May 2024 – Page 7 – Auction Central News

Purchased in the early 1960s, Milton Avery’s ‘Red Rug’ unfurls at PBMA May 18

Milton Avery, 'Red Rug', estimated at $75,000-$125,000 at Palm Beach Modern Auctions.

LAKE WORTH BEACH, FL — Some time in the early 1960s, Mrs. Barbara Schlang of Palm Beach, Florida made the trek to New York City to the home of famed artists Milton (1885-1965) and Sally Michel Avery (1902-2003).

Sally Michel answered the door, and advised that Milton was not well and was resting. Mrs. Schlang stated she wanted to purchase a piece of art. Sally Michel went into a bedroom, selected Red Rug, and asked “Do you like this one?” Mrs. Schlang did, and departed with the work.

Now some 60 years later, Red Rug emerges from its private collection to cross the block at Palm Beach Modern Auctions Saturday, May 18, as a star lot in its Modern + Contemporary Art, Design & Luxury sale. The 511-lot catalog is ready for review and bidding at LiveAuctioneers.

The 19.25 by 15.25in oil on canvas board is signed and dated to 1958, and had originally been in the artist’s private collection. It comes to market with an estimate of $75,000-$125,000.

Arguably his most famous image, Woman in Chicken Hat was originally photographed by Irving Penn (1917-2009) using his wife Lisa Fonssagrives-Penn as the model in 1948 or 1949. This 26 by 22in platinum-palladium print on aluminum is number 15 from an edition of 20 released in 1983. It is signed by Penn and features a Conde Nast stamp for authenticity. Originally sold by the Hal Katzen Gallery of New York, it is estimated at $70,000-$90,000.

Milton Avery, 'Red Rug', estimated at $75,000-$125,000 at Palm Beach Modern Auctions.

Irving Penn, 'Woman in Chicken Hat', estimated at $70,000-$90,000 at Palm Beach Modern Auctions.

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.

WWI and WWII US government posters arrive at Eldred’s May 23

'Save Rubber' WWII Jeep poster, estimated at $250-$300 at Eldred's.

HANOVER, MA — More than 40 World War I and World War II posters issued by the United States federal government will come to auction at Eldred’s on Thursday, May 23 as part of its Collectibles sale. The complete catalog is now available for review at LiveAuctioneers.

Before the advent of broadcasting in the 1920s, the printed word was the leading form of communication. Participation in and support for wars across the Atlantic required the US government to rely on advertisements — primarily in the form of broadsheet posters, typically printed in four colors — to catch the attention of the populace. The classic Uncle Sam ‘I Want You’ design is a hallmark of this genre, which focuses on recruitment and solicitation for the purchase of governmental war bonds, drawing revenue from taxpayers to fund the war effort.

The sale’s top-estimated poster is Vive La France, a 27 by 39in linen-backed design by James Montgomery Flagg (1877-1960), who created the image of a pointing Uncle Sam on the aforementioned ‘I Want You’ poster. In this advertisement for an unknown American solidarity rally, American doughboys raise their ceremonial swords over a sword-wielding female figure who symbolizes France. It is estimated at $500-$1,000.

The governmental effort to coax women out of the home and into the workforce is best remembered through the Rosie the Riveter governmental propaganda posters of World War II, but the initiative had its origins in World War I. Every Girl Pulling for Victory is a design by Edward Penfield (1866-1925) for the United War Work Campaign, which began in 1918 with the armistice and sought to raise funds for the entertainment of American troops stationed in France to ensure the peace. Measuring 22 by 28in, the poster is estimated at $400-$600.

Resource scarcity and conservation were major propaganda themes in World War II. In Save Rubber Check Your Tires Now, commercial artist Walter Richards (1907-2006) admonishes the American citizenry “They’ve got more important places to go than you!” Then new, the Willys Jeep is a central focus, along with four GIs who Richards has oddly chosen to portray wearing World War I-era helmets. The 28 by 40in poster is estimated at $250-$300.

Continuing the push for women’s entry into the wartime economy is Enlist In A Proud Profession / Join the US Cadet Nurse Corps, a 28 by 20in poster itself created by a woman — Carolyn Moorhead Edmundson (1906-1992). Issued in 1944, late in the war, the artwork features a proud young woman sporting her military attire as she has earned “a lifetime education — free! (if you can qualify).” Its estimate is $100-$150.

'Vive La France' WWI poster, estimated at $500-$1,000 at Eldred's.

'Every Girl Pulling for Victory' WWI poster, estimated at $400-$600 at Eldred's.

'Save Rubber' WWII Jeep poster, estimated at $250-$300 at Eldred's.

'Enlist in a Proud Profession' WWII poster, estimated at $100-$150 at Eldred's.

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.

Mark Catesby’s Heath Hen and Eastern Shooting Star Hand-colored Engraving leads our five auction highlights

Mark Catesby’s Heath Hen and Eastern Shooting Star hand-colored engraving, which sold for $5,555 with buyer’s premium at Trillium on April 6.

FRANKLIN, TN – Mark Catesby (1683-1749) was born in England, but after traveling to South Carolina, he became America’s first naturalist and illustrator. A century before Audubon, he published the seminal Natural History of Carolina, Florida and the Bahama Islands: Containing the Figures of Birds, Beasts, Fishes, Serpents, Insects, and Plants, a comprehensive work and the first of its kind in the colonies.

A folio from the second printing, published in 1754 came to auction April 6 at Trillium Antique Prints & Rare Books as part of its Antique Maps & Prints sale. The hand-colored etching features a Heath Hen (also known as a Greater Prairie Chicken), a now-extinct species of bird native to South Carolina. Alongside the masterful rendering is an Eastern Shooting Star, a small, flowering plant also native to South Carolina.

As Trillium noted, ‘Engravers could not be afforded to get the work to print, so Catesby studied under Joseph Goupy where he learned how to etch the plates himself.’ The etching came with a solid $2,000-$4,000 estimate, but dozens of bids brought the final hammer to $5,050, or $5,555 with buyer’s premium.

WINCHESTER, VA – A telegram handed to General Ulysses S. Grant at the Philadelphia train station informing him of President Abraham Lincoln’s assassination hammered for $70,000 and sold for $91,000 with buyer’s premium March 30 at Early American History Auctions during its Autographs-Currency-Political-Americana sale.

The telegram reads:

Dated Wash(ington) 14 1865. — Red’d, Philadelphia (no time recorded)

To Lt Genl Grant — An attempt has been made tonight to assassinate the Presdt & secy Seward & has probably succeeded as both have been wounded suffered mortally – The Presidt was shot in Fords Theatre, this is for your information to put on your guard — (Signed) Jno (John) A(aron) Rawlins chf of staff

The lot had been generously estimated at $20,000-$40,000, but a fierce battle broke out among various LiveAuctioneers bidders, having vacated the in-house bids early on. The final $70,000 hammer came as nearly 50 bidders watched the lot.

‘View of the Courthouse’ by Charles Eugene Shannon, which sold for $14,300 with buyer’s premium at Revere Auctions on March 26.

ST. PAUL, MN – A late work by Charles Eugene Shannon (1914-1996) sold for $11,000 ($14,300 with buyer’s premium) against an estimate $2,000-$4,000 at Revere Auctions on March 26. Shannon, the leader of the New South group of white artists in Montgomery, Alabama, is best known for his portrayals of African American life in the rural South – and as the artist who ‘discovered’ fellow Montgomery artist Bill Traylor.

This 2ft 6in by 3ft 4in oil on canvas titled View of the Courthouse depicts African Americans on a hazy city street. Dated 1983, it was painted shortly after the retrospective exhibition Charles Shannon Painting and Drawing had traveled to six major southern museums. It was consigned from what the auction house called ‘a distinguished corporate collection in Minnesota’.

As a young man in 1939, Shannon encountered the 85-year-old Bill Traylor drawing outside a blacksmith shop in Montgomery. Shannon provided Traylor with encouragement and art supplies during the following three years and purchased, for modest prices, more than 1,200 works from Traylor.

Robert Onderdonk, ‘View of the San Pedro Creek (San Antonio, Texas)’, shown with its inscription from the artist’s daughter, which sold for $22,500 with buyer’s premium at Vogt Auction Texas on April 6.

SAN ANTONIO, TX – Robert Jenkins Onderdonk (1852-1917) is a king among historic Texas artists. Born in Maryland and relocating to the Lone Star State in 1878 after studying at the National Academy of Design and the Art Students League of New York, he started the first artist groups in Texas and has come to define Central Texas through his rich and generous interpretations of the state in the 19th century.

Vogt Auction Texas brought an Onderdonk watercolor landscape study to market at its Texas & Western Art sale on April 6. It was all the more appealing as the reverse included a handwritten note from his daughter, presenting View of the San Pedro Creek (San Antonio, Texas) as a gift, noting I am sure he would want you to have something. Estimated at $4,000-$5,000, the work skyrocketed to an $18,000 hammer and sold for $22,500 with buyer’s premium.

David Kracov’s ‘Book of Life” sculpture, which sold for $24,320 with buyer’s premium at Abell Auction on April 4.

LOS ANGELES – Born in 1968, David Kracov has lived an amazing life. Winning art competitions beginning at age 12, graduating from the prestigious Rhode Island School of Design, serving as an animator for Disney, Ralph Bakshi, and others, and helping to create timeless classics such as The Lion King, Aladdin, and Cool World.

Kracov began to sculpt in clay and later painted metal, for which he is now primarily known. He issues each design in limited editions, and all are highly sought by celebrities and private collectors alike.

Kracov’s Book of Life came for sale from a private Southern Californian collection at Abell Auction on April 4. Modestly estimated at just $1,000-$2,000, it hammered for $19,000 and sold for $24,320 with buyer’s premium after nearly two dozen competing bids from the floor and LiveAuctioneers.

Harry Davis-decorated Royal Worcester ‘polar bear’ vases prowl into Nadeau May 18

Royal Worcester vase and cover decorated with polar bears by Harry Davis, estimated at $10,000-$20,000 at Nadeau’s Auction Gallery.

WINDSOR, CT — A trio of Royal Worcester ‘polar bear’ vases decorated by Harry Davis will be offered in the Saturday, May 18 Annual Outdoor Mid-Century Auction at Nadeau’s Auction Gallery. Bidding for these vases, consigned as part of a New Jersey private collection, is available via LiveAuctioneers.

Of all the many subjects painted by Harry Davis during his long and celebrated tenure at the Royal Worcester factory, among the rarest and most desirable are his polar bears in Arctic landscapes.

A visit to London Zoo inspired this select range, which repurposed the matte-blue ground that Royal Worcester had long used for vases decorated with swans in flight by fellow artist-decorator Charles Baldwyn. In an interview late in life, Davis recalled painting ‘about 50’ polar bear vases, with most surviving examples dated to the years 1903 to 1905.

All three of the vases at Nadeau’s assume the same 16in form, the elaborate two-handled vase and cover known simply as model number 240989. Depicting subtlely different variations on the theme of polars bears on an ice floe, they carry estimates of $10,000-$20,000 each.

Harry Davis (1885-1970) is perhaps the most prominent of the artist-decorators who worked at Royal Worcester in its early 20th century peak. Worcester born and bred, he entered his local porcelain factory as an apprentice at the age of 13. He proved a remarkably versatile decorator, although he is best known as a painter of landscapes populated by sheep and highland cattle.

Royal Worcester vase and cover decorated with polar bears by Harry Davis, estimated at $10,000-$20,000 at Nadeau’s Auction Gallery.

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.

Rediscovered Herter Brothers mantel commands $152K at Moran

Herter Brothers Aesthetic movement mantel commissioned for Happy House, the Darius Ogden Mills residence in California, which sold for $120,000 ($152,000 including premium) at John Moran.

MONROVIA, CA — A rediscovered Herter Brothers mantel commissioned for Happy House, the Darius Ogden Mills residence in California, exceeded its expectations at John Moran. Estimated at $6,000-$8,000, it hammered for $120,000 ($152,000 including premium) on the second day of the April 9-10 sale titled Traditional Collector.

Although later converted into a sideboard with the addition of two locking cabinet doors and three shelves, period black-and-white photographs confirm this as the parcel-gilt, inlaid, and ebonized cherrywood mantel and fire surround from a first-floor bedroom of Happy House in Millbrae, near San Francisco. It is stamped twice with the words ‘Herter Bros.’, and it has a Happy House inventory mark in pencil on the back.

Darius Ogden Mills (1825-1910) was a prominent Gilded Age figure. Born into privilege, he ventured west in the gold rush years and invested in railroads, mining, and banking. For a while, he was known as California’s wealthiest citizen. It was on his estate near San Francisco that he built Happy House, a marvel of Italianate architecture designed by Diaper & Seltzer that was completed in 1871.

From floor to ceiling, the interiors of the house were entirely decorated by the Herter Brothers. Their initial endeavors embraced the Renaissance Revival style, but around 1880 it was redesigned in the prevailing Aesthetic taste. The two Anglo-Japanese bedroom suites supplied by Herter share the same lush and dense floral marquetry to those commissioned for the bedroom of the Vanderbilt residence on Fifth Avenue in New York. This mantel is thought to have been from the bedroom used by Mills’ wife Jane Templeton Cunningham. Despite its later additions, it was in overall good condition and could be returned to its former glory with relative ease.

Herter Brothers Aesthetic movement mantel commissioned for Happy House, the Darius Ogden Mills residence in California, which sold for $120,000 ($152,000 including premium) at John Moran.

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.

Portrait of Philip the Good did great at Bonhams, claiming $253K

Portrait of Philip the Good after Rogier van der Weyden, which sold for £203,200 ($253,000) with buyer’s premium at Bonhams.

LONDON – Although the original oil on wood panel is now lost, the portrait of Philip the Good (1396-1467), Duke of Burgundy, by the 15th-century Dutch painter Rogier van der Weyden, is known through workshop copies.

The circumstances of the commission are uncertain, but, as Philip III is portrayed as middle-aged, it may have been one half of a matrimonial diptych, meant to be hung alongside a portrait of his third wife, Isabella of Portugal. By this time, heavy drinking had taken its toll on Philip’s features, but van der Weyden elongated his face and dressed him in a magnificent gown and a jeweled collar with the insignia of the Order of the Golden Fleece.

The recorded workshop copies include pictures in Lille, France; Antwerp, Belgium; and Paris, with the best-known version in the Musée des Beaux-Arts in Dijon. The example in the British royal collection was first recorded in that of Henry VIII at Whitehall in 1542.

As Philip’s court was later regarded as the most splendid in medieval Europe, his portrait was also popular in later eras. A version dated to the late 17th century surfaced at Bonhams in Bond Street as part of the London sale of Old Master paintings on April 10. Consigned from a UK private collection with an estimate of just £4,000-£6,000 ($4,980-$7,470), it had enough quality to hammer for £160,000 ($199,300) and sell for £203,200 ($253,000) with buyer’s premium.

Portrait of Philip the Good after Rogier van der Weyden, which sold for £203,200 ($253,000) with buyer’s premium at Bonhams.

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.

Howard Pyle’s illustrations brought the drama

A history-themed painting by Howard Pyle, ‘Death of Montcalm’, achieved $77,000 plus the buyer’s premium in October 2023. Leading French troops against the British in Quebec, General Montcalm was fatally wounded by a musket and died in September 1759. Image courtesy of Bruneau & Co. Auctioneers and LiveAuctioneers.

NEW YORK – Long before television and movies, magazines provided entertainment and a welcome escape from reality. Appearing on the pages of magazines such as Harper’s Monthly and Collier’s, Howard Pyle’s illustrations of colorful characters transformed adventure stories, making them cinematic decades before movies existed.

“The broad appeal of Howard Pyle’s work is undeniable. Pyle mastered the execution of what he called the ‘supreme moment,’ or the exact point of tension in a scene, emphasizing anticipation and suspense,” said Skye Lacerte, an illustration art specialist at Swann Auction Galleries in New York City. “These supreme moments represent the kind of drama that is appealing to collectors. They allow the reader to experience a thrill without giving away the next part of the story.”

Howard Pyle’s flair for storytelling is on full display in this painting, published in 1912 in Harper’s Monthly and titled ‘It was a Comrade from His Own Regiment’. It brought $36,000 plus the buyer’s premium in July 2020. Image courtesy of Swann Auction Galleries and LiveAuctioneers.

Keeping effective storytelling as his focus, Pyle (1853-1911) created works such as the oil on canvas published in 1912 in Harper’s Monthly titled It was a Comrade from His Own Regiment. It sold for $36,000 plus the buyer’s premium in July 2020 at Swann Auction Galleries. Lacerte said this painting “recounts the moment a door is burst open by a booted foot, startling the Civil War soldier inside. The intruder stands in the doorway, in shadow from the light outside, physically blocking the injured soldier’s escape. His hand is poised on a gun, depicting the brief moment before an intense confrontation.”

‘Meeting of Captain Tollemache and Captain Pennington at the New York Arms’, rendered by Howard Pyle for an 1890 issue of Harper’s Monthly, went out at $32,000 plus the buyer’s premium in July 2020. Image courtesy of Swann Auction Galleries and LiveAuctioneers.

Collectors are also drawn to Pyle’s accurate portrayals of his subjects, which were the products of his extensive research of historic manuscripts, books, and European art. He was a gifted interpreter of American history, especially of cultural highlights and political clashes. For an 1890 issue of Harper’s Monthly, he referenced a famous 1777 tavern duel in Meeting of Captain Tollemache and Captain Pennington at the New York Arms, which secured $32,000 plus the buyer’s premium in July 2020 at Swann Auction Galleries. Lacerte explained how the picture deftly captures the immediate aftermath of a duel: “To keep the viewer engaged with the suspense of the story, Pyle concentrates on the men’s expressions and orientation. The room is sparse and fades into an ambiguous background – the spatial logic of the room is unimportant.”

A riveting closeup on Howard Pyle’s ‘Meeting of Captain Tollemache and Captain Pennington at the New York Arms’, which earned $32,000 plus the buyer’s premium in July 2020. Image courtesy of Swann Auction Galleries and LiveAuctioneers.

The genius of Pyle’s illustrations is that they give exactly the right amount of detail, just enough to allow viewers to finish the story in the way they like best. “When you look at his work, it’s as if you are looking at a movie on pause. You don’t know what’s going on,” said Aviva Lehmann, senior vice president of American art at Dallas-based Heritage Auctions. To prove her point, Lehmann discussed his Becky Sharp and Lord Steyne, Pictures from Thackeray, which was originally published in Harper’s Monthly and attained $77,500 plus the buyer’s premium in November 2019 at her auction house. “There’s this tension of what happened right before this scene or what’s about to happen. That sense of mystery – almost a feeling of ‘choose your own adventure’ for any viewer standing in front of it – is really what excites people. It’s that sense of immediacy before something major. Pyle was really able to capture that moment.”

Howard Pyle’s ‘Becky Sharp and Lord Steyne, Pictures from Thackeray’ made $77,500 plus the buyer’s premium in November 2019. Image courtesy of Heritage Auctions and LiveAuctioneers.

Another fine example of his mastery of this vital skill was published in Harper’s Monthly in 1903 and dubbed Twas A Strange Tale She Had Ended, The Castle of Content, which sold for $42,000 plus the buyer’s premium in November 2021 at Heritage Auctions. A jester, dressed in red and holding a tricorn hat, sits on the bed of a sleeping woman, who appears sickly. Is he a messenger of Death, simply paying respects or … what, exactly? “It’s not the most uplifting scene, and certainly not as dynamic as a work you would expect by Harvey Dunn or an NC Wyeth. But because it’s a Pyle, it’s rare and important. This drove up the price,” Lehmann said.

Created for Harper’s Monthly for an August 1903 issue, Howard Pyle’s ‘Twas A Strange Tale She Had Ended, The Castle of Content’ realized $42,000 plus the buyer’s premium in November 2021. Image courtesy of Heritage Auctions and LiveAuctioneers.

When choice works by Pyle reach the auction block, bidders snap to attention. His jaunty Captain Keitt, an image of swashbuckling pirates, set an auction record in 2004 at Sotheby’s when it commanded slightly more than $700,000. But he is regarded as a driving spirit of the Golden Age of Illustration, which is a broader market in and of itself. Pyle’s legacy is twofold, spanning his role as an artist and his role as a teacher. He taught at an art colony he established in the Brandywine Valley; at Drexel University; and also at the Art Students League. Some of his most famous students were Frank Schoonover, Jessie Willcox Smith, and the aforementioned NC Wyeth.

“He has sort of a cult following, and any major collector almost looks at Howard Pyle as a prerequisite. If you’re going to be a serious collector of the Golden Age of Illustration, you’ve got to have a Pyle,” Lehmann said. “Nobody painted quite like Pyle. He was an incredible illustrator.”

Detail from Howard Pyle’s ‘Becky Sharp and Lord Steyne, Pictures from Thackeray,’ which sold for $77,500 plus the buyer’s premium in November 2019. Image courtesy of Heritage Auctions and LiveAuctioneers.

The scarcity of Pyle’s artworks, coupled with the artist’s importance, has consistently propelled demand and prompted frenzies when choice pieces emerge. This was demonstrated by his painting Death of Montcalm, which appeared at Bruneau & Co. Auctioneers in October 2023 with a $5,000-$8,000 and ultimately claimed $77,000 plus the buyer’s premium. “You look at what comes up from Howard Pyle in relation to JC Leyendecker or Norman Rockwell, and they were much more prolific. When a great Howard Pyle comes up for sale, people sort of go crazy,” Lehmann said. Lacerte added that the most coveted Pyle paintings are those that capture the heightened emotion of a scene while paying strict attention to historical accuracy.

Detail of Howard Pyle’s ‘Death of Montcalm’, which achieved $77,000 plus the buyer’s premium in October 2023 against an estimate of $5,000-$8,000. Image courtesy of Bruneau & Co. Auctioneers and LiveAuctioneers.

Regardless, new collectors and those without deep pockets can still acquire a good work by Pyle. A smallish oil on panel of his, Trumpeter Near Castle, measuring 6 by 11 ½in, brought $9,000 plus the buyer’s premium at Sloans & Kenyon in September 2023.

Howard Pyle’s oil painting ‘Trumpeter Near Castle’ outperformed its modest $2,500-$3,500 to reach $9,000 plus the buyer’s premium in September 2023. Image courtesy of Sloans & Kenyon and LiveAuctioneers.

Illustration collectors gravitate to Pyle’s works for their dramatic storytelling and compelling characters. “Pyle’s characters have become archetypes in Americans’ collective consciousness. From Captain Jack Sparrow to Thomas Jefferson, Pyle’s depictions have shaped the most iconic character representations of the past 150 years,” Lacerte said. “His work is a powerful representation of American life that is just as captivating today as it was 100 years ago.” Pyle’s visions might reflect their time and place and the obsessions of their specific magazine audiences, but they live on, gracing the walls of those who are in thrall to his illustrations.

Japanese cloisonné art and vases win spotlight at Jasper52 May 15

Large pair of Japanese Meiji period blue-ground cloisonné enamel vases, estimated at $18,000-$22,000 at Jasper52.

NEW YORK – On Wednesday, May 15, starting at 2 pm Eastern time, Jasper52 will present a 320-lot sale titled Gilded Enamel: Cloisonne Art, Vases, & More. Absentee and Internet live bidding will be available through LiveAuctioneers.

The sale highlights all spotlight examples from Japan, including those dating to the Meiji period. First among them is a large pair of Japanese Meiji period blue-ground cloisonné enamel vases, estimated at $18,000-$22,000. Each stands 38in tall, depicts cranes, flowers, and blossoms, and, as the lot notes state, ‘can be converted into lamps.’

Another prize is a 19th-century Japanese cloisonné plate attributed to Namikawa Yasuyuki (1845-1927), estimated at $7,000-$8,000. Per the lot notes, ‘The composition is elevated by the presence of Ho Ho birds gracefully encircling the central motif. The mythical birds, symbolizing longevity and good fortune, add a touch of mystique to the artwork. Among the blooms and avian figures, the lotus flowers stand out with their symbolic significance of purity and enlightenment.’

The final highlight is a circa-1880 pair of Japanese Meiji period facet cloisonné vases, which have an estimate of $15,000-$18,000. Boasting exquisitely rendered bird motifs, each stands about 14in tall.

Large pair of Japanese Meiji period blue-ground cloisonné enamel vases, estimated at $18,000-$22,000 at Jasper52.

19th-century Japanese cloisonné plate attributed to Namikawa Yasuyuki, estimated at $7,000-$8,000 at Jasper52.

Circa-1880 pair of Japanese Meiji period facet cloisonné vases, estimated at $15,000-$18,000 at Jasper52.

ACN Staff

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

Al Capone’s ‘Sweetheart’ Colt 1911 .45 heads to the block for the first time at Richmond May 18

Al Capone's 'Sweetheart' Colt 1911 Government, estimated at $2 million-$3 million at Richmond Auctions.

GREENVILLE, SC — Named ‘Sweetheart’ for its undeniable reliability in saving his life numerous times, this Colt 1911 Government .45 ACP semi-automatic pistol belonging to legendary gangster Al Capone comes to market for the first time Saturday, May 18 at Richmond Auctions in an exclusive single-lot sale.

The Colt dates to 1912, and is the first commercial version of the legendary 1911 platform launched a year prior for military and law enforcement use. Purchased by Alphonse Gabriel Capone (1899-1947) at an undetermined date, the three-digit serial number Colt was originally sold to the Winchester Repeating Arms Co. and shipped to Union Hardware & Metal Company on September 11, 1912. After Capone’s demise, it passed to his widow Mae Capone, who preserved it with care. Mae passed the pistol to their only child, Sonny Capone, who was an avid competition shooter. He made upgrades on his father’s pistol to enhance its speed and accuracy. Upon Sonny’s passing in 2004, his daughters Diane and Barbara Capone inherited ‘Sweetheart,’ and in October 2021, the Capone estate sold it to a private collector. Complete and documented provenance comes with the Colt.

Richmond estimates this historic firearm at $2 million-$3 million, with an opening bid of $500,000.

Al Capone's 'Sweetheart' Colt 1911 Government, estimated at $2 million-$3 million at Richmond Auctions.

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.

‘Madeline’ works by Ludwig Bemelmans, commissioned for Onassis yacht, sell at Ahlers & Ogletree May 16

Ludwig Bemelmans, 'Madeline and the Bad Hat', estimated at $15,000-$25,000 at Ahlers & Ogletree.

ATLANTA — Three oils on canvas laid to board re-creating images from Ludwig Bemelmans’ Madeline children’s books, commissioned from the artist-author for Aristotle Onassis’s yacht, will appear at Ahlers & Ogletree on Thursday, May 16 as part of the Collection of Jerome & Bridget Dobson sale. The complete catalog is open for review and bidding at LiveAuctioneers.

Shipping line magnate Aristotle Onassis (1906-1975) loved the sea. When he purchased the Canadian anti-submarine River-class frigate the HMCS Stormont in 1954, he reconfigured it into a luxury yacht and renamed it the Christina O, after his second child and only daughter, Christina Onassis (1950-1988). Apparently, Christina was taken with the Madeline books by Ludwig Bemelmans (1898-1962), so Onassis commissioned him to create a series of paintings in mural-like fashion to line the walls of the yacht’s playroom.

The Dobson collection includes three of these Bemelmans originals. The top-estimated lot of the group is Oh, Genevieve, Where Can You Be?, measuring 66.75 by 22.5in. A&O’s lot notes state, “Some of the murals differ slightly from the book illustrations; they are Bemelmans’ adaptations from the original compositions in Madeline’s Rescue and Madeline and the Bad Hat.” Oh, Genevieve carries an estimate of $20,000-$30,000.

Madeline and the Bad Hat is a re-creation of the book’s cover art, and measures 37.75 by 22.5in. Puppet Show bears the same dimensions and estimate as Bad Hat at $15,000-$25,000.

Ludwig Bemelmans, 'Oh, Genevieve, Where Can You Be?', estimated at $20,000-$30,000 at Ahlers & Ogletree.

Ludwig Bemelmans, 'Madeline and the Bad Hat', estimated at $15,000-$25,000 at Ahlers & Ogletree.

Ludwig Bemelmans, 'Puppet Show', estimated at $15,000-$25,000 at Ahlers & Ogletree.

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.

Purchased in the early 1960s, Milton Avery’s ‘Red Rug’ unfurls at PBMA May 18

Jim Bunte

WWI and WWII US government posters arrive at Eldred’s May 23

Jim Bunte

Mark Catesby’s Heath Hen and Eastern Shooting Star Hand-colored Engraving leads our five auction highlights

Mark Catesby, Heath Hen and Eastern Shooting Star Hand-colored Engraving, $5,555

Telegram Informing U. S. Grant of Lincoln’s Assassination, $91,000

Charles Eugene Shannon, ‘View of the Courthouse’, $14,300

Robert Onderdonk, ‘View of the San Pedro Creek (San Antonio, Texas),’ $22,500

David Kracov’s ‘Book of Life’ Sculpture, $24,320

Harry Davis-decorated Royal Worcester ‘polar bear’ vases prowl into Nadeau May 18

Roland Arkell

Rediscovered Herter Brothers mantel commands $152K at Moran

Roland Arkell

Portrait of Philip the Good did great at Bonhams, claiming $253K

Roland Arkell

Howard Pyle’s illustrations brought the drama

Japanese cloisonné art and vases win spotlight at Jasper52 May 15

ACN Staff

Al Capone’s ‘Sweetheart’ Colt 1911 .45 heads to the block for the first time at Richmond May 18

Jim Bunte

‘Madeline’ works by Ludwig Bemelmans, commissioned for Onassis yacht, sell at Ahlers & Ogletree May 16

Jim Bunte

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