Gorham Maintenon sterling tea and silver service. Estimate: $10,000-$12,000. Image courtesy of Leland Little Auction & Estate Sales Ltd.
Floor, absentee, telephone, and live online bidding through LiveAuctioneers.com will be available both days.
“This sale promises to maintain the momentum that has been generated at our previous two catalog auctions,” said Leland Little. The company’s final catalog sale of the year will feature the personal collection of Joseph D. Rowand, founder of Somerhill Gallery, Chapel Hill, N.C., the firm’s largest collection of rare and fine wine to date, and a quality collection of fine and decorative arts.
This event will be held at Little’s newly expanded state-of-the-art auction gallery in Hillsborough.
“We are pleased to announce the completion and use of our 5,500-square-foot extension which offers an additional 2,000 square feet of gallery display combined with the largest walk-in wine cooler in the Southeast,” said Little.
The two-day event will begin on Friday, Dec. 2, with an hors d’oeuvre and wine reception for floor bidders. The Rare and Fine Wine Auction will begin promptly at 5:30 p.m. Particular lots of note include nine bottles of vintage 1982 Chateau Lafite Rothschild (est. $21,000-$26,000), 12 bottles of vintage 1986 Chateau Lafite Rothschild (est. $27,500-$32,000), and two bottles of vintage 1985 Montrachet (est. $4,500-$6,500). These lots have all been removed from the wine cellar of an avid collector.
Following that evening at 7 o’clock, LLAES Ltd. will offer the Rowand estate collection of 164 lots, all to be sold to highest bidders. There are no presale estimates for this session. Lots of interest include the catalog cover lot, an oil on canvas by Maud Gatewood titled Green Shade, which is one of 12 works offered by the North Carolina artist who died in 2904.
Other lots of note include an oil on canvas by Claude Howell (North Carolina, 1915-1977) titled Boy with Watermelon, a ceramic sculpture titled Two Figures by Mark Chatterley, a Saarinan “Tulip” Table with pair of chairs, and an oil on canvas by John Beerman (North Carolina) titled Seven Lombardi Poplars.
On Saturday, Dec. 3, at 9 a.m., over 700 lots of fine and decorative arts will be offered. This session features multi-estate national and international level collections, beginning with 106 fresh-to-the-market Asian art offerings. Lots to watch include a pair of Chinese Famille Rose lidded bowls with a mark for Qianlong (est. $800-$1,200), a Chinese blue and white porcelain pear-form vase with a six-character mark for Tongzhi reign (est. $800-$1,200), and a Chinese carved rose quartz elephant (est. $2,000-$4,000).
American Art offerings will be a highlight of the sale. An acrylic on canvas by Rafael Cauduro, who is considered to be among the finest muralists and artists currently living and working in Mexico, titled My Grandfather (est. $6,000-$9,000) will generate excitement. Other strong lots include an oil on canvas by Anthony Thieme (Massachusetts, 1888-1954), titled Pigeon Cove (est. $6,000-$8,000), a mixed media on board signed and dated “Dale Nichols 1947,” titled Red Barn in Snow (est. $2,000-$4,000), a drypoint on heavy wove paper by Wassily Kandinsky (1866-1944) signed and titled Kleine Welten XII (est. $8,000-$12,000), and a still life oil on canvas by Thomas Wightman, Charleston, S.C., (est. $3,000-$5,000).
American Furniture will be led by a New York Renaissance Revival bedroom suite, circa 1870s with elaborate relief carving as well as incised and pierced details (est. $10,000-$20,000), a Philadelphia tall post tester bed, circa 1820-30 (est. $8,000-$12,000), and a Pennsylvania paint-decorated dower chest, 18th century (est. $4,000-$8,000). Other fine lots include an American Classical breakfront, second quarter 19th century (est. $4,000-$8,000) and a New York Federal drop-leaf parlor table, circa 1810-1830 (est. $3,000-$5,000). A Continental offering of note is a pair of regency inlaid card tables, circa 1810 (est. $3,000-$5,000).
Fine jewelry offerings include 71 extremely strong lots that are sure to generate animated bidding. An impressive 9.90-carat platinum and diamond ring centering on one emerald-cut diamond (est. $80,000-$100,000) will certainly be one lot to watch. Other one-of-a-kind pieces include a diamond line bracelet composed of 33 round brilliant-cut diamonds (est. $10,000-$20,000), an art deco platinum and diamond bracelet (est. $2,500-$5,500), an 18K diamond, sapphire, turquoise toucan brooch (est. $1,500-$2,500), an 18K gold and diamond Cartier brooch (est. $1,000-$3,000), and an 18K diamond en tremblant brooch by Hammerman Bros. (est. $1,000-$2,000).
Fine silver offerings, both American and Continental, will excite and satisfy silver buyers. American offerings will be led by a Gorham Maintenon sterling tea amd coffee service (est. $10,000-$12,000) and Hector Aguilar Aztec silver and rosewood flatware, circa 1940-1950 (est. $6,000-$9,000). Continental silver lots of note include a Georg Jensen Pyramid sterling flatware service for eight (est. $5,000-$7,000), a pair of Georgian silver salvers bearing the date letter for 1798 (est. $1,000-$3,000), and a Russian silver vodka bucket, circa 1908 (est. $800-$1,200).
Rounding out the sale will be 10 lots of fine musical instruments from an North Carolina private collection, led by a 1958 Gibson Les Paul Jr. electric guitar, three-quarter size (est. $3,000-$5,000), 16 lots of sculpture in various mediums, led by a cold painted gilt bronze by Pierre Le Faguays (est. $1,000-$3,000), and a 1977 Rolls Royce Silver Wraith III four-door sedan (est. $10,000-$15,000).
Leland Little Auction & Estate Sales Ltd.’s Spring Catalog Auction will be held in March 2012. LLAES Ltd. is always seeking quality consignments, whether it be an entire estate or a significant item. Call at 919-644-1243 or email at info@LLAuctions.com. To learn more about Leland Little Auction & Estate Sales Ltd. visit their new website at www.LLAUCTIONS.com.
ADDITIONAL LOTS OF NOTE
Gorham Maintenon sterling tea and silver service. Estimate: $10,000-$12,000. Image courtesy of Leland Little Auction & Estate Sales Ltd. Twelve bottles of vintage 1986 Chateau Lafite Rothschild, removed from the subterranean wine cellar of an avid collector. Estimate: $27,500-$32,500. Image courtesy of Leland Little Auction & Estate Sales Ltd. Oil on canvas by Maud Gatewood titled ‘Green Shade.’ Presented in a custom karated gold leaf floater frame. Image courtesy of Leland Little Auction & Estate Sales Ltd. Impressive 9.90-carat platinum and diamond ring, centering on one emerald-cut diamond. Estimate $80,000-$100,000. Image courtesy of Leland Little Auction & Estate Sales Ltd. Paint-decorated Pennsylvania dower chest, 18th century. Estimate: $4,000-$8,000. Image courtesy of Leland Little Auction & Estate Sales Ltd.
