OAK PARK, ILL.- On Sunday, March 14,
Toomey & Co. Auctioneers will conduct a Fine Art + Furniture & Decorative Arts sale, featuring over 400 lots of fine and decorative artworks, furniture, art pottery, lighting, metalwork, jewelry, and more. Represented in the auction are various luminaries of art and design from the early 20th century and before from Chicago, across America, and abroad. Logistical details for the sale and bidding instructions are provided in depth below.
Highlights of Fine Art + Furniture & Decorative Arts on March 14
Two paintings by French artists stand out in fine art: post-impressionist Henri Martin’s pointillist portrait, Femme au Fleurs (Woman with Flowers), circa 1903 ($20,000-30,000 estimate), is a light-filled composition presenting a robed figure holding a bouquet and Ernest Guérin’s triptych, Penmarc'h, Bretagne ($3,000-5,000), shows a rural church scene with an expansive horizon. Paintings by Americans include Dana Ripley Pond’s finely rendered Portrait of Two Girls, 1901 ($8,000-12,000) and Oak Park artist Carl Krafft’s Ozark Autumn, 1937 ($1,000-2,000). Chicago art features two WPA-era woodblocks by Charles Turzak (higher $600-800) and three oil paintings by Louise Dunn Yochim (highest $800-1,200).
Collectors of art prints have much to choose from with over 30 lots from the likes of American impressionist Childe Hassam as well as Regionalist pioneers Grant Wood, of American Gothic fame, and Thomas Hart Benton (highest $2,000-3,000). The auction also has multiple woodcuts by masters of the genre Gustave Baumann and Frances Hammell Gearhart (highest $4,000-6,000).
An array of American Arts & Crafts furniture from Gustav Stickley will be on offer: an early bookcase ($5,000-7,000), a chest of drawers ($4,000-6,000), a Morris chair ($3,000-5,000), an early piano bench ($3,000-5,000), and a gong with stand ($2,000-3,000). An elaborate early sideboard from Stickley Brothers and a Charles P. Limbert Co. café chair will also be available (each $3,000-5,000). Art pottery includes two matte green glazed ceramic Teco vases by William J. Dodd (higher $3,000-5,000) and a Sea Green example with catfish by Fred Rothenbusch for Rookwood ($2,500-3,500).
Another vase worthy of mention is a Louis Comfort Tiffany / Tiffany Studios porcelain example with embossed mushrooms under flambé glaze ($7,000-9,000). The auction also has multiple vases by Louis Comfort Tiffany made from his trademark Favrile glass, including a Floriform example with ruffled rim ($3,000-5,000), and a range of dramatic Tiffany Studios lighting with Favrile glass, such as a six-light chandelier ($15,000-25,000), a Turtleback table lamp ($15,000-25,000), and a Moorish double student lamp with Damascene shades ($8,000-12,000).
Metalwork is led by Gorham Mfg. Co.’s Aesthetic Movement punch bowl in silver and copper with grape cluster handles ($25,000-35,000). In addition, various sterling silver items from the Kalo Shop, Chicago’s renowned Arts & Crafts maker, will be part of the sale, including a large oval serving tray, a presentation pitcher, and a round footed bowl (highest $1,500-2,500). Other metalwork from Chicago includes a Robert Riddle Jarvie bronze candlestick ($800-1,200) and an oversized copper teapot from Jane Addams’ Hull House ($800-1,200). Two additional copper items of note are Dirk van Erp’s jardiniere ($2,500-3,500) and an American Beauty vase from The Roycrofters ($2,000-3,000).
The auction will conclude with jewelry and timepieces. Arts & Crafts jewelry works from the Kalo Shop, Peer Smed, and others (highest $800-1,200) will be followed by Mexican designs from Margot de Taxco and Williams Spratling (highest $400-600) and some fine Vintage examples, like a mid-century 14K white gold and diamond ladies ring, an 18K yellow gold and green jade ladies bracelet, and a 14K yellow gold Dogwood clip brooch by George Schuler for Tiffany & Co. (highest $2,000-3,000). Finally, two watches are particularly striking: a Rolex GMT-Master Oyster Perpetual wristwatch, circa 1978 ($5,000-7,000), and an IWC International Watch Co. GST Chronograph, circa 2006 ($3,000-5,000).
Bidding in Fine Art + Furniture & Decorative Arts on March 14
Fine Art + Furniture & Decorative Arts on Sunday, March 14 will start at 10:00 a.m. CDT — with Daylight Savings Time beginning earlier that morning. The sale will take place at Toomey & Co. Auctioneers, 818 North Boulevard, Oak Park, Illinois. However, in light of COVID-19, the auction will not be open to the public. Bidders may participate by phone (708-383-5234) or leave absentee bids (info@toomeyco.com). The catalog is available online at toomeyco.com and early registration is recommended. In addition, bids may be placed via two real-time, third-party digital platforms (LiveAuctioneers and Invaluable). Prior to the sale, preview is available virtually and by appointment. Those interested should contact info@toomeyco.com to request further condition information or schedule a preview time.
Upcoming Auctions and Consignments
The spring schedule at Toomey & Co. Auctioneers will include four sales: Interiors on Thursday, April 22; Modern Design + Post-War & Contemporary Art on Thursday, May 20; Fine Art + Furniture & Decorative Arts on Sunday, June 6; and Keramics & Rookwood: American & European Art Pottery on Thursday, June 17.
