June 2024 - Auction Central News

Sèvres 10-piece July Monarchy plate service lead at Tremont

Set of 10 plates from the Sèvres Service de la Chevalerie, which sold for $34,000 ($43,180 with buyer’s premium) at Tremont Auctions.

SUDBURY, MA — A set of 10 plates from a well-documented Sèvres service dating to the July Monarchy period emerged for sale at Tremont Auctions on June 2. These elements from the Service de la Chevalerie, made in 1835, were estimated at $600-$800 but hammered at $34,000 ($43,180 with buyer’s premium). Complete sale results are available at LiveAuctioneers.

Created shortly after the July Revolution of 1830, when Louis Philippe ruled as ‘king of the French,’ the Service de la Chevalerie was a great example of romantic historicism. One of many elaborate services made under the inspired directorship of the chemist Alexandre Brongniart, each piece depicts a dashing warrior from French medieval history. The gilt borders are a rich display of heraldry, gothic arches, and a roll-call of chivalric ideals: Gloire, Generosité, Valeur, Constance, Fidelité, Loyauté, Vertu, Dieu, Le Roi, Les Dames, Honneur, and Amour (Glory, Generosity, Valor, Constancy, Fidelity, Loyalty, Virtue, God, The King, The Ladies, Honor, and Love).

Elements of the service formed part of the influential exhibition and book The Sèvres Porcelain Manufactory, Alexandre Brongniart and the Triumph of Art and Industry, 1800-47. A drawing by factory artist Jean-Charles Develly for the decoration of an ice pail for this service formed part of the 1997 exhibition.

The 10 plates offered at Tremont included subject titles such as Jacques de Molay, Dernier Grand-Maitrede l’Ordre des Templiers (Last Grand Master of the Knights Templar) 1313, and Charles de France, Roi de Naples de Sicile et de Jerusalem, fils de Louis VIII, 13th siecle (King of Naples, Sicily and Jerusalem, son of Louis VIII, 13th century). Only one piece had signs of damage, which was a small rim chip.

Sold at $42,000 ($53,340 with buyer’s premium) was an impressive pair of Victorian silver candelabra marked for the celebrated London maker Robert Garrard II and the date letters for 1869 and 1870. An elaborate model in the Huguenot revival style, they featured the crats and motto Ung Durant Ma Vie, possibly for the Barrington family. Fully assembled, they stood 2ft 8in high and weighed 556 ounces. The estimate was $20,000-$30,000.

Set of 10 plates from the Sèvres Service de la Chevalerie, which sold for $34,000 ($43,180 with buyer’s premium) at Tremont Auctions.

Detail from the Sèvres Service de la Chevalerie set of 10 plates, which sold for $34,000 ($43,180 with buyer’s premium) at Tremont Auctions.

Pair of Victorian silver candelabra by Robert Garrard II, which sold for $42,000 ($53,340 with buyer’s premium) 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.

Christie’s brings Legendary Trunks: European Collection to market with bidding ending July 3

Circa-1925 Louis Vuitton hermetic copper Explorer trunk, estimated at €120,000-€180,000 ($129,000-$193,000) at Christie’s Online.

PARIS — Christie’s is offering the largest and most extensive private collection of Louis Vuitton trunks ever to come to auction. The online sale titled Legendary Trunks: A European Private Collection comprises more than 100 pieces of luggage by the brand, including both historical rarities and more recent limited edition and made-to-order pieces. Bidding closes on Wednesday, July 3.

Late 19th- and early 20th-century Louis Vuitton Explorer trunks are a coveted subset of vintage luggage. Made in zinc, copper, brass, or aluminum, the flat-topped ‘malle cabine’ was designed to meet the requirements of intrepid European travelers to tropical climes. Portable and hardwearing, these air-tight forms were invaluable for keeping the contents free from water, insects, and dust.

The scarcest of all Vuitton Explorer trunks is the aluminum model. Just a handful of these were made in a single year —1892 — at a time when aluminum was considered a precious metal. Christie’s sold one in December 2018 for a record £130,000 (roughly $164,360) plus a 25% premium, with the other known example in the Louis Vuitton Foundation in Paris.

Offered in the July 3 auction is an Explorer wardrobe trunk from circa 1925. If it beats its €120,000-€180,000 ($129,000-$193,000) estimate, it will set a new high for vintage LV luggage.

Made in Asnières, just outside Paris, Louis Vuitton trunks were the first with flat tops for stacking (from 1858) and the first to feature an ‘unpickable’ lock (from 1886) – but imitations quickly followed. In a bid to prevent plagiarism, Vuitton expanded his range of canvas covering, introducing striped canvases in red and white in 1872, and beige and brown iterations in 1876, followed in 1888 by the Damier Ebene canvas — the checkerboard design that is now synonymous with the brand.

Vintage Louis Vuitton luggage doesn’t get much better than the 1920s Malle Chaussures: a ‘made to order’ trunk with compartments for multiple pairs of shoes, ancillary drawers for shoehorns, and a cleaning kit. Based on a model the firm first made for the opera singer Lily Pons, the trunks were offered in a number of different sizes, with some having drawers for up to 40 pairs of shoes.

The circa-1926 example offered at Christie’s, with space for 36 pairs of shoes, has an estimate of €15,000-€20,000 ($16,000-$21,000).

As the luxury travel industry evolved in the early 20th century, the company embraced the idea that it wasn’t only clothing that could travel. While new collectors often begin their journey with classic hard-sided models, such as wardrobe, steamer, and cabin trunks (many of them repurposed as chic coffee or side tables), LV obsessives aim to own some of the harder-to-find bespoke creations.

Some of the company’s most extravagant and innovative creations were published in the 2010 book Louis Vuitton: 100 Legendary Trunks. They include the limited-edition Casino trunk, which was launched in 2009 to celebrate the grand opening of Louis Vuitton’s store in Macau. The interior features storage compartments for gambling paraphernalia, including a roulette wheel, 20 packs of cards, and 800 poker chips. It could be yours for between €50,000-€100,000 ($54,000-$107,000).

Circa-1925 Louis Vuitton hermetic copper Explorer trunk, estimated at €120,000-€180,000 ($129,000-$193,000) at Christie’s Online.

Louis Vuitton library trunk made to contain the 26 volumes and index of the 1911 edition of the Encyclopedia Britannica, estimated at €12,000-€18,000 ($13,000-$19,000) at Christie’s Online.

2008 special-order Louis Vuitton croquet trunk in monogram canvas and brass hardware, estimated at €40,000-€80,000 ($43,000-$86,000) at Christie’s Online.

1926 Louis Vuitton trunk for 36 pairs of shoes, estimated at €15,000-€20,000 ($16,000-$21,000) at Christie’s Online.

2009 Louis Vuitton Casino Trunk, estimated at €50,000-€100,000 ($54,000-$107,000) at Christie’s Online.

Paula Crevoshay jewelry showcased in New York July 3

18K gold and brown zircon round flower-form earrings by Paula Crevoshay, estimated at $4,000-$5,000 at Jasper52.

NEW YORK – On Wednesday, July 3, starting at 6 pm Eastern time, Jasper52 will present an auction titled Treasures of Time: Estate Designer Jewelry, featuring 225 lots of necklaces, earrings, bracelets, bangles, rings, and more that are certain to enhance your wardrobe. Absentee and Internet live bidding will be available through LiveAuctioneers.

The three highlighted lots are all the work of American jewelry designer Paula Crevoshay, who was strongly influenced by her time in India and has earned the nickname ‘queen of color’. Each of the Crevoshay lots is unique.

They are led by a pair of 18K gold round flower-form earrings set with brown zircons. Undated, they carry an estimate of $4,000-$5,000.

A second undated round pair of earrings, this iteration in 18K gold with aquamarines and moonstones, has an identical estimate.

And an interchangeable jewelry set, fashioned from 18K gold, moonstones, and chalcedony, is estimated at $8,000-$10,000. It can be worn as a bracelet, a brooch, or two lengths of necklaces with moonstone beads. The lot notes state that a two-strand labradorite chain, similar to the moonstone chains that form the bracelet, is included as a bonus.

18K gold and brown zircon round flower-form earrings by Paula Crevoshay, estimated at $4,000-$5,000 at Jasper52.

18K gold, aquamarine, and moonstone round earrings by Paula Crevoshay, estimated at $4,000-$5,000 at Jasper52.

18K gold, moonstone, and chalcedony brooch, bracelet, and necklace set by Paula Crevoshay, estimated at $8,000-$10,000 at Jasper52.

José Formoso Reyes reimagined the Nantucket basket

José Formoso Reyes is credited with inventing the Nantucket friendship basket form, which is still widely appreciated today. This example achieved $7,500 plus the buyer’s premium in June 2020. Image courtesy of Jeffrey S. Evans & Associates and LiveAuctioneers.

NEW YORK — Since the 1800s, baskets have been handwoven on the island of Nantucket, which lies about 30 miles off the coast of Cape Cod, Massachusetts. It’s a long way from the Philippines, but in 1945, Philippines-born José Formoso Reyes (1902-1980) and his Massachusetts-born wife, Mary Ham, came to visit her family on Nantucket after Reyes completed his service with the US Army. They loved the island so much that they never left, and ultimately became part of its history.

When Reyes had trouble finding work as a teacher, he took jobs painting houses and repairing woven cane seats, relying on the weaving skills he had learned in his homeland. The tradition of open woven baskets named for Nantucket’s lightships was already well established when Reyes embraced it, but he would make it his own.

This basket by José Formoso Reyes, made circa 1959, features two whale finials on its lid. It earned $5,000 plus the buyer’s premium in April 2022. Image courtesy of Rafael Osona Auctions and LiveAuctioneers.

Renowned second-generation basket-maker Mitchell Ray helped Reyes get started, sharing some of his basket molds. By the summer of 1948, Reyes had launched a business selling his ‘friendship basket’ purses. They soon found favor, priced at a few hundred dollars apiece.

His competitors were few when he began his career — just nine other artisans were active on the island then — but Reyes’ success would be shared by all. Demand for his baskets had the happy effect of boosting interest in traditional Nantucket open-form lightship baskets.

“Another local craftsman, Charlie Sayle and his wife, suggested adding the ornamentation of his basket tops with an ivory whale or seagull. José became well known for his innovative style and unique designs in basket weaving,” according to the Nantucket Historical Association’s online biography of Reyes.

“Reyes is the man credited with creating the friendship basket form, and one of the most talented of a group of very adept basket makers,” said Andrew Davis, auctioneer and owner of Casco Bay Auctions in Freeport, Maine.

Side and top views of a José Formoso Reyes Nantucket friendship basket that achieved $7,500 plus the buyer’s premium in June 2020. Image courtesy of Jeffrey S. Evans & Associates and LiveAuctioneers. — Side and top views of a José Formoso Reyes Nantucket friendship basket that achieved $7,500 plus the buyer’s premium against an estimate of $500-$800 in June 2020. Image courtesy of Jeffrey S. Evans & Associates and LiveAuctioneers.

Reyes’ baskets were prized during his lifetime and remain highly collectible. At auction, they typically sell above estimate in the $5,000 to $8,000 range. One that he made in 1967 took $7,500 plus the buyer’s premium in June 2020 at Jeffrey S. Evans & Associates. This oblong example had a hinged cover with a seagull decoration.

“The market has remained relatively consistent for the past decade or so, with prices consistently high for his baskets. The earlier baskets are more desirable,” Davis said, noting that buyers like baskets graced with whales or seagulls, motifs that Reyes used equally often.

A signed 1960 José Reyes Nantucket purse secured $6,500 plus the buyer’s premium in September 2021. Image courtesy of William Smith Auctions and LiveAuctioneers.

A signed Nantucket purse crowned with a spread-winged seagull, which Reyes made in 1960, brought $6,500 plus the buyer’s premium at William Smith Auctions in September 2021. Also oblong in shape, this basket looks similar to the one sold at Jeffrey Evans & Associates.

While each basket was handmade, and Reyes sometimes worked freehand, he wove them on forms that gave them a similar appearance and construction, and his swing handles are nearly identical. Different-size blocks in his studio allowed him to make baskets that nested in one another.

Reyes made more than 5,000 baskets in his lifetime. Most demanded two full days of work, or 16 hours apiece.

This José Formoso Reyes Nantucket Friendship basket, which has an ivory seagull mounted against an ebony base, sold for $5,750 plus the buyer’s premium in March 2021. Image courtesy of Casco Bay Auctions and LiveAuctioneers.

The artist’s early examples are coveted, as they date to the time when he was experimenting with techniques and looks. One such basket, sporting an ivory seagull finial mounted against an ebony base on the lid instead of a white ivory base, realized $5,750 plus the buyer’s premium at Casco Bay Auctions in March 2021.

“This basket, dated 1956, is an early example of the friendship basket, and the whalebone seagull mounted on an ebony base is unusual amongst his baskets. This particular example was also in nearly perfect condition,” Davis said.

A commissioned José Formoso Reyes Nantucket basket, decorated with whales on its sides, sold for $5,500 plus the buyer’s premium in January 2023. Image courtesy of New England Auctions - Fred Giampietro and LiveAuctioneers.

Another Reyes standout is a special commission that had three applied ebony whales on its sides, each carved to fit the contours of the basket and attached to it with small screws. It realized $5,500 plus the buyer’s premium in January 2023 at New England Auctions – Fred Giampietro.

Still another Reyes basket with unusual features, matching a carved ivory finial with an ebony base, took $3,300 plus the buyer’s premium at Casco Bay Auction. “This basket was in very good condition and had a whalebone dedication plaque on the inside [to Andrea P. Irvine], which is only seen on a handful of his baskets,” Davis said.

This José Formoso Reyes basket, having a carved ivory finial on an ebony base, sold for $3,300 plus the buyer’s premium in August 2023. Image courtesy of Casco Bay Auction and LiveAuctioneers.

Usually, Reyes baskets feature a single finial on the lid, but a circa-1959 creation boasted two in the forms of an adult whale accompanied by a baby whale. Both were carved in ivory by fellow Nantucket artisan Charlie Sayle, who was known for his scrimshaw. This basket earned $5,000 plus the buyer’s premium in April 2022 at Rafael Osona Auctions.

According to an interview with Reyes on YouTube, in which he discussed his process and the unique characteristics of Nantucket lightship and friendship baskets, he recruited local artists to carve finials and decorations, including Sayle.

In that video interview, Reyes explained what makes Nantucket baskets special. Most baskets have woven bottoms, made with the same rattan used on the sidewalls, but Nantucket baskets feature a wooden base.

“I’m so glad in a way that I helped revive a craft in Nantucket that is very valuable,” he said. “It’s really a Nantucket basket, because there is no basket in the world that has a bottom like this.”

Boxed Lionel no. 773 Hudson Madison Car passenger set from 1950 triumphed at Harris

Lionel no. 2148 WS passenger set, which sold for $8,200 ($10,086 with buyer's premium) at Harris.

RENO, NV — A particularly difficult-to-find postwar Lionel passenger set hammered for a solid $8,200 ($10,086 with buyer’s premium) at Harris Toy And Train Auctions as the top lot for their Lionel 6464s and American Flyer S Gauge sale June 8. Complete sale results are available at LiveAuctioneers.

Known as Outfit No. 2148 WS, the 1950 “Madison” car consist is pulled by the first-year reissue of the prewar no. 700E, the no. 773. Lionel reduced the hand-applied details of the scale-model 700E to make a more market-friendly product with the 773 when it re-emerged after 13 years in 1950. “Madison” cars were made of phenolic (Bakelite), a pre-injection molded plastic medium that required tremendous pressure to mold. Postwar advancements in thermoplastics would relegate Bakelite to the industrial trash heap in a few years’ time.

The 2148 WS set was in very good but used condition, with the rare set box in rough shape. The set included the original instruction booklet, a set of perforated billboards depicting American consumer brands like Plymouth cars and Baby Ruth candy bars, an uncoupler and all original interior boxes. Bidding began at $20 and immediately jumped to $4,600, with determined buyers taking it all the way up to the final hammer of $8,200. The take-home price of $10,086 with buyer’s premium shows demand remains strong for boxed postwar Lionel in VG condition and up.

A set of 11 postwar A. C. Gilbert Co. American Flyer S gauge freight cars was the surprise runner-up. Though the collection included one reproduction car, the lot did have a no. 24426 Rath Packing Company refrigerator car, a rare item highly desired by American Flyer collectors. The 11-piece set hammered for $6,400 ($7,872 with buyer’s premium).

Another 15-piece lot of American Flyer S gauge freight cars included many desirable items. It brought $5,800 ($7,134 with buyer’s premium).

A late-production Lionel 6464 boxcar was the fourth-highest lot in the sale. Featuring the red lettering variation, the no. 6464-375 Central of Georgia boxcar was in like-new condition despite having been manufactured in 1966. Accompanied by its original 1966 “picture” box (dealers could remove a perforated section on one side of the packaging, allowing consumers to see the product behind cellophane), the piece hammered for $5,200 ($6,396 with buyer’s premium).

Lionel no. 2148 WS passenger set, which sold for $8,200 ($10,086 with buyer's premium) at Harris.

American Flyer S 11-car set, which sold for $6,400 ($7,872 with buyer's premium) at Harris.

American Flyer S 15-car set, which sold for $5,800 ($7,134 with buyer's premium) at Harris.

Lionel no. 6464-375 Central of Georgia boxcar, which sold for $5,200 ($6,396 with buyer's premium) at Harris.

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.

The Artisan’s Palette: Fine Arts Auction comes to Jasper52 July 2

After Alexander Cabanel, A Monumental Palace-Size Painting of Cleopatra Testing Poison on Prisoners, estimated at $91,000-$109,000 at Jasper52.

NEW YORK — Jasper52 has announced its next fine arts sale, The Artisan’s Palette: Fine Arts Auction, scheduled for 5 pm Eastern time on Tuesday, July 2. The complete catalog is now open for bidding at LiveAuctioneers.

This monumental palace-size oil on canvas depicts Cleopatra testing poison on prisoners. Done in the manner of French artist Alexander Cabanel (1823-1889), it measures 72 by 95in wide and carries an estimate of $91,000-$109,000.

Confidente is an undated oil on canvas by Canadian artist Liane Abrieu (b. 1947-). The artwork depicts a group portrait of four women drinking tea on a veranda. It is estimated at $26,000-$31,000.

The Governor’s Mansion in Sacramento, California is an acrylic on canvas by Douglas K. Gifford. It is estimated at $18,000–$22,000.

After Alexander Cabanel, A Monumental Palace-Size Painting of Cleopatra Testing Poison on Prisoners, estimated at $91,000-$109,000 at Jasper52.

Liane Abrieu, 'Confidente,' estimated at $26,000-$31,000 at Jasper52.

Douglas K. Gifford, 'The Governor's Mansion in Sacramento, California,' estimated at $18,000-$22,000 at Jasper52.

Tom Wesselman’s Poster for the 1972 Summer Olympic Games leads our five lots to watch

Tom Wesselman’s poster for the 1972 Olympic summer games in Munich, estimated at £180-£360 ($230-$450) at Antikbar on July 6.

LONDON — For the 1972 Munich Olympics, various popular artists of the period were commissioned to design a series of posters for an advertising campaign which aimed to ‘represent the intertwining of sports and art worldwide’. Pictured is the entry from the American Pop artist Thomas Wesselmann (1931-2004), who supplied a bright illustration of a foot set over a green background. It is one of several posters from the 1972 summer Olympics series that carry estimates of £180-£360 ($230-$450) each at London vintage poster specialists Antikbar on Saturday, July 6.

Elizabethan silver-gilt tankard, estimated at £20,000-£30,000 ($25,350-$38,000) at Bonhams July 5.

LONDON — Bonhams’ Fine Decorative Arts sale on Friday, July 5 features this Elizabethan silver-gilt tankard (London 1592), with the maker’s mark IB possibly for John Brodie. It is being sold by a church in the county of Exeter, England and has never appeared on the open market before.

The covered flagon was given to St. Michael’s Church, West Hill, Exeter, on its consecration in 1846. A history of the church reads: ‘Lady Coleridge, wife of Sir John, gave the small tankard flagon marked IB, with rose in base, London 1592. The handle is scroll shaped with angel’s head as thumbpiece. Round the base of the lid and on top of the barrel is arabesque ornamentation; round the foot is a cable moulding; below this, egg and dart ornamentation with egg and tongue work at the base.’

A near identical silver-gilt tankard, with the same maker’s mark, the same date, and the same monogram, was offered at Sotheby’s in 1973, as ‘The property of Trinity Church, Upper Dicker’ in East Sussex. It is highly likely they were once a pair.

Bonhams’ example has an estimate of £20,000-£30,000 ($25,350-$38,000).

Marco Rota Original Artwork for Disney Italia’s ‘Uncle Scrooge’ Comic , estimated at €1,800-€3,600 ($1,900-$3,900) at Little Nemo.

TURIN, Italy — Marco Rota (b. 1942-) is a longtime employee of Walt Disney Company Italia SRL, one of the parent company’s localizations for serving foreign language markets worldwide. From 1974 to 1988, Rota served as editor in chief of Disney Italia, where he oversaw a wide variety of titles. His illustration style is heavily influenced by Carl Barks (1901-2000), the primary illustrator of Donald Duck and the creator of Scrooge McDuck.

For Disney Italia’s Uncle Scrooge comic, around the year 2000, Rota created this pen-and-ink illustration of Scrooge McDuck and the Abominable Snowman as sheets of mathematical problems float around them. The original art and a colored variant come to market at Little Nemo Auction House SRL on Friday, July 5 as a lead item in its 485-lot 81st Auction: 90 Years With Donald Duck sale. The framed two-piece lot is estimated at €1,800-€3,600 ($1,900-$3,900).

19th-century griffin-handled brass flat iron, estimated at $500-$1,000 at Harzell’s Auction Gallery July 10. — 19th-century griffin-handled brass flat iron, estimated at $500-$1,000 at Hartzell’s Auction Gallery July 10.

BANGOR, PA — In the nineteenth century, ironing was a weekly chore. Mondays were typically wash days, with Tuesdays devoted to pressing and ironing the clean clothing. Most American homes owned a cast-iron or brass flat iron, which was heated by placing it on the stovetop until it was sufficiently hot. The iron-heat-iron cycle would repeat until all the ironing was done.

Hartzell’s Action Gallery is featuring a 705-lot sale of vintage flat irons on Wednesday, July 10 and Thursday, July 11, in association with the Pressing Iron and Trivet Collectors of America (PITCA). Among the highlights is a brass flat iron featuring a griffin as its handle. With an engraved top and intricate detail, it is one of the sale’s most desirable examples of this once-everyday American household item. It has an estimate of $500-$1,000.

Labrador dog-decorated folk art tiger maple chest of drawers by Stephen Huneck, estimated at $2,500-$3,000 at Rafael Osona July 6.

NANTUCKET, MA — Rafael Osona’s Early Summer Auction, slated for Saturday, July 6 features a Labrador dog-decorated tiger maple chest of drawers as a star lot. Created by famed folk art furniture maker Stephen Huneck around 2000, it is one of three lots from the late creator.

Huneck (1948-2010) built his quirky empire while recovering from a coma-inducing illness in 1994. During his recovery, his beloved pets, led by his black Labrador, Lucy, provided him solace, driving him to immortalize them through his furniture art.

This piece features alternating black and white Labrador dogs surrounding the oval mirror. It measures 70 by 42 by 18in deep and carries an estimate of $2,500-$3,000.

Rembrandt Bugatti bronze brings $3.98M and sets new record for the artist at Bonhams Cornette de Saint Cyr

Rembrandt Bugatti’s 'Trois Pantheres Marchant (Three Panthers Walking)', which hammered for €3 million ($3.25 million) at Bonhams Cornette de Saint Cyr.

PARIS – An exceptional bronze by the Italian animalia sculptor Rembrandt Bugatti (1884-1916) sold for a record €3 million ($3.25 million) at Bonhams Cornette de Saint Cyr on June 5. Trois Pantheres Marchant (Three Panthers Walking), made when Bugatti was just 21 years of age, came to auction for the first time. It hammered just below the estimate of €3.5 million-€5 million ($3.7 million-$5.3 million) for a price that was €3.68 million ($3.98 million) including premium as part of a 46-lot offering of Impressionist and Modern paintings and sculpture. The sum represents a new world auction record for the artist. Complete sale results can be seen at LiveAuctioneers.

An imposing 4ft 11in (1.5m) wide, Trois Pantheres Marchant is the sculpture featured on the cover of the catalogue raisonné of the artist’s work, written by Véronique Fromanger. Exceptional for its size, patina, and a unique lost wax cast, it is signed and dated 1905 and dedicated in Italian to Bugatti’s founder and patron Adrien-Aurélien Hébrard. The inscription in the cast reads ‘A Monsieur AA Hébrard qui a créé l’artiste et l’homme.‘ (To Mr AA Hébrard who created the artist and the man.) Hébrard arranged for the work to be shown at the Salon d’Automne in Paris in 1905, but chose to keep the piece all his life. It was later sold by his heirs to the collector who consigned it to auction in Paris.

Bugatti found his exotic subject matter in the menagerie at the Jardin des Plantes in Paris, where he moved in 1903. He took the time to observe the panthers there every day, and described them as “his companions in life and work.”

The previous auction high for Bugatti, according to Artprice, was Éléphant d’Asie (mendiant) from an edition of five sold for £1.5 million (about $1.9 million) at Sotheby’s in June 2022.

Rembrandt Bugatti’s 'Trois Pantheres Marchant (Three Panthers Walking)', which hammered for €3 million ($3.25 million) at Bonhams Cornette de Saint Cyr.

Detail from Rembrandt Bugatti’s 'Trois Pantheres Marchant (Three Panthers Walking)', which sold for €3 million ($3.25 million) at Bonhams Cornette de Saint Cyr.

Rembrandt Bugatti inscribed the bronze to his founder and patron Adrien-Aurélien Hébrard. It hammered for €3 million ($3.25 million) at Bonhams Cornette de Saint Cyr.

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.

Chinese white glazed incised dragon vase tops $168K at Tenmoku Auctions

Chinese white-glazed meiping vase with a Kangxi four-character mark, which sold for $135,000 ($168,750 with buyer's premium) at Tenmoku Auctions.

FAIRFIELD, NJ – Estimated at $15,000-$20,000 but hammering for $135,000, the highlight of the May 29 Asian works of art sale at Tenmoku Auctions was a Chinese white-glazed and incised dragon vase. Converted into a lamp at some point in the first half of the 20th century (but not drilled to accommodate a wire), it was among items in the sale that came by descent from Dr. Morris V. Shelanski (1921-2020) of Wynnewood, Pennsylvania. Complete sale results can be seen at LiveAuctioneers.

The son of Lithuanian immigrants who grew up in South Philadelphia, Shelanski and his brother were among the nation’s first toxicologists and together invented Betadine, the iodine-based anti-bacterial liquid used since 1953 in hospitals and clinics throughout the world as a pre- and post-surgical wash.

A regular buyer at antique stores from Philadelphia to Boston from the 1960s, Dr. Shelanski’s obituary writer noted that “his passion for collecting was tempered only by his wife and he often had one of his children sneak the latest painting or Chinese vase into a closet in the house, lest he be caught and have to face her wrath.” The majority of items offered by Tenmoku Auctions from the estate had been in storage since the 1980s.

This 14.5in (37cm)-high meiping vase is decorated in the Ming style, with a silky tianbai (sweet white)-type glaze and an anhua-carved design of a five-clawed dragon chasing the flaming pearl in the celestial sky above cresting waves. It was cataloged as 18th century, and had a four-character Kangxi (1661-1722) mark written in kai-shu (regular or modern) script to a circular recess in the base.

Chinese white-glazed meiping vase with a Kangxi four-character mark, which sold for $135,000 ($168,750 with buyer's premium) at Tenmoku 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.

Fanciful teapots from contemporary artists come to Clark’s July 2

Peter Shire, 'Memphis' teapot, estimated at $500-$1,000 at Clark.

VAN NUYS, CA — Nearly 200 lots of contemporary and fanciful teapots come to market Tuesday, July 2 at Clark’s Fine Art in the single-subject Contemporary Artists’ Teapots sale. The complete catalog is available for review and bidding now at LiveAuctioneers.

ACN’s Andrea Valluzzo wrote about this interesting niche in January of 2023 for the Bid Smart column. “Starting in the 1970s, post-modern studio artists, experimenting with cutting-edge techniques and materials, made unique, conceptual teapot designs like nothing else seen before. Though they draw upon the familiar handle-body-spout form, most of these daring studio teapots are not recommended for actual use; they are fun rather than functional.”

Peter Shire (American, b. 1947-) designs unique toys and public sculptures and has created a number of interesting teapots as well. Memphis is a postmodern black and white-striped example with a red ball top. Dated to 2002 and issued under his Echo Park Pottery brand in Los Angeles, the painted and glazed ceramic teapot is signed and dated on its base. It stands 15.75in in height and is 15in wide. Acquired by the consignor from the Venice Family Clinic in May 2005, it is estimated at $500-$1,000.

Harris Deller (American, b. 1947-) creates porcelain teapots in dramatic and complex designs. Deller’s use of narrow graphics, crosshatchings, and incisions sets his designs apart from his contemporaries. This untitled work stands 18.5in in height and is 15in wide, with a white finish and black incised lines and a sandblasted finish. It is signed and dated 1989 on the base, and was purchased at Garth Clark Gallery in February of 1994. It is estimated at $300-$600.

Irina Zaytcev (Russian, b. 1957-) holds advanced degrees in book illustration. Her teapots feature bright glaze designs over classic teapot forms in porcelain. This untitled example features a fanciful face with a lid fashioned as a conical yellow hat. Dated to 1998 and signed on its base, the teapot stands 10.75in in height and was acquired from the Del Mano Gallery in May of 1998. It carries an estimate of $100-$300.

Peter Shire, 'Memphis' teapot, estimated at $500-$1,000 at Clark.

Harris Deller, untitled teapot, estimated at $300-$600 at Clark.

Irina Zaytceva, untitled teapot, estimated at $100-$300 at Clark.

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.

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