Pablo Picasso (1881-1973), ‘Visage de Femme’ (A.R. 192), 1953, Terre de faience pitcher. Gray’s Auctioneers image.
Conceived in July, 1953 and created at the famed Madoura Pottery in Villauris, France — where Picasso met his second wife, Jacqueline Roque — this curvaceous Picasso ceramic is listed in the auction at lot 206. Numbered 71 from an edition of 200, it is cataloged in Alain Ramié’s catalogue raisonné of Picasso’s ceramic editions. Alain Ramié is the son of Suzanne and George Ramié, owners of the Madoura Pottery. Picasso spent more than 20 years there experimenting and perfecting his ceramic techniques. Between 1947 and 1971 Picasso produced 633 different plates, bowls, vases and pitchers, in limited editions ranging from 25 to 500. At auction, Madoura Pottery ceramics are highly sought after. A single piece sold for more than $1 million at Christie’s last month.
Also at this auction, Gray’s will present a collection of 36 Nathan “Nate” Dunn (1896-1983) paintings, lots 1-15A. Dunn was an American modernist painter born in Pittsburgh. He studied at the Carnegie Institute of Technology with Arthur Sparks, Alfred Taylor and George Sotter. He exhibited extensively in the tri-state area, winning many awards, and his works are in many private and museum collections, including the Butler Institute of American Art in Youngstown, Ohio. Notable lots include lot 11, a vibrant oil on canvas, Red, White & Blue signed and dated 1959; and lot 9, an abstract oil on board of sailboats in a sea of colorful shapes and geometric patterns.
An oversize contemporary still life, Three Pomegranates, by the Canadian modern expressionist Vicky Marshall is being offered at lot 30. Measuring 66 inches tall by 84 inches wide, Marshall’s dynamic painting is visually arresting with its bold strokes of color and deceptively simple subject matter. The auction includes many works on paper including watercolors, prints, etchings, photographs and documents. Most notable among these lots are lot 101 Armin Landeck’s (1905-1984) Window on 14th Street, a drypoint etching from 1949; and lot 153 an illuminated manuscript of vellum leaf from 13th century France, of the Biblia Sacra Latina, from the Otto F. Ege collection.
A wide-ranging collection of English, French, Italian, American, Chinese and German porcelain pieces is included in the auction starting at lot 201. Lot 204 is a large 18th-century Meissen figural group, The Surprise, after a model by J.J. Kandler from an engraving by Hogarth. It is signed under glaze with Meissen’s blue painted crossed swords with a scratched line underneath indicating that this piece is “Defective Porcelain,” incised number 382. This piece is modeled as three card-playing figures with a lawyer, accompanied by a child-carrying young woman, about to serve a paternity order to the man seated at left. As the French say, “plus ça change, plus c’est la même chose” (The more things change, the more they stay the same).
A large and diverse collection of glassware runs from lot 154 to lot 197 and includes a whimsical collection of glass paperweights including some Murano, Baccarat and St. Clair millefiore pieces. Lot 191 is a Charles Lotton blown-glass vase, which is signed and dated 1984. With a rich red ground and an elegant pattern of white flowers, this sophisticated vase is a gorgeous addition to the designer glass on offer at Gray’s.
The summer auction also includes several furniture lots most notably a collection of Italian wrought-metal pieces including lot 285, a striking Diego Giacometti-inspired 20th-century metal and bronze table with a walnut top and bronze horse head decorations. Lot 288 is an enormous George III mahogany breakfront, secretary, library bookcase. This is a magnificent piece of 1760s furniture constructed in eight sections. Rounding out the sale are 28 rug lots featuring a Tabriz, 20 feet by 13 feet, in excellent condition and fit for a palace.
This truly exceptional mid-summer auction will take place in Gray’s auction showrooms at 10717 Detroit Ave., Cleveland, Ohio, where plenty of parking and refreshments are provided. Condition reports and shipping quotes are available upon request.
For more information please contact Serena Harragin at 216-458-7695 or by email at serena@graysauctioneers.com.
ADDITIONAL LOTS OF NOTE
Pablo Picasso (1881-1973), ‘Visage de Femme’ (A.R. 192), 1953, Terre de faience pitcher. Gray’s Auctioneers image. Nathan ‘Nate’ Dunn (1896-1983) ‘Red, White & Blue,’ 1959, oil on canvas. Gray’s Auctioneers image. Illuminated manuscript vellum leaf, France, late 13th century. Gray’s Auctioneers image. Large Meissen porcelain figural group,’The Surprise,’ 18th century. Gray’s Auctioneers image. Diego Giacometti-inspired wrought metal and Bronze Table with bronze horse head decoration and walnut top, 20th century. Gray’s Auctioneers image.
