MILAN — Cartier developed the Tank Chinoise watch in 1922 during a time when there was growing interest in Chinese decorative arts. It is believed Cartier’s design for the watch case evokes the porticos of Chinese temples.
Finarte brought a 1940s-era version of the Tank Chinoise to market June 10 in its Fine Watches sale. It carried an €8,000-€16,000 ($8,700-$17,400) estimate but bidding immediately took off above the high estimate and didn’t stop until the Cartier had hammered at €65,000 ($70,438 or $88,751 with buyer’s premium).
OAKLAND, CA — Clars brought a bronze sculpture by famed 20th-century animalier Edouard-Marcel Sandoz (1881-1971) to market June 20 as part of its Summer Fine Art Sale. Expectations had been high for Salvador Dali’s Portrait of Mrs. Luther Greene, but it sold below its estimate range of $700,000-$1 million (it hammered for $575,000, or $753,250 with buyer’s premium).
Instead, Le Pas de l’Oie (The Goose Walk) was the sale’s surprise hit. Estimated at $15,000-$20,000, the sculpture skyrocketed to $75,000, or $98,250 with buyer’s premium. Sandoz is considered a bridge between the hyperrealism of 19th-century sculpture and the impressionistic schools of the mid-20th century.
Le Pas de l’Oie had been owned by Patricia Moffat Pope of San Francisco. Together with her husband George A. Pope Jr., they built a thoroughbred horse racing empire that included 27 stakes winners in the United States and Europe, including Decidedly, winner of the 1962 Kentucky Derby.
WHEELING, IL — A circa-1980s mint-in-box set of Regent Jarts came to market and like virtually every other recent example, blew out its high estimate, proving once again that the beloved backyard game cannot be killed by government regulation.
Lawn darts have been popular in America and Canada for decades. Typically featuring a weighted metal needle-tip and plastic stalk and fins, the game is easy and fun. Two circular Hula-Hoop-like devices are placed at opposite ends of the yard. Teams face off and attempt to land more darts within the circle than their opponent. The darts can be flung in a variety of ways.
Way back in 1970 is when the trouble began with the US government. The Food and Drug Administration classified lawn darts as a “mechanical hazard” and required manufacturers to include warnings on packaging. In the 1980s, a series of mishaps involving children being struck in the head by lawn darts resulted in all metal-tipped models being prohibited for sale in the United States. Plastic-tipped (but decidedly less fun) versions are still available for purchase.
Esquis Auctions placed a $200-$220 estimate on the Regent Jarts set as part of its June 25 Chicago Collectibles and Antiques Auction. Bidding immediately jumped to $325 and finally finished at $425, or $523 with buyer’s premium.
MASSILLON, OH — A device described as the only known unrestored example of a 1920 Wayne Model 11 air meter with water blew out its estimate to sell for $40,000 ($48,000 with buyer’s premium) at Check the Oil’s Annual Premium Petroliana and Advertising sale June 22. The estimate had been a generic $250-$25,000 with dozens of bids, starting at $2,650 and climbing skyward from there.
Wayne Oil Tank & Pump Company of Fort Wayne, Indiana was founded in 1891 at the dawn of internal combustion motive power. It remains a global leader in fuel-dispensing products such as gas pumps, but its early marketplace dominance led it into complimentary service station products such as tire air pumps and water dispensers for radiators. The Model 11 in the sale was completely original with a large portion of the original red paint still on the cast-iron body.
CHICAGO — A stunning 19th-century American tea table with portraits of Revolutionary War leaders romped past its $4,000-$6,000 estimate to hammer for $9,000 ($11,250 with buyer’s premium). Potter & Potter brought the 28in-diameter marquetry table to market as part of its June 26 Outsider, Folk, Contemporary and Fine Art sale. Determined floor and LiveAuctioneers bidders kept the action going across dozens of bids before the final hammer.
The table itself is a folk work of art. It included portraits of George and Martha Washington commemorating French General Marquis de Lafayette’s visit to the United States in 1824-1825, during which he toured 24 American states to a hero’s welcome. As the last surviving major general of the Revolutionary War, he was warmly received wherever he went, and the visit inspired countless mementos like the table. The art also included various Masonic symbols, such as the all-seeing eye and the shaking of hands.
