Versace is Timeless

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Our current auction features many designer labels and a fabulous selection of men’s wear.  We want to direct your attention to our amazing collection of Versace.

Versace is the epitome of glamor– as well as being the symbol of Italian luxury. The company designs, manufactures, distributes and retails fashion and lifestyle products including Atelier (haute couture), prêt-à-porter (ready to wear), bags, shoes, accessories, jewelry, watches, eyewear, fragrances, and home furnishings all bearing the distinctive Medusa logo.

Gianni Versace, one of the most talented fashion designers of the 20th century, presented his first collection under his own name in 1978.

This marked the founding of the famous Italian fashion house. It quickly became one of the leading fashion design brands worldwide. Celebrities and connoisseurs everywhere adored the brand for its uncompromising design, its rich and ultra-sensual style and its impeccable craftsmanship and quality.

After the death of her brother in 1997, Donatella Versace became Creative Director for the Versace Group.  Today Donatella Versace directs all lines and product categories for the house.

Donatella Versace underlines the heritage elements of the house while continually modernizing and refreshing the brand’s style with her creative and energetic attitude. Along with the items in our auction,  You can discover the timeless universe of Versace at VERSACE.COM

Happy Bidding!                              

Liz

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The Power of Art

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In our current auction you will be impressed with the excellent quality and interesting variety of all of the items that have been lovingly gathered from years of world travel. While every auction seems to bring new knowledge, this one enhanced my appreciation for the Power of Art with these thirty four treasures.

We can really see the expression of the talent and creative force of each artist in very different ways. They manipulate their own materials and tools to transcend time to reach us.  Isn’t it amazing that feelings can be generated, people can be touched, and spaces can be changed just by bringing art into a room?

The Chinese work in this auction demonstrates the talent and creative force of nature.  We know that these artists train under a master’s supervision for years.  They must practice each brush stroke thousands of times to make the work appear effortlessly.  There can be no mistake or the entire piece would be ruined. See item 15

        

The watercolor of the Arab Mother and Child returning from the market evokes feelings of tenderness and care for the tasks at hand as well as the child in hand. Just a few lines and color and we are there. See item 9.

The oil on wood of the Rain in Paris allows us to experience a glimpse of that romantic city.  For those who have experienced that Paris in person these memories are as fresh as summer rain. See item 7.

    

Traditional methods of paint and brush are cast aside for scissors in the wonderful examples of Polish Wycinanki.  See items 10 and 11.

Susan W. Reynolds in her book, Room for Change, reminds us that the word atmosphere is the “dominant mood or emotional tone of a work of art”. p 51. “Hanging a collection of artwork or photos is an ideal way to create a new focal point for the room and heighten the beauty of an existing piece of furniture.” p 77.

Imagine what any one of these fine pieces from around the world would do to elevate your mood and transform your space.  That is the power of art!  Happy choosing!                 

see Art Work Category

Happy Bidding!

Liz

www.ayptoday.com

George II Wonderful Sterling by Birks

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There is sterling and then there is Sterling!  In this current auction we are thrilled to have George II Plain wonderful Sterling from Birks Silver Company see all Sterling Flatware.

The weight, construction and details of this pattern are amazing on the front and on the back as you can see. We have pieces that were made in England and Canada.

Any royal or commoner would be pleased to use this fine pattern.

Birks is a Canadian silver maker that has been in business since 1879. Currently it has 33 locations across Canada. The company has made gold and silver jewelry, timepieces, and silver hollowware and flatware. It was founded by Henry Birks, who opened a jewelry store in Montreal in 1879. The name of the company became Henry Birks & Sons after Henry’s three sons joined the business in 1893.

Birks bought up several smaller silver manufacturers over a period of years. Although other marks were used, the word "Birks" is always included as one of the marks. Pieces of our George II have been made in England and Canada as seen on the markings on the back.

The latest news is they are changing their name to Maison Birks.  It  is one of the retail arms of Birks Group Inc. which is traded on the New York Stock Exchange. Jean-Christophe Bedos is the new head of Maison Birks Jewelry empire. The name change is an attempt to give Birks the cache of Chanel and Dior which also use Maison (the house of) in their names.

George II has been manufactured since 1914 and is still an active pattern with all of the individual serving pieces that are so fun to collect.

We know you will agree - it is wonderful!

Happy Bidding!                              

Liz

www.ayptoday.com

White Laquer Might Be Just Right

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In the Current Auction we are fortunate to have a wonderful collection of White Lacquer Furniture that was used primarily in the bedroom. After looking at some magazines and my favorite Pinterest, I was surprised to see that White Lacquer is being used in a number of different ways.  This furniture might be just the thing to brighten up a dark space in your home.

Let’s consider the Basement.  I know mine looked like the black hole of Calcutta until I introduced two walls of white shelving to a hallway leading down to the laundry space.  Now the area is bright and organized with the books my husband and I use but don’t want to part with.

The White Cabinets in our auction would actually work better that my shelves because they have their own light source.  What a bargain!  see items 217 and 218.

If you have children how about an Art Space in the Basement?  The bright mirrored cabinets see items 249-252 would have a double benefit of expanding the space visually and storing all of the supplies out of sight.  Any extra toys and games would fit in the drawers. If you scrapbook or sew these cabinets might be perfect for you. Organize your creative spirit. The  tables and chairs see item 191 would make a perfect work space and game table for the entire family. The beauty of the white furniture is they blend with any color.  Pop a bright green or hot pink paint color on the wall and change it when the mood strikes.  A dull area is now the place every one will want to be.  What fun!

Be sure and check out all of the items to help make your basement the perfect haven for the entire family.  I am sure adding a touch of White Lacquer might be just right.

Happy Bidding!

Liz

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Judeth Leiber No Mere Bagatelles

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No Mere Bagatelles is the name of the biography of Judith Leiber.  A bagatelle is a knickknack, bauble or trinket, and a Leiber creation is indeed something truly special.  Many celebrities, such as opera diva Beverly Sills collected Judith Leiber handbags the way others collect paintings and sculptures. (Sills is reported to have had over 200.) Designer Geoffrey Beene once stated that Judith Leiber’s bags were “objets d’art”.

In our current auction, we have three of her miniaudieres see items 220-221.

The idea for these beaded “trifles” happened in 1967 when Judith Leiber received a shipment of tarnished gold-plated metal boxes. To make use of the tainted shipment, she covered them with thousands of crystals. These were so popular that even after she received a new shipment of unmarked metal boxes, she continued to apply crystals to their surface and also designed many different shapes.  While smaller than her small handbags, they are very collectible.

Judith Leiber was born Judith Peto in Budapest, Hungary  in 1939.   She became an apprentice at the Hungarian Handbag Guild and the first woman Meister (master) to be recognized by the Guild for her skill and workmanship. She once commented, “I used to make handbags for the Americans in exchange for dollars. After the Germans and the Russians, there was very little left in Hungary.”

After World War II, she met Gerson Leiber in Budapest when he was a sergeant in the US Army. By then, she was already an experienced handbag designer. He wanted to become a painter. They married and moved to New York.

In New York, she started her career by working for several well-known labels.  “I learned there how to make a diversified collection,” Ms. Leiber mentioned. “In Europe at the time there were only about six handbag styles.”  During her thirty year career she was credited with designing more than three thousand.

In 1963, together with her husband, Judith Leiber launched her own business that became one of the most successful in the history of American fashion. She was awarded numerous accolades, including the Handbag Designer of the Year Award of 1992, and the Council of Fashion Designers of America Lifetime Achievement Award of 1994.   

Judith Leiber sold her company in 1990, which still operates from New York. Her fans include everyone from celebrities—Bette Midler, Mary Tyler Moore, Elizabeth Hurley, Naomi Campbell, and Cindy Crawford—to former First Ladies Barbara Bush, Nancy Reagan and Hillary Rodham Clinton, who often carry her bags to diplomatic and social events around the world ---to her fans at AYPToday. You are able to see many of their works in the Leiber museum. http://www.leibermuseum.org.   Certainly no mere bagatelles!

Happy Bidding!                                 

Liz

www.ayptoday.com

What a Block Plane Can Do For You

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We have an outstanding collection of antique tools in our current auction items 1-4.

Some of our tools were made by The Ohio Tool Company which was founded in Columbus Ohio in 1851 by Peter Hayden, of P. Hayden & Co. which had been doing business using other names since 1842. Ohio Tool continued P. Hayden & Company's tradition of often using prison labor for the production of tools. By 1880 the use of prison labor had ceased, and in 1893 the company merged with the Auburn Tool Company of New York. In 1913 the Ohio factory was destroyed by a flood. A new factory was opened in Charleston, WV the following year. The company ceased business in 1920. (Historical information comes from Emil and Martyl Pollak A Guide to the Makers of American Wooden Planes, 3rd edition (Astragal Press, 1984).

our item 1.

Thomas McKenna and the Fine Woodworking site shares with us that a block plane is one of the most versatile tools to have in the workshop and here are some of the ways they can be used.

Chamfers  A good block plane will cut precise bevels on both long grain and end grain.

End grain  A well-honed low-angle block plane can easily tackle end grain cuts, often encountered when flushing dovetail pins to a drawer side, or when flushing a rail to a stile on a door assembly.

Cornering  A block plane should be able to level corner joints, where grain changes direction. Face frame construction is perhaps the most common example where block plane cornering comes into play.

Curved Edges  Low-angle block planes excel at smoothing away the machine marks left by a bandsaw on curved cuts.

Easing Edges  Perhaps the most common use for a block plane is the easing of sharp edges on furniture components, normally carried out right before finishing.

Also Congratulations to Roy Underhill for celebrating 33 years of successful programing! You may want to watch a few of the Woodwrights Shop Episodes that are available on PBS because now you know what a block plane can do for you.  Happy Woodworking!

Happy Bidding!

Liz

www.ayptoday.com

The Purpose of Life... Magazine

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Perhaps like you, I grew up with Life Magazines and National Geographic and inherited a love of travel and photography.  We are so excited that this auction features a wonderful collection of Life Magazines.  See items 37-39.

I was surprised to find that Life Magazine was published as a humor and general interest magazine from 1883 to 1972. Time Magazine founder Henry Luce bought the magazine in 1936 solely so that he could acquire the rights to its name when it became a weekly news magazine with a strong emphasis on photojournalism. Life was published weekly until 1972, as an intermittent "special" until 1978, and then as a monthly from 1978 to the present. It became a weekly newspaper supplement published by Time Inc. from 2004 to 2007 and was included in some American newspapers. Now they are online.

On November 18, 2008, Google began hosting an archive of the magazine's photographs, as part of a joint effort with Life. Many images in this archive were never published in the magazine. The archive is accessible through Google Image. The full archive of the issues of the main run (1936–1972) is available through Google Book Search.

The motto of the first issue of was: "While there’s Life, there's hope."  

You may have seen the 2013 movie The Secret Life of Walter Mitty. It stars Ben Stiller in the lead role as a Life magazine photo editor who retreats into an intensely vivid fantasy world in times of stress.  As the employees race to publish the last edition, Walter is guided along his quest by these words.  “To see the world, things dangerous to come to, to see behind walls, draw closer, to find each other, and to feel. That is the purpose of life.”

Much of the film is set in the meticulously recreated offices of Life Magazine. Along the halls are mural-sized versions of Life magazine covers through the years. Only nine of them were real. Most of them were classic Life photographs but never real covers.  

If you want the real covers along with all the great content, be sure to be the winning bidder of our collection of Life Magazines in our current auction.

We hope you will enjoy the chance to purchase wonderful shots of American history.

Happy Bidding!

Liz

www.ayptoday.com