The surrealist, the classicist, the craftsman, the strategist; four designers deeply dedicated to their distinct methods and ideologies. However, despite their differences, these four (soon to be named) characters equally effected and swayed society's understanding of modern design. Grappling with the role and function that furniture played in peoples everyday lives was a fertile topic - quite literally “on the table” for 20th-century designers like Meret Oppenheim, T.H. Robsjohn-Gibbings, George Nakashima and Pierre Jeanneret. On May 20th, Rago Auctions in Lambertville, NJ unified these four influencers, amongst many others, in their Modern Design sale rich with fresh-to-market pieces and privately owned selections. The well-established network of collectors participating online from the Bidsquare platform secured several important lots th...Read More

Sarasota Estate Auction held their two-day sale of Fine Art on April 28th and 29th. The first day featured over 150 Asian Art objects from China, Japan and the Himalayan region, and included snuff bottles, porcelain, paintings, export wares and Buddhist art. The most impressive object by far was lot 140, a Finely Enameled Chinese Famille Rose Plaque; conservatively estimated at $400- $800, bidding exceeded $231k.   Lot 140, A Finely Enameled Chinese Famille Rose Plaque; Sold for $231,800 The plaque depicts a bucolic landscape with mountains in the background and a lush forest and lonely hut in the foreground. Stylistically, it is painted in qianjiang enamels, 淺絳彩, which literally means ‘shallow light-brown’. This term is taken from traditional literati scroll paintings from the Yuan Dynasty (1279-1368) where darker colours (including browns...Read More

It has never fully satisfied me to hear how mountain ranges like the Alps or Sierra Nevada’s came to be. The Alps, for instance, began forming 65 million years ago when African and Eurasian tectonic plates blindly pushed against one another in an unrelenting, upward act of crushing determination. While a scientist could continually explain how and why this happened, a profound disconnection remains. How could such an enormous calamity unfold to then exist in relative silence? For when you approach a beautiful mountain, all of the random, shattering violence has already occurred; they are simply there for us to admire and absorb in grand totality. Accepting and scaling this idea should make ones heart beat harder.  The same sentiment is felt when faced with the sculptural work of John Angus Chamberlain. How exactly does a several-ton vehicle...Read More

There is such a thing as the right place at the right time, between the right people. It is the potency of these ''right'' moments that vary in directional degree and spin on with unpredictable torque - sometimes fast tracks can open up. When Jim Walrod was sixteen years old, he crossed the Hudson River from New Jersey to find a summer job in New York City - Bloomingdales would decline to hire him as their stock boy. That same day, the ambitious, redheaded boy wandered down the street thinking of how and who to ask next; a question that the magnetism of Manhattan would take care of for him.  While passing by the original Firorucci shop, Andy Warhol would spot an unemployed stranger (Jim Walrod) and decide to offer his recommendation. That''s right, Andy Warhol. Known for striking up conversations with attractive young men, Warhol devised a ...Read More

The spring auction season has officially begun! When our seas are populated with a bounty of items as rich as this, we start hooking unforgettable (sometimes unusual) items, from a multitude of genres, to admire. With our auction antennas operating on full blast, we're reeling in lots that are anything but ordinary.   In this week's Bidsquare Picks, the wild things are calling: Lot 687, Andy Warhol, Endangered Species, 10 Screenprints, 1983; Estimate $30,000 - $50,000 The auction floor is going to be quaking! Rago's Post War & Contemporary sale on May 5th, welcomes a vibrant stampede of prints by Andy Warhol in a slew of subjects. Featured as lot 687, the recognizable neon overlay, for which Warhol is best known, depicts a portfolio of 10 endangered species including a Zebra, Panda, Monarch Butterfly and the American Bald Eagle, amongst oth...Read More

They came swooping in from out of nowhere. A colony of copper-red bats, painted upon two delicate Chinese bowls, squeaked a powerful sonar signal loud enough for human ears. Described as a 'Pair of Youngzheng Style Porcelain Loving Bowls,' in Rago's Remix: Contemporary + Classic on April 7th, the pair of unassuming vessels caught the attention of several Asian art collectors who continued to trade bids until a high estimate of $1,500 turned into a $102,400 bombshell. The winning bid, placed and secured through Bidsquare, was just one of many highlights seen from the platform that day. Lot 2194, Pair of Youngzheng Style Porcelain Loving Bowls; Sold for $102,400 Bidsquare captured over 23% of the total sales made during Rago's Remix auction - here are some of our favorite wins: Lot 2252, Gorham Martele Silver Tea & Coffee Service; Sold for $2...Read More

If you hand a cassette player to a sixteen-year-old, chances are they won't know what it is, or even how to open it - forget about flipping the tape over and holding down rewind. It's strange to imagine that this pattern of invention and obsolescence has been the true mark of technological progression for centuries. How long will it take before the next cycle of confusion begs the question 'what was this used for?' - I'm nominating the salad spinner as an amusing chin-tapper for future anthropologists.  Skinner's upcoming Clocks, Watches & Scientific Instruments sale on April 20th is latent with items of intrigue that capture our curiosity and invite wonder for even the most basic of tools. We reached out to Skinner specialist, Jay Dowling for the ‘skinny’ on several of their upcoming items:  Lot 189, Rare Tiffany & Co. No 2 Astronomical Ma...Read More

The March edition of Asian Art auctions just wrapped up and there were many astonishing pieces on display! This season saw the sale of major items from China, Japan, Korea, India and the Himalayan region, all offered through Bidsquare. Artwork from China continues to be the top sellers, but there were many surprises from other Asian regions. By far the biggest highlight was a Korean Eight-Panel Folding Screen, Yojiyeondo, presented as lot 514 at Skinner’s Asian Works of Art Auction on March 16th. Lot 514, Eight-panel Folding Screen, Yojiyeondo, Korea, 19th century; Sold for $405,900 With a conservative estimate at $5,000-$7,000, this screen sold for over 80 times its low value at $405,900! It depicts a scene of the Queen Mother of the West, Seowangmo, and various deities gathering for a large birthday banquet. This story is Chinese Daoist o...Read More

We know how exciting it feels to dive, high estimates first, into a new auction catalog to admire upcoming showstoppers - it's how you know what to watch out for during the live sale! However, if you only browse the big shots you could accidentally overlook the little steals hiding in the back.  In this week's Bidsquare Picks, we're plucking fresh finds with estimates of $500 or less: Lot 314, Lancaster County, Painted Plank Seat Chairs, 19th Century; Estimate $400 - $500 If you're looking to update your dining room but don't want to completely redecorate, swapping out your chairs might just do the trick! These antique, floral painted, plank seat chairs are featured in Pook & Pook Inc's upcoming The Ruth Bryson Collection, Quarryville, PA on April 14th. Graze the best Lancaster County, Pennsylvania German folk art paintings, furnishings and...Read More

It's often suggested that people forget to be thankful for the "little things in life." Sometimes, those "things" are really, really little. So little, in fact, that they can fit on the tip of pen - precisely because that's exactly what we're talking about! Image detail of Lot 69, Three Sailor Fountain Pens | Brunk Auctions We've come a long way since our thoughts were being meticulously knocked into clay tablets. Evidence of using sharpened writing implements with ink, such as reed pens and feather quills, date as far back as the 7th Century and can be found on ancient scriptures such as the Dead Sea Scrolls. However, the most pivotal changes to the modern methods in which we make our marks began in the 19th Century and continued onward with the invention and mass production of the beloved fountain pen.  Elegant examples of the fine crafts...Read More