(Hillsborough, N.C.) – Nearly 625 quality consignments, most of them drawn from prominent Southern estates, will be sold in a quarterly cataloged auction slated for Saturday, March 21, by Leland Little Auction & Estate Sales, Ltd. Offered will be fine art, period furniture, sterling silver, books, clocks, watches, estate jewelry and antique Continental gold coins. The auction will begin at 9:30 a.m.
This will be the last major sale for Leland Little Auction & Estate Sales, Ltd., in its current location at 246 South Nash Street in Hillsborough. The firm has been conducting successful auctions there for nine years. But in early April, it will move into spacious new digs, at 620 Cornerstone Court, also in Hillsborough. “The move makes the March 21 sale a landmark event for us,” said Leland Little.
An audience of about 200-300 people – typical for an LLAES, Ltd. cataloged sale – is expected. “In addition, we’ll have between 700 and 1,000 pre-registered absentee and phone bidders in queue,” Mr. Little said, “and online bidding will be handled by LiveAuctioneers.com. I’m very proud to be able to represent a full day’s worth of mainly fresh-to-the market consignments. It’s going to be a great sale.”
Two lots, each expected to fetch $25,000-$35,000, might give bidders a feeling of deja vu. The first is a spectacular 84-piece silver service in the Aztec pattern by the renowned Mexican silversmith Hector Aguilar (circa 1940-1945). In December, at LLAES, Ltd.’s Historic Hillsborough Auction, a 72-piece sterling silver service by Aguilar (circa 1948-1955), also in the Aztec pattern, realized $41,400.
The other is an original pastel on silk by the noted, listed South Carolina artist Elizabeth O’Neill Verner (1883-1979). The work, signed lower right, is titled Mary and is matted and framed under glass in a contemporary gilt wood frame. It has been professionally conserved. Some will recall, also in LLAES, Ltd.’s December auction, another pastel on silk work by Verner, titled Jamie, brought $28,750.
Fine art is a staple at all Leland Little Auction & Estate Sales, Ltd. cataloged auctions. Just a few of the anticipated top lots include the following:
An original oil on canvas by Margaret Dovaston (English, 1884-1955), titled Minuet (Illustrated above). The painting is among the artist’s finest work, showcasing her talent for composition, coloring and detail. Ms. Dovaston was elected to the elite Royal Society of British Artists in 1905 (est. $8,000-$12,000).
• An original oil on board by Sheldon Parsons (N.M., 1866-1943), titled Springtime. The work, signed lower right, is housed in the original hand-carved and gilt wood frame. Mr. Parsons was a popular painter of residences, plaza scenes and landscapes in New Mexico (est. $3,000-$5,000).
• A suite of seven color lithographs on Arches paper with deckled edges after Pablo Picasso, titled Portraits Imaginaires. The lithographs are signed and dated in the plate at the upper left by the master himself. Received as a gift from a patient of the consignor, a doctor (est. $2,000-$4,000 ea.).
• A color screenprint from 1985, signed and numbered (178/250) by pop artist icon Andy Warhol (N.Y., 1928-1987), titled Jean Cocteau (est. $2,000-$4,000).
Period furniture pieces include an all-original George III linen press (circa 1800), mahogany veneer with oak secondary (est. $2,000-$4,000); and an overall very fine Classical sofa (Philadelphia, circa 1830), mahogany and mahogany veneers (est. $800-$1,500). Also up for bid will be a gorgeous Dutch inlaid long case clock, 18th century, signed “Jan Beerninck/Amsterdam” (est. $3,000-$5,000).
Estate jewelry pieces are sure to dazzle bidders and get paddles wagging. Stars of the category include an emerald and diamond ring, comprising one emerald-cut emerald prong set flanked by eight bar set tapered baguette diamonds (est. $6,000-$9,000); and a nice pair of Tiffany Schlumberger 18kt diamond earrings in a twisting rope splay motif with 20 brilliant cut diamonds (est. $2,000-$3,000).
Sterling silver sets will include a coin silver tea service of Southern interest (circa 1835-1855), with each piece bearing the retailer’s mark (“Hayden Brother & Co.”) and maker’s mark (“G&W” for Grosjean & Woodard, est. $3,000-$5,000); and a beautifully hand-hammered sterling silver oval bowl by Georg Jensen with the post-1945 mark, in the Blossom pattern, very rare (est. $2,000-$3,000).
A tall tapered stoneware vase, crafted in North Carolina in 1937 and decorated by Mrs. F. W. Hilton, with an elaborate slip scene in olive green of a squirrel sitting on a leafy olive branch eating an acorn, is expected to fetch $600-$1,200. Also, a Jugtown Chinese Blue glazed stoneware footed punch bowl (circa 1930) should reach $3,000-$5,000.
A Derby Crown porcelain partial service in the Imari pattern, #198 (circa 1880), comprising 15 pieces, each one painted with peony and songbird panels in the traditional iron red cobalt blue colors with lavish gilding, is expected to achieve $1,000-$2,000; while a Delft figure of a seated dog (circa 1800), hand-painted, blue and white palette, with a floral spray on the dog’s back, may hit $500-$800.
Rounding out the expected top lots: a Tennessee sampler, executed in 1834 by Elizabeth C. Goodner, age 16, silk on natural linen ground, with large flower border surrounding alphabet rows and verse (est. $1,000-$2,000); a vintage 1965 Fender Jaguar electric guitar, serial #90262, with light green custom finish (est. $1,000-$2,000); and a brilliant red vintage Halston cocktail dress (est. $500-$800).
The Continental antique gold coins will include: Hungary 1910 Gold 10 Korona; Switzerland 1895 Gold 20 Francs; Czechoslovakia 1927 Gold One Ducat; Great Britain 1848 Gold 1/2-Sovereign; Denmark 1915 Gold 20 Kroner; Netherlands 1875 and 1913 Gold 10 Gulden; Prussia 1879 Gold 20 Marks; France 1851 and 1904 Gold 20 Francs; and Belgium 1874 Gold 20 Francs (all est. $10-$1,000).
Leland Little Auction & Estate Sales, Ltd.’s first sale at the new showroom facility will be an Estate Treasures Auction planned for Saturday, April 11. The first session, beginning at 2 p.m., will feature an antique bottle collection. The second session, at 4 p.m., will comprise quality antiques. A two-day grand opening sale – the Historic Hillsborough Cataloged Auction — will be held the weekend of June 13-14. A gala party and public preview will be held on Thursday, June 11, from 6 p.m.-9 p.m.
Leland Little Auction & Estate Sales, Ltd., is always accepting quality consignments for future sales. To consign an item, estate or collection, you may call them at (919) 644-1243, or e-mail them at [email protected] to learn more about the company and its calendar of upcoming auctions, you may log on to www.LLAUCTIONS.com.
The March 21 catalogue has been posted.