PHILADELPHIA — In three consecutive early December sales, Freeman’s American Art Week brought $3,908,835, reflecting the strength of the market for fine 20th- and 21st-century canvases, particularly women artists and Pennsylvania Impressionist works. An American Art and Pennsylvania Impressionists auction on December 4 combined with strong results for the December 5 sale of the Mr. and Mrs. Arnold Rifkin collection and with those for Collect: American Art, held on December 6, to produce the $3.9 million total.
Maxfield Parrish, ‘Untitled (Figures in a Landscape with Peacock),’ est. $20,000-$40,000
BLOOMFIELD, N.J. – Nye & Company Auctioneers will hold its online Chic and Antique Estate Treasures auction on Wednesday, September 7, and Thursday, September 8. It features nearly 750 lots of fine and decorative arts spanning the 16th century to present day, including a group of Old Master paintings from a distinguished New England collection and a selection of modern and contemporary art and sculpture from the David and Laura Finn family collection. Start times on both days are at 10 am Eastern. Absentee and Internet live bidding will be available through LiveAuctioneers.
ATLANTA – At the beginning of every month, ACN columnist Ken Hall delivers top auction highlights from around the United States and the world at large. Here’s the June 2022 edition of his Gallery Report. All prices include the buyer’s premium, except where noted.
Ed Clark’s Creation, $740,000, Hindman
Ed Clark’s acrylic on canvas Creation sold for $740,000 at a Post-War & Contemporary Art auction held May 11 by Hindman in Chicago. It was the highest price ever achieved for the artist. Also, John Craxton’s esoteric Cretan taverna scene Still Life with Three Sailors achieved $400,000, and four works by Chicago’s Queen of the Bohemians, Gertrude Abercrombie, went for a combined $925,000. The top achiever among the four was an oil on Masonite titled Toddy, Possim and Christine that realized $337,500.
U.S. 1901 one-cent error stamp, $5,500, Holabird Western Americana Collections, LLC
A U.S. one-cent stamp commemorating the Pan American Exposition of 1901 with an inverted center – an error stamp philatelic rarity – sold for $5,500 at a Western Americana Auction held April 21-24 by Holabird Western Americana Collections, LLC in Reno, Nevada. Also, a US Mint San Francisco 23.06-ounce silver ingot, 999.75 fine, earned $8,125; and a Navajo squash blossom turquoise and coral necklace with matching earrings signed by Victor Moses Begay achieved $1,438.
Burchfield watercolor, $587,500, Shannon’s Fine Art Auctioneers
A 1965 watercolor on paper by Charles Burchfield (American, 1893-1967), titled Nighthawks and the Moon, sold for $587,500 in an online-only Spring Fine Art Auction held April 28 by Shannon’s Fine Art Auctioneers in Milford, Connecticut. Three paintings by Burchfield combined to sell for more than $1 million. Also, a signed watercolor and pastel on paper by Maurice Prendergast (American, 1858-1924) attained $187,500.
Baignoire de Cartier watch, $9,225, Neue Auctions
A Baignoire de Cartier 18K gold and diamond ladies’ watch, made around 2010, sold for $9,225 in an online-only Fine Interiors, Art & Antiques auction held April 30 by Neue Auctions in Beachwood, Ohio. Also, a large pair of Chinese turquoise glaze terracotta foo dogs on stands rose to $5,842; a pair of 1980s Art Deco-style lacquered wood and upholstered club chairs realized $3,567; and an English sterling silver serving tray made in London in 1783 went for $4,612.
Crescent City Auction Gallery photo requests
Newcomb Pottery group, $11,938, Crescent City Auction Gallery
A collection of six Newcomb Pottery pieces sold for $11,938 at an Important Estates Auction held May 13-14 by Crescent City Auction Gallery in New Orleans. Also, a pair of 19th–century Chinese porcelain baluster ginger jars finished at $6,875; an untitled abstract artwork by George Bauer Dunbar (American, b. 1929-), featuring red gold leaf over red clay with die keen, realized $4,375; and a 141-piece set of sterling flatware by International in the Continental pattern made $8,125.
Presentation copy of The Great Gatsby, $67,200, Potter & Potter Auctions
A presentation copy of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby (1925, Charles Scribner & Sons, N.Y.) sold for $67,200 at a Literature Sale held April 26 by Potter & Potter Auctions in Chicago. Also, a copy of Oscar Wilde’s The Ballad of Reading Gaol brought $26,400; a copy of Dashiell Hammett’s The Maltese Falcon went for $22,800; and a copy of Ernest Hemingway’s A Farewell to Arms went to a determined bidder for $21,600.
Chinese porcelain plaques, $137,500, Clements
A pair of 20th-century Chinese porcelain plaques bearing the artist’s marks of Pan Taoyu (1887-1926) sold for $137,500 at an auction held April 2 by Clements auction house in Hixson, Tennessee. Pan Taoyu was one of the foremost creators of porcelain during China’s Republic period (1912-1949). He adopted the studio name Gu huan and died young, at age 39, so his surviving works are very scarce. The winning bidder was a Canadian dealer who was acting on behalf of Chinese clients.
John Hancock letter, $1.896 million, Freeman’s
A 1776 letter signed by John Hancock announcing America’s independence to the state of Georgia sold for $1.896 million at a May 4 Books and Manuscripts auction held by Freeman’s in Philadelphia, the star of a pair of sales that included the auction house’s May 3 American Furniture, Folk and Decorative Arts auction. Also performing well at the back-to-back auctions were a Chippendale mahogany sideboard table, which rose to $163,800; Rembrandt Peale’s portrait of George Washington, which finished at $94,500; and a first American edition of Jane Austen’s book Pride and Prejudice, which achieved $21,420.
Portrait by Thomas Sully, $94,500, Doyle New York
An 1839 portrait by Thomas Sully (British and American, 1783-1872) of Commodore James Biddle sold for $94,500 at an auction of American Paintings, Furniture & Decorative Arts held May 3-4 by Doyle in New York City. Also, a 1759 Map of the Improved Part of the Province of Pennsylvania by Nicholas Scull, the largest map printed in America in the 18th century, realized $88,200; and a pair of silver vases commissioned to memorialize Thomas Biddle, who died in a duel in 1831, brought $59,850.
1798 $1 Small Eagle coin, $205,625, Legend Rare Coin Auctions
A 1798 $1 U.S. Small Eagle coin with 13 stars, graded PCGS AU 58 CAC, sold for $205,625 at Regency Auction 51, held April 28 by Legend Rare Coin Auctions in Lincroft, New Jersey. Also, a 1795 $1 U.S. coin with two leaves, PCGS AU 58 CAC, achieved $105,750; an 1802/1 $5 U.S. coin, PCGS MS64+ CAC, changed hands for $102,812; an 1809/8 $5 U.S. coin, PCGS MS64+ CAC, went for $79,312; and an 1827 $5 U.S. coin, PCGS AU58+ CAC, rang up $79,312.
Maud Lewis oil painting, CA$413,000, Miller & Miller Auctions, Ltd.
A 1967 oil-on-board painting by Canadian folk artist Maud Lewis (1901-1970), titled Black Truck, sold for CA$413,000 in an online-only Canadiana & Decorative Arts auction held May 14 by Miller & Miller Auctions, Ltd. in New Hamburg, Canada. Also, Lewis’s oil painting Oxen Pulling Logs realized CA$88,500; a group of three letters from Lewis to friend and artist John Kinnear attained CA$82,600; and a circa-1825 powder horn by John Tansel made $22,420. Prices in this entry are given in Canadian dollars.
1879 map of the Western U.S., $16,675, Old World Auctions
An 1879 six-sheet Map of the Territory of the United States, West of the Mississippi River, Edward Freyhold’s updated version of Lieutenant Warren’s general map, sold for $16,675 in an online auction held April 13-27 by Old World Auctions in Richmond, Virginia. Also, William Blaeu’s atlas of China and Japan, based on the compilations of the Jesuit Father Martino Martini during his mid-17th-century travels, made $13,800; and a 1779 Thomas Jefferson signed appointment hit $10,925.
Skeletonized watch, $15,000, John Moran Auctioneers
A Vacheron Constantin skeletonized wristwatch, featuring 18K gold and diamonds with a 36-jewel stem-wind set movement, sold for $15,000 at a Spring Jewels auction held May 3 by John Moran Auctioneers in Los Angeles. Also, a large 14K gold carved lapis lazuli scarab pendant necklace with an Egyptian scene on the reverse realized $5,938; a platinum ring centering an emerald-cut, 2.58-carat diamond hit $23,750; and a circa-1880 diamond brooch went for $13,750.
A circa-1600 Chinese Ming Imperial dragon carpet sold for $324,500 during two sales of the Jim Dixon collection held April 25-May 5 by Skinner Auctioneers, online and in the Boston gallery. Also, a circa-18th-century Northwest Persian or South Caucasian rug, finely woven in multi-colored lozenges on a coral-colored field, rang up $40,625; a circa-1800 early central Anatolian rug fragment earned $35,000; and two Chinese Ningxia fragments from the Kangxi era rose to $5,625.
Antoni Clave painting, $37,500, Andrew Jones Auctions
An oil on canvas by Antoni Clave (Spanish, 1913-2005), titled L’enfant a l’oiseaux, sold for $37,500 at an online auction of property from the collection of Kirk and Anne Douglas held May 18 by Andrew Jones Auctions in Los Angeles. Also, a Chinese Export porcelain jardiniere on stand attained $11,250, and an Oushak carpet from West Anatolia finished at $10,625.
Bob Dylan lyrics, $60,500, RR Auction
Lyrics handwritten in 2013 by Bob Dylan for his classic song All Along the Watchtower, made popular by Jimi Hendrix, sold for $60,500 in an online auction that began April 14 and ended May 19 at RR Auction, based in Boston. The lyrics were written on one page in black ink and signed at the bottom “Bob Dylan, 2013.” Also, Jim Morrison’s handwritten lyrics for The Doors hit song Love Her Madly realized $43,750, and a Beatles signed Parlophone promo card achieved $25,970.
A Rolex Daytona chronograph wristwatch, ref. 6263, slipped onto a new wrist for $90,000 at a Spring Fine Jewelry & Timepieces auction held May 19 by Clars Auction Gallery in Oakland, California. Soon after, on May 21-22, Clars held a Fine Art, Furniture & Asian Art auction, in which an unheated Burma ruby, diamond and 18K gold ring sold for $14,400, and a print by the Japanese painter, performer and installation artist Yayoi Kusama (b. 1933-) realized $12,000.
Kurt Cobain guitar, $4.5 million, Julien’s Auctions
Kurt Cobain’s 1969 Fender Mustang electric guitar, played in the grunge rock group Nirvana’s breakthrough hit and 1991 music video Smells Like Teen Spirit, sold for $4.5 million at a Music Icons auction held May 20, 21 and 22 by Julien’s Auctions in New York City. Also, Johnny Cash’s owned and stage-played 1956 Martin model D-21 acoustic guitar hit $437,500, and the pink gown and accessories worn by Madonna in her classic music video Material Girl went for $287,500.
ATLANTA – At the beginning of every month, ACN columnist Ken Hall delivers top auction highlights from around the United States and the world at large. Here’s his December 2021 edition of Gallery Report. All prices include the buyer’s premium, except where noted.
Winslow Homer painting, $936,000, Thomaston Place Auction Galleries
An oil on canvas painting by Winslow Homer, titled Coming through the Rye, painted in France and inscribed “Homer/Paris 1867,” sold for $936,000 at a sale held November 12-14 by Thomaston Place Auction Galleries in Thomaston, Maine. Also, an 18th-century Chinese flambe glazed moon flask with Qianlong seal mark made $180,000, and a Tiffany Dragonfly table lamp brought $99,450.
Burchfield watercolor, $375,000, Shannon’s Fine Art Auctioneers
A watercolor on two joined sheets of paper by Charles Burchfield, created between 1948 and 1957 and titled January Sun, sold for $375,000 in an online Fall Fine Art Auction held October 28 by Shannon’s Fine Art Auctioneers in Milford, Connecticut. Also, a 1943 oil on board by Thomas Hart Benton, titled Study for Sugar Cane, finished at $275,000; and a 1901 oil painting by Susan Watkins, titled Woman Playing a Guitar, hit $106,250.
Kikuo Saito abstract art, $14,760, Neue Auctions
An abstract oil painting by Japanese-American artist Kikuo Saito, titled Summer Ghost (1997), sold for $14,760 in an online-only Fine Art & Antiques auction held October 30 by Neue Auctions in Beachwood, Ohio. Also, a colorful Parisian street scene by Constantin Kluge, titled Place de la Madeleine, realized $9,840, and a large Milpa stoneware vessel by Claude Conover finished at $8,610.
1871 Union Pacific Railroad pass, $5,125, Holabird Western Americana Collections
A Union Pacific Railroad complimentary pass (#1), issued to General A. W. Marley on Dec. 31, 1871, sold for $5,125 at an Autumn Splendor Western Americana Auction held Oct. 28-Nov. 1 by Holabird Western Americana Collections in Reno, Nevada. Also, a 1947 50-peso Mexican gold coin with 14-carat bezel reached $3,125, and a group of six vintage gaming chips for Harrah’s and other Nevada casinos went for $3,875.
Galle cameo glass vase, $6,600, Woody Auction
A blown mold French cameo glass vase signed Galle and featuring a cameo carved vine and blossom decor sold for $6,600 at the sale of the Jochimsen collection held October 23 by Woody Auction in Douglass, Kansas. Also, a Fenton mosaic art glass pedestal also knocked down for $6,600; a Galle French cameo art glass vase with blown mold cherry branch decor realized $4,750; and an unmarked Royal Flemish by Mt. Washington vase with griffin and dragon enamel decor changed hands for $3,000.
B. Prabha painting, $38,750, Bruneau & Co. Auctioneers
A painting by B. Prabha, titled Indian Women Painting, sold for $38,750 in an online-only Estate Fine Art & Antique Auction held November 15 by Bruneau & Co. Auctioneers in Cranston, Rhode Island. Also, a Cubist figural watercolor by Maqbool Fida Husain, of a couple on horseback, achieved $10,625; and a mixed media mounted to canvas portrait painting by the infamous forger Han Van Meegeren brought $5,938.
Captain America shield, $259,540, Hake’s Auctions
A Captain America hero-prop shield created by Marvel Studios senior prop master Russell Bobbitt and used by Chris Evans for close-up shots in the 2019 film Avengers: Endgame sold for $259,540 in an online Premier Entertainment & Historical Memorabilia Auction held November 2-3 by Hake’s Auctions in York, Pennsylvania. Also, a copy of Fantastic Four #1 comic (Nov. 1961), CGC-graded 6.0 Fine, featuring the debut of Marvel’s first superhero team, knocked down for $37,269.
1980 Nobel Prize, $275,000, Nate D. Sanders
The 1980 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, awarded to George D. Snell, sold for $275,000 at an auction held October 30 by Nate D. Sanders in Los Angeles. Snell won the Nobel Prize for his discovery of MHC, the genetic foundation of a body’s immunological response to tissue and organ transplants, determining whether it accepts an organ or rejects it. The first successful organ transplant occurred in 1954, when one identical twin donated a kidney to his sibling.
Apollo 17 cuff checklist, $744,000, RR Auction
Astronaut Gene Cernan’s Apollo 17 cuff checklist, which provided instructions for man’s last moonwalk and held handwritten notes for the last words spoken from the surface of the Moon, sold for $744,000 in an auction held Sept. 26-Oct. 21 by RR Auction in Boston. Also, Buzz Aldrin’s Apollo 11-flown Lunar Module checklist hit $143,750; Aldrin’s Apollo 11-flown flight form page reached $129,693; and an Apollo 11 First on the Moon book, signed by its crew members, made $41,721.
Amy Winehouse dress, $243,200, Julien’s Auctions
The dress worn by the late British singer Amy Winehouse at her final stage performance in 2011 sold for $243,200 at an auction titled Property from the Life and Career of Amy Winehouse, held November 6-7 by Julien’s Auctions in Los Angeles. Also, the Moschino custom-made red leather heart-shaped purse she brought to the 2007 Brit Awards made $204,800; a floral gold lame D&G stage-worn dress realized $150,000; and a Temperly London tan and black jumpsuit worn by her in 2008 brought $121,600.
The Light and Heavy Chest, $156,000, Potter & Potter Auctions
The Light and Heavy Chest, a magic trick apparatus made in France in 1844 and owned and used by Jean-Eugene Robert-Houdin, achieved $156,000 at Part 1 of The Klosterman Collection, a sale held October 30 by Potter & Potter Auctions in Chicago. The hardwood box became light as a feather or immovable, depending on the magician’s command. Also, Karl Germain’s Blooming Rose Bush illusion made $132,000, and Harry Houdini’s Upside Down in the Water Torture Cell poster brought $108,000.
Hopi Indian pottery bowl, $9,000, Pook & Pook, Inc.
A Hopi Sikyatki revival pottery bowl, likely made by the celebrated potter Nampeyo, sold for a little more than $9,000 at a Native American Indian Sale held October 27 by Pook & Pook, Inc. in Downingtown, Pennsylvania. Also, an authentic Navajo coin silver squash blossom necklace earned $8,064; a group of three Hopi kachinas realized $4,221; an Algonquin style miniature birch bark canoe model with moose and deer designs made $3,024; and a child-size Navajo rug achieved $3,906.
Paul Revere engraving, $429,000, Doyle New York
Paul Revere’s iconic 1770 hand-colored engraving of the famous Boston Massacre of March 5, 1770, titled The Bloody Massacre, sold for $429,000 – a new auction record for the print – at an American Paintings & Prints auction held November 2 by Doyle in New York City. Also, a landscape by Fidelia Bridges titled Small Bird with Flowering Ironweed rose to $93,750, setting a record for the artist, and a marine painting by William Bradford also hit $93,750.
Claude Conover vessel, $87,500, Wright
A chalky, engobe-decorated Oltah vessel by Claude Conover sold for $87,500 at an auction titled Shaping Stoneware: The Ceramic Forms of Claude Conover held October 28 by Wright in Chicago. It was the most ever paid for a work by Conover, eclipsing the $53,125 realized by a Uilku vessel at Rago Auctions in 2015. Another piece shattered that record in the October auction: a Uchben vessel that brought $75,000. Overall, the sale grossed $1.229 million.
Early Apple-1 computer, $500,000, John Moran Auctioneers
A vintage Apple-1 computer, known as the Chaffey College Apple-1 as it was originally purchased in 1977 by an electronics professor at the school (who sold it the following year to a student for $650) sold for $500,000 at a Postwar & Contemporary Art + Design sale held Nov. 9 by John Moran Auctioneers in Monrovia, California. Also, a painting by Ariana Papademetropoulos earned $162,500, and a color lithograph by Alexander Calder brought $8,125.
A circa-1780 diminutive chest from Massachusetts sold for $25,200 at an annual Fall Americana and Chinese Auction held October 30 by Nadeau’s Auction Gallery in Windsor, Connecticut. Also, an elegant blue and white Chinese urn changed hands for $20,480; a portrait of a nobleman done in the manner of Jean de Court finished at $15,600; and a pair of cylindrical polychromed Majolica vessels realized $12,500.
Set of two Lalanne Moutons, $705,600, Freeman’s
A suite of playful Moutons (Sheep) de Pierre by Francois-Xavier Lalanne sold for $705,600 at a Modern and Contemporary Art auction held November 17 by Freeman’s in Philadelphia. Also, a bold canvas by Russian Expressionist Chaim Soutine, titled Le Viaduc Rouge Pres de Vence, achieved $302,400; an Untitled (Study for Fiery Circle) sculpture by Harry Bertoia hit $107,100; and Vietnamese artist Vu Cao Dam’s painting titled Divinite rose to $40,950.
BEACHWOOD, Ohio – Vibrant, colorful vases and table lamps by Galle, lithographs by Charles Burchfield, mid-century Modern furniture pieces, original oil paintings, sterling silver flatware and more came up for bid in Neue Auctions’ online-only Art & Antiques auction held September 25. The two top lots were Galle vases.
Galle Plums cameo glass blown out vase, est. $3,000-$5,000
BEACHWOOD, Ohio – Neue Auctions’ online-only Art & Antiques auction on Saturday, September 25 at 10 am Eastern time, is an exciting offering of more than 400 lots that include undiscovered finds in many categories. Most were acquired from regional estates and longtime collectors. Paintings, works on paper, glass and Asian ceramics will all come under the gavel. Absentee and Internet live bidding will be available through LiveAuctioneers.
