AUTOGRAPHS

Luxurious Items Up For Auction

It’s time for Hong Kong to enter the auction arena, and this time, they are all set to bring some rare and beautiful timepieces under the hammer. And highlighting the event are two very exceptional pieces. The first one is something that comes from Emperor Napoleon III collection called, the Ostrich Fan Watch. A collector’s item, the 18 carat gold chronograph dated 1855 that has painted enamel and features a pearl and rose-cut diamond-set, along with a white ostrich feather fan that has a concealed watch and pencil.

The other special watch up for grabs is called as The Music of Love, dated to 1840. The watch features music that repeats periodically and spots a See-Saw and Concealed Erotic Automatons by Henry Capt, Genève. Again set in 18 carat gold and painted enamel the watch is quite rare as its one of the few versions that features two automaton scenes created by Henry Capt.

Nate D. Sanders Auctions, the California auction house which sold off Lee Harvey Oswald’s coffin recently, now has up for sale a 375-pound cement slab featuring Michael Jackson’s hand and foot impressions along with his signature. The monumental piece will be auctioned off at Nate D. Sanders’ Tuesday, February 15, 2011 auction.

The slab’s bottom left corner is dated “6/84,” when Jackson was at the zenith of his career, winning eight Grammys for his monumental album “Thriller.” His left palm print features a heart shape design with a surface crack running through it, thus the name, “The Broken Heart Stone.” He made the impression in June of 1984 for the city of Las Vegas for their Walk of Fame project, nearly 25 years to the day of his death. The Walk of Fame never materialized and the autographed stone along with Jackson’s imprints was buried in the basement of the Riviera Hotel for over two decades. The impression comes with a Letter of Authenticity from Riviera President and Chief Operation Officer Mark Sterberns. The listing suggests the slab would be suitable for display at a restaurant or casino.

Chinese artist Ai Weiwei generated headlines around the world when he installed 100 million ceramic sunflowers seeds in the Tate Modern in London. The exhibit, which started last October, initially was open for guests to frolic through the seeds. Shortly after it opened health concerns about dust led the museum to restrict access to the exhibit. But if you want to run your hands through the seeds, you will soon be able to buy a 100-kilogram pile of seeds at Sotheby’s in London on February 15.

Each porcelain sunflower seed was individually handmade and painted by specialists working in small-scale workshops in the Chinese city of Jingdezhen. The Sotheby’s listing suggests that the piece can be installed either in a mound as shown above or smoothed out into a carpet-like experience. There will be a total of ten lots sold from this work. The Telegraph does a little math, figuring that if the seeds are valued by weight and the lot sells at the mid estimate, the Tate installation.

About the Author

I am Marry Williams. I am covering luxury brands for past 20years. Here I am presenting my views on tracking luxury for the privileged few.

IRON MAN – Signed by Stan Lee CGC Slabbed