16th-century Vargueno chest a star lot in Cowan’s July 31 auction
16th-century Spanish Vargueno chest, est. $5,000-$7,000. Image courtesy of Cowan’s Auctions.
CINCINNATI – Cowan’s European and Asian Fine and Decorative Art Auction, to be held July 31, 2010 at Cowan’s Cincinnati salesroom, will feature Continental furniture, paintings, pottery and porcelain; and Orientalia. Included in the sale is property from the Eiteljorg Museum of American Indians and Western Art, with proceeds to benefit the museum’s acquisitions fund and the Dayton Art Institute; plus property from the estates of Margaret Gruen Longacre and Catherine Wiebold and maps from the collection of Dr. Fred E. Schwab. Internet live bidding will be provided by LiveAuctioneers.com.
Leading the sale a portrait of a woman by Frederick Soulacroix titled Resting with Fan. The captivating painting (est. $25,000-35,000) is typical of Soulacroix’s style and is a realistic depiction of a woman posing in a space featuring luxuriant fabrics, furniture and fine accents that suggest a wealthy home. Soulacroix spent most of his life in Italy, where he studied at the Academia de Bella Arte and the Scuola di Pittura.
Another important painting is a townscape by Francesco Bergamini. It portrays a wedding party parading through the town, led by the bride and groom, in line with old Italian tradition. The painting is estimated at $10,000-$15,000.
Continental furniture has a strong presence in the sale, including several great Spanish items. A Vargueno Chest, decorated with elaborate iron hardware over red velvet, is estimated at $5,000/$7,000. A Spanish stretcher-base table (est. $3,000-$4,000) features a single-board top above four tapered legs with mortise-and-tenon stretcher base, two dovetailed drawers with facings of carved rosettes, hand-wrought pulls, and frame-and-panel ends.
A Baccarat crystal chandelier is another highlight of the auction. With a silver metal frame enclosed in a glass stem, the device has 18 alternating glass candle arms with lights, each with a crystal bobeche and hanging cut-back crystal prisms. It is estimated at $4,000-$6,000.
Also of interest is a six-arm German porcelain chandelier with a baluster-form center and extending scrolled flower encrusted arms, cylindrical candle lights and hanging lanterns of encrusted flowers. Probably Dresden, the candle tubes, which may be later, are marked with the underglaze double-sword Meissen mark. The chandelier is estimated at $2,000-$3,000.
Leading the Orientalia portion of the sale is a pair of Oriental figures that are signed on the base KAFFSACK. The two well-executed polychrome earthenware figures are of a Geisha with a pug and fan and a Samurai with swords in hand. Joseph Kaffsack’s most notable works are public monuments to two emperors, William I and Frederich III, both at Giebichenstein, Germany. The other, six allegorical figures, grace the Leipzig Post Office. His works were commissioned primarily for both public and private buildings, and these figures were supposedly made for the Japanese Pavilion at the Paris Exposition in either 1878 or 1889.
A beautiful handmade platinum and natural fine quality aquamarine ring weighing 36.59 carats stands out in the sale. The medium dark blue ring is estimated at $6,000-$8,000. Additionally, there are several beautiful Victorian pieces, including a pair of bracelets and a vintage cameo brooch.
A late 19th-century French Aubusson tapestry woven carpet with cotton underlining is one of several great rugs in the sale. The carpet is estimated at $5,000-$7,000.
Cowan’s will offer an extensive collection of maps from the property of Dr. Fred E. Schwab, including Novissima Totius Terrarum Orbis Tabula, a double-hemisphere map (est. $6,000-$8,000) of the world as the 17th-century Dutch knew. Another interesting collection is titled Kohler, Johann David and includes 44 hand-colored maps plus illustrated title page and index. Johann David Kohler was a German historian whose primary interests were coins as historical artifacts. Many pages have decorative cartouches and artistically stacked historic coins of the region depicted. The lot is estimated at $1,000-$2,000.
For additional information on any lot in this auction, call Cowan’s at 513-871-1670 or e-mail info@cowans.com.
View the fully illustrated catalog and sign up to bid absentee or live via the Internet at www.LiveAuctioneers.com.
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ADDITIONAL LOTS OF NOTE
Portrait of Woman by Frederick Soulacroix, Oil on Canvas, est.- $25,000-$35,000. Image courtesy of Cowan’s Auctions.
Townscape by Francesco Bergamini, oil on canvas, est. $10,000-$15,000. Image courtesy of Cowan’s Auctions.
Judith, sculpture by Emile Coriolan Hippolyte Guillemin, est. $6,000-$8,000. Image courtesy of Cowan’s Auctions.
Baccarat crystal chandelier, est. $4,000-$6,000. Image courtesy of Cowan’s Auctions.
Portrait by Vu Cao Dam (Vietnamese), oil on canvas, est. $6,000-$8,000. Image courtesy of Cowan’s Auctions.
Pair of Meissen porcelain urns, est. $3,000-$5,000. Image courtesy of Cowan’s Auctions.
Amphora Stellmacher Teplitz frog vase, est. $2,500-$3,500. Image courtesy of Cowan’s Auctions.
