Orientalism made a comeback in this week’s Across The Block, evidenced by many works from – or influenced by – far off Eastern lands. Earning a surprisingly strong $150,000 at Amero was a blue and white Chinese bowl with dragon motif while another surprise result took place at Roland NY where a Chinese porcelain covered bowl with famille rose enamel decoration rose to $22,500. One of the biggest lots at Burchard was a heavily carved Chinese etagere won top-lot honors at $10,200 while The Benefit Shop Foundation achieved its largest price for one of its smallest items, a Chinese carved stone snuff bottle that an American buyer paid $4,193 for. Read on for more details of other of this week’s top auction buys…
Collectible Buccellati Flowers Bowl Holds Attention Of SJ Bidders
BROOKLYN, N.Y. — SJ Auctioneers’ January 14 auction, Winter Watch of Wanted Collectibles, offered 186 lots of jewelry, silverware, trains, toys and collectibles. Notable offerings included designers such as Tiffany, Lalique, Baccarat and Herend. The sale was led by a 49-piece set of sterling silver flatware with gold highlights in Cartier’s “Le Maison de Louis” pattern. The set sold below its estimate for $4,160 ($4,5/12,000). Another successful result was that of a Gianmaria Buccellati dahlia Flowers Bowl (pictured), which achieved $1,024 against an estimated $350/750. The sterling silver bowl was approximately 3 inches in diameter — the smallest of three sizes made by Buccellati — and was sold with its original box, pouch and paper. A representative for the auction house shared that both of these sales “were collectibles that are rare to find.” For information, www.sjauctioneers.com or 646-450-7553.
Chinese Porcelain Covered Bowl Surprises At Roland NY
GLEN COVE, N.Y. — Roland NY’s January 13 sale featured hundreds of lots of fine art, decorative arts, Twentieth Century modern, antique and vintage furniture, textiles, silver, gold and silver jewelry, rugs, collectibles, Asian art and decorative arts and lighting. The top lot was a late Nineteenth-early Twentieth Century Chinese Qing dynasty porcelain covered bowl that surprised when it beat its $2/3,000 estimate to sell for $22,500. With famille rose elegantly painted enameled decoration of pink lotus flower petals and leaf motifs on an imperial-yellow ground, it was topped by a gilt finial. And with six-character marks to base, its dimensions were 4¼ by 4-3/8 inches. For information, www.rolandauctions.com or 212-260-2000.
Small Lot, Big Price For Benefit Shop
MOUNT KISCO, N.Y. — More than 750 lots were one way The Benefit Shop Foundation welcomed the new year in it’s January 17 Red Carpet Auction. One of arguably the smallest items in the sale fetched the sale’s largest price: $4,193 for a 2¼-inch-tall Chinese carved stone snuff bottle. It featured figural and landscape relief decoration and carried an estimate of $50-100; an American buyer had the top bid. For information, 914-864-0707 or www.thebenefitshop.org.
Unrestored Man Of Steel Comic Takes Top Lot Honors For Heritage
DALLAS — One of the world’s finest copies of Superman No. 1, one of only two in the world graded Fine/Very Fine 7.0 by Certified Guaranty Company, sold for $2.34 million to lead Heritage Auction’s January 11-14 Comics & Comic Art Signature Auction to $20,338,429. Throughout its history as the world’s premier comic-book auction house, Heritage — one of the world’s leading auctioneer of comics and comic art — has never auctioned an unrestored copy of this historic book bearing such high marks. For information, www.ha.com or 214-528-3500.
Flora Danica Porcelain Service Achieves Royal Price For Doyle
NEW YORK CITY — Doyle’s popular Entertaining with Style auction started the firm’s new year on January 17. The 215-lot sale saw competitive bidding that resulted in 94 percent of the lots selling and exceeding expectations. Earning $7,680 against an estimate of $3/5,000 was a group of Royal Copenhagen gilt and polychrome decorated porcelain table articles in the Flora Danica pattern. For information, 212-427-2730 or www.doyle.com.
Indian Chrysanthemum Tiffany Flatware Blooms For Freeman’s
PHILADELPHIA — In its last sale of 2024, and prior to merging with Chicago auction house Hindman, Freeman’s presented 164 lots in its “The Art of Gathering” auction on December 7. Achieving $34,020 and tripling its low estimate was an extensive sterling silver flatware service for 12. The service was in the Indian Chrysanthemum pattern, which was designed for Tiffany & Co circa 1880-91, by Charles T. Grosjean, and was housed in its original oak storage box that bore a brass plaque engraved with the name of its original owner, “Lille Seeley Coler.” For information, www.freemansauction.com or 215-563-9275.
African Fetish Figure Charms Palm Beaches Bidders
WEST PALM BEACH, FLA. — One of the top lots in the 211-lot January 20 sale at Auction Gallery of Palm Beaches was an antique African tribal male fetish sculpture. Made of wood, hemp, metal and mud, and standing 14½ inches high, it had some repairs, splits and losses that did nothing to deter bidders who took it from its $250/350 estimate to $5,715. For information, www.agopb.com or 561-805-7115.
Chinese Etagere Carves Out Interest & Bids At Burchards
ST PETERSBURG, FLA. — Burchard Galleries’ January 21 auction of estate antiques, fine art and jewelry was composed of nearly 550 lots and saw its top lot in an extensive carved Chinese etagere with marble top that brought $10,200 from a Chinese buyer. Standing 93½ inches tall, the impressive piece featured figural carving and a berry motif in addition to a central mirrored door with beveled glass and tall scrolled legs, it carried a $3/4,000 estimate. For information, 727-821-1167 or www.burchardgalleries.com.
Chinese Porcelain Demands Attention In Amero’s Winter Wonderland Auction
SARASOTA, FLA. — Amero Auctions offered more than 500 lots of rare and sought-after art glass, paintings, statues and figures, furniture and decorative arts among other exceptional pieces in their January 20 Winter Wonderland Auction. A blue and white Chinese porcelain bowl with dragon and cloud motifs was the unexpected star of the sale. While Amero appraisers were not able to identify the maker, this bowl did bear a six-character marking from the Qianlong period on its underside. Estimated at only $300/500, the bowl stunned to finish 300 times greater than its high estimate, achieving $150,000. For information, www.ameroauctions.com or 941-330-1577.
