PASADENA, Calif. – John Moran Auctioneers’ July 22 Antiques and Fine Arts Auction, featuring a carefully curated group of 176 lots in the cataloged session and 175 in the uncatalogued Discovery Sale, the majority of which were gathered from a few important estates and private collections, attracted a large crowd of eager bidders despite the heat and humidity of a typical Southern California summer. While more than 150 bidders battled the weather to attend the sale in person at the Pasadena Convention Center, a record number of bidders (1,129 to be exact) chose to bid from the comfort of their own homes via online auction platforms.

LiveAuctioneers.com facilitated Internet live bidding.

The auction was notable in part for the prices achieved for 19th and early 20th century European paintings, a category comprising a substantial portion of the catalog and one in which Moran’s continues to expand its successes. One of the most notable of these was a monumental composition by French artist Anatole Vély (1838 – 1882 French) titled Le Reveil du Coeur (The Awakening of the Heart). At an impressive 97 inches high by 57.5 inches wide, and estimated to bring $10,000 – $20,000, the haunting work brought $22,800 (all prices include a 20 percent buyer’s premium). A small oil-on-canvas by French painter Fernand Pelez (1843 – 1913), a study for his larger Petit Misere ou Mendiant au Chapeau which realized $80,120 at Sotheby’s Paris, was offered with an estimate of $6,000 – $8,000 and brought a respectable $7,800. Featured on the cover of Moran’s auction catalog, an early 20th century French School oil on canvas depicting St. Mark’s Square in Venice exceeded its estimate of $600 – $800, finding a buyer for $1,560. A romantic oil-on-canvas depicting a fisherman in a coastal scene by Italian artist Guido Odierna (1913 – 1999), known for his seascapes and seaside vignettes, realized $1,066.75 (estimate: $400 – $600).

Predominant in the sale, however, was the array of Continental furnishings, glistening with gilt finishes and richly colored marbles. An impressive pair of Napoleon III ormolu-mounted gray marble urns by Maison Millet were won by a telephone bidder who was compelled to battle a large group of spirited online bidders. Estimated to bring $3,000 – $5,000, the urns topped out at $14,400. A finely crafted gilt bronze-mounted Louis XV- style bureau plat exceeded expectations when it sold for a hefty $13,200 (estimate: $3,000 – $5,000).

A handful of modern and contemporary furnishings and works of art were offered across all categories, earning prices above and beyond their estimates. A stoneware covered jar by Claremont, Calif., potter Harrison McIntosh (b. 1914), exhibiting one of the artist’s typical forms (squat and acorn-like), was offered for $1,000 – $1,500. Ombre-glazed in green over cream, the vessel realized an impressive $4,200 after a bidding war between telephone and online buyers. A handsome set of rosewood tables (one coffee table and two end tables) designed circa 1960 by Ole Wanscher for Poul Jeppesen, realized $878.50, within the $600 to $900 estimate. A prismatic crystal sculpture by Paul Schulze for Steuben certainly turned a number of heads, eventually selling to an enthusiastic online bidder. Titled New York, New York, and dating to 1984, the piece was estimated to earn $3,000 – $5,000, and earned a $7,530 price tag.

As a class, antique clocks did quite well at the July 22 auction. A Napoleon III gilt bronze and marble mantel clock dated to the third quarter of the 19th century was expected to bring $2,000 – $3,000 at the auction block. Surmounted by a classically modeled bronze woman and putti, each carrying an attribute representing the arts, the piece brought $2,700. Later in the sale, a large, elaborately carved oak grande sonnerie bracket clock made waves with collectors, realizing a respectable $3,000 (estimate: $2,500 – $3,500)

Antique decorative glass was also in demand. A circa 1900 Gallé cameo glass cabinet vase featuring an alpine landscape in violet, green, and blue on a yellow ground, assigned an estimate of $600 – $800, found a buyer for $,1200. A stunning silver-plate and green glass punch service made circa 1900 by WMF (Wurttembergische Metallwarenfabrik) was purchased by a floor bidder for $1,680, within the estimate of $1,200 – $1,800.

Additional highlights include:

– A carved Longquan celadon vase, possibly dating to the Ming Dynasty and estimated to find a buyer for between $1,000 and $1,500, sold for $3,382.50

– An exquisitely modeled marble sculpture of a boy with a dog by American artist Samuel James Kitson (1848 – 1906), executed during his sojourn in Rome, brought $12,000 (estimate: $7,000 – $10,000)

– Early Morning, an oil on board composition depicting cows watering by a lake by Brooklyn, N.Y., landscape painter J. Carleton Wiggins incited competition between online and telephone buyers, the final selling price coming to $4,392.50 (estimate: $2,000 – $3,000).

For consignment inquiries contact John Moran Auctioneers directly, either via email (info@johnmoran.com) or telephone 626-793-1833.

Click here to view the fully illustrated catalog for this sale, complete with prices realized.

ADDITIONAL LOTS OF NOTE