Rare survivals of American craftsmanship from the 18th and 19th centuries and a rediscovered duck decoy are among the highlights of the upcoming mid-season sale of Important American Furniture, Folk Art & Prints at Christie’s New York. The September 30 auction includes over 100 historic items and is expected to realize in excess of $1.8 million. Leading the sale is a Chippendale Mahogany Bombé Chest-of-Drawers (estimate: $500,000-800,000). Crafted in Boston or Salem, Massachusetts circa 1760-1780, this ... Read The Full Story

Skinner, announced its Fine Musical Instruments Auction will be held on Sunday, October 11th in its Boston gallery at noon. Vintage Guitars This sale will feature a generous offering of twelve vintage guitars and one collectible ukulele from C.F. Martin & Co. Highlights include highly decorated 19th century guitars and two large body “prewar” instruments. Lot 17 is a circa 1888 model 0-28 guitar with “herringbone” binding, rosewood back and well preserved Adirondack spruce top. It is estimated ... Read The Full Story

Bonhams & Butterfields was pleased to offer Fine European Furniture and Decorative Arts on September 14, 2009 in Los Angeles. The highly curated 300-lot auction featured a select array of works, showcasing pieces from the 16th through 20th centuries with a focus on English, French, Italian, Spanish and German items. “The September 14th auction offered a rare selection of works for the discerning buyer including French pieces, German porcelain and European silver. Throughout the sale, strength was seen ... Read The Full Story

In conjunction with China’s appearance as Guest of Honor at the 2009 Frankfurt Book Fair, the Schirn will be showing, for the first time ever in the West, the spectacular Chinese sculptural group Rent Collection Courtyard (Chin.: Shouzuyuan). This ensemble of more than 100 life-size figures is among the most important works in modern Chinese art history, and is firmly embedded in China’s collective memory. Created as a site-specific installation in Dayi in 1965 by teachers and graduates of the Sichuan Fine ... Read The Full Story

Pyramids and Pharaohs. Sphinxes and Sarcophagi. The Ten Commandments. The Book of the Dead. Crocodiles, Cobras, and Cleopatra. What other culture evokes such rich imagination and echoes of immortality as ancient Egypt? On October 14, the Nile comes to Norfolk with the public debut of To Live Forever: Egyptian Treasures from the Brooklyn Museum. This blockbuster show, on view through January 3, 2010 in the Large Changing Gallery, promises to be one of the most extraordinary exhibitions that the Chrysler Museum ... Read The Full Story