Skinner

BOSTON, MA – December 10, 2018 – December Important and Fine Jewelry auctions were led by exceptional colored stones, large diamonds, and a strong collection of antique and period jewelry featuring the Edith Weber Jewelry collection. The top lots in the auction were a rare Colombian emerald with no treatment that brought an impressive price of $177,000, a remarkable $38,000 per carat. Closely following was an Art Deco Burma Ruby Ring that reached $159,000 after spirited bidding between buyers worldwide. Early in the auction, Senior Jewelry Specialist Kaitlin Shinnick observed “antique jewerly is back,” and in fact, antique and period jewelry garnered some of the auctions most competitive bidding. Skinner was proud to offer jewelry from the collection of Edith Weber. “We are fearless in our taste,” Barry Weber once said about the iconic antique jewelry store founded by his mother Edith in 1960. The rare and sought after pieces assembled […]

Skinner’s December 14 auction offers a comprehensive selection of furniture and decorative arts of the 20th century, a time span of unparalleled creativity. BOSTON, MA – December 9, 2018 – Skinner presents a notable sale of 20th Century Design on Friday, December 14 at 10AM. The sale of over 500 lots is rich in renowned names and objects, plus unheralded treasures by modern masters waiting to be discovered. This eclectic mix for which Skinner is well-known has appeals to adventurous collectors of free-ranging tastes as well as connoisseurs seeking a rarity to complete an established collection. Highlights from famous artists and artisans include: an important Marblehead Pottery Vase designed by Annie Aldrich and decorated by Sarah Tutt (Lot 95, Estimate: $10,000-20,000); a Tiffany Studios bronze floor lamp with Maple Leaf shade (Lot 40, Estimate: $80,000-120,000); a Finn Juhl Model 45 settee (Lot 330, Estimate: $10,000-15,000); and a George Nakashima triple […]

BOSTON, MA – November 18, 2018  – An attic discovery of the rare 1845 first edition of Poe’s Tales (Lot 224, Estimate: $60,000-80,000) in paper wrappers surpassed all expectations to sell for $315,000 after fierce competition from internet and telephone bidders. Based on the context of the discovery of this copy of Poe’s Tales, the original owner presumably bought this and other similar contemporaneous books to be read for amusement in the 1840s. Once read, the Poe and its companions were bundled and stored away in a trunk in the attic until they were found during an in-home auction evaluation by Skinner specialists. In the rare book trade, it was thought that all copies of Poe’s Tales in wrappers were known.  Department director, Devon Eastland notes that the annual November Fine Books & Manuscripts Auction is timed to coincide with the long-running Boston International Antiquarian Book Fair, a venue that guarantees that serious American and […]

BOSTON, MA – November 26, 2018 – Skinner presents its final Important Jewelry Auction of 2018 on December 4th in Boston. The auction will feature over 300 lots of diamonds, colored stones, and antique and period jewelry. The Edith Weber Jewelry Collection We are excited to offer the collection of Edith Weber Antique Jewelry. Founded in 1960 by Edith Weber, the firm quickly became one of the leading antique jewelry dealers in the United States. Her son Barry and his wife Sonja Diamond-Weber joined the company in 1975.  Barry Weber appeared on fifteen seasons of the Antiques Roadshow and was a specialist in historical jewelry. He taught antique jewelry appraisal classes at several colleges and universities, pioneering a series of hands-on seminars educating on the intricacies of the identification and evaluation of antique jewelry to novices and seasoned industry professionals. Jewelry from Edith Weber was worn on the red carpets of […]

MARLBOROUGH, MA – November 26, 2018 – Skinner’s upcoming auction features the second part of the renowned Ronnie Newman Collection of Early Oriental Rugs. Also offered will be over 150 rugs of widely varied ages, sizes and origins consigned by other collectors. Pieces from the Newman collection were the highlights of Skinner’s October Fine Oriental Rugs & Carpets auction, where rare 17th and 18th century rugs and mats attracted vigorous bidding, and achieved excellent results. Collectors and connoisseurs will again have, in this auction, a not-to-be-missed opportunity to acquire the best of the best. Newman’s pieces are notable for their beauty, rarity, and status as works of art. In five decades of deeply informed collecting, he focused on four broad collecting areas: early Chinese rugs, primarily made in western China for use in Tibetan monasteries; flatweaves and embroideries from northwestern Persia; early Turkoman carpets and other textiles; and early Anatolian rugs […]

Join us for First Tuesday in Marlborough  Tuesday, December 4  | 1:30PM – 4PM Specialists Robin S.R. Starr, Suhyung Kim, Jonathan Dowling & Christopher Fox will be on hand to evaluate items and accept consignments for upcoming auctions.  Experts Available in December: Robin S.R. Starr – Director of American & European Works of Art, will be on-hand to evaluate paintings, prints, sculpture, and photography for upcoming auctions. She is looking forward to seeing examples by listed, sought-after artists, as well as iconic works of fine art photography from the 19th through 21st centuries, with market interest over $1000. Post-War and Contemporary Art is particularly strong in the current market.       Suhyung Kim – Specialist of Asian Works of Art will be seeking Ceramics, metalware, paintings, prints, furniture and more from China, Japan, and Southeast Asia for the upcoming live auctions. Suhyung’s expertise is particularly focused in the areas of Korean art, Japanese prints, and Asian ceramics.        Jonathan […]

Dr. Herbert Hall started the Marblehead Pottery in 1904, as therapy for patients at his Devereux Sanitarium. His therapeutic workshop evolved into a business, and in 1915, Arthur Baggs took over the production operation and continued to produce the pottery until 1936.  In 1909, this vase was designed by Annie E. Aldrich, thrown by John Swallow, and decorated by Sarah Tutt in the Marblehead Pottery workshop. It is one of four known examples, two of the others are in the collections of the Art Institute of Chicago and the Two Red Roses Foundation, Palm Harbor, Florida. This landscape vase is decorated in the style of Arthur Wesley Dow, depicting haystacks in a marsh. A fine example of the work produced at the Marblehead Pottery, as characterized by its simplicity of form and decoration, as well as its distinctive matte glazes. This rare Annie E. Aldrich and Sarah Tutt Marblehead Pottery […]

This edition of The Gentleman’s Auction features a generous contribution from WGBH’s Executive Arts Editor Jared Bowen. Jared adds a personal touch to the auction by curating a section of objects related to his “likes.” Here are his top picks:  Public Warning poster History is fascinating to me, but never more so than when you have access to tangible materials like this sobering Public Warning poster from World War II. It’s at once a conversation piece and a cautionary tale.                 A Class Act The Emerson Colonial Theatre is one of our nation’s most historic and re-opened earlier this year in grand style after conservators and restorers excavated the building’s lavish historical details. I adore this photograph from the theater’s early days when it was intended to transport audiences to the great theatrical palaces of Europe. Walking stick I love texture in design […]

Throughout the past year, the team that runs The Gentleman’s Auction here at Skinner has invited collaboration with local Gentlemen of note. This time around, in a sale timed to coincide with the holidays, we are pleased to welcome Jared Bowen into the fold. Jared is Executive Arts Editor at WGBH and is the Emmy award-winning host of Open Studio with Jared Bowen, a weekly program covering all aspects of the arts. He is also a regular contributor to many platforms at WGBH, on the radio and the TV side. In exchanges with Jared, at the outset of his involvement, we asked him to talk about what he surrounds himself with aesthetically – what he wears, what draws him in, what he makes a point to collect, what he has on his walls, and what he wishes he had in his life. The conversation was revealing. The breadth of Jared’s […]

Before cable news and Instagram, Americans saw the top stories of the day, in politics and popular culture, through the colorful images of Currier and Ives. The lithographs of Currier and Ives are iconic representations of American life from 1850 to 1900. They are arguably the most popular, widely reproduced prints in history, continuing to appear on items from calendars and holiday greeting cards to dinnerware. Nathaniel Currier, an enterprising young printer in New York City, produced a lithograph of a raging fire in the New York Merchant’s Exchange in 1835. Thousands of copies were sold in just a few days, and Currier realized that dramatic illustrations of newsworthy events could be popular and profitable. He soon became an independent print publisher. James Merritt Ives, Currier’s bookkeeper and accountant, became his partner in 1857. They developed a business based on subject matter ranging from current events to political satire and […]

Whenever I have my hands really into staging a furniture and decorative arts auction in the Marlborough preview and auction rooms, I am always thrilled to find how effective hanging the artwork at the end of the process can be in tying the whole look of the room together. One day there are barren walls around some furniture, and the next day well balanced, inviting and richly decorated rooms emerge. That’s the reason why, when I moved into my freshman dorm room, one of the first things I did was go out and buy colorful posters for my walls. Every time I’ve settled into a new place, it doesn’t feel like mine until my walls are awash with color, pattern, and design. As the years have passed, my tastes have moved from posters to a variety of different prints, paintings, and photographs. Although I never considered myself a collector, I realized […]

John is a specialist in our Fine Jewelry department, nurturing a lifelong interest in jewelry with particular expertise in antique and period pieces. His love of antiques began in the flea markets, tag sales, and antique shops of his native Westchester County, New York, appreciating the beauty and simplicity of 18th century English silver. While studying at Boston University, John explored his interest in the auction world by joining Skinner’s Boston gallery team part-time in 2002 and the Jewelry Department in 2005. In 2013 John became an appraiser on the PBS series Antiques Roadshow.   How did you get your start in the auction world?   I really started loving antiques when my friend’s dad used to take us to tag sales to look for silver when we were in high school.  He taught me what to look for, and how to haggle!  It got me into looking for great finds, and […]