October Auction Block
By • October 17, 2022 0 1831
A sparkling necklace with an interesting past, a unique French sculpture, a priceless whisky collection by Macallan and a gorgeous Chinese brushpot: this month in Auction Block.
WESCHLER’S
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Claude Lalanne Pomme Bouche, Gilt Bronze Sculpture
Estimate: $10,000-$15,000
Sold for: $32,500
French sculptor and designer Claude Lalanne was most known for her work in the duo Les Lalanne with her husband Francois-Xavier Lalanne. This unique gilt bronze sculpture is reported to have been in good condition commensurate with its age (circa July 1984). Lalanne died on April 10, 2019 in Fountainbleau, France.
DOYLE
Van Cleef & Arpels White Gold and Diamond “Alhambra” Necklace, France
Estimate: $20,000-$30,000
Sold for: $44,100
This necklace includes 10 single-sided diamond-set clovers and 120 round diamonds weighing 4.83 cts. Screenwriter and Academy Award nominee for “BIG,” Anne Spielberg (sound familiar?), borrowed this necklace from her mother, Leah Spielberg Adler, before her first trans-Atlantic voyage on the Queen Mary II. She needed something special to wear with a black velvet dress to stand out in Queens Class. When Anne later tried to return the necklace to her mother, she insisted Anne keep it. Born in Cincinnati, Leah Spielberg Adler studied at the local Music Conservatory and graduated from the University of Cincinnati. She was an accomplished piano player and painter. In 1945, she married Arnold Meyer Spielberg and they had four children, one of whom ended up one of the greatest directors/producers/screenwriters of modern times — the Steven Spielberg (Jaws, Indiana Jones, E.T., Jurassic Park, etc.) You can read more about this historical necklace in the link here:
SOTHEBY’S
Estimate: $400,000-$600,000
Sold for: $562,500
For this auction, and to celebrate the significance of The Timeless Whisky Collection, Sotheby’s commissioned a display platform made of Burr Elm by Anselm Fraser Design. The wood is from a fallen Scottish Elm tree and had been used as the bar top in a private residence in Scotland for the last 20 years before being redesigned for the collection. The lot is supported by Lalique, a French glass company, who will offer the winning bidder and a guest a stay at Villa Rene Lalique in Alsace, France and a dining experience at their two-Michelin Star restaurant. The lot sold for over a half million dollars.
HINDMAN
A Chinese Faux Bois Porcelain Brushpot
Estimate : $300-$500
Sold for : $20,000
As part of its Asian Works of Art Online auction in September, a Chinese Faux Bois Porcelain Brushpot “Bitong” sold for 40 times its estimated price. The rectangular pot is in overall good and stable condition with shelfwear and rubbing to the enamels, mostly at the top and at a patch on the underside.
