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Responding to the ever-growing demand for innovative and quality works from the region, Sotheby’s auction of Contemporary Art / Arab & Iranian features a diverse group of paintings and sculptures representing the modern masters from private collections as well as contemporary works fresh to the market.
The autumn sale of Important Furniture, Sculptures and Works of Art will consist of approximately 200 lots including rare carpets and textiles.
A mid-18th-century “à la façon de la Savonnerie” carpet, probably Aubusson, Louis XV, with “Mamluk” patterns is a rare example of craftsmanship made before French decor became fashionable.
A Louis XIV needlepoint table cloth, circa 1660-1680 and two Régence needlepoint panels, circa 1720, adorned with the French coat-of-arms are remarkable examples of European technique and “savoir-faire,” which were widely applied in Europe in the 18th century.
In the furniture section of the sale is a rare and fine gilt bonze mounted brown tortoiseshell, brass inlaid and ebony cartel clock, Louis XIV, circa 1700, attributed to André-Charles Boulle, and a pair of carved gilt beechwood folding stools, Louis XV, circa 1740, delivered for the prince-évêque de Rohan-Soubise.
Two Louis XV pieces of furniture stamped Lacroix for the viscount of Breteuil finalize a remarkable group of 18th century French furniture.
Among the sculpture in the sale is a French terracotta bust by Augustin Pajou depicting Claude-Edme Labille, circa 1784 and a French, Parisian, late 14th century ivory figure of the Virgin and Child.
Phillips de Pury & Company is pleased to announce
Appraisal Week in New York for our upcoming
December Jewels Auction. We will provide you
with a complimentary appraisal and evaluation of your
jewelry as well as a chance to meet with our Jewelry specialists.
We invite you to schedule an appointment at your convenience
during the week September 19th – September 23rd.
The September 22nd Contemporary Auction offers carefully selected works by artists from the Post-War period through the present day. The sale covers a range of works from movements including Abstract Expressionism, Pop, Minimalism, Conceptualism, Contemporary Photography and Contemporary Chinese along with many of today’s most exciting young artists.
Lineup includes swank 1926 Pierce-Arrow, ’76 Cadillac Milan, Model A station wagon
1926 Pierce-Arrow Model 80 rumble-seat runabout, 1999 AACA Senior National First Prize Winner. William H. Bunch Auctions image.
CHADDS FORD, Pa. – A virtual automotive time capsule – from an early Pierce-Arrow to a trendy 1970 Chevy El Camino – will cross the auction block at William H. Bunch’s suburban Philadelphia gallery on Tuesday, Oct. 4. The prized collection of vintage cars and trucks was amassed over many years by Pennsylvania businessman Dorando Faggioli, now 78, who made it his personal mission to restore each vehicle to perfection.
Faggioli considers his 1926 Pierce-Arrow Model 80 “New York” car to be the jewel of the collection. “In its day, the Pierce-Arrow was the most expensive car made in this country,” Faggioli said. Everything about Faggioli’s Pierce-Arrow is deluxe; down to the special storage area for golf clubs. Purchased in the 1980s, the car won a national first place at the AACA Show in Hershey, Pa., and has plaque on the radiator to prove it.
Faggioli’s sleek 1976 Cadillac Milan convertible derives its name from the fact that it was a Seville 4-door sedan converted to a 2-door roadster per a design originated by Milan Coach Builders Inc., of Simi Valley, Calif. The number of surviving Cadillac Milans is not known. “What we do know is that Milans are rarely seen nowadays,” said auctioneer William Bunch.
The collection’s 1930 Model A station wagon was purchased for nostalgic reasons, Faggioli said. Not only did it remind him of the vehicle in which he learned to drive, it also brought back boyhood memories of accompanying his father – a landscaper – to a weekly job in posh Radnor, Pa. Faggioli recalled: “While dad did his landscaping work, I would meet with the little girl who lived in the big estate across the street. She knew we would be coming every Monday and would wait for me. We’d talk and pass the time. Her name was Grace Kelly – yes, the Grace Kelly.”
1956 Ford Thunderbird, complete body-off restoration, AACA National Senior Champion. William H. Bunch Auctions image.
Other early vehicles include a 1919 Ford Model T touring car and a 1933 Ford V8 dump truck. Additionally, the Faggioli
collection boasts a 1956 Ford Thunderbird hardtop convertible, 1962 Thunderbird convertible, 1974 Porsche 914 and an icon of West Coast surf culture, an all-original 1970 Chevrolet El Camino.
Yellow gold Victorian brooch set with 28mm by 20mm enameled, faceted amethyst. William H. Bunch Auctions image.
The nearly 500-lot auction is laden with fine estate jewelry. A 50-piece collection from a Wilmington, Del., estate contains a stunning assortment of Victorian Etruscan yellow gold jewelry, some adorned with diamonds or seed pearls. A slide bracelet approximately 1 inch wide with niello ornamentation is a key lot, as are several brooches. An exceptional brooch is centered with a 28mm by 20mm amethyst whose “table” displays a painted portrait of a young woman with a basket of flowers. Estimate: $1,000-$1,500.
Additional jewelry highlights include a yellow gold pin with a 1.5-carat center diamond and six additional diamonds of 60 points each, est. $3,000-$4,000; and a Victorian engagement ring with a 1.66-carat solitaire diamond in filigreed platinum setting.
Within the grouping of gold men’s and ladies’ pocket watches is a Swiss 18K example with guilloche background and the portrait of a beautiful lady with four diamonds across the crown of her hair. Est. $2,500-$3,500.
A gleaming selection of silver is led by a 7-piece Dominick & Haff repousse and floral-engraved sterling tea set that was
1908 Dominick & Haff engraved and repousse sterling silver teaset. William H. Bunch Auctions image.
the consignor’s grandmother’s wedding set in 1908. Retailed by Bailey, Banks & Biddle, the set has a total weight of 370 ozt., with the massive tray weighing in at 170 ozt. Auctioneer Bunch speculates the “melt” value of the set to be $11,000 to $12,000 but hopes it will be purchased by an antiques collector.
A small Victorian silver vinaigrette in the form of a mussel shell, est. $400-$800, is stamped “S. Mordan & Co. London.” While it has no silver touch marks, it is identical to an example that sold at Christie’s London gallery in 2001 for $4,000. “That one had an 1876 registry stamp,” Bunch noted.
Also to be auctioned are sterling silver serving pieces and souvenir spoons; and two outstanding pieces of American silverplate by Simpson Hall & Miller. A 24-inch double-armed enameled bride’s basket with colored satin-glass inserts is estimated at $2,500-$3,500; while a circa-1880 tilting water pitcher on a trolley could fetch $800-$1,200.
Art glass includes a vase by Pallme-Koenig (Austrian), a Rindskopf purple iridescent bowl and a blue and amber Moser glass vase with applied salamander. A signed, horseshoe-shape Lalique Vielleuses Amours Tiara lamp with engraved flowers is modestly estimated at $2,000-$4,000.
Monumental Louis XV-style kingwood bombe commode, 19th century. William H. Bunch Auctions image.
The star lot amongst the fine French furniture is a monumental Louis XV-style 2-drawer kingwood commode with mounted bronze ladies on the top corners and richly decorative ormolu on the ends and door front. Described by William Bunch as “the best piece of Continental furniture in the sale,” it is estimated at $10,000-$20,000. Other noteworthy furniture lots include a pair of small Regency breakfronts with floral-and-urn inlay, a Chippendale block-foot card table and a Chester County dish-top birdcage candlestand.
A stellar oil-on-canvas portrait of statesman Daniel Webster (1782-1852) is attributed to Chester Harding (American, 1792-1866), who painted U.S. presidents and European royalty. “Daniel Webster is known to have been a favorite subject of Harding’s. One of his Webster portraits went to the Bar Association of New York,” Bunch said.
One of two original oil paintings by Louis Icart to be auctioned. William H. Bunch Auctions image.
Other artworks include a Louis Kronberg (American, 1872-1965) pastel of a ballerina, a Mihaly Munkacsy (Hungarian, 1844-1900) tabletop still life, and two original oils by Louis Icart. In addition, there will be 20 lots of 1990s works on paper from the estate of a Philadelphia man who worked in a Florida print atelier. Many very collectible late-20th-century listed artists are represented, including Rauschenberg, Scharf and Rosenquist.
Estimated at $6,000-$12,000, a 19th-century signed Aristide Petrilli alabaster lamp with relief-carved shade has an desert oasis theme, with camels, palm trees, ladies and other figures. Another exceptional artwork is the Gerdago enameled and silvered-bronze Art Deco dancer with ivory hands and face. Standing 11 inches high inclusive of green alabaster base, the sculpture is estimated at $10,000-$15,000. The sale also features a Franz Bergmann Vienna bronze of an Arab slave trader presenting a nude woman, and a 15½-inch Antoine Barye bronze of wild dogs attacking a boar.
Enameled and silvered-bronze Gerdago Art Deco dancer with ivory face and hands, dished green alabaster base, 11 inches tall. William H. Bunch Auctions image.
Also to be offered is a vintage country music autograph collection that belonged to a 1950s country singer named Lloyd “Tex” Reynolds. It includes signatures from Patsy Cline, Marvin Rainwater, Hawkshaw Hawkins, George Jones and more. Another ephemera collection contains over 200 Philadelphia Eagles game programs spanning the 1960s to 1990s at three different home venues.
The Oct. 4 auction will commence at 12 noon Eastern time. All forms of bidding will be available, including live in the gallery, absentee, by phone or live via the Internet through LiveAuctioneers.com. For additional information, call 610-558-1800 or e-mail info@williambunchauctions.com. On the Web: www.williambunchauctions.com.
Sotheby’s London is delighted to announce that the forthcoming Arts of the Islamic World Evening Auction will feature for sale 27 exquisite Islamic Ceramics from the Collection of Harvey B. Plotnick. Estimated at £2.6-3.6 million, the 27 pieces represent the first offering of a three-part-sale of the collection at Sotheby’s.
The 20th Century Chinese Art Department will offer over 140 works of art this autumn. Highlights of this sale include remarkable masterpieces by Chinese modern masters including Zao Wou-ki, Wu Guanzhong, Chu Teh-chun, Wang Yidong and Chen Yifei. Featured above, 10.1.68 by Zao Wou-ki was exhibited at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art in 1968 as part of a solo exhibition for the artist. This painting has been in a private collection for over twenty years and is set to lead the market with its first appearance. Additionally, this sale will also introduce two dedicated themes focusing on female Chinese artists and works on paper.
Sotheby’s announced today that it will hold the Anita Mui – Jewels and Watches From The Estate auction on 5 October during Sotheby’s Hong Kong Autumn Sale 2011, offering exclusively 43 lots of jewels and watches as well as memorabilia items from the estate of Anita Mui – the legendary canto-pop diva and award-winning actress from Hong Kong.
Leslie Hindman Auctioneers handles a wide variety of furniture and decorative arts including American, English and Continental Furniture and Decorative Arts; Twentieth Century Decorative Arts; Asian Works of Art; and Rugs, Carpets and Textiles.
