Swann Galleries

The Sacred and the Spooky Up For Auction At Swann Galleries

It's a little late for Halloween but on Tuesday, November 9, Swann Galleries in New York will offer a wide range of books that includes an intriguing selection of occult material. Shown above is Francis Potter, An Interpretation of the Number 666, first edition, Oxford, 1642 which is estimated to sell for $1,000 to $2,000. Other occult highlights include Johannes Trithemius, Polygraphie et Uniuerselle escriture Cabalistique, first edition in French of the earliest treatise on cryptography, Paris, 1561 ($3,000 to $4,000) and Jean Bodin, La Demonomanie des Sorciers, one of the most celebrated books on the theory and practice of witch hunting, Paris, 1598 ($800 to $1,200).

Should your bibliophile tendencies be a bit more angelic, the sale also features an illuminated manuscript Book of Hours in Latin and French, on vellum, with 13 large and two small miniatures in colors and gold, Paris, late 15th century with 16th- century additions which is estimated to sell for between $15,000 and $20,000). A set of the second Estienne Hebrew "pocket" Bible, which is considered one of the most impressive examples of Hebrew printing of the French Renaissance, 17 parts in eight volumes, bound in 16th-century calf with gilt arabesque centers, Paris, 1544-46 is estimated at $10,000 to $15,000. The sale also includes a variety of medical and scientific books including a first edition of the first complete textbook of astronomy in Hebrew. The books will be on public exhibition Friday, November 5, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Saturday, November 6, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.; Monday, November 8, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.; and Tuesday, November 9, from 10 a.m. to noon. An illustrated catalogue is available for $35 from Swann Galleries, Inc., 104 East 25th Street, New York, NY 10010, or online at www.swanngalleries.com.

Tags: book of hours, occult books, rare books, swann galleries

Whistler Print Sets New Auction Record

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Art

Swann Galleries' auction of Whistler and His Influence on Wednesday, October 27 offered approximately 150 prints by James A. M. Whistler and nearly 20 of these set world auction records, including the sale's top lot, a very early impression of Nocturne, etching and drypoint on Japan paper, 1879-80, which became the most expensive Whistler print ever sold at auction when it brought $282,000.

The moody etching, shown above, was likely one of the first that Whistler made after arriving in Venice. It was estimated to sell for $80,000 to $120,000 and bears his rare butterfly signature. Todd Weyman, Swann Vice President and Director of the Prints & Drawings Department, said, "Setting the record price for any Whistler print shows the quality and scarcity of the material we have been able to gather in the past few seasons."

Among the many other Whistlers that set records in the October 27 sale were a very scarce first state of Rotherhithe, 1860, etching and drypoint, $14,400; Little Smithfield, etching on Japan paper, which had not appeared at auction in the last 20 years, $18,000; Battersea: Dawn, drypoint, 1875, with soft, hazy tones and inky plate edges, $13,200; Fishing-Boats, Hastings, etching and drypoint on Japan paper, 1877, $15,600; Fulham, etching, 1879, one of three etchings Whistler made of the old Putney (or Fulham) toll bridge in 1879 before its destruction, $14,400; Exeter Street, etching, circa 1886-88, $22,800; and Rue des Bon Enfants, Tours, etching and drypoint, 1888, created while he was honeymooning in the Loire Valley, $21,600. The two day sale brought in a total of $2,527,512 with Buyer's Premium.

Tags: art, etching, james whistler, swann galleries, whistler, whistler print

Swann Galleries Showcases Art of New York City

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Art

New York City has inspired artists for many years. Swann Galleries is selling some of the most significant examples of printmaking depicting New York City in the first half of the 20th century during their Scenes of the City: Prints, Drawings & Paintings of New York 1900 -2000 on September 16. The top lot, shown above, is Edward Hopper's Night Shadows, etching,1921, a print that shows the same location near the Hudson River as his 1913 painting, New York Corner, in the Museum of Modern Art, New York. It is estimated at $30,000 to $50,000.

Etchings from the turn of the century, like Childe Hassam's Fifth Avenue, Noon, 1916 ($10,000 to $15,000), and Washington's Birthday, Fifth Avenue and 23rd Street, 1916 ($8,000 to $12,000), showcase the city during a period of massive growth. Many of the pieces in this auction aren't just art, they are history such as John Sloan's etchings, Sculpture in Washington Square, 1925 ($2,500 to $3,500), Fourteenth Street, The Wigwam, 1928 ($2,500 to $3,500), which illustrates the last physical address of Tammany Hall, and George Bellows's lithograph, Solitude, 1917 ($1,500 to $2,500), exemplify the Ash Can School, where the gritty realism of Manhattan took center stage.

Moving ahead in the time line a bit, lithographs by Raphael Soyer and Louis Lozowick represent the men and architecture of Depression-era Manhattan. Lozowick's Mural Study: Lower Manhattan, 1936 ($7,000 to $10,000), and Mural Study: Triborough Bridge, 1936 ($4,000 to $6,000), are connected to the artist's commission from the Treasury Relief Art Project for two large oil paintings to adorn the walls of the Midtown Manhattan Post office at 33rd Street and 8th Avenue. Works from the auction will be on public exhibition on September 11 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.; Monday, September 13 to Wednesday, September 15, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.; and Thursday, September 16, 10 a.m. to noon.

Tags: art, childe hassam, edward hopper, new york city, prints, swann galleries

Swann Galleries Vintage Posters Auction

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Auctions, Art

Swann Galleries has announced that its average annual summer auction of Vintage Posters will be held on August 4 in New York City. The auction offers fine selections of summer resort and beach posters, World War I and II and other propaganda posters and Mather Work Incentive posters. There are also posters advertising tourism to Bermuda, ocean liner and airline posters, Pacific Telephone & Telegraph Company posters and some lovely Art Deco works.

Most of the works are estimated to sell for several hundred to a few thousand dollars making them an affordable way to invest in artwork. The posters are also an interesting anthropological study giving clues into the concerns and delights of past generations. The Mather Work posters Incentive were created in Chicago in the late 1920s to boost employee productivity and safety. Some of the summer resort images featuring idyllic seaside scenes would be great artwork for a beach house or a summer home. The posters will be on public exhibition at Swann Galleries starting July 30 and an illustrated auction catalogue is available for $35. Shown at right is N.C. Wyeth's work for the Pennsylvania Rail Road, circa 1929. It is estimated to sell for $1,500-2,000.

Tags: art, collectibles, collecting, collection, posters, swann galleries, vintage posters, vintage travel posters

Swann Galleries Early Printed Books Auction

by Rigel Celeste (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Auctions, Books

There's something magical about turning the pages of an old book, with all that history and ancient knowledge snuggled and sleeping between the sheets of paper. Swann Galleries will be offering up a collection of early printed books and manuscripts belonging to the late Lawrence Feinberg, who was a bookseller and specialized in ancient manuscripts. The accumulation includes a diverse assortment, with some pieces dating back as far as the 9th century. A few examples are a portion of a 9th century Bible in Latin with text from Ecclesiastes, a first edition of a rare book on weather prediction, and a first Humelberg edition of the only surviving Roman culinary text from 1542. Most pieces are valued at somewhere between $1000 - $3500 each.

The books will be available for public viewing at Swann Galleries in NYC from May 7th - 11th and the auction will begin at 1:30pm on May 11th. Get an illustrated catalogue and make arrangements to attend via the Swann Galleries website.

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Tags: antiques, auctions, book, book auction, book auctions, books, expire-images:2010-5-20, swann galleries

The Szyk Haggadah Among Rare Books Up For Auction

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Auctions, Books

Swann Galleries' April 2 auction of fine books will include a copy of one of the most famous versions of the Haggadah, the Jewish religious text that tells the story of Passover. The Szyk Haggadah was illustrated by Arthur Szyk in Poland in the 1930s and is famous for the beauty and detail of its pictures. Last year, a new reprinting of the text was announced at a hefty price of $15,000 each. The version Swann Galleries is selling is one of 125 copies on vellum, signed by Szyk and editor Cecil Roth and is in the original gilt-pictorial blue morocco binding by Sangorski & Sutcliffe, London, 1939, It is estimated at $15,000 to $25,000.

This is just part of a sale that coincides with the New York Antiquarian Book Fair and includes works on cards and the occult from the collection of Stuart R. Kaplan founder of U.S. Games Systems, Inc., a leading publisher of tarot decks and card games. The sale will also auction off a copy of Golden Cockerel Press Four Gospels, illustrated by Eric Gill, one of only twelve printed on vellum, bound in white pigskin by Sangorski & Sutcliffe, Waltham Saint Lawrence, 1931 which is estimated at $40,000 to $50,000. A set of David Roberts's The Holy Land, Syria, Idumea, Arabia, Egypt & Nubia, first edition in book form in the issue with hand-colored proofs before letters, 6 volumes in the original bindings, London, 1842-49 is likely to be one of the top lots at $80,000 to $120,000. The books will be on public exhibition at Swann Galleries at 104 East 25th Street in New York City on March 28 and March 30 to April 1.

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Tags: book auction, BookAuction, rare books, RareBooks, swann galleries, SwannGalleries

Celebrities on Sale in Swann Photo Auction

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Auctions, Art

If the nude supermodels in Christie's' upcoming auction are a little out of your price range, but you'd still like to try your hand at starting a photo collection, check out Swann Galleries' NYC sale on May 15. While short on supermodels in their birthday suits, the Swann sale does have some high-profile and provocative celebrity pix at considerably lower prices than the Christie's event.

Highlights include Francesco Scavullo's 1984 portrait of Sting, est. $1,800 - $2,200, pictured here; Roy Schatt's 1954 photo of James Dean, est. $1,500 - $2,500; several works by Herb Ritts including a 1986 Madonna portrait, est. $4,000 - $6,000, and a muscle-bound Fred With Tires, 1984, est. $8,000 - $12,000; a 1977 Christopher Makos photo of Andy Warhol, est. $4,000 - $6,000; and Helmut Newton's 1981 full-frontal Sylvia in My Studio, Paris, est. $4,000 - $6,000. Catch a preview below.

Gallery: Swann Photo Auction

Tags: Andy Warhol, AndyWarhol, Celebrities, Christies, Christopher Makos, ChristopherMakos, Francesco Scavullo, FrancescoScavullo, Helmut Newton, HelmutNewton, James Dean, JamesDean, Madonna, Nudes, Photographs, Sting, Swann Auction Galleries, Swann Galleries, SwannAuctionGalleries, SwannGalleries

African-American Fine Art Auction

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Auctions, Art

One way to celebrate Black History month in February is to invest in a piece of African-American fine art. Swann Galleries in New York is holding an auction devoted entirely to African-American Fine Art on February 6. The sale includes over 200 prints, sculptures, drawings and paintings. The sale includes prints from Jacob Lawrence which are estimated to sell for up to $160,000 and collages and oil paintings from Romare Bearden, estimated to sell for up to $100,000. My favorites are the wood sculptures. A mahogany Nude Torso which is is believed to be the first sculpture by Elizabeth Catlett ever to come to auction is estimated to sell for $100,000 to $150,000, but my favorite piece is New Moon, 1933, shown here from Leslie Garland Bolling which should bring between $20,000-$30,000. The works of art will be on public exhibition at Swann Galleries from January 31 to February 2. Swann is also holding their twelfth annual sale of Printed & Manuscript African Americana on February 27. This sale includes a copy of Langston Hughes's rarest book, The Dream Keeper and a large archive of jazz great Fats Waller material, including two pieces of music and signed documents.

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Tags: african-american, art, auction, swann galleries, SwannGalleries

Swann Galleries Prints Auction

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Auctions

Swann Galleries will be auctioning off 100 Important Old Master Prints and Old Master through Modern Prints on Thursday, May 4. The first part of the two-part auction includes many important prints from the16th century, including Dürer engravings such as Coat-of-Arms with a Skull,1503 (estimate $7,000 to $10,000), and St. Eustace, circa 1501 ($20,000 to $30,000) and Rembrandt etchings such as Self Portrait with Curly Hair and White Collar: Bust, circa 1630 ($20,000 to $30,000). The afternoon session of prints includes Manet’s Le Buveur d’absinthe, etching, 1862 ($7,000 to $10,000), the sweet and simple Cassatt’s Quietude, drypoint on Japan paper, fifth state, circa 1891 shown here ($25,000 to $35,000) and Odalisque, brasero et coupe de fruits, lithograph, 1929 ($40,000 to $60,000). You can view the art at Swann Galleries April 29 to May 3.

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Tags: 16th century, art, auction, cassatt, manet, matisse, prints, rembrandt, swann galleries, SwannGalleries

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