SOUTHAMPTON, Pa. – Family owned and operated Stephenson’s Auctioneers has built its reputation on fresh-to-market art and antiques from the Philadelphia area’s most elegant estates. Traditionally, their spotlight sale of the year is their New Year’s Auction, which, for 2018 will be a two-day event. Bid absentee or live via the Internet through LiveAuctioneers.
Featured: Part II of Ruth London jewelry collection, heavy silver, mid-century modern furniture, Roycroft, paintings, rare Chihuly vase, crystal, porcelain, 1824 tall-case clock
The January 1 session opens with 200 lots of fine jewelry including Part II of the exquisite Ruth London estate collection. Part I, which was auctioned by Stephenson’s in August, “caused quite a sensation with jewelry buyers,” said Stephenson’s owner/auctioneer Cindy Stephenson. “Mrs. London was a world traveler who loved to shop. She had very refined taste in jewelry and bought only the best of the best, wherever she went. We set aside her premier pieces especially for our New Year’s sale.”
Almost every item in the London collection has a distinctive, custom-designed look; many of the designs are set with precious stones. Lot 66, a 14K gold and diamond necklace, is composed of artistically crafted triple-row gold sections separated by 29 stations, each set with five round diamonds. Having a total weight of 73.0 grams, this statement piece is expected to make $2,000-$4,000. Other exceptional lots from the collection include a Barnaby 18K gold and opal necklace and earrings suite, $2,000-$4,000; and a sumptuous pair of Art Deco platinum, sapphire and diamond (1.35 TCW) drop earrings (shown above), $1,500-$3,000.
Choice pieces from other jewelry and silver collectors will be offered alongside the Ruth London collection. Altogether, it’s a gleaming, high-quality array. Top pieces include an Edwardian gold and diamond girandole necklace (shown above), $2,000-$4,000; a 1.30-carat diamond solitaire ring in a handmade 14K white gold mounting (shown below), weight 12.7 grams, $1,200-$2,500; and a magnificent fully chased sterling silver covered tureen (shown at top of page) made circa 1861-1868 by Kirk & Son, $3,000-$4,000. Tea services, candlesticks, flatware, decorative and serving pieces round out the 50-lot silver selection quite beautifully.
Eighteen lots from a single private collection contain stunning paperweights by John Deacons, Peter McDougall, Ken Rosenfeld and other designers. The top-estimated lot of the grouping is a Chris Buzzini clear glass paperweight (shown below) that encases a realistic pink and white flower displaying both a full bloom and bud on multiple branches. It is scratch-signed Buzzini and dated ’91 CV 25/40. Estimate: $1,000-$2,500
One of the top pieces in the opening session is a Dale Chihuly “Blanket” cylinder vase (shown below). It is artist signed and dated ’76. The pre-auction estimate is set at $4,000-$7,000.
Day 2 includes a broad variety of fine and decorative art that includes a Shozo Nagano acrylic-on-canvas, $500-$1,000; Alexander Calder lithographs, Rookwood, Fulper and Van Briggle pottery; European porcelains, lamps, 11 lots of Roycroft copper and other metalwares (example shown second below), World War I posters, rugs, and both traditional and Asian furniture.
A special consignment of antiques deaccessioned by The National Trust for Historic Preservation features an 1824 James Gordon Ballymoney tall-case clock, a pair of 19th-century mahogany four-poster beds, and a well-executed circa-1838 oil portrait, signed on verso, that is believed to be the work of Alfred Jacob Miller (American, 1810-1874). Miller, who was best known for his depictions of Native Americans and their environments, also painted numerous portraits and genre scenes in and around Baltimore during the mid-19th century.
In the country store corner, auction entries include a red Enterprise No. 7 coffee grinder with American eagle finial, $300-$600, a brass National cash register with key, $100-$250; and a Brandt Junior Automatic Cashier coin counter, $140-$300. Continuing the Americana theme, an attractive copper full-body running-horse weathervane, with directionals, should have an easy trot to its $500-$1,000 estimate.
A strong selection of mid-century modern furniture and decoratives includes a 3-piece “Terraza Landscapes” taupe leather sectional sofa (shown above) designed by Ubald Klug for Stenig’s Furniture System Sofas line. A highly unusual design, the suite comes from an upscale northern New Jersey residence and is expected to make $6,000-$10,000. Two other lots were sourced from the same home: a Brueton Anello dining table (shown below) with “floating” granite top, $1,500-$3,000; and a set of six Brueton Industries chrome and deep-blue upholstered Cantilever dining chairs, $600-$1,000.
Other mid-century highlights include a pair of chrome and white leather Knoll Studio Brno chairs designed by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, $800-$1,600; and a desirable trio of off-white Le Klint Honeycomb Origami suspension lamps, circa 1970, estimated at $200-$500 (set).
Both sessions of Stephenson’s Jan. 1-2, 2018 New Year’s Auction will begin at 1 p.m. Eastern Time. Inspection is on Saturday, Dec. 30, 2017 from 1-4 p.m., Jan. 1 from 11 a.m.-1 p.m.; and Jan. 2 from 12-1 p.m. The gallery is located in suburban Philadelphia at 1005 Industrial Blvd., Southampton, PA 18966. Bid absentee or live via the Internet through LiveAuctioneers.
For additional information on any lot in the sale, call Cindy Stephenson at 215-322-6182 or e-mail info@stephensonsauction.com.
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