Sotheby’s
Timurid Mihrab Panel, Central Asia/Persia, 14th–15thc.
Estimate: $110,000 – $165,000
Auction Date: April 25 (London)
Part of the Arts of the Islamic Worlds sale at Sotheby’s, these tiles were likely created under Timurid patronage (1389-1501). It is difficult to say for which monument they would originally have been intended since so many have been destroyed by natural and man-made disasters. In the center, in mirrored form, the calligraphy reads: “I have put my trust in my Creator.”
Bonhams
“Couple,” 1957
Yiannis Moralis (1916–2009)
Estimate: $42,000 – $70,000
Auction Date: May 2 (London)
This perfectly balanced composition of pure form, elegant line and harmonious proportion, part of Bonhams’ Greek Sale, celebrates the erotic union of man and woman. In the 1950s, Moralis’s figures, especially his evocative female nudes, were gradually stripped of descriptive detail and handled in such an abstractive fashion that they took on a symbolical meaning.
Doyle New York
“Nature Morte au Bouquet de Roses et de Lilas,” 1929
Jean Dufy(1888–1964)
Estimate: $20,000 – $30,000
Auction Date: May 9
While still a teenager, Jean Dufy was inspired to become an artist by an exhibition of Fauve paintings in his home town of Le Havre. After his service in World War I, he moved to Paris and befriended a number of painters working in Montmartre. Part of Doyle’s Impressionist & Modern Art sale, this handsome still life shows the powerful influence of Cézanne.
Christie’s
“In the Well of the Great Wave off Kanagawa,” 1736-95
Katsushika Hokusai (1760–1849)
Estimate: $800,000 – $1.2 million
Auction Date: March 22-23
“In the Well of the Wave off Kanagawa,” from the series “Thirty-Six Views of Mount Fuji,” introduced to Europe in the mid-19th century, had an astounding influence on Western art. Hokusai was in his 70s and in need of financial and artistic sustenance when he made this image. Several editions were printed, accounting for the variety of coloration and the black gradation above the horizon.
Hammer Down
Final selling prices for last month’s featured Auction Block items
Asia Week Special
Doyle New York
Chinese Doucai Cup, Chenghua Mark
Auction Date: March 19
Estimate: $800 – $1,200
Final Selling Price: $200,000
Sotheby’s
“Ville Provençale”
Sayed Haider Raza (1922–2016)
Auction Date: March 19
Estimate Upon Request (over $1 million)
Final Selling Price: Unsold
This is a fascinating, disappointing result, as this painting was a big deal. One of the largest early paintings by Raza to ever appear at auction, this piece had been “secreted away for most of its life” since it was purchased by a private collection shortly after its appearance at the 1956 Venice Biennale.
Bonhams
Shakyamuni Buddha, Khasa Malla, 13th–14thc.
Auction Date: March 19
Estimate: $1.2 million – $1.6 million
Final Selling Price: $1,392,500
Christie’s
Celadon-Glazed Bottle Vase, 1736-95
Auction Date: March 22-23
Estimate: $800,000 – $1.2 million
Final Selling Price: $1,212,500
