On April 14 at Bonhams a significant private American collection of Maritime paintings, ephemera and models will be sold in New York. Entitled An Important Maritime Collection, Including Maritime Paintings and Shipbuilders’ Models, the auction features over 100 lots, and the collection in its entirety is estimated to realize in excess of $1.4 million. As Gregg Dietrich, Head of Maritime, states, “This collection represents an important vignette into ship design and Maritime history from the Mid-19th century through the Mid-20th century, charting the evolution ... Read the full story

A four-year-old newly-trained Interagro Lusitano stallion brought a record price of US$145,000.00 recently at The 2010 Lusitano Collection™ International Horse Auction held at The Jim Brandon Equestrian Center in West Palm Beach, Florida. With a record attendance of 250 people, the third consecutive U.S. auction attracted a prestigious crowd of notable trainers, breeders, professional riders and amateur practitioners from various regions of the United States and Canada. This select group of horse connoisseurs and aficionados of the equestrian disciplines did not ... Read the full story

Over 300 lots of local estate goods will cross the block at Fairfield Auction March 21st. Offerings will include a very good selection of paintings as well as Americana, fine silver, art glass, bronzes and jewelry. Paintings include notable works by American artists Percival Rosseau, Reynolds Beal, A.C. Goodwin, Andrew T. Schwartz, Oscar Adler, Theodore Weber, Max Kuehne and James Gale Tyler. European examples include a beguiling portrait of a young Spanish lady by Carlos Vazquez and a large and impressive landscape of The Valley of Trent by Henry Dawson. Additionally, ... Read the full story

A PAIR of 12-bore sidelock ejector guns built for Sir Winston Churchill’s cousin as a 21st Birthday Present will be sold by Gavin Gardiner (in association with Sotheby’s) in a sale of Modern and Vintage Sporting Guns and Rifles on Wednesday, April 14, 2010 at Sotheby’s, 34-35 New Bond Street, London. Lord Ivor Charles Spencer-Churchill (1898 – 1956) was the younger son of the 9th Duke of Marlborough and his first wife, the former Consuelo Vanderbilt, an American railroad heiress. His elder brother, John, was the 10th Duke of Marlborough. Spencer-Churchill was ... Read the full story

Christie’s London has announced the single-owner collection sale Royal Worcester Porcelain – A Private Collection, to be held on Tuesday, 20 April 2010. The sale will include approximately 100 lots of fine English porcelain from the Royal Worcester factory including a vast array of beautiful and elaborate ornamental vases, as well as models of cattle, dogs, horses and historical figures. Estimates range from £200 to £35,000 and the collection as a whole is expected to realise in excess of £350,000.The sale is offered by a British private collector with a ... Read the full story

Bonhams has appointed Patrick Becks as its new Picture Specialist in Amsterdam. Patrick Becks, an independent Art Consultant, has worked previously for Sotheby’s in Amsterdam for 10 years as a Senior Specialist for European Paintings and International Business Getter, Auctioneer. He has also worked in Canada and Belgium, where he was responsible for the sale of property from the Belgian Royal Family, and has worked very successfully in Germany and England. In 2005 he was the Senior Specialist for European Paintings for the Sale of the Royal House of Hanover at the ... Read the full story

On March 28 Leslie Hindman Auctioneers will offer property from the Estate of Ronald C. Sloter in a single-owner auction benefitting the Columbus College of Art and Design. Sloter, a longtime Columbus resident, approached CCAD President Denny Griffith in 2005 to explore the idea of leaving his home and its contents to CCAD. Mr. Sloter wished to benefit the college through the gift of his estate, thereby memorializing his parents, Wilford and Dorothy Sloter. Ronald C. Sloter ran his familys concrete-supply company after his father passed away. Throughout his life Sloter ... Read the full story

Sotheby’s Hong Kong will hold its Contemporary Asian Art Spring Sale 2010 at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre. This season’s sale will offer a series of early works by established Chinese artists that are rarely seen on the market, as well as seminal works from prominent Japanese and Korean artists. There will be over 170 extraordinary pieces, with a total estimate in excess of HK$94 million / US$12 million. Evelyn Lin, Sotheby’s Head of Contemporary Asian Art, said, “Last year, our Contemporary Asian Art Autumn sale in Hong Kong achieved very ... Read the full story

Christie’s New York has been entrusted with the sale of “Three Decades with Irving Penn: Photographs from the Collection of Patricia McCabe”, the most significant group of photographs by Irving Penn (1917-2009) ever to come to auction. The sale will take place on the evening of April 14, 2010 at Christie’s New York and will be preceded by public exhibitions in its Galleries at Rockefeller Center February 22-March 12, and April 10-13.Irving Penn, “Hell’s Angels”, San Francisco, 1967. Estimate: $18,000-22,000. ©The Irving Penn ... Read the full story

A very rare case of 1988 Romanée-Conti consigned from a private French collector is to be included in the Fine and Rare Wines auction on 25th March at Bonhams, 101 New Bond Street. Wines from the Romanee Conti vineyard, the pinnacle of the Domaine de la Romanée-Contiin Burgundy, are considered among the very finest in the world, and it is exceptionally unusual to find a complete case of a dozen bottles. This case, from the excellent 1988 vintage, was still sealed with its metal banding until opened for inspection by Bonhams and is estimated to sell at ... Read the full story

A fascinating item for anyone interested in South Africa’s recent history, is a copy of the ANC Freedom Charter of 1955 which is estimated to sell at Bonhams South African Art Sale on March 24th in London for £20,000-£30,000. Nelson Mandela recalled in his autobiography: “The Freedom Charter captured the hopes and dreams of the people and acted as a blueprint for the liberation struggle and the future of the nation.” The document is notable for its demand for and commitment to a non-racial South Africa, and this has remained the platform of the ANC. ... Read the full story

Bonhams are proud to announce their having been chosen to represent an exceedingly rare and beautiful 1930 Mercedes-Benz SS Sports Tourer at their world-famous Quail Lodge summer auction, which has – for the first time in its 13-year history – been expanded to two days. Offered from the estate of the late Colgate Darden III, the Mercedes SS comes to market for the first time in 55 years. Originally delivered new to British owner Sir Alfred Bird in 1930, the car was acquired in the mid-1950s by the late owner’s brother for £485. It was shipped to America ... Read the full story

An art pottery auction and two-day show and sale will highlight the 2010 national convention of the American Art Pottery Association, as the organization returns to its Ohio roots for this 30th annual event. All activities will be at the Holiday Inn/Cleveland South, located at the Rockside Road exit of I-77 in Independence. The Friday, April 23 auction will begin at 5:30 P.M., with a preview starting at 3:30 P.M. This will be a live and online auction with 350 lots of art pottery. Greg Belhorn will be the auctioneer. To view an online catalog of the items, visit ... Read the full story

In support of the arts, PONCHO has announced plans for the wine event of the year: Italia! Vino Arte, the 19th Annual International Wine Auction for the Arts, to be held May 22, 2010 at the Sheraton Seattle Hotel. Ferdinando Frescobaldi, president of Frescobaldi wines and esteemed member of the Frescobaldi family of Tuscany, with over 700 years of viticulture influence, joins Northwest wine connoisseurs, cuisine lovers and arts supporters alike as the event’s honorary vintner. PONCHO’s International Wine Auction offers patrons a chance to bid on rare and ... Read the full story

Bonhams & Butterfields is pleased to offer Fine European Furniture and Decorative Arts on March 29, 2010 in Los Angeles. The 500-lot sale will offer an array of works for varied tastes and collecting levels from the 16th through the 20th centuries with a focus on English, French, Italian, Spanish and German property. Highlights from the sale will include a strong selection of more than 30 clocks by prominent makers as well as property from the Estate of Mr. and Mrs. Charles Z. Wick, Los Angeles, California and the University of California, Irvine Libraries. ... Read the full story