Cabinets were favored forms at recent auctions, with a Nineteenth Century Japanese shibayama example at Kodner bringing $9,075 and a D.R. Dimes-made Chippendale-style tiger maple corner cabinet earning nearly $3,000 at Modern Day. As for things to put in cabinets, we liked the Qing dynasty carved vase from a named Washington, DC, collection that Winter Associates sold for $7,800, and a circa 1925 Acoma pot that also had a named provenance and earned $460 for Tom Hall. Other star lots in the jewelry, folk art and fine art categories rounded out this week’s auction highlights.
Friedman Suite Brings Sweet Prices For Showplace
ASTORIA, N.Y. — A suite of seven works by Arnold Friedman (American, 1874-1946), offered on May 15 at Auctions at Showplace brought frenzied bidding online and on the phone. The highlight of the grouping was his 1935 oil on panel titled, “Money Order Window,” which sold above its $2/4,000 estimate for $10,625, to a New York Metropolitan Area collector. Friedman worked for the US Postal Service for more than 40 years. When not performing his clerical duties at the post office, Friedman spent his spare time at his home studio in Queens, painting scenes from his daily routine. All lots from the suite sold, above expectations. For information, www.nyshowplace.com or 212-633-6063.
Heritage Bidders Go Wild For Early Sendak Drawing
DALLAS — Among the highlights in Heritage Auction’s $7 million American Art Signature sale on May 16 was Maurice Sendak’s drawing, “Max Arriving at the Island of Wild Things, Where the Wild Things Are,” which achieved $625,000. It was the very first illustration for his landmark book, Where The Wild Things Are, marking not only a critical turning point in the artist’s celebrated career but also a monumental event in the history of children’s literature. Here the monsters appear leaner, somewhat gentler, yet still vibrant, reflecting Sendak’s early conception of characters who would become enduring symbols of imagination and childhood adventure.
Acoma Pot Leads Native American Pottery Collection For Tom Hall
SCHNECKSVILLE, PENN. — A collection of Native American & Mexican pottery crossed the block on May 18, in an online-only sale hosted by Tom Hall Auctions. A highlight from the sale at $460 was a circa 1925 Acoma Pueblo polychrome pottery olla with geometric designs and a concave base, standing just over 7¼ inches tall. Originating from the Don Phelan collection out of Las Cruces, N.M., it was accompanied by an appraisal certificate from American Indian Shows and the American Indian And Western Art Galleries. For information, 610-799-0808 or www.tomhallauctions.com.
Racing Horses At Flying Pig
WESTMORELAND, N.H. — Flying Pig Auctions’ May 19 sale was titled Fine Diverse & Eclectic Antiques, which summed up the 436 lots on offer to a T. Earning first place with a $3,438 finish was an antique copper Black Hawk horse weathervane that stood 17 inches tall and measured 25 inches long. Roxanne Reuling shared it came from a Connecticut collection and was headed to a new home with a New York collector. For information, 603-543-7490 or www.flyingpigantiquesnh.com.
Shibayama Cabinet Stacks Up Well At Kodner
DANIA BEACH, FLA. — On May 14, Kodner Galleries conducted its 305-lot Estate Jewelry, Fine Art & Decoration sale. A 72½-inch high, finely carved Nineteenth Century Japanese shibayama cabinet led the day, standing tall at $9,075. Accompanied by an associated stand — which added an additional 20½ inches in height — the cabinet had polychrome carved finials on its surmounted top, as well as inlaid figures on the surface of its drawers. For information, 954-925-2550 or www.kodner.com.
D.R. Dimes Corner Cabinet Creates Commotion At Modern Day
NORWALK, CONN. — Modern Day Auctions kept things “Timeless & Sophisticated” with its multi-client online auction on May 15, which offered 134 lots of antiques, designer fabric-upholstered furniture, window treatments decorative accessories, lithographs and original art sourced from various clients across New England. The top lot was a tiger maple two-piece canted corner cabinet made by Pittsfield, N.H.-based D.R. Dimes & Company, which stood tall at $2,941. The top half featured a 12-pane glass door, while the bottom was a small two-door cabinet. For information, 203-400-6000 or www.moderndayauctions.com.
Linus Paul Offprint Was Perfect Formula For PBA
BERKELEY, CALIF. — PBA Galleries conducted its second sale of literary highlights from the collection of the late George Starr, professor of English at the University of California, Berkeley on May 15. The sale was led by a rare offprint of “one of the key chemistry papers of the Twentieth Century,” Linus Pauling’s “The Nature of the Chemical Bond,” which was published in volume 51 of Journal of the American Chemical Society (Washington, DC: 1931). Addressed “To Dick” by the author, the offprint was inscribed to Pauling’s cousin, Richard Morgan. It flipped to $8,750, landing at the high end of its $6/9,000 estimate. For information, 415-989-2665 or www.pbagalleries.com.
Men’s Gold Jewelry Suite Dresses Up Michaan’s Auction
ALAMEDA, CALIF. — Michaan’s May Gallery Auction was conducted on May 16 and included 545 lots sourced from the firm’s toy, jewelry, Asian art and fine art departments. At $3,780, a men’s 14K yellow gold jewelry set earned top lot status. The set included a 20-inch-long neck chain and its matching 8¾-inch-long bracelet. Combined, the two were 41.2 pennyweights. For information, 510-740-0220 or www.michaans.com.
Qing Dynasty Vase Carves Out The Win At Winter
PLAINVILLE, CONN. — May 19 saw 334 lots cross the block at Winter Associates’ Asian, Paintings, Furniture, Glass Jewelry auction, which was led by a 16-inch-high carved ivory vase from the Chinese Qing dynasty. The cylinder form vase had ornately carved decorations of pavilions and figures in relief. Consigned from the Washington, DC, estate of Robert Wilson, a collector who resided in Japan in the 1950s, the vase shot past its $1,5/3,000 estimate to achieve the sale-high price of $7,800. For information, 860-793-0288 or www.auctionsappraisers.com.
