May 2024 Auction Block
By • May 8, 2024 0 1103
May’s Auction Block features a spectacular yellow diamond ring at Doyle, a John Nieto painting at Bonhams and a bureau-cabinet at Christie’s that sold for more than $200,000 above its high estimate.
Doyle
Platinum, Gold, Fancy Intense Yellow Diamond and Diamond Ring
Doyle . Platinum, Gold, Fancy Intense Yellow Diamond and Diamond Ring .
Estimate: $100,000 – $150,000
Sold for: $241,800
From an Upper East Side estate, this ring, size 5 to 5 ¼, features an asscher-cut fancy intense yellow diamond weighing 8.88 carats and two half-moon-shaped diamonds of 1.20 carats.
Bonhams
“Touches the Sky” by John Nieto
Bonhams . “Touches the Sky” by John Nieto .
Sold for: $28,160
Artist John Nieto (1936–2018), a longtime resident of Santa Fe, New Mexico, mostly concentrated on Native American themes. His “Touches the Sky” painting, from a private New York collection, is acrylic on canvas, signed and dated twice.
Christie’s
A George II Green and Gilt Japanned Bureau-Cabinet
Christie’s . A George II Green and Gilt Japanned Bureau-Cabinet .
Estimate: $50,000 – $100,000
Sold for: $378,000
The cabinet section of this piece, from the collection of Fritz and Lucy Jewett — probably acquired by James John Van Alen for Wakehurst in Newport — has a molded swan-neck pediment termination in gilt flowerheads. Below, two tall rectangular mirrored doors open to a variety of drawers and shelves, separated by marbleized pilasters.
Hindman
“Small Ghost Waterfall” by Pat Steir
Hindman . “Small Ghost Waterfall” by Pat Steir
Estimate: $250,000 – $300,000
Sold for: $533,400
“Small Ghost Waterfall” by painter Pat Steir (b. 1940) is from her most well-known series. Focusing on movement and chance and the connection between word and image, Steir uses a variety of techniques. Viewers will notice streams of white, pale yellow and olive drip over a dark blue ground, with imprints from brushes loaded with paint.
The Potomack Company
“Picnic on the Potomac Near Harper’s Ferry” by Max Weyl
The Potomack Company
“Picnic on the Potomac Near Harper’s Ferry” by Max Weyl
Estimate: $5,000 – $7,000
Sold for: $54,000
This signed and dated oil on canvas by Max Weyl (1837–1914) shows a view of the Baltimore & Ohio railroad bridge and Harpers Ferry from the east, looking west along the Potomac River. Many locals will know of Weyl, as he helped form the Washington Landscape School.
