Monumental Tiffany Dandelion lamp rises to $3.7M at Rago

Monumental Tiffany Studios Dandelion lamp, which sold for a record $3.7 million
Monumental Tiffany Studios Dandelion lamp, which sold for a record $3.7 million

Monumental Tiffany Studios Dandelion lamp, which sold for a record $3.7 million

LAMBERTVILLE, N.J. – With a total of $10 million, more than double the high estimate, and a 89% sell-through rate, Rago’s Early 20th Century Design and Modern Design auctions illustrate the continued strength of the design market. The highlight of the two-day auction event, which took place May 13-May 14, was the record sale of an important Tiffany Studios Dandelion lamp from the 1900 Exposition in Paris. One of only two known monumental examples, the lamp, which measured almost 30 inches tall and carried an estimate of $50,000-$75,000, brought in $3,745,000–a new world record. (Linked images reflect the hammer prices of each lot.)
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Barbara Hepworth bronze dominates Freeman’s May 11 auction

Barbara Hepworth, ‘Torso II (Torcello),’ which sold for $642,600
Barbara Hepworth, ‘Torso II (Torcello),’ which sold for $642,600
Barbara Hepworth, ‘Torso II (Torcello),’ which sold for $642,600

PHILADELPHIA, Pa.— Freeman’s is pleased to announce the results of its May 11 Modern and Contemporary Art auction, which clearly demonstrates Freeman’s strength in the sale of Modern and Contemporary works by significant artists across multiple media. The 54-lot auction achieved more than $1.8 million, selling all but one lot and eliciting competitive bidding from phone and online buyers.

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Historic May 7 American Art sale at Heritage tops $10M, sets records

Norman Rockwell, ‘Excuse Me! (Soldier Escorting Woman),’ which sold for $543,000
Norman Rockwell, ‘Excuse Me! (Soldier Escorting Woman),’ which sold for $543,000

Norman Rockwell, ‘Excuse Me! (Soldier Escorting Woman),’ which sold for $543,000

DALLAS – Heritage Auctions’s latest American Art event, held May 7, was its biggest ever, realizing more than $10.75 million in a near-sellout that resulted in myriad records, among them the highest price – by far – ever paid for a painting by legendary illustrator Joseph Christian Leyendecker. His Beat-up Boy, Football Hero, which appeared on the cover of The Saturday Evening Post on Nov. 21, 1914, sold Friday for $4.12 million, shattering the previous world record for a work by the influential illustrator.

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Fritz Scholder painting charges to top of Hindman Western auction

Fritz Scholder, ‘Indians on Horseback,’ which sold for $100,000
Fritz Scholder, ‘Indians on Horseback,’ which sold for $100,000
Fritz Scholder, ‘Indians on Horseback,’ which sold for $100,000

DENVER — On May 6, Hindman achieved outstanding prices and set new auction records in its $1.6 million Western Paintings and Sculpture including contemporary Native American Art auction. The sale showcased celebrated Western artists from the 18th to 20th centuries alongside modern and contemporary Native American artists, and saw strong interest in works by Fritz Scholder, Eve Van Ek Drewelowe, Louis McElwain, and Ed Mell. Featured in the auction was a selection of 22 works sold to benefit The Couse Foundation in Taos, New Mexico, and the construction of The Lunder Research Center. The offering raised over $114,000.

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Vargas pinup commands $100K at Heritage sale

Alberto Vargas, ‘Mara Corday, True Girl,’ February 1952, which sold for $100,000
Alberto Vargas, ‘Mara Corday, True Girl,’ February 1952, which sold for $100,000
Alberto Vargas, ‘Mara Corday, True Girl,’ February 1952, which sold for $100,000

DALLAS – One of the most iconic and important pinup images ever created, Alberto Vargas’s Mara Corday, True Girl, February 1952, sold for $100,000 to lead Heritage Auctions’ April 30 Illustration Art auction to $2.2 million in total sales. The model in the image, Mara Corday, is captured in the signature V-leg pose that was Vargas’s calling card in her second sitting for the artist – he lost the rights to the first, and other images he signed as “Varga,” in a years-long legal battle with Esquire magazine. Esquire sued the artist for the works signed “Vargas” in True but ultimately failed. This win and the publication of his nine True Girls, including the present work, revitalized the artist and his career.

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Collectors aimed high for robots, Disney toys at Milestone auction

Bandai (Japan) friction-powered ‘Flying Spaceman’ on ‘Super Cycle’ with original caped, green rubber “Superman” figure. Cape shown in foreground. Accompanied by colorfully illustrated box lid. The top lot of the sale, it sold for $55,200 against an estimate of $15,000-$25,000.

WILLOUGHBY, Ohio – Bidders from more than 20 countries worldwide brought their A-game to Milestone’s May 1 Spring Spectacular Toy Auction, which ran 13 hours due to sustained bidding, primarily via the Internet. Interest was especially strong for robots, early comic character toys and an extraordinary collection of 150+ vintage toy boats and electric outboard motors in their original boxes.

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Heritage sets world auction record for Leyendecker art

J.C. Leyendecker’s 1914 cover illustration, ‘Beat-up Boy, Football Hero,’ sold for $4.12 million and a world auction record for the artist.
J.C. Leyendecker’s 1914 cover illustration, ‘Beat-up Boy, Football Hero,’ sold for $4.12 million and a world auction record for the artist.
J.C. Leyendecker’s 1914 cover illustration for The Saturday Evening Post, ‘Beat-up Boy, Football Hero,’ sold for $4.12 million and a new world auction record for the artist.

DALLAS – Joseph Christian Leyendecker’s Beat-up Boy, Football Hero, which appeared on the cover of The Saturday Evening Post on Nov. 21, 1914, sold Friday for $4.12 million, shattering the previous world record for a work by the influential illustrator. The painting was a centerpiece of Heritage Auctions’ May 7 American Art Signature Auction, alongside masterworks by such revered names as Moran, Bierstadt, and Rockwell. Numerous records for several significant artists were set throughout the day, as the total for the nearly sold-out American Art event surpassed the $10.7 million mark – the first American Art event at Heritage to do so.

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Traditional antiques held appeal at John Moran’s April 28 sale

Maison Odiot French sterling silver dish, sold for $9,375
Maison Odiot French sterling silver dish, sold for $9,375
Maison Odiot French sterling silver dish, sold for $9,375

MONROVIA, CA – John Moran’s Traditional Collector sale took place on April 28, and it delivered a robust mix of genres in the form of candlesticks, sconces, vases, mantel clocks, and more. Decorative objects came in an array of materials such as silver, bronze, glass, and crystal, and many pieces had gilt details. Paintings and sculptures also did well throughout the sale, pairing nicely with the Louis XVI furniture on offer.

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Three days of triumphs at Hindman’s May 3-5 fine art auctions

Joan Mitchell’s ‘Untitled,’ 1989, which sold for $475,000 on May 4
Joan Mitchell’s ‘Untitled,’ 1989, which sold for $475,000 on May 4
Joan Mitchell’s ‘Untitled,’ 1989, which sold for $475,000 on May 4

CHICAGO – Hindman presented its spring fine art sales this week, realizing more than $7.4 million across three days of sales, beating presale estimates and setting global auction records. A renowned selection and competitive international bidding brought fantastic results. Strong engagement with works by artists such as Alphonse Mucha, Edward Willis Redfield, Jim Nutt, Bernard Frize, Andy Warhol, Ellsworth Kelly, and Frank Stella drove remarkable prices to conclude a successful series of auctions.

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Heritage sells 1953 Hank Williams poster for record-setting $150K

1953 Hank Williams concert poster that sold for $150,000 and a world record
1953 Hank Williams concert poster that sold for $150,000 and a world record

DALLAS – A five-dollar purchase 40 years ago became a world-record setter on May 1. An advertisement for the 1953 Hank Williams show that never happened sold for $150,000 at Heritage Auctions, setting a world record for the most expensive concert poster ever sold at auction. That stunning record-setter, a bright yellow slice of cardboard featuring the Hillbilly Shakespeare, was found in 1981 in a Canton, Ohio, barn and is one of only three known existing copies.

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