Bid live online in Rago’s Oct. 1 auction of Pennsylvania paintings, furniture and silver
Sept. 26, 2005
Lambertville , N.J. - On October 1, commencing at 12:00 noon Eastern time, the Estate and Fine Art Division of the Rago Arts and Auction Center will present a 650-lot auction of outstanding works of art, 18th and 19th century English and American furniture, exceptional silver and many rare and unusual collectibles.
Certain to draw a lot of attention is the wide selection of 19th and 20th century American art by well-known Philadelphia regional artists. Featured are works by Walter Emerson Baum, such as the signed oil on canvas titled Sellersville, Pa, of a man walking down a road, estimated $2,000-4,000; and an oil on canvas by Ernest Blumenshein titled Eagles Nest Lake, New Mexico. Also offered are works by George Conard, Earl Horter, Hannah Horter and Charles Gruppe, as well as prints by well-known 20th century artists and four featured works by Associated Artists editions with illustrators such as Martin Nelson, Samuel Woolf, and Nicolas Riley represented. French artists in the sale include Charles Daubigny, with a signed and framed pastoral landscape estimated $4,000-6,000; Paul Lacompte, Claude Venard and Sven Svendson. Modernists featured include Carmen Cicero and Balcombe Green.
A highlight of the auction is a rare and early ivory sculpture of the Virgin and Child with the Virgin clad in a long robe topped by a cloak, eyes closed, an a gilt metal cabochon studded necklace fitted around her neck. The Child in her arms holds an orb topped with gilt cross. This 11in work of art from the 16th-17th century is in excellent condition and is estimated at $25,000-35,000.
Among the silver are many fine pieces by Tiffany, Jensen, Gorham, and LaPaglia. Of particular note is an Irish silver chocolate coffee pot, circa 1770, marked C near the rim and estimated at $5,000-8,000. Another exceptional lot is a sugar and creamer set by Johan Rohde for Jensen with a hand-hammered surface and overlay decoration, with an appraisal of $1,000-1,500. Also featured is a good selection of porcelain and pottery including Fulper, Moorcroft, Meissen, and Rosenthal. There are also fine glass and crystal lots by Waterford and Baccarat.
Among the more unusual entries are a 6in Bellamy-style carved and highly decorated eagle estimated at $5,000-7,000; a collection of six Inuit carvings, a very detailed carved ivory band of seven musicians, each 6¾ by 2in perched on wooden barrel-form stands, with an appraisal of $1.200-1.800; a Carson and Toone cheese press, and salesmen’s miniatures. Other desirable collectibles include a large 40in wine jug, circa 1871, and a collection of Czech figural pitchers, a Zia pot and a Picasso for Madoura.
Furniture includes a Lancaster Valley ( Pa.) paint-decorated blanket chest, a Joachim Hill tall case clock from Flemington, N.J., estimated $10,000-15,000; a Georgian lowboy and an early pie safe. Also offered are 50 lots of Craftsman with Gustav Stickley, L & JG Stickley Bros., Roycroft and Lifetime. Twentieth-century Modern includes Heywood Wakefield, Woodard, Eames, Risom, George Nelson, Finn Juhl and Arne Jacobsen. Rounding out the selection are 100 lots of jewelry.
View the fully illustrated catalog and bid absentee or live online through www.LiveAuctioneers.com.
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