The top lot of the auction was this beautiful Moorish bronze jeweled fire screen attributed to Tiffany Studios. Price realized: $60,000. S & S Auction Inc. image.
LiveAuctioneers.com provided Internet live bidding.
The May 18 session consisted of 430 lots of antiques, artwork and decorative accessories. May 19 featured 460 lots of 19th and 20th century modern and design pieces. The Tiffany fire screen sold on May 18, to a Baltimore collector, who was perhaps impressed with the lot’s provenance. It was descended from a Baltimore family with ties to Hecht’s, the Baltimore department store.
Overall, the auction grossed a little more than $800,000, which pleased Glenn Sweeney of S & S Auction Inc. “We expected the Saturday session to do well because of the quality that had been consigned,” he said. “Sunday was a nice surprise and showed me that better examples of antique furniture are still in demand. We had a wide variety of pieces, in many of the styles and periods.”
About 400 people attended the event live over the course of the two days – no small feat in this Internet age. About 2,500 uncataloged lots also came up for bid.
Following are additional highlights from the May 18 session. All prices quoted include a 20 percent buyer’s premium.
A pair of lots posted identical selling prices of $15,600. The first was a monumental pair of 19th century gilt French mirrors, fashioned from carved wood and gesso and standing 97 inches tall by 53 inches wide. The second was an 18th century Dutch burl walnut tall case clock marked Gerrit Knip & Zoon of Amsterdam and in very good condition, impressive at 102 inches tall.
A Jansen French commode, ebonized with bronze boulle and gilt bronze mounts, in very good condition and an example of the finest quality, rose to $8,400; while an unsigned and unframed but visually arresting oil on board painting of a woman seated at a piano with a child, titled The Piano Lesson, 16 1/2 inches tall by 12 inches wide, went for $8,100.
A patinated and gilt bronze French figural clock, signed “A. Calmels” by the French sculptor Celestin Anatole Calmels (1822-1906), went for $6,900, and a gorgeous French gilt wood panel featuring a 12-inch Sevres porcelain plaque with a hand-painted portrait of the Duchess of Devonshire, signed “Ullman,” with 12 surrounding 3-inch Sevres porcelains, made $4,800.
Following are additional highlights from the May 19 session. All prices quoted include a 20 percent buyer’s premium.
A Danish rosewood tambour door sideboard, 31 3/4 inches tall by 78 3/4 inches wide and in good condition, commanded $4,500 despite the fact that it was missing two interior drawers. A modern queen-size Lucite canopy bed, crystal clear and in good shape save for some crazing in the Lucite, measuring 84 inches tall by 85 inches wide, topped out at $2,400.
An oval Arne Vodder Danish rosewood dining table, missing some mounting screws for the legs but still in overall very good condition, 28 1/2 inches tall by 78 inches wide, and having a pair of 19 1/2-inch-wide boards, made $2,760. A Johannes Andersen Smile teakwood coffee table, showing some wear to the finish on top but in otherwise good condition, rose to $2,160.
A set of six Hans Wegner teakwood sawbuck chairs exhibiting some light wear to the finish but in overall good shape went for $3,000. A pair of Eames for Herman Miller black leather aluminum chairs, in very good condition, hammered for $2,280. A two-piece Borg Mogensen leather parlor set, in only fair condition, with wear to the leather and finish, still made $2,400.
S&S Auction, Inc., is always accepting quality consignments for future auctions. To consign an item, an estate or a collection, call them at 856-467-3778, or e-mail them at info@ssauction.com.
Click here to view the fully illustrated catalog for this sale, complete with prices realized.
ADDITIONAL LOTS OF NOTE
The top lot of the auction was this beautiful Moorish bronze jeweled fire screen attributed to Tiffany Studios. Price realized: $60,000. S & S Auction Inc. image. Monumental pair of 19th century gilt French mirrors made from carved wood and gesso, 97 inches tall. Price realized: $15,600. S & S Auction Inc. image. Eighteenth century Dutch burl walnut tall case clock, marked Gerrit Knip & Zoon of Amsterdam, 102 inches tall. Price realized: $15,600. S & S Auction Inc. image. Unsigned and unframed 19th century oil on board painting, titled ‘The Piano Lesson.’ Price realized: $8,100. S & S Auction Inc. image. Set of six Hans Wegner teakwood sawbuck chairs in good condition, showing only light wear to the finish. Price realized: $3,000. S & S Auction Inc. image. Arne Vodder Danish rosewood oval dining table, missing a few mounting screws but still in good shape. Price realized: $2,760. S & S Auction Inc. image. Two-piece Borg Mogensen leather parlor set in fair condition, with wear to the leather and finish. Price realized: $2,400. S & S Auction Inc. image. Danish rosewood sideboard, 31 3/4 inches tall by 78 3/4 inches wide. Price realized: $4,500. S & S Auction Inc. image.
