LOS ANGELES, CA.- John Moran Auctioneers presented their highly-anticipated 2-day The Traditional Collector: Featuring The Collection of Walter and Nesta Spink sale, Tuesday, April 9th & Wednesday, April 10th, 2024. Day 1 featured The Collection of Walter and Nesta Spink along with other Asian and Southeast Asian works from remarkable private collections. Day 2 offered fine and decorative art, furnishings, tableware, lighting, clocks, and more. The sale began with property from Walter and Nesta Spink, two highly respected figures in the world of art history, academia, and collecting. Walter’s scholarly focus on early Buddhist art and architecture, particularly at the UNESCO World Heritage designated Ajanta Caves in western India, reshaped our understanding of these ancient sites.

Day 1 started with “The Collection of Walter and Nesta Spink”. Leading the highlights was lot 1006, A bronze figure of Chandeshvara from the 12th century Chola Period of South India. This figure achieved an impressive $127,000*. Then, lot 1016, from China’s Tang dynasty (618-907), presented a Chinese bronze figure of Avalokiteshvara that sold for $22,440.

One of the biggest surprises was lot 1026, an erotic Siyah Qalam painting, possibly of Shah Shuja and his beloved, circa 1640, from the Mughal Period in India. This album leaf, brush drawing in pigments and gold started with a $2,000-3,000 estimate, but after major interest online and over the phones, this work left the block for a whopping $60,325.

Representing the selection of carved works were lots 1055 and 1061. Lot 1055 was an exquisite pair of Chinese carved wood and hardstone landscape panels, selling for $38,100*, and lot 1061 offered a Chinese carved hardstone hanging pendant that earned a winning bid of $22,860.

Other noteworthy lots from Day 1 included a large Hereke silk rug, lot 1146, that sold for $16,510* and lot 1035 presented two Warli paintings done by Jivya Soma Mashe, circa 1990, earning a price realized of $13,970.

Continuing the excitement, Day 2 presented lot 2157, a rare Herter Brothers American Aesthetic mantel, circa 1880. There was major interest in this piece, and after a long bidding war, it brought in an astounding $152,400!

Lots 2148 and 2196 represented the standout selection of bronze works. Tsar And His Falconer, by Vasily Yakovlevich Grachev, lot 2148, sold for $46,200*, and lot 2196 presented Frederick Hart’s “Daughters of Odessa,” 1998, earning $17,160*. Then, lot 2205 featured a stunning bronze by the well-known artist, Erté De Tirtoff, “The Globe,” 1984, achieving a winning bid of $3,492.

Highlighting the variety of painted works, lot 2072 offered an oil painting titled, “Le Port”, by Edouard Cortes, selling for $13,970.

Of the multiple lots of porcelain tableware, a Dresden Porcelain Cabaret Set, lot 2173, was the showstopper. With a starting estimate of $700-900, this 8-piece hand-gilt and painted service garnered much attention, eventually ending at the final price of $7,920.