Skinner, Inc. one of the nation’s leading auction houses for antiques and fine art, will host an auction of European Furniture and Decorative Arts, featuring Fine Ceramics, on Saturday, July 11th at 10 a.m. in the Boston gallery.
The sale boasts more than 800 lots and features fine ceramics, as well as English and Continental decorative works of art, statuary, textiles and furniture from the 18th – 20th centuries.
Ceramics
A highlight of the ceramic offerings is the Elizabeth Chellis Collection of Wedgwood. Elizabeth Chellis was, among other things, a founder of the Wedgwood International Seminar, and founder and president of the Wedgwood Society of Boston. She was a scholar and collector; her library relating to Wedgwood is believed to be the largest in the world and is housed at the Birmingham Museum of Art. Her collection of ceramics varies from a wide variety of Wedgwood wares including a queen’s ware “Frog Service” platter (lot 27, est. $10/15,000), to 18th century English pottery highlighted by an enamel decorated salt-glazed stoneware landscape teapot (lot 10, est. $2/4,000), to interesting Wedgwood-related ephemera.
Also included in the sale are two additional private collections of Wedgwood. Among the offerings are encaustic decorated black basalts, a nice assortment of Fairyland lustre, queen’s ware, carrara ware, Lessore decorated items, majolica, and a variety of jasper wares including a most unusual full size Portland vase (lot 266, est. $1/1,500).
Other English pottery and porcelain includes early white salt-glazed stoneware, agate and lead glazed creamwares. A pair of Minton Christopher Dresser design pilgrim vases (lot 181, est. $8/1,200), Sunderland lustre, and a large collection of parian busts and figures help round out the sale.
Decorative Arts
Of note in the decorative arts offerings are eighteen lots of Royal Worcester porcelain models of birds by Dorothy Doughty (estimates ranging from $300 at the low to $1,500 at the high); an interesting German wood and ivory figural group entitled “The Fortune Teller,” signed C.L. Haebler, Baden Baden (lot 578, est. $5/700); a French Aesthetic Movement charger (lot 676, est. $2/4,000); and a large bronze figure of a maiden by Mathurin Moreau (lot 752, est. $5/7,000).
Also of interest is an unusually extensive collection of forty-four Italian creche figures (lot 698, est. $4/6,000). Rarely do such extensive sets of crèche figures appear in the auction market.
The sale also features an extensive selection of clocks and timepieces including a Meissen porcelain mantel clock (lot 466, est. $2,5/3,500); a Turkish market clock (lot 520, est. $7/1,000); a carriage-style enamel timepiece (lot 564, est. $3/500); a Louis XIV-style “Boulle” clock (lot 744, est. $1,2/1,500); and a Georgian-style case clock (lot 768, est. $8/10,000).
Furniture:
Offerings from Britain and the Continent, spanning the centuries, include interesting forms such as a cellerette – a wine bottle storage box for dining rooms (lot 391, est. $1,5/1,800); a pair of Louis XV rafraichissoirs – French form for a wine glass and wine bottle cooler (lot 461, est. $2/3,000); a jardinière table signed by the cabinetmaker, Bernard Molitor (lot 582, $12/18,000); and a “Carlton House desk” (lot 672, est. $2/4,000), which is a writing table of a style introduced by Gillow’s in their pattern book of 1796, and believed to derive its name from the Prince Regent’s palace.
Other nice furniture offerings include a mid-Georgian side table (lot 538, est. $1,2/1,800); a
George III sideboard (lot 545, est. $3/4,000); a Renaissance Revival jewelry box on a stand (lot 643, est. $3/5,000); a large Venetian carved wood hall figure (lot 500, est. $4/6,000); and a pair of George III giltwood mirrors (lot 664, est. $12/18,000).
Previews and Catalog Information
Previews for the auction will be held on Thursday, July 9th from 12 to 5 p.m. and on Friday, July 10th from 12 to 8 p.m.
Illustrated catalog #2465 is available by mail for $35 ($42 for foreign requests) from the subscription department at 508-970-3240. It is also available at the gallery for $32. Prices realized will be available at www.skinnerinc.com during and after the sale. For more information, call 508-970-3000, or visit www.skinnerinc.com. Skinner’s site also allows users to view all lots in the auctions, leave bids, and order catalogs online.
Skinner-Live! Online Bidding on Skinner’s Website
Skinner’s website now features real-time online bidding via the SkinnerLive! bid applet. Visit www.skinnerinc.com and click on the blue Skinner Live Bidding button for full instructions prior to the auction. The blue Skinner Live Bidding button can be found under the Buy/Sell tab on our homepage and on the American Furniture & Decorative Arts department page. Once pre-registered on our website, you can join in the live bidding as soon as the auction begins. All lots in the auction are also available for viewing at www.skinnerinc.com. The website provides full-color thumbnail images and full lot descriptions. It allows users to leave bids online, and view prices realized in real-time during and after the auction. Visit www.skinnerinc.com to sign up for our free eZine of upcoming arts & antiques auctions and events.
Image: Lot 582: Louis XVI Ormolu Mounted Mahogany Jardiniere Table, c. 1785, est, $12,000-18,000