AFRICAN ART AND ARTIFACTS COLLECTION WILL CROSS THE BLOCK AT SUNSET AUCTION COMPANY ON APRIL 21ST IN MIAMI

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 21, 2007


SUNSET AUCTION CO.
Miami, FL
April 21, 2007

SUNSET AUCTION CO. OF MIAMI SET TO OFFER OVER 200 LOTS OF AFRICAN ART AND ARTIFACTS FROM A SINGLE LIVING ESTATE

MIAMI, FL - Items from the largest quality African art collection in Southwest Florida will cross the block at Sunset Auction on April 21 in Miami.

A long term program of inventory reduction by a longtime collector and dealer in African art and artifacts will give private collectors the opportunity to acquire some of the best examples of African items with values across the board at Sunset Auction’s April 21 sale scheduled for the Miami Elk’s Lodge on Sunset Dr. There will be no additions to the sale.

Auction owner Bryan Kinsley held the first auction at Sunset in January 2003. Since then the auction house has offered twelve to eighteen general sales each year including a monthly antiques and collectibles sale as well as onsite estate sales and business liquidations. This will be among Sunset’s first tightly focused specialty sales and it is expected to attract local and international individual bidders as well as African culture museums and art dealers but Kinsley states there will be something for every interested collector. The inventory will consist of 225 – 250 pieces ranging from Antique and Museum Grade artifacts to very high quality Contemporary works. It will feature art from Mali, Guinea, Sierra Leone, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Burkina Fasso, Nigeria, Cameroon, Congo and more.

Included in the inventory will be statues, carvings, mask, furniture, lamps, musical instruments, Zimbabwe stone statues, mud cloth wall hangings, doors, bronze, pottery and a hut post and ladder among others garnered from all over Africa, including items from the Yoruba, Baule, Bobo, Mossi and Ashanti tribes.

The Elk’s Lodge facility, located at 10301 Sunset Dr, Miami, has seating for around 200 but there will be no advance reservations for seats. There will be food available freshly prepared by the Elk’s Club and a full bar will be offered.

Kinsley will be accepting absentee bids prior to the opening of bidding at 12:00PM on April 21 and the auction will be carried live online in its entirety by Proxibid for online bidding. Preview of the auction inventory will be from 11:00AM to 12:00PM on the day of the sale until the opening bid and catalogs will be available. For more information call Bryan Kinsley at Sunset Auction at (305) 926-8864, email at AuctionGuy@bellsouth.com or visit the website at www.sunsetauctionco.com for information and driving directions.

written by:
Fred & Gail Taylor
http://www.furnituredetective.com/
800-387-6377

PHOTO AND PHOTO CAPTIONS FOR SUNSET AUCTION COMPANY’S AFRICAN SALE APRIL 21, 2007.

Baule female statue Assie Ossou, approximately 60in tall.

Guro mask with bird on a display of spears, 50in tall.

Bam Bara mask, 15in.

Male Tam Ba statue, 60in tall.

Guro small elephant mask, 15in.

Senufo woman statuette, 19in tall.

TWO DAY SALE FEATURING NAPOLEONIC PERIOD COLLECTION AND IMPORTANT ART

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 9, 2007

MATHESON’S AA AUCTION
Melbourne, FL
Sale March 17-18

Matheson’s AA Auction of Melbourne, FL will offer a major Napoleonic period collection of weapons and artifacts, selections from a pre-Columbian and African art collection and original art by Faulkner, Leroy and Greuze.

MELBOURNE, FL - On March 17-18 Matheson’s AA Auction in Melbourne, FL will present over 900 lots in a wide ranging sale that will include 200 lots from a major Napoleonic period collection from a local estate. The sale will also include portions of a major Melbourne estate’s collection of African and pre-Columbian art and a very important painting by Jean-Baptiste Greuze (1725-1805) that has been passed down in the same family for generations.

The Napoleonic collection was accumulated over forty year period by a very advanced collector in Melbourne who spent two months each year in France upgrading and augmenting his collection of period artifacts. The collection was inherited by the collector’s granddaughter who has engaged Matheson’s to offer part of it for sale. In the two hundred lots from the collection are circa 1796-1815 flintlock pistols, long guns and a fine blunderbuss with a historic provenance, French and English military swords, most in original scabbards from the same period, over 100 gold , silver and bronze French coins and medals, all pre-1815 and a superb Napoleonic marble and d’ore bronze figural clock, circa 1798, 26in high. Also included are pieces of armor, uniforms, helmets, a bronze bust of Napoleon, a large four foot Napoleonic carved wood chest circa 1807 and a drum with applied bronze crowned eagle of cannons.

Art will be a significant part of this sale. The inventory features eight works by eccentric Kentucky artist Henry Faulkner in his original frames. The paintings come from the estate in Ft. Lauderdale of a friend of Faulkner’s who was given the works by the artist personally. The paintings were discovered in trash bins destined for destruction. A large mother and child oil on canvas by French artist Paul-Alexander-Alfred Leroy (1860-1942) will be offered along with three large investment quality numbered prints by Chegall and one by Picasso.

The pre-Columbian portion of the sale will include a five foot tall carved figural man who has been stored in a crate for the last 75 years, along with textiles and jewelry. The African art section features wood carvings, weapons, masks and ivory artifacts.

Rounding out the sale will an important Coca-Cola collection from a family that worked for the company for three generations, over 100 pieces of fine jewelry including a coral and diamond jewelry suite and an 18th century mahogany English Chinese Chippendale Pembroke table with complex stretcher and shaped leaves, in original finish.

The sale begins at 11:00AM Saturday March 17 and continues at 12:00 PM Sunday March 18. Preview will be Friday March 16 from 11:00AM to 6:00PM and two hours before the start of the sale on both days. Matheson’s AA Auction is located at 600 E. New Haven Avenue in Melbourne, FL. Seating for 175 can be reserved by phone, (321) 768-6668 or by email at aaauctions@earthlink.net. Selected portions of the catalog are available for viewing on the Matheson’s AA Auction website at http://www.mathesonsaaauction.com/.

The auction will be called by 33 year veteran auctioneer and auction co-owner Lloyd J. Matheson, Jr. Phone and absentee bids are welcomed. For more information call Lloyd or Jan Matheson at (321) 768-6668.

written by:

Fred & Gail Taylor

http://www.furnituredetective.com

800-387-6377

PHOTO CAPTIONS FOR MATHESON’S AA AUCTION
SALE OF MARCH 17-18, 2007

Important oil on board by Jean Baptiste Greuze (1725-1805) French.

Pencil signed lithograph "The Bluebird" by Marc Chegall (1887-1985)

Oil on board by Henry Faulkner, American, (1924-1981). One of eight works by Faulkner being offered in this sale.

Period English Chinese Chippendale Pembroke table in original finish.

Four Napoleonic French flintlock pistols. There are a total of eight period pistols and four long guns in the sale.

LEADING AUTHORITY ON VINTAGE FLORIDA SOUVENIRS AND MEMORABILIA SET TO SELL PERSONAL COLLECTION

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 12, 2007

TURKEY CREEK AUCTIONS
Citra, FL
March 3, 2007

Larry Roberts, author of "Florida’s Golden Age of Souvenirs 1890-1930" will offer most of his personal collection of Florida souvenirs at Turkey Creek Auctions in Citra, FL on March 3.

For collectors of vintage Florida souvenirs, memorabilia and collectibles, the pearly gates are about to swing wide open. Larry Roberts, the acknowledged guru on the subject and the author of "Florida’s Golden Age of Souvenirs 1890-1930" and a consultant for the Florida History Museum in Tallahassee, has engaged Turkey Creek Auctions to dispose of the bulk of his personal collection as well as the inventory of his retail shop in Micanopy, FL. This once in a lifetime opportunity will start Saturday March 3 at 4:30PM beginning with the postcard collection. It will be held in the Turkey Creek Auctions barn in Citra, FL, 13 miles north of Ocala on U.S. Highway 441.

The sale of Roberts’ collection with no additions will consist of around 25,000 – 30,000 smalls that will be offered in selected groupings and between 50,000 and 60,000 vintage postcards, also to be offered in groups in addition to the larger single items.

Virtually all of the items pictured in Roberts’ book will be included in the inventory. Of special interest is the large polychrome plaque by Florida artist Olive Commons. The plaque, one of Commons’ largest works, is featured on the inside cover of the book. It is conservatively estimated to sell in the $3,000/$5000 range. Other works by Commons from the 1920s and 1930s will include Florida art, jewelry and porcelain. Special creations by Stuart, FL metal smith and artist Serge Nekrassoff, including some of his trademark large pins will cross the block. Many of these items were acquired by Roberts directly from the Nekrassoff family. Also being offered is a large collection of Florida pottery including works from Merritt Island Pottery, founded in 1937, Floramics from the 1940s and Silver Springs pottery from the 1930s as well as hand colored photos and prints by early 20th century Florida photographers and artists William J. Harris and Esmond G. Barnhill including many of their prints shown in the book. The auction inventory additionally will include vintage Florida fishing tackle, Indian artifacts, Seminole dolls, Florida ephemera and Florida themed shieldware.

Robert’s collection was hand selected by him from all over the country through the years as he traveled the country, buying and bartering to augment his inventory which today includes several rare alligator steins that are expected to sell in the $400-$800 range, selected alligator carvings ranging from the 1870s to the 1920s, some very rare Florida spoons in the $200-$400 range and souvenir Florida china found in nooks and crannies all over the United States. Roberts’ authoritative book is currently available on Amazon.com with free shipping and can be found at selected bookstores.

Turkey Creek Auctions has been in Central Florida for over twenty years and conducts twelve regular monthly auctions each year in addition to special events like the Larry Roberts sale. Auction owner Charles David Glynn will be accepting absentee bids for this sale. Preview for the sale will be Friday March 2 from 5:00PM to 8:00PM at the Auction facility. Turkey Creek Auctions is located at 13939 N. Hwy 441 in Citra, 13 miles north of Ocala. Visit the website at http://www.antiqueauctionsfl.com/ for directions and more information or call David Glynn at (800) 648-7523 for details.

written by:

Fred & Gail Taylor

http://www.furnituredetective.com

800-387-6377

PHOTO CAPTIONS FOR TURKEY CREEK AUCTIONS
Sale March 3, 2007

This large (6½ in high) cameona porcelain polychrome plaque by Olive Commons is estimated to sell at $3,000/$5,000.

Some of the variety of Native American Seminole dolls.

This hand colored print, 7⅛in by 9½in, entitled "Palm River, Fla" is signed lower left by William J. Harris.

Orangeware with applied alligators and orange blossoms.

These German figural gator steins are made by Bohn Söhne (L) and marked "Musterschutz" (R).

J.K. GALLERIES GRAND OPENING SALE WAS "BEST EVER"

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 15, 2007

J.K. GALLERIES
Boca Raton, FL
Two Day Sale January 1 and January 7

The first two sessions of J.K. Galleries Grand Opening sale after moving to Boca Raton, FL in October saw competitive bidding and better than average prices for American pottery.

Boca Raton, FL - When asked about the results of the combination two day sale January 1 and January 7 J.K. Galleries owner Jay Kielstock replied simply, "The best ever." Coming from a veteran with over fifteen years of experience in the art and antiques business under his belt that’s no small statement. As with all J.K. Galleries sales the auction was carried live online by LiveAuctioneers.com and over 850 bidders registered online to participate in the two sessions along with 80 bidders inhouse on January1 and 175 on January 7.

The sale featured 800 lots of art pottery, art glass, art and jewelry consisting of items from both living and deceased estates in Maine, Massachusetts, Philadelphia and several from Florida. One estate from Maine contributed over 150 lots of American Art Pottery including a large 16in Roseville Earlam on a Carnellian II mold, thirty pieces of Roseville Futura, several experimental Weller pieces and a large Rookwood scenic vase by Kataro Shirayamadani. The Massachusetts estate element contained over 50 pieces of Loetz Art Glass.

Kielstock reported that pottery dealers from around the country, including Chicago, Phoenix and the West Coast of Florida flew in for the sale and they came to buy.

Top lot of the sale was an outstanding KPM full figure porcelain plaque marked "LORELEY (Kray)." The plaque, measuring 21 ½ X 16in in the frame, was artist signed "Gorner" in the lower right. It sold on the floor in the first session to a private collector who paid $13,800 including premium for the work. It was followed by a Pairpoint puffy lamp with a closed top shade in bright green leaves and flowers in pastel tones. The base was fully signed with the Pairpoint trademark. Total height was 19in with a shade diameter of 11¾ in. It brought a winning call on the phone from a Florida dealer who parted with $12,650 for it.

Most of the Tiffany sold within or above estimate in the sale. A dark turquoise Egyptian vase signed "LC Tiffany Favrile," 5½ tall by 4½in diameter brought $5,750 and a gold favrile 17in tall vase on a bronze and enameled base signed "Louis C. Tiffany Furnaces Inc #156" sold within estimate at $3,910. A signed gold compote with a flared stretch rim folded into eight ruffles with a 7in diameter brought $3,105 and an 8½ in tall gold vase with a large quilted pattern earned $2,1895 on the floor.

Rookwood and Roseville were equally well received. A Rookwood vellum plaque by Ed Diers, 14 by 12½in in the dark oak frame, made $4,715 and a 1915 vellum vase with the artist mark of Lorinda Epply, 6 by 7in, closed at $2,645. A 15in Roseville Futura floor vase in thistle pattern sold well over estimate at $1,955 as did an 8in Tourist vase at $1,610 while an 18in Blue Pinecone floor vase made $1,955.

Other significant lots included a 6¾in tall Loetz Titania vase in green and yellow selling for $6,900 and a 29in Royal Worcester figural group in majolica glaze, circa 1870, featuring a classically draped female figure holding a jug and basin with a large eagle perched on the base brought $5,750.

Kielstock reported a 96 percent sell through rate on pottery for the two day event. For more information call Jay Kielstock or Auction Manager Amanda Watkins at (561) 477-0008 or email at jkgalleries@bellsouth.net. You can visit the website at http://www.jkgalleries.com/ . J.K. Galleries is located at 8221 W. Glades Road, Suite # 13, Boca Raton, FL 33434.

written by:

Fred & Gail Taylor

http://www.furnituredetective.com

800-387-6377

PHOTO CAPTIONS FOR J.K. GALLERIES 0107

This important large, 16 by 21½in in frame, full figure porcelain plaque entitled "LORELEY" artist signed by Gorner was top lot of the sale at $13,800 including the premium.

This is a great example of the Pairpoint Puffy poppy table lamp with a shade in bright green leaves and variegated pastel flowers. The base is fully signed by the Pairpoint trademark. Total height is 19in. It sold on the phone for $12,650.

This Loetz Titania vase with bulbous body and flaring rim in superb coloration on a cranberry colored glass base, 6¾in, sold within estimate to a dealer on the floor for $6,900.

A 29in high Majolica Royal Worcester figural group, circa 1870, is the only known example of in this series produced in a majolica glaze. It sold for $5,750.

An outstanding Tiffany Egyptian turquoise vase, about 5½in tall, in dark blue turquoise with pinched body and glossy jet black rim, signed "LC Tiffany Favrile 9176K" went for $5,750.

HOLIDAY SPECIAL OFFERED BY FRED TAYLOR ON HIS BOOK "HOW TO BE A FURNITURE DETECTIVE" AND VIDEO "IDENTIFICATION OF OLDER & ANTIQUE FURNITURE"

Finding that special gift for the antique furniture hunter and collector on your gift list just got easier with the announcement by Fred Taylor that he is offering a Holiday Special on the combined purchase of his book "HOW TO BE A FURNITURE DETECTIVE" and his video "IDENTIFICATION OF OLDER & ANTIQUE FURNITURE."

Known around the country as an expert on older and antique furniture, Taylor’s two publications give basic "from the ground up" information about identifying a piece of furniture.

The video is a close up visual tour through the realm of hand made joinery, case construction, chair construction, identity of the age of beds by side rail fasteners, the evolution and dating of screws and nails and the use of veneer in American furniture. Each segment shows genuine examples of most subjects in addition to using line drawings to simplify some of the objects. The program ends with a brief overview of styles. This video is so fast paced you will need to use the "rewind" button often.

Taylor’s book, featuring illustrative line drawings and color and black and white photos, gives even greater depth and background to each subject and introduces additional material such as where to look for antique furniture, what to take with you in your search, including an adjusted attitude and then jumps into the basic identification tools and techniques outlined in the video. He then introduces additional topics such as how to determine the age of furniture glass, an expanded section on tool marks, a detailed checklist for determining the condition of a piece of furniture, a section on veneer and an easily understood wood identification guide. The book winds up with a color tour of furniture styles, a self test and a glossary. It’s an easy read, feeling more like a quiet conversation with an old friend than a dry scholarly tome about dusty antiques.

From now to the end of the year Taylor is offering both his book "HOW TO BE A FURNITURE DETECTIVE" and his video, "IDENTIFICATION OF OLDER & ANTIQUE FURNITURE" for the combined price of $39.95 which includes free shipping and complimentary gift wrapping if requested (for Holiday Priority Mail shipments add $6.50.) Just visit Taylor’s website at www.furnituredetective.com and print out the order form. For more information call (800) 387-6377.

STRONG INTERNATIONAL FLAVOR FOR ABERDEEN'S DECEMBER SALE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 18, 2006

ABERDEEN-AUCTIONS
CLEARWATER, FL
Sale DECEMBER 7, 2006

Aberdeen-Auctions December sale had a decidedly Russian flair with several major lots going back home to Mother Russia.

CLEARWATER, FL - Aberdeen-Auctions of Clearwater, FL continued its string of auctions that feature an exotic mixture of European treasures and American antiques and arts. Auction owner Alex Turchak started the run with his first "Castle" sale in August 2006 with many articles from a Belgian castle mixed with English and French furniture and American art. The most recent sale on December 7 had some important Russian icons and art, selections from a of collection of American art pottery and a wide assortment of silver and jewelry from a number of consignors and estates, both European and American.

The 393 lot sale was carried online by eBayLive, attracting around 120 registered bidders to compete with the inhouse audience of 75 bidders and a large number of phone and absentee bids.

Top lot of the sale was an important work of art by French painter Edouard L. Dubufe (1820-1883), a renowned painter of the French and Russian courts of the 19th century. The subject of the portrait was the Russian Prince Victor P. Kochubey, an important minister in the ultimately futile reformation attempts of Czar Alexander I in the early 1800s. The painting, an artist signed oil on canvas, 37½ by 34¾in in frame, came with an attribution by the sitter. Presale estimate for the high quality, historically important work was $65,000/$75,000. Competition for the portrait generated 251 bids among two online bidders and one left bid. The left bid, offered by a private Russian collector, prevailed with a winner of $82,200 plus the fifteen percent buyer’s premium resulting a total sale price of $94,530.

Other Russian artifacts attracted less extensive but still respectable bidder attention. A bronze sculpture, "Cossacks at Campsite" by Russian artist Vassili Yacovlevitch Grachev,(1831-1905) sold for $2,990 including premium. A rare Russian icon of the Bogolubskaya Mother of God, circa 1760, hand painted with egg tempera on gesso on wood panel, showed architecture of the 15th century but was based on a miracle vision of the Virgin by Prince Andrei Bogolyubsky in 1157. The icon, in excellent condition, sold on online for $3,000 including the 20 percent online buyer’s premium and a pair of ornate Russian silver candlesticks, circa 1896 with maker’s mark, sold online for $1,560.

But only a portion of the sale was Russian. Two Oriental bronzes exceeded expectations. Two consecutive lots estimated at $300/$450 each went to the same online bidder in Hong Kong. A gilt bronze Buddha form the early 1800s, 8¾in tall went for $1,930 and a 19th century bronze Tibetan incense holder brought $1,200. Western Europe was represented by a bronze figure of a nude holding a bird, signed by La Faguays. The 21½in tall figure mounted on a marble base earned $2,280 online.

American work appeared in the sale in the form of an oil on canvas laid on board, 22 by 36in, by American painter Maximilen E. Sand. Entitled "Lake in the Catskill" the painting is considered to be an important luminist Hudson River School work. It sold online for $3,840. Art pottery sold solidly within estimates, especially Roseville. A Roseville Moss #290-6 two handle bulbous vase, pink and green in great condition, just over 6in tall, sold within estimate for $207, a Roseville Moss #775-6 two handle green urn vase, 6 ⅜ tall by 5½in across brought $173 and a rare Roseville Banada Green Flaring Vase, unmarked, in excellent condition.12⅜ tall by 6⅝in across brought a winner of $1,035.

For more information on this sale and upcoming Aberdeen-Auctions sales contact Alex Turchak at (727) 656-2974, email at antiques@aberdeen-auctions.com or visit the website at http://www.aberdeen-auctions.com/.

written by:

Fred & Gail Taylor

http://www.furnituredetective.com

800-387-6377

PHOTO CAPTIONS FOR ABERDEEN-AUCTIONS

This portrait of Russian Prince Victor P Kochubey by Edourd DuBufe (1820-1883) sold over estimate to a Russian bidder for $94,530.

This Titanic memorabilia sterling silver vase by Shreve, Crump and Low was presented to the family of prominent banker Arthur W. Newell in 1926. Newell perished with the ship in 1912. It sold in the room for $2,415

A copper portrait of Czar Alexander III (1845-1894), considered to be Russia’s last true autocrat, 27 by 32in with frame, sold for $1,093 to a bidder in the Republic of Georgia.

This 18in tall repousse silver goblet was presented to famous Swedish aeronaut Hans Fraenkel in 1911 in Riga, Latvia for a new balloon speed record. It sold for $1,610.

This 21½in tall bronze nude by Pierre La Faguays (French, 1892-1925) was signed "La Faguays, Susse Paris." It sold for online for $2,280.

A rare Bobgolubskaya Mother of God Russian icon, circa 1760, brought $2,875.

CHOICE WORKS OF ART POWER AUCTION GALLERY OF THE PALM BEACHES DECEMBER SALE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 21, 2006

AUCTION GALLERY OF THE PALM BEACHES
Sale December 4, 2006
West Palm Beach, FL

WEST PALM BEACH, FL - The three previous sales at Auction Gallery of the Palm Beaches in West Palm Beach, FL produced some eye opening surprises, primarily centered around Oriental art and porcelain. The December sale produced some surprises too for owner Brian Kogan but they were not about Oriental art. They were about Western art and a Palm Beach art gallery consignor.

Just prior to the sale over 160 lots were withdrawn after questions arose about the consignor’s right to sell the items. Preferring to stay on the conservative side Kogan withdrew all the lots related to the consignor until the questions can be resolved. The sale still featured a healthy inventory with over 300 lots on the bill of fare from a variety of estates in the South Florida area and several items from the Albert Peter Thomas Rochelle estate.

Unusual furniture sold surprisingly well in a sale focused on art. A 19 leg bronzed resin over steel dining table base, 103in by 60in, with an oval glass top, the "Stalagmite" table by American Paul Evans, circa 1974, sold over estimate at $5,175 including the fifteen buyer’s premium. An Evans glass top bronzed coffee table reached $4,025 and a four piece collection of coffee tables and end tables, tiled in polished chrome and brass, sold for $2,750, soaring over its $500/700 estimate.

The real excitement of the sale was reserved for three works by Indian born artist Avanash Chandra (1931-1991). He left India for England at age 25 in 1956 and within ten years the BBC had produced a documentary about him, the V&A bought his work and he had became the first Indian painter to have work displayed at the Tate Gallery, London. He moved his studio to New York in 1967 and by the time of his death in 1991 had held thirty two individual shows. When the Chandra works crossed the blocks five phone operators in the Gallery had their hands full with bidders. The first lot was an abstract composition with figures, watercolor on paper, 21 by 28in, signed "Avanash ’60." It sold on the phone to a New York bidder for $7,475. The second lot was a Jamaica landscape, oil on unframed canvas, 22¼ by 50in. Inscribed "Avanash Chandra, London, 1986" it sold over estimate on the phone to a different New York bidder for $19,550. The third lot was the charm. It was an abstract composition, oil on canvas, signed and dated "83" on the lower left. The 35¾ by 47½in unframed work went to the New York buyer of the earlier abstract for a sale high of $43,700, well above the $20,000/$25,000 estimate.

Two Salvador Dali works sold solidly within estimate. The "Grasshopper Child" etching, signed in pencil numbered 65/100, circa 1935, sold on an absentee bid of $9,200 and four color lithographs entitled "Visions Surrealiste" in a purple silk folio case. Each litho was signed in pencil and numbered 125/150. The set sold online for $4,500 including the twenty percent online premium.

A screen print on Perspex, "Untitled-Fragment 2" by Bridget Riley English, b. 1931, signed in pencil, 27 by 26½in, sold on the phone to a bidder in England for $7,475 and an oil on canvas landscape by American Samuel. S. Carr (1837-1908) entitled "Genre Scene with Children and Goat Cart," 12 by 18in in the original gesso cast frame, in need of cleaning and repair, sold for $8,050, more than double the $4,000 high estimate. After many years of storage in a garage in Palm Beach a bronze sculpture by Marius Jean Antonin Mercie. French (1845-1916) saw the light of day. Entitled "Gloria Victis" (Glory to the Defeated), 37in high in good condition it sold within estimate for $14, 950.

On final surprise came very late in the sale. An antique Persian Oushak carpet, 11ft 5in by 14ft 9in, estimated at $4,000/$6,000 brought $11,270 on the phone. There was one small oriental delight after all. A pair of intricately carved white jade plaques with dragon and scroll forms on rosewood stands, 2¾ by 2¼in and 2¼ by 4½in, sold online to bidder in Taiwan for $2,160, well over the $500/$700 estimate.

For more information about this sale or about the upcoming sale in January call (561) 805-7115, email info@agopb.com or visit the website at http://www.agopb.com/.

written by:

Fred & Gail Taylor

http://www.furnituredetective.com

800-387-6377

PHOTO CAPTIONS FOR AUCTION GALLERY OF THE PALM BEACHES
Sale DECEMBER 4

Top lot of the sale was this abstract O/C by Avanash Chandra at $43,700.

37in tall bronze by Marius Jean Antonin Mercie. French (1845-1916) reached $14,950. The larger 1874 original bronze is at the National Gallery of Art in Washington.

A large antique Persian Oushak carpet rolled up $11,270.

A three piece Tiffany clock set sold for $9,775.

Salvador Dali’s etching "Grasshopper Child" brought $9,200.

This 19 leg dining table with bronzed resin base under oval glass top by Paul Evans sold in the room at $5,175.

JADE FROM A NAPLES COLLECTION SELLS FOR A PREMIUM IN THE INTERNATIONAL MARKET

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 22, 2006

AUCTIONS NEAPOLITAN
Sale November 14/21, December 12, 2006
Naples, FL

Auctions Neapolitan of Naples, FL held a wide ranging three day sale in November and December that sparked international interest in quality jade and other Oriental items.

NAPLES, FL - Neapolitan Auctions owner Kathleen Pica of Naples, FL was excited about the results from her recent three day sales event that saw bidders from China, Hong Kong and Taiwan competing with local bidders for items from the 1200 lot inventory she assembled for this auction. The sale was conducted online by LiveAuctioneers.com and in person in the auction facility on 1st Avenue South in Naples.

Each of the three days of the sale had a significantly different tone. The first day, November 14, featured a number of lots from a significant collection of jade artifacts originally from China. Until recently the collection was privately housed in Naples. The second day, November 21, showcased a variety of antiques and silver from an estate in Port Charlotte and the final day, December 12, was "clean up" day according to Pica, picking up miscellaneous lots from a number of sources, providing bidders with lots of unique opportunities for holiday gifts. The opportunity to bid attracted 920 approved bidders registered for the online portion of the sale competing against 200 registered in person in the Gallery.

The top lot of the sale crossed the block on the first day of the sale. A Ching Dynasty (1644-1912) jade scepter created quite a stir in the online market and on the phone bidding lines. An online bidder from Taiwan battled it out with phone bidders from China, and California and other online bidders from China, Hong Kong and Japan. Pica noted, "Oriental buyers are especially favorable to the lighter colored jade pieces. They like the whites and light greens." The 15¾in scepter in light green jade certainly fit the bill and included carvings depicting a man and his servant traveling. That was a good omen because the scepter will soon make its way to Taiwan going to the online bidder there for $13,915 including the buyer’s premium of fifteen percent. The original presale estimate was for $1,200/1,400.

Other significant jade lots included a light green carved jade brush wash, 5 by 4in, with a raised center medallion. Estimated at $150/$200, the elegant bowl garnered a winning bid of $4,025, again from an Oriental buyer. A 4in Chinese carved jade pants coupe with fitted wooden stand, light green with brown traces, estimated at $300/$400, cleaned up at $3,795 and a Chinese carved white jade belt buckle sold for $3047. Pica said, "The jade was good quality but nothing real special. The market is just ready for good quality jade work."

The second day of the sale held its own with a Japanese two handled signed bronze urn. The 19¾in urn was elaborately decorated with large flowers, leaves and branches with details to the petals and stamin. The urn was mounted on a three dolphin base resting on a plateau with bird perched on a branch as a finial. Estimated at $600/$800, it sold to an online bidder for $2,760. A seldom seen Meissen porcelain harlequin figure, 9in tall sold over estimate online at $873.

The final day of the sale saw a vintage Japanese small sword, 26in long, with a leather wrapped handle and a stylized lotus leaf Tsuba, estimated at $300/$400 bring in a winner of $625.

Pica feels that the international contacts and the quality of merchandise she is attracting in Naples allows Auctions Neapolitan to effectively offer auction services that compete favorably with the larger houses on the East coast. Her next auction is scheduled for January. For more information visit the Gallery at 1100 1st Avenue South in Naples, contact Kathleen Pica at Auctions Neapolitan at (239) 262-7333 or visit the website at http://www.auctionsn.com/.

written by:

Fred & Gail Taylor

http://www.furnituredetective.com

800-387-6377

PHOTO CAPTIONS FOR AUCTIONS NEAPOLITAN
NOVEMBER, DECEMBER 2006 SALE

This Ching Dynasty scepter in light green jade was top lot of the sale at $13,915 from a bidder in Taiwan.

A rare 9in tall Meissen porcelain harlequin figurine sold for $873.

An archaic light green jade libation cup with stylized Chi dragons climbing up the sides sold well over the $400/$600 estimate at $2932.

A 26in long Japanese sword with ray skin and leather wrapped handle brought $625.

A two handled Japanese bronze urn, 19¾in tall, sold better than expected with $2760 at the hammer.

A carved Chinese pants water coupe carved in light green nephrite jade with brown traces in a fitted wooden stand sold for more than ten times the low estimate for $3795.

IMPORTANT COLLECTIONS START THE NEW YEAR FOR ARTHUR JAMES GALLERIES

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 29, 2006

ARTHUR JAMES GALLERIES
DELRAY BEACH, FL
Sale January 15,16,17, 2007

Arthur James Galleries begins 2007 with a three day sale from important collections that include Meissen, oriental ivory and silver.

DELRAY BEACH, FL - Arthur James Galleries of Delray Beach, FL will open its 2007 season with an impressive three day event that will feature over 650 lots of fine art and decorative art. A major portion of the inventory, 182 lots, will be from the estate of well known Palm Beach resident and art patron Mary Louise McGovern Ford of Palm Beach, and Madison, CT. Mrs. Ford, wife of Thomas P. Ford, died December 28, 2005. Also in the sale will be 65 lots of 19th century Meissen porcelain from the private collection of the owners of a high end shop in Palm Beach that has been closed for two years. Many of the items in this collection have not been seen in public in a number of years.

Portions of several other important collections will be offered including a collection of 18th and 19th century blue and white Chinese porcelain and 30 lots from a collection of very important Japanese ivory carvings from the 19th century Meiji period, the "Period of Enlightened Rule" from 1868 to 1912. In that selection is a 10in high ivory group estimated at $8,000/$12,000. Another estate will provide fine examples of English and American silver and 20th century paintings.

Other lots of interest in this wide ranging sale will be an oil on canvas by Vu Cao Dam, Vietnamese/French (1908-2000), $10,000/$15,000, an oil on canvas by Claude Vernard, French (1913-1999), $7,000/$9,000, a fine pair of Berlin KPM porcelain urns and covers, $4,000/$6,000, a Louis XV 18th century marble top commode signed by J. B. Tuart, a Parisian cabinetmaker who worked for both Louis XV and Louis XVI, $7,000/$10,000, a Sterling Tiffany & Co. tankard in the Olympia pattern, circa 1880, $4,000/$6,000, a 19th century Satsuma Pottery bowl by Kinkozan, $1,500/$2,000 and a finely carved 19th century French ivory figure of a semi nude maiden, $2,500/$3,500.

Arthur James Galleries has been at the same location, 615 East Atlantic Avenue in Delray Beach, since opening in 1958. It conducts only ten sales each year with a major sale every other month. This annual January Spectacular, usually the largest of the year, certainly qualifies as a major sale. Long time Arthur James Galleries customers have come to rely and trust the condition reports on sale items issued by the Gallery in placing their absentee order and phone bids and for bidders who wish to attend in person seating for around 150 bidders is provided on sale day. Reservations are accepted in advance with preference given to out of town visitors wishing to bid in person.

Each day of the sale will present around 200 lots. Preview of this extraordinary event will be Saturday and Sunday, January 13 and 14 from 10:00AM to 5:00PM. Auction begins at 7 PM. For more information call (561) 278-2373 or visit the website at http://www.arthurjames.com/.

written by:

Fred & Gail Taylor

http://www.furnituredetective.com/

800-387-6377

PHOTO CAPTIONS FOR ARTHUR JAMES GALLERIES Sale January 15, 16, 17, 2007

Superb 19th Century Japanese Ivory Group Height 10in.

Estimate $8,000/12,000

Good 19th Century Silver Repousse Coffee Pot by Kirk & Son.

Estimate $2,000/3,000

Dufy (French. 1888-1964) Gouache. Measuring 8½ by 13 ¼in.

Estimate $10,000/$15,000.

Constantine Kluge (French. 1912-) Oil on Canvas. Measuring 28¾ by 28¾in.

Estimate $3,000/5,000

"The Mason and Pug" Meissen Porcelain Group, Late 19th Century. Height 11½in. Estimate $1,500/2,000

Pair of Very Fine 19th Century French Ormolu Mounted Chinese Famille-Verte Porcelain Jars and Covers.
Estimate $7,000/9,000

Pair of George III Silver Sauce Tureens by Paul Storr, London, 1810.

Estimate $15,000/20,000

FROM A DOG POWERED FARM CHURN TO A ROLLS ROYCE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 30, 2006

JACK EUBANKS AUCTION
BREVARD, NC
Sale January 13, 2007

Jack Eubanks Auction opens the 2007 season with an eclectic sale that will appeal to almost everyone on January 13.

BREVARD, NC - Jack Eubanks Auction will host the most wide ranging sale of its ten year history on January 13 in Brevard, NC. The sale will feature a 500+ lot inventory complied from a number of both living and deceased estates from North Carolina and one from Florida. One prominent estate is that of Betty H. Austin, a renowned Tuscaloosa, AL artist who taught at the University of Alabama and Mississippi Southern University. Mrs. Austin was a member of the exclusive art society the Salmagundi Club of New York and exhibited her paintings at the "American Painters in Paris Exhibition" in 1976 and presented one woman shows in Montgomery, AL, New York and Manzillo, Mexico. She was inducted in the "World’s Who’s Who of Women" in 1982. The sale will offer a number of her original portraits and landscapes. Other works of art by Florida Highwayman Sam Newton, oil on board, Denholm Davis (1876-1950) oil on canvas, Whitney Myron Hubbard, American (1875-1965), mixed media and Reynold Henry Weidenaar, American (1915-1985), lithograph, will also cross the block.

The work by Weidenaar consists of three lithographs, two progressive artist’s proofs and a final copy labeled "200/4." The subject of the work in progress proofs is the "Train Carrier, Ludington." The mixed media work by Hubbard has a label on the reverse that identifies it as "Stirling Creek, Greenport, L.I." The sale will also feature original works by North Carolina artists Ann DeGara and locally renowned artist Helene Andrews. In addition a number of original circus posters from 1940s and 1950s winter camps in the Sarasota, Fl area will be shown.

An interesting assortment of non-art lots will help keep everyone’s attention. A wide variety of contemporary face jugs will be offered along with numerous examples of Southern pottery, Pisgah Forest Pottery from Ardon, NC, a variety of Cherokee baskets and mobile in the style of designer Alexander Calder. In addition there will be a U.S. Navy captain’s hat accompanied by his original belt , buckle and epaulettes, all contained in the original metal carrying case from the late 19th or early 20th century. A small number of select firearms will cross the block including a nice Luger P-08, a Model 1896 Broomhandle Mauser, a 1917 U.S. Army Colt .45 auto and an 1856 .44 Star revolver. Jack Eubanks is a licensed Federal Firearms dealer and all regulations will be followed. There will also be a 148 piece set of Bernina crystal tableware.

The extremes of the sale can be found in two lots. One is from an estate that originated in Upstate New York. The owners retired to North Carolina and brought with them a number of 19th century farm primitives. The most interesting is a wooden treadmill about the right size for a large dog or goat, attached to a crank that operates a churn, presumably to make butter. At the other end of the spectrum is a 1979 Roll Royce Silver Shadow II with 27,000 miles on the clock. This is the only lot in the entire sale that will be sold with a reserve. The minimum bid on the Rolls is $25,000.

Eubanks expects to have the entire catalog of the sale posted on the website by January 1, 2007. Check http://www.jackeubanks.com/ for updates. Preview for the sale is by appointment at the Auction’s gallery at 220 South Broad Street in Brevard, NC. Auction begins at 9 AM. See the website for directions. Phone bids and absentee bids are welcome. Seating for around 160 bidders can be reserved by email at info@jackeubanks.com or by phone at (828) 884-7889.

written by:

Fred & Gail Taylor

http://www.furnituredetective.com/

800-387-6377

PHOTO CAPTIONS FOR JACK EUBANKS AUCTION

Sale January 13, 2007
Brevard, NC

Rolls – This 1979 Silver Shadow II Rolls Royce with 27,000 miles will be the only lot with a reserve.

This oil on canvas, 26 by 22in, is by Betty H. Austin.

Oil on canvas portrait, 56 by 36in, by Denholm Davis.

Mixed media "Stirling Creek, Greenport, L.I." by Whitney Myron Hubbard.

This mobile in the style of Alexander Calder is marked "VAN 72" on the top element.

This primitive animal powered treadmill churn came from a 19th century farm in Upstate New York.

This lithograph by Weidenaar is named "Train Carrier, Ludington."