WE WON IT--AUCTION BLESSINGS

I spied this divine antique Chinese cart or carriage wheel at Preview yesterday.........I was instinctively drawn to it. Most of the other Chinese cart wheels that I have seen are are very, very rustic and heavily degraded.

But not this guy, he retains his great waxed hardwood surface. I love the fact that he has been repaired with forged iron braces and that his forged iron rim has been retained.

The minute I saw him I sensed so many of the meanings of the circle--a mandala, the Buddhist and Hindu symbol of the universe or, in a dream, the dreamer's search for unity or completeness. It represents pregnancy either with child or with creativity; it represents the joy of existence and hope in what will be revealed; the potential of each individual.

I really didn't think that I stood much of a chance to bring him home......We bid against all of the heavy hitters in Los Angeles, i.e., Joel Chen, Blackman Cruz, etc. But I guess they just weren't interested.....and Gerry won with an incredibly low bid. I am so excited--over the years I have bought thousands of items, but this will always be one of my most treasured. 

The fall sky is with us now and it brings joy to my California heart.....Yeah!! I get to wear cashmere again. It's supposed to rain on Saturday and only get up to 69* or 70*--which definitely means a cashmere day.

I'm off to bed----sending blessings for the day.

Mary & Cole

FINE ARTS AUCTION

Today was "........."(I don't say where I buy) Quarterly Fine Arts Auction. Darren and I went bright and early. I usually skip the Quarterly Auction and stick with Thursdays, but thought that there might be a few things that I could bring home.

......But today was just not my day! Another dealer that I know was bidding against me on just about everything and I do not get into ego-based bidding wars. And besides, there is always more.......

I thought I would post about a couple of lots that drew exceptional interest and exceedingly high prices.

First a little background

I reserved seats for us and Darren and I were seated in the middle of the third row (my favorite spot); so our view was great. I'll introduce you to some of the guys that have become my true friends after going to auction almost every Thursday for 24 years. On the far left (and half-hidden) is Robert II, next is Miguel who is the floor manager and organizes the positioning of the items on the floor and is in charge of the team. Miguel looks chubby, but he is one solid mass of muscle and stands over 6 feet tall. Miguel can pick up just about anything--never get on the wrong side of Miguel. Bobby is holding the painting that is being auctioned (more on this particular painting later) and then there is Steve--another gentle giant. Steve and I joke around a lot.

Now back to lot items. First up:

This is a very unusual gold and rock crystal necklace by the famous American expatriate, William Spratling who, in the 1940's and 50's, resurrected Mexico's silver industry and turned Taxco into the creative silver capital of Mexico. His silver pieces are widely known and are collected by all the elite silver connoisseurs. Spratling was not well-known for his gold pieces, but they are highly desirable. This beautiful piece came from the Estate of Millard Sheets, a well-listed Plein Aire California artist. The necklace was estimated to sell for between $8,000 and $12,000. I think the bid opened at $2000 and shot beyond the $12,000 high estimate is less than a minute. On and On and On and On the bidding went with the energy rising with every bid. The winning bid was $132,500 or 11 times its high estimate. And remember on top of the bid amount is the buyer's premium of 10%, bringing the total amount to $147,500.....and then (if it was a retail buyer), an additional sales tax amount of 9% for a grand total of $160,750. I'm pretty sure that this was an auction record for any Spratling work.

Next Up

This 15" x 25" painting by Czech artist Vaclava Spala may appear inconsequential, but it sold for $67,500 (plus 10% lot fee) or about 5 times its high estimate. That's a lot of spare change, although I did love the work--post impressionists paintings are some of my favorites.  

There was an update on Kiki's post surgery recovery--she is looking so much more perky, but she's still in ICU. Please continue to pray for this little one, as her recovery will be an up hill journey.

And finally,

This pretty 19th c. Chinese Coromandel screen did not receive a single bid today. I think I'll call Don, the owner of the auction house, to see if I can buy the screen tomorrow. It's not super big--measuring 43"h x 86"w. Wish me luck.

Thanks for following along with me in the twists and turns of this crazy business.

Best,

Mary & Jones & Cole

A TALE OF WOLVES

I fell in love with this little family a few months ago. I guess that what attracted me to them is that Jones looks just like the Mama when he sings "Benny and the Jets"--but really I bought them from Jean, an antiques dealer that I have known for many years and who is now in her late 80's (and still in the business),  because I knew that she had not been selling much and that a little bit of cash would help......so I brought them home and then into my shop. 

I really don't buy things like this as I do not have the clients base and Jones would not appreciate the fact that Mama looks a bit like him. So this little family has sat on my Jansen eglomise table for about 3 months just waiting for a new owner.

Yesterday the new owner arrived in the form of a 5 year old little girl named Maddox. The minute Maddux saw them she was committed to them. Her Mom asked how much they were--the price (exactly what I paid for Mama and the kits) was a little too steep for Maddox's allowance. 

So between many tears and sobs we arranged for a payment plan with a signed contract in the works. I think that is the perfect way to learn about credit and contracts and saving.

I later learned that Maddox loves to pretend that she is a wolf. No wonder she saw a wolf family where we all (silly us) saw foxes.

Sending wishes for a wonderful day filled with family or friends or even a day off with a great book.

Mary and Jones

ATTITUDE: THE POWER OF INSPIRATION (being in spirit))

Last week was a tough one for me. So many cares crept into my usually positive mind....worries about one grandson (about to be 13 and the usual issues with that age), worries about two children and their current life choices, worries about my precipitous crash in sales numbers (normal for this season), the murder of innocent people seeking freedom in Syria, sadness over Spain's (I lived in Spain for 7 years) economic turmoil, Monsanto and its lies and its poisoning of our foods (GMOs)--you name it, I ALLOWED "IT" (whatever the "it" was) TO BRING ME DOWN. Where was my strong faith that God was in charge and working behind the scenes for the good of all of creation? Obviously, that faith was not present in my pity-party.

So Thursday (auction day) I was out in the garden with my wonderful first cup of Espresso strength coffee of the day (finally coffee is considered to be healthful--which I have known forever) feeling very sorry for myself and STILL wishing I had bought that pair chairs from 2 weeks ago (how in the world can God bless me if I'm stuck in the past--when God is in the present--which is where I know that I should be--I know, I'm rambling).......when into my head pops: "there is a pair of chairs waiting for you in the "pile". (At my Thursday auction, the pile means a big mound of furniture items--and I do mean big--that are considered to have little value.) 

There was no doubt in my head where that voice came from. And I changed my attitude from pity-party to GRATITUDE and ACTION. I jumped up; showered; threw on my clothes; slathered on the make-up; apologized to Jones for having to stay home; picked up a banana and my remaining coffee and was out the door. Even LA's traffic gods were lined up in my favor and the usual heaviest-day-of-the-week LA freeway traffic parted--and I made it to my auction in record time and just a bit after the auction started at 9 am.

About 40 mins. into the auction, the pile was becoming much smaller and my expectation of the perfect pair of chairs had not waned (not even a bit). A great pair of Drexel, early 1960's chests suddenly appeared from the pile.....

I had no room for them and immediately envisioned these beauties (they are top quality walnut and in super condition) lacquered in a deep turquoise...I gave Angela (my upstairs dealer neighbor) a call to see if she could use them--yep, she could. So I brought these babies home at an unbelievable bid--where was everyone who should have been bidding against me? Yes, their eyes could have been temporarily blinded.

My chairs had just made their appearance from the pile (which by this time has been whittled down to almost nothing). I don't like to look closely at items that are coming up to the block--I hate to draw attention because I just might inspire other bidders to bid against me. From about 30-40 feet, these guys were looking pretty good. I have to admit that they weren't exactly what I had in mind--but when dealing with inspiration and gifts, one has to keep an open mind. Once they came to the block, I held off bidding for a few bids (good auction strategy: wait for a lull in the bidding to start your bids--it knocks other bidders off their rhythm). And then I kept the bid, bringing these amazingly beautiful chairs home.  Remember: I had not really inspected them carefully--always a risk. But, as they say: NOTHING VENTURED, NOTHING GAINED.

.............GORGEOUS!!!!

And just take a look at what I brought home.........

   

I plopped a pair of my vintage Fortuny fabric pillows on the chairs........perfection.  I'm going to give a few detailed shots as these bergeres are perfect example of mid-20th c. chairs created in an 18th c. style. I believe that they are English.

   

Note the gracefully down slopping carved back rail and the finial detail where it meets the reeded vase turning of the leg support.

See the beautiful reeding of the legs, the turning/carving of the sloping back rail, the tiny finial (in the first photo at top you can see the tiny pointed tips of the legs--ballerina legs) are all marks of top quality furniture making. AND I haven't even started talking about the upholstery: it is a c. 1960's light peach (that shades to deeper peach in the light) top quality silk velvet upholstery that I think dates to the early to mid 1960's --no staples, the upholstery work is done with nails.  While inspecting these chairs once they arrived in the shop, I found very, very old storage stickers still attached to the chairs. The only way to explain the absolutely perfect condition of the upholstery on these chairs is that they must have been in storage for 50 years (or so).  Oooops--forgot to mention the caning--so many times old/antique caned chairs have holes in the caning which is very, very pricey to repair--BUT NOT THESE GUYS!

Roberto is coming in Thursday to clean and polish (hard paste wax) my new loves--I'm going to leave the patinated surface as found as I think this old surface adds interest and depth to the chairs.

-Angie loves her chests...I'll post on Angie's shop, Bonita Interiors, later this       week.

-Jones got his hair cut and he looks AMAZING.

-One child has had her faith restored (the situation is still a work in process-- aren't we all)   "All works for good......."

-One child will always be a work in process--at least he is actively in process.

-Spain received bailout money....that is definitely a reason to rejoice (the Euro really turned Spain on her head 12-13 years ago when the peseta converted to the Euro).

-It seems that progress is being made regarding Monsanto and GMO's.

-Syria is still breaking my heart.

-I have some potential sales lined up--a few prayers needed in that direction.

And I love my chairs...if I had not listened to that "still soft voice" in my head I would not have received the blessings of the day. I would probably still be stuck in my pity-party and what-ifs, if-only-----not a good place. Instead of in the peace of Gratitude.

Have a wonderful week, thanks for joining me in this crazy adventure.

Mary and Jones (and Cole)