THOMASTON, Maine – Thomaston Place Auction Galleries will present an extraordinary array of fine art and historical treasures at its Spring Feature Auction on May 31 and June 1, featuring important Native American beaded buckskin artifacts, many notable paintings and sculptures, a collection of items from Brooke Astor’s Maine estate, plus estate jewelry, early silver, rare documents, clocks and antique furniture.

LiveAuctioneers.com will facilitate Internet live bidding.

“This sale will include many rare and historically significant pieces that could be great additions to private and museum collections. We will also be presenting a great selection of fine decorative items, plus a boat – just in time for summer,” said owner and auctioneer Kaja Veilleux.

Featured among the museum quality examples of Native American craftsmanship will be an 1850-1880 Northern Plains Indian Hidatsa buckskin shirt from the Dakotas with quill and seed bead decoration, fringe, and buffalo hair tassels (est. $20,000-30,000). A pair of circa 1880 Northern Plains Indians Lakota Sioux buckskin leggings with seed bead geometric decoration and fringe (est. $5,000-7,000), a circa 1890 Lakota Sioux deerskin beaded pipe bag (est. $2,000-3,000), a circa 1880 Lakota Sioux Oglala hickory bow with 15 arrows (est. $1,500-2,000), and two circa 1880 Lakota Sioux beaded buckskin pouches (est. $1,500-2,000) will also be presented. The sale will also offer excellent examples of Native American carved items, pottery, basketry, jewelry and textiles.

Leading the art category will be an oil on canvas painting by Jack Lorimer Gray (New York/Canada, 1927-1981) depicting a trawler in heavy seas (est. $15,000-25,000). A fine impressionistic work by Western painter James Taylor Harwood (Utah/California, 1860-1940) titled Where the Blackbirds Nest, depicting the Wasatch Range near Salt Lake City, (est. $18,000-23,000) will also be sold. The sale will present an oil on canvas tonalist work by Bruce Crane (Connecticut/New York, 1857-1937) of Main Street, Old Lyme, Conn. (est. $10,000-15,000); two paintings by Stephen Etnier (Maine/California, 1903-1984), Small Park, Mazatlan (est. $8,000-12,000), and Wind Sock (est. $3,000-5,000); and Grande Vallee a 1952 oil on canvas work by Marguerite Zorach (New York/Maine/California, 1887-1968) (est. $10,000-15,000).

Five lots containing important Native American related photogravures by Edward Sheriff Curtis (Washington/California/Wisconsin, 1868-1952) will also be offered.

Among the outstanding group of European art will be a beautifully executed white marble sculpture by Pasquale Romanelli (Italy, 1812-1887) depicting the goddess Aphrodite with dove and snake (est. $10,000-15,000), a watercolor work titled Al Dottore Mario Giroldini by Gino Severini (France/Italy, 1883-1966) (est. $10,000-15,000), and an oil on canvas landscape painting by Charles Francois Daubigny (France, 1817-1878) titled On the Marne (est. $10,000-15,000). There will also be three monumental 18th century Italian capriccio paintings depicting pastoral waterside scenes (est. $8,000-12,000 each). A bronze by Canadian sculptor Marc Aurele de Foy Suzor-Cote (1869-1937) depicting a rugged frontiersman titled Le Portageur (est. $10,000-12,000) will also be offered.

Among the many pieces of fine American and Continental furniture will be a George III diminutive walnut, serpentine front bachelor’s chest with ball feet (est. $4,000-6,000), Hepplewhite Period huntboard form butler’s desk (est. $4,000-5,000), a Russian painted three-drawer chest dated 1851 (est. $1,800-2,400), and a Port Clyde, Maine, 19th century pine workbench with original gray paint and breadboard ends (est. $1,500-2,000).

The sale will present 39 lots of items from the Maine cottage of the late philanthropist, socialite and writer Brooke Astor, such as several autograph collections (including those of British royalty, Jacqueline Kennedy and celebrities from the worlds of politics and entertainment), rare books and maps, and fine paintings and sculptures.

The estate jewelry collection will include a an 18K white gold necklace featuring four pear-shape emeralds suspended from diamond set ribbon forms (est. $20,000-25,000), a strand of 37 South Sea pearls with 18K gold and diamond clasp (est. $8,000-12,000); and a platinum and three-stone diamond ring by Tiffany & Co. with all original documents (est. $6,500-7,500).

Another highlight of the sale will be the fine group of silver and gold objects, including a pair of 14K yellow gold candlesticks with gilt silver reticulated candle-shades by Gorham (est. $7,000-10,000); an Empire pattern sterling two-handled sterling tray by Buccellati (est. $5,000-7,000); and an 18th century Boston coin silver porringer by David Colson Moseley, apprentice and brother-in-law to Paul Revere (est. $5,000-7,000).

From the selection of firearms and historic items will be: an early Pennsylvania flintlock long rifle (est. $6,000-8,000); a Confederate officer’s presentation sword by Schuyler, Hartley & Graham (est. $6,000-8,000); an extensive collection of Edwardian period letters, clips and autographs of the British elite that belonged to Sir Alfred D. Fripp (est. $4,000-6,000); a group of early American letters, including 10 original copies of letters to George Washington from Bataille Muse, Washington’s land manager, (est. $4,000-6,000); and a group of Ulysses S. Grant and Mississippi steamboat memorabilia (est. $3,000-4,000).

Finally, the auction will offer a 2006 15-foot-long Boston Whaler 150 Sport speedboat with Karavan trailor ($15,000-18,000).

The auction will begin at 11 a.m. Eastern on both sale days.

The buyer’s premium is 15%. Call 1-207-354-8141 for more information.

View the fully illustrated catalog and register to bid absentee or live via the Internet as the sale is taking place by logging on to www.LiveAuctioneers.com.

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ADDITIONAL LOTS OF NOTE

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