Many auction houses around the country recently conducted their year-end auctions and this week’s Across the Block celebrates the diversity of these sales, which featured fine art, historical maps, jewelry, dolls, musical instruments, furniture and abstract contemporary art. Prices realized ranged from $3,750 for an Italian surrealist interior scene to $300,000 for a 1954 Sunburst Solid Fender Stratocaster that was from the firm’s first year of production and the collection of Skip Maggiora. Read on for more top lots in this week’s auction round-up!

Early Fender Stratocaster Plays Sweet Music At Heritage

DALLAS — A stunning 1954 Fender Stratocaster Sunburst solid body electric guitar from the first year of the transformative instrument’s production sold for $300,000 to lead The Skip Maggiora Legacy Guitar Collection Charity Signature Auction to $2,425,044 on December 17 at Heritage Auctions. The catalog noted, “this guitar holds immense historical significance for collectors and musicians alike.” The guitar was all-original, with the exception of the strings, and showcased the craftsmanship and precision that made Fender a household name in the guitar world. For information, www.ha.com or 214-528-3500.

Italian Sandcast Plaster Tiles Hang Up Nice At Doyle

NEW YORK CITY — Doyle’s popular Doyle + Design Auction, a “celebration of Modern and Contemporary furniture, art and design,” was conducted on December 18 and included 481 lots from all categories. Leading the sale was a group lot of three untitled sandcast plaster relief and tempera panels made by Costantino Nivola (Italian, 1911-1988). The largest, dated 1956, measured 14-3/8 by 12½ inches and its geometric relief had coloring in shades of red and blue. The other two tiles were dated 1955 and 1960 and the set of three sold well above their $2/4,000 estimate, ultimately reaching $35,200. For information, www.doyle.com or 212-427-2730.

Werner Kanner Table Sits At Top For Hayloft

NEW YORK CITY — Every month, Hayloft Auctions conducts a Fine and Decorative Art Auction. December’s edition of this sale took place on the 9th of the month, and offered 400 lots of furniture, decorative art, paintings, prints, silver, glass, photographs and more. Leading the sale was a burlwood extending dining table by Werner Kanner, which was in good condition and came with two leaves (pictured with the table here). The table was marked “Mar. 1977” and “Custom Made by Werner Kanner.” With both leaves inserted, the table measured 73 inches long. The table far surpassed its $300/500 estimate to achieve $5,000. For information, 929-303-3266 or www.hayloftauctions.com.

M.C. Perry Map Of Japan Sails To Win At Swann

NEW YORK CITY — On December 10, Swann Galleries conducted its Maps & Atlases, Natural History & Color Plate Books auction, which offered 282 lots of Nineteenth Century illustrated ship books, regional and decorative world maps and a grouping of works by Currier & Ives, among many others. The sale was led by a map titled Reconnaissance of the Anchorage of Ura-Ga & Reception Bay, on the West Side of the Entrance of Jeddo Bay, Island of Niphon, Japan, which was made by Matthew Calbraith (M.C.) Perry, a United States Naval officer. The map, dated to September 1853, was done in pen and ink on thin vellum, which was then mounted to a contemporary silk backing with green selvage. It sailed past its $10/15,000 estimate to earn $47,500. For information, 212-254-4710 or www.swanngalleries.com.

Pastoral Hudson River Scene Leads For Absolute Auctions

PLEASANT VALLEY, N.Y. — On December 11, Absolute Auctions & Realty conducted a 37-lot curated auction of Hudson River Paintings from the Fishkill, N.Y., collection of Robert and Susan Doyle. The top lot, cataloged as “magnificent,” was a Nineteenth Century pastoral oil on canvas by George L. Clough (1824-1901). Measuring 38 by 50 inches in its gilt frame, the painting was bid to $9,912 ($15/30,000). For information, www.aarauctions.com or 845-635-3169.

Italian Surrealist Painting By Jervolino Captivates Bidders At Cornell

BELLPORT, N.Y. — Cornell Auctions prepared bidders for the holiday season with its Winter Dreams Auction, which offered 324 lots of items from Baccarat, Limoges, Wedgwood, Meissen, antique furniture, lighting, paintings, prints, fine rugs and much more. One of four lots to earn the highest price of the sale, $3,750, was a surrealist oil on canvas by Italian artist Walther Jervolino. The auction catalog described the scene in the painting as “a cluttered interior space bathed in a mysterious light” which was “a hallmark of Jervolino’s distinctive style.” For information, 631-289-9505 or www.cornellauctions.com.

Necklace & Earrings Dazzle Kleinfelter’s Bidders

MYERSTOWN, PENN. — Kleinfelter’s Auction conducted its 523-lot Online Antique Extravaganza Auction on December 14, featuring gold, silver, jewelry and accessories, Native American lots, ephemera, furniture, pottery, stamps and more. The sale was led by an 18K gold diamond necklace and matching earrings by Daniel Steiger. The catalog noted that the necklace was lined with diamonds ranging in size from 0.7-carats to 2-carats with smaller accent diamonds throughout. In total, the set weighed 129.7 grams; it brought $10,304. For information, www.kleinfelters.com or 717-272-7078.

DL Straight Bidders Make A Big Play For Museum Dolls

STURBRIDGE, MASS. — David Straight closed out his 2024 with a 491-lot Holiday Season Sale on December 14 that had furniture, fine art, decorative smalls, folk art, textiles and 28 lots of museum dolls, one of which was the high seller of the day at $18,000. Cataloged only as “grouping of miscellaneous museum dolls,” the lot (pictured) featured 10 dolls in a variety of shapes and costume; it had been estimated at $100/200. All six of the sale’s top lots were groups of miscellaneous museum dolls and achieved prices ranging from $2,280 to $3,360. For information, 508-769-5404 or www.dlstraightauctioneers.com.

Wall Art Triptych More Than Triples Benefit Shop’s Expectations

MOUNT KISCO, N.Y. — A limited edition photograph on Plexiglas triptych by Christopher Martin titled “Evora” was the high-flyer in The Benefit Shop Foundation’s December 18 Red Carpet Auction. Each 59-by-30-inch panel depicted abstract lined and overlapping circles and the colorful composition was numbered 15 from an edition of 150. The work, dated 2013, was accompanied by a signed certificate of authenticity realized $4,838, well beyond the firm’s $100/300 estimate, and became the top lot in the 769-lot sale. For information, 914-864-0707 or www.thebenefitshop.org.