works extensively in fashion photography. Hair is from 2011 and is numbered 2 from an edition of 3. The print is also notated Paris, likely the source of the images in the collage. It is estimated at $25,000-$35,000.

The self-portraits of Cindy Sherman (b. 1954-) sees the photographer donning costumes and makeup and portraying all sorts of people, such as a B-movie actress or a world traveler. Untitled (Under the WTC) is from 1980 but the print, numbered 63 of 100, was made in 2001. It carries an estimate of $15,000-$20,000.

One of the most important and influential photographers of the 20th century was Diane Arbus (1923-1971). Her life’s work was capturing outsiders in their element — carnival workers, sex workers, transvestites, nudists, even parents with children — and always with a sympathetic eye. Much copied, Arbus today remains a powerful influence on successive generations of photographers.

Taken in 1970, a year prior to her death by suicide, Tattooed Man at a Carnival, MD is quintessential Arbus, with excellent use of light and forced perspective. The print presented here was made later by Neil Selkirk, and is numbered 46 from an edition of 75. It bears the Arbus copyright stamp and is estimated at $10,000-$15,000.

A Flower Girl at a Wedding, Conn. is from 1964 and as before, this is a later print issued with the Arbus stamp by Selkirk. It is similarly estimated at $10,000-$15,000.

Nan Goldin, 'Hair,' estimated at $25,000-$35,000 at LAMA.

Nan Goldin, 'Hair,' estimated at $25,000-$35,000 at LAMA.

Cindy Sherman, 'Untitled (Under the WTC),' estimated at $15,000-$20,000 at LAMA.

Cindy Sherman, 'Untitled (Under the WTC),' estimated at $15,000-$20,000 at LAMA.

Diane Arbus, 'Tattooed Man at a Carnival, MD,' estimated at $10,000-$15,000 at LAMA.

Diane Arbus, 'Tattooed Man at a Carnival, MD,' estimated at $10,000-$15,000 at LAMA.

Diane Arbus, 'A Flower Girl at a Wedding, Conn.,' estimated at $10,000-$15,000 at LAMA.

Diane Arbus, 'A Flower Girl at a Wedding, Conn.,' estimated at $10,000-$15,000 at LAMA.

Jim Bunte

Jim Bunte

Jim Bunte has worked in editorial, design and the toy and auction industries for more than 30 years. He co-founded Auction Central News in 2007.

Jasper52 presents Woven in Time: Antique and Vintage Rugs March 6

Zoroastrian Heriz hand-knotted wool and cotton rug, made in Iran and dominated by firey and brick reds, estimated at $3,500-$4,000 at Jasper52.

NEW YORK – On Wednesday, March 6, starting at 5 pm Eastern time, Jasper52 will present a sale titled Woven in Time: Antique and Vintage Rugs, featuring more than 300 lots of choice antique, vintage, modern, and contemporary textiles. Absentee and Internet live bidding will be available through LiveAuctioneers.

Highlights include a Zoroastrian Heriz hand-knotted wool and cotton rug, made in 1960 in the Islamic Republic of Iran and estimated at $3,500-$4,000. Its midnight blue border is contrasted with dominating shades of firey and brick reds, as well as shades of blue, black, ivory, brown, and gold.

Another strong entry is an antique Persian Kashan handmade wool rug boasting a palette of red and brown and measuring 10 by 14ft. It, too, is estimated at $3,500-$4,000.

A third fine and worthy highlight is a vintage Persian Kashan handmade wool rug, primarily in Navy blue but also featuring shades of green, rust orange, and salmon pink. It measures 8 by 12ft and, like the others, is estimated at $3,500-$4,000.

Zoroastrian Heriz hand-knotted wool and cotton rug, made in Iran and dominated by firey and brick reds, estimated at $3,500-$4,000 at Jasper52.

Zoroastrian Heriz hand-knotted wool and cotton rug, made in Iran and dominated by firey and brick reds, estimated at $3,500-$4,000 at Jasper52.

Antique Persian Kashan handmade wool rug with a palette of red and brown, estimated at $3,500-$4,000 at Jasper52.

Antique Persian Kashan handmade wool rug with a palette of red and brown, estimated at $3,500-$4,000 at Jasper52.

Vintage Persian Kashan handmade wool rug, primarily Navy blue but also featuring shades of green, rust, and salmon, estimated at $3,500-$4,000 at Jasper52.

Vintage Persian Kashan handmade wool rug, primarily Navy blue but also featuring shades of green, rust, and salmon, estimated at $3,500-$4,000 at Jasper52.

ACN Staff

ACN Staff

Content bearing the byline of ACN staff has been researched and written by multiple members of the Auction Central News team.