The artworks sold at auction this past week were reflective of an existential inquiry many may currently be experiencing. Swann Galleries made a record sale of a Rembrandt self-portrait print for $42,500 and Clars achieved $8,000 for a photo taken weeks before the sale of a young Ukrainian girl with candy and her mouth and a weapon on her lap. Objects solid as a marble Aulenti table sold at Vero Beach for $15,300 and as fragile as a Lalique perfume bottle at Akiba for $57,950 also sold. As the $100,000 Waltham pocket watch at Jones & Horan reminds us, time flies but the tangible sometimes endures.
Rene Lalique Perfume Bottle Sniffs Out Nearly $58,000 For Akiba
DANIA BEACH, FLA. – Topping the 670 lots offered in Akiba Antiques’ Timeless sale on April 26, a perfume bottle by Rene Lalique titled “Trois Groupes De Deux Danseuses” that had been found at a local estate achieved $57,950, more than a nose in front of its $100-$1,000 estimate. The 4¾-inch-tall bottle was decorated along the shoulders with dancing nude figures, had a floral medallion stopper and dated to the 1920s-30s. For information. 805-632-5568 or www.akibaantiques.com.
Waltham Ticks On At Jones & Horan
GOFFSTOWN, N.H. – The top clock sold at Jones & Horan Horological Auctions on May 1 was not a Patek Philippe, not a Rolex, but a Waltham Crystal Plate pocket watch. Although humble of face and gold skeleton-style case, the anterior of this timepiece reveals its manifold intricacies. It is believed to be one of only 20 to 25 examples of its kind and sold for $100,000 against its $30/60,000 estimate. For information, 603-623-5314 or www.jones-horan.com.
Bahia Tapestry Weaves High Bids At Thomaston
THOMASTON, MAINE – The top lot at Thomaston Place Auction Galleries’ A Modern Touch auction on April 29 was a colorful surprise. A tapestry by Chilean artist Kennedy Bahia (1929-2005) sold for $1,500 at five times its high estimate. Bahia’s work has come to auction in various mediums and price points since the artist’s death, and this wool needlepoint wall hanging is the highest selling to date. For information, 207-354-8141 or www.thomastonauction.com.
Aulenti Table Crosses The Marble Block
VERO BEACH, FLA. – On April 30, the top lot of Vero Beach’s estate auction was a “jumbo” marble coffee table designed by architect Gae Aulenti (1927-2012), known for her renovation and conversion of the Gare d’Orsay into the Musée d’Orsay in 1981. The bidding began at $2,500 and climbed between two internet participants, finally selling at just over $15,300 and well above its $5/10,000 estimate. This price does not include the moving team necessary to transport the table to its new home. For information, 772-978-5955 or www.verobeachauction.com.
Fredericks Bronze Leaps To $78,800 At DuMouchelles
DETROIT, MICH. – A bronze of a leaping gazelle by Marshall Maynard Fredericks (American, 1908-1998) was notable at DuMouchelles on April 29 when it brought $78,800. The 31-by-20-by-12-inch signed bronze came from the estate of a private collector in Novi, Mich. It stood 56 inches high including marble base and pedestal. For information, 313-963-6255 or www.dumoart.com.
Phones & Online Bidders Push Up Miriam Schapiro Abstract At Clarke
LARCHMONT, N.Y. – Clarke Auction Gallery’s May 1 sale included a number of important pieces of art, sterling and jewelry, Asian, midcentury and decorative arts. The fine art selection featured original paintings from Old Masters to contemporary artists, and it was this latter category that saw a standout result for an abstract oil on canvas by Miriam Schapiro from 1959. Signed and dated lower right and from a Brooklyn, N.Y., collection, the painting sold for $32,500 after fierce bidding between telephone and internet bidders. For information, www.clarkeny.com or 914-833-8336
New Record For Rembrandt ‘Self-Portrait’ Print at Swann Galleries
NEW YORK CITY – The spring auction of Old Master through Modern prints at Swann Galleries featured iconic images from the late Fifteenth Century through the mid-Twentieth Century. Rembrandt van Rijn’s early “Self-Portrait with Raised Sabre,” etching, 1634, an important print showcasing the talents of the master printmakers at the outset of their highly influential artistic careers, was a record for the print at $42,500. For information, www.swanngalleries.com or 212-254-4710.
Socialites’ Collections Come To Kaminski’s Auction Podium
BEVERLY, MASS. – Kaminski hosted an auction on May 1 featuring a New York City socialite’s collection from her Park Avenue home and the collection of J. Spencer Weed Esq. of Mount Vernon, N.Y. One of the most interesting lots across the block was a Nineteenth Century marble specimen and micromosaic top table, which trounced its $1,5/2,000 estimate to finish at $27,600, going to a floor bidder. From a Palm Beach, Fla., estate, the Italian carved and painted occasional table had micromosaic medallions of a dog and rabbit and a tree-form painted wooden base with dog, Dimensions were 31 by 20½ by 13 inches. For information, 978-927-2223 or www.kaminskiauctions.com.
Clars Nets More Than $8,000 For Ukraine Wartime Photo
OAKLAND, CALIF. – “Girl with Candy,” a 2022 archival inkjet print in colors by Oleksii Kyrychenko (Ukrainian, b 1974) sold for $8,125 in Clars Auction Gallery’s April 24 fine art auction. The work, from an edition of five, was sold with proceeds going to benefit “Come Back Alive, a nonprofit aiding the Ukraine military through technology. It was purchased by a private collector in the room who prevailed against online competition on two platforms. For information, 510-428-0100 or www.clars.com.
