San Francisco’s Old Guard Elegance Continues at Clars Auctions on February 20th.

Our February 20th Auction will present an exceptional selection from the Emmy & Dolph Andrews Estate, following the high-profile Christie’s New York sale that first brought national attention to this storied San Francisco collection. Together, these offerings represent one of the most significant private estates to come to market in recent years — an authentic reflection of the Old Guard elegance that defined San Francisco society for generations.

Emily Taylor Andrews and Adolphus “Dolph” Andrews Jr. were pillars of the city’s cultural and social life. Descendants of California pioneers and members of a prominent local family, the Andrewses embodied a tradition of stewardship, philanthropy, and connoisseurship; notably, the family’s legacy includes service as trustees of the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco (FAMSF).

For decades, the Andrewses lived and entertained in their private San Francisco residence — interiors shaped by legendary designers Michael Taylor and Anthony Hail, whose work reinforced the couple’s passion for European classicism and layered historic interiors. Every object chosen resulted in a collection that feels both deeply personal and museum-worthy.

The upcoming Clars offering continues this narrative, presenting works drawn directly from these storied interiors. Highlights include a Continental hand-colored print diorama; a set of eight 18th-century Staffordshire pottery stirrup cups; and an English silver-mounted coconut cup from the 19th century.

Also featured is an Asprey & Co. 18k gold-mounted bloodstone bowl, offered as part of a group, exemplifying luxury and impeccable craftsmanship. Another highlight is a refined French vermeil and banded agate handled desk set, 19th century, showcasing the Andrewses’ appreciation for elegant objects of daily use. Anchoring the selection is a powerful 18th-century Russian icon depicting the Resurrection of Christ and the Descent into Hell, reflecting the couple’s interest in sacred art and spiritual traditions.

Beyond the highlights, the broader Andrews Estate offered at Clars reflects the remarkable scope of the couple’s connoisseurship. The collection encompasses 17th through 19th century textiles, finely crafted English and French objects of vertu, and an array of Continental and English furniture reflecting classical European forms. Complementing these are luxury travel pieces, including Louis Vuitton monogram luggage sets and custom trunks, examples of the Andrewses’ cosmopolitan lifestyle and decades of international travel.

This offering presents collectors with a rare opportunity to acquire pieces from a private San Francisco collection shaped by institutional-level taste, historic interiors, and a lineage deeply woven into California’s cultural history. As the next chapter following the Christie’s New York sale, Clars’ offering on February 20th affirms the lasting significance of the Emmy & Dolph Andrews Estate — where legacy, design, and connoisseurship converge.

As we reflect on an extraordinary year at Clars Auctions, we are delighted to share highlights from our 2025 season — a year defined by exceptional works, strong bidding across categories, and continued confidence from our global community of collectors.

We are especially pleased to report that Clars Auctions closed the fiscal year up 11%, a meaningful achievement that reflects both the strength of the market and the trust our clients place in us. We are deeply grateful for your participation and support, which made this success possible.

Fine Art

Fine Art led the year with outstanding performances by internationally celebrated artists. Our Modern + Contemporary Fine Art auctions achieved particularly strong results, including Marc Chagall’s Le dimanche (Sunday) (circa 1939), which realized $277,200, followed closely by L’Hiver: Procession de Noël – Les Quatre Saisons (1974) at $220,500. Another major highlight was Raimonds Staprans’ The Mid Summer Drop-Leaf Table (1993), which sold for $189,000, underscoring continued demand for postwar and contemporary masters.

Furniture & Decorative Arts

Furniture & Decorative Arts also enjoyed a banner year, with exceptional objects achieving impressive prices. Leading the category was a rare D’Angelico New York “New Yorker” Guitar, which brought $48,000, followed by an impressive pair of Sèvres-style porcelain gilt bronze mounted covered urns, selling for $44,100. A Larson Brothers Prairie State guitar rounded out the top results at $40,950, reflecting sustained collector enthusiasm for fine craftsmanship and design.

Fine Jewelry & Watches

In Jewelry, standout jewels and signed pieces commanded strong interest throughout the year. The top result was a spectacular Colombian emerald, seed pearl, diamond, and 18k gold necklace, which achieved $59,850. A diamond and platinum solitaire ring followed at $40,950, while a Tiffany & Co. Belle Époque natural saltwater pearl and diamond brooch realized $21,420, highlighting the enduring appeal of exceptional gemstones and historic design.

Asian Art

Asian Art proved to be another area of strength in 2025. Leading the category was a rare Chinese yellow-ground blue and white handled vase, which sold for $72,450. A lot of 10 Chinese famille rose bowls achieved $39,300, and a striking set of twelve Chinese 24k gold zodiac animal figures realized $37,800, reflecting continued international demand for fine Asian works of art.

A particularly noteworthy moment of the year was the presentation of Property from the Estate of Senator Dianne Feinstein, a landmark collection that drew worldwide attention to Clars Auctions. The sale generated strong national and international interest, affirming Clars’ expertise in stewarding historically significant estates and presenting them to a global audience with care, scholarship, and distinction.

As we look ahead to 2026, we are excited to continue bringing exceptional property to market and to building on the momentum of this past year. We look forward to welcoming you to our upcoming auctions and to sharing many more successes together. On behalf of the entire team at Clars Auctions, we thank you for being part of our journey and wish you a joyful, healthy, and prosperous New Year.

Clars proudly presents the distinguished sale of Property from the Estate of Senator Dianne Feinstein on December 18th beginning at 1 PM PST, offering a significant opportunity to acquire items from the personal collection that graced her iconic San Francisco residence.

The property from the Estate of Senator Dianne Feinstein, drawn from her distinguished residences in San Francisco and Seadrift, reflects the senator’s refined taste and graceful aesthetic. The collection includes richly upholstered leather and down furnishings, fine Chinese and Tibetan carpets, English and Continental antiques, Tibetan pieces, and elegant items with Chinoiserie influences.

Senator Feinstein’s distinguished career as the longest-serving female U.S. Senator, coupled with her groundbreaking roles as San Francisco’s first female mayor and chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee, solidified her legacy as a pragmatic leader.

Also featured is a sophisticated selection of barware, stemware, and serveware, alongside fine art encompassing landscapes, still lifes, and architectural views of San Francisco. Together, these objects speak to Senator Feinstein’s deep and enduring connection to the city she represented with such distinction for decades.

We are honored to present the rare and globally sourced bead and tribal art collection from the estate of Naomi Lindstrom, coming to auction on Thursday, August 14th at 1 PM PDT.

Naomi Lindstrom (1924–2014) was a beloved and highly respected figure in the bead and tribal art world. Over four decades as a Pan Am flight attendant — beginning in the 1950s and continuing through the early 1990s — Naomi traveled extensively, cultivating a keen eye for extraordinary objects. Her global journeys laid the foundation for what would become one of the most exceptional private bead collections of the 20th century. The result is an array of rare beads and tribal artifacts from Africa, Asia, and the Americas, many of which have not been seen publicly in over 15 years.

Among the highlights of the upcoming auction are two exceptional Tibetan red coral necklaces, considered among the finest examples ever to reach the open market. The first is composed of 41 vibrant red coral beads totaling an impressive 368 grams, accented with finely crafted Chinese gilt silver discs. The second necklace features 63 equally radiant red coral beads, weighing approximately 140 grams.

These standout pieces are joined by other extraordinary beadwork, including a rare Pre-Columbian Tairona necklace strung with carnelian, rock crystal, and gold beads, as well as a striking Sino-Tibetan necklace made of amber, carnelian, and turquoise. Also of note is a Chinese medicinal bead necklace and pendant, intricately carved with dragons and lotus blossoms, showcasing both artistry and cultural heritage.

Lindstrom’s passion extended well beyond beads to include tribal arts and textiles from around the world. This auction will feature a compelling selection of works, ranging from decorated wood panels created by the Paiwan people of Taiwan to vibrant woven textiles from Central America. Among the most notable offerings is a bird-form painted wood panel from Papua New Guinea and a detailed Paiwan carved wood panel depicting religious figures — both of which reflect the deeply spiritual and artistic traditions that Naomi admired and sought to preserve.

This long-awaited auction offers collectors a unique opportunity to own a piece of cultural history shaped by a life of exploration, curiosity, and deep respect for indigenous artistry. A truly remarkable legacy returns to the spotlight.

On June 19th, Clars is proud to present the Estate of Eddi Van Auken at our Fine Curiosities Auction. Eddi was a San Francisco Bay Area antique historian, collector, artist, and author who spent over 30 years acquiring, researching, and cataloguing antique walking sticks from around the world.

It was actually an accident in her home that ignited her foray into walking sticks: she fell down the stairs, fractured her tailbone, and needed a cane to walk. Pharmacy canes wouldn’t suffice — and she thought, surely there had to be other, more artistic options. And thus, a collection of unparalleled breadth and quality was born — and continued to grow, long after her injury healed.

Eddi started life as “Ethel Sady,” named for a beloved grandmother and then subsequently renamed Eddi by college friends who felt the name better suited her gorgeous, sassy, and brilliant personality. Despite her petite 5’4″ frame, she lit up any room with her vibrant presence, catching the attention of Wendell “Van” Van Auken, whom she married at 19 (he was 21) before they drove west in a green Corvette to California.

In the Bay Area, Eddi fully developed her extraordinary gift for finding beauty in the everyday and transforming the mundane into the magnificent, designing a family home that showcased her impeccable taste through unexpected combinations of chic, edgy, whimsical, and vintage pieces. As her collection of antique walking sticks grew, she authored a respected compendium on walking sticks titled Vertical Art and was working on a second book, Masterpieces, when she passed away. Beyond her artistic pursuits, Eddi was deeply committed to empowering women across all fields and supported initiatives promoting early lung cancer detection. She had a way of making everyone feel welcome, seen, and appreciated. Eddi passed away peacefully in August 2024, at age 77 from complications arising from metastatic lung cancer, leaving behind a legacy as vibrant as her personality.

This April we are honored to present the extraordinary art collection of Lila Mae “Peggy” Azad — a woman whose lifelong devotion to the arts lives on through her legacy.

Peggy once wrote: “I am the temporary custodian. In exchange for the privilege of living with and caring for my objects I am leaving them all for a museum or art gallery for the ‘public’ to enjoy after Manouch and I are no longer alive.” Her wish was to ensure that her collection would one day be shared with the world.

This significant collection includes over 90 Chinese and Japanese ivory sculptures and more than 114 diverse works from around the globe — spanning American, Chinese, French, Iranian, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Native American, Russian, Thai, and Vietnamese origins. The pieces vary in form and material, including porcelain, cloisonné, glass vases, plates, bowls, bronze and carved alabaster sculptures, a Russian brass samovar, Japanese woodblock prints, and hand-woven Iranian silk tapestry panels threaded with gold and silver.

Notably, the collection features works by renowned Iranian artists Parviz Tanavoli and Sia Armajani, reflecting Peggy’s deep connection to both international and Iranian art and culture.

Born on May 5, 1933, in her family’s home in St. Paul, Minnesota, to Jesse Joseph Schneider and Laura Harriette Ronning Schneider, Peggy — known to many simply as Peggy Azad — lived a life filled with purpose, passion, and artistic appreciation.

The contemporary Asian section of our April 18th auction will feature two important works by Chuang Che (Zhuang Ze), a Chinese-American abstract artist.

One of the works, Seasons Page, was created in 1971 using mixed media on canvas and measures 33 inches in height and 49.5 inches in width, with Zhuang’s signature in Chinese at the lower left corner. This piece was exhibited at the DuBose Gallery in Houston, Texas, in 1972, and comes with Zhuang’s handwritten signature and an exhibition catalog, making it highly collectible.

Chuang’s art style blends Eastern and Western aesthetics, interpreting Chinese cultural themes through Abstract Expressionism and is highly regarded in the international art scene.

The Furniture & Decorative Arts portion of the April 18th auction will feature an impressive selection pieces. Featured is a sculptural Alvar Aalto bentwood tea trolley.

Crafted by Finnish modernist master Alvar Aalto, this elegant tea trolley exemplifies his signature minimalist form. Aalto’s visionary approach to design brought warmth and humanity to modernism — balancing clean lines with natural materials.

This piece is not only functional — it’s a sculptural icon of 20th-century design.

This April 18th we will offer pair of Arne Jacobsen for Fritz Hansen Swan chairs — sculptural, iconic, and effortlessly modern.

Designed in 1958 for the SAS Royal Hotel in Copenhagen, the Swan chair is one of Arne Jacobsen’s most celebrated works. A master of Danish modernism, Jacobsen blended form and function with striking elegance. His designs, including the Egg and Swan chairs, continue to shape interiors worldwide.

This pair, produced by Fritz Hansen, represents the enduring legacy of Scandinavian design — minimalist, organic, and timeless. Offered at an estimate of $1,200–$1,500, these iconic chairs will be sure to enhance any space.

This season, we will introduce a series of selected embroidery pieces, with the highlight being an 18th-century Qing dynasty imperial yellow satin brocade robe, chuba with gold dragon patterns among colorful clouds.

From the end of the Tang dynasty, China’s relationship with Tibet evolved with continuous political and religious exchanges during the Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties, sending precious court-manufactured silk fabrics to Tibet. Initially reserved for the imperial court, these fabrics later became significant gifts for Tibetan nobility and high-ranking monks. In the 18th century, the Qing court custom-made luxurious silk garments for Buddhist ceremonies, granting many dragon robes, which gradually became traditional attire for Tibetan nobility.

This Chuba-style robe was custom-made in Tibet from 18th-century Chinese yellow ground brocade, adorned with a five-clawed golden dragon clutching a fiery pearl amidst colorful clouds in pink, blue, green, and ochre, with a terrestrial map motif at the hem. The collar and trim are in pale blue silk depicting original wave-like edges, measuring 55 inches in height and 70 inches in width. This robe not only showcases the exquisite craftsmanship of the Qing court but also serves as an important physical testament to the historical exchanges between China and Tibet.