Under the hammer – Fab Four Auction Sales (July 2024)
Four amazing lots that wowed bidders at recent auctions include a stunning 7.01-carat diamond, a John Lennon guitar, a rare water clock and a beautiful painting by Anita Magsaysay-Ho.
Orange Zest: Diamond ring wows in all facets
A painting by Filipino artist Anita Magsaysay-Ho wowed bidders at a recent auction held by Christie’s in Hong Kong. The painting, Three Women with Pineapples, is considered a rarity in the art world and its price peaked at HK$7.56 million (US$968,000), comfortably above the pre-auction estimate of HK$4–$6 million.
It was part of a series of four 20th- and 21st-century art auctions during Christie’s Spring Auction season where works by Vietnamese, Indonesian, Thai and Filipino artists achieved 100% sales. “Modern art by Southeast Asian artists such as Anita Magsaysay-Ho, fresh to the market, appeal to collectors this season because of the rarity and quality of the works, which are at the forefront of documenting the societal developments in [the region],” said Christie’s spokesperson Doris Fan.
Born in 1914 and the only woman among the so-called ‘Thirteen Moderns’ of renowned Filipino painters, Magsaysay-Ho would often feature women in everyday activities such as harvesting fruit, collecting grain or selling fish. She liked to portray their camaraderie, and this canvas is typical of her celebration of the female form.
Help! Wanted: Iconic Lennon guitar breaks records
A 1964 guitar used by The Beatles’ legend John Lennon when recording the album, Help!, has sold for a whopping US$2.86 million (HK$22.4 million) at an auction held at the Hard Rock Cafe in New York. The sale, conducted by pop memorabilia specialist Julien’s Auctions, saw frenzied bidding for the instrument which had featured in one of the group’s best-known songs. The prized lot eventually went to a telephone bidder at a price which smashed the record for the most expensive Beatles’ guitar in auction history and the fifth highest ever garnered by a guitar.
The Framus Hootenanny 12-string acoustic guitar, which Lennon had given to a fellow musician in 1965, was recently discovered in an attic, and its sale was highly anticipated by Beatles’ enthusiasts and music collectors alike. “We are absolutely thrilled and honoured to have set a new world record with the sale of John Lennon’s lost Hootenanny guitar,” said David Goodman, CEO of Julien’s Auctions. “Today’s unprecedented sale is a testament to the timeless appeal and reverence of The Beatles’ music and John Lennon.”
Pineapple Power: Rich harvest for Filipino artist’s ode to women
A painting by Filipino artist Anita Magsaysay-Ho wowed bidders at a recent auction held by Christie’s in Hong Kong. The painting, Three Women with Pineapples, is considered a rarity in the art world and its price peaked at HK$7.56 million (US$968,000), comfortably above the pre-auction estimate of HK$4–$6 million.
It was part of a series of four 20th- and 21st-century art auctions during Christie’s Spring Auction season where works by Vietnamese, Indonesian, Thai and Filipino artists achieved 100% sales. “Modern art by Southeast Asian artists such as Anita Magsaysay-Ho, fresh to the market, appeal to collectors this season because of the rarity and quality of the works, which are at the forefront of documenting the societal developments in [the region],” said Christie’s spokesperson Doris Fan.
Born in 1914 and the only woman among the so-called ‘Thirteen Moderns’ of renowned Filipino painters, Magsaysay-Ho would often feature women in everyday activities such as harvesting fruit, collecting grain or selling fish. She liked to portray their camaraderie, and this canvas is typical of her celebration of the female form.
Magnet Strike: Precious water clock brings good fortune
Described as one of the most significant horological rediscoveries of the 21st century, an extremely rare Cartier water clock instigated a tense 25-minute bidding war at auction in Hong Kong, eventually selling for HK$15 million (US$1.92 million). The sale was conducted by Phillips in Association with Bacs & Russo, and such was the interest in this masterpiece of craftsmanship that a total of 75 bids were placed and the final price broke the world auction record for a magnetic water clock.
Of all the magnificent water clocks to have come to market, La Pendule Magnétique is considered to be perhaps the most lavishly designed one to exit the Cartier workshops. Crafted in the popular Chinoiserie style circa 1929, it is distinguished by a 17th-century jade water basin, decorated with coral and black enamel, containing a floating carp that serves as the hour hand. In another auspicious touch, an emerald-eyed qilin carved from nephrite coils around the bowl. Its 22cm-diameter base is made of marble studded with lapis lazuli and aventurine.
The clock had been considered lost for decades before resurfacing.
