PITTSFIELD, Mass. – A fine American mahogany Moorish-style corner étagère attributed to Tiffany (Associated Artists), in excellent condition and with the original finish, just over 6 feet tall, is an expected star lot in Fontaine’s Auction Gallery’s upcoming Exceptional Estates Auction on Saturday, June 17. Absentee and Internet live bidding is available through LiveAuctioneers.
The auction, which begins at 11 a.m. Eastern time, will be a two-session, 325-lot affair, headlined by the contents of a fine Connecticut estate, with selected additions.
Items will include 19th and 20th century lighting by renowned makers such as Tiffany Studios, Handel, Pairpoint and Duffner & Kimberly; fine clocks and watches, music boxes; animated bird boxes; exceptional furniture; paintings; bronze and marble statuary; art glass; jewelry; fine silver; porcelains; Flow Blue; sterling and gold; rare books; and related accessories.
An étagère is a French-inspired piece of furniture, typically with two or three tiers, often having a pierced brass gallery and a number of open shelves for displaying objects. The étagère up for bid is both important and beautiful, with double bow front upper doors and two shelves below having finely turned supports, plus beveled mirror panels in the mid-section (est. $5,000-$7,500).
Oil paintings will be led by an oval rendering of three white Persian kittens by Carl Kahler (top; Austrian/American, 1855-1906), housed in a gold gilt frame, measuring 30½ inches by 34½ inches (est. $8,000-$12,000); and a busy street scene of a woman and her children seated in a shop’s booth by Henry Bacon (American/French, 1839-1912), titled The Lost Money (est. $4,000-$6,000).
Clocks are the backbone of Fontaine’s business, and this sale has some marvelous examples, to include a glass dial French mystery clock attributed to Robert Houdin (below) with silk thread movement signed “Thelwell a Paris” (est. $12,000-$15,000). Also from France comes a marble and bronze annular calendar clock with spring movement signed “Grandperrin a Paris” (est. $4,000-$6,000).
Domestic clocks will feature a Gilbert (Conn.) No. 12 hanging pinwheel regulator, 91½ inches tall, in a carved walnut wall hanging case with exceptional original finish and in nice overall condition (est. $5,000-$7,500); and a Foster Campos (Mass.) girandole banjo clock with typical fancy pierced hands and dial and movement signed “Foster S. Campos” (est. $2,500-$3,500).
On to vintage lamps – another of Fontaine’s staples. Two lots expected to light up the room, both from Tiffany Studios, are an Aladdin linenfold floor lamp with a bronze 12-sided shade having amber Favrile “fabrique” linenfold panels and pierced top (est. $8,000-$12,000); and a desk lamp with a dazzling, rich blue iridescent Favrile glass blown scarab-form shade (est. $7,000-$9,000).
From the furniture category will come a rare and early Gustav Stickley No. 403 chalet table in excellent condition, with the original black finish and a 24½ inch diagonal top (est. $7,500-$12,500); and a monumental carved oak dining table with a quartersawn oak top measuring 66 inches wide by 78 inches deep, in fine condition, with 15 original leaves (est. $3,500-$5,000).
For details contact Fontaine’s Auction Gallery at 413-448-8922 or email info@fontainesauction.com.
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