Pattern is the catchword of this week’s Across The Block! The beading on a Native American tobacco pouch that finished at $8,750 at Carlsen Galleries paired well with the floral design of an early Nineteenth Century Shahrisyabz suzani from Uzbekistan, for which Material Culture flew to $40,625. A Fourteenth Century Egyptian or Syrian Mamluk silver inlaid candlestick featured calligraphic inscriptions and earned $120,000 at Leland Little while a glass “Graffiti Vase” demonstrated the influence of Keith Haring on Angel Ortiz; Kensington Estate Auctions’ bidders took it to $1,984. Read on for equally interesting – if relatively less patterned – auction results.
Cottone’s Bidders Fight To Open Pandora’s Box
GENESEO, N.Y. — Cottone’s two-day November 29-30 auction featured 580 lots and totaled $1.6 million. Leading the sale was “Pandora,” a Charles Allan Winter (1869-1942) painting of a woman in a turquoise gown holding a golden box. Hanging in an original giltwood and jeweled frame, the work measures 41 by 32 inches. Before being offered by Cottone, the painting was sold through Montross Gallery, N.Y., to a Buffalo, N.Y., family and hung for many years in Kleinhans Music Hall. The lucky winner, bidding over the phone, is taking “Pandora” home for $115,000. For information, www.cottoneauctions.com or 585-243-1000.
Rare Suzani Flowers In Material Culture Sale Of Fling Collection
PHILADELPHIA — Material Culture conducted a no-reserve Oriental rug and textiles auction on December 4 featuring the Russell S. Fling collection. A catered exhibition and lecture preceded on December 3 with guest speaker Andrew Hale, author of numerous books and articles on Central Asian textiles. Highlighting the sale was an early Nineteenth Century Shahrisyabz suzani from Uzbekistan that doubled its high estimate to bring $40,625. Silk on cotton ground, the 6-foot-11-inch-by-8-foot-2-inch carpet exhibited a main border unique in suzanis of this type. Large rosettes were surrounded by a variety of curved leaves enclosing small florets to look like fans trying to cool the white-hot heat generated by the vivid flower garden, explained catalog notes. Some rosettes had 10 petals, one had 13 and one had blue racemes instead of curved leaves. For information, www.materialculture.com or 215-849-8030.
Reclaimed Glass Vase A Showstopper For Kensington
CLINTONDALE, N.Y. — On December 11, Kensington Estate Auctions conducted its Estate Fine Art & Antiques auction. Leading the sale was “Graffiti Vase,” a found glass urn heavily tagged by Angel Ortiz (LA II). The large glass urn measures 23 inches tall and 13 inches wide. LA II’s exceptionally detailed silver metallic paint marker graffiti covers the spray-painted black and purple urn. The urn’s reddish rim is an unmarked highlight. In LA II’s signature style, influenced by frequent collaborator Keith Haring, the graffiti features tight squiggled lines, dots and tagged words such as “Lower East Side” and “Fresh Kids.” The rare addition of the artist’s signature on the underside of the vase helped the piece earn $1,984 with buyer’s premium ($1/2,000). For information, www.kensingtonestateauctions.com or 917-783-1067.
Hamilton’s Refute Headlines Rare Books For Heritage
DALLAS — A bound first edition copy of Alexander Hamilton’s refute to James Callender’s public accusations of financial impropriety was the top seller of nearly 575 lots in Heritage Auctions’ Rare Books Signature sale November 29-30 that achieved a total of $1.17 million. Earning $31,250, the volume had once been owned by the Reverend Dr Peter Thacher (1752-1802) of Massachusetts and was in very good condition for its age. For information, www.ha.com or 214-528-3500.
Pleasant Pheasant Brooch Flies High For Winter Associates
PLAINVILLE, CONN. — Of the 348 lots offered in Winter Associates’ December 4 auction, an antique 18K gold pheasant brooch with demantoid garnets and diamonds flew the highest: $13,530 from an estimate of $3/5,000. Previously owned and descended in a Philadelphia family, the brooch measured 2¾ inches in length and weighed a total of 1.36 carats. For information, 860-793-0288 or www.auctionsappraisers.com.
Mamluk Candlestick Burns Bright For Leland Little
HILLSBOROUGH, N.C. — The top price of $120,000 was realized by a rare Egyptian or Syrian Mamluk silver inlaid brass candlestick that dated to circa 1320-60. An Arabic tuluth calligraphic script on the base honored Sultan al-Malik al-Nasir Muhammad ibn Qalawun (1293-1341), or his son, Sultan al-Nasir Hasan (1334-1361). While no provenance was provided in the catalog, the 8 ¾-inch-tall stick related to one in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art; it sold to a buyer on the phone and was the top lot in Leland Little’s Winter Signature Auction on December 2. For information, 919-644-1243 or www.lelandlittle.com.
Native American Tobacco Pouch & Dance Rattle Strike Fancy Of Carlsen’s Bidders
FREEHOLD, N.Y. — More than 350 lots were offered at Carlsen Gallery’s Holiday Antique Collectors auction on December 3. One of the top lots was a ceremonial tobacco pouch and dance rattle that was accompanied by a letter indicating the pieces had provenance to Apache medicine man, Geronimo. Consigned for sale by a local historical society and estimated at $500-$1,000, the two-piece lot rode to $8,750 and sold to a private Western collector bidding online. For information, 518-634-2466 or www.carlsengallery.com.
Gibson Guitar Strums Up Interest In SJD Auction
AMENIA, N.Y. — An electric Gibson guitar in the Les Paul Special style body was the top lot of SJD’s December 5 Antiques & Collectibles auction. Auction manager Jason DeAddio shared, “The exact model was a bit of a mystery, as one of the previous owners had taken the trouble to repaint the body, covering any identifying markings.” The repainted guitar has a shimmery yellow body with black details. Receiving the most interest with 875 page views and 100 bidders following the lot, the guitar and TKL hard case sold for a total price of $570. For information, 845-489-7408.
Nye Bidders Hoist Haring Crucifixion Subway Drawing High
BLOOMFIELD, N.J. — The top lot in Nye & Company’s December 6-7 Estate Treasures Auction was a subway drawing by Keith Haring (American, 1958-1990), titled “Modern Crucifixion,” which realized $62,500. Removed from the Seventh Avenue subway station in New York City’s Greenwich Village by the consignor, it had been published in Keith Haring: 31 Subway Drawings (Princeton, 2023). It garnered pre-sale interest and phone bidders, ultimately selling to a private Northeast collector, bidding on the phone. For information, 973-984-6900 or www.nyeandcompany.com.
