Sinatra, Cinderella and Buddha all sat down at the bar… the bartender looked at them and said, “Well, you guys are an interesting bunch.” Cinderella piped up and said, “Right? The only thing we have in common is that we all sold over high estimate at auction and are featured in this week’s Across The Block.”
Rare M.L. McLaughlin Vase Fires Up
Humler & Nolan For $32,450
CINCINNATI, OHIO – Humler & Nolan’s June 9-10 sale was headed by a rare circa 1904 Mary Louise McLaughlin Losanti vase. The vase, which had been consigned by the American Ceramics Society, had originally been in the collection of ceramics author Ross C. Purdy. Rare for its good condition, interest quickly pushed bidding past the $6/8,000 estimate, and it closed at $32,450, going to a private collector bidding through an agent on the phone. For information, 513-381-2041 or www.humlernolan.com.
Tiffany Lamp Lights Up At Quinn’s Auction
FALLS CHURCH, VA. – A Tiffany Studios leaded glass and bronze table lamp (American, circa 1905), retaining a reticulated heat cap included with the Arrowroot lampshade sold for $28,800 at Quinn’s Auction Gallery, June 7-9. The bronze lamp base is fluted and fitted for three bulbs, and the lampshade is 7 inches high and 13½ inches in diameter. The label reads “Tiffany Studios New York 534.” For information, www.quinnsauction.com or 703-532-5632.
Edward Steichen’s 1926 Photograph
Leads At Doyle
NEW YORK, CITY – Doyle’s auction of photographs on June 14 showcased works by the most renowned names in photography, with offerings spanning the early period of the medium up to the present day. Highlighting the sale was a 1926 photograph by Edward Steichen (1879-1973) that captures Brancusi’s “Endless Column” in Steichen’s garden at Voulagis, France. With competitive bidding, the photograph achieved $20,000, surpassing its $10/15,000 estimate. The photographer and sculptor were close friends, having met at Rodin’s studio in 1907. This 24-foot sculpture was carved from a tree on the grounds. The sculpture was conceived as site-specific, so this photograph, beyond its importance as a Steichen work, is a significant piece of art documentation. For additional information, www.doyle.com or 212-427-4141.
Sinatra Has His Way At Bonhams Sale
NEW YORK CITY – On June 13, the Bonhams and TCM Present … A Celebration of Robert Osborne auction was 100 percent sold, which included rare one-sheet posters and movie memorabilia from the estate of the Turner Classic Movies host. The top lot of the sale was a Frank Sinatra painting that hung at the Friars Club of Beverly Hills, oil on illustration board, which realized $31,250. For information, 212-644-9001 or www.bonhams.com.
Chien Lung Reverse Portrait Brings $7,560
At Manhattan Art & Antiques Center Auction
NEW YORK CITY – A Chinese Chien Lung reverse painting on glass of a European woman with her Chinese dog sold well above its $200 starting bid, finishing at $7,560 at artantiques.com – the Manhattan Art & Antiques Center on June 12. The auction featured property from the estate of Jane Rothschild. The 20½-by-16½-inch (with frame) painting had an old gallery label on back reading, “Half-length portrait to front of a young lady wearing a blue scarf over her hair and a blue and white flowing dress, holding a Chinese dog beside a vermillion table. Framed. NY Private Collector.” For more information, 212-355-4400 or www.artantiques.com.
Lost Head? No Problem, Say Bidders
At Summers Place
BILLINGSHURST, ENGLAND – The top lot at Summers Place Auctions’ 10th anniversary auction on June 12-13 was a fragmentary marble Roman bust lacking the head. It is believed to be Seventeenth Century or earlier and is almost 30 inches high. It was estimated at $1,3/1,900 and sold for $31,114 in the sealed bid portion of the auction. For more information, +44 1403 331331 or www.summersplaceauctions.com.
Chinese Huanghuali Furniture
Rules At Clars Sale
OAKLAND,CALIF. – The rare Chinese huanghuali furniture collection was expected to be the star of Clars’ June 17 sale of furniture, jewelry, art and Asian items – and it was. The top lot was a Chinese huanghuali low table that surpassed high estimate to sell for $51,425. Selling for more than twice high estimate was a huanghuali armchair that sold for $20,500. In all, the collection of six pieces brought an impressive $147,600. In the art category, a colorful abstract painting by Syed Haider Raza (Indian, 1922-2016) titled “Sentier,” 1963, sold for over high estimate for $33,275. For information, 510-428-0100, 888-339-7600 or www.clars.com.
Fairy Tales Can Come True
DALLAS – Girls of all ages dream of a ride in Cinderella’s coach, the chariot created by her Fairy Godmother from a pumpkin so she could attend the ball. The allure of Cinderella’s coach reached the auction block as well, with 20 bidders pursuing Mary Blair’s “Cinderella Magic Coach Concept Painting” (Walt Disney, 1950). It ultimately quadrupled its auction estimate, selling for $60,000 to claim top-lot honors in Heritage Auctions’ animation art sale, June 16-17. A 22-by-9-inch gouache painting on board, it is one of the largest and finest produced for Cinderella. For information, 214-528-3500 or www.ha.com.
Jenack Auction Sees Surprise Result
For Chinese Buddha
CHESTER N.Y. – William J. Jenack Auctioneers had a big surprise in its June 17 sale, an eclectic offering of Nineteenth to Twentieth Century American and European works of art, imperial Russian items and more. Estimated at just $100/200, a Chinese carved, lacquered and parcel-gilt figure of Buddha, standing 5 inches high, sold for $2,124 to a telephone bidder in China. For more information, www.jenack.com or 845-469-9095.
Work By Jack B. Yeats Top Lot At
Bonhams Modern British & Irish Art Sale
LONDON – “Donnelly’s Hollow” by the Irish artist Jack B. Yeats sold for $455,000 at Bonhams Modern British and Irish art sale on June 13. The large work (36 by 24 inches) depicts the natural amphitheater at the Curragh in County Kildare where, in 1815, the Irish boxer Dan Donnelly defeated the English champion, George Cooper. Boxing was a passion for the sports-mad Yeats, and “Donnelly’s Hollow” is one in a series of paintings that revisited in maturity the obsessions of the artist’s youth. For information, www.bonhams.com or +44 20 7447 7447.
