ALAMEDA, CA.- There has never been a better time to turn to Michaan’s Auctions for the inspiration offered by fine art and beautiful things. Each auction is a virtual journey, filled with possibilities. In the upcoming Gallery Auction on July 25, wonderful works by artists from California and Taos are among the many fine art highlights. The Asian Art department offers important 20th century Chinese paintings. The selection of estate jewelry and timepieces includes treasures from the world’s top design houses. Vintage modern furniture and fine musical instruments also await July’s bidders. Online and phone bidding are available to all.

Ralph Waldo Emerson Meyers settled in Taos, NM in 1909. He was a successful trader, working with the people of the Taos Pueblo to market their creations and in the process becoming an advocate for preserving Native American cultural traditions. His lifelong dream was to become a painter, and he held a position of esteem in the famous Taos artists’ colony. Meyers produced a relatively small body of very fine paintings, which makes the sale of his work at auction exciting for collectors. On July 25, Michaan’s offers Meyers’s oil, “Indian Summer” (estimated at $7,000 - $9,000).

California’s majestic scenery, legendary natural light and creative communities have attracted fine artists for many generations. Michaan’s is a leading resource for works by California artists. July’s Gallery Auction features landscapes by Manuel Valencia, Richard Schloss and Gordon Coutts. A native of Scotland, Coutts was a world traveler who settled in the East Bay Hills and belonged to the Bohemian Club. His landscapes, glowing with vibrant colors, include “Forest Stream,” offered by Michaan’s at $1,000 - $1,500. Valencia’s “Grazing Cattle in Marin” is a fine tonalist landscape estimated at $2,000 - $4,000. It bears the label of Maxwell Galleries, prominent in the California art community since its founding in 1940.

A top luminary in the July 25th auction is Gustave Baumann, whose “Cherry Blossom” woodcut is offered at $4,000 - $6,000. Baumann, a leading American printmaker of the 20th century, produced brilliantly colored woodcuts and paintings while residing in the important art colonies at Taos and in Brown County, Indiana.

Dora Maar (1907-1997), well known to art lovers as a muse of Picasso and the Surrealists, was a brilliant intellectual, photographer and painter in her own right. Dora Maar’s oil painting “Composition in Teal” is one of Michaan’s intriguing July highlights, estimated at $1,000 - $2,000. Other European artists in the auction include Miro and Rouault, and the iconic poster artist Leonetto Cappiello. A great find for collectors of poster art, in addition to Cappiello’s “Helène Chauvin” ($1,500- $2,500), is the 1976 New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival poster by the Louisiana folk artist, Maria Laredo ($2,000 - $4,000). Portraying Fats Houston, the grand marshal of the Eureka marching jazz band, this exuberant poster is increasingly rare and valuable, since many copies were lost to Hurricane Katrina.

Fine Chinese scroll paintings draw many bidders to Michaan’s Auctions. Offered in the July Gallery Auction is “Scholar in Landscape,” after Zhang Daqian (1899-1983). Zhang’s signature splashed-ink painting style made him one of the best-loved and most internationally renowned Chinese artists, and sales of his works have set and broken auction records many times. ”Scholar in Landscape” is a mounted scroll estimated at $40,000 - $60,000.




Also featured on July 25 is the 1963 painting attributed to Li Keran (1907-1989), “Landscape of Red Forest.” Counted among the most important Chinese artists and teachers of the twentieth century, Li studied Western art in the 1920s and synthesized its influence in his singular style of painting, which has surged in popularity in recent decades. His mentors included Qi Baishi. “Li is remembered as neither a traditionalist nor a reformist, but rather as a pioneer who blended these two trends in 20th-century Chinese art” (chinaonlinemuseum.com). “Landscape of Red Forest,” in ink and color on rice paper, is estimated at $5,500 - $8,000.

A very special highlight of the July Gallery Auction is the bolt of late Qing Dynasty silk brocade. The green and gold silk features a woven pattern of double fish, Buddha’s hand and other fruits, bats, cloud scroll and other auspicious motifs. This rare and wonderful find is estimated at $3,500 - $4,500; the uncut bolt measures approximately 27 feet long by 30 inches wide.

Fine Chinese porcelains offered July 25 include the large blue and white hexagonal vase, over 18 inches tall and beautifully painted with floral sprays, fruit tree branches and elegant borders ($4,000 - $6,000). The blue and white, Arabic-inscribed moon flask is estimated at $1,000 - $1,500, and the guan-type octagonal bottle vase is $800 - $1,200.

Nearly 140 lots of fine estate jewelry are offered in Michaan’s July 25 Gallery Auction. The selection offers great diversity and superb quality. There are many special finds for collectors, such as the gold link charm bracelet ($3,000 - $5,000) featuring six U.S. gold coins from the early 20th century, including Indian Head and Lady Liberty coins.

Fine diamonds are abundant. A substantial men’s diamond ring, of 14k yellow gold, centers an old European-cut diamond of 1.72 carats ($3,000 - $5,000). A striking platinum ring, with sleek geometric lines and encrusted with diamonds, is an excellent value estimated at $600-$800. The bold 18k yellow gold hoop earrings bring the bling, each adorned with ten round brilliant-cut diamonds ($1,000 - $1,500, the pair). Beautiful diamonds tumble down the 14k white gold drop earrings, completed by aquamarine cabochons — the perfect summer jewels, evocative of glamorous lounging, poolside ($1,500 - $2,500). A similar vibe arises from the necklace of carved jadeite jade beads, the cool and sophisticated summer style statement ($500 - $700).

Luxury brands lend panache to Michaan’s July Gallery Auction, where sustainability and great value go hand in hand. The must-have sterling silver bracelet by Hermès, of chunky macaroni-style links, is estimated at $500-$700. Tiffany & Co.’s 18k white gold open link bracelet, the ultimate in refinement and good taste, is offered at $1,500 - $2,500. Timepieces include the Cartier tank watch ($2,500 - $3,500), the 18k gold two-tone Rolex Cellini with leather band ($2,000 - $3,000) and the commanding Master Control wristwatch by Jaeger le Coultre, estimated at $4,000 - $6,000.

In each monthly auction, Michaan’s offers fine estate furniture and decorations from many periods. Featured in July is the pair of split-back beechwood chairs by Pierre Gautier-Delaye. The tripod chairs, circa 1970, have the simple, earthy appeal of today’s most desired furniture styles; estimated at $500 - $800 for the pair. Also offered is the 1950s desk by Milo Baughman for Drexel Perspective. Baughman was a giant of 20th century design, and this roomy, floating top desk is an iconic original Midcentury Modern gem, estimated at just $400 - $600.