The act of smoking isn’t what it used to be. Scientific studies and good ole common sense tells us that, whichever way you look at it, smoking is probably something youre better off avoiding. Yet back in less enlightened times, smoking was seen as the height of cool and sophistication, and nothing more embodied that than the production of finely crafted cigarette cases. On Thursday, April 21, Leslie Hindman Auctioneers offer bidders a sample of some of that bygone handiwork when they catalog over 250 tobacco related cases, all from Russia, on the Day 2 of their Fine Furniture and Decorative Arts sale. And while the collection consists primarily of cigarette cases, snuff bottles, pill and change boxes also go under the hammer in what promises to be the finest sales of its kind this year. Lot 599 is sure to catch the eye of collectors - a Rus...Read More

As one of the world’s most notable classical pianists, and the youngest pianist who won the International Frederic Chopin Piano Competition, Yundi Li never hid his preference for Steinway pianos. He once said, “I only perform with Steinway pianos.” It is no surprise that many famous pianists choose Steinway because of its fine quality. Pianist Yundi Li and Steinway & Sons piano at his concert Steinway & Sons, more commonly known as Steinway, is an American and German piano company. German immigrant Heinrich Engelhard Steinweg founded the company in 1853 in Manhattan. By the time Steinweg created the company he had already built 482 pianos. The first piano produced by the company, number 483, was sold to a New York family for $500. Heinrich Engelhard Steinweg  The 100,000th Steinway Piano was built for President Theodore Roosevelt intended f...Read More

Bidding online is a quick, easy way to participate in Rago’s auctions when you’d rather not make the trip to their saleroom. This short video by Rago shows you everything you need to know to bid online.   Before you bid in any auctions, please read the terms of sale, which includes information on the buyer’s premium, methods of payment, warranty and more.

Designer Bunny Williams discusses her design philosophy, collecting tips and why auctions are tools for learning about the decorative arts. "A house that really has a richness to it is one that evolves over a period of time,” says interior designer Bunny Williams, who is one of the twelve designers creating a room for Sotheby’s Designer Showhouse. 

DuMouchelles’ Decorative Arts, Fine Furniture & Antiques sale gets underway Sunday, April 17, with 446 expertly curated lots up for grabs from a broad range of categories. For those interested more specifically in sculpture, however, there is one lot sure to command special interest. Lot 213, titled "Spirit of Enterprise,” is a bronze Marquette sculpture by Jewish artist Jacques Lipchitz. Expected by many to top the sale, the work’s commission originates from an important period in the artist's life, which saw the overlapping of a major fire in his NY studio in January 1952, and the period after the death of his agent Curt Valentin. Jacques Lipchitz is recognized as the most significant Cubist sculptor of the twentieth century. While others explored ideas related to Cubism, it was Lipchitz who embraced the language of the movement and consi...Read More

Zena Assis contemporary work on canvas draws inspiration from the relation and conflict between the individual and their spatial environment, society and surroundings. Her pieces are punctuated by strong visual references to her native Beirut and the predicament of its citizens. The artist uses various media to document cultural and social change in Lebanon.   Left: Zena Assi, Bouquet in autoportrait, 2011, Right: Zena Assi Born in 1974 in Lebanon, Zena Assi lives and works in London. She graduated with honors from l’Academie Libanaise des Beaux Arts (ALBA), she then worked in advertising and taught at different universities.  Assis work includes installation, animation, sculpture and most especially painting on canvas, seeking to convey the tumult, angst and chaos that often characterizes Beirut. Assi’s strong use of color, jagged angular ...Read More

Rago presents highlights of upcoming auctions in April. View the video below!

It’s not every day you wake up with the opportunity to buy a professional boxing ring. Yet on Sunday, April 10, Material Culture will do exactly that, offering bidders the chance to channel their inner "Rocky" when they sell Lot 337 in their April Estates: Antiques, Art, Collectibles, Asian & Decorative Art sale. Rest assured, this isn’t just any old stretch of canvas. The Blue Horizon ring, being sold here in-situ (as pictured), was once center stage in one of the countrys most historic boxing venues. In fact, The Ring magazine once voted the 1,500 seat Blue Horizon the number-one boxing venue in the world, and Sports Illustrated called it the last great boxing venue in the country. Once home to the Loyal Order of the Moose, which at its peak boasted the largest membership of any fraternal lodge in the world, Philadelphia’s Blue Horizon be...Read More

More than just a jeweler, Cartier’s history is full of innovation and royal sophistication. Did you know Louis Cartier was the first person to successfully use platinum in jewelry-making? Because of this expertise, he became the pioneer jeweler in the occidental world at that time. Société Cartier, known more often as just Cartier, designs, manufactures and sells jewelry and watches. Louis-François Cartier founded the company in Paris, France in 1847. Cartier has a long history with royal families and celebrities. King Edward VII of England referred to Cartier as “the jeweler of kings and the king of jewelers.” For his coronation in 1902, Edward VII ordered 27 tiaras and issued a royal warrant to Cartier in 1904.  King Edward VII wearing Cartier The Cartier Halo Tiara pictured below on several royals, was made by Cartier in 1936 and purchas...Read More

An iconic Yves Saint Laurent look, the Mondrian dress has become one of the French designer’s signature pieces. The dress was inspired by Saint Laurent’s favorite Dutch contemporary painter and founder of the Des Stijl art movement, Piet Mondrian. Although Mondrian himself did not collaborate with Saint Laurent, the designer took the liberty of embedding this favorite artist’s masterpieces into fashion after he bought a painting by the artist with his lover and business partner, Pierre Berge. The dress appears as a seamlessly simple ensemble of primary colored squares, however the real complexity lies in the construction and intense haute couture tailoring of the dress. The Mondrian Yves Saint Laurent dress was part of the symbolic 1965 Fall Women’s Collection, and has since been a phenomenon in the fashion world. It was featured on the Sep...Read More