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Guernsey’s to sell contents of magnificent mansion Nov. 17-18

Tom Hoepf
Tom Hoepf
magnificent mansion
Bohemian cut crystal chandelier with Moser-like hurricane shades and cut glass prisms and swags, 60 inches wide x 75 inches high. Estimate: $60,000-$80,000. Guernsey’s image

NEW YORK – Guernsey’s will conduct a monumental unreserved auction of the contents of Asherwood, one of America’s most prominent homes, on Nov. 17 and 18, in Carmel, Indiana. Absentee and Internet live bidding is available through LiveAuctioneers.

 The unreserved auction will be the first time the public will have access to the fabled estate that will benefit the Great American Songbook Foundation.

magnificent mansion
An interior view of the Asherwood mansion. Guernsey’s image

The auction promises hundreds of ornate examples of antique and bespoke 20th-century furniture, furnishings and decor, substantial works of art, Oriental rugs and countless smaller objects, virtually all in pristine condition.

magnificent mansion
Pair of decorator French armchairs having carved giltwood frames and upholstered leather seats and backs. Estimate: $6,000-$8,000. Guernsey’s image

In addition to these approximately 1,000 lots being sold, a separate section of the event will be devoted to selling a substantial portion of Asherwood’s vast library of antique books.

magnificent mansion
Nineteenth-century Napoleon III partners desk, ebonized pear wood, copper inlay and dore bronze mounts, tan leather writing surface, circa 1850, 79 inches wide x 44 inches deep x 31 inches high. Estimate: $12,000-$16,000. Guernsey’s Auctions image

Situated on more than a 100 acres, the 50,000-square-foot mansion, massive second home and private golf clubhouse were donated to the Great American Songbook Foundation by Bren Simon, wife of the late commercial real estate developer Melvin Simon.

magnificent mansion
Oil painting, Venetian scene, with gondolas, boats and a basilica in the background. Signed lower right J. Bouvard, 19 inches x 25½ inches. Estimate: $10,000-$15,000. Guernsey’s Auctions image

Small decorative art objects include a silver eagle handmade in Italy using 17th-century techniques of craftsmanship. The 15½-inch-tall figure remarkably realistic feathering and a gold vermeil beak. It is marked Scully & Scully New York at the underside of the tailfeathers.

magnificent mansion
Sterling silver eagle, 15½ inches x 12 inches. Estimate: $6,000-$8,000. Guernsey’s Auctions image

The Great American Songbook Foundation, founded by accomplished vocalist, pianist and music preservationist Michael Feinstein, will directly benefit from the auction.

magnificent mansion
Italian pietra dura table, Neo-Classical Egyptian revival, marble and gilt bronze decorated with sphinx figures, circa 1920, 45 inches in diameter. Estimate: $15,000-$20,000. Guernsey’s Auctions image

Dedicated to preserving America’s rich musical legacy, the foundation’s efforts focus on the work of such noted composers as George and Ira Gershwin, Irving Berlin, Cole Porter, Rodgers and Hammerstein, and Lerner and Loewe.

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magnificent mansion