(FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga.) – Between 400 and 500 quality, mostly fresh-to-the-market lots from prominent local estates and private collections will be sold Labor Day Monday, Sept. 6, by Flowery Branch Auction & Antiques, located at 5540 Atlanta Highway. Flowery Branch is situated north and east of Atlanta, just off I-985, about halfway between Buford and Gainesville.
“We had an enormously successful auction on Memorial Day weekend, and I expect this one to do just as well,” said Dan Frey of Flowery Branch Auction & Antiques. “The key is being able to get merchandise straight out of estates and collections. These aren’t dusty antiques that have been sitting in a shop that someone’s trying to unload. These items are fresh to the market.”
The auction will be preceded by an antiques and collectibles show at the same venue, on Sept. 3, 4 and 5. Both events will be held inside a spacious 20,000-square-foot facility the auction business shares with a monthly antiques show that currently has around 60 dealers. The auction will begin promptly at 10 a.m. An on-site restaurant will be serving breakfast and lunch.
Certain to generate bidder interest will be a collection of 26 early historic samplers, the oldest of which dates to 1801 and the most recent around 1880. Samplers were embroidery projects common to girls and young women of the time, as females of all social classes were expected to be handy with a needle. Many samplers were elaborate and beautifully rendered.
Many original oil on canvas and oil on board paintings will also cross the block, some by noted, listed artists. These include Cesar Buenaventura (Phillipine, 1919-1983), known for his vivid native portraitures and other works; Anton Weiss (Yugoslavian, b. 1936) whose work to be sold is an oil on canvas rendering of a mountain scene; and Lee White (Ga., 1958-2004), whose signed oil on canvas depiction of African-American women quilting should get paddles wagging.
Other artists will include Joe Cox (N.C., 1915-1997), known for his abstract paintings, murals and illustrations; Martha J. Gramling (Ga., 1912-1990), noted for her floral still lifes and wildflower views; Ira Arbitman, Penny Saunders, P. Zepelinsky, and paintings signed “Sizuko” and “Boaz.” “These works would be wonderful additions to anyone’s collection,” Mr. Frey said.
Furniture items will feature an Old Colony round dining room table, an Empire foot stool, Victorian side tables, a music cabinet, a William & Mary-style desk, a walnut breakfront, a pair of early French chairs, a fabulous walnut high-back Victorian bed, period Windsor chairs, early nesting tables, a Heywood-Wakefield desk and a marvelous heavily carved ornate dining table.
Additional pieces of furniture will include an oak side-by-side, a Baker buffet, an early walnut two-drawer stand, a pair of satinwood inlaid twin beds, a 1960s halo chair in silk and a square oak table with ten leaves that seats fourteen. A pair of pianos are bound to impress: one a Mason & Hamlin 5 ½ foot baby grand piano, made circa 1914, the other a child’s upright piano.
Decorative accessories will be offered in abundance. Examples include a stick-and-ball Victorian easel, a set of crested china, a Pilgrim brand ice box, a pair of bronze Asian candle holders; several pieces of cut glass, two Royal Doulton Series Ware plates (“The Doctor” and “The Mayor”), an Eskimo figurine and a 2-sided metal tavern sign (“Bushel & Strike Ely Ales”).
Other decorative accessories will include an ivory chess set, a porcelain vase, a fancy Nautilus sauce boat, lots of sterling silver items, a 5-piece French pewter coffee and tea service, a German porcelain putti band, a Victorian bride’s basket, an electric silverplate coffee urn, a banquet-sized silverplate punch bowl and a glazed terra cotta Madonna with child, signed “Prof. E. Pattarino.”
Rounding out some additional expected top lots of the day will be numerous sets of leather-bound books, several Audubon prints, a Coca-Cola cash register, several Lladro pieces (including the larger “Hamlet” piece), a modest collection of 15-20 Sandy Lentz pottery pieces, a Browning shotgun and more. Other items were being added at press time. Check the website.
Flowery Branch Auction & Antiques is always accepting quality consignments for future auctions, and is now taking qualified vendor applications for dealer space. “The quality of our dealer offerings is right up there with other shows around town,” remarked Mr. Frey. “That quality, added to the friendly, helpful atmosphere, is what sets us apart from similar events.”
To consign an item, estate or collection, you may call Flowery Branch Auction & Antiques at (770) 967-9080; or you can e-mail them at [email protected] or [email protected].
To learn more about the auctions and shows, log on to www.flowerybranchantiques.com