Russian pottery `dark horse` sells for 157 times high estimate at Morphy`s
(Artdaily.org)

When Keats wrote, “A thing of beauty is a joy forever – its loveliness increases,” he unwittingly created a tagline for Morphy Auctions’ $3.3 million Fine & Decorative Arts sale held June 18-19. The breathtaking array of European and American antiques, glass and ceramics dazzled an international contingent of bidders who drove prices on many items to unexpected if not astounding levels. The fresh-to-market 2,500-lot selection included a dark horse that would shock even the experts as it raced to the top of prices realized. The sale’s big winner, a Russian pottery vase dated “1903” and bearing multiple impressed marks, had the unmistakable look of expert craftsmanship. Its elaborately designed metal overlay depicting helmeted warriors on horseback was tastefully set with jeweled cabochons and further