Agathon Léonard was the pseudonym of Van Weydveldt. The artist gained fame in 1900 with the debut of his Jeu l’echarpe, originally created for Sevres in fine porcelain as a centerpiece and based on the fluid movements of Loïe Fuller in her famous scarf dances. The porcelain sets sold out, and Léonard created the figures in bronze in varying sizes. The two sold are 21 3/4 inches tall and epitomize the Art Nouveau movement.
The bronzes were the top lots in a sale that saw nearly 750 lots change hands. Approximately 250 people packed the building, while over 700 bidders registered online, through LiveAuctioneers.com prior to the sale. Also, absentee and phone bids numbered 1,300.
“This was a great sale to wrap up the first year in our new showroom,” Leland Little commented. “We look forward to continued success next year.”
All prices quoted include a 15 percent buyer’s premium.
The next top lot after the Leonard bronzes was a rare Edgefield District “Dave the Slave” 5-gallon ovoid form jug, with applied ear handles and an even medium brown alkaline glaze. The inscribed and dated (1857) piece sold for $26,450. Also, a Jugtown (North Carolina) Chinese blue Tang vase, Oriental translation form, with applied extruded handles and wine glaze fetched $1,495.
Fine art commanded strong prices. A still life on canvas by Paul Lacroix (New Jersey/New York, 1827-1869), housed in the likely original gilt wood frame and signed lower left, brought $21,850. An oil on canvas by Aldro T. Hibbard (Massachusetts/Vermont, 1886-1972), titled Snow Scene in Moonlight, signed and framed, sold for $17,250. A bronze creation by Anna Hyatt Huntington (1876-1973), titled Bear, realized $4,600.
American period furniture was well received. An early 19th-century Southern chest on frame from Rowan County, N.C., walnut with yellow pine secondary, rose to $17,250. A Southern Chippendale step-back cupboard, western North Carolina, circa 1800-1820, one-piece form, climbed to $13,800. A fine Southern Hepplewhite mahogany inlaid cellaret, probably Virginia, circa 1800, topped out at $6,900.
Also, a mid-19th century Southern Sheraton server, Guilford County, N.C., cherry with poplar secondary, earned $2,760, about double the high estimate. Tops among Continental furniture pieces were a Louis XV-style Belle Epoque French escritoire, mahogany with ormolu mounts, $8,338; and a pair of Bagues-style wall sconces of molded glass and gilt metal, each with a bird on an urn, $2,070.
In the folk art category, a large late-19th-century carved American eagle, made in New England of white pine with a dark red-brown tone, breezed to $14,950. An untitled mixed media on paper work of angels and winged animals by Minnie Evans, North Carolina, 1892-1987, circa 1970s, garnered $5,520. A 19th-century Virginia leather key basket, oblong form, hand-stitched of brown tinted leather, made $4,830.
Asian pieces wowed the crowd. A 19th-century six-panel coromandel dressing screen, with each panel relief carved at the top and bottom, 73 inches by 90 inches, achieved $14,375. A matched pair of 19th- century antique carved wooden doors with a landscape scene on one side and a carved dragon on the other went for $12,650. An unsigned Sino-Tibetan style painting depicting Buddha hit $6,612.
A pair of late 18th- or early 19th-century Chinese porcelain vases, baluster form and hand-painted in polychrome overglaze enamels, coasted to $3,910. An ancient Chinese bronze sword with provenance, circa 700-400 B.C., in a silk-lined presentation box, sold for $2,990. An 18th-century Chinese Huanghuali document box with dovetail joints and later Chinese hardware commanded $2,760.
In art glass and lighting, a Tiffany Studios bronze and Favrile lamp in a four-arm electrified candelabra form, with five glass shades, all signed, and attractive patina attained $14,375; a signed Tiffany Favrile decanter and six cordials of gold iridescent glass, all etched “L.C.T.,” $2,990; and a late-19th- or early 20th-century Peking glass bottle vase, red cut to frosted, realized $2,300.
Among porcelains, a late-19th-century Meissen nodder with underglaze blue crossed swords mark to the bottom and depicting a male figure seated cross-legged sold for $4,370, a Meissen figural of an elephant and blackamoor, finely molded and painted, hit $3,220; a late-19th-century Viennese enameled jewelry casket made $1,955, and an early 20th-century Pickard signed jardinière topped out at $1,610.
A 19th-century French gilt brass cartel clock with two sconces, time and strike, brass movement and porcelain dial chimes on time, sold for $1,840. A French gilt bronze mantel clock in the form of a black enameled globe clock with Roman numeral markers brought $1,610. Also, an early 20th-century authentic stock exchange ticker machine in original condition fetched $9,200.
Musical instruments were crowd-pleasers. A beautiful Gibson Master Model F-5 mandolin by Derrington, 2001, serial #V70314, signed by Derringer and with a spirit varnish finish over a bound spruce top, $9,890. A Gretsch electric guitar, circa 1960s-’70s, serial #50848, brought $1,725. A 1976 Les Paul custom Gibson guitar with gold-plated hardware reached $2,415.
A circa 1955 14kt white gold diamond brooch in floral spray design changed hands for $3,910; a 14kt marquise diamond ring with one 1.29-carat diamond and 24 round brilliant cut diamonds, $3,200; and a David Yurman sterling silver and diamond bracelet with twisted and braided links, $2,760.
Gold coins sailed past their high estimates, probably a reflection of market conditions. A 1926 $2.50 Indian gold quarter eagle coin graded NGC MS65 rolled to $2,760; a 1928 $20 Saint-Gaudens gold double eagle coin with minimal marks and graded NGC MS 65, $2,530; and an 1879 Indian Princess $3 gold coin, one of only 3,030 struck, graded NGC AU58, $2,300.
Rounding out the top lots, an important Southern coin silver cup by Leinbach, a footed cup with applied handle and beaded border to the foot and mouth, sold for $4,830; an early 19th-century Mexican Soldado de Cuera shield with bull-hide construction and decorated with an Aztec eagle soared to $4,140; and a Northampton County, Pa., needlework sampler by Susanna Lerch, Oct. 7, 1832, rose to $2,530.
To learn more about Leland Little Auction & Estate Sales Ltd. and their calendar of upcoming auctions, please log on to www.LLAuctions.com.
ADDITIONAL LOTS OF NOTE
