SAVANNAH, GA.- Everard Auctions’ Feb. 13-14, 2024 Winter Sale offers a beautiful array of fine and decorative art from prominent Southeastern estates and long-held collections. Main categories include Southern regional art, books and manuscripts; Middle Eastern art, fine jewelry, and Asian art and furniture. Many high-end fine and decorative artworks came to Everard from the Hilton Head Island, S.C., estates of a former GE international executive and a UBS Zurich executive. Each of the gentlemen kept meticulous records and retained receipts documenting the purchases made during their years of living abroad.

A pair of graceful 17th-century Chinese Qing Dynasty yoke-back huanghuali side chairs with inset rattan seats is entered with a $10,000-$15,000 estimate. The duo is part of a remarkable collection of huanghuali and blackwood furniture (e.g., 17th-century low table, 18th-century horseshoe-back armchair, etc.) from the GE executive’s estate. The side chairs will convey to their new owner with an original 1989 receipt from Schoeni Fine Oriental Art in Hong Kong. Four 18th-century Chinese K'ossu silk framed chair covers from the same estate comprise a group lot estimated at $4,000-$6,000. Each displays a hand-colored motif of pheasants sitting on rocks beside a peony tree, with additional imagery of butterflies, cranes, gourd, peaches, a bat, and a pavilion on clouds and rolling waves. Provenance includes their 1997 purchase from Teresa Coleman Fine Arts Ltd in Hong Kong.

From the UBS executive’s estate comes a monumental (55in x 64¾in) 1979 work by Lebanese artist Adel Saghir (1930-2020) titled Heavenly Bounty. One of two Saghirs in the auction, it is estimated at $8,000-$12,000. Adel Saghir studied at the Académie Libanaise des Beaux-Arts and trained in the studio of Maryette Charlton at the American University of Beirut. He furthered his studies at the Academy of Fine Arts in Munich before settling permanently in the United States. Saghir’s paintings have been widely exhibited, and his work can be found in many museum and corporate collections. The second Saghir oil-on-canvas in the auction, titled Dance and signed and dated ’70, is estimated at $3,000-$5,000. An Asian treasure from the same estate, a 17th/18th-century Ming Dynasty Sino-Tibetan gilt bronze Buddha, is expected to reach $8,000-$12,000. Its line of provenance includes ownership by R Laquerod, Zurich, in 1934.

Collectors of Savannah regional art never tire of the atmospheric paintings of Myrtle Jones (Savannah, 1913-2005), which typically depict scenes of everyday life in Savannah, including urban streetscapes, buildings, landscapes, and portraits of locals. Everard Auctions takes pride in offering several Myrtle Jones paintings in their February sale, including her acrylic-on-canvas work Savannah City Hall and Factors Walk, which is estimated at $4,000-$6,000.

Also of great regional interest is a 1948 watercolor by the celebrated American singer-songwriter Johnny Mercer (Georgia/New York, 1909-1976). Mercer was born in Savannah, where his first job was sweeping floors at Leopold’s Ice Cream. He was educated in Virginia before moving to New York to establish his highly successful career in the music business. He wrote and composed music for Broadway and films, in addition to co-founding Capitol Records and serving as the first president of the Songwriter’s Hall of Fame. An inlet near Mercer’s hometown of Savannah is named “Moon River” as an homage to him and the classic song (from Breakfast at Tiffany’s) whose lyrics he wrote. The auction watercolor, titled Woman Walking in the Rain, carries a pre-sale estimate of $800-$1,200.

Other notable works include several paintings and drawings by Ray Ellis (SC/Mass., 1921-2013). Known primarily for his coastal seascapes, Ellis attended the Philadelphia Museum School of Art and had his first solo exhibition at the prestigious Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts. In the early 1980s, Ellis collaborated with TV news legend Walter Cronkite to publish a series of books celebrating North American coastlines. Ellis’ work can be found in galleries, museums and private collections across the country, as well as in the White House and various US embassies. The auction includes an Ellis oil titled Rounding the Point, which is estimated at $6,000-$8,000.

A glass sculpture by Walter Furlan (Italian, b. 1931-), titled Omaggio a Picasso, is estimated at $5,000-$7,000. Known for his colorful glass sculptures, many of which reimagine works by Pablo Picasso, Furlan began working in glass at an early age, apprenticing under Mamaracio and other masters of Italian glass artistry after World War II. In what could only be regarded as a major coup, Furlan was granted permission by Picasso himself to reinterpret art from the great Spaniard’s Cubist period. In his lifetime, Furlan exhibited his striking body of work across Italy, with some of his sculptures ultimately joining international museums and private collections.

The Books and Manuscript section includes John James Audubon’s classic 7-volume octavo edition of The Birds of America, from Drawings Made in the United States and Their Territories. Published in 1856 by V G Audubon, New York, the volumes retain all 500 hand-colored stone-lithograph plates. J J Audubon, arguably the most revered of all American ornithologists, was instrumental to the 1905 establishment of the National Audubon Society, which is dedicated to the conservation and restoration of natural ecosystems. Over the course of his career, Audubon was credited with the identification of 25 new species. His magnum opus, the full-color The Birds of America, et al, was published between 1827 and 1839, and depicts dozens of detailed illustrations of North America avians. It is regarded as one of the world’s most significant published works on the subject of ornithology. The edition consigned to Everard’s auction is guided by a pre-sale estimate of $10,000-$15,000.

Collectors of sports memorabilia won’t want to miss out on a chance to acquire four official LA Lakers basketballs from the collection of the gentleman who was the team’s insurance broker during the 1980s and ’90s. Two of the balls are signed by legendary Lakers players including Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Magic Johnson, Jerry West, Byron Scott, Michael Cooper, Billy Thompson, James Worthy, Kirt Rambis, A C Green, Michael Cooper and Mike Smrek. The four balls will be auctioned separately, and each of the two that are player-signed will open at $600 with a $1,000-$1,500 estimate.

The Fine Jewelry section is led by a fabulous 4.7ct brilliant-cut diamond and platinum solitaire engagement ring from the Estate of Jeannie Sims of Savannah (Ga.) and Charleston (S.C.). Graded O/P color and SL1 clarity, the diamond is set in a six-prong Tiffany-style mounting. It is accompanied by a GIA diamond grading report; the diamond is laser-inscribed with the GIA lab report number. This exquisite sparkler is estimated at $25,000-$40,000. Another elegant selection from the Sims estate is a diamond and platinum (tested) brooch designed as a circle pin entwined with a bow. It features 22 round brilliant-cut diamonds, 6 marquise-cut diamonds and 32 diamond baguettes. Estimate: $8,000-$12,000.

The February 13-14, 2024 auction will start on both days at 10am ET. Bid absentee or live online via Everard, LiveAuctioneers, Bidsquare or Invaluable. The public is invited to a February 6 preview reception from 5-7pm at Everard Auctions’ gallery, with additional previewing available Feb. 7, 8 and 9 or by appointment. For more information on any item in the auction, call 912-231-1376 or email info@everard.com. Everard is located at 2436 Waters Ave., Savannah, GA 31404.