LOS ANGELES – Andrew Jones Auctions will present its first-ever auction of Collections Curated by Designers of Distinction on Sunday, Feb. 23. The auction consists of 500 lots of select important antiques and fine art. Bid absentee or live online through LiveAuctioneers.
“We’re proud to have been chosen to offer six important collections of antique furniture, Asian works of art, decorative and fine art above all other California auction houses,” said company president Andrew Jones. “The arbiters of style that assembled these collections have put their signature on the aesthetic thread of each while reflecting the character of the individual owners.”
Turkish-born Kalef Alaton (1940-1989) is widely regarded as one of the biggest influences on the Californian residential interiors in the 1980s. His feel for antiques and ability to mix styles, colors and textures were unparalleled. He created elegant, timeless interiors, including that for Yasuko and Maury Kraines of Beverly Hills, with a focused aesthetic on fine English antiques.
Alaton’s selection of occasional tables of exotic woods, some inlaid with Italian hardstones, included a William IV goncalo alves table surmounted by a decorative inlaid hardstone top and centered by the Doves of Pliny (est. $4,000-$6,000). The dining room featured a suite of English furniture, including a pair of George III mahogany urns and pedestals by Gillows of Lancaster (est. $4,000-$6,000).
The collection also includes a number of monumental Chinese jadeite and hardstone carvings, highlighted by a spectacular pagoda censer (est. $6,000-$8,000). The Beverly Hills residence featured a Steinway art case model B grand piano (est. $15,000-$25,000); and their Rancho Mirage home a Bosendorfer model B225 black lacquer grand piano (est. $15,000-$25,000).
Craig Wright is another proponent of classic forms and has influenced West Coast interior design through his design studio, C.M. Wright, and his shop Quatrain. From his personal collection comes a wonderful mix of antique and modernist furniture, from richly upholstered seating to the clean lines of a Russian Neoclassical Karelian birch writing table expected to hit $3,000-$5,000. Wright was one of the first decorators to embrace the stately power of Russian design. Another highlight of this collection is a fantastic set of 13 Zuber wallpaper panels, Les vues du Brésil, that carries an estimate of $4,000-$6,000. The marvelous selection of versatile Khotan carpets in soft color pallets can work quite well in contemporary and traditional interiors.
The home of Pat and Jerry Epstein was decorated with polish and sophistication by James Lumsden to highlight their collection of modern and contemporary art, which features ten works by their friend, Robert Graham (1938-2008). Kim (below) is a large-scale bronze figural work by Graham from an edition of six (est. $25,000-$35,000). Pat Epstein (1924-2015) was an accomplished sculptor in alabaster, marble and mixed media. “We are fortunate to have six of her pieces, including a freeform sculpture, 1990 (est. $500-$700) in this auction,” Jones said.
The embracing interior of a Beverly Hills residence designed by Hendrix Allardyce incorporated a truly international selection of pieces that blended harmoniously to reflect the personality of the homeowner. A rare pair of North Italian Neoclassical walnut and marquetry commodes, in the manner of Giuseppe Maggiolini, circa 1800 (est. $15,000-$20,000), are refined statement pieces.
The collection also includes several early Chinese pottery works and ceramics, led by two large Tang Dynasty models of warriors (est. $4,000-$6,000). By contrast, there is Untitled, 2000, a set of three glazed stoneware wall slabs by Jun Kaneko (Japanese, b. 1942) (est. $10,000-$15,000). Also included is an impressive German Baroque gilt and black japanned Chinoiserie decorated bureau cabinet, possibly Dresden (est. $20,000-$30,000). The decoration relates to the work of Martin Schnell (1685-1740) and pieces that he had made for palaces of Augustus the Strong.
Property from the San Francisco estate of Francis A. Martin III, curated by Steven Volpe, reflects an amazing partnership between collector and decorator that produced a deeply personal and beautiful home. The pair of French gilt bronze mounted Chinese porcelain potpourri vases and covers (est. $10,000-$20,000), with mounts attributed to Alfred Beurdeley, are jewel-like. A single related example is in the Rothschild Collection at Waddesdon Manor. Equally exquisite is a Cartier silver-gilt mounted marble pendule à cercle tournant timepiece (est. $12,000-$18,000).
The Martin collection features several works of sporting and maritime art, including a dynamic painting by Antonio Jacobsen (Danish/American, 1850-1921) that captures a famous moment in yacht racing history – America’s Cup, Volunteer vs. Thistle, 1887 (est. $30,000-$50,000), which shows the moment the defender, Volunteer, overtakes the state-of-the-art Thistle to retain the cup (below). Two additional works by Jacobsen are included in the sale.
Also yachting-related is a complete set of 26 plates from Frederic Schiller Cozzens’ (American, 1846-1928) American Yachts, 1884 ($30,000-50,000). The Martin collection includes a host of English and European furniture, paintings, prints, fine silver and works of art. There are also six groups of hand-made luggage from Tanner Krolle, Pickett and Louis Vuitton (est. $500-$7,000).
Andrew Jones Auctions’ sale of Collections Curated by Designers of Distinction will be conducted on Sunday, Feb. 23, beginning at 10:30 a.m. Pacific time. For details contact Andrew Jones Auctions at 213-748-8008.
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