The auction will be held in the firm’s gallery, at 24022 Whyte Hardee Blvd. in Hardeeville, S.C.
(HARDEEVILLE, S.C.) – A signed Marc Lalique cactus table, 19th and 20th century furniture, estate jewelry, antique timepieces, vintage lighting, sterling silver and more will be sold over two days on Sept. 21-22 by Gallery 95 Auction, in the firm’s gallery at 24022 Whyte Hardee Boulevard in Hardeeville, S.C., just north of Savannah, Ga.
In all, around 500+ lots will cross the auction block, most of them selected from prominent local estates and collections and all of them fresh to the market. Every lot can be seen online, via the Gallery 95 Auction website, at www.gallery95auction.com. Internet bidding will be facilitated by LiveAuctioneers.com. Phone and absentee bids will also be taken.
“Collectors and buyers are out there, they only want the very best, and we think that’s what they’ll be getting in this auction,” said Mark Thibodeau, a partner at Gallery 95 Auction. “What we’re seeing is the gradual downsizing by the baby boom generation, and wonderful pieces and estates are presenting themselves as a result. That is the way moving forward for us.”
Thibodeau said embracing the new technology is key to harnessing the future of the auction business. “Gone are the days of country sales held for a local crowd and no one else,” he said. “Because of the Internet and social media, it’s now possible to reach a vast audience, worldwide in fact. We try to maximize technology in every possible way.”
The Lalique cactus table is the expected top lot of the auction. It retails for over $120,000 in the U.S. Gallery 95 has assigned it a modest pre-sale estimate of 25,000-$50,000. The museum-quality table was designed in the early 1950s and is one of the most influential and important pieces ever made by Lalique. It’s 66 inches in diameter is signed Lalique.
One of the superstars of the furniture category is a tiger oak Victorian Gothic sideboard attributed to renowned American furniture maker R. J. Horner. The piece is abundantly carved with griffins, lions and scrolling foliate. It is 56 inches tall by 78 inches wide by 26 inches deep.
Lamps and lighting will feature a pair of monumental Beaux Arts meticulously cast bronze lamps in the form of scrolling griffins and foliate attributed to Caldwell lighting, 24 inches tall; and a circa-1910 Arts and Crafts lamp with open metal work shade and slag glass inserts resting on five figural frog feet.
Asian objects will include a two-section Tibetan silver temple burner depicting a foo dog emerging from a lotus atop concentric levels of elaborately scrolled metalwork representing dragons, foliate, basket weaves and Arabic characters, 27 inches tall; and a set of ten circa-1910 Kornilov Brothers (St. Petersburg, Russia) plates, 9 ½ inches in diameter, executed in gold and colored enameling.
Estate jewelry will include a striking Danish Modern 18kt yellow gold and amethyst ring by Georg Jensen, (No. 813), ring size 9, with impressed company marks; and a Clifton Nicholson, Jr. sterling and malachite necklace, 23 inches, with a centered fully modeled sterling lemur flanked by 48 graduating hand-formed, polished malachite beads.
Timepieces will feature an Italian rococo-style mantle clock by Imperial, with a black marble base, center panel and urn. Also offered is a vintage Camille LeTellac hand-enameled porcelain platter with exotic bird and foliate motif on a highly figured gilt background.
Returning to furniture, lots will include a gorgeous burled walnut Victorian Renaissance three-piece bedroom suite with a high-back three-quarter bed, a marble-top dresser with beveled mirror, and a shaped marble-top commode with beveled mirror; and a circa 1800-1840 booked mahogany American Empire secretary with two-door bookcase top, majestic at 76 inches tall.
Other American Classical pieces will feature a circa-1840 mahogany recamier, 86 inches long, with exaggerated scrolling head and foot rests; and a circa-1850 mahogany gaming table with folding, pivoting rectangular top over a conforming apron with concealing compartment, and on four acanthus and paw feet.
Rounding out a list of just some of the expected top lots is a lovely 41-piece European cut crystal stemware set. Start times for the auction will be 6 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 21, and 1 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 22. Previews will be held on Thursday and Friday, Sept. 19-20, from 11-3; Saturday, Sept. 21, from 3-6 p.m., and Sunday, from 11 a.m. until the first gavel falls at 1 p.m.
Over the years, Gallery 95 Auction has grown from a small antiques shop into one of the largest full-service auction companies in South Carolina. The climate-controlled, 12,000-square-foot gallery in Hardeeville is located right off Interstate 95, five minutes from the Georgia state line. It has a 10-foot projection screen, snack bar, loading docks, covered entry and free parking.
Gallery 95 Auction offers several selling and buying options, such as live gallery auctions with live online bidding, live streaming, traditional auctions and online-only specialty auctions. All auctions are heavily promoted worldwide through online marketing, traditional print media and illustrated catalogs on the Internet. General and specialty auctions are conducted year-round.
Gallery 95 Auction is always accepting quality consignments for future auctions. To consign an item, an estate or a collection, you may call them at ((843) 784-5006; or, you can send them an e-mail them at [email protected]. To learn more about Gallery 95 Auction and the upcoming Sept. 21-22 multi-estate sale, log on to www.gallery95auction.com