NOTICE
As of Jan. 1, 2024, the Market Report has gone private. But all information published prior to this date will remain available to the general public.
SOLD 2023
New Orleans Auction Gallery via Live Auctioneers. MSID: “Swimming Skeletons” Posted 10/1/23 Est. $5,000-8,000. Size: 19 x 20.5 inches. Signed “Richard A, Blow, Montici ’71.” SOLD for $20,000 (hammer), $25,600 ( with buyers premium).
Editor’s Comment: This Montici mosaic is an delight. It was executed at the very end of Richard’s artistic career, demonstrating his continued talent well into in his late 60s. There are so many things to love about this work. First off, it’s a perfect example of the revolutionary, surreal iconography that Richard famously introduced into the tradition-bound, Medici craft of pietra dura following WWII. Instead of still life bones on a plate, Richard’s skeletons are calmly cruising along under the sea, oblivious of their predicament. On the sea bed itself appears Richard’s favorite pink sea shell (the iconic pinkie is featured in a dozen individual Montici marine mosaics; and it also graces the cover of Matila Simon’s essential Blow biography,“Florentine Mosaics,” published in 1976 by Oregon State University. You can view it by clicking on the “Academic Biography” link on the Home Page). Other things to love: The mosaic is personally signed by Richard Blow; the work is significantly larger than most Montici pieces -- it can make a statement on a wall. The hanging hardware appears to be original, a nice bonus. Last but not least, the mosaic is in very good condition. I’m delighted to add this new work to our Society databasE.
New Orleans Auction Gallery via Live Auctioneers. MSID: “Surreal Face #3” Posted 10/1/23 Est. $3,000-5,000. Size: 13.5 x 13.5 inches. Signed: See comment below SOLD 10/14/23 for $10,000 ( hammer), $12,800 (with buyers premium)
Editor’s Comment: The Details sheet says the mosaic is “inscribed en verso with title and date” and seems to suggest that title is “Frogassini-VII, 1959.” I’d like to propose an alternative: “Frogassini” is not a title; it’s a misread signature. It’s actually “Fracassini,” representing the signature of Lorenzo Fracassini (see “Authentication and Valuation” link on our website).
This work was executed in the late 1950s, after Richard’sreturn to Italy following the horrific, 1954 car accident in the States that nearly killed him, and ended up keeping him away from Italy and his workshop for three years (see “Illustrated Biography” on the Home Page). This is the earliest example we have in our database of the “surreal face” theme, and the only one to include a spiral in the composition. To see two, later variations ( including the 1970 “Surreal Face #1, JFS”), check out Michael’s Blog, published 7.11.23, entitled “The Bejeweled Montici.”
New Orleans Auction Gallery via Live Auctioneers. MSID: “Green Serpent” Posted 10/1/23 Est. $5,000-8,000. Size: 13 x 22 inches. Signed: “Richard A. Blow Montici ‘69” SOLD 10/14/23 for $19,000 (hammer), $24,320 (with buyers premium)
Editor’s Comment: The stone selection for the skin of the “Green Serpent” is inspired; as is its odd, curlicue composition. A visually strong piece.
The most famous Montici snake mosaic, entitled “Coiled Snake,” was executed in 1968. You can view it in the Matila Simon biography of Richard (see “Swimming Skeletons” commentary above).
The most recent snake to slither its way into a Montici auction was one-half of a Richard Blow work called “Crane and Snake.” “Crane and Snake” first popped up in November 2017, selling for $2,000. It reappeared in Oct. 2019 – just before COVID wrecked the economy -- as part of the historic Wright Edelsberg auction. It doubled in price in two years, fetching $4,000.
New Orleans Auction Gallery via Live Auctioneers. MSID: “Pyramid Spiral Round Frame” Posted 10/1/23 Est. $3,000-5,000. Size: 19 inches in diameter. SOLD 10/14/23 for $13,500 ( hammer), $17,280 (with buyers premium)
Editor’s Comment: Within two days of posting, bidding on this piece at $3200 surpassed the low estimate.
We have one other Montici work in our Society database featuring pyramids and spirals, but it’s a rectangular, tiny, 2.5 x 4 inch, work in a completely different style/color palate that sold for $1,500 earlier this year (scroll down the 2023 Market Report to “Pyramids and Spiral”). This work more closely resembles “Balloon,” a 1973 work you can view in Matila Simon’s Blow biography, “Florentine Mosaics,” by clicking on the “Academic Biography” link on the Home Page.
The Details page for this New Orleans Auction Galley offering says it was executed circa 1970. The date appears to be based on a paper label attached to the work; the back of the mosaic itself – where a date would normally be found -- is not shown.
Mark Lawson Antiques via Live Auctioneers. MSID: “Needles” Posted 7/12/23 22. Eat. $2,000-3,000. Size: 6 x 4.25 inches. 80 bidders watching this item. . SOLD 7/29/23 after 31 bids for $6,000 hammer; $7,600 including 26% buyers premium
Editor’s Comment This work could be classed as a Montici rock sampler (specimen plaque), of which we’ve seen two come to market already this year. But we personally view this stylish, complex moasaic as more than a mere sampler; it qualifies as a stand-alone artwork. Its linear, triangle pattern reminds me of the carefully-plotted triangle geometry seen in several Montici coffee tables (see Michael’s Blog, “Norwegian Wood” 2.10.21).
The simpler “Rock Sampler #4” fetched $6,700, and “Rock Sampler #5” fetched $8700 (see SOLD 2023 below). This work also greatly exceeded the estimated sales price
One interesting note: the hanging hardware appears original., and features a pair of matched brass eye hooks — one placed on the top of the frame, and the other on the bottom of the frame. That means it was designed from the beginning by Richard to allow the owner to hang the artwork either side up. It makes sense — there’s no automatic “”right” up to this artwork. Clever!
Wright via Live Auctioneers. MSID: “Wright Horse and Arches” Posted 5/26/23. Auction 6/6/23. Estimate: $4,000-$6000. Size: 8 X 10 inches. SOLD for $12,000 hammer; $15,720 including 31% buyer’s premium.
Editor’s Comment: Thisa piece has no Montici logo Absent a logo, we are including this work in our Society database for information purposes only. For more commentary on this piece, see “Michael’s Blog” 6/1/23 “No Logo, No Montici?”
Live Auctioneers via Hindman. MSID: “Ram” SOLD $10,700 (includes 30% buyer’s premium). SOLD 5/24/23. Estimate: $1,500-$2,500. Size: 5.25 x 7.75 inches. Signed “R.B Montici Fracassini VII 1967”
Editor’s Comment: The signature is notable. It features the simple initials “R.B.” instead of the usual fully spelled-out Richard Blow signature; and it is co-signed. . According to Bruno Lastrucci, Richard’s workshop maestro, Bruno sometimes signed a mosaic on behalf of Blow, with Blow’s permission, using the simple initials “R.B.” for Richard Blow. An example is found on the back of the “Scale” mosaic (Lot # 109) in the Edelsberg collection auctioned off by Wright in October 2019. More directly relevant is the “Two Women” mosaic (Lot 180) from the same auction. Incised on the reverse is “ R.B. Montici Fracassini IX – 1967.” The “Ram” and the “Two Women”mosiacs were executed the same year. Our guess is that the roman numerals “VII” and “IX” refer to either the month the pieces were executed ( July and September); or the number of pieces Fracassini produced for Richard that year ( seven or nine).
This is the first ram-themed Montici to come to market. The closest piece in our database is MSID “Goat” executed in 1973, the year Richard closed his mosaics studio and retired. “Goat” never came to market; he donated the mosaic to Oregon State University. You can view “Goat” by clicking on the “Academic Biography” link on the Home Page.
Live Auctioneers via Hindman. MSID: “Owl in Tree” SOLD $8,200 (includes 30% buyer’s premium). Sold 5/24/23. Estimate: $2,000-$4,000. Size: 8.5 X 9.25 inches. Signed “Richard A. Blow Montici 68"
Editor’s Comment: This is the first owl wall mosiac we’ve seen.But our database already includes a small intarsia jewelry box. MSID “Owl Box,” auctioned off by Rago a decade ago on Feb. 5, 2011. It fetched $900. Richard’s owl mosaics were probably targeted to the American market. It Italy, the owl is a symbol of bad luck. In America, they’re a symbol of wisdom.
LiveAuctioneers via Hindman. MSID “Snail” SOLD $9,450 (includes 30% buyer’s premium). Sold 5/24/23. Estimate: $2,000-$3,000. Size: 6 X 8.25 inches. Signed “Richard Blow Montici 65"
Editor’s Comment: This mid-sized, charming work is the first Montici snail mosaic brought to market.
Italians infrequently eat land snails, though sea snails are a popular Italian anitipasti. The snail is the symbol of the Slow Food Movement in Italy, founded long after Richard died. But the urbane Richard might have created his Montici snail mosaic in the same spirit. "We chose the snail as our icon because it stands for slowness,”explained Carlo Petrini, president and chairman of the movement and of Slow Food Editore, its prolific publishing arm. "A creature that carries its house on its back feels at home wherever it goes. That's us too. We're interested in what's local, what's typical. We feel that exercising the art of culinary curiosity is the only way to stem the tide of the sort of globalization that is making every-thing taste exactly the same wherever you are in the world.”
Live Auctioneers via Hindman. MSID: “Cockfight” SOLD $6,300 (includes 30% buyer’s premium). Sold 5/24/23. Estimate: $2,000-$4,000. Size: 10 X 6.25 inches. Signed “Richard Blow Montici 68"
Editor’s Comment: This is another first for our Society database. However we do have two Montici rooster mosaics. I spotted MSID “Rooster #1” a few years ago on First Dibs. The proud bird had beautiful, bright, gold-orange and black feathers. It measured 5.5 x 6.25 inches, but included no other information. A much smaller (3.25 x 4.75 inches) and more subdued MSID “Rooster #2” executed in 1953 and signed by Nenci, came up for sale as part of the historic 2019 Wright-Edelsberg auction of 87 Montici mosaics. But bidders passed on the lot. I’m curious to see what happens with this piece.
Live Auctioneers via Hindman. MSID: “Two Cats #2” SOLD for $8,800 (includes 30% buyer’s premium). Sold 5/24/23. Estimate: $2,000-$4,000. Size: 4.5 X 6 inches. Signed “Richard A. Blow Montici 68"
Editor’s Comment: I could not spot a Montici logo on this piece. It is also the only mosaic of the five for sale which doesn’t include a close up photo of a logo. Does it have one? Absent the logo, we are including this work in our Society database for information purposes only
We do have in our database another double-cat variant: Montici, MSID “Two Cats #1” signed “Richard A. Blow Montici 69.” Wright brought it up for bid on Jan 18, 2017. It sold for $2,750.
For more commentary on this piece, see “Michael’s Blog” 6/1/23 “No Logo, No Montici?”
Live Auctioneers via Myers Fine Art. MSID: “Dog and Arches” SOLD 4/30/23 for $17,000 (includes 22% buyers premium). Posted 4/16/23. Estimate: $3000-$4000. Size: 10.4 x 7.5 inches. Signed “Richard Blow Montici ‘68”
Editor’s Comment: This is a record price paid for a Montici in the “Buildings/Arches” category. Richard incorporated arches into many different Montici mosaic designs, reflecting his initial focus at Princeton on architecture. This is one of three, similar. surreal arch mosaics in our database. Each features fluorescent colors and a De Chirico “sense of dislocation in time and space” vibe. This piece is the only one to include an animal; and is also the largest.
A variant of this Myers “Dog and Arches” is MSID “Three Arches at Night”. Only 2.5 by 4 inches, and signed by Richard Blow, It sold for $2,750 (hammer) as part of the historic 2019 Wright-Edelsberg auction.
A second variant is MSID “Four Arches at Night.” Larger at 5.75 by 8 inches, it fetched $6,250 (hammer) at the same 2019 Wright-Edelsberg auction.
Live Auctioneers via Myers Fine Art. MSID: “Crescent, Circle, Bar” SOLD 4/30/23 for $9,800 (includes 22% buyers premium).Posted 4/16/23. Estimate: $1000-$1500. Size: 5 x 3.8 inches. No signature.
Editor’s Comment: This is a record price paid for a Montici “Occult” mosaic. Richard created a number of Montici mosaics incorporating occult symbols. The symbols featured in this Myers Fine Art offering echo the Monas Hieroglyphica invented by John Dee, alchemist and astrologer at the court of Elizabeth I of England. From top to bottom, we have a crescent (symbol for the moon); a bar (symbol for the Elements); and a circle (representing the sun).
This Myers Fine Art auctioned piece includes a fun mystery. One of the seller-supplied photos includes a shot of the wooden frame. On it is written in ink (?) the words “Sir Henry Irving.” No explanation is given in the “Description” accompanying the work. I did a quick Google search. According to the Cincinnati Enquirer, Bram Stoker, author of Dracula, modeled his vampire on his friend, Sir Henry Irving, Victorian-era British actor and theatrical manager. Why the inscription is on the frame, I don’t know. But it seems fitting to find this pairing of occult symbols and vampire.
We have one variant of this work already logged in our database — MSID “Crescent, Circle, Bar, Triangle.” A Montici mosaic signed “Ricard Blow Montici ’73,” it adds a triangle (a spirit summoning symbol) to the composition. It was sold via LiveAuctioneers on Oct. 1, 2020, as part of an eclectic, five-mosaic lot that also included a signed Mauro Bini. The five, small works collectively fetched $6,875 (including buyer’s premium).
A third occult Montici mosaic logged in our database is MSID “Six Occult Symbols”. Here, the symbols are arranged horizontally instead of vertically, and include crescent/full moon, a five-pointed star, three circles, and a triangle (to view this piece, go to Michael’s Blog, “Driving Me Crazy,” 5/2/22). It came up for sale via Neal Auction in Feb. 2001 with an estimated price of $1000-$1,500. But it was bought in (at the turn of the 21st century, Montici mosaics had yet to be rediscovered by a new generation of collectors).
Live Auctioneers via Myers Fine Art. MSID: “Rock Sampler #4” SOLD 4/30/23 for $6,700 (includes 22% buyers premium).Posted 4/16/23. Estimate: $800-$1200. Size: 2.5 x 5.4 inches. Signed: “Richard Blow – Montici ‘68, - Calderani E Fracassini (Cauldrons and Ash).”
Editor’s Comment: The names on the back of this piece are notable. The main signature is clearly “Richard Blow, Montici ’68.” But above the main signature, in smaller script are the names “Calderani e Fracassini” (in Italian, the letter “e” = “and” in English). Why are the names of these two Montici artists included on this piece as well? We hypothesize that they contirbuted significantly in design or execution to the mosaic (see “Authentication and Valuation” on the Home page for a discussion).
Various Roman numerals also appear on the back. Below Richard’s signature and date (1968) appears “IX -1968.” In Roman numerals, “IX” is the symbol for the number “9” suggesting the possibility that the piece was executed in Sept. 1968?. Oddly, the Roman numeral “X” (for the number 10) appears before the Calderani and Fracassini names. What does it mean? One possibility is that this is the 10th mosaic signed by all three artists. We do know the three men co-signed at least one work, MSID “Haystack at Night,” in the exact same way –both feature a large Blow signature, and above it in smaller script the names “Calderani and Fracassini.” But in the end, we’re guessing.
As for the comment by the seller referencing “Cauldrons and Ash”? I’m completely baffled. I can’t find the words anywhere on the mosaic itself; nor any explanation included in the accompanying Description.
Live Auctioneers via Myers Fine Art. MSID: “Rock Sampler #5” SOLD 4/30/23 for $8,500 (includes 22% buyers premium).Posted 4/16/23. Estimate: $1000-$1500. Size: 5 x 4.6 inches. Signed: “Richard “Blow, Montici ’69.”
Editor’s Comment: This is a record paid for a Montici in the “Rock Sampler” category. Richard created multiple mosaics that simply feature a selection of stone shapes and colors. Our database includes five works sold between 2010 and 2019. The range in size from 2.5 x 5 inches to 7 x 8.5 inches; the number of featured stones between 3 and 9; in all colors; in basic, geometric shapes (circle, square, rectangle, triangle, crescent); both signed and unsigned. They have fetched a low of $500 (MSID “Geometric Pink” in 2018) to a high of $3,250 (“Rock Sampler #2” in 2019 as part of the Wright-Edelsberg auction). These simple, easy-to-produce, colorful rock samplers have historically been among the most affordable Montici mosaics. But their average sales price increases significantly with this auction.
Live Auctioneers via Myers Fine Art. MSID: “Inverted Pyramids, Ball and Crescent #4” SOLD 4/30/23 for $17,000 (includes 22% buyers premium). Posted 4/16/23. Estimate: $1500-$2500. Size: 8.6 x 6.3 inches. Signed: “Richard Blow, Montici’70.”
Editor’s Comment: Our Society database includes 42 different “Abstract Geometrics”, making them the Montici genre most frequently brought to auction over the last 25 years. The best are complex, sophisticated compositions, boasting a strikingly modern vibe despite having been executed a half-century ago.
We have logged three close variants of this composition. The beige-toned ,”Inverted Pyramids, Ball and Crescent #1” showed up on Instagram in 2018, with no accompanying details.
In October 2019, the uber-elegant” Inverted Pyramids, Ball and Crescent #2” sold for $5,313 (hammer) as part of the historic Wright-Edelsberg auction. A Fracassini-signed masterpiece executed in 1953, it measured 4 x 6.25 inches. The mosaic was once owned by collector Jeff Greenberg (see Michael’s Blog, “Collector’s Profiles #1: Jeff Greenberg” posted 9/14/21).
Variant #3 popped up on Instagram in 2020, but again included no details.
This new Meyers Fine Art geometric is beautiful. But I’m puzzled about the multiple black markings visible primarily to the top left of the green pyramid, The seller flags them in one of the accompanying photos. Are they a natural pattern of the stone, or are they possibly a blemish of some sort? Whatever the case, the piece fetched a record price for a mosaic in the Abstract Geometric” category.
Live Auctioneers via Myers Fine Art. MSID: “Phases of the Moon #2” SOLD 4/30/23 for $4,900 (includes 22% buyers premium).Posted 4/16/23. Estimate: $2000-$4000. Size: 9.5 x 10.2 inches. Signed: “Richard Blow, Montici’70”
Editor’s Comment: This is a record price paid for a Montici in the “Moon/Celestial “ category. Richard Blow lived many years on a high hilltop in Montici, a small village just south of Florence, with dark skies and an unobstructed view of the heavens. Besides multiple star-filled astrology mosaics, he created at least four moon-themed Montici works. The earliest we have in our database is “Moon Face with Star,” a clever, celestial, trompe l’oeil work that simultaneously pictures a full and a half-moon with an embedded human face. Rago auctioned it off in 2009 for $2,600 (hammer). In 2019, Wright auctioned off “Phases of the Moon #1” -- a small (2.25 x 4.25 inches) work executed in 1967 and co-signed by both Blow and Fracassini. It pictures three separate phases of the moon and fetched $1,875 (hammer). A third work in this genre – and my personal favorite – is “Malachite and Crescent Moons.” Richard donated the piece, executed in 1968, to Oregon State University at the end of his artistic career. It’s exceptional in terms of its power, simplicity, and color. Click on the “Academic Biography” button on the Home Page to view it.
Live Auctioneers, via Wright. MSID: “Bouquet” Posted 3/18/23. Estimate: $4,000-$6000. Size 9 x 8 inches. SOLD for $13,000 (hammer) on 3/30/23 ( $17,000 including 31% buyers premium). 23 bidders
Editor’s Comment: The sales price achieved for this piece represents a record for a Montici still life mosaic. The work originally appeared on the market in October 2019, as part of the historic Wright-hosted auction of Adam Edelsberg’s collection of 87 different Montici artworks. It sold for $7,000 hammer ($8,750 including buyer’s premium). At 9 x 8 inches, It’s on the larger size for a Montici mosaic. Though the piece is undated on the back, the seller suggests c. 1970 for its execution. This would be towards the very end of Richard Blow’s 25-year run of mosaic-making (the 69 year-old artist finally closed his workshop in 1973). The late date makes sense. The work has a “hippy,” Pop Art poster vibe. By 1970, the art scene featured Warhol’s Campbell soup cans and Brillo boxes, Claes Oldenberg lipstick sculpture; street art, improvisation, happenings, minimalist exhibitions featuring trash in a corner. Formality was out. Informal was in.
This Richard Blow mosaic is strikingly different from the only other flower arrangement we have in our database. His earlier MSID “Circular Flower Bouquet” (see Michael’s Blog, “Bid of Pass: Game #1” 3/12/21) is rooted in the traditional pietra dura style –carefully selected flowers, formally arranged, the stems tied together with a ribbon, presented in an elegant, round frame. It reportedly sold for $4,500 in July, 2021. This 1970 “Bouquet” features a handful of flowers stuck in a $5 coffee mug on a kitchen table. It’s spontaneous, informal, relaxed. The art world had moved ahead, and Richard with it. Delightfully, however, it retains a signature element of Richard’s lifelong, nature-focused, art -- the little bee hovering above the blossoms.
Live Auctioneers. MSID “Capricorn #3” Posted 2/14/23. Size 4.75 x 6.25 inches sight. Estimate: $1500-$2500. SOLD 3/8/23 for $8,500 hammer ($11,135 if 31% buyers premium included). This is a verified record price for a Montici astrology plaque. 36 bids.
Editor’s Comment: This pretty mosaic is the sixth astrological Montici work logged into our Society database, joining two other Capricorns, two Sagittarius, and one Pisces work. “Capricorn 3” is unsigned, but features a beautiful frame, original hanging hardware, and arguably the most elegant design of the three Capricorn works that have come to market to date. It is offered by Freeman’s Auctions in Philadelphia, a venerable house established in 1805 with a track record of selling to museums such as the Met, and the National Gallery. Capricorn #3 was acquired in July 2005 from Skinner Auctions in Boston by its current owners, Dr. Ellis and Suzanne Rubin, art aficionados noted for their extensive collection of Wedgewood ceramics. Over 50 bidders followed this auction lot, suggesting strong interest in it
In terms of the other five astrological mosaics in our database, Capricorn #1 appeared at auction via Rago in October 2009, shortly before Montici mosaics were rediscovered by a new generation of collectors. It was signed “Richard Blow Montici 69” and sold for a bargain $1037. Just 10 years later, “Capricorn #2,” slightly larger at 5.25 x 8 inches, sold for $4,688 as part of the historic October 2019, Wright-Adam Edelsberg auction that saw 87 Montici pieces fetch nearly a half-million dollars. A month later, First Dibs offered “Sagittarius and Arches,” even larger at 8.5 x 10.75 inches, with an asking price of $8,500 (final sales price unknown). In December 2020, “Sagittarius #2, a Fiaschi-signed Montici measuring 5 x 6 inches, sold for $3,250. This piece came from the collection of English aristocrat Lady Diana Cooper, Viscountess of Norwich. Lastly, we have limited information on “Pisces and Arches,” a dreamy, surreal astrology mosaic offered by First Dibs, for an asking price of $3500 (sales result unknown). It is the largest astrology mosaic in our database, at 10.25 x 12 x 25 inches; is unsigned; and with a seller-claimed, creation date of ”circa 1947.” If verified, that would make it one of the earliest known Montici mosaics to date.
EBay, MSID: “Pyramids and Spiral” Posted 2/5/23. SOLD 2/9/23 for $1,453. Size: 2.5 x 4 inches. Signed “G Fiaschi.”
EDITOR’S COMMENT: This little piece is unusual for several reasons. It’s the first mosaic in our Society database which includes a spiral in a triangle/pyramid composition (usually, one theme or the other is featured, not both). It’s the first mosaic to have the phrase “Made in Italy” inscribed twice on a Montici artwork. Why that would ever be done is curious. A third curiosity is the sideward-inserted Montici logo. It’s not unique, just rare. According to Montici workshop maestro Bruno Lastrucci, Blow deliberately inserted the logo sideways in some mosaics Montici produced late in his career. He viewed the sideways placement as a sort of stylized letter “B” representing the Blow signature. The letter “B’ was used as a signature on at least some of Blow’s paintings. The seller’s description of the piece says the plaque dates “from the 1950s.” But the piece appears to be undated the back; and, as noted above, Lastrucci said the sidewards B logo was used later in Blow’s career (which ended in 1973). This would suggest the possibility of a later creation date. Fiaschi produced many iconic Montici mosaics for Richard Blow. Of note, this mosaic includes what appears to be the charming, original framing and hanging hardware. This is the first Montici mosaic to come to market in 2023.
SOLD 2022
EBay: MSID: “Coliseum Lion #2” Posted 11/26/22. Asking $6,500. Size: 9.25 x 6.25 inches. “Signed R. Blow 72” SOLD 11/26/22, presumably for the full asking price of $6,500
EDITOR’S COMMENT: This mosaic was on the market for less than 24 hours before being snapped up by a buyer. This is the fifth lion mosaic logged into our Society database. The photo above from the seller shows a strange blurry effect on some of the inset intarsia pieces. At first glance, it suggests a photo glitch, or perhaps re-working or damage to the stone. But the blurred sections end in sharp borders, which suggests otherwise. Could it have been an interntional artistic decision ? If so, it’s the first and only Montici mosaic we’ve seen with this feature. Meanwhile, we are currently working on a special Michael’s Blog piece comparing this newly discovered work to our four, existing lion mosaics. Look for it after the holidays.
LiveAuctioneers: MSID “Waterpump and Farm Double Oil Painting” via Millea Bros. SOLD for $1,625 (includes 25% buyer’s premium) on 11/16/22. 13 bidders. Posted 10/26/22. Estimate: $400-$600. Size 11 X 12 inches. Signed “Blow '56”
EDITOR’S COMMENT: We have 22 different Richard Blow paintings, sketches and drawings logged in our Society database. If our research is correct, only five oil paintings have come up for auction in the last 25 years. The highest price paid was $2,500 on Aug. 11, 2015 on EBay for MSID “Still Life With Pomegranates.” Richard started his artistic career as a painter, not a mosaicist. He worked in both oil and watercolors, and one of his oil paintings, executed in 1938, titled “The Painter,” was purchased by the New York Metropolitan Museum of Art. But after WWII, he devoted his talents primarily to his mosaics business.This painting is interesting because thematically and artistically it echoes the Montici mosaic MSID “Cat at Waterpump.” which sold for $3,000 on Oct. 24, 2019 as part of the historic Wright-Edelsberg auction.. Check out Michael’s Blog for 9/14/21 (‘“Collector Profiles #1: Jeff Greenberg”) to view the “Cat at Waterpump” mosaic. Our Society database includes one other double-sided Blow oil painting, called MSID “Double Portrait.” Based on our records, Richard used two different styles of signatures for his oil paintings — a simple capital letter “B”; and a full, last name “Blow,” found on this work currently up for auction.
Live Auctioneers via Brunk Auctions. MSID “Steamboat and Fishes.” SOLD for $19,200 (includers 28% buyers premium) on 9/30/22. Estimated price by auction house: $2000-$3,000. Size: 13-7/8 x 17-1/2 inches, The mosaic is signed “Richard Blow, Montici, 1962.”
EDITOR’S COMMENT: This is the fourth steamboat mosaic in our Montici Society database. It is a close variant of MSID “Steamboat #1” which popped up on Pinterest a few years ago. “Steamboat #1” was created in 1963, and also reportedly signed (“Richard Blow”). But “Steamboat #1” only measured 11.5 x 7 inches -- considerably smaller than “Steamboat with Fishes.” The Pinterest variant had an asking price of $5,500. Final sales price is unknown. The $19,200 sales price fetched for this Montici mosaic shatters the record for vehicle-themed Montici mosaics (boats, trains, balloons) in our database. The previous record was $4,063 paid in October 2014 at a Wright auction for “Railroad Engine #3.” Acording to LiveAuctioneers, an unusually high 43 registered bidders had their eye on “Steamboat and Fishes” (the number of watchers who actually bid on the piece is unknown).
Live Auctioneers via Galerie du Louvre, Montreal. MSID: “Three Elephants” SOLD 8/21/22 for USD $5,750 (includes 15% buyer’s premium). Posted 8/5/22. Estimate: CA$ $2000-$3000. Size: 24 x 28 cm including frame (9.5 x 11 inches)
Editor’s comment: This is the third Montici elephant mosaic logged in our database. The first was “Two Headed Elephant” ( see below). A photo of the second elephant mosaic was shared with us for research purposes only by a private collector This third mosaic,, “Three Elephants,” fetched double its high estimate, demonstrating the popularity of Montici animal mosaics.
Live Auctioneers. MSID: “Two Shells, Rose, and Butterfly.” Posted 6/14/22. Est: $300-$500. Size 8.75 in x 10.25 in. SOLD 7/6/22 for $5,900 (includes 28% buyer’s premium)
EDITOR’S COMMENT: This piece was always going to sell for significantly higher than its estimated maximum bid. It does not appear to be signed, but it is elegant, large in size, and unique in composition. Our Society databank includes 3 other Nautilus shell-themed works; 5 rose mosaics (paired with hands);; and 30 butterfly mosaics (5 of which are paired with hands). But this is the first Montici mosaic in our database that features a combination of shell, rose and butterfly. The stone selection is superb. Though undated on the back, a faded Time magazine news article attached to the verso suggest it’s an early work — most likely executed circa 1951 — just a few short years after Richard Blow first launched his Montici workshop. Over the following two decades, Richard returned regularly to all three themes.
Live Auctioneers. MSID: “Two-Headed Elephant.” Posted 6/17/22. SOLD 6/29/22 for $11,610 (includes 29% buyer’s premium). Estimate: $2,500-$3,500. Size: 13.5 in. x 18.5 in. Auction Via Doyle NY.
EDITOR’S COMMENT: This surreal, double-headed elephant is a first for our Society database. Richard created a menagerie of exotic animal mosaics, including lions, camels, house cats, bulls, horses, snakes, lemurs, goats, and salamanders. This decidedly odd pachyderm is the only truly surreal creature in our zoo to date. The lowest auction price achieved for an animal mosaic was back in 2009 -- $876 for a Bull in a field. The highest price paid was $9,375 (includes buyer’s premium?) ) in 2019 for a magnificent Calderani-signed Lion prowling in front of a desert pyramid.
LiveAuctioners via Wright. MSID: “Three Hands” Signed “Richard Blow, Montici 69.” SOLD 3/31/22 for $5,200 (includes 30% buyer’s premium). Two bidders. First posted 3/15/22. Starting bid $3200. Estimate: $4,000-$6,000.
EDITOR’S COMMENT: Richard Blow enjoyed creating hand-themed mosaics. Our Society database includes 28 different works in this genre.
His famous “Jeweled Hand” series includes six known variations, and Montici collectors love them. As part of the historic, 2019 Wright-Edelsberg auction, “Jeweled Hand #5 with Pearls”(MSID) fetched $21,250; a few minutes later, “Jeweled Hand #1 Fracassini” matched it, going for $21,250. These two hand-themed mosaics currently hold the record for the most expensive Montici mosaics ever auctioned off.
His popular, elegant “Hand Feather Butterfly” series includes five logged variants, and prices are climbing here too. In February 2019, Myers Fine Art in Florida sold “Hand Feather Butterfly #1” for $4700. A short , eight months later, in October 2019, “Hand Feather Butterfly #3 fetched $12,500.
“Three Hands” is one of a pair of variants in our database. The other is “Three Hands Corno 2” (MSID). Both feature three hands arranged in the same pattern; both feature a red, a white and a blue hand; both are almost the same size; and both are signed by Richard Blow (Corno was executed one year earlier in 1968). The main difference is the white hand in “Three Hands Corno 2” shows the rude, Italian two-fingered cuckhold sign. It fetched $9,375 in the 2019 Wright-Edelsberg auction.
LiveAuctioners via Skinner Auctions. "MSID: “Fruit Bowl #3” SOLD 3/17/22 for $6,500 (includes 30% buyer’s premium). Starting bid $1200. Estimate: $2,500-$3,500. 5 bids.
EDITOR’S COMMENT: This is a classic, early, Richard Blow Mid-Century Modern (MCM)-influenced Montici mosaic, with an interesting history. According to the seller, the artwork includes a label from the Bethel Gallery in Bethel CT. The gallery was owned by a family friend of ours, Jim Timmins, an American artist who taught at Columbia U. and the Art Students League from 1945-1950. Jim, along with my antiques dealer mother Rayanna, and her best friend Muriel King (Richard’s PR Director) all worked to promote and market Richard’s mosaics in the 1960s (see Montici Society history). Jim regularly featured Richard’s artworks in his Greenwood Ave. gallery. Pasted to the back of the mosaic is a 1983 Blow obituary from a local paper, most likely the one submitted by my mother to the Danbury News-Times.
“Fruit Bowl #3”is the third known variation in our Society database. It’s 3.5 x 5.5 inches, signed by Fracassini, and dated “IX 1952” (Sept. 1952). This makes it the earliest Blow “Fruit Bowl” artwork in our Society database.
The “Fruit Bowl” series are quintessential Mid-Century Modern works. The MCM design movement featured sleek, clean lines; curvy, organic shapes; a futuristic “atomic age” vibe, and the use of new materials like plastic. Richard’s Italian-made Montici mosaic works (pietra dura mosaic boxes) were featured at the Museum of Modern Art and in various art publications side by side with a pantheon of future MCM icons, including Pinin Farina (Ferrari cars), Pier Luigi Nervi (architecture), and Olivetti typewriters. In 1954, MoMA published a Teaching Portfolio with loose gravure plates of 40 modern, useful objects, based on “eye-appeal, function, construction and price, with emphasis on the first.” It included a Richard Blow pietra dura cigarette box alongside other iconic MCM objects including a Baume-Mercier watch; an Isamu Noguchi table lamp for Knoll; a Lenox tableware vase, a Halliburton aluminum suitcase; and a George Jensen silver ice bucket (see Illustrated Biography" link on the Home Page).. Mid Century Modern art is currently very popular -- as are Montici “Fruit Bowl” mosaics. Here’s a recap:
“Fruit Bowl #1” first appeared on the market in 2005, if our research is correct, Wright gave it an estimated price of $2,000-$3,000. But Montici artworks hadn’t been re-discovered yet, and the piece was bought in. In October 2019, the same piece reappeared as part of the blockbuster Wright-Edelsberg auction. The mosaic is unusually large for the Fruit Bowl series, at 6.5 x 13.5 inches unframed. Dated 1968, it featured an extremely rare triple signature:“Calderani Fracassini VII 1968, Richard Blow Montici 68.” Against an estimated price of $5,000-$7,000, it sold for $8,750.
“Fruit Bowl #2” appeared in the same 2019 Wright-Edelsberg auction. It was significantly smaller at 2.25 x 4 inches unframed; was unsigned; and with an estimated date of c. 1960. The estimated price was $2,500-$3,500. Again, it blew past estimate, fetching $6,875.
“Fruit Bowl #3,” compared to “Fruit Bowl #2,” is slightly larger; signed; the earliest known work of the series; and includes an interesting history. At $6,500, it sold for an almost identical price, and like the other two, it exceeded its high estimate.
LiveAuctioneers via Wright MSID “Tiger Table #2” LOT PASSED. First posted May 24, 2022. Auction date June 10, 2022. “Made in Irtaly” marked on the underside. of table. Dimensions: Height: 16 in.; Width: 44.25, Depth 23.75 in.
EDITOR”S COMMENT: This appears to be the same table as the one sold on Oct. 24, 2019 for $11,250 as part of the historic Wright-Edelsberg auction. With the re-appearance of Tiger Table #2 on the market, we had three known variations of this design available for sale at the same time. Our Society database includes a 4th known “Tiger Table” variant. It is shown in a 1950s IItalian newspaper advertisement., but to date this 4th Tiger Table has not shown up at auction.. Why did buyers pass on this piece? One possibility could be the current (June 2022) volatle U.S./global economy, including a bear U.S. stock market, and a potential U.S. economic recession.
SOLD 2021
EBay. MSID: “Seven Hearts” $1,000. . Sold 11/21/21
EBay MSID “Nine Fruits #7” SOLD 10/25/21 for $6500.
Live Auctioneers. MSID “Five Butterflies #9” SOLD 8/10/21 for USD $8,125 (includes 25% buyer’s premium). . 23 bidders. Heritage Auctions, Dallas TX. Est. price furnished by auction house : $600-$800.
Live Auctioneers. "MSID: “Three Yoga Ladies” SOLD 8/10/21 for USD $9,375 (includes 25% buyer’s premium). 19 bidders. Heritage Auctions, Dallas TX. Est. price furnished by auction house: $3,000-$5,000.
LiveAuctioneers. MSID: “Composizione Con Pesce #3”. SOLD 6/12/21 for USD $6,200 (includes 25% buyer’s premium). Nine bidders. First posted 5/21/21, Size 4x6.5 in.Offered by Galerie du Louvre, Montreal, Canada.
LiveAuctioneers.. MSID: “Three Women with a Vase” SOLD 5/19/21 for $6,450 (includes 29% buyer’s premium) . 21 bids. Estimate: $2500-$3500. First Posted 4/30/21. Hindman Auctions.
LiveAuctioners.. MSID: “City Scene with Four Arches at Night” Sold 5/19/21 for $12,255 (includes 29% buyer’s premium) Estimated price: $2,000-$4,000. First posted 4/30/21.. Hindman Auctions. Signed reverse: “Richard Blow Montici 1963.”
Live Auctioneers, MSID: “Nine Fruits #6 Sold 5/15/21. $7,000 Via Soulis Auctions. Estimated price: $2,000-$3,000. Lot had 63 followers; 11 people bid on it. First posted 4/28/21.
LiveAuctioneers via WrightMSID: “Classical Statue.”. Sold 4/23/21. $3640 (includes 30% buyer’s premium) 2 bids. Estimated price $3,000-$5,000. First posted 4/8/21 .
eBay. MSID: “Pear #5” Sold. $1,240. First posted 3/29/21.. Sold just hours after posting, with purchaser closing out the bidding early.
(LOT 1 of 2). MSID: “Beige Geometry” Posted Feb. 1, 2021. Frame size 7.5 x 6.5 inches. No signature but does have original hanging hardware and “Made in Italy” inscription on frame.
(LOT a2 of 2) MSID: “Faceless” Posted Feb. 1, 2021. Small; frame is 7X5 inches; signed and dated on back -- “Fracassini, III, 1953.” Also “Made in Italy”
EBAY Sold 2/2/21. $6,499 (Lot of 2 mosaics)
EBAY. (MSID: “Arch and Single Pyramid #2” Sold $2,550. On March 19 2021.
Bonhams. MSID: “Mosaic Fish” SOLD $5,737. On Jan. 13, 2021. This appears to be a return-to-market for a mosaic sold earlier by Rago on Oct. 2, 2011 for $1,240.
Member-Only Reports
No. 6 - Market Year in Review 2023
No. 5 - Market Year in Review 2022
No. 4 - Market Year in Review 2021
No. 3 - “Market Year in Review 2020”
“No. 2. - Market Year in Review 2019”
“No. 1 - Historical Market Analysis 2000-2019”