A pair of important Fran?ois Linke (French, d. 1846) Kingwood and Tulipwood Gilt Bronze Mounted Vitrine Cabinets with Wedgwood Jasperware Plaques, made in Paris, circa 1900, may bring $200,000+ as the top lot in Heritage Auctions’ Dec. 7 Decorative Art Signature® Auction, being held at the company’s Dallas Design District Annex, 1518 Slocum Street.
“This stunning pair of tall vitrine cabinets display Linke’s ability to adapt historical models within a new context,” said Tim Rigdon, Director of Silver, Decorative Arts & Design at Heritage. “To find one vitrine of this amazing design and quality is rare, but a matched pair is almost unheard of.”
While the top offering in the auction is a dazzling piece of French craftsmanship, the Dec. 7 auction is heavy on fine design across the board from all over Europe and the United States, including an Italian Carrara Marble Sculpture after Romanelli: Romeo & Juliet, from the workshop of Antonio Frilli, Florence, circa 1880, which is expected to bring $20,000+. The sculpture is a classic from Shakespeare, depicting Romeo, having climbed a rope ladder, embracing Juliet at her balcony.
“With the holidays in mind, we chose to complement the nearly 500 lots of Fine Silver & Vertu auction, selling on the same day, with a smaller yet extremely elegant and diverse selection of Decorative Arts & Design,” said Ed Beardsley, Vice President and Managing Director of the Department of Fine Art at Heritage.
A Harriet Whitney Frismuth (American, 1880-1980) Silvered Bronze Mascot on a Stone Base: Speed, made in Providence, RI, circa 1921 – just one of 71 produced between 1922 and 1929 – recalls the Golden Age of early luxury automobiles and is expected to bring $10,000+, while a Wedgwood Fairyland Lustre Plaque, Burslem (Stoke-on-Trent), Staffordshire, England, circa 1920, a large rectangular plaque with scene of imps and fairies playing in a bridged tree house, is estimated at $8,000+.
A Tiffany & Co. Three-Piece Gilt Bronze and Enamel Clock Garniture, Tiffany & Co., New York, New York, circa 1875, is the elegant finish to auction’s top five lots, with a $7,000+ pre-auction estimate.
A Franz Xavier Bergman Erotic Cold-Painted Figural Bronze: Dancing Girl, Vienna, Austria, circa 1900: Estimate: $2,500+.
A group of erotic bronzes by Franz Xavier Bergman, signed Nam Grab (Bergman in reverse, hiding his identity), with a hinged element that open to expose a hidden nude, are a special part of this auction, including an Erotic Cold-Painted Figural Bronze Dancing Girl, Vienna, Austria, circa 1900. It carries a pre-auction estimate of $2,500+.
Another interesting grouping is a significant gathering of Royal Copenhagen Flori Danica, each hand painted and originally designed as a diplomatic gift for the Russian Empress Catherine II, featuring a Covered Serving Dishwith an estimate of $2,000+.
Further highlights include, but are not limited to:
An Ernest Barrias (French, 1841-1905) Patinated Bronze Figure: Nature Revealing Herself, Paris, France, circa 1900: Estimate: $5,000+.
A Large Continental Gilt Bronze Figural Centerpiece, French, circa 1900: Estimate: $5,000+.
Louis XIV-Style Lacquered and Gilt Bronze Mounted Cabinet with Hard Stone Decoration and Marble Top, France, in part late 19th century: Estimate: $4,000+.
A Royal Copenhagen 25th Anniversary Porcelain Vase, Copenhagen, Denmark, 1868: Estimate: $3,000+.