When I think of Minton, I think of quality. Many great examples of quality Minton wares come to mind: early porcelains, pate-sur-pate decorated by Marc Louis Solon, the wonderful majolica wares of Victorian England, along with other hand-painted earthenwares and tiles. Minton pottery rivals Wedgwood and surpasses numerous other manufacturers in workmanship, thanks to the fact that some of the most well-known artisans of the time were employed by Minton.

On July 16th, Skinner will sell Henri Robert’s perpetual calendar clock, which was shown in the Paris Exposition of 1839. The calendar mounted in the lower section of the Belgian slate case was uniquely designed to show the year, month, day-of-the-month and day-of-the-week through the use of a single silvered dial and concentric hands, all self-correcting for the four-year cycles of leap year.

Each glass pendant hangs suspended, reflecting light with its own unique glints of silver and gold. This is the Solar-Lunar Cosmos series of modernist necklaces, created by Margret Craver, a pioneer in the American Studio Jewelry movement. On June 14, 2011, Skinner will bring Margret Craver’s work to auction for the first time. Her fabulous handmade jewelry pieces range from expert silverwork to notoriously difficult en resille enameling, and her work is featured in numerous museum collections. The Solar-Lunar series from the 1970s is an example of an experiment in glasswork.

For over a century, modern string players have found that Italian violins from Naples can satisfy the need for a first professional quality instrument at a fraction of the price of those by Northern Italian makers. Many, including soloists, continue to use the same Neapolitan violin throughout their careers without needing to upgrade to something older and more expensive.

Robert Rauschenberg (American, 1925-2008), Tampa Clay Piece, 1972. Est. $1,800-2,200

Next time you come across an empty cardboard box, take a close look at it before you find a trash can– or better yet, a recycling bin. Does the box look like art?

It very well could be considered fine art, especially by someone like artist Robert Rauschenberg.

“Tampa Clay Piece” (1972) isn’t actually made out of cardboard. This work is a fired and silkscreened ceramic, but it derives from Robert Rauschenberg’s long-standing practice of creative reuse.… Read More

There are great ways to get started learning about and participating in the auction world. Monthly estate auctions are one of the best ways to do this. At Skinner, we’ve been holding monthly “Discovery Auctions” of affordable antiques, decorative arts and collectibles since the 1980s.

Stylish, modern, and vintage watches are now, more than ever, a fashion statement, and certain watch styles are gaining in popularity. One trend worth noting is that women are putting away their dainty watches for oversized men’s style watches with large faces. The Balloon Bleu watch by Cartier, with sleek metal styling and solid gold incorporated into every model, is the most popular Cartier style at the moment.

With the turn of the 20th century and the rise of Modernism, artists became much more aware of the chronology of art history and their place within it. With this arose a genre that, if not altogether new, suddenly became more prevalent; artists creating portraits of other artists.