The top lot of the sale, earning $19,680 was “Flying Boat” by Lino Taliapietra (Italian, b 1934), 2002, glass on bronze stand, 65 by 7¾ by 27½ inches ($8/12,000).
Review By Carly Timpson; Photos Courtesy Neue Auctions
BEACHWOOD, OHIO — The Fresh & Neue sale, conducted by Neue Auctions on March 2, concentrated on fresh-to-auction finds, including antiques, fine art, silver and jewelry. Offering 341 lots, the sale realized $250,000 and saw a 92 percent sell-through rate. Neue specialist and appraiser, Bridget McWilliams shared, “We were really pleased with the sale, it actually over-performed,” and noted that with the addition of post-auction deals, nearly all of the lots were sold. According to McWilliams, 51 percent of bidders were returning customers while 49 percent were new, and 72 percent of all bidding was done live.
The most competitive category in the sale was fine art, with a Murano glass sculpture by Lino Tagliapietra claiming the top spot, as expected. Soaring past its high estimate of $12,000, Tagliapietra’s 65-inch-long “Flying Boat” was designed using multiple art glass techniques, all showcasing the artist’s dexterity in the medium. The piece, which the artist designed to resemble an abstract Viking longship, was made with blown and hot-stretched glass and finished with battuto-cut details. Mounted on a bronze display stand, the 2002 sculpture was won by an online bidder in Indiana for $19,680.
Three separate lots crossed the block at $12,300. The most unexpected of the three, a Neoclassical style relief-carved white marble mantelpiece, was estimated to achieve $800-$1,200 and was won by a phone bidder based in Ireland. Reaching the auction block in pieces, the lot included a 65½-inch-long mantel top, a 51-inch-long relief-carved header, two carved Corinthian columns and their bases and three pieces of marble surround. The intricately carved header included ornamental floral motifs and a central panel depicting a classical mourning scene with three figures around an offering table and a burning lamp.
“Garden Still Life with Table and Chair and Orange Trees” by Joseph B. O’Sickey (American, 1918-2013), 1979, 60½ by 48½ inches, brought $12,300 ($5/8,000).
The two other lots to achieve the price of $12,300 were both oil paintings. Claimed by an online bidder in New York, Max Kuehne’s circa 1911 “Brooklyn Bridge with View of Manhattan” more than doubled its high estimate of $5,000. As its title suggests, the painting shows a view of Manhattan from a vantage point across the water so that the skyline and port are framed beneath the Brooklyn Bridge. The other work at this price was “Garden Still Life with Table and Chair and Orange Trees,” in which Joseph B. O’Sickey captured the subject using his quintessential vibrant colors. Helping its performance was the provenance: this bold still life came from a private Cleveland, Ohio, collector who acquired the painting directly from the artist. It will now join another Cleveland collection.
Ethiopian artist Afewerk Tekle was represented in the sale by his 1984 painting, “Dancers.” Tekle is known for both his paintings and his works of stained glass, and this piece shows the crossover of influence. The motion of the titular dancers in the painting is accented by sweeping black lines across the image. While these lines may reflect the subjects’ dancing motions, they also give the painting the illusion of being a mosaic. More than doubling its high estimate of $4,000, “Dancers” was sold to a collector in Charlotte, N.C., for $8,160.
“Dancers” by Afewerk Tekle (Ethiopian, 1932-2012), 1984, oil on canvas, signed and inscribed in Amharic lower left, 42 by 34 inches framed, crossed the block at $8,610 ($2/4,000).
Though the artist was not confirmed, a note in a leather-bound folio containing 31 veduta watercolor and gouache paintings suggested that Giacomo Guardi may have been the painter. The Nineteenth Century Italian School illustrations all depicted sites from the Grand Tour, including temple ruins and natural views. Each was painted with a black border and bore an identifying inscription at the bottom. All of the paintings in the folio were either 5 by 8 inches or 3¼ by 4¾ inches. Bearing registration numbers from the Cleveland Museum of Art registrar’s office dating to 1929-1934, the folio earned $7,995 and was won by a San Francisco bidder.
A mixed media work by Japanese artist Hiroshi Yamano included glass work, painted illustration and copper electroplate details. Completed in 2014, “From East to West: Scene of Japan” depicts a misty mountain and river landscape with flora and fauna, including a bird perched on a copper-plated cherry tree branch. A phone bidder based in Ohio claimed the art piece for $5,412.
The final item to round out the top eight lots was a circa 1880s Persian Serapi carpet. Woven with wool, the carpet had a central floral medallion, a geometric border and was covered with other traditional patterns in rust, cream and various shades of blue. Measuring approximately 13½ by 10½ feet, the room-size Serapi found a buyer for $4,674.
Prices quoted include the buyer’s premium as reported by the auction house. For information, www.neueauctions.com or 216-245-6707.
