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

Humanity’s love of silver is well documented. Archeologists have discovered examples of silver ornamentation dating to 4000 B.C. Odds are good that there are examples of silver ornamentation among your possessions, as well. But what do you know about this alluring metal? And what factors determine the worth of objects shaped from and adorned by it? The following blog is informed by a presentation delivered by Jenny Pitman, formerly the silver department director at Christie’s and currently Rago’s representative in Westchester and Connecticut, at the Historical Society of Princeton in March of 2018. Lot 2012, Georg Jensen, Sterling Silver Tea & Coffee Service; Estimate $6,000 - $9,000 Silver Quality Standards Silver is a soft metal that is easy to work with but lacking in durability. As such it is often alloyed with other metals, primarily c...Read More

Having a concrete idea of ones likes and dislikes can seem the most practical approach when seeking out new home accessories and furnishings. Its never been easier to filter, navigate and click straight toward your taste - sometimes the internet even appears to find more options for you (a creepy yet convenient happenstance). However, what if your usual patterns are causing you to overlook styles you didn't yet know you'd love?  In this week's Bidsquare Picks, we urge you to disrupt your search data and crisscross around our upcoming catalogs. When browsing for antiques and vintage designs, you don't have to feel held down to one style, embrace the unplanned allure of online auctions! Lot 2280, Pair of Regency Painted and Parcel Gilt Armchairs, England, 1815; Estimate $2,000 - $4,000 To make it even easier on you, the challenge to consider ...Read More

Mrs. Ruth Bryson was a widely distinguished antiques dealer and collector in Quarryville, Pennsylvania. Her expertise was unmistakable, noted by the exceptional personal collection of antiques she leaves behind following her death in July 2017. On Saturday, April 14th Pook & Pook Inc. will exhibit and share her private collection with an auction of unparalleled quality, comprising of just over 300 lots in their sale, The Ruth Bryson Collection, Quarryville, PA.  Lot 190, Jacob or Jonas Weber, Painted dresser box, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, Mid 19th c; Estimate $12,000 - $18,000 Born in 1929 in Quarryville, Pennsylvania, Mrs. Bryson was the daughter of the late Ira and Okie Shumate. She was a 1952 graduate of Lebanon Valley College and two years later married Jack Bryson, a native of Ephrata, PA. The couple soon moved their growing fami...Read More

Rago’s Remix Auctions are built around the understanding that the most livable spaces are not contrived or overly curated. Rather, they are kinetic and welcoming expressions of the people who occupy them, a blend of contrasting and complementary colors and forms that come together like the flavors of a fine cocktail. Ahead of Rago's Remix: Contemporary + Classic Auction, on April 7th, they sat down with Arlen Sam Brown, Design Director at Rago and lead (Re)mixologist to sample some of her most tantalizing room recipes. When one’s passion for entertaining and collecting collide, the result is an evocative space that is at its best when filled with friends. Lot 2110, Adrian Pearsall, Disk Bar, USA, 1970s; Estimate $1,000 - $1,500 This Adrian Pearsall Disc Bar is the kind of piece that, as a designer, I immediately want to build a room around....Read More

An artist can spend a lifetime perfecting their signature. More than a mere marking of ones name, or a way to place claim over an object, a signature is a declaration. It solidifies the completeness of ones creative thought and it’s usually the last moment an artist will spend on a particular work. What a curious statement than for an artist to purposefully refrain from such an important act of accreditation. However, for Parisian jewelry designer, Suzanne Belperron, the absence of her written signature was a magnifying act that elevated her unique style - a risky yet bold act of confidence - “Mon style est ma signature," she would simply proclaim.  Photo: © Archives Olivier Baroin / Portrait of Suzanne Belperron The upcoming sale at Fortuna Auctions, The Estate of Bo Legendre on April 25th will showcase some of most important selections of...Read More

It is virtually impossible to imagine modern furniture design without the prolific achievements of Charles and Ray Eames. The basic sentiment that evolved during the mid-20th-century, that strong design should be made simply and affordably, spawned an exciting and infinitely fertile ground for many of the iconic solutions still being manufactured today. The joy and influence that practical architecture and furniture could have on ones life resonated with Charles and Ray Eames and became an integral part of their process. They improved upon and discovered all aspects of the effects that design had on the individual, and through their creative partnership and marriage, Charles and Ray Eames eclipsed their vows – in many more ways than one.  In this week's 'Bidsquare Picks' we're sharing essential designs by Charles and Ray Eames coming up at ...Read More

In an unexpected roll of the dice, the playful side of Americana moved ahead several spaces during Skinner's American Furniture & Decorative Arts sale on March 3rd. Amongst the fine art selection that one expects to see in catalog such as this (nautical scenes, family portraits and appetizing still lifes) the delicate art of game board painting was equally admired during the sale that cleared $1.3 million in sales.  Actively jumping across the auction block, Bidsquare crowned a few kings of its own during the course of the auction. The top lot on Bidsquare was lot 72, a Polychrome Paint-decorated Double-sided Game Board from the late 19th Century selling for a total of $10,455 against an estimate of $6,000 - $8,000. The kaleidoscopic precision of lot 72 can be admired for its geometric complexity alone, however its history and past function...Read More

As part of their Asian Works of Art auction on March 26th, Leslie Hindman Auctioneers will be featuring one of the most exciting Chinese painting collections to be offered for sale in North America.  The painting collection of Ms. Yuan Jiayin 袁家英 and Mr. Li Guoyin 李國元  was assembled over the past fifty years and consists of fan paintings, calligraphy, album pages and scrolls. Ms. Yuan is the granddaughter of Yuan Shikai 袁世凱, the renowned general of the late Qing Dynasty who, amongst many things, became the first formal President of the Republic of China (1914) and later attempted to revive the monarchy by declaring himself the Hongxian Emperor. Her grandmother, known as Lady Yang, was the fifth and favorite concubine of Yuan Shikai. Together with her husband, Li Guoyin, an English-speaking secretary to the Kuomintang Nationalist Party, Ms. ...Read More