The 1,189-lot auction will be held in the firm’s New Orleans showroom on St. Charles Avenue.
NEW ORLEANS, La. – Original oil paintings by Louisiana artist William Tolliver and British painter Alfred de Breanski, Sr., fine examples of Newcomb Pottery, a bronze figural sculpture by Leon Mignon, a Handel bronze patinated spelter Chinese-style lamp and a small Russian silver enamel icon of the Panagia Virgin of Kazan, will all be sold at auction, July 30th and 31st.
They’re just a few of the nearly 1,200 lots that will be sold to the highest bidder at Crescent City Auction Gallery’s two-day estates auction, to be held in the firm’s gallery located at 1330 St. Charles Avenue in New Orleans. Headlining the auction will be the estate of Merryl Israel Aron, who lived in the city’s Garden District, as well as numerous other local and Southern estates.
A native New Orleanian, Ms. Aron was an accomplished golfer, having won dozens of local and regional amateur golf championships prior to her death in December 2015 at age 102. She played with such famous golfers as Ben Hogan, Jimmy Demaret and Babe Didrikson Zaharis. Aron won 12 New Orleans city championships – the first in 1933, during the Depression, the last in 1954.
Start times will be 9 am Central time on Saturday, July 30th, and 10 am on Sunday, July 31st. The sale will be packed with original artwork (some of it by New Orleans and other regional artists); French, English and American period furniture pieces; antique French clocks; vintage lamps and lighting; Asian objects; Russian icons; estate jewelry pieces; decorative accessories and more.
The Newcomb Pottery includes pieces by Anna Frances Simpson, Sadie Irvine and Henrietta Bailey. The Handel Chinese-style lamp is from the early 20th century, 22 ¾ inches tall to the top of the finial and with a signed eight-curved-panel floral overlay slag glass shade (est. $1,500-$2,500). Also sold will be a pair of Tiffany favrile glass candlesticks and a glass flower frog.
The oil paintings by William Tolliver (La., 1951-2000) and Alfred de Breanski (Br., 1852-1928) both carry estimates of $6,000-$9,000. The Tolliver work is an artist-signed oil on canvas titled African Musician, 30 inches by 40 inches. The de Breanski painting is also an oil on canvas that was signed by the artist, titled Departing Day. It measures an impressive 40 inches by 69 inches.
The 19th century patinated bronze statue by the Belgian artist Leon Mignon (1847-1898), titled Young Punchinello, stands 21 ½ inches (with the base) and is estimated at $1,200-$1,800. The Russian silver enamel icon of the Panagia Virgin of Kazan, just 4 inches tall, is from the late 19th century, with a riza bearing the mark of Pavel Ovchinikov (“84”) and Moscow (est. $400-$600).
French furniture will feature a circa-1820 Louis XV-style carved mahogany double-door armoire, 111 ¼ inches tall (est. $1,800-$2,500); a 19th century Charles X marquetry inlaid walnut double-door armoire, 96 inches tall (est. $1,500-$2,500); and an outstanding Louis XV-style carved oak bombe curio cabinet, made circa 1900 and 98 inches in height (est. $1,500-$2,500).
Also offered will be a French Empire carved mahogany ormolu mounted marble top secretary commode, circa early 19th century (est. $1,200-$1,800); and a Louis Philippe carved mahogany marble-top secretary, also early 19th century (est. $800-$1,200). From this country, an American rococo mahogany full tester bed of the type crafted for the antebellum New Orleans market, made in the mid-19th century and 113 inches tall by 72 inches long, should hit $4,000-$6,000.
Works by regional artists will be offered in abundance. These will include an oil on board signed by Clarence Millet (1897-1959), titled French Quarter Patio in a gilt frame (est. $6,000-$9,000); several oils on canvas signed and dated by Don Wright (La., 1938-2007), including one (1975) titled Sunrise in the Swamp (est. $1,500-$2,500); and a circa 1970 oil on board by the famous African-American folk artist Clementine Hunter (1886-1987), titled Zinnias in a Yellow Pitcher (est. $2,500-$3,500).
Also sold will be an oil on canvas by Jack R. Meyers (La., 1930-1994), titled Washday at the Sharecropper’s Cabin, signed and dated 1975 (est. $2,500-$3,500); an oil on board by Rhoda Brady Stokes (La., 1902-1988), titled Two Cows to Milk, signed and dated 1970 (est. $1,000-$2,000); and a pastel work by Henry Casselli (b. 1946) titled Ballet Dancer (est. $3,000-$5,000).
Clocks will feature a mid-19th century French gilt bronze and white marble portico clock with time and strike (est. $1,000-$1,500); and a bronze and black marble figural mantel clock, made in the 19th century (est. $1,500-$2,500). Also sold will be a pair of Old Paris gilt campana form vases, circa 1840, 13 ¼ inches tall, with reserves of peasant dancing scenes (est. $2,000-$4,000).
A rare Asian patinated bronze and cloisonné Bodhisattva figure from the 19th century on a mahogany floriform stand, 40 ½ inches tall, carries a pre-sale estimate of $3,000-$5,000; while a late 19th century figural statue by the French artist Adrien Etienne Gaudez (1845-1902), titled Gloire Aux Grands Hommes, standing 22 ¼ inches tall, is expected to garner $1,500-$2,500.
Rounding out just some of the sale’s expected top earners, a set of four clear acrylic “Z” chairs, made in the 20th century by Haziza, 35 ¾ inches tall by 16 ¼ inches wide, should command $1,200-$1,800 for the set; and a pair of English-style cast stone circular planters, circa 20th century, with relief lions’ heads on the sides and nude Atlas supports on stepped plinth bases, should reach $500-$900
Internet bidding will be provided by LiveAuctioneers.com, Invaluable.com, and Bidsquare.com. Phone and absentee (left) bids will also be accepted. Preview exhibitions will be held from Thursday, July 21st, through Friday, July 29th, from 10 am to 5 pm (except on Sunday, when the gallery is closed). A late evening preview will be held Wednesday, July 27th, lasting until 8 pm.
A full color catalog is up now, online at www.crescentcityauctiongallery.com. A printed catalog is also available on request. Crescent City Auction Gallery is accepting quality consignments for all of its future auctions. To consign a single item, an estate or an entire collection, you may call them at (504) 529-5057; or, you can send them an e-mail: [email protected].
For more information about Crescent City Auction Gallery and the July 30th and 31st two-day estates auction, please visit www.crescentcityauctiongallery.com. Updates are posted frequently.