Three choice lots from upcoming Heritage auctions
Russian Works of Art
Dmitry Levitsky stands among the most distinguished portraitists of the Russian Enlightenment, renowned for his ability to unite formal elegance with an acute sensitivity to character. Portrait of Mavra Borisovna Strugovshchikova, attributed to Levitsky, embodies these artistic qualities. Strugovshchikova was a well-known beauty of the 18th century and much admired by Prince Potemkin. This image, rendered with Levitsky’s hallmark grace and clarity, embodies the height of neoclassical portraiture during Russia’s Imperial Enlightenment.
Portrait of Mavra Borisovna Strugovshchikova Attributed to Dmitry Levitsky
Auction: December 17
Sports
The 1986 Boston Celtics are commonly cited among the greatest basketball teams ever assembled. A familiar sight back then, this game-worn 1986-87 Larry Bird jersey has been photo-matched to seven playoff games and to Bird’s appearance on the June 8, 1987, cover of Sports Illustrated. Photo-matching experts linked the jersey to four games of the Eastern Conference Finals, as well as Game 2 in the first-round series against the Chicago Bulls and to Games 5 and 7 in the conference semifinals against the Milwaukee Bucks.
1986-87 Larry Bird Game-Worn Boston Celtics Jersey, MEARS A10
Auction: December 19-21
U.S. Coins
The Denver Mint was outsourced to produce silver coinage for Australia during World War II, as the Australian mints were unable to meet wartime demands. Because the silver alloy of an Australian sixpence planchet is similar in color to the usual steel alloy for a 1943-D cent, some wrong planchet error coins such as this piece were struck. During its brief stint in circulation, this example was scratched and lightly cleaned, but it is still a significant piece, as all off-metal cents from 1943 are coveted for their affinity with the famous bronze 1943 cents.
1943-D Lincoln Cent Struck on Australian Sixpence Planchet, NGC Details. AU.
Auction: December 22