The largest poster at Swann Galleries’ upcoming Dec. 15 sale of Art Nouveau-era posters is also the most mysterious.
The nearly 10-foot-tall poster, by the well-known Belgian poster designer Henri Privat-Livemont, depicts a beautiful (and quite curvy) woman swathed in a transparent gossamer veil and holding up a tambourine. “Rajah,” the name of a popular Read More
When Vladimir Kagan designed his famous “floating” sofa in 1952, he thought of it as a way for clients to look at their art, a lounge for admiring your Jackson Pollocks, so to speak. He curved the back to create a sort of “amphitheater,” explained Mr. Kagan, now 83, and to move the piece away Read More
New York auction houses must have heard that some Wall Street brokerages are paying bonuses early this year: December sales are packed with pricey cuff links.
The fashion accessory dates back nearly 250 years, to the reign of Louis XIV. The luxury-loving monarch favored glass buttons linking his cuffs rather than the strings that were Read More
More than most little boys, apparently, Malcolm Forbes liked playing with toy boats. What began as childhood joy over souvenirs of his father’s travels turned into a lifelong passion. Forbes, publisher of the magazine of the same name, went on to own the Highlander, a 151-foot-long yacht with 14 bathrooms, plus hundreds of toy yachts, Read More
Dusty relics of ancient Egypt still seem to hold their power. Last week, after negotiations, the Metropolitan Museum of Art surrendered title on 19 objects from King Tutankhamun’s tomb to the Egyptian government. On Dec. 9, Christie’s puts antiquities dating as far back as 6000 B.C. on the block at suggested bids of up to Read More
A generation or two after America split from Britain, Americans got nostalgic. “English country house” décor became the rage, and, for wealthy Americans, that meant a “longcase” clock. They were also called “tallcases” until a popular 1870s song, “My Grandfather’s Clock,” gave them their current colloquial name.
On Nov. 18, two 19th-century grandfather clocks will Read More
Even at the height of his success, Harry Bertoia was less famous than his friends. Charles and Ray Eames, Florence Knoll and Eero Saarinen were his colleagues and sometime collaborators, but, unlike them, Bertoia usually chose not to sign his pieces. “Man is not important,” he said. “Humanity is what counts.” His voluntary anonymity has Read More
Forty years, and four decades of changes in design and American taste, separate these two sterling-silver Tiffany vases. Both are being sold by Heritage Auction Galleries on Nov. 8, but their stories, and their prices, differ.
The older vase, a large and elaborate one, dates back to 1879. It was crafted at a time when Read More
Mother-of-pearl is the iridescent interior of some oyster and mollusk shells. It’s been used in decoration for centuries, particularly in China, where it was employed in furniture and boxes, and in Europe, where mother-of-pearl often topped pistols, fans, piano keys and other musical instruments. And, all over the world, it has long been used in Read More
In 2005, actress Ellen Barkin wore a vivid orange dress to the Academy Awards, topped by large hanging topaz earrings encircled with diamonds and ruby clusters. But unlike most celebrities, Ms. Barkin didn’t borrow the gems for the evening; she owned them. They were a gift from her then husband, Revlon founder and billionaire Ronald Read More
