Boston – Bonhams Skinner will present a trio of sales in September from its American & European Works of Art and Jewelry departments. The month will begin with Fine Jewelry Collections featuring an 18K tri-color gold tubogas necklace by Carlo Weingrill for Ugo Piccini. Prints & Photographs will be highlighted by a print from Alex Katz (b. 1927) titled Gray Day. American Art will close out the month with a newly rediscovered painting, Ramona, by Newell Convers Wyeth (1882-1945).
Fine Jewelry Collections
September 10 – 20
The Jewelry department will present a strong selection of 18K gold necklaces, diamond rings, necklaces, and bracelets as well as watches at its Fine Jewelry Collections from September 10 – 21. A highlight of the sale is an 18K tri-color gold tubogas necklace by Carlo Weingrill for Ugo Piccini, estimated at $7,000 – 9,000. Established in Verona in 1879, Carlo Weingrill is credited with being the original manufacturer of some of the most recognizable gold jewelry designs in the industry. Also of note is a platinum and diamond ring, featuring a 2.10 carat round brilliant-cut diamond flanked by two 1.00 carat full-cut diamonds, estimated at $10,000 – 15,000, as well as a pair of gold, emerald, and diamond earrings, set with emerald drops and crowned by 3.10 carats of full-cut diamond clusters, estimated at $6,000 – 8,000.
Prints & Photographs
September 11 – 21
From September 11 – 21, Prints & Photographs will present works from iconic artists such as Alex Katz, David Hockney, Alfred Stieglitz, Robert Motherwell, and Henri Cartier-Bresson. The selection of prints is highlighted by Alex Katz’s (b. 1927) Gray Day, estimated at $30,000 – 40,000. A portrait of one of Katz’s favorite subjects – his wife Ada – at the beach on an overcast day, the print is representative of the style that Katz has become best known – realistic portraits of friends and family which feature flattened forms and the simplification of detail. An additional print highlight is Four Part Splinge, 1993-94 byDavid Hockney (British, b. 1937) fromthe ‘Some New Prints’ series and estimated at $20,000 – 30,000. Stemming from his 1992 ‘Some Very New Paintings’ series, Hockney’s use of vibrant colors and experimental compositions is representative of his work throughout the 1990s.
A highlight of the photography in the sale is Bubble Seine, Paris, 1963 from surrealist fashion photographer Melvin Sokolsky’s (1933-2022) famous “bubble” series, estimated at $10,000 – 12,000. The series was done for Harper Bazaar’s 1963 spring issue and placed models in what appeared to be a giant soap bubble in or above familiar locations around Paris. Additionally, the sale will feature Round the Clock I, 1987 by Horst P. Horst (1906-1999), a German-born American fashion photographer, estimated at $10,000 – 15,000. One of the most prominent figures of 20th century fashion photography, Horst was best known for his elaborate and glamorous images of women.
American Art
September 19
American Art will present Ramona, a frontispiece illustration for the 1939 edition of Helen Hunt Jackson’s novel of the same name, by Newell Convers Wyeth (1882-1945). Wyeth, renowned for his ability to increase the drama and character development of accompanying text through his work, contributed four illustrations to the novel, only one other of which has been located. This work was likely gifted by the publishers to an editor or the author’s estate, but its location was unknown until it was found by chance in a New Hampshire antique shop by the present owner. It is estimated to achieve between $150,000 – 250,000.
The sale will also feature an oil portrait of a young girl by Robert Henri (American, 1865-1929) titled Blanche, estimated at $150,000 – 250,000. When this work was painted in Monhegan, Maine, in 1918, Henri had become increasingly devoted to his gritty, bold, and sometimes unconventional version of genre portraiture. In this work, he displayed the virtuosity of his brushwork and his keen ability to match a vivid palette with complex pattern.
