Gallery Report: November 2012

A handcrafted Baccarat full-lead crystal 48-light chandelier sold for $98,400 at an estates auction held Oct. 6-7 by New Orleans Auction Galleries. Also, a bronze by Dame Elisabeth Frink, R.A. (1930-1993), titled Chinese Horse II, brought $73,800; a seven-piece Reed & Barton sterling silver coffee and tea set hammered for $49,200; an 18k white gold, diamond, sapphire and South Seas pearl dog collar necklace fetched $19,680; and an earthenware dish by Pablo Picasso made $19,680. Prices include a 23 percent buyer's premium.

A Mikado cast-iron mechanical bank by Kyser & Rex in the rare blue variation sold for $198,000 in a sale of Antique Toys, Banks, Dolls and Sports Memorabilia held Sept. 13-15 by Morphy Auctions in Denver, Pa. Also, a Freedmans mechanical bank by Jerome B. Secor topped out at $138,000; a Kyser & Rex Merry-Go-Round cast-iron mechanical bank soared to $126,000; a Kaiser & Rex Roller Skating cast-iron mechanical bank made $84,000; and a Circle dot Bru bebe doll, 16 inches tall, went for $10,200. Prices include a 20 percent buyer's premium.

A factory-engraved Colt SAA Sheriff's Model built for legendary Western lawman Jeff Davis Milton in 1916 sold for $201,125 at a Firearms Auction held Oct. 1-2 by James D. Julia in Fairfield, Maine. Also, a cased 1st Model Colt Dragoon percussion revolver identified to C.H. Bowman of the Tampico Rangers “Veteran of Mexican War” realized $181,125; a Freund “Boss” gun Sharps Model 1874 sporting rifle hit $166,750; and a Parker A-1 Special 20-gauge with deep sculpted engraving made $166,750. Prices include a 15 percent buyer's premium.

A circa-1840s Peter Force copy of the Declaration of Independence sold for $10,620 at an auction held Oct. 20-21 and Oct. 23 by Archives International Auctions in New York City and Fort Lee, N.J. Also, an Edison stock ticker, circa 1900-1910, hammered for $8,260; an archive of original artwork by Charles Kress realized $6,785; and a Chinese $100 international banknote specimen changed hands for $6,549. Prices include an 18 percent buyer's premium.

A ruby and diamond ring set in 14k gold with a 10.25-carat oval ruby surrounded by 34 diamonds and with an appraised value of $16,279 sold for $5,462 at an estates auction held Sept. 29-30 by Richard D. Hatch & Associates in Flat Rock, N.C. Also, an 1898 $20-gold coin in choice AU condition brought $1,695; a Buster Brown oil painting dated 1917 went for $374; a 14k white gold .99-carat marquis-shape diamond ring realized $517; and a Victorian figural boar's head German silver stirrup cup hit $960. Prices include a 15 percent buyer's premium.

A pearl necklace with an Art Deco platinum and diamond clasp by Cartier sold for $281,000 at a fine jewelry auction held Sept. 11 by Skinner Inc., in Boston. Also, a natural pearl necklace with 77 pearls soared to $142,200; a gold pendant by Max Ernst, titled Groin, brought $23,700; a 22k and 18k gold long chain by Noma Copley rose to $41,475; an antique yellow sapphire and diamond pendant by Tiffany earned $31,995; and a set of gold Alhambra ear clips by Van Cleef & Arpels hit $9,480. Prices include an 18.5 percent buyer's premium.

Two Cabinet room chairs from the Kennedy administration, with an autograph letter of presentation signed by Jacqueline Kennedy, sold for $146,500 at a sale of items from the estate of Robert McNamara held Oct. 23 by Sotheby's in New York. Also, a Cuban missile crisis calendar paperweight, presented to Secretary of Defense McNamara by President John F. Kennedy, went for $95,500; and a 1978 print of a 1944 Ansel Adams photograph titled Clearing Winter Storm, Yosemite National Park, Calif., made $53,125. Prices include a 20 percent buyer's premium.

A 1968 gelatin silver print triptych with ink, blood handwork, snakeskin and collage elements by Peter Beard, titled Orphan Cheetah Triptych, sold for $662,500 at a photographs sale held Oct. 4-5 by Christie's in New York. It was a new world auction record for the artist. Also, a gelatin silver print by photographer Richard Avedon, titled Dovima with elephants, Evening dress by Dior, Cirque d'Hiver, Paris, August 1955, brought $266,500; and a 1955 gelatin silver print by Richard Avedon of Brigitte Bardot, hit $266,500. Prices include a 20 percent buyer's premium.

An important Miami pipe with ties to the 1795 Treaty of Greenville sold for $23,500 at an American Indian and Western Art Sale held Oct. 5 by Cowan's Auctions Inc., in Cincinnati. Also, a Sioux beaded and quilled hide war shirt realized $18,000; a Kwakawaka'wakw totem pole, over 13 feet tall, hammered for $14,100; a set of Edward Curtis photogravures went for $5,318; an Apache bow signed by Geronimo brought $4,700; and a Margaret Tafoya Santa Clara blackware pottery jar garnered $7,050. Prices include a 17.5 percent buyer's premium.

A Chinese jade vase sold for $178,250 at a Fine Art & Antiques Auction held Sept. 22 by Cottone Auctions in Geneseo, N.Y. Also, an equestrian painting by Ivan Pokitonow hammered for $161,000; a green celadon charger went for $126,500; a John Burger churn went for $59,800; a Wendell Castle table topped out at $35,650; a sculpture by T. Ridgeway Gould made $108,100; a figural painting by D. Ridgeway Knight brought $74,750; and a painting by Josef Von Brandt hit $126,500. Prices include a 17 percent buyer's premium.

An oil on canvas painting by Herman Herzog titled Unloading the Catch sold for $19,550 at an auction held Oct. 7 by Carlsen Gallery in Freehold, N.Y. Also, an oil on canvas by Jervis McEntee titled Rocks in the Woods earned $10,063; an 18th century oxbow chest went for $9,200; an oil on canvas by S.P. Hodgdon titled Long Beach Nahant changed hands for $9,200; a Tiffany & Co. 18k gold Elsa Peretti cuff link set brought $6,613; and an unsigned oil on canvas titled Still Life of Fish made $5,750. Prices include a 15 percent buyer's premium.

A pair of English Regency globes by J&W Cary, London, 1817, sold for $43,290 at an estates sale held Sept. 9 by CRN Auctions in Cambridge, Mass. Also, a 1947 watercolor by Aiden Lassell Ripley titled Quail Shoot in the Carolinas sold for $23,400; a 17th or 18th century carved rhinoceros horn libation cup in the form of a lotus, $17,550; an 18th century tall-case clock, $17,550; and an 18th century Connecticut Chippendale highboy, $9,945. Prices include a 15 percent buyer's premium.

A 22-by-15-inch pastel over halftone work by the late Western master Frederic Remington, titled John Ermine, sold for $690,000 at the sixth annual Jackson Hole Art Auction co-hosted by Trailside Galleries and Gerald Peters Gallery on Sept. 15. Also, an oil on canvas by wildlife artist Carl Rungius, titled Grizzly Bear and Cubs, hammered for $373,750; and a 13 inch by 20 inch oil on canvas by Charles Russell titled Unbranded topped out at $575,000. Prices quoted include the buyer's premium.