FALLS CHURCH, Va. – A dramatic oil-on-canvas depiction of a sea battle between the Bristol (England) privateer Vigilant and the French ship Duc de Choiseul is the predicted top lot of Quinn’s January 26 Fine & Decorative Art Auction. The work was painted by the renowned marine artist Montague J. Dawson (British, 1890-1973), the grandson of an equally accomplished painter, Henry Dawson (1811-1878).
Depiction of Bristol privateer ‘Vigilant’ in sea battle expected to make $40,000-$60,000
The auction will be held Quinn’s Falls Church gallery at 360 South Washington St., starting at 11 a.m. Eastern time. All remote forms of bidding will be available, including live online through LiveAuctioneers.
The Dawson painting – titled The Bristol Privateer “Vigilant” – is signed by the artist and measures 24 inches by 36 inches (33½ inches by 45½ inches framed). It was formerly held in the collection of Charles Edward Kirsch, an American naval officer whose yacht Scaramouche won the 1974 Newport-to-Bermuda race. He also served on multiple America’s Cup campaigns.
In addition to the Montague painting, the sale also features many other high-quality paintings by listed and noteworthy artists, including George Ault, Alexander Drysdale, Ida Kohlmeyer, B. Prabha, Paul Reed and others. Decorative art, American, European and Modern furniture; and Asian decorative arts will take the spotlight, as well.
The European and Modern furniture in the sale includes creations by such admired designers as Mies van de Rohe, Frank Gehry, Louis Durot and others. Decorative arts categories span porcelain, silver, figurines, fine clocks, glass and more. Also up for bid will be a fine collection of tortoise shell arts, and Meissen figurines and export porcelains from the estate of Thomas and Jane Stanhope. Asian decorative arts will be plentiful, highighted by the Charles F.B. Price collection of Chinese textiles. Also up for bid will be Chinese paintings, Southeast Asian porcelain and Buddhist arts; and other wonderful objects.
An oil-on-canvas painting by George Ault (American, 1891-1948) titled The Hotel Lobby (1922) depicts a woman sitting at a desk while other figures sit or stand in the lobby in front. It is expected to reach $20,000-$30,000. The work is signed and dated at lower right and is housed in a frame measuring 19¾ inches by 15½ inches.
An oil-on-Masonite painting by another accomplished American artist, Ida Kohlmeyer (1912-1997), titled Becalmed, carries an estimate of $10,000-$15,000. The work shows an abstract field with blue and green rectangular forms on an olive-green background and was executed in 1959. Signed at lower right, the 30- by 24-inch painting is in a 30¾- by 24¾-inch frame.
Other artworks in the sale include an oil-on-canvas by Howard Mehring (American, 1931-1978) titled Blueberry Bush (1963), $4,000-$6,000; two paintings of a fisher girl by B. Prabha (Indian, 1933-2001), $9,000-$12,000 and $7,000-$9,000 respectively; and two acrylics-on-canvas by Paul Reed (American, 1919-2015): 24-C, $4,000-$6,000; and Two Reds, $2,500-$3,500.
Collected artists who were either born in Louisiana, were active there or are living there now will be well represented in the sale. They include Alexander Drysdale (1879-1934), George Dunbar (b.1927), Marie Fernande Alaux (Belgian-American, 1883-1958), Rise Delmar Ochsner (American, b. 20th century) and Jose-Maria Cundin (Spanish, b. 1938-).
A collection of more than 80 ceramic figures from the estate of Thomas and Jane Stanhope includes highly sought-after makers such as Meissen, KPM, Nymphenburg and Derby. Among the selections is a group of four Meissen, KPM and Derby porcelain figures estimated at $800-$1,200.
A group of four lovely 18th-century porcelain pieces will be sold as one lot with an estimate of $8,000-$12,000. Included are a Meissen charger with a scene depicting young lovers sitting under a tree, 12 inches in diameter; a Meissen chinoiserie teapot and cover, painted in the manner of Johann Gregorius Horoldt and decorated with a gilt cartouche on each panel; a rectangular domed patch box, decorated in puce on white ground; and a pretty sugar bowl.
There are more than 20 clocks in the auction. One of the nicer examples is a 19th-century French gilt bronze figural clock with movement by Honore Pons and marked Emanuel Paris. The ornate brass case is decorated with a couple and their dog, with the case surmounted by a helmet finial. The estimate is $800-$1,200. Also, a circa-19th-century Victorian Gothic Revival brass fusee skeleton clock should fetch $400-$600.
The collection of 50+ pieces of antique Chinese textiles from the estate of Charles F.B. Price features silk embroidery panels, Kesi textiles and robes and dresses with gold and silver threads. An example is lot 494, a Chinese Kesi dragon robe with an estimate of $2,000-$4,000. Also to be auctioned is a Chinese Qing Dynasty Kesi textile panel depicting the story scene from Romance of the Three Kingdoms (the famous battle of Liu Bei, Guan Yu and Zhang Fei fighting against Lv Bu). The warriors are shown fighting on horseback in a rocky landscape. Estimate: $1,000-$1,500.
Additional highlights include a 19th-century Berlin KPM porcelain plaque, $1,000-$1,500; a pair of 19th-century mahogany knife boxes, est. $800-$1,200; and Zuber wallpaper in the “El Dorado” pattern, $3,000-$5,000.
Interested collectors may view all 549 lots in the online catalog now, and bid absentee or live via the Internet through LiveAuctioneers.com. For additional information about any item in the auction, call 703-532-5632 and ask for specialist Molly Huang, or e-mail molly.huang@quinnsauction.com.
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