Artfact Live! May Auction Results Roundup May was an exciting month in the world of online auctions. Keno Auctions, owned by American antiques expert Leigh Keno, set three world records during its Inaugural sale...
News-Antique.com - Jun 08,2010 - (Boston, MA) – May was an exciting month in the world of online auctions. Keno Auctions, owned by American antiques expert Leigh Keno, set three world records during its Inaugural sale; Dargate Auction Galleries sold 756 lots to online bidders in its most successful online auction since joining Artfact Live! and Artcurial’s May 11th Hermès Vintage auction marked a 86% increase in overall sales and a 773% increase in online sales when compared to the same sale in 2009.
Keno Auctions, “Inaugural Sale: Session III” – May 2, 2010
Scrimshaw Whalebone Tooth Attributed to Ceres Artisans of Wilmington Delaware
Price Realized: $10,370
Keno Auctions’ May 2010 Inaugural Sale offered a wealth of fine antiques and Americana. Among the highlights were a pair of silver sauceboats by Paul Revere and a James Beekman Chippendale Chest of Drawers, which set a world record for a piece of New York furniture when it sold for $1,428,000 (including buyer’s premium). After the sale, owner Leigh Keno noted that there was “a lot of confidence in the market, with particular interest being shown in great American Folk Art.” It’s no wonder then that this Ceres Scrimshaw Whalebone tooth attracted the attention of online and in-house bidders alike. It’s believed that the “Ceres” teeth were created during an 1834-37 whaling voyage on the ship Ceres of Wilmington, DE. Once thought to be the work of a single individual, scholars have now identified four “Ceres” artisans from the 1830s. The recently discovered tooth is attributed to “Ceres Artisan B.” A relatively rare find, it is only one of twenty known works by this artisan. Estimated at $8,000 to $12,000, the tooth sold to an online buyer for $10,370 (including buyer’s premium).
http://www.artfact.com/auction-lot/ceres-scrimshaw-whalebone-tooth-attributed-to-the-92-c-d7d601d369
Dargate Auction Galleries, “Spring 2010 Auction: Day III” – May 16, 2010
Philip and Kelvin LaVerne Etruscan Dining Table
Price Realized: $15,000
Dargate Auction Galleries’ Spring 2010 auction offered a variety of items – from Tiffany lamps to fine jewelry and everything in between. One of the highlights of the three-day auction was an “Etruscan” Dining Table by the father-son team of Philip and Kelvin LaVerne. Perhaps best known for their beautifully patinated metal furniture, both father and son turned to design after a stint in fine arts. Philip studied under Ashcan School painter John Sloan, while Kelvin worked with sculptor Seymour Lipton. Influenced by Chinese and Greek Antiquities, the LaVernes began making furniture together in the 1950’s. With its Greek influence and patinated bronze and pewter finish, the dining table is characteristic of the LaVerne’s aesthetic. Estimated at $10,000 to $20,000, the table sold online for $15,000.
http://www.artfact.com/auction-lot/philip-and-kelvin-laverne-etruscan-dining-table.-9-c-ed408a2eec
Freeman’s, “Modern & Contemporary Works of Art” May 16, 2010
Wassily Kandinsky (1866-1944), “Lithographie Blau”
Price Realized: $15,000
Dated 1922, Kandinsky’s “Lithographie Blau” marks an important period in the artist’s development. The year before, Kandinsky was offered a teaching position at the Bauhaus – an architecture and art school whose mission was to combine crafts and fine arts. While teaching, the artist increasingly focused on geometric
