Starting from the top, there is a good collection of Asian antiques, particularly bronzes. Look particularly at Lot 433 and Lot 434, two fine examples of Tibetan gilt-bronze statues of a monk and a figure of Buddha. Estimates range from $4,000 to $6,000 for Lot 433 and $6,000 to $8,000 for Lot 434. And, if you are into Chinese calligraphy, look at Lot 425, a really fine example of 18th-century calligraphy attributed to Huang Shen.

Porcelain has all the usual suspects with a nice showing of continental porcelain. For you Majolica collectors, look at Lot 637, a pair of Wilhelm Schiller, late-19th-century Majolica urns done in traditional tones of brown, yellow, pink and green. These 12-inch urns are decorated with satyr masques and delicate swag work. Estimate: $900-$1,200.

Exuberant Victorian foyer stand

Furniture makes a good showing with a variety of American and continental pieces. Look at the really fantastic Victorian brass, marble and glass foyer stand, Lot 1446. This over-the–top example of Victorian exuberance has it all—super structure with anthemion and mask crest; mirrored back plate and various shaped slab top; a breakfronted lower case with arching open work; turned columns; mirrored back plates; glass shelves and scrolled feet—this piece is unsigned with no attribution and has an estimate of $1,200 $1,500. Why buy? Because it’s one of the better pieces of Victorian furniture that I’ve seen come up for sale in a long time.

For the collector of period clothing, check out Lot 1074. This ball gown made by Jennings and Co., New York, New York, and worn by Jane Cleveland to a reception at the Waldorf-Astoria in 1916 in honor of the crown prince of Russia, Grand Duke Alexei, consists of skirt and bodice of floral silk with trim in black velvet and lace and has a low estimate of $250 to $400.

To wrap up, take a look at the decorative-arts collection. One item in particular is especially fine, Lot 1519 an apple-shaped George III tea caddy, original finish and in mint condition. The estimate may seem high, $2,500 to $3,500, but it’s worth it.

– Christopher Kent is a member of the WorthPoint board of advisers and director of evaluations for WorthPoint. He is also an antiques and collectibles generalist, fine-arts broker and president of CTK Design.

More auction news:

Sept. Art, Antiques & Collectibles

WorthPoint—the premier Web site for art, antiques and collectibles

Call this the Big-Bucks-Oops Department

As the VietnamNet Bridge, an English-language online news site, tells it, Vietnam discovered a ship about 10 years ago that had sunk between 1727 and 1735. Remains of its cargo included thousands of what-are-now antiques, some of them precious Chinese pottery.

So far so good. The Vietnamese provinces of Ca Mau and Binh Thuan got the go-ahead to sell the trove. So what do they do? Decide to auction 76,000 pieces at Sotheby’s in Holland, that’s what.

Now that all the figures have been added and subtracted, the decision doesn’t look like such a great idea. The auction brought in 3 million euros—that’s$4.4 million. Then the Dutch income tax was subtracted. Now we’re down to $3.7 million. And of course, there’s the 20% that goes to Sotheby’s, the fees for protection, maintenance, etc. In the end, the Vietnamese saw less than $1.5 million.

It’s felt that Vietnam could have held the auction on its own turf and would have pocketed a lot more money.

$1-million doorstop

Are you, by any chance, missing a Picasso or two? Maybe a Giacometti?

This might be good news then. A large stash of stolen art has been located reports The Guardian . This bizarre theft story unfolded after the death of one William M.V. Kingsland. (He claimed the M and V stood for Milliken and Vanderbilt.)

Kingsland died without a will, and it was ordered that his collection of 300 art pieces be sold at auction. That’s when things got strange. A representative from one of the assigned auction houses went to take inventory in Kingsland’s Upper East Side Manhattan apartment and found artwork crammed all over, even under the bed. A Giacometti sculpture valued at $1 million was serving as a doorstop.

A gallery owner, who bought a John Singleton Copley portrait for $85,000, decided to check its provenance and discovered it had been stolen from Harvard University.

Other pieces were checked and came up also stolen. Then it was found that Kingsland had been living a lie. In rubbing shoulders with New York blue bloods, he claimed to be a Harvard graduate, been married to French royalty, lived in a fancy Fifth Avenue apartment. He was, in fact, the son of Jewish refugees from Europe who lived in the Bronx, not exactly blue-blood territory.

The FBI is looking for the rightful owners of the purloined pieces.

And the winner is . . .

A beautifully restored 1938 Alfa Romeo. And the competition is . . . the 58th Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance.

As The New York Times notes, “owners don’t just take the muscle car they owned as a teenager and give it a shine” when they enter this crème-de la-crème event.

The Concours is definitely for serious collectors of classic cars who can afford authentic restoration. That’s authentic down to knowing that Phillips-head screws weren’t used before the 1930s, so they better not show up in a 1926 Rolls-Royce.

Restorers search out original brochures and manuals, photos of the car being manufactured, the tools that were used and pictures of the first owners. The more documentation the better because the judges want proof that the restoration was done accurately.

Oh, the owner of the winning Alfa? That would be Jon Shirley, who was the president and CEO of Microsoft. Guess he can afford having megapricey collectibles if anyone can.

WorthPoint – Discover Your Hidden Wealth

Shown here today, is a fine example of Chinese carved ivory from China’s golden age of exporting, circa 1850.This piece is very detailed showing different patterns on the three individuals’ robes.The detail is complete,down to the heels of their feet to the fine lines on the elder man’s face.
The elder has taken the two boys out fishing and the boy on the right appears over zealous about the great catch of fish they have gathered and has lept up and grabbed a fish from the basket.The elderman holds the basket up with his left hand to prevent the boy from grabbing anymore.At the same time elder holds his right hand up in a gesture to the boy not to be too eager about the great catch.The other boy on the left remains calm and holds a seperate basket of fish and looks to be counting them over.
The fish in Chinese culture has long represented wealth and prosperity.Elders in Chinese culture are revered and respected for their longevity and accumulation of life’s knowledge.This item is not just an interesting figurine but also a statement against the consequences of greed and being too lavish.
I acquired this piece about ten years ago from a local auction house.It measures 7″ tall and is carved out of one piece of ivory,down to the slender fishing pole.

I have acquired this complete set of monetary notes from Sri Lanka. They are beautiful crisp uncircuated notes dated 1979, seven years after the Ceylonese gained autonomy from the British Commonwealth and gained their own Parliament and heads of State. In 1972 when the island became completely self-governing, the name was changed to Sri Lanka. Shown is my set of Rupee bills.
1 Rupee = 100 cents.

A 1500-year-old antique Chinese sculpture and a home movie of two of Hollywood’s true luminaries – these, plus Old Master look-alikes and a haunting photograph of an Indian chief, make for an eclectic week of auctions at WorthPoint partner auction houses. Antique collectors and art lovers who can make these auctions – in person, or by linking through WorthPoint – will not be disappointed.

Tuesday, June 17: Auctions Neapolitan “Spring Fling”
Auctions Neapolitan

With more than 350 lots up for auction and everything from rare art glass to Dutch literary works, fine art and snuff bottles, Worthologist Christopher Kent predicts this auction will be “incredibly diverse and, frankly, fun.” Two paintings, Lots #808, “Nude with Satyr and Putti,” and #809, “Early 19th Century Old Master Painting,” depict a style in the 15th to 16th century of the Italian school. Says Kent, “They are what is considered in the art world to be second or third string paintings, that will steadily and incrementally increase in value over a long period of time.” Estimated values, $2,500-4,000.

Wednesday, June 18: Antiques and Decorative Arts emphasizing Asian Art
Dallas Auction Gallery

This auction may emphasize Asian Art, but there are plenty of items from other areas of the world. The first three lots include a miniature Austrian cold-painted bronze dog band, Republic of Texas banknotes, and an 18th century Spanish colonial wood and gesso crucifix.

Among the Asian art pieces to be sold at Dallas Auction Gallery, Kent points out Lot #173. The age alone of this sculpture of three Buddhist subjects makes it fascinating, and it’s journey, even more intriguing. Calligraphy on the limestone stele says it was probably carved around 613 A.D. during the Chinese Sui Dynasty. It was traced to the Longmen Caves, Henan Province. A Chinese professor picked it up from it from a curio dealer in 1932, and wrote in his curatorial notes that the carved figures of the bodhisattvas represent “firmness of attitude and strength of character befitting who, having attained the highest degree of virtue, prefer to descend to the lowest level in order to save the rest of humanity.” Dallas Auction Gallery estimates the market value of this ancient piece between $50,000 and $75,000.

Friday, June 20: Cottone Auction’s Photographic and Native American Collection Sale
Cottone Auction

Cotton’s upcoming auction also features military items, scientific and collectible items, even a 1958 Packard 4 Door Sedan, with an estimated high value of $6,000.

Note the photograph of a Seneca tribe chief named Sose-Na-Wah, which has an estimated auction value of $10,000-$15,000. Photographed in 1849, the chief, although not in native garb, has a haunting look around his eyes. Worthologist Kent says the photo is exceptionally clear and without legal constraints, while the image “depicts an uncommon amount of depth and insight into the sitter and will meet the estimate with ease and most likely surpass it.” Also up for bid, a Kachina Doll representing a Canadian tribe, made in 1890 by the Maidein Company. Estimated value, $2,000-$3,000.

Saturday, June 21-22: Julien’s Planet Hollywood Summer Entertainment Sale
Julien’s Auctions

Straight from Hollywood’s Golden Age, collectors can bid on a 47-minute, never-seen home movie of Clark Gable and Marilyn Monroe shot on the set of the movie, “The Misfits,” in 1960. The footage was filmed by an extra in the movie, whose family decided it was time to make it public. An unguarded Monroe and Gable are shown preparing for scenes in what would be each one’s final film. Auctioneer Darren Julien told NBC’s “Today” show that the footage has been copyrighted, which greatly adds to its value. Julien says the copyright allows whoever buys the film the right to reproduce and sell it. This copyright is not accounted for in the pre-auction appraised value of $40,000 to $60,000. Julien’s, which is based in Hollywood, is holding this auction in Las Vegas at the Planet Hollywood Hotel and Casino.

With more than 400 lots of rare one of a kind memorabilia from Hollywood’s Golden and contemporary eras, this should be a memorable auction.

Press release Julien’s Auctions joins WorthPoint

Please send your antiques, art and collectibles WorthPoint Partner Auction House information to mary [dot] breneman [at] worthpoint [dot] com. Please put Partner Auction House in the subject line.

Hi, I’m Elise and I now live in Amsterdam. When I was in my twenties I lived in Japan for seven years. I wasn’t a geisha or anything like that. I led a rock and roll life as a music journalist and impresario. When all the glitter fell off my face and I decided to come down to Earth, I discovered that collecting Japanese treasures such as Arita pottery was more satisfying than, well, interviewing David Bowie.

Arita porcelain is an elaborate form of Japanese pottery dating back to the 1600s. I have four pieces in my collection, but this is one of my favorite pieces. No, it’s not four hundred years old. This one is an authorized reproduction from the Sixties.

It is shaped like a vase, but it is nearly as large as a flower pot. It has the crane as a good luck symbol and gold flourishes in squiggly lines on top. Gorgeous cobalt blue accents fill the bodies of the elegant birds. I came to this piece through the parents of a very dear boyfriend of long ago. Yujiro’s parents are pottery collectors who had shelves of Arita. The sentimental value of this piece brings tears to my eyes.

Arita porcelain is named after a town on the Japanese island of Kyushu. It is also known as Imari ware because that’s the nearby port from where it was shipped to Europe. The Japanese porcelain industry started there after Japan invaded Korea and brought back Korean artisans. One of the artisans, Yi Sam-p’young, discovered a source of special white kaolin clay near Arita in 1616. Today he is enshrined in Japan as the “father” of Arita pottery.

Arita ware contains blue and white glazes similar to Chinese Ming Dynasty porcelain. Arita designs flourish with cranes and other migratory birds and carp (the lucky fish), plus many scenes of daily life. Classic blue-and-white Arita ware was discovered by agents for the Dutch East India Company. Other styles soon emerged with elaborate and densely pattered designs, brilliant colors and gold trim. These were reserved for the Samurai class and export to Europe.

The popularity of imported Arita ware inspired artisans in Holland to expand their own industry, including the famous Delft blue-and-white pottery that often imitated of Chinese and Japanese designs.

I also collect Bizen (yaki) pottery, but I consider Arita ware to be very special because of my personal connection to a Japanese family that taught me about it. What’s ironic is that I now live in the land of Delft blue. When I visit museums I can see first-hand how the Dutch were influenced by the Japanese and compare these two artistic styles through the ages. If you’re thinking that pottery brought me to Europe, it’s not that simple. Yet life is funny in the way you come full