(ABERDEEN, Miss.) – The living estate of Katherine Creamer – a dedicated and discerning antiques collector from Mobile, Ala., whose stately mansion was built specially to contain her vast collections – will be sold on Saturday, June 13, starting at 10 a.m., by Stevens Auction Gallery. The Mobile mansion, as well as a beach house owned by Mrs. Creamer, will be sold in separate auctions.
“It’s only due to health concerns that Katherine Creamer is letting go of her prized collections,” said Dwight Stevens of Stevens Auction Company. “Her home was filled with only the best in fine period furnishings, plus she had an outstanding Victorian cranberry collection. She bought a lot of her items on Royal Street in New Orleans, and she was very choosy in her selections. It had to be the best.”
Mrs. Creamer was particularly fond of furniture by the renowned New York maker John Henry Belter. Pieces to be offered in the sale include a rosewood marble-top etagere (circa 1855), 47 inches wide by 70 inches tall; a pair of parlor sets; rosewood laminated Victorian sofas (Rosalie with Grapes); a set of four rosewood Victorian side chairs; and a rosewood arm chair (all Rosalie with Grapes).
J. & J.W. Meeks was another one of her favorites. The sale will include a rosewood Victorian game table (circa 1855); a rosewood Victorian side chair in the Hawkins pattern; a flamed mahogany marble-top Empire chest with serpentine front (39 inches tall by 43 inches long); a pair of rosewood opera chairs; and a rosewood marble-top dresser with bow front and wood pulls, made around 1850.
Additional furniture pieces certain to wow the crowd include a double-stack rosewood marble-top etagere by Daniel Pabst (circa 1855), with pierce-carved crowns; a flamed mahogany Federal sideboard with starburst doors, attributed to Anthony Quervelle (circa 1820); a 14-foot mahogany Federal banquet table; and a set of eight mid-19th century Irish Chippendale dining chairs (circa 1860).
Monumental, heavily carved beds – a staple at most Stevens estate sales – will include a nice rosewood full tester bed by McCracken; a rosewood five-piece half tester bedroom suite, signed by Mitchells & Rammelsberg; a mahogany half tester plantation bed by C. Lee; a high-back walnut Victorian bed with ornate carvings, signed by Joshawa Jones; and a rosewood half tester plantation bed.
Other furniture items of note include a stunning parlor set by Alexander Roux, featuring a solid rosewood parlor sofa (79 inches long), pair of matching rosewood arm chairs and set of four solid rosewood side chairs; a rosewood laminated side parlor chair by G. Henkel; a rosewood Empire secretary desk, signed by T. Brooks; and a tall mahogany slant-front Empire secretary (circa 1840).
Music boxes will include a German rosewood music box on stand (playable); a pair of Adams-style rosewood music cabinets with inlay; a mahogany wind-up Victrola; a porcelain and brass music box; an Edison Gem phonograph with maroon metal horn; and an Edison Fireside phonograph with black morning glory horn. Also sold will be several walnut Victorian shadow box frames with prints.
Many crystal and gas bronze light fixtures will also cross the block. Examples include a gas Newel post light, with a statue of cupid; and a brass Victorian piano lamp, dated Aug. 3, 1816. Other decorative accessories include a small brass carriage clock; hand-painted porcelain tea sets with roses; a cranberry wine set (pitcher, six glasses); and a hand-painted porcelain tea set, signed M.Z. (Austria).
Other decorative accessories will include a Victorian art glass Rubena Verde vase, hand-blown, with applied roses; a Thomas Webb & Company art glass pitcher with butterflies (dated 1888); a pair of pink lusters with prisms (9 inches tall); a pair of Sevres porcelain mantle capped urns (21 inches tall by 10 inches wide); a beautiful Sevres-style vase; a hand-painted Nippon vase; and a cranberry wine set.
Also from decorative accessories: a pair of black marble pedestals, 35 inches tall; a pair of mahogany Adams-style pedestals, with drawer; an Oriental jewelry box on stand (41 inches tall); two Old Paris mantle vases; two hand-painted R.S. Prussia plates; a pair of blue Victorian vases; an art glass pitcher; a peach rose bowl; a pink Victorian bride’s basket bowl; and a rosewood Victorian baby cradle.
Returning to furniture: a rosewood marble-top parlor center table with basket in stretcher (circa 1850); a French walnut half commode with brown marble top and four drawers; a rosewood six-drawer half commode with white marble top (circa 1860); a mahogany Federal sideboard with claw feet and acanthus carved post (circa 1820); and a rosewood marble-top chest with serpentine front (circa 1850).
Also from period furnishings: a mahogany two-drawer Empire work table with acanthus carved base; a walnut Victorian rocking chair with maroon upholstery; a walnut Victorian library table with a drawer and carved legs (41 inches long); a Victorian rosewood half commode with cookie corner marble top; a walnut marble-top Victorian half commode; and a walnut Victorian marble-top dresser.
Rounding out the furniture: an oversized double-door rosewood Rococo wardrobe with pierce-carved crown; a mahogany Jackson press with claw feet and scroll back splash; a 32-inch round mahogany acanthus carved base center table; a large mahogany Empire dressing table with mirror and claw feet; and a heavily carved walnut blanket chest with carved roses (36 inches tall, 47 inches long).
A preview will be held on Friday, June 12th, from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Reserved seating will be available, with advanced arrangements. Phone bids will also be permitted with advanced arrangements. For accommodations, you may call the Best Western Aberdeen Inn, at (662) 369-4343. Or, you may call the Columbus Convention & Visitors Bureau (about 23 miles from Aberdeen), at (662) 329-1191.
Stevens Auction Company will conduct on-site auctions on Saturday, July 11, in Oxford, Miss., and Saturday, July 25, in Macon, Miss. Both will comprise fine furnishings and antique items from the living estates of two prominent interior decorators. The July 25 auction will be held in a huge antebellum home, built in 1844 for Judge Jernigan and later owned by prominent landowner Zack Brooks. The home will also be sold.
Stevens Auction Company is always accepting quality consignments for future auctions. To consign an item, an estate or an entire collection, you may call them directly, at (662) 369-2200; or, you can e-mail them at [email protected].
To learn more about Stevens Auction Company, and the upcoming June 13th auction (to include photos of many of the lots described here) you may log on to www.stevensauction.com
