ALAMEDA, CA.- Michaan’s April 13 Gallery Auction promises to sustain the momentum created by the exciting monthly sales in 2019’s first quarter. Fine diamonds are as abundant as flowers in springtime. A lush Bay Area landscape by an Italian painter of wide renown is a leading highlight. Midcentury furniture by Gerald McCabe of Santa Monica is not to be missed. A massive red embroidered silk panel is among the Asian art treasures.
Michaan’s is a premier destination for worldwide jewelry buyers, whether they seek period heirlooms or contemporary jewelry from fine estates. In April the selection features the designers Roberto Coin, Tiffany & Co. including Frank Gehry for Tiffany, Marina B., David Yurman and more. April’s birthstone is the diamond — symbolizing “endurance” — and the auction offers beautiful diamonds in many precious pieces.
Fine diamonds in the hands of a legendary designer ... does it get any better? Roberto Coin’s "Appassionata" bracelet of diamonds, 18k rose and white gold is a stunner estimated at $4,000-$6,000. The chic gold basket weave design is accented by a diamond-encrusted clasp. The bracelet by Bonebakker of Amsterdam comprises 49 round brilliant-cut diamonds set in 18k white gold ($3,000-$5,000). Diamond rings abound in April such as the 14k yellow gold ring featuring two old European-cut diamonds, each about one carat, presented in a vintage box ($2,500-$3,500). Another ring centers a round 1.85 carat diamond flanked by two pear-cut diamonds in a platinum mounting ($4,000-$6,000). Diamond jewelry highlights also include several fine necklaces, an Art Deco bracelet ($1,000-$1,500) and a diamond horseshoe stickpin ($400-$600).
Beautiful period jewelry pieces in the April auction include the Elgin 14k gold hunting case pocket watch with original box ($1,200-$1,600) and the exquisitely detailed Victorian enamel, seed pearl and gold cross pendant ($500-$700). Also featured are the diamond-accented boulder opal pendant ($3,000-$5,000) and the translucent jade Guanyin with GIA report ($5,000-$7,000).
Michele Cascella (1892-1989) painted Impressionistic landscapes and florals in his native Italy from an early age. His vibrant works were shown often at the Venice Biennale, in Paris and internationally. By the mid twentieth century he had made Palo Alto, CA his second home. In Palo Alto Cascella painted “Dr. Jim Inglis Home and Garden,” offered by Michaan’s at $8,000-$10,000 on April 13. The large 1984 oil on canvas descended to the present owner through the family of Dr. Inglis, who enjoyed serving as a docent and gardener at Filoli, the historic garden estate in Woodside.
Also featured are works by American painter Charles Herbert Woodbury (18641940). A founding member of the artist’s colony at Ogunquit, Maine, Woodbury is best known for marine paintings of uncommon expressiveness. His works can be found in the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston and at Harvard University’s Fogg Art Museum, among others. A Charles Herbert Woodbury coastal view and a landscape are estimated at $3,000-$5,000 each in the April 13 sale. The lot comprising “Study of Water” and “Girls on the Beach” is offered at $2,000-$4,000.
Michaan’s Fine Art specialist Susan Paffrath is delighted to feature ceramic artist Claude Conover (1907-1994) in the April sale. After a 30-year career in commercial art, Conover turned to clay. He developed a disciplined and comprehensive process for creating ceramic art, and his singular works are widely collected by museums and private enthusiasts. In April Michaan’s offers a Claude Conover vessel at $4,000-$6,000 and a bowl at $3,000-$4,000.
The Midcentury furniture of Gerald McCabe, with its organic inspiration and gorgeous craftsmanship, needs no backstory to interest buyers. But his story is worth telling nonetheless. Straddling two significant creative worlds, design and music, Gerald McCabe had an orbit of influence that far surpasses most furniture makers. In Santa Monica he founded McCabe’s Guitar Shop where the great Ry Cooder, at just age 13, discovered the instrument. At the same time McCabe was transforming beautiful wood, glass and steel into modern furniture that continues to thrill collectors. McCabe said “ I think my furniture has a lasting quality. When you come into a room, it doesn’t hit you over the head, doesn’t fall into a category, it’s an entity by itself and is still appealing years later.” On April 13, Michaan’s offers a round oak dining table ($700-$900) and the Shedua wood tall cabinet ($1,800-$2,200) both from Gerald McCabe’s Orange Crate Modern line for the Eon Furniture Company of Santa Monica. A sleek and fabulous oak and lucite entertainment console, unmarked but possibly by McCabe, is offered at $700-$900. Also in the auction is a Gerald McCabe trestle dining table ($700$900).
Collectors of Asian art have many fine choices in April, the selection curated by Annie Zheng who recently joined Michaan’s team of appraisers and specialists. Exemplary cinnabar boxes carved with decorative and symbolic motifs are estimated at $3,000-$5,000 for the lot of two. A handsome tripod censer, of bronze with silver inlay, pierced wood cover and carved jadeite finial, bears a ‘Shisou’ mark in archaistic design. Estimated at $3,000-$5,000, it is one of several fine censers in the sale. Chinese furniture includes the pair of bamboo form armchairs ($300-$400).
Adorning Michaan’s gallery walls in April is the magnificent Chinese red silk embroidered panel, circa 1840 to 1900. Measuring a full 120” x 55.5”, it features three marvelous figures: Ma Gu, the female immortal; Shou Lou, god of longevity, and a young boy. Bats, deer, cranes, lingzhi and other Buddhist symbols decorate the ornate border ($3,000-$5,000).
