Editor’s Picks – May 16, 2023

Much of the world held its collective breath July 20, 1969, when Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin became the first people to walk on the moon. The first person to confirm the successful landing of the Eagle was Charlie Duke, who served as CapCom for the groundbreaking Apollo 11 mission, acting as communications liaison between NASA and the astronauts above. An integral member of the mission that launched mankind’s exploration of the moon, Duke is now sharing items from his personal collection, including this Apollo 11 lunar surface-flown Beta cloth mission insignia presented to him by the three astronauts who flew to the moon: Armstrong, Aldrin and Michael Collins.

Apollo 11 Lunar Surface Flown Beta Cloth Mission Insignia
Presented by the three-man crew to mission CapCom Charlie Duke
Auction: May 19-20

In the latter part of the 19^th century, the glassworks studio Loetz – founded in 1836 in Southern Bohemia (now the Czech Republic) – unveiled its critically acclaimed and commercially successful Phaenomen series of designs featuring iridescent, decorated surfaces. At the Paris Exposition Universelle in 1900, Loetz won the Grand Prix award (alongside contemporaries Tiffany, Gallé, Daum and Lobmeyr) for its Phaenomen line, including several works contributed by acclaimed designer Franz Hofstötter. Offered here is a Phaenomen glass vase Hofstötter designed for the 1900 Paris Exposition. It hails from an important private collection of Loetz works that demonstrate the firm’s tremendous range of production and the works’ timeless appeal. 

Fine Franz Hofstötter for Loetz Phaenomen (Gre 2/314) Glass Vase, circa 1902
6-3/4 x 6-1/4 inches (17.1 x 15.9 cm)
Estimate: $10,000-$15,000
Auction: May 25

Born and raised in San Antonio, Julian Onderdonk spent his childhood exploring the South Texas hill country. His father, a painter, instilled in his son an enthusiasm for sketching and drawing at a young age, and fortunately for Onderdonk, a wealth of possibilities was hiding in the vast landscape of his own backyard. Best known for his powerful interpretations of the Southwest landscape – with scores of bluebonnet fields, cactus and live oaks with Spanish moss – Onderdonk first became recognized locally, and then, as his reputation as the “Bluebonnet Painter” grew, his works captivated a wider audience that spread across the country. This 1912 oil-on-canvas, simply titled Bluebonnets, depicts one of the painter’s favorite subjects.  

Julian Onderdonk Bluebonnets, 1912
Oil on canvas
14 x 17 inches (35.6 x 43.2 cm)
Estimate: $60,000-$80,000
Auction: June 17