John McInnis to auction Boston North Shore mansion, contents, July 1-2

 

WENHAM, Mass. – The 30-room Georgian mansion known as Seven Pines, located on Boston’s North Shore, plus its entire contents of European antiques and other fine items, will be sold without reserve on Friday, July 1, and Saturday, July 2, by John McInnis Auctioneers. The auction will be held on-site, at 97 Larch Row in Wenham.

Absentee and Internet live bidding will be available through LiveAuctioneers.com.

Seven Pines is a 12,000-square-foot Georgian Colonial brick manor home that was designed by Joseph D. Leland and built in 1927 on 30 picturesque acres on Larch Row, a prized location in Wenham, Mass. The home has been lovingly maintained, updated and expanded over the years, and enjoys close proximity to the village center, rail lines and aviation, parks, golf courses and equestrian trails.

The contents are being called The Henry D. Audesse Collection, referring to Seven Pines’ most recent occupant. Offerings will include 19th century French furniture, porcelains, bronzes, fine decorative objects, clocks, paintings and other works of art, mosaics and lighting. Start times for both auction days will be noon Eastern time. The home will be sold at 3 p.m. July 1.

Session I, on Friday, July 1, will feature over 400 lots of high-end decorative items, to include Bell Epoque, 19th century decorative furniture, porcelains, bronzes, paintings, lighting and more.

Two items in Session I should be strong candidates for top lot of the auction. One is a pair of 19th century Sevres vases (below), 35 inches in height, ormolu mounted cobalt ground porcelain with two handles on each side and mythological reserves. The vases are both signed “Dapoigny / Sevres” and both come in their original mahogany cases. The lot is expected to fetch $15,000-$25,000.

 

 

The other is a French 19th century Louis XVI-style pedestal clock with gilt bronze and porcelain face signed “Leroy A Paris” (below).  The ormolu mounted inlaid kingwood and mahogany clock stands 88 inches tall and features a bell striking movement and a drum case mounted with putti with garlands of flowers amid billowing clouds. It should realize $12,000-$18,000.

 

 

One of the more intriguing and historically significant lots will be a porcelain monogrammed gilt banded dinner service, made in France by Vierzon (Hache Julien & Cie). The lot’s provenance sheet reads: “Set of Limoges porcelain ordered and given by Napoleon III to Michael Smythson upon his return as ambassador to France from England in 1886.” The set (below) should bring $1,200-$1,800.

 

 

Other star lots from Session I will include a fine, circa-1870 French Egyptian Revival ormolu mounted rouge marble urn on a gilt and silvered bronze quatrapied stand (below), with mythological creatures, 27 1/2 inches tall (est. $5,000-$9,000); and a circa-1900 French Louis XV-style bombe cabinet with parquetry and green marble top and mounted figures of putti (est. $3,000-$6,000).

 

 

Session II, the following day, will be packed with over 500 lots of 19th and 20th century decorative antiques, porcelains, accessories, paintings, many maritime objects and nautical antiques, scrimshaw and more.

An expected top performer in the session should be a three-volume set of books titled Audubon’s Quadrupeds of America, bound in full green leather with embossed gold decoration and lettering, and gilt edges by the renowned bird scholar John James Audubon and the Rev. John Bachman (New York), published by V.G. Audubon between 1849-1852. The set (below) is expected to sell for $3,000-$6,000.

 

 

Other notable lots from Session II include a Japanese bronze statue of a peasant man sitting next to a tree eating his lunch, signed, from the Edo Period, 32 inches tall, in very good condition with a nice patina (est. $2,000-$4,000); and a 19th century French Empire gilt bronze figural clock, in two-color bronze with a beautiful gilt surface and with a figure of Mercury (est. $1,200-$1,800).

 

 

Also going up for bids will be a circa-1910 French Art Nouveau bronze statue of a female figure, unsigned but titled Alerta, 27 inches tall and expected to hammer for $400-$600; and a fine model of an American cargo steamship (below) in very good condition, 62 inches long, estimated at $2,000-$3,000.

 

 

The real estate will be shown by appointment only. The high bid will be subject to confirmation by the trustee to the estate of Henry D. Audesse. All Internet bidders for the real estate must be prequalified by John McInnis Auctioneers. Interested parties are encouraged to view the listing in the real estate section of LiveAuctioneers.com and review all the terms and conditions there.

For further details contact John McInnis Auctioneers at 978-388-0400 or send an email mcinnisauctions@yahoo.com.

To view a video showing the house and contents of the sale, click here: https://youtu.be/raQoWs_Hnuo

 

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.