ALAMEDA, Calif. – Michaan’s Auctions will reopen on Friday, June 19, with the Summer Fine Sale that showcases fine art, fine jewelry, Asian art, furniture and decorations curated by Michaan’s team of experienced and dedicated auction specialists. Bid absentee or live online through LiveAuctioneers.
Michaan’s selection of fine art will delight both the longtime collector and the novice bidder. A case in point: the iconic works of M.C. Escher. The Escher pieces in this sale were purchased from the artist, in the Netherlands, by the current owner’s grandfather. Escher’s lithograph, Convex and Concave (Hol en Bol), is estimated at $10,000-$15,000. Sphere Surface With Fishes ($7,000-$9,000) is a striking woodcut on Japanese tissue paper; the mathematical accuracy of Escher’s spirals, in this particular work, has been demonstrated at length by scholars. Both Eschers in this auction are museum-quality works by a singular artist whose creativity was matched only by his astonishing intellect.
Michaan’s Summer Fine Sale also offers diverse 19th-century European paintings of beauty and intrigue. These include Portrait of a Woman by Albert Lynch (1851-1912), a Peruvian-born painter of belle epoque Paris. The large oil painting titled Woman with a Vase is by Austrian artist Daniel Israel (1859-1901). The artist’s widow, Rosa Israel, brought the painting to the U.S. when she immigrated in 1923; it has passed down through generations to the current owner, Rosa Israel’s great-granddaughter. The Albert Lynch and Daniel Israel paintings are each estimated at $8,000-$12,000. Also offered is “Horse Market,” by the Dutch artist Isaac Israëls (1865-1934), an artistic prodigy who received an honorable mention at the Paris Salon of 1885. Isräels worked in various European capitals and is associated with the Amsterdam Impressionism movement. “Horse Market,” depicting a favorite subject of the artist, is estimated to realize $8,000-$12,000.
American paintings are strong sellers at Michaan’s and are well represented in June’s auctions. A Bay Area Figurative Movement artist, James Weeks, is featured in the auction. A leading highlight is Wading Through the Water by Carl Oscar Borg (1879-1947). It carries a $12,000-$15,000 estimate.
Asian art has always been a foundational highlight at Michaan’s. Featured in the June 19 sale is the rare and fine Chinese porcelain apple-shaped water pot with copper-red glaze. Estimated to realize $100,000-$150,000, the vessel is exemplary of the copper-red glaze so prized by collectors.
Among the fine textiles offered is the Tibetan ceremonial dragon robe ($5,000-$8,000) of yellow ground silk brocade, embroidered with symbolic and auspicious motifs.
Gorgeous precious gemstones are expected to steal the show. Michaan’s specialist and GIA gemologist Elise Coronado presents a platinum and diamond ring centering a cushion-cut sapphire from Kashmir, home of the world’s most highly prized sapphires. Weighing approximately 1.75 carats, the stone has the superb royal blue color and velvety silken appearance for which Kashmir sapphires are so desired. The stunning ring, estimated at $10,000-$15,000, is accompanied by a GIA gemology report stating the stone is a natural Kashmir sapphire.
The diamond solitaire ring is always in demand. A highlight of the auction is the pear-cut diamond weighing approximately 2.27 carats set in a 14K white gold solitaire mounting (est. $5,000-$7,000.
Many fine lots of silver, porcelain, decorative objects including clocks and glass are available in the sale. A fine Wedgood green dipped jasper plaque, a Tiffany Studios acorn-pattern glass lampshade, and a Louis Vuitton trunk are among the noteworthy finds for collectors. A Gorham sterling silver seven-piece tea and coffee service, in the Maintenon pattern, is estimated at $8,000-$12,000. It was presented as a Christmas gift to the current owner’s grandmother in 1920.
Michaan’s furniture and decorations department offers a wide range of fine property in the sale. A highlight is the small but choice collection of American Late Classical and Rococo Revival furniture including a carved oval table and two chairs by J. & J.W. Meeks of New York. The Meeks carved, laminated rosewood table with inserted white marble “turtle” top, is offered with an estimate of $7,000-$10,000; the pair of Meeks side chairs is estimated at $700-$1,000. A late classical dining table with four leaves attributed to Anthony Quervelle, Philadelphia, is estimated at $5,000-$7,000. Quervelle was a renowned cabinetmaker who left his native France for America in 1817. While furnishing the East Room of the White House in 1829, President Andrew Jackson commissioned a number of tables from Anthony Quervelle.
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