ALAMEDA, CALIF.- Michaan’s will hold four auctions in December 2022, beginning with the monthly Annex Auction on Monday the 12th through Wednesday the 14th. Two auctions will be held on Friday the 16th, the first of which is the Winter Fine Sale. Held annually, this sale comprises some of the most desirable fine art, jewelry, and antiques of the year, including vintage Illums Bolighus furniture, and a ring featuring a 4 carat diamond. The Coin Auction, mainly featuring gold and silver US coins, will follow at 1 p.m. Saturday the 17th will conclude the auction week with the monthly Gallery Auction. As always, this auction presents a variety of fine art and antiques, from blackware pottery to American art in a range of styles.

The Winter Fine Sale will offer rare furniture and decoration, including items such as a Tiffany Studios bronze piano lamp #303 ($2,500-$4,000) and a Christofle Brienne pattern sterling silver flatware service ($10,000-$15,000). A vintage Illums Bolighus black leather armchair and ottoman ($8,000-$12,000) can also be found at this sale, making an elegant addition to any living room.

This sale also offers an oil on panel, Looking Down Fifth Avenue from the Plaza, New York by Guy Carleton Wiggins (American, 1883-1962) ($15,000-$20,000). Wiggins’s impressionistic style pairs seamlessly with his prolific winter scenes of New York, making this piece a perfect encapsulation of his work. Sculptures are represented in the auction as well, including a gilt and patinated bronze sculpture, Gloria Victis, by Antonin Mercie (French, 1845-1916) ($3,000-$5,000). Depicting an angel in flowing robes carrying a man, this sculpture makes an impressive silhouette and masterfully captures the motion of the scene.

A sprawling collection of jewelry can be found in this sale, including a ring featuring an L, VS1, 4 carat diamond ($18,000-$25,000). This auction presents no shortage of diamond pieces, with other pieces like a diamond, 14k yellow gold pendant ($10,000-$15,000). Glamorous jewelry and watches in a variety of materials and styles will be offered in the sale.

Rounding out the auction is a selection of fine Asian art, like a Chinese famille rose porcelain seated Buddha ($1,000-$1,500), with Buddha wearing loosely draped, decorated yellow ground robes, and a Chinese six-panel carved rosewood folding screen with plaque inserts ($3,000-$5,000).

The Coin Auction will follow the Winter Fine Sale at 1 p.m. This auction will mainly feature gold and silver US coins, including uncirculated and certified Carson City Morgan dollars.

The Gallery Auction begins with a variety of unique antiques and decorations, like a Maria Santana Ortiz blackware pottery olla ($1,000-$1,500), with techniques passed down by matriarch Puebloan potters for centuries. This auction also offers an atomic steel and copper armillary style chandelier by Jefferson Mack ($700-$900), a San Francisco master blacksmith known for an organic, flowing style he terms “Antiques From the Future.”




December’s fine art boasts several pieces by American artists, like The Navigator (2001), an oil on canvas by Robert Peluce (American, 1937-2004). An animator as well as a painter, Peluce was known for transporting the whimsy of animation into a surreal art style that draws attention to life’s contradictions and absurdities. This sale also offers an acrylic on canvas, Fractured Land (2012) by Alejandro Rubio (American/Uruguayan, b. 1963) ($500-$700). Rubio is greatly inspired by the Bay Area and California landscape, rendering the views in a vivid, abstracted style to convey the connection between the land and its inhabitants.

This month of the Gallery Auction also brings an array of fashionable jewelry, including a pair of diamond studs ($1,500-$2,500) and an emerald, diamond, 18k yellow gold pendant ($1,500-$2,500). Bidders with unusual tastes might like the pair of multi-stone, blue enamel, yellow gold earrings, each showing a bee landing on a flower ($800-$1,200).

The Gallery Auction will conclude with a collection of Asian art, including rare ceramics in a range of styles. Highlights include wares like a Chinese rare large Jian tea bowl covered with a russet brown spotted glaze ($700-$900), and a Chinese rare Jun inscribed pillow suffused with mottled purple splashes ($700-$900).

For greatest ease of browsing and bidding, download the Michaan’s app. The complete auction calendar, and realized prices from previous auctions can be viewed at michaans.com.

Winter Fine Sale
Featuring fine art, jewelry, furniture, decorative arts, and Asian art
Friday, December 16; 10 a.m.

Coin Auction
Featuring rare coins
Friday, December 16; 1 p.m.

Gallery Auction
Featuring fine art, jewelry, furniture, decorative arts, and Asian art
Saturday, December 17; 10 a.m.

Previews:
Thursday, December 15; 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Friday, December 16; 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Saturday, December 17; 9 a.m. – end of auction