Ornate Chinese plaque leads our five auction highlights

Ornate Chinese plaque with famille rose panels, which hammered for $440,000 and sold for $563,200 with buyer’s premium at Regency Auction House.

Ornate Chinese Plaque with Famille Rose Panels, $563,200

ROCKAWAY, N.J. — Cataloged simply as an ‘ornate Chinese plaque’ and estimated at $600-$800, a Qing lacquer and porcelain panel hammered for the jaw-dropping sum of $440,000 at Regency Auction House‘s November 7 sale. The winning bid, which totaled $563,200 with buyer’s premium, was taken in the room against an internet bidder from LiveAuctioneers.

The famille rose panels, each 6.5 by 9in, were the main attraction. They are 18th century (the seals read Qian and Long for the emperor Qianlong (1735-96) and painted in a flamboyant blue-green style, with highlights in yellow, rose-pink and red in the manner of Tang Ying, the famed supervisor of the imperial kilns and a central figure in the development of Chinese porcelain. Two depict landscapes and two show botanical specimens.

The inscriptions to the panels are imperial poems eulogizing the subject matter. The emperor was a prolific poet and essayist with more than 40,000 poems and 1,300 pieces of prose recorded in his collected writings. Although few are considered literary masterpieces, inscribed pieces such as this have an emotional resonance with Chinese buyers and command a premium in the market.

The carved and painted frame is not of the period — it is probably a late Qing confection crafted in the late 19th to the early 20th century — but the additional porcelain elements applied in relief are probably 18th-century too. They included two fish, which were common symbols for wealth and prosperity, and models of playful children, which expressed the desire for a prosperous family. Some of these were damaged, but the panels were in perfect condition.

Umberto Coromaldi, ‘The Little Gleaner,’ $12,800

Umberto Coromaldi, ‘The Little Gleaner,’ which hammered for $10,000 and sold for $12,800 with buyer’s premium at Bonhams Skinner.
Umberto Coromaldi, ‘The Little Gleaner,’ which hammered for $10,000 and sold for $12,800 with buyer’s premium at Bonhams Skinner.

MARLBOROUGH, Mass. — An intriguing portrait of a young girl gathering wheat in a field stormed past its modest $700-$900 estimate to hammer at $10,000 at Bonhams Skinner, a most surprising lot from its November 2 European Art Online sale. Complete results are available at LiveAuctioneers.

The Little Gleaner, by Italian artist Umberto Coromaldi (1870-1948), is undated but includes a U.S. Customs stamp on the reverse, additionally marked Panama-Pacific International Exposition. Held in San Francisco in 1915, the exposition was a reintroduction of the post-1906 earthquake- and fire-ravaged city to the world, complete with Beaux Arts architecture that still stands today.

It’s likely Coromaldi sent the piece for inclusion in the Italian area of the exhibit. As a Rome-based painter, he was a regular participant in art exhibitions throughout Italy and Europe, and The Little Gleaner was from his most productive period, just before World War I.

The piece was from the estate of Chase Mishkin (1937-2022), a Los Angeles carpet heiress turned Broadway producer who gained success with the Dame Edna and Memphis productions of the early 2000s, for which she each won Tony Awards.

Second Opium War-Era Letters from Sea Captain to Sons in America, $8,820

An 1850s cache of personal letters written by Captain Charles A. Ranlett, Sr., master of the China clipper ship Surprise, to his sons in Boston, which hammered for $7,000 and sold for $8,820 with buyer’s premium at Merrill’s Auctioneers.
An 1850s cache of personal letters written by Captain Charles A. Ranlett, Sr., master of the China clipper ship Surprise, to his sons in Boston, which hammered for $7,000 and sold for $8,820 with buyer’s premium at Merrill’s Auctioneers.

WILLISTON, Vt. — A cache of letters sent from a clipper ship captain in Shanghai during the Second Opium War (1856-1860) to his sons in the Charlestown area of Boston resounded with bidders at Merrill’s Auctioneers November 3, skyrocketing beyond its estimate of $400-$600 to hammer at $7,000 and sell for $8,820 with buyer’s premium.

Captain Charles A. Ranlett, Sr. was skipper of the Surprise, an 1850-built clipper ship used in Chinese trade. He found himself in Shanghai as part of his journeys in the 1850s and dispatched a series of letters to his sons Seth and Alonzo at their home in Charlestown. Interestingly, according to the National Archives, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s mother Sara transited on the Surprise as part of the Delano’s family business trading in China and later recounted the “master of the Surprise as ‘a young man of excellent education.’ ‘His name was Ranlett,’ she recalled, ‘and before we got to China, he and I had a grand birthday celebration.’”

Included in the collection of letters was a Chinese document, wrapped in a paper, with a Ranlett family note stating it was the last pass given to transit the Bocca Tigres Forts, which guarded Canton during the Battle of the Bogue in November 1856 during the Second Opium War.

M.C. Escher, ‘Coast of Amalfi (Composition),’ $312,000

‘Coast of Amalfi (Composition),’ a 1934 woodcut by Maurits Cornelis (M.C.) Escher, which hammered for $240,000 and sold for $312,000 with buyer’s premium at Swann Auction Galleries.
‘Coast of Amalfi (Composition),’ a 1934 woodcut by Maurits Cornelis (M.C.) Escher, which hammered for $240,000 and sold for $312,000 with buyer’s premium at Swann Auction Galleries.

NEW YORK – Maurits Cornelis Escher (1898-1972) arrived on the Amalfi Coast in 1923 and ultimately created more than 100 works based on its landscape. The seaside village of Atrani and the Collegiata di Santa Maria Maddalena cast a particular charm and inspired some of his most famous later works, most notably the series of Metamorphosis prints.

Escher painted and drew Atrani and its topography from a number of different vantage points during his many visits. Swann Auction Galleries’ November 2 Old Master Through Modern Prints sale included a particularly rare woodcut. Titled Coast of Amalfi (Composition) it measured 27.5 by 29in (70 by 74cm) and dated from 1934.

The auction house described it as “a superb, dark and evenly-printed impression of an exceedingly scarce woodcut, with strong contrasts. We have not found another impression at auction in the past 30 years.”

Estimated at $20,000-$30,000, it hammered for $240,000 and sold for $312,000 with buyer’s premium.

According to Artprice, this is the second-highest price at auction for an Escher print, next to the $600,000 bid at Sotheby’s in April 2022 for one of the edition of 30 of Reptiles from 1943.

Jacek Malczewski, ‘Self Portrait with Black Cap,’ $153,600

Jacek Malczewski’s ‘Self Portrait with Black Cap,’ which hammered for $120,000
Jacek Malczewski’s ‘Self Portrait with Black Cap,’ which hammered for $120,000

MARLBOROUGH, Mass. – Trained at the Krakow School of Fine Arts as well as the Paris École des Beaux Arts, Jacek Malczewski (1854-1929) is credited with the rise in popularity of symbolism in late 19th- and early 20th-century Poland. He is particularly well known for his self-portraits, painting dozens of them towards the end of his life.

Self Portrait with Black Cap from 1925, a 2ft 2in by 15in (65 by 36cm) oil on canvas mounted on paperboard, depicts the artist in his trademark black cap in the interior of the Luslawice Mansion, where the artist’s sisters lived, and where he visited often.

Malczewski’s work appears for sale with some regularity in Poland, where six-figure prices are relatively common. However, this picture, which hammered for $120,000 and sold for $153,600 with buyer’s premium on November 2, was sold in Massachusetts.

It was part of an exceptional collection of more than 60 Polish paintings offered at Bonhams Skinner on behalf of the family of the logician and mathematician Alfred Tarski (1901-1983). Like many of the artists in his collection, Tarski had been born in Warsaw to Jewish parents. He and his wife Maria Witkowska had been avid art collectors but left Poland after the Nazi invasion in 1939, moving to California, where Tarski taught mathematics at Berkeley.

Five outstanding takeaways from the Fall 2023 Asian Art Week in London

Circa-1910 Yabu Meizan Mount Fuji vase in its original tomobako, which hammered for £18,000 and sold for £23,500 ($29,350) at Lyon & Turnbull.

Circa-1910 Yabu Meizan Mount Fuji Vase In Its Original Tomobako, $29,350

LONDON – Yabu Meizan (1853-1934) is considered the prince of the so-called ‘Satsuma’ medium. The work produced at his workshop in Kyoto was characterized by minute decoration applied using copper plate designs as stencils, and they were much admired at world’s fairs in both Europe and the U.S. The American art museum founder Charles Parsons recounted a visit to Meizan’s workshop in his book Notes of a Trip around the World in 1894 and 1895. “He is very celebrated. He had 17 men and boys at work, all decorating. He makes the designs and watches them carefully in executing the work. Some are very wonderful workers. All is order, neatness and silence, no words spoken.”

The slender baluster vase offered by Lyon & Turnbull as part of its auction of Fine Asian and Islamic Works of Art on November 3 was a particularly good example. Standing 7in (18cm) high, it is finely decorated with a continuous Fuji mountain landscape scene between bands of chrysanthemums and peonies. It is housed in the original tomobako, or storage box, with a label reading ‘Yabu Meizan, Painter of the finest satsuma porcelain, No. 197, Naka Ni-chome, Dojima, Ocaka, Japan.’

It was consigned for sale by a London vendor whose great-aunt, Etta May Gubbins (1871-1955), had bought it during her honeymoon trip in Yokohama in 1910. Estimated at what was a very attractive £600-£800, it hammered for £18,000 and sold for £23,500 ($29,350 with buyer’s premium).

Korean Eight-Panel Screen Signed for Artist Kim Deuk-Sin, $286,800

Korean eight-panel screen signed for artist Kim Deuk-sin, which hammered for £175,000 and sold for £229,600 ($286,800) at Dreweatts.
Korean eight-panel screen signed for artist Kim Deuk-sin, which hammered for £175,000 and sold for £229,600 ($286,800) at Dreweatts.

NEWBURY, U.K. – This 18th-century Korean eight-panel screen depicts a subject borrowed from Ming prototypes — a banquet honoring the famed Tang dynasty general Guo Ziyi. By the 17th century, Guo Ziyi, who lived a long life and raised eight successful sons, had become a paragon of Confucian virtue and a metaphor for conveying wishes for longevity, wealth, and rank. Screens such as this would have been used at celebrations and given as congratulatory gifts to distinguished members of the Joseon court.

More than 40 similar screens are known in museum collections, but only a few are signed and sealed. This example, which was offered as part of the Asian art sale at Dreweatts on November 8-9, has two seals for the artist Kim Deuk-sin (1754-1822), the son of a royal court painter, Kim Eungri. The estimate was £8,000-£10,000, but it hammered for £175,000 and sold for £229,600 ($286,800 with buyer’s premium). It went to a U.S. bidder who intends to give it to an institution.

Late Ming Dynasty Black Lacquer and Zitan Guqin, $816,850

Two views of a late Ming dynasty black lacquer and zitan guqin, which hammered for £550,000 and sold for £654,000 ($816,850) at Bonhams.
Two views of a late Ming dynasty black lacquer and zitan guqin, which hammered for £550,000 and sold for £654,000 ($816,850) at Bonhams.

LONDON – The Dutch diplomat Robert Hans van Gulik (1910-1967) was a great admirer of traditional Chinese literati culture. In addition to practicing Chinese calligraphy every day, he also learned to play the guqin. His book The Lore of the Lute, first published in Tokyo in 1940, was the first academic study of the instrument and played an important role in introducing it to a Western audience.

His favorite among the instruments he owned was a late Ming dynasty seven-string guqin acquired in China in 1936. Made in black lacquered wood and zitan with inlays of mother-of-pearl and a jade plaque of a duck, it bears various seals and calligraphic inscriptions that document its purchase ‘in the Bingzi year in Yanjing’ (1936, Beijing).

Van Gulik’s interest in Chinese music and musical instruments in general extended to the pipa, the leading instrument in Nanyin for what was known as ‘southern pipe’ music.

The backs of pipa are usually plain, but Van Gulik’s 17th-century example in black and gilt lacquer is decorated in mother-of-pearl with both with a scene of figures gazing at three tall rocks across the sea and an inscription alluding to the literati ideals of a life away from the perils of the court and the merits of fishing, drinking tea and meeting with friends.

Both instruments were included in Bonhams’ Fine Chinese Art sale in London on November 2. The Ming dynasty guqin brought more than twice the top estimate, hammering at £550,000 and selling for £654,000 ($816,850 with buyer’s premium), while the pipa exceeded presale hopes to hammer for £130,000 and sell for £166,400 ($207,800 with buyer’s premium).

Pair of Qing Blue and White ‘Poem’ Tea Trays, $85,000

Pair of Qing blue and white ‘poem’ tea trays, which hammered for £52,000 and sold for £68,120 ($85,000) at Lyon & Turnbull.
Pair of Qing blue and white ‘poem’ tea trays, which hammered for £52,000 and sold for £68,120 ($85,000) at Lyon & Turnbull.

LONDON – Leading Lyon & Turnbull’s November 3 sale of Asian and Islamic Works of Art was this pair of Qing blue and white ‘poem’ tea trays. Both have Jiaqing (1796-1820) six-character seal marks and were of the period.

Like his father Qianlong, the emperor Jiaqing was something of a poet. The verse on these small dishes praises the pleasure of drinking tea. It translates as: ‘Finest tribute tea of the first picking. / And a bright full moon prompts a line of verse. / A lively fire glows in the bamboo stove, / The water is boiling in the stone griddle / Small bubbles rise like ears of fish or crab. / Of rare Chi’i-ch’iang tea, rolled into tiny balls / One cup is enough to lighten the heart / And dissipate the early winter chill.’

The words, dated to the dingsi year of the Jiaqing reign (corresponding to 1797), appear on a number of similar trays and teapots, some of them in blue and white, others in the famille rose palette. This pair came from a private Scottish collection, inherited from a family who had worked and traveled extensively in Asia during the 1920s-40s. Estimated at £6,000-£8,000, they hammered for £52,000 and sold for £68,120 ($85,000 with buyer’s premium).

Chongzhen Blue and White Sleeve Vase, $127,900

Documentary Chongzhen blue and white sleeve vase dated 1638, which hammered for £80,000 and sold for £102,400 ($127,900) at Bonhams.
Documentary Chongzhen blue and white sleeve vase dated 1638, which hammered for £80,000 and sold for £102,400 ($127,900) at Bonhams.

LONDON – This 18in (45cm)-high Chongzhen (1627-1644) blue and white sleeve vase, dated to the Wuyin year corresponding to 1638, is decorated with a scene from a popular 17th-century drama based on a Tang poem. It shows the emperor Minghuang (685-762) overcome with grief following his part in the suicide of his favorite concubine, Yang Guifei, as he seeks to be reunited with her at the Guanghan Palace on the Moon. In the continuous scene he is accompanied by a priest, attendants, and the goddess of the moon, Chang’e.

The vase, pictured in the influential 1981 book by Richard Kilburn titled Transitional Wares and Their Forerunners, was among the highlights of Bonhams’ November 2 sale titled The Marsh Collection: Art for the Literati – Part 2. It had an estimate of £30,000-£50,000 and went on to hammer for £80,000 and sell for £102,400 ($127,900 with buyer’s premium).

Sam Marsh and his wife Marion started collecting Transitional and Kangxi blue and white porcelain when they moved to Hong Kong in 1970. They were advised by the noted collector and dealer Adrian Joseph and shared knowledge with fellow collectors the late Sir Michael Butler as well as John and Julia Curtis. Sam Marsh’s 2020 book Brushpots: A Collector’s View features several of the pieces offered with Bonhams. The 43 lots offered by the vendors last year delivered a white glove sale; this year’s 48-lot offering was also well received, with 43 lots sold.

Roland Arkell

Roland Arkell

Roland Arkell is editor of Auction Central News and deputy editor at Antiques Trade Gazette. He has been writing about all aspects of the art and antiques market for more than 25 years.

Tiffany ‘paperweight’ vases anchored substantial results at The Benefit Shop Foundation

Chinese chinoiserie porcelain flower pot with plate, which sold for $43,000 ($55,470 with buyer’s premium) at The Benefit Shop Foundation.

MOUNT KISCO, N.Y. – A trio of exceptional Tiffany Studios pieces known as ‘paperweight’ vases flew past expectations at The Benefit Shop Foundation‘s September 27 Red Carpet Auction.

Like many of the best objects in this sale, they traced their provenance to the family of Byron DeWitt Miller (1875-1960) – the errand boy from Portland, Maine who became the president of Woolworth.

It was under the aegis of Louis Comfort Tiffany that the Tiffany Studios began exhibiting ‘paperweight’ objects alongside other elements of the favrile glass range around 1900. Using the hot glass, caning and encasement techniques mastered in 19th-century France, in the first two decades of the new century Tiffany’s artists pushed the medium further to create new effects. A series of ‘paperweight’ botanical vases that appeared to trap flowers and water within the glass became the signature product.

The three vases offered on September 27 – all signed, numbered and retaining original paper labels to the base – represented a good cross section of the paperweight medium. And, with estimates in the hundreds, they attracted more than 100 admirers each on the LiveAuctioneers platform. Ultimately, all three sold to internet bidders at the sort of five-figure sums similar pieces have commanded at sales in Manhattan.

The largest, at 8in high, was worked with a design of stylized poppies. It hammered for $16,000 ($20,640 including buyer’s premium) against an estimate of $200-$500. Sold at $11,000 ($14,190 with buyer’s premium) against a similar estimate was a 5in squat form vase with marbled botanical leaf and vine decoration, while a particularly sophisticated vase with red and marbled green tomato vine decoration brought $21,000 ($27,090 with buyer’s premium).

A fourth Tiffany favrile glass vase demonstrated a different, but again, scarce form of decoration of the type popularized by the glassmakers of Nancy, France. The 8in cameo vase in a dark red and yellow opaque glass carved as a floral bloom sold at $4,000 ($5,160 with buyer’s premium).

Byron DeWitt Miller had the ultimate retailing career, climbing from the bottom to the top of the ladder to become president of the world’s largest variety store chain. His big break came in 1908, when he was chosen by Frank W. Woolworth to launch the firm’s first transatlantic stores.

Between 1909-20 — around the time these vases were made — Miller was involved in the creation of more than 80 Woolworth stores across the UK. His first openings in 1912 were in Brixton (which he considered to be the British equivalent of Brooklyn, New York), and in Bristol (which he compared to Atlantic City, New Jersey). He became the third president of the company in 1930.

Like many industrialists of the pre-war era, Miller was an ardent collector of American, European and Oriental works of art. Other items from the estate were offered by The Benefit Shop in 2021, when several Chinese works of art flew to big numbers.

Much the same happened again in September. Occasionally the cataloging left something to be desired, but frequently the bidding did not. A Qing double-lozenge jardiniere and tray decorated with auspicious symbols in the famille rose palette was described simply as ‘a Chinese chinoiserie porcelain flowerpot.’ Estimated at $100-$200, it hammered for $43,000 ($55,470 with buyer’s premium). These were unmarked but almost certainly made in the later years of the Qing dynasty. Jardinieres and trays for growing narcissus bulbs were popular in the Tongzhi and Guangxu periods.

Described only as a ‘molded amber sculpture on a stand’ was an amber brush washer carved in the form of a lotus flower. The quintessential Qing scholar’s object and a rarity in amber, it took $10,000 ($12.900 with buyer’s premium) from an internet bidder via Live Auctioneers against an estimate of $40-$90.

The Benefit Shop Foundation Inc. is a registered not-for-profit that operates to raise funds for local charities.

Tiffany favrile glass vase, which sold for $16,000 ($20,640 with buyer’s premium) at The Benefit Shop Foundation.

Tiffany favrile glass vase, which sold for $16,000 ($20,640 with buyer’s premium) at The Benefit Shop Foundation.

Tiffany favrile glass vase, which sold for $11,000 ($14,190 with buyer’s premium) at The Benefit Shop Foundation.

Tiffany favrile glass vase, which sold for $11,000 ($14,190 with buyer’s premium) at The Benefit Shop Foundation.

Tiffany favrile glass vase, which sold for $21,000 ($27,090 with buyer’s premium) at The Benefit Shop Foundation.

Tiffany favrile glass vase, which sold for $21,000 ($27,090 with buyer’s premium) at The Benefit Shop Foundation.

Chinese chinoiserie porcelain flower pot with plate, which sold for $43,000 ($55,470 with buyer’s premium) at The Benefit Shop Foundation.

Chinese chinoiserie porcelain flower pot with plate, which sold for $43,000 ($55,470 with buyer’s premium) at The Benefit Shop Foundation.

Roland Arkell

Roland Arkell

Roland Arkell is editor of Auction Central News and deputy editor at Antiques Trade Gazette. He has been writing about all aspects of the art and antiques market for more than 25 years.

‘Heavenly Globe Vase’ and scroll topped Hindman’s Asian Works of Art sale

Chinese blue and white porcelain dragon bottle vase, which sold for $100,000 ($130,000 with buyer's premium) at Hindman.

CHICAGO – Appraising Chinese porcelain is not an exact science, and most auction houses will choose to err on the side of caution when committing to a date. It’s why a blue and white bottle vase cataloged as early 20th century and given an estimate of $1,000-$1,500 can sell for $100,000 ($130,000 including buyer’s premium).

The subject of great speculation at Hindman’s September 27 Asian Works of Art sale was a finely potted 18in (45cm) tianqiuping or ‘heavenly globe vase’ decorated with a four-clawed sinuous dragon.

The form was first produced during the reigns of Yongle and Xuande, but the Qing emperors made it their own. Most carry dragon decoration.

The painterly rendition of the dragon to this vase — and the use of four rather than three or five claws — is a type associated with the Kangxi period (1662-1722). However, the auction house was not alone in thinking it was a good copy from the late Qing or the Republican period. It came for sale listed as ‘Property from a Midwestern Institution.’

The top lot in the Chicago auction was Civets, an ink and color on silk hanging scroll signed for the Southern Song (1165-1173) artist Mao Yi. Measuring 4ft 5in by 2ft, this image of domestic cats among chrysanthemums came by descent from the estate of Hisazo Nagatani (1905-1994), the well-known Japanese American collector, connoisseur and dealer who managed the famed Yamanaka & Co store on the Magnificent Mile until the firm was ordered to cease operations in 1942. Hisazo opened a gallery on North Michigan Avenue selling Asian works of art under his own name in 1944.

This particular scroll, one pictured and discussed in a number of scholarly catalogs in the early to mid-20th century (it was exhibited at the Osaka City Museum of Fine Arts in 1938), has an earlier provenance in Japan to Baron Dan Takuma (1858-1932), a director general of the zaibatsu (family conglomerate) Mitsui. Estimated at $50,000-$70,000, it hammered for $260,000 ($338,000 with buyer’s premium).

A late Qing pale celadon jade moon flask was consigned from the collection of Christopher and Genevieve McConnell and had been purchased during 1950-60s from the Gurie Gallery in Montreal. The dealership, the first in the city to focus on Chinese works of art, was opened by the Gurevich family, who moved to Canada from Harbin in northeastern China. Alex Gurevich (1929-1990) ran the store in the 1960s, sourcing objects through frequent visits to Hong Kong.

Measuring just above 8in high, this flask was carved to both sides with the central image of a Yin and Yang symbol. It hammered for $42,500 ($55,250 with buyer’s premium) against an estimate of $6,000-$8,000.

The top-selling jade was a matched pair of Jiaqing (1796-1820) mark and period bowls that came from a private collection in Atlanta. Worked in a pale celadon stone with white striations, these were estimated at $30,000-$40,000 and sold at $60,000 ($78,000 with buyer’s premium).

From the same ‘Midwestern institution’ as the blue and white bottle vase came a pair of Guangxu (1875-1908) mark and period blue and white covered boxes that hammered for $37,500 ($48,750 with buyer’s premium) against an estimate of $8,000-$12,000. Each slightly more than 10in across, the decorative scheme of a central shou character surrounded by five bats is one that conveys blessings of longevity.

The best Japanese woodblock prints are enjoying a strong moment in the market. Appearing in the September 27 sale was a copy of Fireworks at Ryogoku Bridge, the 98th and most celebrated image from the One Hundred Famous Views of Edo series by Ando Hiroshige (1797-1858). It hammered for $65,000 ($84,500 with buyer’s premium) against an estimate of $6,000-$8,000.

Fireworks were a regular feature of summer evenings on the Sumida River during the Edo period, with the entertainment centered at Ryōgoku Bridge. Hiroshige’s version of the scene shows all the elements of the setting — the restaurants for dining, the various river craft available for hire and the bridge itself — at a time when its days were numbered. Created in August 1858, with the arrival of the Meiji revolution, summer fireworks had been reduced to a single display at the time of Kawabiriki.

This fine signed and sealed impression was from the collection of the medical science and pharmacology entrepreneur Glen de Vries (1972-2021).

Chinese blue and white porcelain dragon bottle vase, which sold for $100,000 ($130,000 with buyer's premium) at Hindman.

Chinese blue and white porcelain dragon bottle vase, which sold for $100,000 ($130,000 with buyer's premium) at Hindman.

Bearing the signature of Mao Yi, 'Civets' sold for $260,000 ($338,000 with buyer’s premium) at Hindman.

Bearing the signature of Mao Yi, 'Civets' sold for $260,000 ($338,000 with buyer’s premium) at Hindman.

Chinese pale celadon jade moon flask, which sold for $42,500 ($55,250 with buyer’s premium) at Hindman.

Chinese pale celadon jade moon flask, which sold for $42,500 ($55,250 with buyer’s premium) at Hindman.

Matched pair of Chinese pale celadon jade bowls, which sold for $60,000 ($78,000 with buyer’s premium) at Hindman.

Matched pair of Chinese pale celadon jade bowls, which sold for $60,000 ($78,000 with buyer’s premium) at Hindman.

Roland Arkell

Roland Arkell

Roland Arkell is editor of Auction Central News and deputy editor at Antiques Trade Gazette. He has been writing about all aspects of the art and antiques market for more than 25 years.

Bid Smart: Chinese famille verte porcelain finds glory in the color green

A Chinese famille verte ormolu-mounted bowl on stand took $6,000 plus the buyer’s premium in December 2021. Image courtesy of Shapiro Auctions and LiveAuctioneers.
A Chinese famille verte ormolu-mounted bowl on stand took $6,000 plus the buyer’s premium in December 2021. Image courtesy of Shapiro Auctions and LiveAuctioneers.
A Chinese famille verte ormolu-mounted bowl on stand took $6,000 plus the buyer’s premium in December 2021. Image courtesy of Shapiro Auctions and LiveAuctioneers.

NEW YORK — Famille verte porcelain has been highly prized since it was developed in China during the Kangxi period (1661-1722). The best pieces were reserved for the emperor and the royal court, but many fine examples made their way to discriminating buyers in the late 17th to the early 18th century.

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Qing dynasty headdress ruffles bidders’ feathers at Clarke

Qing dynasty headdress with kingfisher feathers, $23,040. Image courtesy of Clarke Auction Gallery and LiveAuctioneers
Qing dynasty headdress with kingfisher feathers, $23,040. Image courtesy of Clarke Auction Gallery and LiveAuctioneers
Qing dynasty headdress with kingfisher feathers, $23,040. Image courtesy of Clarke Auction Gallery and LiveAuctioneers

LARCHMONT, N.Y. – The Summer Sizzler auction at Clarke Auction Gallery on July 16 was topped by a Qing dynasty kingfisher feather headdress that flew past its $1,000-$1,500 estimate to achieve $23,040. Absentee and Internet live bidding was facilitated through LiveAuctioneers.

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Buddha figure, Qing court robe ruled at Sarasota Estate Auction

Detail of Qing dynasty Mandarin court robe, $39,060
Qing dynasty Mandarin court robe, $39,060
Qing dynasty Mandarin court silk robe, sold to a LiveAuctioneers bidder for $39,060

SARASOTA, Fla. – Sarasota Estate Auction had another extraordinary sale May 20-21. It drew more than 5,000 bidders in more than 40 countries. The total exceeded $650,000 and multiple lots performed extremely well, including pieces that significantly outperformed their estimates.

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Qing dynasty Mandarin court robe dresses up Sarasota Estate Auction, May 20-21

Detail of Qing dynasty Mandarin court robe, estimated at $20,000-$35,000. Image courtesy of Sarasota Estate Auction
Qing dynasty Mandarin court robe, estimated at $20,000-$35,000. Image courtesy of Sarasota Estate Auction
Qing dynasty Mandarin court robe, estimated at $20,000-$35,000. Image courtesy of Sarasota Estate Auction

SARASOTA, FLA. — Sarasota Estate Auction will showcase important Chinese artifacts, great silver and fine art in its next two-day sale, taking place Saturday, May 20 and Sunday, May 21. Headlining this auction, which contains more than 1,500 lots, will be a Qing dynasty Mandarin court robe and a pair of polychrome Han warriors, along with art from Grandma Moses. The sale will also feature part two of a lifetime collection of sterling silver, including a Georg Jensen sterling compote and a Chinese Export silver centerpiece. Absentee and Internet live bidding will be available through LiveAuctioneers.

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Ancient Traces International presents its first US auction, May 14

Large Tang dynasty painted pottery horse, estimated at $15,000-$30,000
Large Tang dynasty painted pottery horse, estimated at $15,000-$30,000
Large Tang dynasty painted pottery horse, estimated at $15,000-$30,000

MOORE HAVEN, Fla. – On Sunday, May 14, starting at 8:30 am Eastern time, Ancient Traces International will hold its debut sale in the United States. The US arm of the UK-based house has been dubbed Ancient Traces International – America, and its first auction consists of more than 300 lots of Asian antiques. Absentee and Internet live bidding will be available through LiveAuctioneers.

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Gallery Report: Maud Lewis work was a showstopper at Miller & Miller

ATLANTA – At the start of every month, ACN columnist Ken Hall compiles the most notable auction highlights from across the United States and also the world. The May 2023 edition of Ken’s Gallery Report showcases a bumper crop of standout results. All prices quoted include the buyer’s premium, except where noted.

Maud Lewis painting, CA$91,450, Miller & Miller Auctions, Ltd.

An oil-on-board painting by Canadian folk artist Maud Lewis (1903-1970), titled Traffic Jam, sold for $91,450 in an online-only Canadiana & Decorative Arts auction held March 25 by Miller & Miller Auctions, Ltd., in New Hamburg, Canada. Also, a circa-1820s Georgian period Canadian breakfast table in mahogany, attributed to Thomas Nisbet, rose to $16,520; and a circa-1820s Montreal key hole wall clock by Martin Cheney earned $20,060. Prices are in Canadian dollars.

Art Deco-style jardiniere, $26,620, Ahlers & Ogletree Auction Gallery

An Art Deco-style bronze jardiniere, after a vase by Pierre Lenoir (French 1879-1953) and Marcel Guillard (French 1896-1932), for Etling, Paris, sold for $26,620 at an Estates & Collections auction held April 20-22 by Ahlers & Ogletree Auction Gallery in Atlanta. Also, Study of a Brown Bay Horse by Rosa Bonheur (French, 1822-1899) brought $15,730; and a 1970 Modern Head Relief by Roy Lichtenstein (American, 1923-1997) hit $14,520.

Ludwig van Beethoven letter, $99,000, RR Auction

A handwritten letter by composer Ludwig van Beethoven sold for $99,000 in an online auction that ended April 12 at RR Auction in Boston. The one-page letter, penned sometime in September 1823, was written in German and signed “Beethoven.” It concerned sending his work Missa Solemnis (Latin for “Solemn Mass”) to London and was addressed to Franz Christian Kirchhoffer. In the letter, Beethoven invites Kirchhoffer and his nephew Karl to lunch at his flat on Sunday.

Cartier Coussin watch, $34,650, Hindman

A Cartier 18K gold Bamboo Coussin watch sold for $34,650 at a Watches Auction held in April by Hindman in Chicago. Also, a Cartier 18K gold Tank watch rang up $16,380; a Cartier 18K gold dual-time Tonneau watch realized $8,820; a Roger Dubuis perpetual calendar chronograph Hommage watch commanded $28,350; an Alfred Dunhill lighter with a clock went for $7,560; and an 18K gold Jaeger-Lecoultre watch garnered $21,420.

Toshiko Takaezu ceramic, Moon, $541,800, Rago/Wright/LAMA

Toshiko Takaezu’s (American, 1922-2011) ceramic creation titled Moon sold for $541,800 at a Post-War Ceramics Auction held April 13 by Rago/Wright/LAMA in Lambertville, New Jersey. It was a new world auction record for the artist. Also, John Mason’s Untitled (Vertical Sculpture) went for $258,300, setting a new world auction record for the artist; Betty Woodman’s Pillow Pitcher finished at $69,300; Peter Voulkos’s Untitled (Stack) changed hands for $44,100; and Viola Frey’s Bubble Man achieved $27,720.

Negro Motorist Green Book, $50,000, Swann Auction Galleries

A 1949 copy of the Negro Motorist Green Book sold for $50,000, breaking the previous record of $27,500, in a Printed & Manuscript African Americana auction held March 30 by Swann Galleries in New York. Also, an inscribed carte de visite by the early photographer James Presley Ball achieved $125,000; a Civil War-era photograph of Black Union recruits at Camp William Penn brought $52,500; and a copy of the Harlem Renaissance-era literary magazine Fire! went for $32,500.

Late Georgian tea caddy, $2,375, Roland Auctions

An English late Georgian shell-inlaid tea caddy of sarcophagus form sold for $2,375 at a Multi-Estates Auction held April 1 at Roland Auctions in Glen Cove, New York. Also, an 18th-century American Chippendale mahogany and marble table settled at $18,750; a GIA-certified 3.34-carat diamond in a platinum ring slipped onto a new finger for $34,375; a set of 12 Chinese paintings mounted in a fold-out book brought $50,000; and a Neoclassical-style gilt bronze chandelier made $5,000.

Qing dynasty Manchu empress’s robe, $100,000, Lark Mason Associates

A Qing dynasty Manchu empress’s 12-symbol embroidered yellow gauze robe, or jifu, sold for $100,000 in an online Asia Week auction that closed March 30 at Lark Mason Associates in New York City. Also, a Qing dynasty Chinese amber figure of Shoulao realized $26,250; and a large 20th-century Nine Peach and Blossoms vase went to a determined bidder for $22,500.

Alphonse Mucha’s The Stars, $114,000, Poster Auctions International

Alphonse Mucha’s (Czech, 1860-1939) decorative panel poster from 1902, titled The Stars, sold for $114,000 at Rare Posters Auction #89 held March 26 by Poster Auctions International in New York City. Also, Geo Ham’s Monaco Grand Prix 1933 realized $20,400; Leonetto Cappiello’s 1903 Absinthe Gempp Pernod finished at $26,400; Ludwig Hohlwein’s Besuchet den Tiergarten from 1912 earned $13,200; and Charles Loupot’s 1929 Cafe Preccia: Maquette attained $18,000.

1859 Comstock Lode mining document, $16,875, Holabird Western Americana Collections

An 1859 document dating to the very beginning of the Comstock Lode silver rush in the U.S. sold for $16,875 at a Big Bonanza auction held March 30-April 2 by Holabird Western Americana Collections in Reno, Nevada. Also, a U.S. $10,000 gold certificate, cancelled and not redeemable, printed in Washington, D.C. and dated May 3, 1917, achieved $2,875; and a collection of six antique Oklahoma I. T. (Indian Territory) crown top bottles brought $3,000.

Warhol Mick Jagger print, $131,250, Heritage Auctions

Artist Andy Warhol’s 1975 screenprint portrait titled Mick Jagger, signed by the Rolling Stones front man, sold for $131,250 at a Prints & Multiples auction held April 18 at Heritage Auctions in Dallas. Also, a 1989 set of four lithographs by Keith Haring, titled Pop Shop III, realized $125,000; Joan Mitchell’s large lithograph diptych titled Sunflowers brought $93,750; and Pablo Picasso’s linocut from 1962 titled Grande Tete Femme earned $62,500.

Majolica dish and cover, $62,225, Doyle

A Mintons majolica hare and duck head game-pie dish and cover attributed to Paul Comolera sold for $62,225 at Part 2 of the sale of the Joan Stacke Graham Majolica Collection, held April 4 by Doyle in New York City. Also, a circa-1875 T.C. Brown Westhead, Moore & Co. Egyptian Revival Majolica garden seat realized $50,400; and a circa-1875 Mintons majolica Japanese boat spill vase designed by Johann (John) Hasselmann Henk brought $28,350.

Wasatch Gasoline sign, $324,000, Dan Morphy Auctions

A Wasatch Gasoline 48in-diameter porcelain service station sign sold for $324,000 at an Automobilia, Petroliana & Railroadiana Auction held March 21-23 by Dan Morphy Auctions in Denver, Pennsylvania. Also, a Polly Gasoline porcelain neon service station sign with a parrot mascot flew to $78,000; a Mohawk Gasoline porcelain service station sign with a Native American down feather graphic earned $312,000; and an Idaho Chief Gasoline service station sign made $138,000.

Tiffany Arabian lamp, $7,200, Treasureseeker Auctions

A Tiffany Studios Arabian lamp with a signed Favrile shade and a signed brass base sold for $7,200 in an online-only Spring into Treasures: Fine Art & Collectibles sale held April 16 by Treasureseeker Auctions in Pasadena, California. Also, a Meiji-era silver and enamel floral box went for $3,840; a cat painting by Jules Leroy finished at $3,520; a 19th-century malachite and bronze clock decorated with a cherub and a rooster reached $3,300; and a Japanese silver and enamel vase settled at $2,560.

Saturday Night Fever suit, $260,000, Julien’s Auctions

The iconic white suit John Travolta wore when playing the character Tony Manero in the movie Saturday Night Fever sold for $260,000 at a Hollywood: Classic and Contemporary auction held April 22 by Julien’s Auctions in Beverly Hills, California. Also, Bela Lugosi’s vampire mirror cigarette box from the 1931 film Dracula achieved $130,000; a coat and hat worn by Warren Beatty in the movie Dick Tracy made $91,000; and a hoverboard from Back to the Future II floated to $91,000.

Porfirio Salinas painting, $47,200, Amero Auctions

An untitled Texas landscape with bluebonnets by Porfirio Salinas sold for $47,200 at a Spring 2023 Spectacular Sale held March 26 by Amero Auctions in Sarasota, Florida. Also, a pair of Spring Festival pattern elongated hexagonal tables by Philip and Kelvin LaVerne earned $18,880; a pair of Egyptian-style bronze figures by Emile Louis Picault brought $10,620; and an equestrian-themed painting by Alfred Wierusz-Kowalski, titled Morning Ride, galloped off with $44,250.

Tiffany & Co. bird brooch, $17,500, John Moran Auctioneers, Inc.

A Tiffany & Co. mother-of-pearl, diamond, yellow sapphire and onyx bird brooch sold for $17,500 at an auction titled Jewelry from the Estate of Lady Leslie Ridley-Tree, held March 29 by John Moran Auctioneers, Inc. in Los Angeles. Also, a pear-shape 26-carat diamond ring realized $979,000; a Zambian emerald and diamond ring brought $21,250; and a David Webb 18K gold rock crystal and lapis lazuli bracelet changed hands for $28,125.

Pair of Chinese bowls, $94,500, Freeman’s

A pair of Chinese famille rose-decorated Balsam-Pear bowls with a Jiaqing six-character seal mark and of the period sold for $94,500 at an Asian Arts auction held April 18 at Freeman’s in Philadelphia. Also, a pair of Chinese yellow-glazed bowls with the Kangxi mark and of the period rose to $81,900; a Chinese carved beige jade table screen left the room for $75,600; and a Chinese blue and white porcelain figural plaque from the Kangxi period earned $44,100.

 

Click to view top auction results on LiveAuctioneers: https://www.liveauctioneers.com/pages/recent-auction-sales/