Object of the Week: The Louis XV carved gilt wood bed with silk embroidered panel featured in the classic 1939 movie, “Gone With The Wind,” starring Vivian Leigh and Clark Gable, is the highlight of an auction on April 9 of a fine collection of 18th and 19th Century French furniture and objets d’art. The bed in which Scarlett and Rhett had their last night together, along with other contents of a California estate, will come on the block at G & G Auction Gallery, 30857 S. Illinois Highway 45, Peotone. Hours: preview, noon to 5 p.m. April 7, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. April 8, 9 to 11 a.m. April 9; auction, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. April 9. Call: 708-258-6762.
Souks of the Internet: Visit the most exotic bazaars in the world through eZiba.com, an on-line source for handcrafted goods. Adornments, furniture and tableware are some of the categories featured on eZiba, an innovative combination of high-tech convenience and old-world tradition and craftsmanship. Browse through a catalog of exotic items to buy at tempting prices; bid on ever-changing auctions of grouped items such as new, old and antique doors from around the world; or just enjoy well-researched feature stories on little-known artisans, such as the Zapotec weavers of Teotitlan del Valle, Mexico.
Buy more to save: Most auction-goers know by now that a result of an antitrust investigation by the Department of Justice was the announcement by Sotheby’s auction house of a new commission structure for both buyers and sellers. The new rates for buyers become effective April 1 in Sotheby’s principal salesrooms. The new commissions for sellers are already in effect.
Although buying at a live Sotheby’s auction is now more expensive than making similar purchases at Christie’s for lots under $30,000, the rates are less expensive than Christie’s at the higher end-items costing more than $100,000. One advantage of Sotheby’s new pricing structure is vendors will be able to aggregate the amount of all sales and purchases made in a single calendar year both at live and on-line auctions worldwide when determining the commission rate they pay, said Cathy Busch of Sotheby’s Chicago.
Sale of . . . : “Centuries of Style,” an auction at Sotheby’s Chicago, 215 W. Ohio St., includes property from several important Midwestern and Southern estates and private collections. An array of American, English and Continental furniture, decorations and fine art is featured. Hours: preview, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Thursday through April 1, noon to 5 p.m. April 2; sale, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 2 to 4 p.m. April 3 and 4. Call: 312-396-9599.
