Catalog: Sold Items (421)

Chinese carved malachite figural study of a sage or scholar fisherman seated on a large fish and holding another in one hand. Comes with a sliver wire inlaid rosewood stand. Measuring approx. 2.5 x 3 inches in excellent condition. A fine detailed carving a nice addition to any collection.

A beautiful landscape of a clearing storm over the French country side. A fine impressionist painting contrasting the storm clouds with the sunlight on the landscape. Oil on board signed lower right measuring approx 13 x 19 inches framed in a quality gallery frame 17 x 23 inches overall. A fine painting by a listed and highly regarded French and Belgian painter.

Biography

Painter of landscapes and marines. inspired by the landscapes of Brabant Wallon. Deceased about 1945. Exhibited at the Triennial "Exposition of Antwerp "in 1901 ("Mill in Dordrecht"). Lived in Saint-Gilles at that time. Listed in BOTTOM II and "Two Centuries of Signatures of Artists of Belgium". ...

A beautiful example with hand painted motif of gold fish Tong Zhi period 1862 1874 with date mark on bottom. Provenance: the Sunn collection with fitted silk box and certificate of authenticity.

"Summer at the 18th Pebble Beach "

A fine original watercolor painting of Pebble Beach Golf course Carmel California by James March Phillips a renowned California watercolorist. Measuring approx. 12 x 20 inches in excellent condition beautifully framed.

biography

James March Phillips was born in Fresno California in 1913. His art career began in the 1940's while attending Jean Turner Art Academy in San Francisco where is studied under such prominent artists as Louis J. Rogers, Alfred Owles, and J. Paget Fredricks. His paintings were sold in numerous galleries in the west during the 1940's and 1950's. In recent years his paintings have become quite valuable and have reached prices as high as $13,000 at San Francisco auction house Bonhams Butterfields. This is one of a pair please view the other listing of the 7th hole Pebble Beach.

A fine Mayan Jade classic period pectoral chest ornament plaque. From a Stanford collection measuring 11.5" x 7".

A very fine antique Japanese Ivory netsuke of a Buddhist monk and a Oni figure. Artist signed very fine intricate carving the Buddha has a gold pin third eye on his forehead. Measuring approx. 2 inches tall or 5 centimeters. Truly a masterfully carved piece.

A large Chinese carved Ivory figure of the god of longevity, Shou Lao. Carved from one whole tusk an antique item in very fine condition artist signed. Measuring approx. 14 inches tall a fine example of Chinese art. Shou Lao is depicted in the traditional manner as an old man with a long white beard and a high, bald forehead holding his gnarled staff in one hand and the peach of immortality in the other, also a symbol of longevity.

A fine antique Navajo Indian rug centering a cross-filled complementary stepped diamond medallion, with four-corner Hooked diamond accents, solid color banded border, in beige dark brown, red, white and grey brown. Measuring approx. 7 ft. 3 in. by 4 ft.6 in. A fine antique native American textile in excellent antique condition.

Provenance

From the collection of American pop culture legend Andy Warhol sold at the sale of Warhol’s estate at Sotheby’s in New York on April, 28, 1988 lot # 2479 Warhol was an avid and knowledgeable collector of fine art, furniture, jewelry and decorative objects. Over time, his 27-room Manhattan townhouse was filled to overflowing with the fruits of his obsessions. Exquisite Art Deco furniture and American folk art vied for space with Navajo Indian blankets and Empire sofas. After Warhol's death, Sotheby's auction house was given the daunting task of inventorying the contents of the townhouse and selling them at what has become a series of legendary auctions, which Time magazine characterized as "the most extensive estate sale in history, and the glitziest."

A Dutch painting school of Jan Vermeer of an interior scene Picturing a woman at work in a traditional 17th century kitchen. Oil on oak panel beautifully painted framed in a gilt decorative frame. A fine decorative painting would be a nice addition to any collection.

A beautiful example from the Meiji period c. 1900 green foil background with flying cranes over ocean waves. Measuring approx. 5 inches tall 12.5 centimeters. In excellent condition no damage to this piece. There is some seperation in the foil under the enamel this is in the making or firing and is not damage see pictures. A fine and beautiful example.

An Ancient Greek Pottery Ewer Mycenaean era polychrome designs of mythological lions c. 1000 BC.-1030 Measures approx. 7.5 inches tall in good antique condition.

A fine antique Kentucky Rifle with tiger maple stock and silver decorations percussion muzzle loader approx. 50 caliber. The lock mechanism is by Whitmore and Wolfe of Pennsylvania the barrel octagon by N. Schennefelt Penn. A fine gun in very good antique condition.

A beautiful original oil on canvas board signed lower left and titled on reverse "Pirates Cove" in excellent all original condition with original frame measuring 20 x 24 inches. BIOGRAPHY Born in Los Angeles, CA on Oct. 1, 1881, the son of Esiquia and Miguel de Villa. His parents came to Los Angeles from Baja California in 1846 when the area was still part of Mexico. Raised in an artistic milieu, his mother was an amateur singer and his father an artist with a studio on the Plaza. Villa studied locally under Louise Garden-MacLeod at the School of Art & Design in 1905, and later taught there after studying for one year in England and Germany. He established a studio in Los Angeles and worked as a commercial artist and illustrator for the Santa Fe Railroad for 40 years. He died in Los Angeles on May 7, 1952. Equally facile with oil, watercolor, pastel, and charcoal, he produced scenes of the Old West, Indians, missions, and the Mexican vaqueros. Villa's most famous work is the emblem of the Santa Fe Railroad, The Chief. Exh: Alaska-Yukon Expo (Seattle), 1909; PPIE, 1915 (gold medal for mural); Royar’s Frame Shop (LA), 1934; El Paseo Inn (LA), 1935; Foundation of Western Art (LA), 1935; Ebell Gallery (LA), 1937; Associated Artists (LA), 1941. In: Citizen's Trust & Savings Bank, LA (mural); LACMA; Fort Worth Museum; Santa Fe Railroad; New Rialto Theatre, Phoenix, AZ (mural); Orange Co. (CA) Museum.

A beautiful impressionist painting of a view from the Schuylhill river docks in Philadelphia Pa, showing ships moored in the foreground and factories in the background. Oil on board circa 1920 oil signed lower right. This painting just recently discovered is directly from a Great Grandfather who was a friend of Wagner and an artist himself the two shared a studio. Measuring 8x10 inches framed in a contemporary gallery frame. A great example of this artists work a fine addition to any collection.

Biography

Fred Wagner was born in Valley Forge, Pennsylvania in 1864. He received a scholarship to study art at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts under Thomas Eakins and in 1884 was made chief Demonstrator of Anatomy there. In 1885, Wagner left the Academy to make a painting tour of San Antonio, Texas, and then went on to Los Angeles, California, where he painted a number of landscapes and portraits. He returned to Philadelphia as an illustrator for the Philadelphia Press until 1902, and then moved to Norristown, Pennsylvania to paint full time. In 1912, Wagner opened a Philadelphia studio and taught classes in outdoor painting at Addingham, and later, at the Pennsylvania Academy's summer school in Chester Springs. His reputation grew, and he took on additional classes at his studio in the Fuller Building. In 1913, Wagner exhibited in the now famous Armory Show in New York City. He exhibited frequently at the Pennsylvania Academy's annual exhibitions, and in 1914, was awarded the Fellowship Prize. He was awarded Honorable Mentions from the Pittsburgh International, the Philadelphia Art Club, and the Carnegie Institute in 1922. His paintings are in the collections of the Cleveland Museum; St. Louis Museum, MO; Fort Wayne Museum, IN; Kalamazoo Museum, MI; Rochester Museum, NY; Worcester Art Museum, MA, and the Reading Museum, PA. Fred Wagner died in Philadelphia in 1940.

Fine Hudson River School painting of a couple picnicking along the banks of the Hudson the gentleman fishing. Signed lower left S. H. Thurston and 19th century New York artist. Oil on canvas measuring 22 x 29 inches.

Impressionist oil painting of an Italian coastal village signed lower right "Luigi Bertolingrande" (1912-1965), a highly regarded 20th-century Italian Impressionist artist. Oil on canvas laid on masonite board in excellent condition. Unframed.

Beautiful Egyptian street scene an Original oil painting on board signed lower right measuring approx. 20 x 24 in excellent condition. Biography LEONID GECHTOFF, 1883-1941 

Leonid Gechtoff was born in Odessa, Russia, in 1883, an only child of parents already in their forties and not particularly well off financially.  After his art school training in Russia, where he probably first met his close life-long friend David Burliuk, he and his parents fled from their homeland when he was in his twenties, rather than have him face possible conscription into the army. Cairo proved to be a haven for several years and Gechtoff painted many city and genre scenes of Egypt in his heavily impastoed style, bringing him acclaim in the Orientalist-enamored European art world as well.

Gechtoff always felt most influenced by the work of Vincent van Gogh, however, and this led him to travel to Holland where Dutch-born van Gogh painted in his early years, though not in the colorful later style Gechtoff most admired. There he established good connections which led to gallery shows in Amsterdam, and at one he met his future Russian-born wife Etya while she was on vacation from her pre-medical studies in Germany. Her family was well-to-do and supportive of the young couple, so they were able to wed and settle in Holland initially for about a year, around 1917. Several Alpine landscapes indicate painting trips in more mountainous parts of Europe too. Both Leonid and his wife were fluent in several languages.

The Gechtoffs soon moved to Indonesia, then a major South Pacific colony under Dutch control, hoping that the warmer climate would be better for Etya's health. The lush volcanic landscapes were strongly appealing to the artist as well. They lived in Java for about two years, in 1918 and 1919, and enjoyed traveling and collecting throughout the region during painting trips.

By 1920 they were living in Manila, and in early 1921 they planned a visit to see two of Etya's brothers in Pennsylvania later that year.  Once in America, the Gechtoffs found themselves persuaded to stay and settle in Philadelphia, with both becoming US citizens.  Leonid's major patron and benefactor was either a member of the family of Dutch-born philanthropist Edward Bok or Bok himself. Along with inclusion in various group exhibitions, his work was featured in a solo show at the Philadelphia Art Alliance in the early 1930's.

Gechtoff had achieved substantial success throughout the 1920's from his landscape paintings near his home in Philadelphia, and had also purchased a summer home on Cape May, New Jersey, where he painted many coastal scenes.  Unfortunately, he made large investments in the stock market in the latter years of the decade, and these disappeared almost overnight in the Wall Street Crash of 1929. The family now included young Sonia, born in 1926, and soon her sister, born in 1933.

With their fortunes in decline, like so many artists in the Depression of the 1930's, they sold the Cape May house but still were able find suitable rentals at the shore for their summer sojourns, and otherwise still lived in downtown apartments in Philadelphia. Gechtoff's works began to depict wintry landscapes along with his bright rocky seascapes and still lifes.

Gechtoff continued vigorously painting in his vivid and distinctive style, a blending of post-Impressionism and expressionism, until his health became a problem in 1940, with the stress of high blood pressure and complications. He died in 1941 at the age of 58. His widow later moved to San Francisco and ran an influential exhibition space in San Francisco called the East-West Gallery, while daughter Sonia became a well-known artist currently living in New York City. 
Gechtoff is listed in the Archives of American Artists, part of the Smithsonian Institution.

Fine Santa Clara pueblo pottery example by Gwen Tafoya. Completely hand made and fired in the traditional manner featuring a water serpent design. Measuring approx. 3 tall and 5 inches in diameter. A fine signed example of Native American pottery by one of the great pottery artists.