LOS ANGELES, CA.- As we enter the beautiful Spring season John Moran Auctioneers is pleased to present their first Traditional Collector sale of the year. For those that love traditional style, get ready because this epic auction is spread over a two-day affair! Tuesday and Wednesday, April 25th & 26th starting at 10am, Moran’s will feature over 500 lots that include a Lavar Kerman pictorial carpet, a Bösendorfer piano, French jardinières, 17th century Japanese screens, Gorham Martele and Tiffany & Co. silver, Christofle Cardeilhac flatware, and art works by Felix Ziem, Mario Korbel, Francois Boucher, and Henri Beek.

Traditional collectors are sure to take notice of the fine hand-knotted Lavar Kerman pictorial carpet, measuring 8’ 9” x 5’ 8”. Located in the great desert of Southern Persia, Kerman has been an important trading and weaving center going back over 400 years. In the early 19th century during a period of civil conflict, the city of Kerman was burned down and many of the most skilled Kerman carpet weavers escaped to the Lavar, north of Kerman. These weavers created unusually finely woven and delicate pieces using a silky wood on a cotton foundation. Kerman carpets were some of the first antique Persian rugs to make their way to the west and the finest antique Kerman carpets became known as ‘Lavar Kermans’. Having an estimate of $40,000-60,000, this example from the 1920-1930s displays Persian historical figures, animal and foliate designs, and centered with a portrait of Reza Shah, an Iranian Monarch who was known for gaining real independence for Iran in the early 20th century.

The other headliner of the sale is a Bösendorfer Model 290 Imperial Concert Grand Piano. Bösendorfer pianos began in Vienna in 1900 by Ludwig Bösendorfer who created the first one for the Italian composer, conductor, and pianist, Ferruccio Busoni. Busoni realized that he needed an instrument that would be as powerful as an organ but have additional bass notes in order to accurately perform the masterpieces of J.S. Bach. Bösendorfer’s prototype had full 8 octaves in tonal range and was soon admired by other musicians who wanted to compose works simply to exploit the tremendous resonance of the instrument. Today, Bösendorfer pianos still evoke an extraordinary sound, and the timbre of the Imperial Grand can be described as orchestral. This single-owner example, valued $30,000-40,000, features 97 keys: a full eight octaves, sound board and rim case made of select naturally aged spruce.

Representing French interiors is a pair of jardinières and a Louis XVI-style commode. The French jardinières date back to the mid-19th century and were designed by the artist, Victor Paillard. Paillard opened his studio casting works in bronze in the 1830s, eventually becoming successful enough to employ nearly one hundred craftsmen. These porcelain and gilt bronze urns come with an estimate of $30,000-50,000. The Louis XVI-style commode after Jean-Henri Riesener, estimated $12,000-18,000, is from the early 20th century. Riesener was Marie Antoinette’s preferred cabinetmaker and was incontestably the greatest master of Louis XVI furniture. This large chest of drawers has a white marble top over a parquetry inlaid carcass with two long drawers that are flanked by concave cabinets and decorated with gilt-bronze figural mounts.

This sale will also offer a couple of Korean Joseon Dynasty blue and white porcelain vases, each estimated $5,000-7,000. The production of blue-and-white wares began in Korea around the mid-fifteenth century, the result of influence from the Ming dynasty (1368-1644) wares of China. In the early Joseon dynasty (1392-1910), the Koreans had to import ore from China to make cobalt blue. The first reference to a blue-and-white ware made using Korean ore comes from the annals of King Sejo’s reign (1455-68). Blue-and-white wares were mainly used in the Korean court and the households of the upper class during ancestral rites, but they were also used as utilitarian kitchenware and tableware.

For silver enthusiasts, a Tiffany & Co. Aesthetic Movement sterling silver tea service will make its way to the auction block. The 3-piece set, estimated $3,000-5,000, is designed with elaborate repousse floral designs and high-profile angular handles on a tea pot, a covered sugar bowl, and a creamer.

Highlighting the selection of fine art in this sale are works by Felix Francois Georges Philibert Ziem (1821-1911) and Henri Beek (1865-1929). Ziem was a French painter in the style of the Barbizon School, who also produced some Orientalist works. His oil painting, Venice is valued $4,000-6,000. Henri Beek was an American painter and teacher who paved the way for the development of 20th century American Realism. With an estimate of $2,000-3,000, Beek’s painting titled, Dutch Flower Market is an example of his works that focused on urban living.

Other artists featured include Federico del Campo, Pio Ricci, Johann Georg Stuhr, Giuseppe Magni, and Pietro Belloti.

—Brenda Smith, John Moran Auctioneers