CRANSTON, RI.- The 337-lot Fine & Decorative Art auction, starting at 6 pm Eastern time, will feature fine items pulled from estates and collections across New England. It’s online, with no live gallery bidding.

A figural oil painting by the acclaimed Indian artist B. Prabha (1933-2001) and an aristocratic portrait painting by Francis Cotes (U.K., 1726-1770) are expected headliners in an online-only Fine & Decorative Art auction slated for Monday, August 1st, by Bruneau & Co. Auctioneers, starting at 6 pm Eastern time. Internet bidding will be on multiple platforms.

More than just original artwork will come up for bid in the 337-lot auction, which will feature items largely pulled from prominent New England estates. “This auction offers a wide variety of items from Chinese ceramics to numismatics and fine jewelry,” said Travis Landry, a Bruneau & Co. auctioneer and the firm’s Director of Pop Culture. “There is something for nearly everyone.”

The 36 inch by 48 inch (sight, less frame) oil on canvas by B. Prabha depicts two bare-breasted blue skin women beside a third dressed in green and yellow. The work is signed and dated (“82”) and carries a pre-sale estimate of $20,000-$30,000. It is one of two paintings by B. Prabha in the sale. The other, depicting two women carrying fishing baskets, should realize $15,000-$25,000.

Paintings by B. Prabha have been offered before by Bruneau & Co. Auctioneers. In November 2021, a work titled Indian Women Painting sold for $38,750 against an estimate of $15,000-$20,000. B. Prabha entered the fine art world when very few Indian women were involved professionally. She worked on more than 50 exhibitions, both inside and outside of India.

The oil on canvas portrait painting by Francis Cotes depicts an aristocratic woman with dark hair, dressed in white with pearl and gold accents. A plaque affixed to the 36 inch by 31 inch frame is marked, “Mrs. Elizabeth Mannering / F. Cotes 1726-1770”. The work has a canvas area of 30 ¼ inches by 25 ¼ inches. It’s expected to bring $5,000-$10,000.




Cotes trained with the portrait painter George Knapton. His early works were often in pencil and pastel, but during the 1760's Cotes began to follow Reynold's portrait style. Cotes helped found the Society of Artists and became its director and was later invited to be one of the Royal Academy's first members. His work can be found in many galleries.

“This auction offers a great selection of 19th and early 20th century American art,” said Kevin Bruneau, the president of Bruneau & Co. Auctioneers and an auctioneer. The Anthony Thieme and Charles Cahoon are my favorites for sure.”

The oil on canvas by Anthony Thieme (Mass./Calif.,1888-1954), titled Buggy Ride, is an Impressionist depiction of a man in a buggy travelling down a dirt path lined by birch trees and autumnal foliage as birds fly about. The 30 inch by 36 inch painting (sight, less frame) is signed “A Thieme” lower left and carries a pre-sale estimate of $2,000-$3,000.

The oil on board work by Charles Drew Cahoon (Mass., 1861-1951) is an Impressionist depiction of a windswept sand dune framing a distant ocean. The 12 inch by 16 inch painting (sight, less frame) is signed lower right and there’s a plaque affixed to the frame marked, “Charles Drew Cahoon 1861-1951”. The work has an estimate of $1,000-$1,500.

The jewelry category will be led by a 17-inch, two-strand woven 18kt ladies’ gold chain necklace set with 25 diamonds, having a total weight (with stones) of 55.8g (est. $2,500-$3,500); and a David Yurman Chatelaine ring with a morganite center stone and pave bezel set in 18kt rose gold, size 7, 14mm, originally costing $5,500 (est. $1,800-$2,400).

A 19th century Tiffany & Company Westminster bracket mantel clock having a wood case with four brass finials housing a decorative face depicting putti and tendril elements should command $2,500-$3,500; while an 18th century south German marquetry penwork table cabinet with two ornately carved column and tendril doors opening to 15 drawers and one door decorated with landscapes and figures, is expected to rise to $2,500-$4,000.

A late 19th/early 20th century German Meissen porcelain plate showing a blonde, bare-breasted woman in flowing white diaphanous drapery accompanied by a winged nymph standing beside her in a forest, 9 ½ inches in diameter, should reach $300-$500. Also, a pair of white Chinese Qing Dynasty Fitzhugh gilt porcelain vases, with orange and gilt court scenes, butterflies, fans, vases and flowers, 10 ¼ inches tall, should hit $500-$800.

A preview is available by appointment the week of and day of sale, with doors opening at 9 am Eastern time. The preview will be held in the Cranston, Rhode Island gallery, located at 63 Fourth Avenue. The auction will begin at 6 pm EST. Bidding is available via absentee bidding, telephone or Internet, with a 20% buyer's premium (or 18% with cash, check or wire transfer).