Premier auction house Bonhams & Butterfields will hold an appraisal clinic in Malibu Feb. 10.
By McKenzie Jackson / Special to The Malibu Times
For those who wonder if that porcelain vase left to them by their grandmother might mean more than just existing as an extra fancy flower holder can have it and other family heirlooms, artifacts and pieces of fine art appraised during a special clinic at Pepperdine University in Malibu.
Bonhams & Butterfields Auctioneers, a San Francisco-headquartered, international auctioneer and appraiser, is holding the Feb. 10 clinic in Pepperdine’s Weisman Museum of Art in order to allow clients to visit with the company’s appraisal specialists.
Cecilia Dan, a Malibu-based consultant for the fine arts auctioneer company and a specialist in modern and contemporary art, said by holding appraisal events customers can have the worth of everything from jewelry to 19th century artwork determined. “We’ve had people bring in paintings that they didn’t think were very valuable that they had inherited or someone had given them along the way,” Dan said, “and we ended up selling them for up to and over one million dollars.”
Last September, a sketchbook of more than 80 watercolor pieces painted by 19th century Italian Count Amadeo Preziosi owned by a Los Angeles-area woman sold for more than $1 million at an auction in London. In December 2008, a rare, Korean Joseon Dynasty, blue and white porcelain jar owned by a Southern California family sold for $4.2 million at an auction in San Francisco.
The watercolor sketchbook and 19th century jar were both appraised at events by Bonhams & Butterfields at its Los Angeles office.
One of the West Coast’s premier auction houses, Bonhams & Butterfields holds monthly appraisal clinics at its Los Angeles office on West Sunset Boulevard. Each year it holds more than fifty auctions in San Francisco and Los Angeles.
“We set this [the appraisals] up as a public service,” Dan said.
Dan said Bonhams & Butterfields decided to hold an auction clinic in Malibu in order to allow more people to have items appraised.
“We are doing this because we know there is a large community on the west side of Los Angeles that is not so eager to travel all the way to West Hollywood,” she said. “It’s to make things easier for the clients and let them know I’m here; and I can help them with any questions they may have in the selling of art, furniture, decorative art and other items”
Dan said Bonhams & Butterfields has a myriad of appraisal representatives who specialize in analyzing a range of items including antique weapons and armor, books and manuscripts, entertainment memorabilia, jewelry, watches and Asian, European, American, decorative, modern and contemporary art.
Appraisers skilled in determining the value of European artwork, contemporary art, jewelry and print and photography will be on-hand at the Pepperdine clinic from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., but Dan said people must call to schedule an appointment by Feb. 9.
“The idea is they call and talk to me, and I see if I can help them determine if they have something we are interested in,” she said.
“We like for people to make appointments so they don’t have to wait and things can move smoothly.”
Dan said Bonhams & Butterfields appraise interesting items all the time.
“People have property that they are storing or not using and we are able to use our international auction network to sell it and pay the clients for their treasures,” she said.
The Weisman Museum of Art is located at 24255 Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu. More information and appointments can be obtained by calling Cecilia Dan at 310.456.6236.