Material Culture will host an auction of art, antiquities, textiles, carpets, and other fine artifacts, brought together under the title “The Spirits of my Reincarnation Brothers and Sisters,” the name of an exceptional painting by Prince Twins Seven-Seven, up for sale at this auction. Items from Bill Liske’s collection of antique Tibetan and Chinese textiles and artifacts will also contribute to the body of the auction, along with many other select works of fine, folk, outsider, self-taught, ethnographic and decorative art. Material Culture’s aim is to provide the best collecting opportunities in these artistic fields, with pieces of diverse origin but uniform excellence, to the benefit of buyers, including young collectors or those new to auctioneering. The auction will feature over 400 lots, and bidding begins at 11 AM on Sunday, October 14.
“The Spirits of my Reincarnation Brothers and Sisters,” by Prince Twins Seven-Seven
Leading the auction are pieces by Nigerian artist Prince Twins Seven-Seven (1944-2011), one of Africa’s most famous contemporary artists, whose international fame has garnered him exhibitions on every continent, and a place in the permanent collections of major museums around the world, including the Smithsonian Institution and the Museum of Modern Art in New York. The exceptional work from which the auction derives its title, “The Spirits of my Reincarnation Brothers and Sisters,” dates to 2006-2007, a reworking of an earlier piece of the same name that was created in 1968-1969. This painting of ink, batik dye, watercolor, acrylic and oil on cloth was purchased directly from the artist in 2007, and is featured in Henry Glassie’s book “Prince Twins Seven-Seven: His Art, His Life in Nigeria, His Exile in America.” It is estimated to sell for between $5,000 and $7,000. Other self-taught artists featured at the October 14 sale include Felipe Jesus Consalvos, Vojislav Jakic, Purvis Young and Kwame Akoto (often creating under the name “Almighty God”).
The auction will also showcase Bill Liske’s collection of antique Tibetan and Chinese textiles and artifacts, the fruit of three decades of Liske’s travel and work in the Himalayan region. Originally a mountaineer and guide, Liske’s natural eye for textiles was honed by textile dealers in the area, and his expertly-chosen collection has appeared at the History Museum in Denver, the Krimsa Gallery in San Francisco, the Shaver-Ramsey Gallery in Denver, and in Hali magazine. One of the most exceptional of these items to be shown at this auction is a powerfully rendered early Thangka scroll painting depicting the deific reincarnation known as Vajra Varahi in Sanskrit and Dorje Pakmo in Tibetan, dating to 14th-16th century Tibet, and valued at $3,000-$4,000.
Other exceptional items in the auction include the Michaelian Meshed (34 feet by 47 feet), a Persian carpet from circa 1900, originally custom woven for the prestigious Union League Club in New York City, where it graced the club for decades until it was purchased in the 1950’s by Frank Michaelian of Michaelian and Kohlberg, estimated to be worth between $60,000 and $90,000. An outstanding 19th century Syrian silk and gold Judge’s Tunic from the collection of Samy and Sara Rabinovic, Philadelphia, was the blue ribbon exhibition winner at the 1996 International Conference on Oriental Carpets, and is expected to fetch $3,000-$4,000. Also up for auction is a rare 6th-9th century funerary head band made with a knotted pile technique, valued at $1,000-$1,500, and a 19th century Tibtetan or Bhutanese bull-headed Buddhist dance mask of meditational deity Yamantaka, whose extremely vibrant red tone is achieved by pigment on a papier-mâché of laurel or mulberry , worth $2,000-$3,000.
Exciting categories of other kinds of artifacts include an outstanding group of 17th-18th century Mughal columns and arches from northern India, 16-19th century Ottoman, Central Asian, Asian, African, Continental and pre-Columbian textiles, 17th-19th century Oriental Carpets, African, Himalayan and Oceanic Tribal Arts, antiquities from the Near East, Americas, Asia, 18th- 20th century Folk Art from Europe, Asia, Africa and the Americas, and a large selection of vintage Navajo Jewelry.
Material Culture welcomes all interested collectors, buyers, and art enthusiasts to take advantage of the auction preview in its facilities in person. The auction preview will be open daily from Wednesday, October 10 to Saturday, October 13, 10am-5pm. Interested parties not able to visit the exhibition gallery in person can also find full catalogues of this auction online at liveauctioneers.com.