Aubusson tapestry and furniture showcasing lapis lazuli tantalize bidders at Freeman’s Hindman Feb. 8

CHICAGO — More than 400 lots of fine European and Continental furniture and decorative arts dating from the 17th to 20th centuries will be offered at Freeman’s Hindman on Thursday, February 8. The sale also includes ceramics, sculpture, lighting, clocks, glass, tapestries, and Chinese Export material. The catalog is now open for bidding at LiveAuctioneers.

Leading the sale’s estimates at $30,000-$50,000 is a set of four Louis XVI giltwood fauteuils, or open-sided armchairs. Created by Jean-Baptiste Claude Sené circa 1780, each chair is stamped G. SENÉ on the rear seat rail, and all are fitted with gilt-tooled leather upholstery. Sené was a master furniture-maker during the reign of Louis XVI who created items for the Palaces of Versailles, Fontainebleau, and Saint-Cloud. His works are highly prized today. This set previously sold at Christie’s London in 1995.

Three matching lots of 20th-century Empire-style furnishings featuring lapis lazuli are also prime contenders at Hindman, each carrying an estimate of $8,000-$12,000. A pair of gilt bronze pedestals, a gilt bronze center table and a round table almost demand they go home with the same buyer.

Previously sold at Sotheby’s New York in May of 1986, this ‘possibly’ 17th-century Northern Italian gilt bronze figure of Fortitude stands 8.5in in height and has been in a local Chicago collection. It is reasonably estimated at $600-$800.

Aubusson tapestries hail from the upper valley of the Creuse in central France, and can be traced back to the 14th century. It was in the 18th century when Aubusson textiles really came into their own, which also happens to be the time that this 9ft roughly square tapestry was created. Fresh from a Little Rock, Arkansas collection, the Aubusson has an estimate of $15,000-$25,000.

Imperial jade seal achieves $378K at Freeman’s, Oct. 14

Imperial pale celadon-white jade seal, $378,000
Imperial pale celadon-white jade seal, $378,000
Imperial pale celadon-white jade seal, $378,000

PHILADELPHIA — Ben Farina, Head of Asian Arts at Freeman’s expressed delight about the results of his curated Asian Arts auction held on October 14. Farina commented “We had a number of wonderful pieces from various regional collections, and we’ve greatly enjoyed working with the consignors to bring this material to auction.”

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