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Moran auction features Calif. art, Native American items Sept. 29

Tom Hoepf
Tom Hoepf
This finely woven second phase Navajo chief’s blanket dates to the 1880s and is expected to earn between $25,000 and $35,000 at the auction. Moran’s image
This finely woven second phase Navajo chief’s blanket dates to the 1880s and is expected to earn between $25,000 and $35,000 at the auction. Moran’s image

ALTADENA, Calif. – John Moran Auctioneers will hold a decorative arts auction on Tuesday, Sept. 29, their last such event at the Pasadena Convention Center. LiveAuctioneers.com will provide absentee and Internet live bidding.

The auction features a diverse lineup, comprising a collection of Native American items including basketry, textiles, jewelry and beadwork, Persian rugs, French furniture, Continental decorative arts, silver and an array of 19th century, 20th century and modern California and American paintings.

Over 90 of the cataloged lots are works of art by California and American artists, including Western genre paintings and prints, contemporary landscapes, photographs and works by celebrated California impressionist painters.

A small collection of wildlife paintings by Gary Robert Swanson (1941-2010, Prescott, Ariz.) are all offered with estimates ranging between $800 and $4,500. Swanson’s Sunrise Excitement, a rose-toned composition of zebras traversing a misty landscape, is offered with a $2,500 to $4,500 estimate.

‘Sunrise Excitement’ by South Dakota-born wildlife painter Gary Robert Swanson (1941-2010, Prescott, Ariz.) is expected to bring $2,500 to $4,500 at Moran’s September Decorative Art Auction. Moran’s image
‘Sunrise Excitement’ by South Dakota-born wildlife painter Gary Robert Swanson (1941-2010, Prescott, Ariz.) is expected to bring $2,500 to $4,500 at Moran’s September Decorative Art Auction. Moran’s image

Angel Espoy (1879-1963 Seal Beach, Calif.) is represented in Moran’s September catalog by a beach scene of cypress trees and dunes. The artist composed the scene so that only a sliver of the sea is visible beyond the swaths of yellow sand.

This coastal scene by Angel Espoy (1879-1963, Seal Beach, Calif.) is to be offered in Moran’s September catalog with a $2,000 to $3,000 estimate. Moran’s image
This coastal scene by Angel Espoy (1879-1963, Seal Beach, Calif.) is to be offered in Moran’s September catalog with a $2,000 to $3,000 estimate. Moran’s image

Fine Western genre paintings, prints and sculptures cover an array of subjects. Dan McCaw (b. 1942), once a student and later an instructor at the Pasadena Art Center College of Design, currently resides in Los Angeles. McCaw’s poignant Once There Were Many, depicting a Native American on horseback looking down at a buffalo skull, hails from a private Los Olivos, Calif. collection, and is expected to earn $1,500 to $2,500.

Montana-born, Los Angeles-based Dan McCaw (b. 1942) is represented in Moran’s September catalog with this work, ‘Once There Were Many,’ which has a $1,500 to $2,500 estimate. Moran’s image
Montana-born, Los Angeles-based Dan McCaw (b. 1942) is represented in Moran’s September catalog with this work, ‘Once There Were Many,’ which has a $1,500 to $2,500 estimate. Moran’s image

In addition to works of fine art, American Indian decorative art selections should excite collectors at all levels. Hoping to recapture the lightening in a bottle that was their May Western Auction, Moran’s has once again collected an array of intriguing pieces, the finest of which is a rare Navajo second phase chief’s blanket dating to the 1880s, which was purchased by the present owner’s family from noted collector, dealer and artist Tony Berlant in the 1970s. The finely woven blanket underwent dye testing by Dr. David Wenger of Jefferson Medical College in Philadelphia, Pa., to authenticate its age, and is now estimated to bring between $25,000 and $35,000 at Moran’s auction.

Traditional decorative arts – large and small – also abound.

This fanciful pair of 19th century silvered candelabra by French maker Maison Marnyhac is expected to sell for $10,000 to $15,000. Moran’s image
This fanciful pair of 19th century silvered candelabra by French maker Maison Marnyhac is expected to sell for $10,000 to $15,000. Moran’s image
Hand-painted by Handel decorator Peter Broggi, this rare peacock shade, model #7126, and lamp base will go to the block at Moran’s September auction with a $10,000 to $15,000 estimate. Moran’s image
Hand-painted by Handel decorator Peter Broggi, this rare peacock shade, model #7126, and lamp base will go to the block at Moran’s September auction with a $10,000 to $15,000 estimate. Moran’s image

For questions regarding this auction, contact John Moran Auctioneers via email: info@johnmoran.com or call 626-793-1833.

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.