Auction Block

Ari Post • March 13, 2014

Doyle New York

The Forster Flag

Auction Date: April 9

Estimate: $1 million to $3 million

This important relic of our nation’s past is the earliest extant flag incorporating 13 white stripes to represent the 13 United Colonies. Prepared for militia use a full year before the Declaration of Independence, the Forster Flag was inspired by Liberty Flags flown in Boston in the years following the hugely unpopular Stamp Act (1765) and the Boston Tea Party (1773). Comprising a field of fine red silk, a canton of numerous stitched lengths of a differing red silk and 13 applied white stripes, the flag has never been restored and is in a remarkable state of preservation with fresh original color.

Freeman’s

Child Hassam (1859-1935)

“The Norwegian Cottage,” 1909

Oil on canvas

Auction Date: March 30

Estimate: $200,000 to $300,000

This brilliant work of American Impressionism is part of the auction of the George D. Horst Collection of Fine Art. Tucked away in the depths of the Sheerlund Forest in Pennsylvania, a modest dwelling held an unknown cache of paintings. The collection includes fine examples of world-famous American and European painters such as Frank Weston Benson, Childe Hassam and Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot. The Horst collection is a beautiful time capsule, to be revealed for the first time later this month.

Sotheby’s

John James Audubon and John Bachman

“The Viviparous Quadrupeds of North America,” 1845-48

Auction Date: April 1

Estimate: $200,000 to $400,000

Sotheby’s will auction copies of John James Audubon’s two masterworks, consigned by the Indiana Historical Society. In four monumental volumes, “The Birds of America” of 1827-38 preserves 435 hand-colored aquatint plates depicting all the species of birds then known in the United States. Commonly known as the “Double-Elephant Folio” – after the size of the paper that had to be specially made for the publication – “The Birds of America” has long been recognized as a towering achievement of both book illustration and natural history. Smaller in size and reputation, though perhaps not in significance, is Audubon’s “The Viviparous Quadrupeds of America,” which contains 150 hand-colored lithographs of American mammals, on many of which Audubon was assisted by his son John Wodehouse Audubon.

Sloans and Kenyon

Early 20th-Century Carved and Painted Carousel Horse

with Glass Eyes and Metal Horse Shoes, Mounted on Brass Pole.

Auction Dates: April 12-13

This piece of early 20th-century Americana will be sold as part of the April Estate Catalogue Auction at Sloans and Kenyon. The rustic, well-preserved painting is reminiscent of the early French style of old-fashioned carousels. The mechanical carousel was an innovation at a crucial time in American culture, when increased prosperity meant that more people had time and money for leisure pursuits. The principal novelty of the modern fairground was the carousel, delighting thousands of pleasure seekers at home and abroad. To view all of the auction items, download the free Sloans and Kenyon iPad catalogue app.

Bringing the Hammer Down

Final selling prices for last month’s featured Auction Block items:

Doyle New York

Set of Six Russian Gilt and Polychrome Decorated Porcelain Dessert Plates

Auction Date: Feb. 19

Estimate: $15,000 to $20,000

Final Selling Price: $34,375

Ari Post • February 13, 2014

Sotheby’s

A Child and Nurse in the Foyer of an Elegant Townhouse, the Parents Beyond

Jacob Ochtervelt (1634-1682)

1663

Auction Date: January 30

Estimate: $3 – 4 million

Sotheby’s sale of Important Old Master Paintings and Sculpture will be held during their annual Old Masters Week auctions. The sale is highlighted this year by a number of major paintings from the Dutch Golden Age, particularly this exciting rediscovery of Jacob Ochtervelt’s painting seen here, a previously unrecorded painting. This piece is tied to his series of “entrance hall paintings,” universally considered to be among the artist’s most innovative and interesting pictures. www.Sothebys.com

Freeman’s

Allegory of Poverty and Vengeance

Northern Italian School

ca. 2nd half of the 16th Century

Auction Date: January 28

Estimate: $10,000 – $15,000

Part of their European Art & Old Masters auction, Freeman’s is featuring this Italian tempera on panel painting, originally from a private collection in Milan. Painted in the lunette in the second half of the 16th century, the painting features three large form figures in a manner that suggests it previously hung in a church spandrel. With its period frame of carved, gessoed and gilded wood, this is a remarkable piece for any historic collection. www.FreemansAuction.com

Bonhams

Schooners from the New York Yacht Club Racing in the Narrows

By James Edward Buttersworth (1817-1894)

ca. 1870

Auction Date: January 24

Estimate: $70,000 – $100,000

Bonhams will offer the distinguished maritime paintings of noted connoisseur Alfred “Fritz” Gold, a WWII veteran who received a Purple Heart for bravery, in the Important Maritime Paintings and Decorative Arts. The auction will feature more than a dozen pieces from Gold’s collection, including James Edward Buttersworth’s ‘Schooners from the New York Yacht Club Racing in the Narrows,’ which shows Fort Wadsworth in the distance. A matching Buttersworth composition, ‘Schooners from the New York Yacht Club Reefing off Sandy Hook,’ will also be offered.
www.Bonhams.com

Doyle New York

Saint John the Baptist

Roman School

17th Century

Auction Date: January 29

Estimate: $6,000 – $10,000

Exemplified by this painting from the Roman School, Doyle New York will offer paintings from the Collection of Bayard Rustin (1912-1987), an important figure in the struggle for Civil Rights and one of the main organizers of the 1963 March on Washington. Rustin was recently in the news again when he was posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by Barack Obama in November 2013. Part of their Auction of Important English and Continental Furniture and Decorations, the auction will feature a broad selection of furniture, porcelain, Georgian silver, tapestries and fine art encompassing the 17th to the early 19th centuries. www.DoyleNewYork.com

Quinn’s Auction Galleries

Confederate General Robert E. Lee letter and personal items, including lock of hair

Auction Date: Jan. 18

Estimate: $20,000-$30,000.

Quinn’s, a local auction gallery in Falls Church,Va., will be auctioning a hand-written letter, together with a lock of Lee’s hair, his penknife and a Baltimore Sun newspaper article about the mementos, all of which Lee donated to a Baltimore orphanage in January of 1867. The items have been on loan to Arlington House, the Robert E. Lee Memorial at Arlington National Cemetery, for the past 18 years.

Bringing the Hammer Down

Final Selling Prices for last month’s featured Auction Block items

Doyle New York

Platinum Very Fancy Vivid Yellow Diamond, emerald and diamond ring

Auction Date: December 12, 2013

Estimate: $80,000 – 120,000

Final Selling Price: $365,000

Bonham’s

Diamond-set engraved and enameled gold singing bird snuffbox with musical movement and watch

Auction Date: December 12, 2013

Estimate: $120,000 – 180,000

Final Selling Price: $233,000

Sotheby’s

Egyptian Revival faience and jeweled brooch from Cartier

Auction Date: December 11, 2013

Estimate: $300,000 – $500,000

Final Selling Price: $1,025,000

Freeman’s

Lemuel Everett Wilmarth (American, 1835 – 1918)

Still Life with Wrapped Orange

1893, oil on canvas

Auction Date: December 8, 2013

Estimate: $50,000 – $80,000

Final Selling Price: $53,125
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Georgetowner • December 5, 2013

Doyle New York
Platinum, Fancy Vivid Yellow Diamond,
emerald and diamond ring
Auction Date: Sept. 12
Estimate: $80,000 – $120,000
Doyle New York’s auction of Important Jewelry will offer exquisite jewelry spanning the Antique, Victorian, Edwardian, Art Nouveau, Art Deco and Modern eras by such designers as Cartier, Van Cleef & Arpels, David Webb and Tiffany & Co. Certain to attract attention will be this 1920 ring featuring an old-mine cut oval Fancy Vivid Yellow diamond flanked by emeralds and diamonds.

Sotheby’s
Egyptian Revival faience and jeweled brooch from Cartier
Auction Date: Dec. 11
Estimate: $300,000 – $500,000
Designed as an Egyptian fan, centering an ancient green faience bust of the goddess Sekhmet, this jeweled brooch is among the highlights of Sotheby’s Auction of Magnificent Jewels. Set against a lapis lazuli sky, twinkling with diamond stars and bordered by a black aureole and diamond-set lotus motif, there are a total of 100 diamonds throughout the piece. It is complete with the original fitted box stamped by Cartier.

Bonhams
Diamond-set engraved and enameled gold singing bird snuffbox with musical movement and watch
Auction Date: Dec. 12
Estimate: $120,000 – $180,000
Bonhams will auction this historic snuffbox as part of its Auction of Fine Watches, Wristwatches and Clocks. The box, with lozenge maker’s mark of Jean-Georges Reymond, bears the monogram of the 19th-century Ottoman Prince Shehzade Mahmud Celaleddin Efendi, son of the Turkish Sultan Abdul Aziz, who likely had the box embellished for his son. The diamonds were added during the mid 19th century.

Sloans and Kenyon
Portrait of a nude Norma Jeane Baker Dougherty
(later known as Marilyn Monroe)
3D filmstrip
Circa 1945
Auction Date: Dec. 14
Estimate: $2,000 – $3,000
This rare filmstrip depicts a young woman named Norma Jeane Baker Dougherty, who later changed her name to Marilyn Monroe and became the seminal, sultry icon of American desire. This full-length image is attributed to W.O. Schwartz, located in 1945 just six blocks from the Blue Book Modeling Agency, Norma Jeane’s first employer. Thought to be the first nude photograph of the future Marilyn, predating Tom Kelley’s famous 1949 pinup image. The full image is on view at the Sloans and Kenyon gallery prior to auction.

Freeman’s
Lemuel Everett Wilmarth (American, 1835-1918)
“Still Life with Wrapped Orange”
1893, oil on canvas
Auction Date: Dec. 8
Estimate: $50,000 – $80,000
Freeman’s American Art & Pennsylvania Impressionists Auction has a wealth of consignments from private collections across the country, featuring this still life by Lemuel Everett Wilmarth, a rarely auctioned artist admired for his genre scenes and still-life paintings. As seen here, Wilmarth’s still lifes are celebrated for their polished realism and deft display of textures. Additional works include portraits by William Merritt Chase and John Singer Sargent.

Georgetowner • November 7, 2013

**FREEMAN?S**
*Walnut Tall Case Clock
Edward Duffield (1720-1801), Philadelphia, Pa. 1765
Auction Date: Nov. 14*
***Estimate: $30,000 ? $50,000***
Freeman?s Pennsylvania Sale: Furniture and Decorative Arts features a wealth of hand-crafted
American antiques from the state?s rich tradition of craft and decorative arts. This walnut tall case
clock, a tour-de-force of 18th-century Philadelphia craftsmanship, was built by renowned clockmaker
Edward Duffield. The clock has double scroll molded cresting with floral rosettes and center
flame carved finial, two applied branch decorations above and arched face door flanked by slender
fluted columns. The brass face is ornamented with leaf spandrels and a moon phased, silvered dial
with Roman numerals and an outer Arabic numeral minute band.

**POTOMACK COMPANY**
*Ray Eames Desk Chair
Auction Date: Dec. 7*
Potomack Company?s Modern Designer Sale will feature designer
furniture from the personal collection of Charles M. Goodman
(1906-1992), the pioneering Washington area modernist architect,
who was the designer of National Airport, the Officers Club at
Andrews Air Force Base, the WMAL studio at American University
and other projects in Virginia and Maryland. The Dorothy S.
Goodman Trust is offering more than 100 lots from the collection,
including rare pieces by Ray Eames, Hans Wegner, Harry Bertoia,
Jens Risom and other noted mid-century designers, as well as
original furniture from the award-winning Alcoa Care-free Home
designed by Goodman in 1957 that was a prototype for the post-
World War II affordable housing boom.

**DOYLE**
*Photograph inscribed by John F. Kennedy
Gelatin silver print.
Auction Date: Nov. 25*
**Estimate: $5,000 ? $7,500**
Doyle?s upcoming auction of Rare Books, Autographs
& Photographs features material related to
President John F. Kennedy, including an image of
the president taken by photographer Fred Bauman
in Palm Springs on Sept. 28, 1963, inscribed to
him by Kennedy. A remarkably candid photograph
of President Kennedy, taken just weeks before his
assassination in Dallas, the image was taken by
Bauman at the Palm Springs airport upon Kennedy?s
arrival. Kennedy would spend two nights resting at
the home of Bing Crosby, just long enough for the
picture to be seen by Kennedy on the front page
of the Press-Enterprise. Secret service agent Jerry
Behn, who appears in the photograph behind the
president, was asked by Kennedy to call Bauman
and request a copy. Bauman sent two copies, requesting that one be returned signed and proudly
hung the inscribed photograph in his home for 50 years. Here the smiling Kennedy embodies the
forward-looking optimism of his era and the cool of a sunny afternoon in Palm Springs in 1963.

**SOTHEBY?S**
*Selling Exhibition: Les Lalanne: The
Poetry of Sculpture
Dates: Oct. 31 ? Nov. 22*
Sotheby?s selling exhibition at its New York
S|2 Gallery will feature Les Lalanne: The
Poetry of Sculpture, featuring works by
Claude and Francois-Xavier Lalanne, curated
by Paul Kasmin and Michael Shvo. Private
gallery sales will go through Nov. 22. Offering
a wide range of the couple?s most iconic
and sought-after works chosen by Kasmin, a
long-time gallerist for the duo, and Shvo, an
avid collector of the works, the gallery space
will be transformed into a midnight garden and
thereby evoke the surrealist sculptors? magical
world in which their life and art were intertwined
since the 1960s.

**BONHAMS**
*1940 Buick Phaeton automobile from
?Casablanca,? Warner Bros., 1942.
Limited model 81C convertible
Auction Date: Nov. 25*
***Estimate: $450,000 ? $500,000**
Bonhams auction, ?What Dreams Are
Made Of: A Century of Movie Magic,? in
conjunction with Turner Classic movies,
will feature more than 300 of the most
important pieces of movie memorabilia
ever to come up for auction. Iconic props,
costumes, production art, original scripts, posters and ephemera from Hollywood?s biggest starts
will be offered. The 1940 Buick Phaeton automobile from ?Casablanca? is one of the stars of the
auction, used in the final act of ?Casablanca,? as Claude Rains drives the car to the airport, with
Humphrey Bogart, Ingrid Bergman and Paul Henried. Other items include the lead statuette of the
Maltese Falcon from the 1941 James Stewart film of the same name, and Vivien Leigh neglig?e
from ?Gone With the Wind.?

Corrie Dyke • October 10, 2013

**SOTHEBY?S**
*Junko Mori
Plants Exotica, Chatsworth Chandelier
Modern Makers*
As part of the Devonshire Collection, Sotheby?s will host Modern Makers, a selling exhibition
of contemporary art in Chatworth?s galleries. Leading international artists have created furniture,
textiles, ceramics and metalwork for the exhibition. Featured is ?Plants Exotica,? one of two chandeliers
designed by Junko Mori, this one created in response to the Devonshire family?s history of
and passion for collecting exotic plants. The collection is currently on sale through Dec. 23.

**BONHAMS**
*An antique turquoise and diamond brooch,
circa 1840
Auction Date: Oct. 17
Estimate: $ 8,000 – 10,000*
**What?s selling**: Bonham?s Fine Jewlery auction will feature
an antique brooch from the early 19th Century. Estimated total
diamond weight: 10.00 carats; mounted in silver and 14 karat
gold; length: 1 ? in. **What sold**: Chased brass overlaid teak side
chairs designed by Lockwood de Forest estimated at $50,000-
$80,000 sold for $242,500.

**CHRISTIE?S**
*Dewitt Limited Edition Semi-Skeletonized
Tourbillion Wristwatch
Auction Date: Oct. 29
Estimate: $40,000 ? $60,000*
Christie?s Important Watches auction will feature
modern and vintage watches, from leading
brands such as Cartier, IWC, Rolex and Tag
Heuer with estimates ranging from $1,500 –
$60,000. This rare 18K pink gold and titanium
limited
edition
semi-skeletonized
Tourbillion
watch with
a 5-day
power reserve
and
signed by
Dewitt and
was made
around
2011.

**FREEMAN?S**
*Stanley William Hayter
?Tangram I?
Auction Date: Nov. 3
Estimate: $1,500 – $2,500*
**What?s selling**: Freeman?s will auction selected
works from the distinguished collection of
Domini Morrell in a Modern & Contemporary
Art auction on Nov. 3. This oil on canvas by
British artist Stanley William Hayter is signed
and dated ?83, from the estate of Robert G.
Luckie, Tuscon, Ariz.

**DOYLE NEW YORK**
*Classical Carved Mahogany
Settee
Height 37 inches; length
82 1/2 inches; depth 24
1/2 inches
Auction Date: Oct. 16
Estimate: $5,000
– $10,000*
**What?s selling**:
Doyle New York?s
will auction American Furniture,
Decorative Arts & 19th Century Paintings from the Colonial period through the Federal
and Classical styles. This settee, attributed to Samuel Field McIntire (1780-1819), Salem,
Mass., features intricate carved detail above a loose cushion seat with acanthus carved arms.
The sette is raised on reeded acanthus carved sabre legs ending in brass paw casters. **What
sold**: Cartier, Diamond Bracelet-Watch, estimated at $6,000 – $8,000, sold for $34,375.

Georgetowner • September 12, 2013

**Sotheby?s**
*Giuseppe Penone ?Lignes D?Eau?
Bronze sculpture, 157 ? in.*
Beginning on Sept. 20 and running through October, Sotheby?s will host a selling exhibition of works by globally renowned Italian sculptor and conceptual artist, Giuseppe Penone, entitled ?When Man Meets Nature.? Presenting 36 works showcasing Penone as a modern artist integrating art with nature and member of the modern Italian art movement Arte Povera, the show will feature all mediums of his work, including bronze, stone, photography and works on paper. This selling exhibition will be one of the biggest shows of its kind in New York, as part of Sotheby?s S|2, the private sale and gallery arm of Sotheby?s global Contemporary Art department. The works on display in S|2 are available for private sale, offering an exciting new dimension to the Sotheby?s experience. In addition to gallery programming, the S|2 team also facilitates bespoke private acquisitions and sales.

**Weschler?s**
*Austrian Ormolu Mounted Parcel Ebonized and Gilt Gesso Elmwood Piano Forte
Auction Date: Sept. 20
Estimate: $10,000 ? $15,000*
Weschler?s will auction this Elmwood piano as part of its Capital Collections Auction on Friday, Sept. 20. This rare Viennese pianoforte was possibly made by Johann Fritz (1810-1820), a prolific builder with very few surviving pieces. The six-octave keyboard?FF to f4?has four pedals, including a Turkish music pedal (cymbal and drum) and a bassoon knee level. Made of Elmwood under gold leaf, this piece is originally from the collection of Mr. and Mrs. Robert Woods Bliss of Dumbarton Oaks.

**Christie?s**
*Federal Satinwood-Inlaid and Verre Eglomis? Mahogony Cylinder Desk and Bookcase
Auction Date: September 24
Estimate: $150,000 ? $300,000*
Christie?s Sept. 24 auction of American Furniture, Folk Art and Decorative Arts spans from the 17th to the 20th century, featuring property from three major collections. The collection includes a magnificent Federal desk-and-bookcase, embellished with 47 verre ?glomis? glass panels and probably made for the Van Ness family of Washington, D.C. Selections from the estate of the late Americana collector Eric Martin Wunsch include an elaborately carved New York card table from the Chippendale period. Highlights to be offered from the Westervelt Company, perhaps the most significant collection of Classical American pieces ever assembled, span the mediums of furniture, silver, paintings and Audobon prints.

**Bonham?s**
*Pair of chased brass-overlaid teak chairs, designed by Lockwood de Forest
(1850-1932). India, 1881-1882.
Auction Date: Sept. 25
Estimate: $50,000 – $80,000*
Bonhams will offer an exceptional pair of chased brass-overlaid teak chairs, designed by Lockwood de Forest in the Fine American & European Furniture, Decorative Arts & Silver auction to be held at the Madison Avenue galleries on Sept. 25. Made in Ahmadebad, India, circa 1881-1882, de Forest modeled the chairs after one he had discovered while visiting an ancient Indian palace during his honeymoon. De Forest was an instrumental figure in the Aesthetic and Orientalist movements during the last decades of the nineteenth century, leading a revival of East Indian techniques within American decorative arts. When de Forest moved to California in the early 1920s, the chairs were purchased at auction by William Randolph Hearst, who at that time was spending millions of dollars annually to acquire the most extraordinary art and antiques available.

**Potomack Company**
*George III Armorial Silver Epergne
London, 1768. 13 x 25 ? in.
Auction Date: Oct. 5 ? 6
Estimate: $6,000 ? $8,000*
Potomack Company will auction the Harry Z. Isaacs Antiques and Fine Art Collection from Long Branch House. Located in the Shenandoah Valley, the estate is on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places and the Virginia Landmarks Register. The auction will feature more than 250 lots from the collection, including English and American antiques, furniture, decorative arts, and artworks acquired from the most respected dealers in the United States and England, including Israel Sack, N.Y. and Mallet, London. An art historian and decorative arts specialist who was a close friend of Isaacs commented, ?He bought only the best.? This George III armorial silver epergne, features a central oval basket, the spiral gadrooned rim above shaped bands of pierced foliage, circlets, stars and crosses, above a waisted support fitted with eight scroll arms with similarly pierced alternating baskets and dishes.

**Doyle New York**
*Gold, Cabochon Gem-Set and Diamond Bracelet-Watch, Cartier, France,
circa 1945. From the Estate of Margaret Truman Daniel
Auction Date: Sept. 25
Estimate: $6,000-$8,000*
Doyle New York will auction property from the Estate of Margaret Truman Daniel (1924 ? 2008) as part of its Important Jewelry auction on Sept. 25. The only child of President Harry S. Truman and his wife Bess, Mrs. Daniel graduated from George Washington University in 1946, and embarked on a classical singing career, performing at venues such as Washington?s Constitution Hall, the Hollywood Bowl and Carnegie Hall. When her father left office in 1953, she moved to New York where she worked for NBC, conducting interviews for radio and television, and even substituting for Edward R. Murrow on his television program, ?Person to Person.? She later became an acclaimed author, writing biographies of her father and mother, and publishing the best-selling novel, ?Murder in the White House,? in 1980. Until her death in 2008, she served on the board of trustees of the Harry S. Truman Scholarship Foundation, created by Congress in 1975 to award scholarships to college students planning careers in government.

Georgetowner • August 7, 2013

Amidst a graciously mild Washington summer, we are beginning to see the first signs of autumn coming around the bend. The weather will be warm and the sun will be out for at least the next month or two, but true Washingtonians are looking for signs of fall in other ways. Announcements for major fall museum exhibits are creeping into our inboxes. Theater tickets are going on sale for upcoming shows. And, of course, the auction houses are rousing from their brief summer hibernations of sorts, preparing to kick off the holiday season with a series of not-to-bemissed auction events, featuring a variety of collections of international interest.

While many are still preparing their lots, here is a peek at what?s coming from a few of our area?s major auction houses. With the New York auction houses participating in Asia Week during the week of Monday, Sept. 16, the over-arching theme feels a little like ?Treasures of the East,? with a breathtaking collection of Chinese and Japanese works, as well as items from Eastern countries.

**Bonhams**

*Ivory netsuke of a recumbent kirin by Okatomo*

*Japanese, 17th century*

**Auction Date: September 17**

**Estimate: $25,000 – $35,000**

Bonhams is pleased to offer the James A. Rose collection of Netsuke and Sagemono on Sept. 17 at the Madison Avenue salesroom. Netsuke are 17th century traditional Japanese miniature sculptures that doubled as small containers to store personal belongings. The sculptures evolved over time from being strictly utilitarian into objects of great artistic merit and craftsmanship. As one of America?s most dedicated and knowledgeable netsuke enthusiasts, James A. Rose, M.D., (1931?2011) was a member of the board of directors of the prominent International Netsuke Society and served for 23 years as the president of its Washington, D.C., chapter. His esteemed collection will be offered in its entirety. This mythical animal (1 7/8 in. long) shown reclining, forms a compact design, the details finely carved and stained dark, eyes inlaid in dark horn.

**Sotheby?s New York**

*Ritual Bronze Food Vessel, ?Zuo Bao Yi?*

**Auction: September 17**

**Estimate: $2 – $3 million**

This autumn, Sotheby?s will present a dedicated sale of ten extraordinary ritual bronzes from the famed collection of Julius Eberhardt, as part of their popular Asia Week auction sales. Distinguished by their provenance, which includes A.J. Argyopoulos, the Greek Ambassador to China after World War II, as well as the legendary Shanghai dealer T.Y. King, the group is estimated to bring more than $5 million. The offering comprises works of incredible rarity and importance including the ?Zuo Bao Yi? Gui, an important food vessel, Early Western Zhou Dynasty 11th-10th century BC. An additional highlight is the ?Mu Xin zun?, an exceptionally beautiful wine vessel, also Early Western Zhou Dynasty. Both pieces were included in the seminal 1954 Marco Polo Seventh Centenary Exhibition in Venice.

**Doyle New York**

*Xu Beihong (Chinese, 1895-1953)*

*Horse Signed (ur)*

*Seal Ink on paper, mounted on silk Imag*

**Auction Date: September 16**

**Estimate: $100,000 – $200,000**

Doyle New York will hold an auction of Asian Works of Art on Monday, Sept. 16, at 10 a.m. The auction presents the arts of China, Japan, Korea and Southeast Asia, dating from the Neolithic Period through the 20th century. Offerings include porcelain, pottery, jade, ivories, scholar?s objects, snuff bottles, bronzes, screens, furniture and paintings. This horse painting is by artist Xu Beihong, a renowned Chinese painter from the early 20th century best known for his shuimohua (Chinese ink paintings) of horses and birds. Beihong formed a style that reflected a new modern China at the beginning of the 20th century, exhibiting his proficiency and knowledge of Western artistic technique with a stylethat expressed a native artistic expression of his homeland.

Georgetowner • July 18, 2013

In the Internet age, auctions might seem outdated and irrelevant. Yet auction houses continue to be effective marketplaces for everything from fine art to gourmet wine to bejeweled dog collars.

For those unaware, auction houses are intermediaries between buyers and sellers — the original eBay. If, for example, you want to sell a diamond-encrusted Barbie, you could contact a house and arrange for the doll to be auctioned. These arrangements involve setting your minimum selling price, transporting your item to the saleroom, settling on the commission amount to be taken by the auction house, and signing a contract.

Or, if you wanted to buy an original Steve Jobs’s Apple computer, you could work with a specialist from the auction house to find your dream work. Then, when the auction takes place, you would bid in-person, over the phone, or online and pay.
This specific example is actually on auction through Christie’s until July 9.

Some of the most prominent auction houses include Weschler’s, Potomack Company, Sotheby’s, Bonham’s, and Doyle New York. Weschler’s and Potomack Company are the only ones located in the Washington area. The other companies have sales rooms in New York City and across the world.

To become an auction buff, here are the key words to know:
Auctioneer – the trained professional who conducts the auction
Lot – an object or group of objects being exhibited in the auction
Sale number – a lot’s identification code
Provenance – the history describing the object’s chain of ownership since creation
Chattel – the physical goods of an estate, such as furniture and cars
Auction block – the object currently being auctioned
Paddle – the instrument bidders use to communicate their bid to the auctioneer
Bidder number – a bidder’s identification number used on the paddle
Reserve price – the pre-established, minimum amount the owner will accept
Hammer price – the amount of the winning bid
Buyer’s premium – the amount paid between the hammer and total purchase prices
Ring – the auction location

Whether you’re searching for that perfect Roman sculpture to complete your living room or Moscato to complement your favorite dessert, these terms will help you raise that paddle confidently. Check out a few upcoming events for the summer and happy auctioning.

Sotheby’s London
Château Pétrus 1967
Auction Date: June 20
Estimate: $10,000-$14,000
Sotheby’s London will offer a unique day for wine lovers to experience a taste of the Finest and Rarest Wines. This sale will feature extraordinary collections from Bordeaux and Burgundy to the Spanish Vega Sicilia. Wine lovers can enjoy a tour of wines from the 1960s, all the way to the 21st century. These exquisite wines will be available in bottles and magnums. Don’t forget to look out for the Château Pétrus 1967, a wine that will leave you wondering and wanting more. This wine is known by experienced wine tasters, who recognize it by its rich, sweet and complex taste. It has a lingering “sweet” taste with a low concentration and density.

Christie’s
Tubogas “Serpenti” quartz wristwatch by Bulgari
Auction Date: July 17
Estimate: $3,050 – $4,575
(£2,000 – 3,000)
This jewelry sale at Christie’s is sure to be huge. There are 262 lots in the sale, with pieces from designers, such as Tiffany & Co and Chanel to Van Cleef & Arpels. In particular is the “Serpenti” wristwatch from Bulgari that expresses the elegance that Bulgari stands for and is a design that is being revived by designers today. The specialists at Christie’s explain the watch has a silver dial with Roman numerals and a bezel set with diamonds. There is a pink sapphire crown with a five-jewelled quarts movement to a sprung bracelet and 22mm wide case. The dial, case and movement are all signed Bulgari. The wristwatch is an iconic model from the Bulgari collections and would be a perfect addition to one’s own collection. [gallery ids="119049,119062,119058" nav="thumbs"]

Georgetowner • June 6, 2013

As summer rears its fiery head, many auction houses close their doors for the season.
Through July and August, they devote their resources to selecting, organizing and curating
their fall and winter schedules. June presents the last opportunity to explore their unique
troves of art, historic furniture, antiques and collectibles before the leaves begin to signal
the arrival of autumn. Here is what?s coming up this month. So, be sure to get there quickly?
there is likely to be some friendly competition.

**Doyle New York

Woven Gold Fringe Necklace and Pair of Ear Clips
18 karat with French assay marks & French export marks, ca.1950.

Auction Date: June 20

Estimate: $3,500 ? $4,500**

Doyle New York?s Fine Jewelry auction on Thursday, June 20,
at 10 a.m. will feature a glittering array of jewelry bearing more
moderate estimates than in the Important Jewelry sales. Showcased
are exquisite designs?many of them signed pieces?set
with diamonds, colored stones and pearls, as well as gold jewelry,
fine watches and gentlemen?s accessories. The woven gold
fringe necklace is a classically beautiful accessory that feels
right in place among the recently growing popularity of fringe
necklaces. Certain designs never goes out of style.[www.Doyle-
NewYork.com](http://www.doylenewyork.com)

**Sotheby?s**
*William Faulkner Nobel Prize Acceptance
Speech

Manuscript and typescript with the Nobel
medal, citation and 4 press photographs.*

**Auction Date: June 11**

**Estimate: + $500,000**

On June 11, Sotheby?s will offer the largest
and most important archive of William
Faulkner?s work ever to appear at
auction. Featuring a recently discovered
unpublished short story and a handwritten
draft of his acclaimed Nobel Prize acceptance
speech, the lot contains a highly
personal selection of letters, manuscript
drafts and drawings, providing a remarkable
window into key moments of the celebrated author?s life. Further glimpses into the private life
of this public figure are offered by intimate gifts the author prepared by for his wife and daughter.
A portion of the collection, estimated to fetch over $2 million, was only recently discovered on his
family?s property in Virginia, including a number of items previously feared lost. Highlights will be
on view in New York in advance of the June sale. [www.Sothebys.com](http://www.sothebys.com/en.html)

**Bonhams**

*Anton Chekhov (1860-1904, Russian)
Povesti i razskazy (Stories and Tales), 1984
Presentation copy with inscription*

**Estimate: $25,000 – $35,000**

**Auction Date: June 26**

Bonhams will present its second-ever dedicated U.S. auction of Russian
Literature & Works on Paper on June 26. Building on the success of
the inaugural Russian Literature auction in December 2012, Bonhams
will offer Russian books, manuscripts, periodicals, posters, artwork
and photography ranging from the early 19th to the mid 20th century.
Movements from the intellectualism of Silver Age literature to the
groundbreaking aesthetics of Constructivism will be represented. The
auction?s top lot is the first authorized edition, signed by the author, of the complete works of prerevolutionary
master Gavrila Romanovich Derzhavin, published in St. Petersburg between 1808
and 1816. Another important edition on offer is Anton Chekhov?s ?Povesti i razskazy? (?Stories
and Tales?) from 1894. This presentation copy is warmly inscribed to a waiter and good friend at
the Grand Hotel in Moscow where Chekhov stayed, Semen Ilich Bychkov.

**Sloan and Kenyon**

*Edward Hopper (American, 1882-1967).
Portrait of Alta Hillsdale, ca. 1904-14.
Oil on canvas.*

**Auction Date: June 14 ? 16**

From Friday, June 14, through Sunday, June 16, Sloans and Kenyon
will hold its June Estate Catalogue Auction, following an exhibition of
the auction beginning June 8. An important portrait by Edward Hopper,
depicting Alta Hillsdale, his romantic interest from 1904 to 1914,
is a highlight of the event. The portrait?s discovery and authentication
coincides with the exhibition of 58 recently discovered letters from
Alta Hillsdale (1884-1948) to Hopper, which revealed their previously
unknown romantic relationship. The letters are exhibit for the first time in ?Dear Mr. Hopper?
at the Edward Hopper House Art Center in Nyack, N.Y., through Oct. 20. Hopper?s interest in
representation by photographic means and, in particular, the intersections between photography,
the creation of ?atmosphere,? and the artist?s masterworks of the 1920s and ?30s, will also be the
subject of a forthcoming scholarly article, coauthored by Sloans & Kenyon?s president,
Stephanie A. Kenyon. [www.SloansAndKenyon.com](http://www.sloansandkenyon.com)

**Weschler?s**

*M.C. Escher (Dutch 1898-1972); Stars (Bool 359); Wood engraving.
Auction Date: June 12*

**Estimate: $10,000 ? $20,000**

Weschler?s upcoming auction on June 12, at 10 a.m., will consist
mostly of prints?including serigraphs, lithographs, etchings, and
gelatin silver photographs. M.C. Escher?s ?Stars? (Bool 359) is a
signature example of the renowned graphic artist?s work, exhibiting
his style that blends symbolism and playful optical illusions of perspective
and geometry with humor and worldly beauty. Other featured
artists include Ansel Adams, Sam Gilliam, Gene Davis, Andy
Warhol and Willem de Looper. [www.Weschlers.com](http://www.weschlers.com)

Georgetowner • April 10, 2013

**Sloans and Kenyon**
*Auction Date: April 20 and 21*
?More than 1,000 lots of American & European furniture, decorative arts, paintings, sculpture, jewelry, rugs, Asian ceramics, ethnographica and antiques will be offered in Sloans and Kenyon?s April Estate Catalogue Auction, which includes property from the estates of Jane Cramer Nairn and John and Mary Anne Kirlin. The auction features over 30 works by Gustav Trois, the prolific Washington- based painter from the early 20th century, directly from the artist?s estate. Born in France, Trois captured the District through a uniquely filtered lens, and through his eyes and brush the streets of Georgetown and the C&O Canal look more like street scenes of 19th-century France than the United States? capital city. The Estate Catalogue Auction will proceed a weeklong exhibition from April 13 to 19 at Sloans & Kenyon?s gallery, located at 7034 Wisconsin Avenue, in Chevy Chase, Md. [www. SloansAndKenyon.com](http://www.sloansandkenyon.com)

**Sotheby?s New York**
*Auction Date: May 7
Estimate: $25 Million to $35 Million*
Sotheby?s will offer the Collection of Alex and Elisabeth Lewyt in a series of auctions in New York and Paris in 2013, including seminal paintings by Paul C?zanne and Amedeo Modigliani, that will lead the Impressionist and Modern Art Evening Sale in New York on May 7. ?Les Pommes,? a soft and pulsing still life by C?zanne, reveals why the artist?s work in the still- life genre is considered among his greatest achievements. The painting explores so eloquently and so clearly the paradoxes of
forms in space to which he devoted himself, and the principals of which inspired the Cubism of Picasso that signaled the very birth of modern art. ?Les Pommes? is a perfect still life, let alone a rare master- work of the past two centuries.?[www.Sothebys.com](http://www.sothebys.com)

**Bonhams**
?*Auction Date: April 29
?Estimate $600 to $800?*
Bonhams highly anticipated annual Whiskey auction will feature remarkable spirits, cognacs, scotches, bourbons and ryes. Sure to please seasoned collectors and emerging enthusiasts alike, the sale offers a wide selection of exceptional vintages spanning two centuries and ranging from the curious to the opulent. Many of the whiskies on offer are especially notable for their age, giving collectors the opportunity to savor the vintages of their favorite distilleries from previous decades. An Old Quarter Century, 25-year-old bourbon whiskey distilled in 1890 by W.L.Weller & Sons, is encased in a woven wicker cage. This bottle in such an unusual presentation is impressive for its shear survival, while W.L.Weller aficionados will appreciate the chance to taste the acclaimed company?s 19th-century product. [www.Bonhams.com](http://bonhams.com)

**Doyle New York**
*Auction Date: April 23
Estimate:$5,000 to $8,000?*
Doyle?s auction of Rare Books & Autographs include a wealth of rare treasures, from the ledger page of the 1912 insurance policy for the Titanic issued by the Atlantic Mutual Insurance Company, to original pen and ink drawings from the first book by 18-year-old Maurice Sendak. Another exciting item is a rare book from 1883, profiling American football?s earliest years. This is the first published work by the ?father of American football,? Walter Camp (1859-1925), the head football coach at Yale University from 1888 to 1892. Camp introduced several major rules that define the game to this day, including the line of scrimmage that established firm possession of the ball by one team, the snap of the ball from the center to the quarterback, the system of downs and scoring, and the positions and numbers of players. A remarkable record detailing football?s first years, this pamphlet is exceptionally rare, the only other known copy residing in the Library of Congress. [www.DoyleNewYork.com](http://www.doylenewyork.com)