ALAMEDA, Calif. – Michaan’s Auctions is partnering with San Francisco’s The de Young Museum in the sale of more than 200 vintage hats, recently deaccessioned from the museum’s Caroline and H. McCoy Jones Department of Textile Arts. These historical pieces, each meticulously conserved and cataloged by The de Young curators, will be offered at Michaan’s on Saturday, Oct. 13. Absentee and Internet live bidding is available through LiveAuctioneers.
“Throughout fashion history, the hat has often served as an outfit’s finishing touch,” says Laura Camerlengo, associate curator of Costume and Textile Arts for the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco. “Vintage hats, made during the heyday of hat-wearing, can give extra panache to any ensemble, whether you enjoy wearing retro fashions or embrace contemporary trends.”
Imagine the impact of the mid-century black fur felt toque with gray chinchilla brim and velvet tassel ($150-$200), or the mushroom-style garden hat decorated with pale pink silk cherry blossoms by Madame Julia of Paris, circa 1887 ($80-$100). Luxe materials and trimmings include velvet, voile, silk brocade, cotton lace, feathers, beads and embroidery. Designed by the best names in millinery, many were retailed by elegant bygone fashion emporia such as Bonwit Teller and I. Magnin.
In addition to the hats, vintage fashions such as an authentic 1960s Pucci minidress and a Valentino evening gown — all from the de Young’s collection — are also offered in this sale.
Another highlight is a large trove of Native American jewelry. Squash blossom necklaces and substantial cuff bracelets are among the more than 400 pieces offered in Michaan’s October auctions. Amassed by a single New Mexico collector from the 1950s to the 1980s, this fine collection of Navajo, Zuni, Santo Domingo and Heishi bead treasures features turquoise, coral, and shell inlay and includes signed pieces and jewelry suites.
“Native American jewelry is a perennial favorite of Michaan’s buyers,” says jewelry specialist Elise Coronado, “and this uncommonly large offering of excellent pieces is generating a lot of excitement. The cultural importance of Native American jewelry extends its appeal far beyond the community of jewelry collectors. It resonates not only as adornment but also as artifact, and our buyers recognize its value in terms of heritage as well as beauty.”
The Native American collection sets the stage for Michaan’s’s October sale of fine jewelry. The showstopper is a ring (estimated at $30,000-$50,000) centering an emerald-cut diamond of approximately 3.83 carats, flanked by two more beautiful diamonds, all set in a platinum mounting. From the same Ross, California, estate comes the luxurious diamond tennis bracelet ($6,000-$8,000). Dramatic period jewelry is also highlighted. The Victorian tassel pendant necklace of enamel and 14K gold festooned with pearls is estimated at $2,000-$3,000.
The art of Fernando Cueto Amorsolo (Filipino, 1892-1972) returns to Michaan’s in October. His gorgeous 1959 oil painting, A Family Resting Under a Mango Tree, is estimated to bring $40,000-$60,000. “The painting is a superb example of the bright sun-drenched countryside scenes for which Amorsolo is most well known,” says Michaan’s fine art specialist Susan Paffrath. Also offered is Amorsolo’s 1953 watercolor, Cooking Scene ($9,000-$12,000).
October brings to market two excellent paintings by California artist Roland Petersen (b. 1926), both dating to the 1950s. Three Fisherman ($4,000-$6,000), an oil on canvas measuring about 30 by 40 inches, is a vibrant figural composition energized by the geometry of cubism. Petersen’s untitled 1958 impasto, also offered at $4,000-$6,000, is a powerful abstract work, fierce and magnetic.
Another of October’s leading fine art highlights is the large Picasso ceramic platter, Visage de Femme, from a private collection in Nice, France. The platter (below) bears several imprints including Madoura Plein Feu, the mark of Picasso’s longtime collaborators in the ceramic arts. Listed in Alain Ramie’s Catalogue of the Collected Ceramic Works 1947-1971, Visage de Femme is estimated at $20,000-$25,000. A 1934 Picasso etching ($8,000-$12,000) and works by Miro and Renoir are also among the many fine European works in the sale.
Asian art is foundational to each of Michaan’s monthly gallery auctions, and October’s selection has something for every discerning collector, from gilt bronze deities and Bodhi beads to fine cloisonné and famille rose porcelain.
Chinese red is a recurrent theme in October’s Asian art. An iron-red “tea poem” rectangular bowl ($800-$1,000), beautifully decorated and inscribed, dates to the 19th century, as does the “lotus” bowl ($1,000-$1,500) with iron-red painted decoration on a turquoise ground.
Among the most coveted lots are two pairs of Huanghuali armchairs. These elegant 20th-century Chinese furnishings, crafted from the fragrant wood that is highly desired and increasingly scarce, are offered in two lots, each estimated at $16,000-$20,000.
[av_button label=’View the fully illustrated catalog and bid on LiveAuctioneers.’ link=’manually,https://bit.ly/2P3gSUQ’ link_target=’_blank’ size=’medium’ position=’center’ label_display=” icon_select=’no’ icon=’ue800′ font=’entypo-fontello’ color=’theme-color’ custom_bg=’#444444′ custom_font=’#ffffff’ av_uid=’av-vg3o3w’ admin_preview_bg=”]
