Articles in the Antique Category
Posted in Antique, Architecture, Buildings, Estate, Luxury on 22 June 2009
The Naional Trust for Historic Preservation listed it among the most endangered houses in 2005, and now the owner Frank Lloyd Wright is willing to seel his Ennis House for a huge $15 million. The sprawling mansion covers 6,000 square-foot in the Los Feliz area of LA. We are told that the house is inspired by the Mayan culture and has suffered a lot of earthquakes and extreme weather conditions. All this led to the house being under threat since 1924.
The house has been made with 27,000 16-inch concrete blocks of a material that has been proven unstable. However, all that said the house is unique with gorgeous mosaic windows, four of which has been designed Wright himself.
Posted in Antique, Auctions on 11 June 2009
Even the most rich would be stupified to learn that a tiny toy car was sold for a super huge $10,450. This van is tiny and measures only three inches. It was made as a promotional prototype for Omnisport, which is a general store in El Salvador. But this is the only one that ever got made, thereby lending the toy a unique-ness.
The car is quite a stumper with words like Omnisport Todo Paral El Deporte scribbled on it. The color is pale blue. But all that said, the price that it got sold for is far from believable. Wallis and Wallis Auction House in Lewes was the one behind the auction. The car went to an anonymous bidder on Monday. We hear that the car was expected to go for $16,320 but it was sold for a lesse price of $10,450.
Posted in Antique, Art, Museum, News on 11 June 2009
The art circuit is all tensed up. Pablo Picasso’s famous sketchbook complete with crayon drawing has been reported stolen from the Picasso National Museum in Paris. The 32 drawings are estimated to be worth between $8.4 million and $14Â million. The spectacular designs date back to 1917 to 1924. Being exhibited at the first floor of the building, the sketchbook was not noticed missing until before lunchtime last Tuesday. Apparently, there were no signs of any kind of a break-in. Even the alarm system did not go off.
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The pad measures 6 inch by 9 inch and was kept in ahigh security glass cabinet which could be opened with a special key. People are raising questions on the absence of security cameras. The authorities have said in their defence that the Daniel Buren’s works were on display which included a giant mirror, and it might have blocked the view of the staff.
Posted in Antique, Luxury Brands, Watch on 10 June 2009
Vintage timepieces can never go out of fashion. And coming from Jaeger Lecoultre with the Hermes stamp, you can well expect the bomb this travel alarm clock would be. We hear that this gorgeous piece was sold and signed by French retailer Hermes making it a true Vintage Hermes other than being a Vintage Jaeger Lecoultre, of course.
The alarm clock comes with a JLC movement that manually wound. The mechanism also has the capacity of a 8-day power reserve which is marked bu the circled ‘8′ above 6 o’clock.
Posted in Alcohol, Antique, Luxury, Spirits, Wine on 8 June 2009
A brew that is 9,000 years old, wow! As unbelievable as it may sound, Chateau Jiahu is a reality that was created by mixing rice, honey and fruit together for fermentation several thousand years ago. The wine marks the time when barley beer and grape had just started getting produced in the Middle East. Molecular archaeologist Patrick McGovern from University of Pennsylvania says that the fine liquor is based on chemical traces from pottery in the Neolithic village of Jiahu in Northern China.
And later McGovern thought of recreating the same with help from Sam Calagione of Dogfish Head Craft Brewery in Milton. Wine experts say the brew is very smooth though not overly sweet (apparently, honey adds a delightful touch).
Posted in Antique, Automobile, Car, Celebrity Shopping, Luxury Car, News on 2 June 2009
Its history and it can be yours. The forthcoming Sale of Exceptional Motorcars and Memorabilia by Bonham’s scheduled for August 14 is creating a lot of ruffle in the air. The reason? Well, it is featuring an iconic Grand Prix racing car, the 1939 Auto Union D-type racer. The car is legendary for its rear-mounted 3-liter twin-stage supercharged V12-cylinder engine. But that’s not the only reason why it is so famous. We are told that this rare vintage car was one of Hitler’s favorites.
One of the only three of its kind, this one was driven by Hans Stuck, who was a friend of Hitler’s in the 1939 Grand Prix racing season. An Auto Union race care, this 1938-39 V12 was designed to meet the benchmarks set by the international regulations governing Grand Prix racing.
Posted in Antique, Auctions on 25 May 2009
We really can’t fathom the reason behind this rather unexpected occurrence — is it the recession or are people just going ga ga over owing fossils — but come June 1 and a dinosaur skull is going to be up for sale. Yes, the National History auction at Bohams will be featuring a whole range of fossil specimens that shall even include the rare Tyrannosaurid skull. This skull is one of the only four Alioramus skulls to have been discovered so far.
The estimated cost of this so-called tyrant lizard from the age of dinosaurs lies between $120,000- $140,000. A little bit of dope on the dino tells us that its species was found in the Nemegt Formation, Gobi Desert and Central Asia. Alioramus was slender than the infamous T-rex but with a higher tooth count.
Posted in Antique, Art, Auctions on 15 May 2009
There is a lot of buzz being generated at Christie’s. Well, their Latin American Sale in New York set for May 28 and 29 has a rare masterpiece from 17th century. It is none other than a self-portrait by famous muralist Diego Rivera. Called ‘The Firestone Self-Portrait’ this one is expected to sell for a price between $1.2 million and $1.8 million.
Little bit of research on history tells us that this self portrait was made on request by American engineer and art collector Sigmund Firestone from Rochester. Apparently, he met Rivera and his wife Frida Kahlo when on a business trip to Mexico in 1939. The painting was commissioned in 1940 and took a year to be completed.
Posted in Antique on 3 May 2009
Aqua and Clear Rhinestone Bracelet is a vintage one that belongs to Kramer of New York. It shines brilliantly and is not known when exactly it was designed. nevertheless, the logo on the piece of jewelry indicates it was designed somewhere between 1943 and 1950.
It is one of the most sought after pieces ever and the brilliant blue shines in an ethereal manner. You could wear this for an evening party or for a dinner along with your gown. The bracelet has clear and aqua baguettes, cut emeralds, and has a silver tone. It also comes with a rhodium plated strap.
Posted in Antique on 3 May 2009
A snobbish life isn’t complete without buying a couple of antiques and showing your friends what an excitingly cultured person you are. you could choose to buy artifacts and antiques that are immensely expensive and also buy things that are family heirlooms. Here is one such heirloom which was handed out by the mother of the seller in the 1960s.
The mother herself got this lamp as an antique in the 1940s, which means it is quite an antique product itself. The lamp is either made out of camel or goat skin and since it is hand made, it lacks symmetry. The lamp is in working condition and lights up under the shade.
