Three choice lots from upcoming Heritage auctions
Action Figures & Toys
Active from the 1950s through the 1970s, Japanese toy manufacturer Masudaya (MT) was one of the more prolific makers of tin toys from the period. Toys marked with the MT logo encompass robots, vehicles, and novelty items across clockwork, friction, and battery operation. One such example is this battery-operated tin walking robot featuring Masudaya’s “Magic Color” kaleidoscope effect, in which a rotating color wheel animates behind the clear chest window as the robot advances with moving arms.
Photographs
David Levinthal’s baseball photographs emerged from his long-standing practice of staging and photographing toy figures to explore American mythology. After decades of working with miniature subjects ranging from toy soldiers to Barbies, Levinthal turned his attention to baseball figurines. By commissioning a carefully constructed cardboard ballpark and using theatrical lighting, shallow focus, and large-format Polaroid prints, Levinthal transformed the small plastic figurines into larger-than-life players including Babe Ruth, Willie Mays, Mickey Mantle, and others.
David Levinthal Babe Ruth, Yankees (from Baseball series), 2003
Auction: March 11
Fine Jewelry
Designed by Temple St. Clair, each of these earrings is centered by a vivid oval Tsavorite garnet set above a beautifully sculpted snake motif and terminating in ethereal moonstone cabochon drops accented with full-cut diamond eyes. The design blends narrative symbolism with elegant craftsmanship, characteristic of the designer’s celebrated aesthetic. Temple St. Clair Carr founded her namesake firm in Florence, Italy, in the mid-1980s and debuted her first collection exclusively at Barneys New York in 1986.
Temple St. Clair Tsavorite Garnet, Moonstone, Diamond, Gold Earrings
Auction: March 12