Skinner, Inc., will be auctioning more than 50 room-sized carpets, including a 26 foot Persian Bidjar from the late 1800’s, valued at $20,000 to $25,000. The sale will be at its Boston gallery May 7th.
A total of 300 lots from many weaves—Chinese, French, Indian, Caucasian, Anatolian—will be on the floor. There also will be several collections of books related to rugs and textiles offered at the one day sale.
Read more at Antiques Collectibles & Auction
Money has been flooding into the rapidly rising diamond market in recent months, as collectors seek remunerative parking spots for their investment dollars. The latest example is the $26.7m that jeweler Harry Winston paid this week at a Christie’s auction in Geneva for a flawless 101.73-carat “colorless” diamond. The price was a new high for a diamond of this type, exceeding the last auction price record by more than $10m.
Read more...
A bizarre topless photo of Angelina Jolie called “Horseplay” sold at Christie’s London auction last night for $45,500. The “Wild Side of Photography” sale was scheduled well before Jolie’s double mastectomy announcement. Taken when she was 25, the photo also prominently displays a “Billy Bob” tattoo, referring to former husband Thornton who has since been removed from her shoulder and her life.
Read more...
There are only 28 casts of Auguste Rodin’s iconic “The Thinker” known to exist. One originally commissioned by Ralph Pulitzer in 1906 sold this week for $15.3m at Sotheby’s in New York. The statue bears a plaque certifying that Rodin, himself, supervised the casting. A similar cast sold for $12m three years ago.
Read more...
