The officially titled Chic and Antique Estate Treasures auction features a little more than 1,000 lots – a curated mix of fine and decorative arts spanning from the 18th century to present day, including a selection of items from the Stanley Weiss Collection, property consigned by a Princeton, New Jersey collector and items from private collections mainly in the tri-state area.
Highlights from the Princeton collector include a 1929 Steinway Model M piano, estimated conservatively at $4,000-$6,000, poised to sell within range or higher; a large number of rugs and carpets in a variety of styles and designs; and a pair of Irish Georgian part ebonized and parcel-gilt looking oval looking glasses. These are attractively estimated at $1,000-$2,000.
Another group of property is coming from the collection of the late Donald S. Morrison of Short Hills, New Jersey, now owned by his descendants. Headlining this group is a pair of Queen Anne walnut side chairs made in Philadelphia between 1740-1760. They are estimated at $20,000-$40,000 and should be a fan favorite.
There is also a nice Chippendale stop-fluted serpentine front card table made in Newport around 1780. This piece retains all of the hallmarks of classic Newport cabinetmaking design from the second-half 18th century. The collection also features a number of traditionally inspired items including a nice selection of both early American and Georgian silver and Chinese export porcelain. The silver includes pieces by highly regarded makers such as Hester Bateman, Richard Bayley and Thomas Bradbury.
Another prominent Philadelphia and UK family is including a small selection of furniture believed to been ordered directly from the well-known and highly regarded New York City cabinetmaker, Duncan Phyfe. The family retains an 1835 journal from their descendent, Isaac Ogden, in which he has an entry which reads “Phyfe Bill of Furniture…..$257”. Pieces include a pair of diminutive recamier with adjustable foot rests estimated at $3,000-$5,000 and drop-leaf Pembroke table with a wonderfully rich, brown surface estimated at $7,000-$10,000. There is also a wonderfully figured mahogany bedstead included in the group.
The sale will also include a continuation of pieces from the well-known Rhode Island collector, Stanley Weiss. Collecting for over thirty years, Mr. Weiss developed an eye for the early American aesthetic with an emphasis on the Queen Anne through the Neoclassical periods. His passion and enthusiasm for quality craftsmanship and wood are evident in each piece he owned.
Highlights include a Classical cannonball base mahogany work table, made in the Boston/Salem area circa 1820, estimated at $1,000-$2,000; a rich, warm chocolate brown Irish/English Queen Anne drop leaf dining table with trifid feet; and a George III inlaid amboyna work table. This piece is exceptionally figured and is a bargain with a modest, attainable estimate of $400-$600.
A Park Avenue, New York collector is offering a nice selection of objets d’art purchased from well-known dealers and interior designers in the United States and the UK, including a Regency ormolu-mounted crystal columnar plinth now fitted as a lamp. The Anglo-Ceylonese coromandel work table from the late 18th/early 19th century has been attractively estimated at $700-$1,000.
There is an excellent pair of William and John Turner caneware bulb pots estimated to sell for between $800-$1,200 and a terrific pair of Irish Georgian barrel-shaped decanters. There are also several pieces of Baccarat crystal and Joseph Simon for Val St. Lambert. For lovers of music is a Baldwin ebony piano once owned by German/American composer Lukas Foss (1922-2009). Foss was a friend and classmate of Leonard Bernstein. Bernstein would later go onto describe Foss as “an authentic genius”. He would serve as the music director at the Brooklyn Philharmonic and the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra and as the composer for the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra.
A nice selection of Arts & Crafts pottery includes a 96-piece porcelain service designed by Frank Lloyd Wright in 1922 for the Imperial Hotel in Tokyo, Japan. The service carries an estimate of $10,000-$15,000. Clarice Cliff and Susie Cooper, the 20th century English ceramists and designers, have several pieces included in the sale, attractively estimated at $300-$600 per lot.
As we move to more Modern Design, one of the indisputable highlights of the auction is the second version of a cast bronze “Berceau’ table designed by Diego Giacometti (Swiss, 1902-1985) and initialed ‘DG”. Diego was a designer and the younger brother of the highly regarded sculptor Alberto Giacometti. Originally acquired at a French auction decades ago, this piece is estimated to sell between $100,000-$150,000.
For those that prefer shinier objects, the sale has a number of lots of silver from private collections. Highlights include an incredible oak cased set of Tiffany & Co. sterling flatware in the “Florentine” pattern, dating from 1905. The case holds approximately 211 distinct pieces of cutlery and serving pieces. This set should sell for between $10,000-$20,000. There is also an unusually large footed sterling tray stamped, " TH over IC". C. 1799. Possibly Thos. Hannam and John Crouch. The tray is accentuated with gadrooned rims, reticulated border with laurel swag decoration and alternating urn plaques. There is also a set of four Kirk repousse silver candlesticks measuring twelve and a half inches tall. Equally as impressive is a Baroque style three-part silver-plated plateau. This will definitely liven up any tablescape.
There is also a large footed sterling tray stamped, " TH over IC", circa 1799, possibly Thomas Hannam and John Crouch. The tray is accentuated with gadrooned rims, reticulated border with laurel swag decoration and alternating urn plaques. There is also a set of four Kirk repousse silver candlesticks, each 12 ½ inches tall, and a Baroque style three-part silver-plated plateau.
Jewelry will feature an exceptional Cartier 18K white gold and onyx link bracelet estimated at $4,000-$6,000; and a Tiffany & Company pair of 18K yellow gold, cabochon sapphire and pearl earrings converted to a ring and a pin. From a Puerto Rican collection comes a Rolex gold and diamond oval link ladies’ bracelet watch and 4-strand 6mm cultured pearl and diamond bracelet.
Transitioning to Fine Art, the auction contains a well-balanced mix of traditional through Modern and Contemporary. One of the top lots in the sale is a work by Maria Helena Vieira Da Silva (Portuguese, 1908-1992). This abstract oil is a small, but stoic composition estimated at $6,000-$8,000. Robert Kelly’s black and white mixed media “Mimesis LXV’ hails from a Private Park Avenue, New York Collection and is estimated at $5,000-$10,000.
Other art offerings from the same collection include a Howard Hodgkin original titled Lace Curtain, 2015-2016 and an Elizabeth Payton direct gravure etching of a Portrait of Robert Mapplethorpe. A European collector is offering a Keith Haring marker on paper of Dogs with UFOs (est. $1,000-$2,000).
The same collector is also offering a Roy Lichtenstein paper plate screen print. There are also four works by the celebrated self-taught artist, Purvis Young. These are typical works and tend to include Young’s traditional and celebrated elaborate depictions of his figures, heads and trucks.
Real time Internet bidding and absentee bidding for items offered on October 25th-26th will be provided by LiveAuctioneers.com, Invaluable.com, Bidsquare.com, Bidspirit.com and the Nye & Company website: www.nyeandcompany.com. Telephone bidding will also be available on a limited basis. For items being sold October 27th, real time internet bidding and absentee bidding will only be available on LiveAuctioneers.com, Bidspirit.com and the Nye & Company website.
People can bid in absentia and online. An online preview is being held from October 13th thru October 25th-27th at the Nye & Company website as well as on the online bidding platforms listed above. Anyone looking for additional images, condition reports or info about an object is invited to visit the Nye & Company website or send an email to info@nyeandcompany.com.
For more information about Nye & Company Auctioneers and the Chic and Antique Estate Treasures auction, Wednesday thru Friday, October 25th -27th, visit www.nyeandcompany.com.
About Nye & Company Auctioneers:
John Nye had a long and fruitful career at Sotheby’s before he and his wife, Kathleen, acquired Dawson’s in 2003 and started Dawson & Nye. With the move to Bloomfield seven years later, they renamed the business to Nye & Company (Auctioneers, Appraisers, Antiques). The firm is nationwide, but the vast bulk of the business comes from trusts and estates in the tri-state area. For more information about Nye & Company Auctioneers, please visit www.nyeandcompany.com. Updates are posted frequently.
