https://www.bidsquare.com/collection/artist/gerhard-richter-707Behold, the potato.  Considered one of the most ubiquitous foods in the world, the potato has been identified as a symbol of sustenance and prosperity for hundreds of years, often by cultures far from its ancestral home in the Andean mountains. Some historians even credit the likable round vegetable for the rise of European empires in laying the groundwork for modern industrial agriculture and for providing a staple on the plate of global survival. After all, without the arrival of the starchy spud in the West, feeding rapidly growing populations might not have been possible.   For example, because potatoes provide relative nutritional value and can replace meat in a main meal, the poor and labor classes of Europe began planting them for their own consumption, as well as for liv...Read More

Follow the looping trail of cadmium red brushstrokes down and around the center of this painting; it will infinitely guide you through the delicate posture of the subject sitting before you. Her hands softly overlap and rest upon an eggshell-white dressing gown, a tone not much different than the color of her skin. With blue, downcast eyes and autumnal hair playing a pivotal role in her characterization, an intriguing young woman begins to emerge out of the decorative and powdery palette in which she exists.  Lot 121, Frederick Carl Frieseke, The Fur-Trimmed Peignoir, Oil on board, c. 1919; Sold for $114,950 Squint your eyes and you will see a tightening up of the easeful brushstrokes employed by Frederick Carl Frieseke, the second-generation American Impressionist. His style, closely inspired by Pierre-Auguste Renior, has all of the reckle...Read More

On November 9-10th, Leslie Hindman Auctioneers will present their Arts of the American West, 2-Day sale featuring an important bronze by Frederic Remington. Michael E. Shapiro, the Senior Advisor, Museums and Special Collections at LHA shares his insights into Lot 35, Frederic S. Remington, The Rattlesnake, #69, Bronze with brown patina: In 1905, ten years after creating his extraordinary first sculpture, The Bronco Buster, Frederic Remington returned to the subject of the single mounted cowboy in motion on the rearing horse. When Remington created The Rattlesnake it in some ways echoed his first sculpture, but in other ways The Rattlesnake incorporates all that Remington had learned about making sculpture over the previous decade. In The Bronco Buster, the cowboy and his horse move from left to right, while in The Rattlesnake Remington rev...Read More

Have you ever caught yourself saying, "Oh, well. I guess I don't need it." Which is usually followed by one last bittersweet inspection, a crumpled smile and a shrug? Placing a perfectly charming object back on the shelf is never a good feeling, especially for those who gravitate towards collecting. When the functionality of an object has long since expired, and pure display has taken over, the struggle is in justifying the "need" for it. So, since we don't want you to have to second guess collecting, we've gathered several loophole's for those looking for new reasons to add vintage tin boxes to ones home environment. Here are five different interpreta-tins of how you can make use of the antique coffee, honey, tobacco and oil tins currently available in Witherell's, Western and Canadian Art From the Collection of Don Reid, Timed Auction hap...Read More

He left something behind.  When young Jean-Michel Basquiat ran back into the street, he was unable to answer the command to return home for dinner. The car that hit him on his neighborhood block in Flatbush, Brooklyn landed the seven year old in the hospital for weeks - a traumatic experience that many of us would come to know as an integral component in his boisterous visual language. Laying in an alien bed, the injured child was gifted an insightful reference from his mother to better understand his predicament - the 19th century textbook, Gray's Anatomy by Henry Gray, F.R.S. widely regarded as an influential work on subject of human anatomy for surgical and applied medical knowledge. Jean-Michel would undergo essential reconstructions, including the removal of his spleen, and Gray's Anatomy provided him with a master’s degree level of un...Read More

On October 19th, Tribal Art from the Collection of Allan Stone and Other Owners goes to auction at Rago, bringing together over 200 lots of ethnographic property from around the world including art and artefacts of African, Oceanic, American and Asian origin. Ahead of this exceptional and culturally fascinating auction, we invite you to join us on a globe-trotting look at some of the highlights of the sale. And don’t worry; no passport required! African Art Lot 96, Luba-Songye, Kifwebe Mask, Congo; Estimate: $100,000 - $150,000 The striated face masks known as kifwebe likely originated in what is now the Shaba region of the Democratic Republic of Congo, southeast of the Congo River basin, an area inhabited by both Songye and Luba groups. For this reason, it is not unusual to see a masking tradition that seems to incorporate stylistic elemen...Read More

Have you ever tried avocado toast with a drizzle of honey? It might seem like an unusual combination at first, but once you tie them together, your tongue might get used to the confusion and start recognizing the taste of invention! The same goes for mixing-and-matching the decorative elements in ones home; different time periods, genres and patterns are all akin to the sweet, salty and bitter proportions that one can layer into a single, experimental bite. On October 20th, Rago will host their Remix: Classic + Contemporary sale featuring a range of inventory from Art Nouveau silver vases by Tiffany & Co. to Murano glass 'Hat Lamps' and 18th century, George III furniture. Here at Bidsquare, when the remix appears, it signals a time to take risks - nobody wants to be bland!  Here's how we decided to relish in Rago's remix: Lot 853, T.H. Robs...Read More

Although, it's always best to embrace change, as the colorful leaves of fall so elegantly remind us before gliding to the ground - there is also an undeniable comfort in noticing the things that happen to stay the same. Similar to the glee of knowing how an apple pie will soon be appearing on a kitchen counter or feeling that seasonal nudge to finish the novel that couldn't compete with summer's hype - there is an equal surge of anticipation when one returns to a seller in search of sensational antiques.  The salesroom at Pook & Pook was nearly full before the start of their first of two auctions on the weekend of September 14th-15th. Located in Chester County, Pennsylvania, Pook & Pook's auction gallery stands adjacent to their offices, which are stationed in an old stone inn built in 1761 - a very befitting settlement for an auction house...Read More

Buried beneath a catalog of antique clocks and scientific instruments lies a cluster of objects that has punctured an ominous hole into a seemingly innocent sale. Although, many of these things have long since been laid to rest, it only seems right that we bring them back into the light or cast a dramatic shadow upon them. October is here! It is officially time to turn up the terrifying and welcome the wicked! On October 5th, Skinner will host their Clocks, Watches & Scientific Instruments sale including vintage wristwatches, automobiles, anatomical models, clocks, compasses and other creepy curiosities. Here are a few awfully fun ones: Lot 388, Diminutive 19th Century Leech Jar; Estimate $800 - $1,200 Nothing is worse than having a leech loose in the house! Don't lose track of your bloodsucking buddies this season and consider this refined...Read More

Let me tell you a secret. As much as we're used to seeing steady waves of auction catalogs crop up on our platform, there was something about the latest group of Rago's September design auctions that made myself and the rest of the Bidsquare team gasp. Our combined excitement of clicking through the items, one stunning object after the next, and the pleasure of knowing that our audience would have an equally passionate field day was a lot to take in. What can I say? We love what we do! However, what we didn't yet know was how big of an impact these sales would have on Bidsquare history come auction day. There were four major sales taking place at Rago on the weekend of September 22-23; the Early 20th C. Design, featuring The Reese Collection of Lalique Glass (09/22), Mid-Mod (09/22), Modern Design (09/23) and Modern Ceramics + Glass (09/23)...Read More