EDINBURGH, UK – This enamel and copper triptych is the unmistakable work of Phoebe Anna Traquair (1873-1936), an important member of the Arts and Crafts movement in Edinburgh and the first woman to be given honorary membership in the Scottish Royal Academy, in 1920. She is considered one of few late Victorian women who managed to balance traditional family responsibilities with a successful recognized artistic career.
Enameling was her specialty. This devotional triptych, dated 1906, is one of four known (another is in the Victoria & Albert Museum). The enameled scenes represent ‘Love, Comforter of the Night’, flanked by ‘Evening’ and ‘Morning’, all of which Traquair also produced as single enamels set as pendants. The text is taken from the psalms.
As part of Lyon & Turnbull’s Design Since 1860 sale on Wednesday, April 17 and Thursday, April 18, it has an estimate of £6,000-£8,000 ($7,545-$10,060).
NEW YORK – René Lalique had already enjoyed a hugely successful career as a jewelry designer in the Art Nouveau taste before he ventured into glass manufacture and Art Deco. The Thursday, April 18 sale of Important Jewelry at Doyle New York includes two fine examples of his craft from around 1900.
Pictured is a platinum, rock crystal, moonstone and diamond garland brooch centered by an intaglio carving of a nude woman framed by a twisted furled scarf. A similar example dating to circa 1903-05 is shown in Sigrid Barten’s book René Lalique, Schmuck und Objets D’art 1890-1910. It appears in the sale lineup in its original box with an estimate of $15,000-$20,000.
A second piece of Lalique jewelry, a gold, plique-à-jour enamel, and diamond Femme Papillon brooch, is estimated at $20,000-$30,000.
HEILBRONN, Germany – Dr. Fischer Fine Art Auctions is a specialist in European glass. Its Friday, April 19 sale of European Glass and Studio Glass includes a number of 19th-century paperweights by the great French factories, with this Baccarat ‘closepack’ paperweight estimated at €500-€600 ($540-$645).
Baccarat made its first millefiori paperweights around 1846, with many examples including a date cane in the design. This 2in (5cm) weight has the signature rod B 1847.
PHILADELPHIA – The early 20th century was the heyday of American circus industry, having begun in the late 19th with pioneers such as P. T. Barnum and the Ringling Brothers. This was the pre-television age and the early days of radio entertainment, so a Saturday visit to the traveling circus was a routine event for many families across the country.
Always central to the humorous part of any circus is the clown. Performing in a buffoonish manner was key to the show, and these oversized roller skates would have been just the ticket to elicit a laugh from the crowd. Dated to the 1930s by Material Culture, the skates are made from black and brown leather and feature wooden wheels held to their axles by cotter pins. The skates are estimated at $750-$1,000 at Material Culture’s Spring Forward sale scheduled for Tuesday, April 16.
VALENCIA, Calif. – Ian Fleming (1908-1964) may have come from an upper-class background, as the child of a Member of Parliament, but his life took a dramatic turn when his father perished on the Western Front in 1917. Educated at Eton, Fleming served in British Naval Intelligence throughout World War II, participating in the planning of Operation Golden Eye and overseeing two intelligence units. His wartime experience provided him unparalleled insight into the world of espionage, which would inform his career change when he decided to become a writer.
Casino Royale was released in 1953, when Fleming was 44 years of age. It was an immediate hit that went into additional printings, with readers wowed by the charm and daring of British secret service agent 007, James Bond. In all, Fleming would pen 12 Bond novels, with two being released after his death in 1964 from a lifetime of drinking and smoking.
This British quad (30 by 40in) for the second United Artists James Bond film From Russia With Love, dates to 1963 and features artwork by Renato Fratini and Eric Pulford. It is widely considered one of the best promotional depictions of actor Sean Connery in the role of 007, and as such commands high value in the collector market. British quads, which are the standard one-sheet format for the United Kingdom, are increasingly popular with American collectors, primarily because their artwork is often superior to that used in US promotional materials.
Propstore brings the quad to market on Day 1 of its two-day Thursday, April 18 and Friday, April 19 sale. In fine original condition showing only fold lines, the poster is estimated at $6,000-$12,000.
