Gorham silver tazza by Magnussen secured $30K at Schwenke

Silver and turquoise tazza designed by Danish silversmith Erik Magnussen for the Gorham Manufacturing Company, which sold for $24,000 ($30,960 with buyer’s premium) at Schwenke Auctioneers.

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WOODBURY, Conn. – A silver and turquoise tazza designed by Danish silversmith Erik Magnussen (1884-1961) for the Gorham Manufacturing Company sold for $24,000 ($30,960 with buyer’s premium) at Schwenke Auctioneers on December 12.

Magnussen worked for Gorham as artistic director for only a short time just before the Depression after emigrating to the U.S. in 1925. This 75oz footed bowl, marked Gorham alongside Magnussen’s monogram, assumes a hand-hammered 16in petal form supported by a cylindrical base and four spherical feet of turquoise. A marriage of Danish Arts and Crafts and the Art Deco style, it is typical of the innovative mixed-media designs that helped reinvigorate Gorham’s domestic silver line in the late 1920s, but ultimately sold poorly. This piece, part of a group of silver items from a New England educational institution – it had a scratched accession date of 09/27/89 to the base – is one of only a handful of examples of its type. The estimate was $3,000-$5,000.

After disappointing sales, Magnussen left Gorham shortly before the Wall Street crash in 1929 to work for the New York branch of the German firm August Dingeldein & Sohn. In 1932 he set up on his own, working first in Chicago and then in Los Angeles.

Some of the best lots in the sale came from the estate of Theodora Gibson Berg of New Canaan, Connecticut. They included a platinum, diamond, ruby and pearl necklace that – although unsigned – came in a fitted case labeled for Frank Walter Lawrence Inc. of Fifth Avenue, New York.

Lawrence (1864-1929) is best known for his contribution to the Arts and Crafts movement and turn of the century jewels inspired by history, color, and design rather than great intrinsic value (period newspapers credit him with pioneering jewelry featuring baroque pearls found in the Mississippi River). However, this necklace, with its pavé-set bows and diamond florettes, was likely made after 1913, when Lawrence and two of his cousins incorporated the firm. His cousins continued to run the business until 1975. The necklace hammered for $29,000 ($37,410 with buyer’s premium) against an estimate of $15,000-$20,000.

Among the furniture lots was a 3ft 9in Spanish domed coffer with elaborate tracery carving and wrought iron strap-work bindings. A good example of a type popular in the 17th century, it was estimated at $400-$600 but hammered for $15,000 ($19,350 with buyer’s premium).
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Silver and turquoise tazza designed by Danish silversmith Erik Magnussen for the Gorham Manufacturing Company, which sold for $24,000 ($30,960 with buyer’s premium) at Schwenke Auctioneers.
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Frank Walter Lawrence Inc., platinum, diamond, ruby and pearl necklace, which sold for $29,000 ($37,410 with buyer’s premium) at Schwenke Auctioneers.
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Spanish domed coffer, which sold for $15,000 ($19,350 with buyer’s premium) at Schwenke Auctioneers.
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Gold-mounted amethyst and diamond snuff box, which sold for $18,000 ($23,220 with buyer’s premium) at Schwenke Auctioneers.
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Huge Japanese silver incense burner pushes Heritage sale to $1.5M

Detail of massive Japanese dragon-form incense burner featuring almost 45 pounds of nearly pure silver, $250,000. Image courtesy of Heritage Auctions, ha.com
Massive Japanese dragon-form incense burner featuring almost 45 pounds of nearly pure silver, $250,000. Image courtesy of Heritage Auctions, ha.com
Massive Japanese dragon-form incense burner featuring almost 45 pounds of nearly pure silver, $250,000. Image courtesy of Heritage Auctions, ha.com

DALLAS — The origin of the massive dragon incense burner that helped lead Heritage Auctions‘ Fine Silver & Objects of Vertu Signature ® Auction to a $1,501,201 finish on May 16 might be a mystery, but what’s no longer in question is the final selling price of this exceptional example of Japanese Meiji period craftsmanship. The dragon-form incense burner, which contains nearly 45 pounds of 99% pure silver, sold for $250,000, shattering its estimate of $70,000 and prompting an enthusiastic round of applause in the auction room.

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Japanese silver dragon-form censer of superb quality stars at Heritage, May 16

Meiji period Japanese silver dragon-form incense burner or censer, estimated at $50,000-$70,000. Image courtesy of Heritage Auctions, ha.com
Meiji period Japanese silver dragon-form incense burner or censer, estimated at $50,000-$70,000. Image courtesy of Heritage Auctions, ha.com
Meiji period Japanese silver dragon-form incense burner or censer, estimated at $50,000-$70,000. Image courtesy of Heritage Auctions, ha.com

DALLAS — The Japanese silver incense burner that leads Heritage Auctions‘ Tuesday, May 16 Fine Silver & Objects of Vertu Signature® Auction is a giant among dragons. Created from nearly 45 pounds of 99% pure silver and accented with eyes of more than 22k gold, the piece, which hails from the Meiji period, holds an estimate of $50,000-$70,000 and is steeped in mystery. Absentee and Internet live bidding will be available through LiveAuctioneers.

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Popeye the Pilot toy should fly high at SJ Auctioneers, Jan. 29

Circa-1930 Popeye the Pilot tin wind-up toy plane by Marx, estimated at $1,000-$1,500
Circa-1930 Popeye the Pilot tin wind-up toy plane by Marx, estimated at $1,000-$1,500
Circa-1930 Popeye the Pilot tin wind-up toy plane by Marx, estimated at $1,000-$1,500

BROOKLYN, N.Y. – SJ Auctioneers’ first major event of 2023 will be an online-only sale titled Winter Watch for Wanted Collectibles, slated for Sunday, January 29 and beginning at 4 pm Eastern time. Absentee and Internet live bidding will be available through LiveAuctioneers. Of the 244 lots, two stand out: a 1930 Popeye the Pilot tin wind-up toy plane and a 1934 Popeye pocket watch in excellent working condition.

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Choice silver should bring hefty sums at Heritage, Nov. 15

John Bridge silver covered tureen on stand, estimated at $30,000-$50,000. Image courtesy of Heritage Auctions
John Bridge silver covered tureen on stand, estimated at $30,000-$50,000. Image courtesy of Heritage Auctions
John Bridge silver covered tureen on stand, estimated at $30,000-$50,000. Image courtesy of Heritage Auctions

DALLAS – Heritage Auctions’ November 15 Silver & Vertu Signature® Auction is a celebration of expert silversmithing. From works by English greats such as John Samuel Hunt and John Bridge to American masters Gorham Mfg. Co. and Tiffany & Co., the auction teems with exquisitely detailed examples from some of the most notable names in silver. Absentee and Internet live bidding will be available through LiveAuctioneers.

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Jasper52 showcases Antique to Modern Sterling Silver, Sept. 14

Large antique sterling silver basket, est. $2,000-$2,500
Large antique sterling silver basket, est. $2,000-$2,500
Large antique sterling silver basket, est. $2,000-$2,500

NEW YORK – On Wednesday, September 14, starting at 3 pm Eastern time, Jasper52 will present a sale of Antique to Modern Sterling Silver, consisting of precisely 133 lots. Absentee and Internet live bidding will be available through LiveAuctioneers.

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Chocolate pots hit the sweet spot with collectors

A mid-18th-century Belgian silver chocolate pot by Jacobus van de Vyvere brought $5,204 plus the buyer’s premium in March 2017. Image courtesy of Dreweatts Donnington Priory and LiveAuctioneers.
A mid-18th-century Belgian silver chocolate pot by Jacobus van de Vyvere brought $5,204 plus the buyer’s premium in March 2017. Image courtesy of Dreweatts Donnington Priory and LiveAuctioneers.
A mid-18th-century Belgian silver chocolate pot by Jacobus van de Vyvere brought $5,204 plus the buyer’s premium in March 2017. Image courtesy of Dreweatts Donnington Priory and LiveAuctioneers.

NEW YORK — Chocolate has been a delicacy for centuries, enjoyed around the world in a range of treats, from truffles to pudding to cookies and cakes. Its simplest and most enjoyable form is also its earliest: a hot drink. Fine dining demands all manner of specialized serving pieces, so, unsurprisingly, a canny silversmith designed the chocolate pot, a vessel exclusively for melting and serving chocolate.

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Michaan’s cheers strong results throughout summer season

Roy Lichtenstein, ‘Red Barn,’ $30,000
Roy Lichtenstein, ‘Red Barn,’ $30,000
Roy Lichtenstein, ‘Red Barn,’ $30,000

ALAMEDA, Calif. – A survey of summer 2021 at Michaan’s Auctions shows sustained growth across all categories. “Our longtime customers have proven their loyalty month after month,” said president Allen Michaan, noting that this holds for seasoned consignors and bidders alike. At the same time, more and more new buyers and sellers are recognizing that “the auction business blends discovery and sustainability, which makes it the perfect marketplace for the times we live in,” as Michaan puts it.

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