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This Delft figure of a seated dog, circa 1800, could fetch $500-$800. Image courtesy Leland Little Auctions.

Leland Little’s last auction at Nash Street location March 21

Tom Hoepf
Tom Hoepf
This Delft figure of a seated dog, circa 1800, could fetch $500-$800. Image courtesy Leland Little Auctions.
This Delft figure of a seated dog, circa 1800, could fetch $500-$800. Image courtesy Leland Little Auctions.

HILLSBOROUGH, N.C. – Nearly 625 quality consignments, most of them drawn from prominent Southern estates, will be sold in a quarterly cataloged auction slated for Saturday, March 21, by Leland Little Auction & Estate Sales Ltd. This will be Little’s last major sale at his 246 S. Nash St. location.

In early April, it will move into spacious new digs, at 620 Cornerstone Court, also in Hillsborough.

“The move makes the March 21 sale a landmark event for us,” said Leland Little.

An audience of about 200 to 300 people – typical for a Leland Little cataloged sale – is expected. “In addition, we’ll have between 700 and 1,000 preregistered absentee and phone bidders in queue,” Little said, “and online bidding will be handled by LiveAuctioneers.com. I’m very proud to be able to represent a full day’s worth of mainly fresh-to-the market consignments. It’s going to be a great sale.”

Two lots, each expected to fetch $25,000-$35,000, might give bidders a sense of déjà vu. The first is a spectacular 84-piece silver service in the Aztec pattern by the renowned Mexican silversmith Hector Aguilar, circa 1940-1945. In December at Little’s Historic Hillsborough Auction a 72-piece sterling silver service by Aguilar, circa 1948-1955, also in the Aztec pattern, realized $41,400.

The other is an original pastel on silk by the noted South Carolina artist Elizabeth O’Neill Verner (1883-1979). The work, signed lower right, is titled Mary and is matted and framed under glass in a contemporary gilt wood frame. It has been professionally conserved. Also in Little’s December auction, another pastel on silk work by Verner, titled Jamie, brought $28,750.

Fine art is a staple at all Leland Little cataloged auctions. Just a few of the anticipated top lots include the following:

  • An original oil on canvas by Margaret Dovaston (English, 1884-1955) titled Minuet. Estimated to make $8,000-$12,000, the painting is among the artist’s finest work, showcasing her talent for composition, coloring and detail. Dovaston was elected to the elite Royal Society of British Artists in 1905.
  • An original oil on board by Sheldon Parsons (1866-1943) titled Springtime (est. $3,000-$5,000). The work, signed lower right, is housed in the original hand-carved and gilt wood frame. Parsons was a popular painter of residences, plaza scenes and landscapes in New Mexico
  • A suite of seven color lithographs on Arches paper with deckled edges after Pablo Picasso, titled Portraits Imaginaires (est. $2,000-$4,000 each). The lithographs are signed and dated in the plate at the upper left by the artist.
  • A color screenprint from 1985, signed and numbered (178/250) by pop artist icon Andy Warhol (1928-1987) titled Jean Cocteau (est. $2,000-$4,000).

Period furniture pieces include an all-original George III linen press, circa 1800, mahogany veneer with oak secondary (est. $2,000-$4,000); and an overall fine Classical sofa, Philadelphia, circa 1830, mahogany and mahogany veneers (est. $800-$1,500). Also up for bid will be a gorgeous Dutch inlaid tall case clock, 18th century, signed “Jan Beerninck/Amsterdam” (est. $3,000-$5,000).

Estate jewelry pieces are sure to dazzle bidders. Stars of the category include an emerald and diamond ring composed of an emerald-cut emerald prong set flanked by eight bar set tapered baguette diamonds (est. $6,000-$9,000); and a nice pair of Tiffany Schlumberger 18-karat gold diamond earrings in a twisting rope splay motif with 20 brilliant cut diamonds (est. $2,000-$3,000).

Sterling silver sets will include a coin silver tea service of Southern interest, circa 1835-1855, with each piece bearing the retailer’s mark, “Hayden Brother & Co.,” and maker’s mark, “G&W” for Grosjean & Woodard, (est. $3,000-$5,000); and a beautifully hand-hammered sterling silver oval bowl by Georg Jensen with the post-1945 mark, in the Blossom pattern (est. $2,000-$3,000).

A tall tapered stoneware vase, crafted in North Carolina in 1937 and decorated by Mrs. F.W. Hilton, with an elaborate slip scene in olive green of a squirrel sitting on a leafy olive branch eating an acorn, is expected to fetch $600-$1,200. Also, a Jugtown Chinese Blue glazed stoneware footed punchbowl, circa 1930, should reach $3,000-$5,000.

A Derby Crown porcelain partial service in the Imari pattern no. 198, circa 1880, composed of 15 pieces, each painted with peony and songbird panels in the traditional iron red cobalt blue colors with lavish gilding, is expected to achieve $1,000-$2,000; while a Delft figure of a seated dog, circa 1800, hand-painted, blue and white, with a floral spray on the dog’s back, may hit $500-$800.

Rounding out the expected top lots are a Tennessee sampler, executed in 1834 by Elizabeth C. Goodner, age 16, silk on natural linen ground, with large flower border surrounding alphabet rows and verse (est. $1,000-$2,000); a vintage 1965 Fender Jaguar electric guitar, serial no. 90262, with light green custom finish (est. $1,000-$2,000); and a brilliant red vintage Halston cocktail dress (est. $500-$800).

Continental antique coins will include a Hungary 1910 gold 10 koruna; Switzerland 1895 gold 20 francs; Czechoslovakia 1927 gold one ducat; Great Britain 1848 gold half sovereign; Denmark 1915 gold 20 kroner; Netherlands 1875 and 1913 gold 10 gulden; Prussia 1879 gold 20 marks; France 1851 and 1904 Gold 20 francs; and Belgium 1874 gold 20 francs.

Leland Little’s first sale at the new showroom facility will be an Estate Treasures Auction on Saturday, April 11. The first session, beginning at 2 p.m., will feature an antique bottle collection. The second session, at 4 p.m., will comprise quality antiques. A two-day grand opening sale, the Historic Hillsborough Cataloged Auction, will be held the weekend of June 13-14. A gala party and public preview will be held on Thursday, June 11, from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.

Leland Little Auction & Estate Sales Ltd. is always accepting quality consignments. To consign an item, estate or collection, contact the company at (919) 644-1243 or send an e-mail to info@llauctions.com. To learn more about the company and its calendar of upcoming auctions, log on to www.llauctions.com. The catalog for the March 21 sale has been posted.

 

Click here to view Leland Little Auctions’ complete catalog.

ADDITIONAL LOTS OF NOTE

Margaret Dovaston's oil painting titled 'Minuet' may top $12,000. Image courtesy Leland Little Auctions.
Margaret Dovaston’s oil painting titled ‘Minuet’ may top $12,000. Image courtesy Leland Little Auctions.
This 18th-century tall case clock is signed 'Jan Beerninck/Amsterdam.' Image courtesy Leland Little Auctions.
This 18th-century tall case clock is signed ‘Jan Beerninck/Amsterdam.’ Image courtesy Leland Little Auctions.
Silversmith Hector Aguilar designed this spectacular 84-piece Aztec pattern flatware service, which is expected to bring $25,000-$35,000. Image courtesy Leland Little Auctions.
Silversmith Hector Aguilar designed this spectacular 84-piece Aztec pattern flatware service, which is expected to bring $25,000-$35,000. Image courtesy Leland Little Auctions.
A suite of seven color lithographs after Pablo Picasso may bring $2,000-$4,000 apiece. Image courtesy Leland Little Auctions.
A suite of seven color lithographs after Pablo Picasso may bring $2,000-$4,000 apiece. Image courtesy Leland Little Auctions.
These Tiffany Schlumberger 18-karat diamond earrings have a twisting rope splay motif. Image courtesy Leland Little Auctions.
These Tiffany Schlumberger 18-karat diamond earrings have a twisting rope splay motif. Image courtesy Leland Little Auctions.