In an age where beautiful images of far flung places can be uploaded and shared in an ‘insta-minute,’ it’s hard for viewers to imagine a time when photographs were the result of labor intensive hours spent in a chemical lab, or cumbersome objects mounted to slides. Yet the birth of modern photography came from a [...]
Calling all garden enthusiasts and animal lovers! Great Gatsby’s Auction Gallery is pleased to offer an exciting and whimsical array of statuary ranging from recumbent lions to life-size grizzly bears perfect for guarding your flower beds, or greeting your guests as they wind up your driveway. Whether you fancy the ferocious – carved marble tigers, [...]
Considered the sport of kings and commoners alike, billiards – and its 15-ball version, pool - has enjoyed a long and colorful history in America. Tall tales credit the Spaniards for bringing the game over in the 1580s, yet historians fall in favor with the Dutch and English settlers who are believed to have helped [...]
With their furry, snub-nosed faces, menacing outstretched wings and trademark screeching, bats are not usually the first symbol that comes to mind in the West for glad tidings or good fortune. In China however, bats and the motifs they inspire quite literally swarm traditional decorative arts. Thanks to the word for bat, or fu, which [...]
Regarded as the most powerful symbol of protection, strength and the collective forces of nature, the dragon is highly recognized as the most popular and revered of creatures in the hierarchy of ancient and contemporary Chinese art and culture. Whether splayed or in profile, crouching or crawling, the dragon’s depiction on everything from decorative objects [...]
Combining the fundamental elements of the American Art Nouveau movement, which saw the marriage of ‘high’ art and the techniques of arts and crafts, the tradition of contemporary art glass serves in both beauty and function for the most discerning – and democratic – collector. Many contemporary glass artisans, from Europe to America, take their [...]
Bronze statue detail of Fredrick Hart’s“Daughters of Odessa” With comparisons of his work to that of Raphael and Rodin, the late Frederick Hart was a celebrated American artist known for his classically-inspired sculptures in marble and bronze. Uninterested in ‘art for art’s sake,’ Hart used his works to convey a moral responsibility and [...]
Known for producing exquisite mid-century furniture while collaborating with artists of the period, Mastercraft was founded by the brothers Charles and William Doezema in 1945. With an eye for design and changing tastes, the firm commissioned pieces by John Widdecombe and Bernhard Rohne, the latter a German sculptor known for his acid-etched pieces inspired by [...]
With its distinct color palette of blue, red-orange and gold, Imari porcelain is the result of a series of cross-cultural exchanges in Japan during the Momoyama and Edo periods. Thanks to the dual invasions of Korea led by General Toyotomi Hideyoshi in 1592 & 1598, an appreciation for Korean ceramics led many of the feudal [...]
Donald Roller Wilson (American, b. 1938), oil on canvas titled ‘You Know You Want It’, artist signed and dated, 28.75”h x 27.5”w. Known for his highly stylized and richly detailed paintings which feature a colorful cast of animal characters, Donald Roller Wilson has been making his indelible mark on contemporary art in America [...]
