Top-lot status in the October Gallery Auction was awarded to this D’Angelico New Yorker guitar with its case, which led a group of just under 50 guitars from the same consignor at $48,000 ($4/6,000).

Review by Kiersten Busch

OAKLAND, CALIF. — Clars Auctions conducted two sales on October 16-17. On October 16 was the second installment of the Naomi Lindstrom collection, which spanned 275 lots, while the October Gallery Auction took place on October 17, featuring 733 lots. Although the firm chose not to disclose sale totals, press representative Talesa Eugenio commented, “We had an incredible auction weekend.”

October Gallery Auction

The major highlight of the October Gallery Auction was a group of just fewer than 50 guitars that collectively sold for over $600,000. “They went up for sale with Guernsey in 2014, and none sold,” said Deric Torres, Clars’ senior vice president. “They then made their way to Clars via their consignor. There were at least 30 buyers in the room specifically for the guitars. We also had phone bidders from Australia and Spain, even a gentleman who was on a flight from New York City to Paris who made sure he was available to phone bid. There were at least five phone bidders on each lot, and we heard from buyers in the room that we were hitting retail numbers on the guitars.”

Torres also shared that the four D’Angelico guitars from New York City were the lots that stood out to him the most: “They really outperformed their estimates. In my opinion, I believe they sold for what they are worth. They have also surpassed any records I’ve found.” The highest earner was a D’Angelico New Yorker guitar accompanied by its hard case, which strummed to $48,000. A D’Angelico Excel marked “2I-17” ($34,650), an electric acoustic D’Angelico New Yorker ($31,500) and an acoustic New Yorker ($27,720) also found new homes.

This Larson Brothers Prairie State guitar with its hard case played a tune to $40,950 ($4/6,000).

“The decorative arts did so well,” said Torres, who mentioned a pair of Sèvres-style porcelain and gilt bronze-mounted covered urns as a lot that particularly stood out to him. “They were beautiful. It was great that they really soared because they had some condition issues and also given the current market. In my opinion, they stand with some of the finest Sèvres urns due to their casting; they’re exhibition-quality urns.” Attributed to Charles Labarre in the late Nineteenth Century, the pair were painted with designs of nymphs attended by putti that were allegorical of the four seasons. Eclipsing their $4/6,000 estimate, they went to a London collector for $44,100.

Also excelling in the decorative arts was a Meissen porcelain figure of Count Bruhl’s Tailor on a Goat, made after a model by Joachim Kandler. “Continental porcelain performed better than expected,” shared Torres. “This piece had a low estimate but did well at $6,930.”

Fine art was led by “The Witch,” a 1981 screenprint in colors with diamond dust by Andy Warhol, from his “Myths” series. “The Warhol is from the same consignor as the guitars. It goes to show you the level of property consigned, which is impressive,” said Torres. Number 135 in an edition of 200, the work was published by Ronald Feldman Fine Arts Incorporated, New York. “It performed well, although some buyers said that the print was overvalued. However, it garnered a lot of attention and was the top fine art lot,” Torres explained. The work sold within its $30/50,000 estimate at $38,400.

“The Witch” from Andy Warhol’s (American, 1928-1987) “Myths” series, 1981, screenprint in colors with diamond dust, edition 135/200, 51½ by 49¾ inches framed, flew away for $38,400 ($30/50,000).

Eugenio also pointed out a few additional lots that excelled in the fine art category. The first was an Untitled (Children and Dog in Field) oil on canvas by Évariste Carpentier (Belgian, 1845-1922), which closed at $21,420. It was followed at $16,380 by “Nude Series #II,” a 2002 oil on canvas by Vietnamese artist Tran Luu Hau (1928-2020), which had provenance to Arch Angel Art, Hong Kong.

Naomi Lindstrom: Worldwide Beads & Jewelry

The second installment of the Naomi Lindstrom collection was led by a group of Chinese enameled silver buttons, many of which featured floral and insect motifs. Weighing 1,134 grams in total, the group surpassed its $1,5/2,500 estimate to make $3,465. A second group of Chinese silver buttons — these with openwork decoration and stylized floral, animal and auspicious motifs — earned the second highest price of the day at $1,890.

The top lot of the Naomi Lindstrom sale was this group of Chinese enameled silver buttons with floral and insect motifs, ½ to 7/8 inches across, which were bid to $3,465 ($1,5/2,500).

Two groups of Tibetan turquoise beads also excelled, each lot realizing $1,890. The first group had pieces ranging in size from 1¼ to 2¾ inches across, while the second had a size range of ¼ to 1½ inches across. Also including Tibetan wares was a lot of eight Tibetan and Mongolian silver objects which landed at the high end of their $600/900 estimate for $882.

Clars’ next two sales will take place on November 20: Important Watches & Holiday Jewelry and The River Ranch Aesthetic: The Vision of Carole Harris & Parish-Hadley.

Prices quoted include buyer’s premium as reported by the auction house. For information, 888-339-7600 or www.clars.com.