Auction PR Publicity Announcements News and Information
Auction PR Publicity Announcements News and Information

NEARLY 1,500 LOTS, PULLED FROM ESTATES INSIDE AND OUTSIDE OF ATLANTA, WILL BE SOLD AT AHLERS & OGLETREE’S NEW YEAR’S AUCTION, JANUARY 14-16

The Signature Estates Auction will be held in the firm’s Atlanta showroom, at 715 Miami Circle.

ATLANTA, Ga. – A gilt bronze sculpture signed by Italian artist Arnaldo Pomodoro (b. 1926), a hand-modeled redware figure of a reclining whippet by noted Shenandoah Valley potter Solomon Bell (1817-1882), a dazzling GIA-certified 6.68-carat brown diamond engagement ring; and a hand-signed Marina Edition etching on paper by Pablo Picasso will all come for bid Jan. 14-16.

Hand-signed Marina Edition etching on paper with decked edges by Pablo Picasso, a print from circa 1959 titled Man on Horseback (est. $8,000-$12,000).
Hand-signed Marina Edition etching on paper with decked edges by Pablo Picasso, a print from circa 1959 titled Man on Horseback (est. $8,000-$12,000).
They’re just a few of the 1,492 lots that will be sold at Ahlers & Ogletree’s New Year’s Signature Estates Auction, to be held in the firm’s gallery at 715 Miami Circle (Suite 210) in Atlanta. Featured will be many wonderful examples of Americana, nearly 200 lots of estate jewelry and watches and more, mostly pulled from many prominent, fine estates and collections.

Up for bid will be a large and important private collection from Greenwich, Conn.; property from the estate of John L. Roper II of Norfolk, Va. (the former CEO of Norfolk Shipping and Drydock Corp.); and fine jewelry and furs from the estate of Diane Smith McGiver. Internet bidding will be facilitated by LiveAuctioneers.com, Invaluable.com, BidSquare.com and the Ahlers & Ogletree app available for iPhone and Android.

The Pomodoro sculpture is gilt bronze on a wood plinth base, titled Lettera Solare (1977), and depicts interwoven planes of mechanical spokes orbiting a circular disk, suggesting captured light rays. The bas-relief panel sculpture is 19 inches tall and has a pre-sale estimate of $18,000- $24,000. Pomodoro’s work is on view at the Vatican Museum and at the United Nations building.

The Solomon Bell redware figure of a whippet (or greyhound) was executed around 1832 and is rare, early and important, as the Bell whippet remains one of the most iconic and highly-prized forms of Shenandoah Valley (Va.) pottery. The dog sits atop an oblong base with multi-glaze, most likely lead, copper and manganese oxide. The 7 ¼ inch piece should hit $15,000-$30,000.

The GIA-certified modern diamond engagement ring, with a $40,000-$60,000 estimate, boasts a 6.68-carat natural fancy light brown round brilliant cut center diamond with VS2 clarity and a strong blue fluorescence, flanked by six prong-set tapered baguette cut diamonds weighing 1.5 carats, mounted on three joined bands – a platinum center and two 14kt white gold outer bands.

Pablo Picasso (Sp., 1881-1973) is represented in the sale with a circa-1959 etching on paper with decked edges titled Man on Horseback. It’s expected to realize $8,000-$12,000. The figural Spanish Cubist print depicts an abstract scene with a man on horseback, with an inscription to the upper right. The 20 inch by 25 ¾ inch etching (less the frame) is graphite signed by Picasso.

The sale’s expected top lot is a stunning oil on canvas painting by the renowned Hudson River School artist Worthington Whittredge (Am., 1820-1910), titled Campers in the Blue Ridge Mountains, artist-signed lower right. The painting depicts a stony stream surrounded by dense forest, with a group of figures in the background shown building a small fire in a bright stream-side clearing.

The classic Hudson River School painting captures the essence of American Transcendentalism. Measuring 23 inches by 34 inches, it’s expected to bring $40,000-$60,000. Several documents are available that attest to the work’s impeccable provenance, including correspondences relating to a former curator at the High Museum of Atlanta and one for a restoration effort done in 1974.

The Asian category will be led by a fine palatial Chinese Export porcelain punch bowl (or center bowl) hand-painted in the Thousand Butterfly rose medallion decoration, with a pre-sale estimate of $5,000-$7,000; and a circa 1900s large gilt bronze and copper alloy figure of the bodhisattva Quanyin, shown standing on a lotus throne base, 41 ½ inches tall, expected to hit $3,000-$5,000.

A 19th century hand-woven flat weave wool Serapi rug, in many colors in a geometric foliate and animal motif, 18 feet 4 inches by 11 feet 6 inches, should make $6,000-$12,000; while a tapering scenic vase made in 1929 by Sadie Irvine (Am., 1887-1970) for Newcomb College (La., 1880-1940), 9 ¼ inches tall, in blue tones with a banded neck, should change hands for $3,000-$5,000.

Silver lots will include a mid-20th century 126-piece fine and heavy silverplate flatware set by Christofle (French, founded 1830 in the Perles pattern (designed in 1890), estimated to bring $5,000-$7,000; and an important, circa 1920s International Silver Company (American, founded 1898) silver plated Meriden lighthouse for cocktail shaker, expected to breeze to $3,000-$5,000.

Clocks and watches will feature a rare, early 18th century pair-cased verge escapement sterling silver and brass pocket or clock watch by James Banks (English, 18th century) and Bartholomew Barwell (Br./Am., active in New York 1749-1760), with an estimate of $5,000-$7,000; and an equally scarce early brass lantern timepiece lantern clock by Josph Knibb (English, 1640-1711), made circa 1655-1660, with a “Lothbury” frame, 15 inches tall, with a $4,000-$6,000 estimate.

Furniture will include a mid-to-late 18th century American-made Queen Anne mahogany highboy or dresser on a stand, unmarked, 77 ¼ inches tall, having a molded cornice in two parts, expected to sell for $4,000-$6,000; and a circa 1970s Mid-Century Modern sofa made by Milo Baughman (Am., 1923-2003) for Thayer Coggin (American, founded 1953), upholstered in the original amethyst velvet and having a rectangular back, 75 ½ inches wide, with a $2,000-$4,000 estimate.

Previews will be held Monday through Thursday, Jan. 9-12, from 10-6; and on Friday, Jan. 13, from 10-2. A preview party will be held on Thursday, Jan. 12, that will run from 6 pm until 9 pm.

Ahlers & Ogletree is a multi-faceted, family-owned business that spans the antiques, estate sale, wholesale, liquidation, auction and related industries. Ahlers & Ogletree is always seeking quality consignments for future auctions. To consign an item, an estate or a collection, you may call them at 404-869-2478; or, you can send them an e-mail, to [email protected].

To learn more about Ahlers & Ogletree and the firm’s upcoming New Year’s Signature Estates Auction planned for Jan. 14-16, visit www.AandOAuctions.com. Updates are posted often. You can also follow Ahlers & Ogletree on social media, on Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest and Facebook.