Notables that crossed the block in our May 21 issue include a circa 1910 Tiffany Studios leaded glass and patinated bronze “Nasturtium” floor lamp that achieved a solid six figures at Heritage Auctions. A Bandai Flying Spaceman Superman Cycle with box, described as “never having been played with,” sold for more than $50,000 at Milestone Auctions. Sports card bidders were active at Shultz Auctioneers as a 2000 Bowman Chrome #236 Tom Brady rookie card approached a final price of close to $20,000. Meanwhile, art enthusiasts were active at Clarke Auctions as an ink on paper landscape work sold for $36,000. These and more make for some fine auction reading.
Tiffany Nasturtium Lamp Brightens Heritage Art Deco & Art Nouveau Sale
DALLAS, TEXAS – A circa 1910 Tiffany Studios leaded glass and patinated bronze “Nasturtium” floor lamp achieved the top price of $150,000 in Heritage Auctions’ “Tiffany, Lalique & Art Glass, Including Art Deco & Art Nouveau Auction” on Thursday, April 29. Despite having originally been produced as a hanging shade, the floor lamp narrowly beat out a Tiffany Studios leaded glass “Lily” window, which bidders pushed to $143,750 and second-place honors. The sale grossed a total $1,266,549 in sales. For information, www.ha.com.
Sports Cards Top The Lots At Schultz Auctioneers
CLARENCE, N.Y. – Schultz Auctioneers sold a large collection of sports cards, balls and memorabilia, neon signs, beer lights, breweriana, estate antiques and more on April 30. Among the sports cards, a 2000 Bowman Chrome #236 Tom Brady rookie card PSA Graded Gem Mint 10 (shown) led the pack, selling for $19,065. A 1956 Topps complete set of baseball cards, including Mickey Mantle, Jackie Robinson, Hank Aaron, Ted Williams, Roberto Clemente and others finished at $16,605, while a complete set of 1957 Topps baseball cards, including Koufax, Mantle, Aaron and others went out at $13,530. For information, 716-759-8483 or www.schultzauctioneers.net.
Piranesi City View Towers For Clarke
LARCHMONT, N.Y. – Attributed to Giovanni Battista Piranesi (1720-1778), an ink on paper landscape work measuring 10½ by 15¼ inches sold for $36,000 at Clarke Auction Gallery’s May 2 sale. The firm said the piece came from a New York collection. Piranesi is well-regarded for his etchings of Rome. He was an archeologist, architect and artist who apprenticed under Matteo Lucchesi, the leading Eighteenth Century state Roman architect who designed the reconstruction of the church of San Giovanni Nuovo. Later, Piranesi learned the art of etching by studying with Giuseppe Vasi at the Palazzo Venezia. For information, www.clarkeny.com or 914-833-8336.
At Milestone, Flying Spaceman Superman Cycle Launches Into Orbit
WILLOUGHBY, OHIO – A Bandai Flying Spaceman Superman Cycle with box sold for $55,200 at Milestone Auctions on May 1. Made in Japan, the auction house described the work as rare and in “wonderful condition and looks basically never played with.” The friction still worked and it had the original rubber green Superman figure. The price ties an auction record for the form. For information, www.milestoneauctions.com or 440-527-8060.
New Hampshire Scene Plows Through New Hampshire Auction
PETERBOROUGH, N.H. – The town of Nelson is only 15 miles down the road from The Cobbs Auctioneers’ gallery in Peterborough, so it makes sense that the firm would field significant interest for a local scene from one of the Monadnock region’s patron painters, Albert D. Quigley (1891-1961). An oil on board painting, 26 by 67¾ inches, featuring a farmer plowing a field with his oxen, went on to take $15,600 at the firm’s sale on May 1. It was originally used as an overmantel painting in a Nelson home. The work was exhibited in 2017 at the Historical Society of Cheshire County and was featured on the cover of the postcard and exhibition handout for that exhibition. For information, www.thecobbs.com or 603-924-6361.
Good Day For Gallé At DuMouchelles
DETROIT- The April 29-30 sale at DuMouchelles featured a collection of fine works from Picasso, Tiffany and Gallé, the latter featuring a world-class collection from Franklin, Mich., that lured in bidders from afar. Highest among the selection was a cameo glass calla lily vase, circa 1900-25, with a 13-inch diameter at $36,600. The ovoid form featured a flaring rim and a low bulged base. Behind at $21,600 was a pair of mold-blown cameo glass plum vases circa 1925. Each measured 12¾ inches high and featuring a striking contrast of inky blue plums on a yellow ground. Measuring 11-5/8 inches was a mold-blown cameo glass vase with apple branches that took $9,760. For information, www.dumoart.com or 313-963-6255.
Schleeter’s New Mexican Scenes Reroute Through Maryland
TIMONIUM, MD. – Seven works by New Mexican transplant artist Howard Behling Schleeter (1903-1976) stole the show at Rick Opfer’s April 29 sale. The selection was led with “Earth Rhythms,” an 11½-by-14-inch oil on artist board that sold for $12,980. The work, featuring two adobe homes on a hillside, was dated 1941, about 12 years after the artist settled in New Mexico. Schleeter was popular among his peers though not necessarily commercially successful. His career picked up traction in 1936 when he received commissions from the WPA and again when he was recognized by Peter Hurd and Jane Mabry for his contributions to the New Mexican art community. Other works by Schleeter sold anywhere from $1,416 to $7,670. For information, http://forgegallery.com/opferauction/ or 410-252-5035.
‘American Woods’ Grows Tall For PBA
SAN FRANCISCO – Three hundred fifty four card-mounted wood samples are within the 14 volumes of Romeyn Hough’s The American Woods, published by the author from 1894 to 1928. PBA specialists called it “one of the greatest American works on trees and woods… a unique record of American wood types, arranged geographically. Several parts in this section cover California and the Pacific Slope. This is a tremendously important work for ecologists as well as connoisseurs of American furniture and antiques.” The anthology was the top lot in PBA’s April 29 California & The West sale when it brought $6,600. For information, www.pbagalleries.com or 415-989-2665.
Marble Thrones Make Mighty At Andrew Jones
LOS ANGELES – For the man who wants to feel like Julius Caesar or the lady who admires the pomp of Cleopatra, a pair of Empire-style marble armchairs fit the bill at Andrew Jones Auctions’ April 28 sale. The two chairs featured griffin sides whose wings wrapped around to form the chair back. We assume they weighed a ton. The duo went out at $4,750. For information, www.andrewjonesauctions.com or 213-748-8008.
