As summer winds down we begin to see the leaves starting to change color, slightly cooler mornings and pumpkin spice everything popping up on menus near you. September is not only the start to fall but also a good time to review the market as we close quarter three in the marketplace. If you refer back to our Top Picks article from July, 2021 the Pop Culture market was continuously breaking records only set a month or even a week before. People couldn't get enough Pop Culture! I’m happy to report the market has largely stayed the same. While there may have been a subtle market correction for items that underwent a rapid price inflation, their values are still 100% to 500% higher than a pre-pandemic market. But just slightly depressed from peak COVID time of January-July, 2021. However, items of true rarity and collector quality could not be...Read More

Paul Howard Manship (American, 1885 - 1966) created four bronze fountains The Moods of Time: Morning, Day, Evening, and Night for the 1939 New York World’s Fair. The sculptures were hour markers on a large sundial, allegorical figures representing the time of day. They were located in a reflecting pool in front of companion work Time & Fates of Man, in the Fair’s futuristic exhibition The Worlds of Tomorrow. The scale was monumental, the sundial pointer stood eighty feet. An enormous perisphere loomed in the background.  After Paul Howard Manship (American 1885-1966), four bronze sculptures, cast posthumously, The Moods of Time: Morning, Day, Evening, and Night, estiamted at $15,000-$25,000 At the time, Paul Manship was the most celebrated sculptor in America. As a student at the American Academy in Rome from 1909 until 1912, he became inte...Read More

The allure of Provence has long been an inspiration for artists and writers looking to enjoy its relaxed atmosphere and slower pace of life. Fortunately, Sworders upcoming Fine Interiors auction (September 14-15) is well-supplied with beautiful pieces that encapsulate this style and can inject a little Provencal magic into the home, wherever that may be. Lots from Sworders upcoming Fine Interiors auction on September 14-25 The fascination this area held for Van Gogh, Matisse, and Cezanne is understandable, with its beautiful light and cheerful – yet not overbearing – a spattering of colour (hues of orange, green, yellow, and violet abound in the area’s vernacular buildings and natural landscape). This distinctive character is reflected in its houses and interiors, from relaxed and comfortable farmhouses to magnificent châteaux. Lot 697, Hen...Read More

“I found I could say things with color and shapes that I couldn’t say any other way–things I had no words for.” – Georgia O’Keeffe Since time immemorial, people have found unique ways of expressing themselves through art. Prehistoric paintings illustrate the inherent connection between human beings and their roots in nature. Paintings also served utilitarian needs in folk culture before a patron system emerged in the medieval age. It was only when "art for art's sake" became the new form and style of expression in the West that the economics of art began to change. The 19th century witnessed the emergence of commercial art galleries. Subsequently, during the 1900s, the rich bought paintings and objet d’art that recreated the lost charms of the past. International art dealers played a key role in the economics of art during this period. Jose...Read More

NEW YORK — The Coeur d’Alene Art Auction brought a strong total of over $ 17.5 million during this year’s sale. The highlight of the 2021 sale was auction mainstay Charles M. Russell’s Roping a Wolf, 1904, which sold for over $ 1.7 million – the highest total for the influential Western artist in over seven years, and the tenth-highest total all-time. The largest single-auction event in the classical Western and American Art field saw over 30 lots eclipse the $ 100,000 price point, realizing a sales rate of over 94%. The Coeur d'Alene Art Auction held their 36th annual Fine Western & American Art auction on July 31, 2021 with online bidding available exclusively through Bidsquare for the sixth consecutive year.  Charles M. Russell, Roping a Wolf (1904), Sold for $1,770,000 in Coeur d'Alene Art Auction's Fine Western & American Art Auction W...Read More

Leading up to Pook & Pook's, Online Only Decorative Arts sales on July 28-29th, Cynthia Beech Lawrence reviews Lot 2368, a lithograph of George Washington enveloped in an opulent, oval frame - complete with a gilded eagle on top... Lot 2386, Patriotic gessoed frame, with spread wing eagle crest, crossed cannons, stars and shields, with a lithograph of George Washington as a Mason, published by Moore & Co., New York. Estimate $160-$220 What drew me to this pick of the week was the amazing patriotic gessoed frame. The frame is loaded with stars, shields, crossed cannons, and topped with a spread wing eagle crest. It is a wonderfully uplifting thing to behold. Then the lithograph caught my attention. One of many adaptations of Gilbert Stuart’s 1796 portrait of George Washington, this portrait had been altered to show Washington in Masonic rega...Read More

Pottery is emerging as the new-age mindfulness mantra in the Western world, where fast-paced urban life paves way for awareness of slow living. Many are rethinking on the lines of going back to basics. From learning to bake one’s own bread to growing one’s own vegetables in the kitchen garden, people are learning to reconnect with roots. It’s all about looking beyond instant gratification, an underlining aspect of the present-day lifestyles. Pottery aptly fits this exercise of relooking our vacuous way of life. Things can’t be rushed and this is the most important takeaway from pottery. Perhaps our wise ancestors knew this well. The best lessons of life arose from their kilns in the process of hand making and crafting each piece of clay. Jar by Katherine (Kathy) Pino, Zia Pueblo, New Mexico, ca. 1970 | On view in the Elizabeth M. and Joseph...Read More

When a local private vendor approached Sworders with a collection of Navajo Jewelry for inclusion in their forthcoming auction of Fine Jewelry and Watches, they felt compelled to delve deeper into history of the craft…   Pictured clockwise from top: Lot 275 - A silver Navajo turquoise squash blossom necklace, estimate £400-600 / Lot 277 - A silver Navajo torque style cuff bangle, together with a pair of silver Navajo earrings, estimate £100-150 / Lot 279 - A silver Navajo bangle, fitted with a ladies' stainless steel Omega automatic watch head, estimate £100-150 / Lot 278 - A silver Navajo turquoise set torque bangle or cuff, estimate £150-250/ Lot 276 - A silver Navajo turquoise set belt buckle, c.1970, estimate £200-400 The Native American Navajo tribe’s tradition of jewelry making dates back to the 19th century when tribe members began w...Read More

In Sworders' auction of Fine Jewelry and Watches on Tuesday 27 July, they offer an impressive single owner private collection of high-end jewelry by Royal Warrant holders, Hamilton & Inches, 87 George Street, Edinburgh. Hamilton & Inches, established in 1866, has been hand-crafting and carefully sourcing corporate giftware for centuries. The five-story George Street store reopened in April of this year after an extensive refurbishment to its showrooms and workshops, making it the ultimate "destination" for watch and jewelry enthusiasts to visit for a guaranteed marked occasion. Sworders upcoming auction will include selections from Hamilton & Inches With master craftsmen and women in workshops above the showroom, they are one of the only jewelers to be able to offer purchasers the opportunity to meet the craftsperson behind their treasured ...Read More

Sworders' upcoming Design sales on July 13 &14 include a cache of prints taken by music photographer Ed Finnell at legendary gigs held in Los Angeles in the 1970s - the very first time his work is available to buy at auction in the UK - including original photographs of Mick Jagger, David Bowie, Robert Plant and Elton John all performing in their pomp. Lot 561, Ed Finnell (American, b.1956) Ed Finnell (American, b.1956) 'George Harrison - Dark Horse Tour' Los Angeles Forum, 12 November 1974 gelatin silver print on Ilford Multigrade V RC paper Born in LA in 1956, Ed Finnell became interested in photography at the age of 10-11 years old, his subject matter turning to rock and roll in the late 1960s. He attended his first concerts in 1972, and thereafter shot every major band that came through his city. At the Pirate Sound Rehearsal Space in H...Read More