ALAMEDA, Calif. – On Saturday, August 20, Michaan’s Auctions will hold its monthly Gallery Auction. It will present an array of items from every genre and period, including a Henrietta Berk self-portrait, a Persian Rosicrucian rug, Haig Patigian artworks and a 2.20-carat VS1 diamond. Absentee and Internet live bidding will be available through LiveAuctioneers.
Decorative items on offer include an antique Arabic gilt inlay short sword, slightly curved and with a detailed shell motif cross guard, estimated at $1,000-$1,500. The aforementioned Persian Rosicrucian pictorial rug depicts architectural designs in vibrant color and detail and carries an estimate of $3,000-$5,000.
August brings a rich variety of fine art to Michaan’s Auctions, led by Nesting Instinct, a 1982 monoprint with acrylic and gold leaf on paper by Lari Pittman (American, b. 1952-). Pittman’s densely-layered paintings employ symbols and signs in grand, hallucinatory scenes that make captivating additions to any space. Nesting Instinct is estimated at $1,000-$2,000.
A self portrait by Henrietta Berk (American, 1919-1990), a talent from San Francisco, also appears in the August 20 sale. She was part of the Bay Area Figurative Movement, and her work is recognized by its bold colors, strong shapes and thick brushstrokes. The self-portrait’s estimate is $1,000-$2,000.
West Coast art is also represented by four sculptures – one wax mold, one plaster cast, and two bronze – all from 1915 and all of the goddess Diana, created by Haig Patigian (American and Armenian, 1876-1950), who resided in San Francisco. These pieces come from the private collection of a Patigian biographer, and several more will be offered in this sale. The four Diana sculptures together carry an estimate of $2,000-$4,000.
August also brings a glamorous selection of jewelry, including a pair of Tiffany & Co. 18K gold ear clips in an elegant woven design, estimated at $700-$900. An 18K gold fringe necklace, estimated at $1,500-$2,500, can also be found in this sale, but the most impressive stone among this month’s jewelry choices is an unmounted 2.20-carat VS1 diamond that comes with a pendant mount. Its estimate is $4,000-$6,000.
A number of genres are represented within Asian Art, such as a Chinese Longquan ice-crackled vase, with the so-called “ice” consisting of a pale blue-green glaze suffused with a dense network of crackles. The vase is estimated at $600-$800. Bearing an identical estimate are two Chinese embroidered silk skirts and a wedding collar, with one skirt red and finely embroidered with gilt thread dragons and blue phoenixes, and the other skirt green and embroidered with peonies, bats and butterflies.
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