CRANSTON, RI.- Bruneau & Co. Auctioneers’ online-only Antiques & Fine Art auction on Thursday, July 23rd, will kick off with vibrant paintings by Indian artists Maqbool Fida Hussain (1913-2011) and B. Prabha (1933-2001). They will be followed by more than 300 lots, collected from estates across New England. Everything will be sold to the highest bidder, with no reserves.

Lot 1 is a Modernist-Cubist watercolor painting by Maqbool Fida Hussain (often called “the Picasso of India”), depicting a galloping golden horse illuminated by the sun with a floating hand. The work, 20 inches by 30 inches (sight), is accompanied by a certificate of authenticity from Hussain’s son, Shafat, stating it was done in 2002. The painting should hit $8,000-$12,000.

Lot 2 is an oil on canvas Portrait of a Young Woman by B. Prabha, who entered the art world when few Indian women were involved professionally, and worked on over 50 exhibitions inside and outside of India. The portrait is of a beautiful Indian woman with red top, yellow Ghoonghat and gold hoop earrings. The 19 ¾ inch by 15 ¾ inch canvas has an estimate of $7,000-$10,000.

“Man, is this an action-packed catalog,” enthused Travis Landry, a Bruneau & Co. auctioneer and the firm’s Director of Pop Culture. “From modern Indian art to Qing Dynasty porcelain, I’m sure there will be a large crowd bidding online. Typically, I’m excited to hammer something down, but this time I’m excited to accept bids behind a computer. It is sure to be a fun auction.”

The Qing Dynasty porcelain Mr. Landry referred to includes a Chinese famille rose plaque that’s exceptionally well painted and depicts two figures with a calligraphic poem and signatures. The plaque measures 17 ½ inches by 10 ¼ inches and has some very light wear to the faint details but is otherwise in very good overall condition. The plaque is expected to finish at $2,000-$4,000.

Returning to fine art, a colorful egg tempera on paper depiction of an angelic figure in abstract by David Clyde Driscoll (Md./Washington, D.C., 1931-2020), titled Masked Angel on verso, 14 ½ inches by 12 ½ inches (22 inches by 20 inches framed), is estimated to fetch $3,000-$5,000. David Clyde Driscoll studied with James A. Porter, for whom he accredits his notable career.




A vibrant (and authentic) blue, green, yellow and red depiction of Peter Max’s (Germany/N.Y., b. 1937) iconic Liberty Head image, is expected to reach $3,000-$5,000. The acrylic on canvas on a TriMar stretcher measures 24 inches by 24 inches. Also offered will be two estate fresh oil on canvas board paintings by the American en plein air artist Abbott Fuller Graves (1859-1936).

The second portion of the catalog will offer an eclectic mix of decorative arts, crystal, porcelain, furniture, jewelry, Asian arts and modern design. In addition to the famille rose plaque, other Asian highlights will include a second Chinese porcelain table screen, a Chinese Qing Dynasty dragon and phoenix vase, a Chinese gilt bronze lute pipa form censer and other wonderful items.

Furniture will be led by a set of six Limbert #1171 Ebon-Oak Mission dining chairs (Michigan, circa 1900), comprising five side chairs and one arm chair with inlaid ebony geometric design on a splat (est. $1,000-$1,500); a fine 19th century Federal satin inlaid mahogany breakfast table; a French Country inlaid mahogany table; and two Louis XVI demilune gilt white console tables.

Within the furniture offerings will be a nice selection of modern design, including a Schubert Industries whiskey barrel suite, Dillingham furniture, Milo Baughman for Thayer Coggin, and many pieces of Danish and American mid-century modern furniture. Throughout the sale there will be more than 40 lots of fine jewelry, including a diamond and sapphire bracelet earing suite.

Other noteworthy lots include a circa 1900 antique Persian Bidjar Oriental wool carpet rug, 18 feet 7 inches by 11 feet 11 inches, having a royal blue center decorated with a floral vine pattern within layered floral borders (est. $1,500-$2,500); and a GV-1 Lancaster Glass pictorial pint railroad flask, grey-blue in color and embossed “Success to the Railroad” on both sides and a decoration of a train, 6 ¼ inches tall, with great color and mold impression (est. $600-$900).

“Having to adjust to an online-only crowd has been an interesting task to say the least,” said Bruneau president Kevin Bruneau. “While we miss our in-house customers, it is for their safety we host the auctions online only. We could never fit everyone in the gallery with proper social distancing. If anyone has any questions, they can call or email the gallery. We are here to help.”

Internet bidding will be facilitated by LiveAuctioneers.com, Invaluable.com, Bidsquare.com and bidLIVE.Bruneauandco.com, plus the mobile app “Bruneau & Co.” on iTunes or GooglePlay. Phone and absentee bids will also be taken. The auction will start promptly at 6 pm Eastern time.