CLOSTER, NJ.- Collectors are constantly on the lookout for artworks that are genuinely fresh to the market. Sterling Associates of Bergen County, New Jersey, will answer the marketplace call for new discoveries on Wednesday, Oct. 15 with a 550-lot Fine Art Auction sourced primarily from a single-owner collection. Approximately 450 of the paintings to be offered are from Frank Davis, a long-time New Jersey resident who has decided to downsize his holdings. An additional 100 artworks have been consigned to the sale by other collectors from the New Jersey/New York/Connecticut tri-state area.

“Because Mr. Davis has lived in New Jersey for so many years, he has a fondness for our regional art and the scenery it depicts,” said Sterling Associates’ owner, Stephen D’Atri. “But his collection goes well beyond his own generation. He built onto an already existing family collection of quality art. Most of the works are 20th century, including some from the early 1900s, but the majority would be classified as contemporary.”

In addition to paintings, the auction selection includes bronzes and other sculptures. Among the sculptors represented are three leading lights of 19th- and early 20th-century France: Auguste Moreau (1834-1917), Pierre-Jules Mene (1810-1879) and Emmanuel Fremiet (1824-1910). A highlight is Mene’s lively bronze sculpture titled “Arab Falconer.” Standing 31 inches high by 28 inches wide, the tableau consists of the title figure on a trotting horse, his right arm aloft with a falcon perched on his hand.

The top lot of the sale, Lot 361, is not a sculpture, but an 8½- by 12-inch (sight) Pablo Picasso (Spanish, 1881-1973) etching titled “Two Sculptors Before a Statue.” From the Vollard Suite, it is artist-signed at the bottom and has two documented watermarks.

Among the featured American paintings is an artist-signed Emile Albert Gruppe (1896-1978) impressionistic winter marine landscape. The 9½- by 11½-inch oil on board depicts boats in a harbor flanked by snow-capped houses and other buildings.

Another American highlight is “It’s Pretty Far,” an oil-on-canvas by the accomplished and well-exhibited East Coast artist Nathalie Vogel (b. 1980-), who is known for her “liquid women.” The featured work measures 48 by 66 inches and depicts a nude female in a relaxed pose near an ocean shoreline.

Former book and magazine illustrator Walter Rane’s (b. 1949-) “Linseed Oil and Spirits” showcases the American artist’s exceptional gift for light and composition. The 14- by 24-inch oil on board brings to life a table filled with the artist’s tools – brushes in containers, bottles of cleaning solution, a casually placed cotton rag, etc.

A vibrant oil on canvas by H. Gordon Wang (Chinese/Canadian, 1959-) depicts a garden setting with profusely flowering shrubs and white wicker furniture beneath a pergola. As suggested by the title – “Tea Time” – the table is set with a teapot and cups, as though awaiting guests on a lazy summer afternoon. The signed work measures 29½ by 39½ inches.

The centerpiece of the sale is a collection of six paintings by Frank Wilbert (F.W.) Stokes (1858-1955). An American artist who studied under Thomas Eakins at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, Stokes perfected his technique in Paris at L’Ecole Nationale Superieure des Beaux-Arts, Academie Colarossi and Academie Julian. Both classically trained and a master impressionist, he developed a specialty in arctic and Antarctic scenes, which he painted from first-hand experience during the numerous historical polar expeditions in which he took part, from 1886 through 1926. A number of Stokes paintings are held in the Smithsonian American Art Museum’s collection.

Among the Stokes artworks to be auctioned is an oil-on-canvas laid to board whose subject is the Dirigible Norge on its headline-making 1926 flight over the North Pole, with heavily clad figures looking on from a frigid landscape. It measures 11 5/8 inches by 15 5/8 inches. A second Stokes auction selection is an arctic land- and seascape, signed at bottom left and measuring 14 by 9¼ inches.

Adding to their already considerable cachet, the Stokes polar-expedition paintings are accompanied by fascinating written provenance from the Stokes family: copies of letters sent to F.W. Stokes by Admiral Richard E. Byrd, and an Acting Secretary of the Smithsonian. The original letters were written during the timeframe 1926 through 1930.

“We’re very pleased to have such a fine selection of art available for our October 15th auction. The quality is excellent throughout,” said D’Atri. “And it’s especially exciting to be able to offer the Stokes paintings. There’s so much interest worldwide in the early polar expeditions, but there are very few opportunities to acquire art related to any of those milestone expeditions, especially by an artist who was there in person.”

There are many ways to participate in Sterling Associates’ October 15, 2014 Auction, but the company conducts its auctions a bit differently than most.

“All bidding is conducted remotely, but we’re very much a permanent brick-and-mortar company where anyone can come in to inspect the goods,” said D’Atri. “It will be run exactly like a live auction, but without a live audience.”

The Wednesday, Oct. 15 auction will commence at 5 p.m. Eastern Time. The live gallery preview is from 10-3 on Oct. 8, 9, 10 and 13, 14, 15; or by appointment. The gallery is located at 70 Herbert Ave., Closter, NJ 07624. Bidding methods include phone, absentee or live online through LiveAuctioneers.com or Invaluable.com.

For additional information on any item in the auction or to reserve a phone line, call 201-768-1140 or e-mail sterlingauction@optimum.net. Online: www.antiquenj.com. View the fully illustrated catalog online at www.LiveAuctioneers.com or www.Invaluable.com.