New to Bidsquare is MNP Auctioneers from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. On January 26, they will be holding their sale of Straits Chinese Antique Auction. This auction consists of 63 carefully selected objects that include porcelain, textiles, and jewelry. Straits Chinese, also known as Peranakan Chinese, are descendants from Chinese immigrants who moved to the Malaysia region during the 15th to 17th Century of the Ming Dynasty. Over the years, they adopted their own distinctive customs and culture that incorporates local traditions.  The Chinese porcelain featured in the MNP sale was produced during the Late 19th Century specifically for the Straits Chinese. These objects tend to feature much brighter colors than Chinese domestic ware, and can be distinguished by a mostly pink, turquoise and yellow palette. The designs also tend to feature more p...Read More

Pook & Pook’s, Online Only Decorative Arts sale took place on January 14th and featured over 700 objects. This Bidsquare exclusive auction showcased a diverse range of categories including furniture, decorative arts, carpets, prints, old books, folk art and Asian art. Lot 1222, Chinese Cloisonné Urn; Sold for $126,000 on Bidsquare By far the highlight of this auction was Lot 1222, a simply titled ‘Chinese Cloisonné Urn’. The description was concise as it only listed the height (22 inches), condition (one side with 1 ¾ inch dent) and estimate ($100-$200).   However, after a competitive bidding battle taking place over 403 bids, the urn realized a final price of $126,000 from Bidsquare - 1,260 times the original estimate! So, what made this urn so enticing to the bidders? Chinese cloisonné enamel vessels were produced as early as the Yuan Dyn...Read More

Established in 1982 in Lower Manhattan’s now upscale SOHO neighborhood sits the glass-encased mecca of mid-century design known as Lost City Arts. Owner James Elkind has built a reputation as an authority on mid-century decorative arts and furniture and is widely regarded as a leading expert on the work of sculptor and designer Harry Bertoia. On Sunday, January 20, Rago Auctions in Lambertville, New Jersey is delighted to offer mid-century and contemporary design and sculpture from the collection of James Elkind and Lost City Arts. Included in this 106 lot, single-owner collection are fine and rare works by George Nakashima, Harry Bertoia, Paul Evans, Phil Powell, Serge Mouille, Pedro Friedeberg, Charles and Ray Eames, Duayne Hatchett, and more. As Jim told The Magazine Antiques in 2009, “What looks like prescience has also involved a lot o...Read More

The time is now. Abstract artist, Sam Gilliam, best known for his draped, frame-free canvases, seems to be attracting more attention than usual. His experimental approach to paint has been influencing the course of art history since the '60s and ‘70s  - however, collectors and museums are just now emphasizing the liberating beauty and lyrical approach that the African American artist has been underscoring for decades.  Sam Gilliam completed his Masters of Arts degree in Fine Arts at the University of Louisville in 1961. After moving to Washington D.C. in 1962, where he has remained ever since, a movement known as the the Washington Color School began taking shape. As with most movements, the artists included weren't fully aware of the developing definition - they just went on bending the rules. Other artists identified with this movement in...Read More

When a potter opens their glaze kiln, after several days of waiting, a great many findings can occur. Color combinations that should have gone one way can easily go another, hairline cracks can split into the width of a peace sign "V" and runny glazes may seal the fate of a beloved vessel by bonding it to the kiln's shelf. That is why, when pots are unloaded, many makers go silent with anixious optimism, having already come to terms with the hoops and hurdles that their process can present.  This month, Bidsquare has the pleasure of hosting Rago's, Modern Ceramics & Glass sale on January 20th. This sensational catalog is a feast of forms, textures and techniques. In the clay category, one can enjoy all levels of refinement, from heavenly Celadon Pottery to earthenware 'Frog cream puff' conceptions. The following five selections were most li...Read More

Martin Lewis is considered one of the greatest American printmakers of the first half of the twentieth century.  He used his superb sense of composition and his technical skill as a master printmaker to create images of New York City and rural Connecticut that are as captivating today as they were in the late 1920’s when he was first recognized as an important artist.  He was one of the first printmakers to sell out an edition of a print during an exhibition, and many of his etchings and drypoints sold out in a few months.  Martin Lewis spent most of his life living in New York City after arriving from Australia.  However, he did travel to Europe and lived briefly in Japan and rural Connecticut.   Lot 1, Martin Lewis, Little Penthouse, Drypoint, 1931; Estimate $9,000-$22,000 Martin Lewis was born in Castlemaine, Australia, on July 9, 1880, ...Read More

He only painted what he felt like painting - truly and honestly. For decades, from the 1960s through the early 2000s, a man by the name of Purvis Young could be found painting assemblies of angles, hoards of wild horses, floating versions of both, and stacked boxy buildings onto pieces of scrap wood, metal and/or completely asymmetrical cuts of paper. His squiggling curves and feverish figures rode up edges going right-ways, back-ways and down-ways; like the problems of the world he depicted, sometimes no direction is the direction being observed.  Lot 1336, Purvis Young, Untitled (Riders on Horses), Paint on canvas affixed to board; Buy Now $1,024 An African American artist, now popularly belonging to the outsider artist genre, Purvis Young knew his paintings were different from other artists. He liked it that way. Young didn't want to be ...Read More

On December 11, Leslie Hindman Auctioneers from Chicago will be selling the Estate of William Lipton. Over the past 25 years Lipton had one of the most recognizable Manhattan art galleries.  Lipton’s diverse collecting taste is evident in this auction. Comprising of 457 decorative works of art and paintings from the Americas, Europe and East Asia, the sale features numerous highlights including an early 20th Century Dagobert Peche Austrian silver footed bowl (lot 245) and a circa 1955 rocking armchair by the Brazilian modernist Joaquim Tenreiro (lot 393). However, most of the star pieces can be found in the Chinese section of the sale with its wide assortment of scholar objects, furniture, textiles, Buddhist sculptures, ceramics, and reference books.  Lot 103, Liu Dan, Green Parrot and Red Parrot, ink and color on paper; Estimate $80,000-$1...Read More

Though many things on earth are considered rare, natural blue diamonds are truly among the rarest of the rare. Leading Fortuna’s upcoming December 6th Magnificent Jewels Auction, is a spectacular 3.05 carat Fancy Intense Blue diamond ring. Offered for sale from a private Asian collection, this exceptionally rare diamond is a pear-shaped cut, with even color saturation, and a clarity grade of SI2. It is accompanied by a 2018 certificate from the Gemological Institute of America. As with all natural fancy colored diamonds, color hue and intensity are the top priorities when it comes to determining value. While the clarity grade is still an important factor, it is the color that makes these diamonds the most rare and valuable of all gemstones. Occurring in less than 0.02% of diamonds mined, blue diamonds gain their color from the presence of t...Read More

It's official. Television commercials for The Grinch (the new animated movie and the Broadway musical) are circulating during prime time, flights are being delayed, Michael Bublé is back to serenading everyone and their mother, and Black Friday has just tripped the gift buying alarm. If you’re one of the many people just realizing that December is only a few days away, don’t panic – we tailored this gift guide just for you. Here are 15 wearable wonders coming up for auction starting at or below $500. 1. Louis Vuitton, Monogram Canvas Tote Bag; Starting at $100 2. Hermes Bamboo/Rouge Epsom Leather and Gold H Belt; Starting at $75 3. A Yellow Gold 'Circe' Ring, Georges Braque for Heber de Lowenfeld,1960s; Starting at $500 4. A Pair of Gucci Tortoiseshell Sunglasses; Starting at $40 5. Hermés "Brise De Charme" Silk Scarf; Starting at $125 6. O...Read More