This spring the New York sale of Magnificent Jewels is distinguished by the many beautiful, fresh-to-the-market signed jewels from prominent Estate collections. From Dallas philanthropist Nancy B. Hamon to Valerie Pascal Delacorte, benefactor of the Norton Museum of Art, the collections offered in the April sale reflect the style and taste of accomplished women who loved to wear their jewelry.  Leading the Estates are the jewels of Eunice Joyce Gardiner, a former model, whose interests ranged from exquisite antique and Art Deco pieces to the bold designs of David Webb. Collectors of period jewels will find a remarkable group of Jewels from a New York Estate representing two centuries of jewelry history including pieces from Mauboussin, Boucheron and Sterlé.

This sale also provides an in-depth look at many of the best jewelry designers of the 20^th century.  The cover lot, an extraordinary brooch conceived by Cartier in 1920, features a beautiful Mughal carved emerald elegantly framed by calibré-cut sapphires and emeralds. This jewel exemplifies Cartier’s unsurpassed talent for merging  Eastern exoticism with avante garde design during the Art Deco period. The signature styles of Suzanne Belperron, Flato and Verdura are also well represented in the sale, as are the bold, architectural jewels of the Art Moderne movement.

For the gemstone connoisseur, the sale offers a superb selection of important diamonds, gem-quality colored stones and natural pearls.  Highlights include a 20-carat sugarloaf cabochon Kashmir sapphire ring mounted by Cartier, a Fancy Blue diamond ring in a turn-of-the-century Tiffany & Co. setting, and a 13-carat Cartier Colombian emerald ring, as well as an impressive 23-carat Fancy Vivid Yellow diamond ring. The core of the sale is formed by an extensive selection of white diamonds, from charming antique cuts to more contemporary shapes in sizes of up to 30 carats.

Marklin ‘Blenheim’ clockwork riverboat, Germany, 1909, 13 in. long, est. $8,000-$9,000. Bertoia Auctions image.

VINELAND, N.J. – If all the nautical toys in the world were lined up in a single fleet, their captain would surely be Dick Claus, whose magnificent 30-year collection of antique boats is being offered in two parts this year by Bertoia Auctions of Vineland, New Jersey. Part I of the Claus collection, a 220-lot array of ships and related toys, will be auctioned on Saturday, May 12. Part II will be sold in November.

Led by some of the finest known examples of Marklin ships, the May 12 auction roster will bring to life the colorful images seen in Claus’s 2005 reference book The Allure of Toy Ships: American & European Nautical Toys from the 19th and 20th Centuries.

“I’ve read Dick’s book cover to cover probably 50 times, but the privilege of handling and cataloging the toys in his collection taught me double what I thought I knew. There’s nothing like seeing and examining items of this quality firsthand. This is a collection that merits the attention of all ship collectors,” said Bertoia Auctions specialist Rich Bertoia.

Marklin ‘Kaiserin Augusta Victoria’ steam-powered ocean liner, German, 46 in. long, est. $90,000-$100,000. Bertoia Auctions image.

The collection’s flagship is the large and impressive Marklin Chicago paddlewheeler featured on the dust jacket cover of Claus’s book. It sits at the very top of the list of select favorites that Claus retained in his private collection after publication of his book.

Claus always liked Marklins because most are named after and depict actual seagoing vessels of their time, such as the Maine, the Brooklyn, and the Olympia. He regards them as “toys with history.”

The collection’s massive, steam-engined Marklin Kaiserin Auguste Victoria, which replicates the Hamburg America ship launched in 1905, was a prized acquisition – in Claus’s words: “a wonderful example of an ocean liner that measures 46 inches long and weighs a hefty 30 pounds.” Purchased at an auction in upstate New York, it came from a doctor’s estate. Further investigation revealed that it had been kept for many years in a dry barn and probably had never been played with.

Marklin submarine, Germany, circa 1930s, 22 in. long, est. $4,000-$4,500. Bertoia Auctions image.

“Being stored in a barn is probably what saved it. There are far fewer pristine boats than there are toys,” Claus said. “This is because so many boats were placed in water for play and never dried off afterward.”

Among the many important, large-scale Marklins in the collection is a Providence paddlewheeler, a line-for-line production based on a majestic steamer that was launched in 1866. But boats need not be oversized in order to be beautiful and collectible. The auction includes toys that are only a few inches long but still immensely appealing.

For example, Claus has always appreciated the charm of Issmayer toys, especially a 3-inch-long tin wind-up sailboat with a painted bisque figure of a sailor boy that rides along as the craft tacks side to side.

Gunthermann clockwork eight-man scull, German, lithographed tin, 29 in. long, est. $10,000-$12,000. Bertoia Auctions image.

“I really like this particular toy, which might even date to as early as the mid-19th century. We would not even have known it was an Issmayer if it hadn’t been written on the toy’s box, which luckily was retained,” said Claus.

In addition to ships and boats of every description, the auction includes a great variety of sailor figures, ranging from early German-made Heydes to 1930s Barclays figures. Also, there are U-boat submariner’s badges, a few navy recruitment posters, and what Claus calls “oddballs,” like a German beer mug from a 1909 torpedo boat squadron.

Marklin clockwork zeppelin, German, tin with celluloid rear propellers, 17 in. long, est. $7,000-$9,000. Bertoia Auctions image.

The Claus auction also includes a number of toy zeppelins, a category that attracted him because of their historical significance and his own fascination with the Hindenberg. While a young boy, Claus saw the giant airship from a distance as it was moored at Lakehurst, N.J. One year later, the Hindenberg tragically went down in flames.

“At one time, zeppelins were thought of as the future of aviation. People were intrigued by them, but of course that all ended when the Hindenburg blew up,” Claus said.

The best piece in Claus’ airship collection – a small Graf Zeppelin – was made in 1929 by Heyde. It comes in a box with numerous accessories – pilot, co-pilot and entire landing crew, plus gas cans, ropes and other small accessories. Claus describes the set as “marvelous, and the only one I’ve ever seen.”

Bing clockwork double-decker trolley, Germany, lithographed tin, 9¼ in. long, est. $3,500-$4,500. Bertoia Auctions image.

Approximately 20 European trolleys have been included in the May 12 auction, as well. An ingeniously designed Issmayer O gauge lithographed clockwork trolley departs a small station, climbs a 4-ft. track to the top, then reverses, switches tracks and returns to the station, triumphantly ringing its bell upon arrival. “That’s pretty neat engineering for around 1910,” Claus observed.

Those who are fortunate enough to acquire a toy from the Dick Claus collection will have the assurance of knowing they own a piece that has come from one of the most discriminating collectors of the last two generations.

Heyde circa-1905 Sea Battle ‘Panzer Flotte’ set, Germany, est. $6,000-$7,000. Bertoia Auctions image.

“Dick has always gone for the best. His collection has more top of the line Marklins than I’ve ever seen in any one collection – even Malcolm Forbes didn’t have as many,” said Rich Bertoia. “There are going to be a lot of very happy collectors at the May 12th auction. Dick has already done all of the globetrotting and tracking down of rare pieces. Now they’ll all be available at once.”

The May 12 auction of the Dick Claus collection will begin at 2 p.m. Eastern Time. Preview weekdays 9 a.m.-5 p.m., 8 a.m.-2 p.m. on auction day. All forms of bidding available, including live via the Internet through www.LiveAuctioneers.com.

Tel. 856-692-1881, e-mail toys@bertoiaauctions.com. Online: www.bertoiaauctions.com.

Sun, 01 Apr 12 | 1:00 PM – 5:00 PM

Mon, 02 Apr 12 | 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM

Tue, 03 Apr 12 | 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM

Wed, 04 Apr 12 | 10:00 AM – 1:00 PM

We are pleased to present our sale of American Paintings, Drawings and Sculpture, which takes place on April 5th and features a wide selection of works from the late 19th through the 20th century.

A few highlights include a small group of watercolors by early modernists Arthur Dove, Burgoyne Diller and Oscar Bluemner from the estates of M. Michael Eisenberg and M. Michael Eisenberg and Barbara Yetka-Eisenberg.  Later modernist works are John Graham’s bold oil, Untitled (Adolfo and Ann Saporetti) and a charcoal study of the same subject.  A group of works from the Art Institute of Chicago includes a large brass sculpture by Sidney Gordin and two major paintings by Jack Levine, Adam and Eve and The Old and the New.  19th Century focal points include Still Life with Apples in a Hat by Levi Wells Prentice, our colorful cover lot and Edward Darley Boit’s picturesque view of Monte Carlo from 1886.  American Impressionist highlights are three lovely works by William James Glackens, Central Park Idyll, Still Life with Japan Box and Terraces, South of France and Theodore Earl Butler’s, Flowers in a Garden.  A stunning portrait by Robert Henri, Segovia Girl should also be noted.  Finally, a remarkable tour de force in egg tempera by illustrator Ayers Houghtelling presents the entire story of Alice in Wonderland.

PHILLIPS de PURY & COMPANY IS PROUD TO ANNOUNCE HIGHLIGHTS FROM ITS NEW YORK PHOTOGRAPHS VARIOUS OWNERS SALE

GENERAL VIEWING: 24 MARCH – 3 APRIL 2012
LOCATION: Phillips de Pury & Company, 450 Park Avenue, New York, NY 10022

There is no doubt about it – Chicago is going to miss Bookman’s Alley.

Catalogue for this auction is now available online.

Sotheby’s April 3rd Photographs auction in New York features an exciting range of material from the 19th to 21st centuries.  American modernism is represented by an early print of Brett Weston’s Hand and Ear, originally from the collection of photographer and filmmaker LeRoy Robbins.  Four impressive Ansel Adams murals, including Mount McKinley and Wonder Lake and White House Ruin, Canyon de Chelly National Monument, are featured, along with other Adams photographs.  Ray Metzker’s Tall Grove of Nudes, a unique work composed of 140 individual photographs mounted together, is a superb example from his Composites series.  Diane Arbus’s A Box of Ten Photographs, the photographer’s only portfolio, features a myriad of her most iconic and sought-after images.  Larry Clark’s Billy Mann, perhaps the most famous image from his landmark Tulsa series, is offered as an early, oversized print.  An arresting mural-sized print of Peter Beard’s Heart Attack City presents an astonishing array of collage and photographic elements.

To view results from this sale visit Sothebys.com

Paris auctioneers Binoche & Giquello, in conjunction with Sotheby’s, are delighted to announce the sale of Part II of the Library of R. & B. L. in Paris on 28 March 2012. The sale features an exceptional ensemble of nearly 200 works, with an overall estimate of €3 – 4 million ($3.9 – 5.2 million), and abounds in illustrations by a host of 20th century masters – Bonnard, Braque, Chagall, Delaunay, Dufy, Giacometti, Gris, Laurencin, Léger, Maillol, Masson, Matisse, Miró, Picasso, Toulouse-Lautrec and Wols – and also features sophisticated bindings by such internationally renowned bookbinders as Rose Adler, Bonet, Creuzevault, Madeleine Gras, Hugnet, Leroux, Martin, Mercher, Miguet, Germaine Schroeder and Séguy.

Many of these highly desirable volumes are personalized with artists’ dedications, some accompanied by original drawings