ATLANTA – A gilt bronze sculpture signed by Italian artist Arnaldo Pomodoro, a hand-modeled redware figure of a reclining whippet by noted Shenandoah Valley potter Solomon Bell, a dazzling GIA-certified 6.68-carat brown diamond engagement ring; and a hand-signed Marina Edition etching on paper by Pablo Picasso will come for bid at Ahlers & Ogletree’s Signature Estates Auction Jan. 14-16. Absentee and Internet live bidding will be available through LiveAuctioneers.
They’re just a few of the 1,492 lots that will be sold at the auction. Featured will be many outstanding examples of Americana, nearly 200 lots of estate jewelry and watches, mostly gathered from prominent estates and collections.
The Solomon Bell redware figure of a whippet (above) was executed around 1832 and is rare, early and important, as the Bell whippet remains one of the most iconic and highly prized forms of Shenandoah Valley, Va., pottery. The dog sits atop an oblong base with multiglaze, most likely lead, copper and manganese oxide. The 7 1/4-inch piece should hit $15,000-$30,000.
The Pomodoro sculpture is gilt bronze on a wood plinth base, titled Lettera Solare (1977), and depicts interwoven planes of mechanical spokes orbiting a circular disk, suggesting captured light rays. The bas-relief panel sculpture is 19 inches tall and has an estimate of $18,000- $24,000. Pomodoro’s work is on view at the Vatican Museum and at the United Nations building.
The GIA-certified modern diamond engagement ring, with a $40,000-$60,000 estimate, boasts a 6.68-carat natural fancy light brown round brilliant cut center diamond with VS2 clarity and a strong blue fluorescence, flanked by six prong-set tapered baguette cut diamonds weighing 1.5 carats, mounted on three joined bands – a platinum center and two 14K white gold outer bands.
Pablo Picasso (Spanish, 1881-1973) is represented in the sale with a circa-1959 etching on paper with decked edges titled Man on Horseback. It’s expected to realize $8,000-$12,000. The figural Spanish Cubist print depicts an abstract scene with a man on horseback, with an inscription to the upper right. The etching is graphite and signed by Picasso.
The sale’s expected top lot is a stunning oil on canvas painting by the renowned Hudson River School artist Worthington Whittredge (American, 1820-1910), titled Campers in the Blue Ridge Mountains, artist-signed lower right. The painting depicts a stony stream surrounded by dense forest, with a group of figures in the background shown building a small fire in a bright stream-side clearing. The classic Hudson River School painting captures the essence of American Transcendentalism. Measuring 23 inches by 34 inches, it is expected to bring $40,000-$60,000.
To learn more contact Ahlers & Ogletree at 404-869-2478 or info@aandoauctions.com.
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