“The June action Saturday session features 30 works by George Ohr from the Ellison collection plus some extraordinary Martin ware from the same source,” said David Rago. “Additionally, there are strong examples of American decorative ceramics by Rhead, Redlands, Newcomb College and Grueby. There is also a selection of contemporary ceramics by Voulkos, Mason, Toshiko, Natzler and Scheier. The Sunday Modern auction includes a landmark collection of New Hope School contemporary by Paul Evans and George Nakashima including an Evans Sculpture-Front credenza and a second Sculpture Front vertical cabinet, as well as a Nakashima French olive burl scissor leg desk.”

Early 20th Century Decorative Arts: Saturday, June 8, noon EDT

Art pottery, furniture, art glass, metalwork and prints in 300 lots: ceramics by Teco, Saturday Evening Girls and Rookwood, as well as some fine examples of grotesques by the Martin Brothers, an extensive collection of vessels and novelties by the Mad Potter of Biloxi, George Ohr, from author Robert Ellison, and a large collection of Fulper wares, including two rare Vasekraft lamps. There are also exceptional examples by Grueby, Zsolnay, Newcomb College, Redlands and Frederick H. Rhead.

Furniture by Gustav Stickley, Rose Valley, L. & J.G. Stickley, Roycroft, Limbert, includes a few rare and early pieces by the firm of Gustav Stickley: a wide double-door bookcase with mitered mullions, a leather-top desk, and a knockdown settle. Art glass by Tiffany Studios, Lalique, Daum and Galle among others. Hammered copper by Dirk Van Erp, Roycroft, Heinrichs and Harry Dixon, silver by Kalo and Lebolt. Color woodblock prints by Gustave Baumann, Edna Hopkins and William Rice and a fine watercolor painting by Louis C. Tiffany.

Studio Ceramics: Saturday, June 8 (immediately following early 20th century)

Featured will be 100 lots consisting of 100 works from Otto and Gertrud Natzler, Mary and Edwin Scheier ceramics, tapestries and sand paintings. This session will also have  a collection of fine postwar Alfred, N.Y., ceramics by Peter Voulkos, Robert Turner, Wayne Higby, Don Reitz, Ted Randall, Val Cushing and William Parry.

Modern Design: Sunday, June 9, noon EDT

Furniture, ceramics, glass, metalwork from the 20th and 21st century, 600 lots: Spectacular furniture and sculpture by New Hope craftspeople George and Mira Nakashima, Paul Evans and Phil Powell. Also fine examples by American makers Vladimir Kagan, Sam Maloof, Wendell Castle, Judy McKie and Silas Kopf. Designers Kelvin and Phillip LaVerne, Tommi Parzinger, James Mont, Edward Wormley, Paul Frankl, and T.H. Robsjohn-Gibbings. Lighting by Cedric Hartman, Hansen, Von Nessen, Mont, Felix Agostini, Paavo Tynell and Adnet. Scandinavian wares designed by Ejvind Johansson, Preben Fabricius, Poul Kjaerholm, Finn Juhl, Hans Wegner, Greta Grossman, Alvar Aalto and Borge Mogensen. Ceramics by Pablo Picasso at Madoura, sets of plates by Piero Fornasetti and Gio Ponti. Studio glass by Jon Kuhn, Dante Marioni, Klaus Moje, Dale Chihuly, Linda MacNeil, Lino Tagliapietra, Tomas Hlavicka and Vladimir Prochazka, Barovier and Venini.

View a complete catalog with color images at ragoarts.com online. For details email Rago Arts and Auction Center at info@ragoarts.com or phone 609-397-9374.

View the fully illustrated catalog and sign up to bid absentee or live via the Internet at LiveAuctioneers.com.

View the fully illustrated catalog and register to bid absentee or live via the Internet as the sale is taking place by logging on to www.LiveAuctioneers.com.

ADDITIONAL LOTS OF NOTE

The Friday sale opens with a fine selection of smalls. Several collections are featured, with the contents including many fine porcelain Boehm figurines and birds; Royal Worcester productions and desirable, larger-size Lladros and Swarovskis.

The centerpiece of the day is the single-owner jewelry collection, which incorporates designs from the turn of the 20th century through modern day. Many of the pieces in the collection are Native American and exhibit a level of skillful hand detailing that only highly accomplished artisans could execute.

A large and heavy circa-1920 sterling silver squash blossom necklace is unusual in its styling, said Stephenson’s fine jewelry expert, Theresa Zaengle, because it does not contain turquoise, coral or other stones, as would be typical of most squash blossom necklaces. “It is all handmade and quintessentially Native American in its appearance, but it is a simpler design with all handmade fluted silver beads, squash blossoms and a central Naja pendant. It’s a heavy piece. The silver content is very high,” Zaengle said. The necklace retains its original patina and has not been cleaned. It is expected to sell in the vicinity of $800.

Many artist-signed Native-American jewelry items will cross the auction block at Stephenson’s, including sand-cast pieces from the 1920s. “These designs stand out because they’re very weighty, and you can almost see where each piece was molded in the sand,” Zaengle said. All of the stones are natural, as opposed to having been dyed or treated.

From a different consignor comes a mini collection of superior-quality Mexican silver jewelry. A highlight is a desirable Hector Aguilar bracelet that has a presciently modern look. A similar example is shown in a leading Mexican jewelry reference book.

Jewelry buyers will have an abundance of choice in this sale. An impressive sapphire and diamond necklace is valued at approximately $1,800; while a “very modern and understated” Italian mesh necklace of white and yellow gold with diamonds is entered with an estimate of $1,000.

A 1920s platinum and diamond bracelet estimated at $2,500 is delicately detailed, which would suggest it is from the period bridging the Edwardian and Art Deco eras. “Some very pretty jewelry was produced during this time of transition. The linear look had not yet come into its own,” Zaengle noted.

Those who enjoy classic timepieces will find an abundance of quality in this auction. A top lot is an 18K gold-cased Vacheron & Constantin man’s wristwatch estimated at $1,500.

Stephenson’s is well established in the Philadelphia area as an estates specialist. Without exception, each of their sales includes at least one exciting discovery, like the Tiffany clock in the May 31 offering that came from a residence in the Philadelphia-area borough of Jenkintown. Standing 43 inches high, the ornate, baroque-style brass clock has an enameled face and dates to the last decade of the 19th century. Its works are marked “Tiffany & Co.”

Stephenson’s owner, Cindy Stephenson, described the beautiful timekeeper as “the largest, most ornate table clock I’ve ever seen.” Among the visuals incorporated in its motif are dolphins, a woman riding Pegasus, and caryatids as the supports. Its finial is a three-dimensional figure of Father Time, seated on a sphere and holding a scythe.

“The woman who owned it is in her 90s and had childhood memories of watching her father wind the clock, but in our research we have not been able to find a comparable example. We’ve estimated it at $3,000 to $5,000, but collectors could prove us wrong and bid well above that range,” said Stephenson.

Three fine English oil-on-canvas portraits were consigned from the same Jenkintown home that produced the clock. The paintings – one of which is dated 1776 – are unsigned, English-school artworks with an interesting backstory.

“The consignor had seen a picture of a small antique shop in a magazine and was attracted to a portrait appearing in the shop’s window. She actually traveled all the way to England to try to find the shop, but knew only the name of the village where it was located,” Stephenson said. “She had to ask many people before she finally bumped into a couple in a tavern who actually knew the shop. Not only did they take her there, where she bought the three portraits in our sale, but she also became lifelong friends with the couple.”

As a further testament to the consignor’s refined taste in antiques, Stephenson’s will offer an 8ft wide breakfront from the Jenkintown home. It was custom made in the 1940s of Georgian-style flame mahogany and would add elegance to any traditional home.

Other furniture in the sale includes mid-century modern designs, such as the Peter Hvidt & O. Molgaard-Nielsen for John Stuart teakwood armchair with loose cushion and cane back. It is entered with a $1,000 estimate.

The selection of stoneware is led by a pair of cobalt-decorated chicken feeders, decorated with a botanical motif and clearly incised with the name “Thos. Haig” and the address “975 N. 2nd St. Phila.” The estimate for the pair is $2,000.

Stephenson’s Friday, May 31 Antiques & Decorative Arts Auction will begin at the earlier-than-usual time of 10 a.m. Eastern Time. The company’s gallery is located at 1005 Industrial Blvd., Southampton, PA 18966. Inspection is on Thursday, May 30, from 1-6 p.m., and on auction day from 9-10 a.m. All forms of bidding will be available, including live via the Internet through LiveAuctioneers.com.

For additional information on any auction lot, call Cindy Stephenson at 215-322-6182 or e-mail info@stephensonsauction.com. Online: www.stephensonsauction.com.

View the fully illustrated online catalog and sign up to bid absentee or live via the Internet at www.liveauctioneers.com.

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View the fully illustrated catalog and register to bid absentee or live via the Internet as the sale is taking place by logging on to www.LiveAuctioneers.com.

ADDITIONAL LOTS OF NOTE