Jewels that stand the test of time are typically characterized by great stones or great design.  The New York sale of Magnificent Jewels this April features many such jewels, including an array of white diamond and period Cartier designs offered from a distinguished family collection.  Highlighting the diamonds are two pear-shaped stones, both D color with the rare type IIa classification, one weighing 20.74 carats in a pendant mounting, the other 15.31 carats and set in a stylish jabot pin by Cartier.

Collectors will find top quality precious gemstones of every color including an exceptional Colombian emerald mounted by Harry Winston, a beautiful Burma ruby set in a 1920’s Chaumet brooch, and a lively Burma sapphire certified “royal blue”.  Complementing such remarkable gems, the sale this April also features beautiful signed jewels made by leading jewelry designers both past and present.

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Swann regularly conducts auctions devoted to Photographs. Our sales feature works by classical photographers, such as Edward Curtis and Ansel Adams, prints by the photojournalist Lewis Hine, and pictures by contemporary artists Nan Goldin, Larry Clark, and Robert Mapplethorpe.

The March 24th, 2011 Auction includes Susan Derges’s The Observer and the Observed #6, 1992, as well as many other important pieces.  See the full catalogue online for this amazing auction.

This eclectic collection reflects the sophisticated taste of the original collector who combined 18^th century French, Italian and English furniture with the Chinese porcelain.  Highlights of English furniture include three pairs of splendid George III giltwood mirrors, and a rare pair of George III giltwood and papier-mâché pier tables as well as a William and Mary red-japanned cabinet on stand and an exceptional giltwood console table attributed to Matthias Lock.

The collection is unusual in comprising both Chinese Export ceramics and fine Chinese taste ceramics and works of art: in total over 80 lots.  This includes a magnificent large pair of famille-rose ‘soldier’ vases, unusually painted with figures, and a further group of four identically decorated famille-rose soldier vases.  This is possibly the first time that six vases of this rare and highly decorative type have appeared together in one sale.  The first pair of vases last appeared on the open market in 1969 when they were sold at Sotheby’s in London, whilst a pair of finely painted famille-rose fishbowls, circa 1740, have provenance back to England in the mid-19^th century when they formed part of the celebrated Chinese ceramics collection at Fonthill House, Wiltshire.

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The Auction – The Classic Cellar From A Great American Collector VII – to be held April 1st 2011, at 10:00 am.  Browse the full catalogue for this spectacular auction and find out how you can bid online.

Auction: April 10th 2011, 12:00 pm

Auction: April 11th 2011, 10:00 am

Ivey-Selkirk is seeking consignments for all future auctions.  Look below for deadlines for each category, or go to their site for a complete list.

The Fine Chinese Paintings sale is an excellently curated one. The major part of the sale is formed by several special collections like, A Private Collection of Calligraphy by Hongyi, A Private Collection of 20^th Century Chinese Paintings, Fine Chinese Paintings & Calligraphy from the Zan De Lou Collection, Important Zhang Daqian Painting from the Jie Ping Collection, Late Ming to Early Qing Fan Paintings from the Baiyun Tang Collection, A Private Collection of Huang Junbi Landscape Paintings After Ancient Masters, and Traces of Ink: Calligraphy Works from Mid Qing to Mid 20^th Century.

Following the thrilling results for the first ever BRIC auctions in 2010, which
highlighted the international demand for the best and most exciting art from the
fast growing economies of Brazil, Russia, India and China, Phillips de Pury &
Company will continue to break new ground with BRIC 2011.
Numerous world auction records were achieved last year for KOMAR &
MELAMID, EMILIANO DI CAVALCANTI, VLADIMIR YANKILEVSKY & OS
GÊMEOS; with outstanding results for ERIK BULATOV, AI WEIWEI, LIU WEI,
CAI GUO QIANG & ZHANG XIAOGANG. This is testament to the rich variety,
quality and diversity of the art, design and photography offered during these
sales. This year’s BRIC sale will focus on artists with longevity and appeal as
well as emerging new talent. The sale will offer collectors the opportunity to
learn about and buy into these diverse markets in one sale room with a
compelling, edited selection of the best available works.

Alfred Cheney Johnston (American, 1884-1971), photographic portrait of Ziegfeld Follies Girl Dorothy Graves, 11 by 14 inches, A.C. Johnston and Ziegfeld backstamps, estimate $500-$1,000. Nest Egg Auctions image.

MERIDEN, Conn. – An extraordinary archive of Alfred “Cheney” Johnston (1884-1971) glamour photos of Jazz Age beauties, as well as important artworks from the renowned Ziegfield Follies photographer’s personal collection, will be auctioned on April 16, 2011 at Nest Egg Auctions’ gallery in Meriden, Connecticut.

Johnston’s personal photo archive, which was bequeathed to a neighbor 40 years ago and has remained in the same family ever since, includes dozens of beautiful nudes that were considered very daring for their time. Johnston was a trailblazer in celebrity photography and rose to the top of his profession with his stunning pictures of showgirls, film stars and rising starlets – among them Barbara Stanwyck, Clara Bow, Paulette Goddard, Gloria Swanson and Julie “Catwoman” Newmar. Johnston’s ability to put his subjects at ease resulted in stylish portraits whose artistic quality has withstood the test of time.

“Many of Cheney Johnston’s now-classic photos were donated to the Library of Congress and will never again be in private hands. This only heightens the rarity and desirability of the photos in our upcoming auction,” said Nest Egg auctioneer Ryan Brechlin. The 11- by 14-inch glamour prints, each created by the master’s hand, carry individual estimates ranging from $100 to around $2,000 at the upper end.

Century View camera No. 8 with Semi-Centennial No. 2 stand, circa 1910, 57 inches tall, from the studio of Alfred Cheney Johnston, estimate $800-$1,000. Nest Egg Auctions image.

The photographic portion of the sale also includes Johnston’s cameras and other equipment; personal letters from high-profile friends (e.g., Lady Ashton, publisher Conde Nast and mentor Charles Dana Gibson), books, ephemera and Art Deco furnishings from his West 67th Street apartment/studio in Manhattan.

Johnston’s celebrity images graced the covers of many popular magazines of his era. The financial rewards of his success enabled Johnston to amass the impressive collection of art featured in the April 16 auction. Leading the selection is a rare, framed oil-on-canvas painting by Alphonse Mucha (Czechoslovakian, 1860-1939), father of the Art Nouveau movement. Similar in style to Mucha’s Spring Night, the signed (authentication pending), 15½- by 20-inch depiction of young lovers in a tender embrace served as the cover art for the May 1922 issue of Hearst’s International Magazine.

“Mucha was commissioned to create a series of covers for the magazine in 1921 and 1922,” said Brechlin. “As the commission was drawing to a close, Mucha was becoming immersed in another project, his masterwork Slav Epic. It’s possible that the artwork we’re auctioning was painted prior to the Hearst’s International commission and that Mucha simply cut it down to suit the magazine’s size requirement. That would have been an intelligent way to fulfill his deadline commitment to the magazine without sacrificing quality.” The Mucha is estimated at $100,000-$200,000.

Alphonse Mucha (Czechoslovakian, 1860-1939), portrait of young lovers, oil on canvas laid to board, artist signed (authentication pending), 15½ by 20 inches, estimate $100,000-$200,000. Nest Egg Auctions image.

Another highlight from Cheney Johnston’s personal art collection is a marble sculpture of a fish by Ukranian/French sculptor Chana Orloff (1888-1968). Orloff’s work is held in private and institutional collections worldwide, including the Museum of Modern Art in New York and the Israel Museum in Jerusalem. Orloff’s whimsical marble fish sculpture measures 14½ inches tall by 18 inches wide, and is expected to make $5,000-$10,000 at auction.

The Johnston collection also includes an Edward Steichen signed silver gelatin print ($800-$1,200), a group of six Robert Harding Davis signed photographs ($500-$1,000) and a Rockwell Kent photo portrait and block print ($400-$600).

The auction list continues with a William Couper (American, 1853-1942) marble bust of a woman signed “Wm Couper, Florence” ($2,000-$4,000), rare Lenci Italian porcelain figures of a clown ($1,000-$3,000) and Don Quixote ($1,500-$2,500); and a Gleb Derujinsky (Russian, 1885-1975) 17¼-inch-tall bronze dancer on marble base ($800-$1,200).

William Couper (American, 1853-1942) marble bust of a woman signed “Wm Couper, Florence,” estimate $2,000-$4,000. Nest Egg Auctions image.

Additional artworks include Louis Icart aquatints, Gayac colored drypoints, many fine editions of Edward Dulac’s Illustrated Fairy Tales, and two original works by the American abstract expressionist Charles Seliger (1926-2009). A 1920s Knabe baby grand piano ($1,000-$3,000) adds the finishing touch to a remarkable time capsule of the Art Deco period, as assembled by one of its best and brightest contributors.

Nest Egg Auctions will conduct its auction of the Alfred Cheney Johnston collection on Saturday, April 16, 2011, at the company’s gallery located at 30 Research Parkway, Meriden, CT 06450. All forms of bidding will be available, including live via the Internet through LiveAuctioneers.com.

For additional information, call 203-630-1400 or tollfree 800 448-0692. View the fully illustrated catalog and sign up to bid absentee or live via the Internet at www.LiveAuctioneers.com. The catalog may also be viewed on Nest Egg’s website: www.nesteggauctions.com.

Large Tiffany Studios Roman leaded-glass lamp, 30 inches tall, stamped shade and base, estimate $30,000-$35,000. Auctions Neapolitan image.

NAPLES, Fla. – On Saturday, March 26, Auctions Neapolitan in Naples, Fla., will present a 350-lot auction of fine-quality European and American art glass led by a large, double-stamped Tiffany Studios lamp in the Roman pattern. The 30-inch-tall lamp is expected to make $30,000-$35,000.

The main consignor among several represented in the sale is a private collector from the Naples area who spent many years acquiring pieces of superior quality and artistry, often from auctions of prestigious, old estates. “The consignor lives in an incredible southwestern-Florida home filled with beautiful art of many types,” said Auctions Neapolitan’s owner, Kathleen Pica. “This collection is only one expression of his impeccable taste.”

In addition to Tiffany, the featured collection includes quite an extensive variety of Continental and American art glass. A large Daum Morning Glories center bowl with enameled floral design on the interior is executed in tones of peacock blue, green and amethyst. It is estimated at $1,500-$2,000. From Belgium, a Val St. Lambert vase featuring a multi-hued organic motif against an amethyst ground was designed by Samuel Herman (Mexican, b. 1939-), co-founder of the studio glass movement in Great Britain. The vase bears signatures from both the artist and Val St. Lambert

Signed Val St. Lambert art glass vase by Samuel Herman (Mexican, b. 1939-), 11 inches tall, estimate $800-$1,200. Auctions Neapolitan image.

Designed by Adolf  Beckert and produced by K.u.K. Fachschule Steinschonau (Czech Republic) around 1916, a frosted, enameled and gilded glass bowl is identical to a piece pictured on page 83 of Glass of the Avant-Garde by Brohan and Eidelberg.

Lean and elegant, a 10-inch Loetz Secessionist art glass vase with stylish silver-on-copper mount is entered in the sale with an $800-$1,200 estimate.

A rare find in the American glass section is the matching pair of 18-inch-tall Mt. Washington Burmese vases with gilt enameling and trim. The eye-pleasing palette of colors includes pale rose pink, pastel blue, seashell pink and green against an ivory background. The pair is estimated at $1,800-$2,800.

Two reverse-painted Pairpoint Puffy lamps will be offered. A Rose Bouquet table lamp marked “Pairpoint” on both its base and attractively molded, multicolored shade is estimated at $6,500-$8,500. The second table lamp features a scallop-shape, quilted glass shade depicting large butterflies with widely spread wings. Estimate: $5,000-$7,000.

19th-century KPM painted porcelain plaque, signed with monogram, 13½ inches by 12 inches, estimate $5,000-$7,000. Auctions Neapolitan image.

Another key item in the sale is a 19th-century KPM painted porcelain plaque of an interior scene with four figures: a mother, father, child and servant. The plaque is signed with an “H.L.” monogram at lower right and is impressed with the KPM scepter mark and “4C340-290” on verso. The 13½- by 12-inch plaque, which comes from a private collector in Coral Gables, Fla., could realize $5,000-$7,000 on auction day.

Other top lots include a double-signed Tiffany Studios Swirling Leaf leaded-glass lamp, estimate $12,000-$15,000; a 14½-inch Daum Nancy cameo glass landscape vase with spider web and leaf design at its neck, estimate $2,500-$3,500; and a Royal Worcester double-gourd vase with applied full-body dragon with green glass eyes, estimate $1,200-$1,600.

“We’re so pleased to be auctioning this very special selection of art glass,” said Kathleen Pica. “There’s glass in this sale that you just never see. I think collectors are going to be delighted.”