BOSTON, MASS.- Bonhams Skinner will kick off an exciting 2023 with four noteworthy sales in January across its salerooms in Boston and Marlborough, Massachusetts. Prints & Photographs will feature an iconic photograph, Nude on Sand, Oceano, by Edward Weston as well as a vibrant print by Damien Hirst, titled All You Need Is Love, Love, Love. The Modern Design sale will present a collection of Steuben glass from the Dimitroff Family including several decorated Aurene glass vases and rare examples of glass shades. Fine Books & Rare Manuscripts will be highlighted by two letters, one signed by Edgar Allan Poe and the other by George Washington. Finally, American Art will be led by an exceptional oil painting, Ring around a Rosie, by Edward Henry Potthast.
Prints & Photographs
January 16 - 26
Featuring over 150 lots which span from the earliest days of printmaking and photography to Contemporary works, Bonhams Skinner will present Prints & Photographs, online from January 16 - 26. Highlighting the sale is a pair of vintage Edward Weston (1886-1958) photographs including the iconic 1936 nude study, Nude on Sand, Oceano, estimated at $70,000 - 100,000. Weston, considered one of the most innovative and influential American photographers, captured this image of his muse and future spouse Charis Wilson during an extraordinary session in the sand dunes of Oceano, California. The session produced approximately ten photographs that are his most important Modernist nude studies. The sale will also feature a suite of photographs from another incredibly influential 20th century photographer, Alfred Stieglitz (1864-1946). All published in issue 36 of the photographic journal Camera Work, the standout work of the group is Stieglitz’s most celebrated image, The Steerage, estimated at $4,000 - 6,000.
Leading the selection of prints is All You Need Is Love, Love, Love by Damien Hirst (b. 1965), estimated at $25,000 - 45,000. In this work, Hirst encloses images of butterflies within a giant red heart studded with diamond dust and is a joyous descendant of the Pop Art movement. The sale will also feature a print from 1634, Christ and the Woman from Samaria Among Ruins, by Rembrandt Harmensz van Rijn (1606-1669), the prolific Dutch master, estimated at $1,500 - 2,000. The print, depicting a story from the New Testament, reflects the Biblical subject matter which was prevalent in his oeuvre.
On January 18, Bonhams Skinner’s Modern Design will feature an exceptional selection of glass works highlighted by a Tiffany Studios Vine Border table lamp, estimated at $8,000 - 12,000, and a rare Tiffany Studios lamp with a conch shell shade, estimated at $4,000 - 5,000. Additionally, the sale will present 110 lots from the Dimitroff Family Collection which primarily consists of Steuben glass, from early 20th century to contemporary pieces. Of particular note are rare examples of glass shades as well as several decorated Aurene glass vases led by a Steuben decorated green vase, estimated at $3,000 - 4,000.
Also highlighted in the sale is a group of mid-century modern furniture by Hans Wegner (1914-2007), recognized as the master of Danish chair design, including a pair of "The Chair'' armchairs designed for the furniture maker Johannes Hansen, estimated at $1,500 - 2,500, and a “Mama Bear” lounge chair, estimated at $800 - 1,200. Additionally included are five pieces of French designer Louis Majorelle (1859-1926) furniture which have descended through the family of the original owner. The highlight of the group is a carved walnut desk and armchair finely carved with foliage in the Art Nouveau style, estimated at $7,000 - 10,000.
Fine Books & Rare Manuscripts
January 23
Bonhams Skinner's Fine Books & Rare Manuscripts auction on January 23 will present an exceptional range of material including important historical documents, a group of first editions of Ian Fleming's James Bond novels, a significant collection of literature and ephemera focusing on modernist masters, a photographic album depicting the leaders of the leftist Paris Commune revolt of 1871, and the first English translation of the Hindu scripture Bhagavad Gita (1785).
The highlight of the sale is a significant collection of over 180 historical documents which includes letters from all the U.S. Presidents from George Washington to Franklin D. Roosevelt, literary lights from Edgar Allan Poe and Henry Wadsworth Longfellow to Charles Dickens and J. W. von Goethe, and a variety of American and European political figures. Accumulated in Boston over a 75-year period, the collection was originally sold by Goodspeed's Book Shop in 1936. Two standout documents are a letter from 1848 signed by Edgar Allan Poe (1809-1849), the legendary mystery and horror writer, estimated at $30,000 - 50,000, and a letter from 1755 signed by the first president of the United States, George Washington (1732-1799), estimated at $12,000 - 18,000.
American Art
January 25
On January 25, Bonhams Skinner’s American Art sale will present a diverse selection of fine works by American artists such as Edward Henry Potthast, Grandma Moses, John Koch, Milton Avery, Mary Elizabeth Price, Worthington Whittredge, and Eric Sloane. The sale is led by an exceptional oil painting, Ring around a Rosie, by Edward Henry Potthast (1857-1927), estimated at $200,000 - 300,000. A delightful, large summer scene, Potthast, an American Impressionist, depicts a group of children enjoying a romping game. Additionally, the sale will feature a large oil, Manuscript I, by John Koch (1909-1978), an important figure in 20th century Realism, estimated at $30,000 - 50,000. Farm in Autumn by Anna Mary Robertson "Grandma" Moses (1860-1961) is estimated at $40,000 - 70,000. An American folk artist, Grandma Moses is known for her nostalgic landscapes depicting the pleasures of farm life.
