ALAMEDA, CA.- Michaan’s auction calendar is jam-packed with events in October, poised to meet the high demand for fine art and Asian art, estate furnishings and decorations, and fine jewelry. In addition to Michaan’s regularly scheduled monthly Gallery and Annex auctions, a special event will be held on October 15 --- Theme and Variations: 200 Years of Decorative Arts featuring Property from a Distinguished Alameda Estate. Using the Michaan’s app, bidders may begin vying for this fine property on October 1, ahead of the live event on the 15th. The sale includes fine furniture and decorative arts from 1820 to today, in styles as diverse as Georgian, Art Deco and Art Nouveau.
Once upon a time in Menlo Park -- in the mid- to late 19th century, long before there were tech innovators and venture capitalists -- there was a handful of vast country retreats, on land acquired by frontier barons from the original Spanish and Mexican rancheros. Michaan’s will auction, on October 15, a marvelous bedroom suite made for Thurlow Lodge, a 40-room mansion that was the grandest of the Menlo Park estates. Attributed to Maison Guéret Frères, Paris, "the design of the circa 1873 Japonesque suite is attributed to Herter Brothers, New York, one of America’s first interior design firms. Herter’s client was Milton Slocum Latham, second owner of the magnificent Menlo Park property; Latham’s name appears in pencil markings on various pieces. History aside, the furniture is amazing in its own right, with its fine carving in imitation of bamboo. The queen half tester bed, marble-topped dresser with large mirror, and end table are all crafted of fine maple with delicate marquetry and faux bamboo details. This fabulous auction find would be equally at home in a refined bedroom or a maximalist bohemian retreat in the style of Tony Duquette; estimated at $4,000-$6,000.
Fine furniture in the October 15 sale also includes the Art Deco Ruhlmann style inlaid secretary desk ($3,000-$5,000). Art Deco has lately risen to the forefront of interior design trends, bringing intrigue and luxury to modern spaces. A pair of Art Deco wrought and cast iron torcheres, attributed to Edgar Brandt, is estimated at $2,000-$3,000. Also in this auction is a good Wooton desk (($5,000-$7,000). The selection of Neo-Grec furniture from a private collection in Alameda, CA includes a fine music cabinet ($3,000-$5,000).
Michaan’s has a long history of selling art glass from the studios of Louis Comfort Tiffany. In the October 15 auction, a Tiffany Studios glass cameo vase is estimated at $6,000-$8,000.
From the collections of the historic Filoli estate in Woodside, CA, a tall sterling silver vase by Shreve & Co. is offered at $4,000-$6,000. Dirk van Erp’s riveted oak tree motif bowl will be sold on October 15, estimated at $1,500-$1,800. From the great American decorative arts firm, Bradley & Hubbard, the Aesthetic movement brass and enamel four-legged stand is estimated at $2,000-$3,000. The Smithsonian Institution holds an extensive collection of objects from the Bradley & Hubbard manufactory.
Porcelain collectors won’t want to miss the auction on October 15, when Michaan’s will offer several fine 19th century porcelain plaques. The large, round circa 1880 Vienna style charger plaque, elaborately embellished, centers a dramatic historical scene: the capture of queen and royal children after the death in battle of their king. Signed “A. Wallner,” it is estimated at $3,000-$4,000. The rectangular Vienna porcelain plaque features a scene from the Battle of Teutoburg Forest, marked “Austria” and signed “M. Morbach.” Presented in a carved giltwood frame, it is estimated at $2,000-$3,000. Property from a collector of Napoleon-related porcelain will be offered, as well as fine porcelain from the early 20th century: the set of 12 Flora Danica plates by Royal Copenhagen is estimated at $5,000-$8,000.
Highlights of the October 15 sale also include a French silver-plated duck press, a must for the Francophile cook and essential to the creation of caneton à la presse, a specialty of the legendary Tour d’Argent restaurant, Paris. Michaan’s estimates the French silver-plated duck press at $2,000-$3,000.
On Saturday, October 16, Michaan’s Gallery Auction features French bronzes, the paintings of Mexican fine artists, Mughal style Indian jewelry and rare Chinese cloisonné. Fine jewelry is the heart of the auction. Highlights include antique emerald, diamond and pearl drop earrings; carved coral and jade jewelry; Victorian pieces of onyx and seed pearls; and high karat Chinese gold jewelry, which has been a top seller at Michaan’s this year. Fine estate diamonds will be sold. The ladies’ French Art Deco, enamel and 18k gold wristwatch is a vintage charmer estimated at $400-$600.
October’s fine art at Michaan’s includes a bronze lion ($3,000-$5,000) by Antoine-Louis Barye (1795-1875), one of the great artists of the French animalier school. Erté’s cold-painted bronze, “La Plume,” is estimated at $2,000-$4,000. Paintings include “Flight to the Moon” by Leonardo Nierman (Mexican, b. 1932) and a portrait in oil of a young girl by Horacio Renteria Rocha (1912-1972), each estimated at $1,000-$2,000. A fine selection of American paintings is offered, such as Ira Yeager’s “Sophisticated Dachshund” ($3,000-$5,000). San Francisco artists featured at Michaan’s in October include Anna Elizabeth Klumpke (1856-1942) and Geer Morton (b. 1935).
Michaan’s Asian Art Department offers wonderful opportunities to October bidders. The 16-inch Sino-Tibetan bronze deity, seated in meditation on a double-lotus base, is estimated at $9,000- $15,000. The rare Chinese cloisonné enamel piece has three parts, a stem tray with cup and cover; estimated at $800-$1,200, it is beautifully decorated in brilliant colors and bears an incised four-character Qianlong mark. A highlight in this sale is the porcelain water buffalo with oxblood flambé glaze, finely modeled in a recumbent position ($1,500-$2,500). Famille rose porcelains and carved jade will also be sold on October 15.
Preceding the special Estates and Collections Auction and the monthly Gallery Auction is Michaan’s three-day Annex Auction, October 11-13. This popular live auction of over 2,000 lots can be easily accessed in the Michaan’s app.
