PITTSFIELD, MASS.- Fontaine’s important Fine and Decorative Arts auction on Saturday, January 28, at 11 am, will tick off all the boxes for major collecting categories. There will be standouts among Tiffany lighting and leaded glass windows as well as diamond jewelry, paintings, bronzes, silver tea services, American and European furniture, porcelain and much more. The 550-lot auction sourced fine material from estates as far away as Los Angeles and Florida as well as up and down New England. Bidding is available via internet, phone and absentee methods.
As is usually the case here, the glamorous and beautifully-executed designs from Tiffany Studios take center stage and there are over 75 lots of Tiffany items in this auction.
Stellar Tiffany Studios floor lamps, in rich-colored leaded glass and patinated bronze, have performed quite well here in recent auctions. This auction presents such standouts as a “Curtain Border” floor lamp ($80/120,000), circa 1910, 78½ inches tall, impressed “Tiffany Studios, New York, 5364” on the shade and “Tiffany Studios, New York, 375” on the base, and a “Peony” floor lamp ($70/90,000), circa 1910, shade impressed “Tiffany Studios, New York, 1505-14” and “Tiffany Studios, New York, 379” on the base, 64 inches tall. Other notable Tiffany lighting include a “Moorish” and “Turtle-Back” chandelier ($60/$80,000), circa 1905, 38 by 16 inches; and a “Poppy” table lamp ($50/70,000), circa 1910, 21¾ inches tall.
Pictorial Tiffany leaded glass windows also make collectors sit up and take notice and an expected highlight is a Tiffany Studios “Jesus in a Field of Lilies” window ($80/120,000), circa 1898, from leaded, plated and confetti glass amid a wrought iron frame. The window makes a commanding presence and measures 9 feet 11 inches by 7 feet 5 inches.
The above window is one of six leaded glass windows crossing the block, to include a pair of Tiffany Studios Gothic Revival windows ($20/30,000), circa 1910, with fine mottling and a vibrant color palette, 64 ¾ by 32 ¾ inches (framed).
Besides lighting and windows comes a circa 1853 Tiffany & Co. sterling silver seven-piece tea and coffee service ($30/50,000), embellished with Grecian and classical imagery; and a Tiffany Studios “Agate” favrile glass cabinet vase ($3/5,000), circa 1898, standing 1¾ inches tall.
Art glass collectors will want to take note of the collection of Elissa Braunstein, New York, in this sale, ranging from Tiffany favrile and Quetzal vases to Loetz silver overlay vases and more. Highlights from Braunstein’s collection include a circa 1902 Tiffany Studios favrile glass decorated vase having a brown background with gilt swirls ($2/3,000), 4½ inches tall, and a circa 1915 iridescent Loetz vase ($1,5/2,500), 9½ inches tall.
The jewelry selection in the sale features a top-notch collection from a Los Angeles estate of statement pieces featuring yellow diamonds. The offerings will be led by an 18K white gold, yellow gold and diamond ring ($30/$50,000) centered by a 10+-carat intense yellow square radiant cut diamond accented by round brilliant diamonds and a very similar 18K yellow gold ring with a 9-carat yellow diamond, also estimated at $30/50,000. A fine companion piece is an 18K white gold, yellow gold and diamond necklace ($20/30,000) composed of radiant cut fancy light yellow diamonds framed by round brilliant diamonds, totaling 58.4 carats.
Furniture offerings seldom dominate the auction landscape here but when pieces come up, they are typically notable such as a monumental and lavishly decorated American figural carved oak dining room set ($20/30,000), late 19th century, comprising a table with six leaves, china cabinet, sideboard, two armchairs and two side chairs. There is also an American carved oak tall case clock with a J.J. Elliott movement ($15/25,000), late 19th century, carved with angels, scrollwork, filigree and a mythical face, standing 97½ inches tall, and a J.& J.W. Meeks five-piece “Hawkins” parlor set in laminated rosewood ($15/25,000), circa 1850, comprising two sofas, two side chairs and an armchair.
While much of the auction material comes from fine estates throughout New England, it’s not unusual for Fontaine’s to take in fine consignments from far and away. This auction stretches to two coasts, from Los Angeles to Florida and many states in between. A signed William Lester Stevens (American, 1888-1969) oil on canvas, “Village in the Winter” ($20/30,000) comes out of a fine private collection in Florida but its subject matter is decidedly more in keeping with New England. The 45-by-50 inch framed painting has already been attracting much presale interest online.
Rounding out the auction are a monumental Swiss Black Forest carved figural clock with matching stand, Ulrich Leuthold, Lucerne ($15/25,000), circa 1880, 85 inches tall overall, surmounted by an elaborately carved eagle above three mountain goats; a Roman Bronze Works patinated bronze sculpture of “The Wounded Bunkie,” after Frederic Remington ($15/25,000), the first of 250 castings, 20½ by 31 by 11 inches; and a pair of large Italian carved marble sphinxes, Vanini, Milan ($12/16,000), 19th century, each inscribed "Ditta Ing. Vanini / Milano,” 33 by 19 by 60½ inches. The Vanini family has been a familial dynasty of architects and engineers recorded for generations in both Milan and Florence, Italy.
Fontaine’s Auction Gallery is the oldest operating auction gallery in Western Massachusetts. It has earned the trust of collectors, investors and gallery owners worldwide. All cataloged lots receive nationwide exposure to the firm’s database of more than 27,500 select buyers. Fontaine’s Auction Gallery has been voted “Best Antique Auction Gallery” eight times by the public.
Fontaine’s is actively seeking quality items for all upcoming auctions, to include furniture, lighting, art glass, clocks and watches, paintings, porcelains, bronze and marble statuary, Asian items, art glass and cameo glass, Russian objects, silver, musical, coin-op, advertising, toys, banks, gaming and carousel items.
