Michaan’s Gallery Auction
Saturday, February 20 at 1Oam
www.michaans.com
Previews:  February 17 & 18: by appointment only
February 19: 12pm – 5pm

Location: Michaan’s Auctions
2751 Todd Street, Alameda, CA 9450 I
Pre-Columbian Colima Pottery dog vessel estimate $700-$1,000
Chinese carved jadeite vase with cover estimate $800-$1,200
(800) 380-9822 • (510) 740-0220

Auction:  Gallery Auction
Saturday, February 20 at I 0am
Previews:
February 17 & 18: by appointment only
February 19: 12pm – 5pm
Location:
Michaan’s Auctions
2751 Todd Street
Alameda, CA 9450 I
A Large Trove of Fine Jewelry, Landscapes of the American West, and Pottery for All Kinds of Collectors at Michaan’s Auctions in February
Michaan’s Gallery Auction on February 20th offers over 150 lots of fine jewelry. The selection this month is especially broad in range, with a notable abundance of earrings and rings featuring many different gemstones. They are best viewed in detail on the Michaan’s Auctions app, where all are invited to register and start bidding.
Period fine jewelry is coveted for its unique and hard-to-find designs, bygone standards of craftsmanship, and romantic echoes of the past. A perfect example is the coral cameo pendant brooch ($500-$700) offered in February’s auction. The lovely image of the Greek goddess Selene, in her signature crescent moon headdress and toting her quiver of arrows, is carved of coral and set in a tricolor gold oval frame with hand-wrought embellishment and the soft patina of age. Also for the discerning collector: the pendant of carved “mutton fat” jade depicting the ever-popular bat motif ($300-$500, from the estate of Roye F. Gold, Bronx, NY).
Gold is abundant in February’s selection of period and estate jewelry. The Victorian necessaire, made for the wrist of a refined and stylish lady, is of gleaming 14k yellow gold, estimated at $2,000-$3,000. The substantial 14k gold necklace, also $2,000-$3,000, is a triumph of understated luxury and expert craftsmanship. Another subtle beauty is the Pomellato “Nudo” Classic 18k rose gold ring ($300-$500) centering a translucent lemon quartz with cobblestone facets, tantalizing as a drop of absinthe.
Jewelry connoisseurs always have many fine choices at Michaan’s. Lustrous mabe cultured pearls are featured in the pair of 18k gold Marina B. earrings ($700-$900). For a dose of chic whimsy, February offers the diamond, enamel and 18k gold crab brooch ($300-$500), ideal for the collector of jeweled sea creatures, or for anyone born under the sign of Cancer. The Georg Jensen jewelry suite features labradorite cabochons nestled in leaves of sterling silver.
Fine timepieces include the Elgin 18k gold pocket watch ($2,500-$3,500) with charming Old World pictorial embellishment. Pocket watches were sensational in Michaan’s January auction, and this one will find many bidders. A horse of a different color — a whole rainbow of them! — is the luxury wristwatch by Valentin Yudashkin for Jacob & Co. With diamonds on the dial, it’s a bold statement in stainless steel and rainbow snakeskin ($2,000-$3,000, accompanied by all original boxes).
Prominent artists of Early California are featured at Michaan’s in February. “Pasture at Russian River”
( estimated at $3,000-$5,000) is by Fredrick Schafer ( 1839-1927), whose fine paintings are in many West Coast museum collections including the Crocker Art Museum, the Oakland Museum of California and the Seattle Art Museum. William Ritschel ( 1864-1949), like Schafer an immigrant from Germany, had an illustrious career as a painter based at the renowned artists’ colony in Carmel. Ritschel’s “Seascape” in oil on masonite board is estimated at $2,500-$4,500. His paintings explore the drama of the California coast, hinting at its peril while fully capturing its splendor.
The diverse selection of fine American landscapes is a leading highlight of Michaan’s February auction. Ernest Leonard Blumenschein’s exquisite “Zion National Park, Utah” is in oil on board with a pencil sketch of the painting verso. Estimated at $6,000-$8,000, it presents a wonderful opportunity to those who collect fine art of the American West.
Another fine landscape on offer is attributed to the American tonalist painter, Ralph Blakelock ( 1847-1919). The auction also includes a pastoral landscape by Carl Henrik Jonnevold, who painted views of California in the style of the French Barbizon school of realist painters.
Collectors of 20th century American art will find a mountain landscape ($800-$1,200) by Karl Albert
( 191 1-2007), painter of California’s sun-drenched deserts, mountains and coastline. Michael Thorn Bradley’s 1977 oil, “Twilight Shift II” is estimated at $800-$1,200.
Fine Chinese porcelains are perennial winners at Michaan’s Auctions, frequently ranking among the top lots. A delightful example: the pair of Famille Rose enamel lantern-form ‘Children at Play’ lidded jars. From a San Francisco Pacific Heights estate, acquired circa 1920s to 1940s, the lot of two is estimated at $1,800-$2,500. From the same fine estate and acquired during the same period is the pair of Famille Verte porcelain figural plates, in a carved rosewood shadow box ($1,800-$2,500). Also offered in February is the Chinese Famille Rose porcelain tea cup with cover, in stately square form. Enameled with classic scenes of the Twenty-Four Filial Exemplars, it bears Qianlong marks on the base and cover and is estimated at $600-$800.
A very special find for Asian art collectors is the Jian ware bowl with “hare’s fur” glaze ($800-$1,200), from a Northern California estate. The deep, conical dark brown bowl has a rim bound in gilt metal. Jian ware bowls of this type played an important role in Chinese tea culture and were favored by Buddhist monks, owing to their humble but refined aesthetic and shape that fits comfortably in hand for tea drinking.
Scroll paintings offered in February include the set of four large hanging scrolls in the style of Jiang Tingxi ( 1669-1732). Depicting birds and flowers, each lovely silk scroll is preserved in an acrylic shadow box with linen backing. Measuring more than 77 inches in height, the four Jiang Tingxi scrolls together form a monumental work of art.
Michaan’s Furniture and Decorations department has treasures of staggering diversity in store for February’s bidders. The selection of pottery is certain to excite collectors. From New Mexico’s San Ildefonso Pueblo, the circa 1950 blackware feather dish by Maria and Santana Martinez is estimated at $1,000-$1,500. From pre-Columbian Colima, Mexico, the pottery dog vessel is offered at $700-$1,000. The small blue earthenware bowl ($400-$600) is from the influential Los Angeles studio of Otto and Gertrud Natzler.
Also at Michaan’s in February: Tiffany Studios Favrile glass and beautiful handmade carpets such as the Persian Heriz rug, estimated at $2,000-$3,000. Furniture highlights include classics from Knoll Studio: the set of four tubular steel and leather armchairs by Mies van der Rohe, and
Saarinen’s marble-topped tulip table. Each of these lots is estimated at $800-$1,200, and likely to draw many bids. Bidders will vie for a collection of fossils — Mastodon teeth and Megalodon fossils among them — estimated at $400-$500. The marvels on offer include a Dayak trophy skull from the tribal headhunters of Borneo. Incised with botanical motifs, wrapped with colorful textile and adorned with beads and shells, it is estimated at $3,000-$4,000.
Download the Michaan’s App to scroll with ease through the February 20th Gallery Auction. View the complete auction calendar at michaans.com.