The estate of the late J.T. Boudreaux of southern Louisiana, plus the contents of the magnificent Bella Vida mansion, will be sold Saturday, May 1, beginning promptly at 9 a.m. (CST). The on-site auction will be held at Bella Vida, located at 503 South Franklin Street in Aberdeen. Stevens Auction Company of Aberdeen will conduct the auction.
Offered will be many marvelous period furnishings, bronze statues and garden figurines, fine estate jewelry, vintage lamps, porcelains, original paintings and more. Bella Vida is for sale, but will not be offered at this auction. Serious inquiries may be directed to Stevens Auction Company (at 662-369-2200) or Southern Realty & Management Company (at 662-369-7061).
Hundreds of quality items will cross the block on May 1. A pair of monumental beds are bound to wow the crowd. The first is a rosewood half-tester plantation bed, made circa 1860 and signed C. Lee, from the J.T. Boudreaux estate. It is 9 feet 10 inches tall. The other is a rosewood rococo three-quarter plantation bed by P. Mallard. It’s even taller – a majestic 11 feet 8 inches.
Fans of J & J.W. Meeks won’t be disappointed. Three lots by the renowned furniture maker certain to get paddles wagging are a rare, museum-quality rosewood marble-top parlor table (attributed to Meeks); an outstanding rosewood marble-top wash stand with swinging mirror; and a lovely laminated rosewood five-piece rococo parlor suite, executed around 1855.
Looking for Belter? The sale will feature a gorgeous pair of rosewood laminated side parlor chairs in red silk upholstery. Other furniture pieces will include an 8-foot-tall rosewood rococo etagere (circa 1855), with oval mirror doors in the base and glove boxes; a French burl walnut linen press; and a 19th-century Mallard rosewood marble-top dressing table with mirror.
Rounding out the period furniture category are a winged griffin mahogany slant-front desk by R.J. Horner, and an imposing and handsome flamed mahogany Empire two-door wardrobe with ogee crown, complete with original interior and measuring 8 feet tall by 75 inches wide and 27 inches deep. An expected star of estate jewelry is the 8-carat diamond link bracelet.
Artwork will feature a pair of painted portraits in bronze oval filigree frames, 5 inches by 5 inches each; a Victorian painting on porcelain in a black shadow box with ornate gold frame, 22 inches by 20 inches (circa 1860); and a bronze statue of Mercury, 82 inches tall, on the original base. Silver offerings will include a large and fine set of sterling flatware, 140+ pieces.
From the vintage clocks category, two lots in particular will chime on time. One is a signed Meissen clock with figural rendering, 43 inches tall. The other is a blue, gold and white Old Paris clock. Vintage lamps will include a bronze and marble astral lamp with 14-inch-long prisms (circa 1860), and a 19th century double-arm argand lamp with marble inserts in the base.
Decorative accessories will feature a beautiful pair of blue and gold Old Paris vases, 20 inches tall apiece, and a grand gold Victorian over-the-mantel mirror, 66 inches tall by 55 inches wide and made around 1855. All of the lots may be viewed at a preview that will be held Friday, Apr. 30, from 10-6, and on Saturday, May 1, auction day, from 7:30 a.m. until the start of sale.
Bella Vida is a beautiful home, built in 1879 and situated on 1.87 acres. The house is completely fenced, with a tall brick fence and a picket fence in front. The gates are ornamental wrought iron from the 1830s and have the legendary phoenix birds on them. The structure is an architectural treasure and one of only three Second Empire homes remaining in Mississippi.
Bella Vida was originally built by Joseph Eckford. It was sold in the late 1880s to Mississippi State Senator George Leftwich, who resided there with his family for many years. The two-and-a-half-story, framed structure boasts a striking three-and-a-half story tower placed diagonally at the corner of the east and south elevations. Bella Vida has been totally restored.
Stevens Auction Company’s next big sale after this one will be a single-owner lifetime collection of over 2,000 vintage toys, scheduled for Sat., June 12. The firm is always accepting quality consignments for future sales. To consign a single item, an estate or collection, you may call them directly, at (662) 369-2200; or, you can e-mail them at [email protected].
To learn more about Stevens Auction Company and the firm’s calendar of upcoming events, please log on to www.stevensauction.com