Clars Auction
May 11-13
5644 Telegraph Ave. Oakland, CA 94609
www.clars.com
info@clars.com
888-339-7600
510-428-0100

OAKLAND, CALIF. — Clars Auction Gallery plans two days of sales on May 12 and 13. Day 1: Friday, May 12, 9:30 am is the Fine Collectors auction; Day 2: Saturday, May 13, 9:30 am is Asian works of art and collectibles. Previews for both sales are Thursday, May 11, 1 to 5 pm.

The Asian art department will offer a selection of Chinese and Japanese works of art headlined by a Ming dynasty gilt bronze figure of Guanyin. This Buddhist figure from a southern California collector is distinguished by its large size and superb workmanship in the bronze casting and gilt-lacquering. Offer will be a late Qing dynasty period imperial embroidered yellow-ground 12-symbol dragon robe for an empress. This rare Chinese imperial textile comes from a Colorado collection. Rounding out the sale is a significant collection of Chinese Qing dynasty snuff bottles from a Mill Valley collection formed over the past half century. The collection comprises primarily underglaze blue porcelain bottles as well as various glass bottles from the imperial workshop during the Nineteenth Century.

The jewelry and timepiece department at Clars Auction Gallery will offer a selection of diamond, colored gemstones and gold jewelry, in the May 12 sale. This sale features a variety of wardrobe staples to build up the foundation of one’s jewelry collection at accessible price points. Featured in the sale are a ruby and 14K gold necklace and earring suite ($3/5,000); a sapphire, diamond and 14K white gold necklace and earring suite ($2/3,000).

The sale features two acrylic on canvas paintings by Atlanta-Miami-based artist Anthony Liggins ($4/6,000 each). Liggins, born in 1965, is a leading figure in the American Abstract Expressionist resurgence, as well as being a prominent African American artist with an international presence. Liggins names music and dance as two of his major inspirations, and in the two pieces offered at Clars this month, titled “Blu Angel” and “Sacred Oasis,” the impacts of rhythm and movement are apparent. Melting streaks of color echo sonic waves, which are interspersed with repetitive, grid-like dot work, and bold swaths of color play between rigid lines to create a dynamic interaction of the geometric and organic.

Another item in this month’s auction is a three-dimensional collage by American artist Red Grooms. Known for the absurdist humor in his Pop art compositions, Grooms has worked as a painter, sculptor and printmaker, taking the latter method to a new level in the work in this sale. The collaged lithograph, titled “De Kooning Breaks Out,” depicts famed Dutch-American artist Willem de Kooning pedaling a bicycle with a female figure, taken from one of his many “Woman” paintings, riding on the handlebars. The figures quite literally “break out” in this instance, with the printed paper folding and layered to create a three-dimensional composition ($4/6,000).

The furniture and decorative arts department will feature a range of items. Highlights include a Steinway and Sons Model M Grand Piano, circa 1929, Serial No. 261276 ($8/12,000). Also on offer will be an assortment of porcelain dinner and stemware services, including Royal Crown Derby, Meissen, Ginori, Herend, Baccarat, Steuben and other makers.

Bidding for Clars’ May 12-13 auctions is available by phone, absentee bid and live online at live.clars.com and through liveauctioneers.com and invaluable.com. Clars Auction Gallery is at 5644 Telegraph Avenue. For information, 510-428-0100 or www.clars.com.

In Person + Online Bidding I Preview: May 10th by appt. or May 11th, 9AM-EOD
1. A collection of early and later stained glass panels.
2. Cheong Soo Pieng (Singaporean, 1917-1983), Untitled, 1964.
3. Joseph Raphael (American, 1869-1950), Portrait of a Young Lady, oil on canvas {laid down on board), 16″ x 12.25″.
4. Hua Yen (1682-1755), Landscape.
5. A Royal Crown Derby porcelain assembled dinner service, approximately 106 pieces.
6. A diamond and platinum ring.
7. A Scottish mahogany cased marine chronometer, JR. & W. Laing, Glasgow, late 19th/early 20th century.
8. A Chinese imperial embroidered yellow-ground silk twelve-symbol dragon robe for an empress.
9. Anthony Liggins (American, b. 1965), Sacred Oasis, acrylic on canvas, 36″ x 36″.
10. William Charles Anthony Frerichs (American, 1829-1905), Untitled (Hudson River Scene with Fisherman), oil on canvas, 31″ x 46″.
11. A stainless steel and yellow gold wristwatch, Datejust, Rolex.
12. A Large Chinese gilt bronze figure of Guanyin, Ming dynasty.
13. A gemstone and high karat gold necklace and earrings suite.
14. A Steinway and Sons Model M Grand Piano, circa 1929.
15. Anthony Liggins (American, b. 1965), Blue Angel, acrylic on canvas, 36″ x 36″.