April 2024 - Auction Central News

Madeleine Albright’s collection, including many of her celebrated pins, shine at Freeman’s Hindman May 7

Green and white rhinestone and metal snake pin by Kenneth Jay Lane, estimated at $200-$300 at Freeman’s Hindman.

NEW YORK – Madeleine K. Albright did a tough job, and she did it well. Serving as the US secretary of state is a stark challenge regardless, but being the first woman to hold the post adds an extra layer of difficulty. Albright (1937-2022) was chosen by President Bill Clinton for this crucial role in his administration, which she held from 1997 to 2001. She found a distinctly feminine way to wield her power and influence: through the brooches she pinned to the garments she wore. On Tuesday, May 7, Freeman’s Hindman will present The Private Collection of Secretary Madeleine K. Albright, and among the 142 lots are several of her celebrated pins. The sale catalog is now open for bidding at LiveAuctioneers.

Expressive pins became Albright’s sartorial signature when she was the US ambassador to the United Nations, a post she held from 1993 until 1997, when she accepted the secretary of state role. At one point during her tenure, her criticism of Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein prompted his poet-in-residence to write verse scorning her as “an unparalleled serpent”, which the Iraqi government press duly published. Though Albright was not fond of snakes, she donned a snake-form brooch for her next meeting with Iraqi officials. The incident proved that a well-chosen pin could literally be a statement piece, rich with meaning. While the sale lineup does not contain the pin that launched Albright’s collection, it does feature a metal Kenneth Jay Lane snake-form pin festooned with green and white rhinestones and estimated at $200-$300.

Albright chose pins that reflected her journey and her life story. A contemporary glass and gold foil Breaking the Glass Ceiling pin designed by Vivian Shimoyama captured the historic nature of Albright’s tenure as secretary of state. A Town & Country article on her collection pictured her wearing the pin at an award ceremony for the second woman secretary of state, Hilary Clinton. The Shimoyama pin is estimated at $500-$700, while a second lot of suffragette-themed jewelry from Albright’s collection has an estimate of $700-$900.

Another choice in the May 7 sale speaks to Albright’s original nationality. She was born in Prague, Czechoslovakia, but her family left for the US after her diplomat father, an anti-Communist, resigned his government post when Communists rose to power in 1948. This Art Nouveau owl-form pin in silver and enamel, after a design by Czech artist Alphonse Mucha and bearing a ‘Mucha’ stamp, has an estimate of $300-$500.

Albright’s family arrived in America in 1948, at Ellis Island in New York, as asylum-seekers fleeing Communist Czechoslovakia. Nine years later, she became a naturalized citizen. One of her favorite pin motifs was the eagle, a symbol of her new homeland. She wore a spread-winged eagle pin for her swearing-in ceremony as secretary of state as well as for her official secretary of state portrait. She also made a practice of bestowing eagle pins on her women counterparts from other countries as US diplomatic gifts. One of the lots on offer contains three costume jewelry eagle pins, including two by Carol Sarkisian, together estimated at $500-$700.

In 2009, an exhibit of her jewelry titled Read My Pins debuted at the National Museum of American Diplomacy and traveled to more than 20 other venues, including the Mint Museum in Charlotte, N.C. Albright attended the show’s 2012 opening at the Mint, and was presented with an 18K gold crown pin set with 26 round brilliant-cut diamonds and bearing her last name. It now carries an estimate of $1,500-$2,500.

Green and white rhinestone and metal snake pin by Kenneth Jay Lane, estimated at $200-$300 at Freeman’s Hindman.

Glass and gold foil ‘Breaking the Glass Ceiling’ pin designed by Vivian Shimoyama, estimated at $500-$700 at Freeman’s Hindman.

Art Nouveau owl-form pin in silver and enamel after a design by Czech artist Alphonse Mucha and bearing a ‘Mucha’ stamp, estimated at $300-$500 at Freeman’s Hindman.

Collection of costume jewelry eagle pins, including two by Carol Sarkisian, estimated at $500-$700 at Freeman’s Hindman.

Collection of suffragette-themed jewelry, estimated at $700-$900 at Freeman’s Hindman.

18K gold crown pin set with 26 round brilliant-cut diamonds, given to Madeleine Albright at the Mint Museum in Charlotte, N.C. at the 2012 opening of the ‘Read My Pins’ exhibit, estimated at $1,500-$2,500 at Freeman’s Hindman.

Madeleine Albright, shown in her circa-1997 official portrait as the US secretary of state, prominently wearing a spread-winged eagle pin. Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons, which states that as a work of the US federal government, the image is in the public domain.

Sheila Gibson Stoodley

Sheila Gibson Stoodley is the associate editor for Auction Central News. She has written and edited for Robb Report, Art & Antiques magazine, and Andrew Harper online. She also authored The Hot Bid, a blog devoted to intriguing and delightful lots coming up at auction.

19th Century Arctic map annotated by Scottish explorer John Rae sold way beyond estimate at Cheffins

Malby & Sons Chart of the North Polar Sea annotated by Scottish explorer John Rae, which sold for £8,000 ($10,100, or $12,625 with buyer's premium) at Cheffins on April 4.

CAMBRIDGE, UK – The commercial fortunes of a 19th-century map of the Arctic offered by Cheffins on March 4 were boosted greatly by its annotations. Notes in red and black ink to this Malby & Sons Chart of the North Polar Sea were made by the Scottish explorer and surgeon John Rae (1813-1893), the man who discovered the fate of the lost Franklin expedition. Full results for the sale can be seen at LiveAuctioneers.

The map came by descent from the family of the Victorian Member of Parliament Albert Pell (1820-1907). While family records do not tell of a meeting between Pell and Rae, both worked with the Hudson Bay Company’s Office in the 1870s.

Rae completed four Arctic exploration voyages, mapping much of the Arctic coastlines on foot or by boat. The Rae Strait at King William Land – the final piece of the jigsaw in discovering a Northwest Passage – is named after him. Second in command of Sir John Richardson’s party sent to search for Franklin, he returned with artifacts including a small silver plate engraved ‘Sir John Franklin, KCH’ and the information that close to 30 corpses had been found. Rae made two reports on his findings: one for the public, which omitted any mention of cannibalism, and another for the Admiralty, which included it. However, the latter was leaked to the press, and caused great outcry in Victorian society, not least with Franklin’s widow, Lady Franklin, who refused to accept the news and campaigned against Rae.

Cheffins’ lithographic map was originally found inserted into an 1848 copy of A. Keith Johnson’s The Physical Atlas illustrating the Geographical Distribution of Natural Phaenomena. Rae marked his personal discoveries in black ink with other ‘track on coast or previously explored’ routes indicated in red. He added a marginal note stating: ‘Here the hydrographer of the Admiralty took 10 or 15 miles from my discoveries so as to make Collinson’s appear the farthest. I was at this place a year (in 1851) before Collinson. J Rae’.

In Cambridge on April 4, the annotated map was estimated at £400-£800 ($505-$1,010) but took £8,000 ($10,100, or $12,625 with buyer’s premium) from a bidder using the LiveAuctioneers platform. The Victorian atlas in which it was stored was offered separately, selling for £150 ($190, or $235 with buyer’s premium).

Malby & Sons Chart of the North Polar Sea annotated by Scottish explorer John Rae, which sold for £8,000 ($10,100, or $12,625 with buyer's premium) at Cheffins on April 4.

Detail of the Chart of the North Polar Sea annotated by Scottish explorer John Rae, which sold for £8,000 ($10,100, or $12,625 with buyer's premium) at Cheffins on April 4.

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.

American, European, and Asian arts and antiques from single-owner collection grace Tremont May 5

Chinese export oil on canvas of an imperial audience given by the Jaiqing emperor, estimated at $15,000-$18,000 at Tremont Auctions.

SUDBURY, MA – A Chinese export oil showing a Qing emperor at court leads a single-owner dispersal at Tremont Auctions on Sunday, May 5. The 338-lot sale comprises an eclectic Massachusetts collection of American, European, and Asian arts and antiques. The catalog is now open at LiveAuctioneers.

Commanding the highest estimate, at $15,000-$18,000, is an early 19th-century oil on canvas laid on board depicting an imperial audience given by the emperor Jaiqing (1796-1820). It is thought to depict the pavilions in the Old Summer Palace, the main imperial residence of the Qing emperors and the center of state affairs. It was largely destroyed by French and British troops in the final act of the Second Opium War in October 1860.

Although relatively rare, the scene is well known. A body color on linen version is housed in the Royal Pavilion, Brighton, and was brought back to England circa 1800 by Richard Hill, who served as a supercargo for the British East India Company. It is pictured in the influential book Chinese Export Art in the Eighteenth Century by Margaret Jourdain and Soame Jenyns, which attributes the work to the studio of Lam Qua (1801-1860), the Chinese painter from Canton who specialized in Western-style portraits intended largely for export.

Estimated at $14,000-$18,000 is a textbook White Mountain scene by Benjamin Champney (1817-1907). Signed and dated 1856, this 2ft 2in by 3ft canvas in its original frame depicts Mount Chocorua, the easternmost peak of the Sandwich Range. It is likely the painting exhibited in 1856 at the Boston Athenaeum titled N.H. Lake Scenery, Mt. Chocorua in the Distance. Champney had bought a house more than 50 years.

Chinese export oil on canvas of an imperial audience given by the Jaiqing emperor, estimated at $15,000-$18,000 at Tremont Auctions.

'N.H. Lake Scenery, Mt. Chocorua in the Distance' by Benjamin Champney, estimated at $14,000-$18,000 at Tremont Auctions.

Namikawa Sosuke wireless cloisonne box and cover, estimated at $3,000-$5,000 at Tremont Auctions.

Ferdinando Vicchi, large marble sculpture of an allegorical figure, estimated at $9,000-$12,000 at Tremont Auctions.

James McCabe, London Islamic trade pocket watch, estimated at $4,000-$6,000 at Tremont Auctions.

Barr and Barr Worcester Flight porcelain large oval plaques, estimated at $3,000-$5,000 at Tremont Auctions.

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.

Dedham Pottery founder’s obsession with glazes led to glory

This Dedham Pottery oxblood vase, standing just 5⅜in tall, earned $2,400 plus the buyer’s premium in June 2018. Image courtesy of Humler & Nolan and LiveAuctioneers.

NEW YORK – Dedham Pottery was a bit of an outlier. The firm, which was founded in Dedham, Massachusetts in 1896 and lasted until 1943, spurned the matte earth-colored glazes embraced by most of its Arts and Crafts compatriots and instead developed two signature looks that were wildly different from each other. Dedham Pottery’s crackleware and its thick volcanic glazes were acclaimed in its heyday and are still sought after.

Dedham Pottery founder Hugh C. Roberston began making pottery at Chelsea Keramic Art Works in Chelsea, Massachusetts from 1872 to 1889. Not content to just churn out wares that were popular with customers, he was driven to discover the secrets of glazes. He had attended the 1876 Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia and was captivated by the Japanese and Asian ceramics he saw on display. He also would have seen the abundance of Asian ceramics Boston’s elite citizens brought back with them from their travels, many of which ended up in the collections of the MFA Boston and the Peabody Essex Museum in Salem, Massachusetts.

Robertson was the son of a Scottish potter who tried unsuccessfully to establish a thriving pottery business in the US. Hugh, aided by his two brothers who were also potters, was the first in his family to build on his father’s legacy. “Hugh Robertson was a great sculptor,” said Dedham Pottery expert Jim Kaufman, who is also the former board president of the Dedham Museum & Archive and remains the museum’s volunteer curator for its collection of Dedham Pottery. Robertson gave up what he was good at – highly decorated ceramics –to “chase some of the clay secrets of the Asian ceramicists,” Kaufman said.

Hugh Robertson made this crackle-glazed stoneware vase for Dedham Pottery between 1898 and 1908, decorating it in cobalt with images of sunflowers. It secured $9,000 plus the buyer’s premium in February 2023. Image courtesy of Rago Arts and Auction Center and LiveAuctioneers.

Robertson began experimenting with highly technical finishes and glaze hues that were difficult to master (more on that later), and the efforts proved so costly that he was forced to declare bankruptcy in 1889. By 1896, he had refinanced and opened Dedham Pottery, where he used what he learned at Chelsea to produce simple forms with highly sophisticated glazing.

Dedham Pottery was always a tiny enterprise, but it made a splash in the pottery world with several styles of wares. Its most cherished offering is its crackleware, a high-fired stoneware with a gray-white crackle finish that makes it appear ancient. Cobalt decorations on these pieces ranged from the company’s signature rabbits, which became part of its logo, to other animals such as cats and elephants. Flowers also were standard motifs for Robertson and his small team of decorators.

A vase decorated with images of magnolias by Hugh Robertson for Dedham Pottery achieved $14,000 plus the buyer’s premium in September 2023. Image courtesy of Rago Arts and Auction Center and LiveAuctioneers.

Even when Dedham Pottery pieces were fresh out of the kiln, they had a hint of antiquity about them, as they resembled centuries-old Asian blue-and-white ceramics. According to Kaufman, Robertson was the first non-Asian potter to intentionally perfect this crackle glaze.

“Blue and white has been, for many centuries, an attractive design combination, and given the variety of designs employed by the Dedham Pottery, it lends itself to being collected,” Kaufman said. “Generally, collectors fall into one of three major categories. They either want everything in the rabbit design, that being a quintessential Dedham design, or they are looking for as many different designs as possible, or they may focus on one particular form – pitchers, a certain sized plate, or a certain sized bowl. The majority of Dedham pottery collectors, in my experience, fall into the second category.”

While not abundant, much Dedham Pottery is reasonably priced. A set of eight pasta bowls featuring its signature rabbit border sold for $1,600 plus the buyer’s premium in August 2020. Image courtesy of Lion and Unicorn and LiveAuctioneers.

For many, the introduction to Dedham Pottery comes in the form of rabbits. Few collections would be complete without at least one of its rabbit-themed items. A set of eight pasta bowls featuring a border of crouching rabbits sold for $1,600 plus the buyer’s premium in August 2020 at Lion and Unicorn. Early Dedham items with borders showing left-facing rabbits usually command a premium, however. Less than a dozen have appeared at auction.

Another view of the Hugh Robertson for Dedham Pottery Magnolia vase that achieved $14,000 plus the buyer’s premium in September 2023. Image courtesy of Rago Arts and Auction Center and LiveAuctioneers.

Besides the ubiquitous bunnies, Dedham Pottery collectors target unusual patterns and pieces that are missing from their collections, whether they feature polar bears, elephants, or lobsters. The appeal of these wares lies in their combination of technical achievement, seen in the crackle glaze, as well as their whimsical designs, which have universal appeal. An early standout by Robertson boasting his renowned crackle glaze and cobalt decoration checks all the boxes. The circa-1896-1908 vase painted with images of magnolias brought $14,000 plus the buyer’s premium in September 2023 at Rago Arts and Auction Center. It perfectly embodies what Robertson was able to achieve: taking simple forms and covering them with fine glazing and decoration to create an object that is both modern and traditional.

Frank McNamee, owner of Marion Antique Auctions in Marion, Massachusetts, said Dedham Pottery has always been coveted, and not just in New England. “It still brings good money,” he said. “Rabbits are very common, but the best pieces are the things that have unusual motifs.” An early Dedham Pottery plate with a repeating cat border went out at $3,600 plus the buyer’s premium at Marion Antique Auctions in April 2023. It was consigned by an older collector who liked Dedham Pottery and cats, and it was sold to benefit a local cat shelter. “The cat plate was an extraordinary price for a small piece of Dedham,” said McNamee, who estimates he has sold 300 to 400 pieces of Dedham Pottery during the last 40 years. “Usually, collectors will try to display plates with different motifs – mushrooms on one, elephants on another.”

This early Dedham Pottery plate having a repeating cat border went out at $3,600 plus the buyer’s premium in April 2023. Image courtesy of Marion Antique Auctions and LiveAuctioneers.

While nature-inspired designs comprised the bulk of the 50-odd offerings issued by Dedham Pottery, those with historical themes were issued infrequently, making them prizes today. One such example is a 10in Dedham Pottery Mayflower plate, depicting the famous ship seen from its stern. It brought $4,000 plus the buyer’s premium at Eldred’s in April 2023.

A 10in Dedham Pottery Mayflower plate brought $4,000 plus the buyer’s premium in April 2023. Image courtesy of Eldred’s and LiveAuctioneers.

In addition to the cobalt tableware that most people associate with Dedham Pottery, Robertson’s so-called ‘experimental’ glazed vases, which have a totally different aesthetic, are cherished by collectors. “Dedham also made art pottery, which doesn’t look anything like the typical things you look at there,” McNamee said. “They had the oxblood glaze on it, and that brings some substantial money.” Indeed, Dedham Pottery was the first American firm to specialize in what it dubbed art pottery. Its lustrous and high-sheen art vases, all hand-thrown and featuring volcanic glazes, have sometimes been likened to Jackson Pollock paintings. A Robertson Dedham Pottery vase with volcanic glaze that is highly textural and mottled in appearance brought $13,000 plus the buyer’s premium in February 2023 at Rago Arts and Auction Center.

This Dedham Pottery vase with volcanic glaze brought $13,000 plus the buyer’s premium in February 2023. Image courtesy of Rago Arts and Auction Center and LiveAuctioneers.

Developing glazes was a challenging process for Robertson. His dedication to mastering a deep red oxblood glaze originally known as sang de boeuf, which started appearing on Chinese ceramics in the 18th century, was a white whale for him, of sorts. In 1889, one month after achieving the feat, he was forced to declare the aforementioned bankruptcy and close Chelsea Keramic Art Works. But a group of Boston arts patrons, including Arthur Astor Carey and Alexander Wadsworth Longfellow Jr., helped him his return to business. Their support ultimately led to the birth of Dedham Pottery.

An alternative view of the Dedham Pottery oxblood vase that earned $2,400 plus the buyer’s premium in June 2018. Image courtesy of Humler & Nolan and LiveAuctioneers.

One of Robertson’s oxblood vases, standing a mere 5 ⅜in tall, modestly exceeded its $1,200-$1,500 estimate when it earned $2,400 plus the buyer’s premium at Humler & Nolan in June 2018. While that oxblood vase has an overall red tone, others sported multiple colors, such as a green and red example that realized $2,000 plus the buyer’s premium in March 2024 at California Historical Design.

This Hugh Robertson oxblood vase for Dedham Pottery, sporting green and red tones, realized $2,000 plus the buyer’s premium in March 2024. Image courtesy of California Historical Design and LiveAuctioneers.

Dedham Pottery’s modern-meets-traditional aesthetic helps it harmonize with country Americana collections and suit the tastes of those who collect period formal furniture. From its signature blue-and-white crackleware to its daring volcanic and oxblood glazes, Dedham Pottery has something to please all tastes.

Hermann Historica returns with powerful series of auctions May 7-16

Circa-1560-1600 Nuremberg, Germany suit of black and white cavalry armor, assembled from old components, estimated at €11,000-€22,000 ($11,760-$23,525) at Hermann Historica on May 16.

MUNICH, Germany – Hermann Historica greets spring with a slate of May sales spanning Tuesday, May 7 to Thursday, May 16 that cover a wide range of categories, from antiquities to military medals to collectible firearms to antique suits of armor. The catalogs are now open for review and bidding at LiveAuctioneers.

Prominent among the lots in the house’s Orders and Military Collectibles Until 1918 auction on Tuesday, May 7 is a large circa-1850 amphora-form vase by the Royal Porcelain Factory in Berlin, the initials of which translate to KPM. Centered on one side is a half-length portrait of King Wilhelm I of Württemberg, a then-independent region in what is now southern Germany. The coat of arms of the royal house of Württemberg appears on the other side of the splendid vase, which is estimated at €8,000-€16,000 ($8,560-$17,115).

An unmistakable prize in the Friday, May 10 Orders and Military Collectibles from 1919 sale, and the Hermann Historica May 2024 auction series overall, is an Enigma G cipher machine from the German Intelligence Service, known as Abwehr. Enigma machines have been auction darlings for years now, and many command sums in the high five-figure and the six-figure range. This one, number G 193, which the house describes as ‘The rarest Enigma model in good, untouched condition’, should generate serious interest. Of the 350 machines produced, 20 survive. The Hermann Historica Enigma G carries an estimate of €90,000-€180,000 ($96,285-$192,575).

Charging to the front of the lineup of the Tuesday, May 14 Works of Art, Antiquities & Ancient Art sale is a 4th century BC bronze helmet decorated with an image of ram’s horns and having U-shaped cheek pieces. It was made in the northern Black Sea area and sports a gorgeous dark green patina. Its estimate is €12,000-€24,000 ($12,840-$25,685).

The Fine Antique and Modern Firearms, Part I sale set for Wednesday, May 15 features a model 1891 Laumann system repeating pistol estimated at €15,000-€30,000 ($16,050-$32,105). The Laumann 1891 is considered by some historians as the first semi-automatic pistol, and the one to be presented at Hermann Historica comes with a copy of the gun’s construction drawings. The lot notes, which describe it as an ‘ultra-rare collector’s item’, also state: ‘There is no doubt that this gun was designed by Josef Laumann. The level of involvement of his financiers, the Schönberger brothers, is unknown.’

Thursday, May 16 concludes the May 2024 Hermann Historica series with two auctions on that date. Commencing at 1 pm Eastern time is Fine Antique and Modern Firearms, Part II, which is distinguished by a circa-1650 deluxe wheellock rifle with silver and mother-of-pearl inlays. Made in Vienna for Ferdinand III of Austria, the extremely elaborate embellishments reflect the work of the artisan known as the Master of the Animal-Head Scroll. An example of the unnamed 17th-century gunsmith’s oeuvre is in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. This firearm has an estimate of €35,000-€70,000 ($37,430-$74,860).

Completing the parade of delights is Hermann Historica’s Antique Arms and Armour auction, which begins at 4 pm Eastern time. It is highlighted by a circa-1560-1600 Nuremberg suit of black and white cavalry armor, assembled from old components and estimated at €11,000-€22,000 ($11,760-$23,525).

Circa-1560-1600 Nuremberg, Germany suit of black and white cavalry armor, assembled from old components, estimated at €11,000-€22,000 ($11,760-$23,525) at Hermann Historica on May 16.

Circa-1850 large KPM porcelain vase with a portrait of King Wilhelm I of Württemberg, estimated at €8,000-€16,000 ($8,560-$17,115) at Hermann Historica on May 7.

Enigma G cipher machine from the German Intelligence Service (Abwehr), one of just 20 known surviving examples, estimated at €90,000-€180,000 ($96,285-$192,575) at Hermann Historica on May 10.

Bronze helmet decorated with an image of ram’s horns, made in the 4th century BC in the northern Black Sea area, estimated at €12,000-€24,000 ($12,840-$25,685) at Hermann Historica on May 14.

Laumann system repeating pistol, model 1891, designed by Josef Laumann, estimated at €15,000-€30,000 ($16,050-$32,105) at Hermann Historica on May 15.

Circa-1650 deluxe wheellock rifle with silver and mother-of-pearl inlays, made for Ferdinand III of Austria and featuring embellishments by the artisan known as the Master of the Animal-Head Scroll, estimated at €35,000-€70,000 ($37,430-$74,860) at Hermann Historica on May 16.

Sheila Gibson Stoodley

Sheila Gibson Stoodley is the associate editor for Auction Central News. She has written and edited for Robb Report, Art & Antiques magazine, and Andrew Harper online. She also authored The Hot Bid, a blog devoted to intriguing and delightful lots coming up at auction.

Harry Winston jewelry from the estate of a Baroness sparkles at Roland New York May 4

Harry Winston Diamond, Emerald-Simulant, and Gold Necklace, estimated at $60,000-$80,000 at Roland NY.

GLEN COVE, NY — Baroness Gabriele Langer von Langendorff was no stranger to the spotlight — or controversy — during her storied life as a New York socialite. Von Langendorff owned a fortune in Harry Winston jewelry, much of it given to her by beguiled suitors. She passed away in the summer of 2023, and a number of items from her estate will come to market at Roland New York on Saturday, May 4 as part of the house’s May 2024 Estates Sale, the catalog for which is now open for bidding and review at LiveAuctioneers.

Born in an undetermined year, she was raised in both Germany and The Netherlands and emigrated to to the United States after World War II. She began her social climb in the early 1960s when she married William Klopman, the founder of Burlington Textiles. He was a pioneer in the booming postwar synthetic fabric industry and, as a consequence, was beyond wealthy. So taken with his new wife was he that he built the 40-acre Villa Riele estate on the shore of Lloyd Harbor in Long Island, New York. Langer’s jewelry collection got off to a splashy start when Klopman purchased for her the fabled 77-carat Lesotho Diamond from Harry Winston. (The other half of the original jewel ended up with Elizabeth Taylor, herself no stranger to both high-end jewelry and controversy.)

Klopman passed away in 1974, and Langer didn’t miss a beat, marrying her late husband’s longtime friend, a perfume manufacturer known as ‘Baron’ Peter Langer ‘von Langendorff’ (he was neither nobility nor a von Langendorff, but adopted the title and surname as part of a professional nom de plume). Langer is best remembered as the creator of White Shoulders perfume, a popular postwar brand that he and his first wife dreamed up.

Gabriele went on to lead a jet-set lifestyle in New York, Palm Beach, and Monaco. Her clothes and jewels – she favored extravagant emeralds that complemented her red hair – were featured in society columns around the world. She maintained a lifelong friendship with Harry Winston, who helped create many of the items in her collection.

Alton S. Tobey (1914-2005) is best remembered as a muralist (he did WPA post office murals early in his career), but at some point he received a commission to paint a portrait of Gabriela. Resplendent wearing a huge emerald necklace and Harry Winston diamond earrings, she is depicted sitting regally before a window that likely overlooks Villa Riele’s gardens. The painting is estimated at $3,000-$5,000.

And those very same Harry Winston earrings she wears in the Tobey portrait are also included in the sale. Designed to resemble doorknockers, the pair is set with 182 round brilliant-cut diamonds, has been tested for 18K gold, and is estimated at $30,000-$35,000.

Gabriela’s Harry Winston diamond, emerald-simulant, and gold necklace features a foliate design. The band has graduating pendants set with a whopping 886 round brilliant-cut diamonds and a simulated emerald. The piece is accompanied by a photo image from the Harry Winston archives, and it has an estimate of $60,000-$80,000.

This Harry Winston pendant necklace features 151 round- and pear-shaped brilliant-cut diamonds and square- and baguette-cut sapphires. The pendant is detachable, and, like most pieces in the sale, comes with its signed Harry Winston box. It is estimated at $30,000-$40,000.

The final preview highlight is a Jacques Timey for Harry Winston pair of diamond, emerald, and gold earrings. Set with 146 round brilliant-cut diamonds totaling approximately 10.50 carats, the pair includes a maker’s mark for Jacques Timey. With a signed Harry Winston box, the pair is estimated at $15,000-$20,000.

Alton S. Tobey, portrait of Baroness Gabriele Langer von Langendorff, estimated at $3,000-$5,000 at Roland NY.

Harry Winston Diamond and Gold Earrings, estimated at $30,000-$35,000 at Roland NY.

Harry Winston Diamond, Emerald-Simulant, and Gold Necklace, estimated at $60,000-$80,000 at Roland NY.

Jacques Timey for Harry Winston Diamond and Emerald Earrings, estimated at $15,000-$20,000 at Roland NY.

Jacques Timey for Harry Winston Pendant Necklace, estimated at $30,000-$40,000 at Roland NY.

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.

Jean Paul Riopelle’s ‘Untitled (Abstract)’ leads our five auction highlights

‘Untitled (Abstract)’ by Jean Paul Riopelle, which hammered for $18,000 and sold for $23,040 at Rachel Davis Fine Arts on March 23.

CLEVELAND, OH – The March 23 sale at Rachel Davis Fine Arts included a small but prime-period mixed media work on paper by Canadian artist Jean Paul Riopelle (1923-2002). Untitled (Abstract), measuring slightly more than 6 by 11in, was signed and dated 1955 – the moment when Riopelle embraced abstraction and developed his ‘mosaic’ technique. This particular work, which has been authenticated by Yseult Riopelle and included in the artist’s catalogue raisonné, was also included in the solo exhibition Riopelle held at the Gimpel Fils Gallery in London in 1956. Entered for sale from a private collection in Cleveland, Ohio with a modest estimate of $800-$1,200, it hammered at $18,000 and sold for $23,040 with buyer’s premium to a LiveAuctioneers bidder.

MARLBOROUGH, MA – The invention of the megalethoscope by the Swiss-Italian optician and photographer Carlo Ponti greatly enhanced the experience of viewing photographs. Unveiled at the International Exhibition in 1862, the device created the illusion of both perspective and day and night. To view a photograph in daylight, doors with attached mirrors were opened to reflect sunlight onto the photograph. By closing the door and placing an oil lamp behind the image, the scenes appeared as nocturnes.

This deluxe megalethoscope in a Renaissance revival walnut and ebonized case previously belonged to the New England industrialist Lucius Bowles Darling, owner of the Pawtucket, Rhode Island Music Hall. Darling and his and wife embarked on a Grand Tour circa 1878, when this piece was purchased. It was sold by Bonhams Skinner in an online sale that closed on March 20 together with the original itemized invoice from Carlo Ponti of Venice, dated July 30, 1878 for 764 lire. The auctioneer thought it might bring $10,000-$15,000, but it sold at $9,000 ($11,520 with buyer’s premium).

Set of 18th-century Spanish Colonial School allegories of the four continents, which hammered for $29,000 and sold for $36,250 with buyer’s premium at South Bay Auctions on March 20.

EAST MORICHES, NY – Leading South Bay Auctions’ March 20 sale was this set of 18th-century Spanish Colonial School canvases. Allegories of ‘the Four Continents’ – Africa, Asia, Europe, and America – became a visual staple of Western art in the 18th century. Florentine explorer Amerigo Vespucci’s revelation that the Americas were a unique continent was a key development in the European view of the world.

Pictures such as this are very much a product of colonialism. Condensing the vast scope of global cultures within a single glance makes their iconography anachronistic at best. But this was a very decorative set that gained something from its relatively naïve execution and untouched condition. Together estimated at $600-$800, they hammered for $29,000 ($36,250 with buyer’s premium).

‘The Rapid’ wheat shock loader salesman sample, which hammered for $14,750 and sold for $17,700 with buyer’s premium at Chupp Auctions March 22.

SHIPSHEWANA, IN – In 1904, William B. Penrose was granted a United States patent (no. 792,549A) for a shock or grain loader, a first-of-its-kind mechanical device designed to pick up cut ‘hay or like field crops with conveyor belts or conveyor chains, with or without pick-up means.’ As hay and wheat harvesting was still accomplished with horse-drawn equipment, Penrose’s innovation was on the cusp of the mechanized agricultural revolution in the United States, and would lead to huge harvesting productivity gains.

On March 22, Chupp Auctions featured a collection of salesman’s samples – miniaturized versions of large-scale equipment for on-site demonstration purposes to prospective clients. In most cases fully operational, these miniatures were easily transported by sales professionals and are highly sought after by collectors today.

This ‘The Rapid’ wheat shock loader salesman’s sample topped the category at Chupp’s 4-Day Auction. Starting at $100, the lot underwent 84 progressively higher bids until it hammered for an astounding $14,750 ($17,700 with buyer’s premium).

Anthony Daniels Collection C3PO costume head from ‘Return of the Jedi,’ which hammered for $675,000 and sold for $877,500 with buyer’s premium at Propstore March 12.

VALENCIA, CA – The screen-worn and -matched light-up C3PO costume head worn by English actor Anthony Daniels (b. 1946-) in 1983’s Return of the Jedi hammered for $675,000 ($877,500 with buyer’s premium) at Propstore’s March 12 sale. The weathered head was estimated at $500,000-$1 million, came directly from Daniels’ personal collection, and had been widely photographed and displayed by Daniels at conventions worldwide.

Beyond the Daniels provenance, Propstore officials painstakingly went frame by frame through the film and matched it to several scenes in the Endor sequence, including when Luke Skywalker reunites with the group after his speeder bike chase, and as the rebels scout out and approach the shield reactor. It matches through distinct markings on the right side of C3PO’s outer perimeter ring.

Loosely based on the robot from Fritz Lang’s 1927 science fiction masterpiece Metropolis, the final C3PO head design was executed by Liz Moore for Lucasfilm, producer of the Star Wars franchise at the time. Daniels has owned the prop since then, and decided to send it to market, where it performed admirably.

Edgar Payne and Irv Wyner works star at Moran’s California & Fine Art sale May 7

Edgar Payne, 'Indian Riders,' estimated at $150,000-$200,000 at John Moran.

MONROVIA, CA — Six works by California landscape artist Edgar Payne and three by Warner Bros. animation background artist Irv Wyner lead the 141-lot California & Fine Art sale scheduled for May 7. The complete catalog is now available for review and bidding at LiveAuctioneers.

Edgar Payne (1882-1947) is best known for his Impressionistic landscapes created in the plein-air style. Payne routinely took pack horses to the upper lakes of the Sierra Nevada mountains in east-central California, one of which is now named in his honor. For decades, Payne’s works have hung in prestigious museums and private collections worldwide.

Indian Riders is a highly impressionistic take of two braves on horseback set against a majestic, cloudly sky and desert buttes. Measuring 25 by 30in and gilt framed, the signed oil on canvas is estimated at $150,000-$200,000, making it the sale’s top lot.

Though he likely toiled in obscurity for years prior, Irv Wyner (1904-2002) received his first screen credit as a background artist for Gift Wrapped, a 1952 Sylvester & Tweety animated short produced by the Warner Bros. animation unit headed up by Friz Freleng (1905-1995). It was Freleng who would later create the pioneering 1960s Pink Panther shorts for MGM through his DePatie-Freleng Enterprises partnership with David DePatie (1929-2021), one of the longest-serving executives in Warner Bros. animation history.

Largely unsung in popular culture (except by animation cel collectors), background artists had an incredibly important role in early animation, creating the overall look and feel for the animation that would be overlaid. Wyner’s works in the Moran sale reflect his decades of background work. All three acrylic-on-board works — Light and Shadows – Farm Scene, Country Farm and Farm Scene in Green — all look like they jumped out of a classic Looney Tunes short. Though Moran dates Light and Shadows to 1970 and the other two remain undated, the works are probably from the later years of Wyner’s life, when former Disney and Warner Bros. animation artists sought to monetize their skills in the burgeoning animation collecting markets of the 1980s and 1990s.

Edgar Payne, 'Indian Riders,' estimated at $150,000-$200,000 at John Moran.

Irv Wyner, 'Light and Shadows - Farm Scene,' estimated at $1,000-$2,000 at John Moran.

Irv Wyner, 'Farm Scene in Green,' estimated at $1,000-$2,000 at John Moran.

Irv Wyner, 'Country Farm,' estimated at $1,000-$2,000 at John Moran.

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.

Heritage adds sparkle to its Spring Fine Jewelry auction May 6

Diamond and gold ring, estimated at $150,000-$200,000 at Heritage.

DALLAS — Heritage Auctions‘ first jewelry sale for 2024 is scheduled for Monday, May 6. Slightly more than 400 lots of brooches, bracelets, necklaces, rings, and earrings are all on offer, with the catalog now available for review and bidding at LiveAuctioneers.

The sale’s top-estimated lot is a diamond and gold ring with GIA Type IIa stones. They include an oval-shaped diamond weighing 5.01 carats and full-cut diamonds weighing a total of approximately 0.30 carat. Made from 18K gold, the ring’s overall weight is 5.46 grams and is a resizable 3-3/4. It is estimated to bring $150,000-$200,000.

Also leading the sale is a Burmese sapphire, emerald, and white gold ring. The sapphire weighs 17.61 carats while the oval-shape emeralds are 5.70 carats, and the full-cut diamonds weigh 2.35 carats. Fashioned from 18K white gold, the ring’s overall weight is 17.2 grams. It is a resizable 7-1/4 and is estimated at $80,000-$100,000.

Estimated at $30,000-$50,000 is a Verdura Maltese cross diamond, multi-stone, enamel, and gold bracelet. It features full-cut diamonds weighing a total of approximately 0.40 carat, accompanied by a square-cut peridot and four amethysts.

Close behind at $20,000-$30,000 is a Pasquale Bruni Prato Fiorito collection diamond and white gold bracelet. It has full-cut diamonds weighing a total of 20 carats set in 18K white gold. Its overall weight is 77.2 grams.

Diamond and gold ring, estimated at $150,000-$200,000 at Heritage.

Burmese sapphire, emerald, and white gold ring, estimated at $80,000-$100,000 at Heritage.

Verdura Maltese cross diamond, multi-stone, enamel, and gold bracelet, estimated at $30,000-$50,000 at Heritage.

Pasquale Bruni Prato Fiorito collection diamond and gold bracelet, estimated at $20,000-$30,000 at Heritage.

Jar gold and aluminum earrings, estimated at $8,000-$10,000 at Heritage.

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.

Gustav Klimt’s copy of a Rubens masterpiece secured $30K at A.B. Levy

Gustav Klimt’s 1880 watercolor copy of Rubens’ ‘The Triumph of Truth’, which sold for $24,000 ($30,000 with buyer’s premium) at A.B. Levy on March 28.

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – Like all artists born in the 19th century, Gustav Klimt (1862-1918) underwent a traditional academic training, studying at the Vienna Kunstgewerbeschule (now the University of Applied Arts, Vienna) from 1876 to 1883. In the years before the birth of Vienna Secessionism in 1897, he revered Vienna’s foremost history painter, Hans Makart, and enjoyed a successful decade as a painter of architectural decorations in a conventional manner.

The 2ft 11in by 13in watercolor on paper offered by A. B. Levy in its March 28 sale is a copy of Peter Paul Rubens’ The Triumph of Truth. The original work, from a series of the Life of Maria de Medici, is now in the Louvre. Klimt signed and dated it 1880, meaning he was 18 or 19 at the time.

In commercial terms, the works he produced in this period garner a mere shadow of the sums commanded by works in his best-known style. This work, with a provenance including the Hungarian-American film industry executive William Fox (1876-1952), was last sold in Florida in April 2018 at Auction Gallery of the Palm Beaches when it attained $18,000. This time out, estimated at $7,000-$9,000, it hammered for $24,000 ($30,000 with buyer’s premium).

Gustav Klimt’s 1880 watercolor copy of Rubens’ ‘The Triumph of Truth’, which sold for $24,000 ($30,000 with buyer’s premium) at A.B. Levy on March 28.

Detail of Gustav Klimt’s 1880 watercolor copy of Rubens’ ‘The Triumph of Truth’, which sold for $24,000 ($30,000 with buyer’s premium) at A.B. Levy on March 28.

Detail of the signature on Gustav Klimt’s 1880 watercolor copy of Rubens’ ‘The Triumph of Truth’, which sold for $24,000 ($30,000 with buyer’s premium) at A.B. Levy on March 28.

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.

Madeleine Albright’s collection, including many of her celebrated pins, shine at Freeman’s Hindman May 7

Sheila Gibson Stoodley

19th Century Arctic map annotated by Scottish explorer John Rae sold way beyond estimate at Cheffins

Roland Arkell

American, European, and Asian arts and antiques from single-owner collection grace Tremont May 5

Roland Arkell

Dedham Pottery founder’s obsession with glazes led to glory

Hermann Historica returns with powerful series of auctions May 7-16

Sheila Gibson Stoodley

Harry Winston jewelry from the estate of a Baroness sparkles at Roland New York May 4

Jim Bunte

Jean Paul Riopelle’s ‘Untitled (Abstract)’ leads our five auction highlights

Jean Paul Riopelle, ‘Untitled (Abstract)’, $23,040

Amegalethoscope by Carlo Ponti, $11,520

Spanish Colonial School Set of Allegories of the Four Continents, $36,250

‘The Rapid’ Wheat Shock Loader Salesman’s Sample, $17,700

Light-Up C3PO Costume Head Worn by Anthony Daniels in ‘Return of the Jedi,’ $877,500

Edgar Payne and Irv Wyner works star at Moran’s California & Fine Art sale May 7

Jim Bunte

Heritage adds sparkle to its Spring Fine Jewelry auction May 6

Jim Bunte

Gustav Klimt’s copy of a Rubens masterpiece secured $30K at A.B. Levy

Roland Arkell

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