Raquel Welch film premiere- and photo shoot-worn squash blossom necklace blows out estimates at $195K at Julien’s

Raquel Welch film premiere- and photo shoot-worn squash blossom necklace, which sold for $150,000 ($195,000 with buyer's premium) at Julien's.

GARDENA, Calif. – Raquel Welch’s Myra Breckenridge (1970) film premiere- and photo shoot-worn turquoise and silver squash blossom necklace skyrocketed past its modest $1,000-$2,000 estimate to hammer for $150,000 ($195,000 with buyer’s premium) at Julien’s Auctions’ April 12 ‘Bombshell’ event dispersing items from the late actress and model’s estate. Complete sale results are now available at LiveAuctioneers.

Designed in the style developed by the Navajo and adopted by other Southwestern tribes including the Zuni and Hopi, the sterling silver hollow bead necklace features a large horseshoe-shaped naja pendant of similar design. It measures 23.75 inches, weighs 134.50 grams, and is marked Sadie Ortiz.

Market demand continues to climb for squash blossom necklaces, with the documented Welch example likely setting a new record, though unconfirmed.

Julien’s reports the 464-lot sale had 100% sellthrough with the sale exceeding $1 million. In addition, as expected, all of Welch’s (1940-2023) film- and stage-worn costumes sold well above their estimates.

Raquel Welch film premiere- and photo shoot-worn squash blossom necklace, which sold for $150,000 ($195,000 with buyer's premium) at Julien's.

Raquel Welch film premiere- and photo shoot-worn squash blossom necklace, which sold for $150,000 ($195,000 with buyer's premium) at Julien's.

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.

Charting the Past: Exclusive Antique Maps show the way to Jasper52 April 24

London Passenger Transport Board - Underground Railways of London, estimated at $2,000-$2,500 at Jasper52.

NEW YORK — Embark on a visual odyssey through England of the 19th and 20th century with Jasper52‘s Charting the Past: Exclusive Antique Maps sale taking place Wednesday, April 24 at 8 pm Eastern time, exclusively at LiveAuctioneers.

Created and printed by David Burley in 1950, this map of East Kent pub ‘inn-signias’ charts dozens of heralds adorning popular drinking establishments. Inn-Signia of Whitbread Houses in East Kent measures 22.25 by 32.25in and carries a $2,000-$2,500 estimate.

London and its environs – levels taken by order of the Commissioners of Sewers is a circa-1850 map charting the greater London area for use by the Metropolitan Commission of Sewers, which had been formed in 1848. The map shows both Battersea Park and Waterloo Station, which both date to that year. The 42.25 by 51.5in map is estimated at $5,000-$6,000.

Dating to 1933, London Passenger Transport Board – Underground Railways of London charts the extensive London Underground subway system at the time of its printing. Measuring 5.5 by 7.75in, the map is estimated at $2,000-$2,500.

Inn-Signia of Whitbread Houses in East Kent, estimated at $2,000-$2,500 at Jasper52.

Inn-Signia of Whitbread Houses in East Kent, estimated at $2,000-$2,500 at Jasper52.

London and its environs - levels taken by order of the Commissioners of Sewers, estimated at $6,000-$6,000 at Jasper52.

London and its environs - levels taken by order of the Commissioners of Sewers, estimated at $6,000-$6,000 at Jasper52.

London Passenger Transport Board - Underground Railways of London, estimated at $2,000-$2,500 at Jasper52.

London Passenger Transport Board - Underground Railways of London, estimated at $2,000-$2,500 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.

Early Artus Van Briggle chalice and vase aim for new heights at Rago April 24

Artus Van Briggle for Van Briggle Pottery, chalice (toast cup), estimated at $25,000-$35,000 at Rago.

LAMBERTVILLE, N.J. – Two Artus Van Briggle works come to market at Rago at its Wednesday, April 24 American & European Art Pottery sale. Given the performance in January at Rago’s Early 20th Century design sale of the Artus Van Briggle Despondency vase, which achieved a staggering $104,800 with buyer’s premium, expectations are high for both items, though one is disproportionately valued when compared to the other. The complete catalog is now open for bidding at LiveAuctioneers.

Born in the Netherlands, Artus Van Briggle relocated from Paris to Colorado Springs, Colorado in 1899, which may have been the period’s biggest cultural shock experience ever recorded. Van Briggle had been a successful painter, but he sought a different direction – pottery – and with the Art Nouveau movement flourishing, he soon assumed a leadership role through his new firm, Van Briggle Pottery, founded in 1901 and which survives to this day.

This ‘early and rare toast cup’, or chalice, is dated to 1902, marking it as one of the first waves of product to emerge from the nascent firm. Made of glazed earthenware and measuring 11.25in high by 7.5in wide with a 7in diameter, the work features an underwater motif with a mermaid, and its base is marked Van Briggle 1902 AA III. Beautiful in design, Rago has estimated it at a modest $25,000-$35,000.

Another 1902-dated item is the Van Briggle Pottery four-color vase with columbine. Also glazed earthenware, it stands 10.25in high with a 4in diameter. Its base is marked AA Van Briggle 1902 III 25, and it carries a more affordable estimate of $5,000-$7,000.

Artus Van Briggle for Van Briggle Pottery, chalice (toast cup), estimated at $25,000-$35,000 at Rago.

Artus Van Briggle for Van Briggle Pottery, chalice (toast cup), estimated at $25,000-$35,000 at Rago.

Artus Van Briggle for Van Briggle Pottery, four-color vase with columbine, estimated at $5,000-$7,000 at Rago.

Artus Van Briggle for Van Briggle Pottery, four-color vase with columbine, estimated at $5,000-$7,000 at Rago.

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.

Michael Goldberg’s ‘Sad Street’ leads our five lots to watch

‘Sad Street’ by Michael Goldberg, estimated at $100,000-$150,000 at Freeman’s Hindman April 24.

Michael Goldberg, ‘Sad Street’

CHICAGO – Michael Goldberg (1924-2007) was a leading member of the Abstract Expressionist movement in New York. He was friends with Hans Hofmann, Jackson Pollock, Willem de Kooning, Joan Mitchell, and Helen Frankenthaler, and is best remembered for the gestural action paintings that defined his artistic career.

Goldberg earned a Bronze Star and a Purple Heart serving in both North Africa and the China-Burma-India theaters of World War II. His injuries lead to partial paralysis in his arm, for which the Veterans Administration recommended he pursue stone carving and sculpting as rehabilitation. This exposed him to elements of collage that would later become an integral part of his painting practice.

Sad Street is from 1958 and is considered a masterpiece of Goldberg’s output. Freeman’s Hindman describes it as “an expansively abstract work, all thickly applied dynamism and expressive brushwork, a brother to the Smithsonian’s Sardines.” The 60 by 54in oil on canvas appears as part of its Post War and Contemporary Art sale scheduled for Wednesday, April 24. It is estimated at $100,000-$150,000.

Circa-1937 ‘Shake a Leg’ Novelty Cocktail Shaker

‘Shake a Leg’ ruby glass and chrome plated novelty cocktail shaker, estimated at $1,500-$2,500 at Woody Auction on April 20.
‘Shake a Leg’ ruby glass and chrome plated novelty cocktail shaker, estimated at $1,500-$2,500 at Woody Auction on April 20.

DOUGLASS, Kan. – The Saturday, April 20 sale at Woody Auction titled Art Glass, Lamps, & Much More includes this ruby glass and chrome-plated novelty cocktail shaker. Dated circa 1937, the ‘Shake a Leg’ mixer was made for only a brief time by West Virginia Specialty Glass. This example, from the private collection of Frank and Melissa Keathley of Top Shelf Antiques of Texas, carries an estimate of $1,500-$2,500.

Samuel Morse-signed Carte De Visite

Signed Samuel Morse carte-de-visite, estimated at $800-$1,200 at Turner Auctions + Appraisals on April 21.
Signed Samuel Morse carte-de-visite, estimated at $800-$1,200 at Turner Auctions + Appraisals on April 21.
SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. – Turner Auctions + Appraisals will open A Secret Vault on Sunday, April 21. The sale features a selection of collectables recently rediscovered by the owners, a couple from Northern California, which were passed down from a family member. Housed in a storage vault in Wyoming were a cache of stamps, coins, and autographs, seemingly bought through the venerable British firm Stanley Gibbons (which is now part of the Strand Collectibles Group). The 95 lots include this carte-de-visite photograph of a bearded Samuel Morse (1791-1872) autographed on the verso in black fountain pen as ‘Saml. FB Morse’. It is estimated at $800-$1,200.

Earliest-known Miller's Reversible Minnow Lure with Picture Box

Miller's Artificial Baits For Game Fish Minnow lure with original box, estimated at $3,000-$4,000 at Blanchard’s Auction Service April 26.
Miller's Artificial Baits For Game Fish Minnow lure with original box, estimated at $3,000-$4,000 at Blanchard’s Auction Service April 26.

POTSDAM, N.Y. – Blanchard’s Auction Service brings 730 lots of antique angling gear to market Friday, April 26, including an early 1910s Miller’s Reversible Minnow with an incredibly scarce and clean picture box, estimated at $3,000-$4,000.

Marked ‘Miller’s Artificial Baits For Game Fish Minnow,’ the white pasteboard box features a crisp illustration of the lure and bears the words ‘Manufactured by Combo Engineering Co., Inc. Union Springs, N.Y.’

The 4 1/4in minnow features a slender wood body finished in yellow with hand-painted gold spots, fine through-body wire, and PAT. PEND.-marked brass and gunmetal reversible spinners, with Miller’s silver-washered screw eye rigging and the original barrel swivel.

Although most likely unfished, the lure has areas of uneven varnish and similar wear from decades of tackle box storage. The extraordinary and historically important box is solid, with some wear and soiling, and is one of the nicest examples of the few known to collectors. As described by the auctioneer, “Even for the most advanced lure collection, this combination would be considered the holy grail – you may never see another.”

Black-Figure Amphora Attributed to the Antimenes Painter

Black-figure amphora attributed to the Antimenes Painter, estimated at £45,000-£90,000 ($56,860-$113,720) at Apollo Art Auctions April 27.
Black-figure amphora attributed to the Antimenes Painter, estimated at £45,000-£90,000 ($56,860-$113,720) at Apollo Art Auctions April 27.

LONDON – The Antimenes Painter is a term used by archaeologists and historians to describe an unknown artisan who was active between 530 and 510 BC in the Etruria region of ancient Italy that spans portions of modern-day Tuscany, Lazio, and Umbria. At least 150 works are ascribed to him, with most found in Etruria, and it is believed he was employed in the art workshops of Andokides. His figural renderings mimic those of Psiax, who was active 525 to 505 BC.

Apollo Art Auctions specializes in fine antiquities with clear provenance. This black-figure two-handled amphora features a festive scene featuring Dionysus, the Greek god of wine. In the illustration, Dionysus can be seen holding his drinking cup (kantharos) and is surrounded by dancing companions, including a satyr and a maenad.

The amphora is described as being of exceptionally high quality and comes with an authentication certificate from the CIRAM laboratory in France, including a thermoluminescence test. It is also accompanied by a professional historical report from Ancient Report Specialists and has been fully cleared by the Art Loss Register. Estimated as the top lot in Apollo Art Auctions’ two-day Fine Ancient Art & Antiquities sale on Saturday, April 27 and Sunday, April 28, the Antimenes Painter amphora is estimated at £45,000-£90,000 ($56,860-$113,720).

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.