Rare 1882 Colt Open-Top, Ivory-Handled Revolver Arrives Fashionably Late for Don Presley’s Jan. sale

ORANGE, Calif. – A late, and most welcome, consignment to Don Presley’s Jan. 1-2 auction is expected to capture the attention of collectors who favor exceptional antique firearms and edged weapons.

“This is a sensational collection,” said auctioneer Don Presley. “It came in late, but there’s no way we would have said no to these items. I think we’re going to see some heavy competition when they come up for bid.”

Among the key pieces in the consignment is a Colt 1882 open-top .44 caliber revolver with engraving on the raised ivory grips attributed to Louis D. Nimschke. Only about 20 original Colts of this type are known to exist, and this one is a very impressive example, according to Presley. It is estimated at $50,000-$75,000.

Made sometime between 1810 and 1840, an especially high quality American Eagle Head Officer’s sword comes with a hand-engraved scabbard and fancy scrolling on the guard. The blue and gold gilt on the blade is 95 percent original. “It’s the find of a lifetime in this condition,” Presley said. Estimate: $5,000-$10,000.

Another fascinating item is the early dagger with gold and silver inlay, in its original scabbard. Writing appears on the handle and blade of the 15-inch-long dagger, as well as on the scabbard. Estimate: $1,000-$2,000.

The collection joins many highlights entered in Don Presley’s annual New Year’s Auction, which includes pop-culture rarities such as Frank Sinatra’s custom-made tuxedo shirt, Marilyn Monroe’s two-piece day ensemble and Michael Jackson’s gilt-bronze clock. A stellar array of antiques and fine art to be auctioned ranges from antique ivory and jade; bronzes and porcelains to Liberace’s opulent fountains and a superb oil-on-canvas genre painting attributed to Eugene Delacroix (French, 1798-1865).

All forms of bidding will be available for the auction, including live via the Internet through LiveAuctioneers.com. For additional information, call 714-633-2437 or email info@donpresleyauction.com. Visit Don Presley Auctions online at www.donpresleyauction.com.

Colt 1882 open-top .44 caliber revolver with engraving on the raised ivory grips attributed to Louis D. Nimschke


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Long-held Collection of Antique Asian Jade Takes the Spotlight in Austin Auction Gallery’s Nov. 21 Multi-Estates Sale

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Date of Release: Nov. 5, 2010

Army colonel’s collection led by exceptional Chinese jade design of cabbage and crickets

AUSTIN, Texas – With Asian art currently dominating the headlines in nearly every antiques trade publication, the timing is 10 out of 10 for Austin Auction Gallery’s Nov. 21 sale featuring a superb 38-lot collection of early Chinese jade. Amassed primarily in the 1970s by a U.S. Army colonel posted in Japan and later Vietnam, the collection contains purchases made during the officer’s extensive travels throughout the Orient.

“The colonel and his wife had a great appreciation for Asian cultures, and collecting jade and ivory carvings, wood carvings and other Asian art became a lifelong hobby,” said Ross Featherston, owner of Austin Auction Gallery. “Among the countries they visited while living in Asia were China, Japan, Hong Kong, Taiwan, South Korea, Thailand, Malaysia and Nepal. The pieces they acquired were displayed and enjoyed for many years.”

The most intriguing entry in the sale is a 19th-century Chinese pale celadon jade carving of two crickets atop a cabbage. The 3.25-lb., 6½-inch-long carving was crafted to a very high standard and detailed to perfection, down to the bas-relief veins visible on the cabbage’s peeled-back “leaves.”

In the course of cataloging the jade collection, Austin Auction consulted with two high-profile experts on Asian art. It was the opinion of both specialists that the cabbage, from the late Qing/early Republic period, is “quite exceptional – a premier piece of jade,” Featherston said. The lot is estimated at $3,000-$5,000, although Featherston noted that its value is “anybody’s guess, since we have not been able to find any records of a similar piece for comparison. We think collectors will view this as a very exciting discovery.”

Standing 18 inches tall, a spinach-green Chinese jade carving modeled as Guanyin depicts the deity on a lotus-draped platform in front of a full-length pierced screen ($2,000-$4,000). Another key lot is a Chinese lotus-form double brush washer carved from translucent agate. Dating to the mid Qing Dynasty, the 3-inch piece is carved with lotus leaves serving as two separate bowls, adorned with flowers and birds along the rim of the bowl. The auction estimate is $2,000-$4,000.

The Nov. 21 auction includes rare and outstanding examples from several other categories of fine and decorative art and furniture. Dated 1875, a three-part hand-colored folk manuscript is, in actuality, an illustrated youth diary created by siblings Johnathan and Catharine King of Lancaster County, Pa. Twenty-five of the diary’s 42 pages are profusely decorated with the children’s fraktur paintings of flowers, wagons, animals, farm and kitchen implements. Contained in a “Ciphering Book” published by Reuben Chambers, Bethania, Pa., the diary also includes four pages of mathematics inscribed by Jonathan King, and hand-written accounts of the children’s daily activities, with their chores including milking cows and washing dishes. Offered with decorative calling cards for both Johnathan and Catharine King, the lot is expected to make $2,000-$4,000.

Other American highlights include a 1914 Newcomb College vase created by Joseph Meyer and with the cipher of decorator Henrietta Bailey (estimate $4,000-$6,000); and a scarce 84-inch oak hall tree and bench with dual beveled mirrors and a central grandfather clock ($5,000-$7,000).

Approximately 50 lots of 18th- and 19th-century colonial Mexican art will be offered, including retablos painting on both canvas and tin. A 17 ¾-inch by 13-inch framed oil on canvas of The Repentant Magdalene is a naïve artwork that depicts the important female Christian disciple in a sensitive downward gaze, surrounded by cherubim ($400-$600).

A fine selection of antique European furniture has been cataloged for this sale. Among the highlights is a circa-1890 monumental Italian Renaissance-style sideboard, its upper shelf supported by four 20-inch griffins. The entire piece is richly adorned with foliate and figural carving, with the finishing touch being a monogrammed crest presented by winged putti. It carries an estimate of $5,000-$10,000. From the same decade, a Louis XV gilt and ormolu cabinet in the Vernis Martin taste features a landscape painting on each of its sides as well as a central-door painting of a courting couple in lavish attire ($2,000-$4,000).

Two lots in the sale consist of Mid-century Modern furniture designs by Pierre Jeanneret (1896-1967), a Swiss architect who often collaborated with his famous cousin Charles Jeanneret, a k a “Le Corbusier.” Both the Jeanneret teak desk with leather writing surface and six storage cubicles ($6,000-$8,000) and the set of six teak chairs with cane seats and backs ($4,000-$6,000) come with provenance from the Punjab Civil Secretariat of Chandigarh, India.

The 470-lot auction includes numerous other furnishings, paintings and decorative art, as well as small selections of coins, furs and jewelry. Four lots of pin-up art by Olivia de Berardinis (b. 1949) will be sold, including two signed and dated (1996) watercolors, each estimated at $2,000-$4,000; and two Playboy limited-edition lithographs, each of which is expected to make $400-$600.

All forms of bidding will be available for Austin Auction Gallery’s Nov. 21, 2010 Multi-Estates and Chinese Jade sale, including live via the Internet through LiveAuctioneers.com. For additional information, call 512-258-5479 or e-mail info@austinauction.com. View the fully illustrated catalog online and sign up to bid absentee or live via the Internet at www.LiveAuctioneers.com. Visit Austin Auction Gallery’s website at www.AustinAuction.com.

CAPTIONS:

Chinese pale celadon jade carving of a cabbage topped by two crickets, late Qing/early Republic period, 6½ inches long, 3.25 lbs. Provenance: U.S. Army colonel who lived in Asia post World War II. Estimate $3,000-$5,000. Austin Auction Gallery image.

Chinese carved translucent agate double brush washer, lotus form, mid Qing Dynasty. Provenance: U.S. Army colonel who lived in Asia post World War II. Estimate $2,000-$4,000. Austin Auction Gallery image.

Two fraktur pages from an 1875 youth diary created by siblings Jonathan and Catharine King of Lancaster County, Pa., 42 pages total (25 illustrated) describing daily chores on the farm, attending school, and play time. Purchased by consignor in Pennsylvania in the 1970s. Estimate $2,000-$4,000. Austin Auction Gallery image.

The Repentant Magdalene, Mexican, 19th century, oil on canvas, sight: 17¾ inches high by 13 inches wide, retains original frame. Estimate $400-$600. Austin Auction Gallery image.

Scarce American oak hall tree/bench centered by a grandfather clock and flanked by beveled mirrors, 84 inches tall, time-and-strike movement by Waterbury Clock Co. Estimate $5,000-$7,000. Austin Auction Gallery image.

 

  

Newcomb College art pottery vase, New Orleans, 1914, 8½ inches tall, Joseph Meyer potter’s mark and cipher of decorator Henrietta Bailey. Estimate $4,000-$6,000. Austin Auction Gallery image.

 

 

Pierre Jeanneret (Swiss, 1896-1967) Mid-century teak desk with leather writing surface, single drawer and six storage cubicles. Provenance: Punjab Civil Secretariat, Chandigarh, India. Estimate $6,000-$8,000. Austin Auction Gallery image.

 

Louis XV gilt and ormolu cabinet with figural, floral and scenic painting in the Vernis Martin taste, 77 inches high by 28¾ inches wide. Estimate $2,000-$4,000. Austin Auction Gallery image.

 

Monumental Italian Renaissance-style sideboard, circa 1890, display shelf supported by four 20-inch griffins, with profuse foliate and figural carving, 89 inches high by 110 inches wide. Estimate $5,000-$10,000. Austin Auction Gallery image.

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LiveAuctioneers To Award Year Of Unlimited, Deluxe Internet Live-Bidding Services To Winner Of Drawing

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Date of Release:  Sept. 29, 2010

NEW YORK – To celebrate its anticipated one-thousandth auction-house client, Internet live-bidding services provider LiveAuctioneers.com has announced details of a month-long promotion that will culminate with the awarding of a grand prize package valued at no less than $16,000.

With 990 auction houses currently on its roster, the Manhattan-based company expects to record its 1,000th auction-house sign-up sometime during the month of October.

“Because it is such a significant milestone for us, we’ve organized a fantastic prize for one of the auction houses that signs up with us between now and October 31st,” said LiveAuctioneers CEO Julian R. Ellison. “All October sign-ups will be entered in a drawing to be held on November 1st at our corporate offices. The winner will receive a full year of unlimited Internet live bidding services at the platinum-plus level, as well as several other premium-level bonus gifts.”

The additional gifts include a custom-created iPhone app from LiveAuctioneers App Technologies, and a custom-designed LiveAuctioneers White Label platform, which enables an auction house to integrate its LiveAuctioneers catalog and Internet live bidding into its own Web site, branded under the auction house’s own name. “Factoring in an average usage of LiveAuctioneers’ services at four to five times during a calendar year, the total prize package tops $16,000 in value,” said Ellison.

Ellison said there is no limit to the number of auctions the winner will be allowed to conduct through LiveAuctioneers during the one-year period from Nov. 1, 2010 through Oct. 31, 2011. “And at the platinum-plus level, the winner will have access to every imaginable feature and service available through LiveAuctioneers,” said Ellison, “from the creation of an electronic catalog, online ads and editorial support, to bidder-console training, audio/video and postsale statistical reports.” (See full list of features online at http://www.liveauctioneers.com/auctioneersetup/platform.html)

In order to be entered in the drawing, auction houses must be licensed (if required in their state) and in the business of selling antiques, fine or decorative art, or vintage collectibles. The winner must agree to a two-year commitment with LiveAuctioneers.com, with the first year being free. There is no set number of auctions that the winner would be required to conduct during the second year of the commitment. The winning auction house is responsible for ensuring it has sufficient technology in place to support Internet live bidding through LiveAuctioneers.

The drawing is open to both new customers and returning auction houses that are not presently using LiveAuctioneers for their Internet live bidding. LiveAuctioneers does not require exclusivity of its customers and places no restrictions on auctioneers who may wish to use other Internet live-bidding companies concurrently with LiveAuctioneers.

For additional information regarding the drawing, call LiveAuctioneers.com tollfree at 888-600-2437 or e-mail sales@LiveAuctioneers.com. Visit LiveAuctioneers online at www.LiveAuctioneers.com.

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About LiveAuctioneers.com:

Founded in November 2002, LiveAuctioneers.com provides real-time Internet bidding capability to 990 auction houses worldwide. LiveAuctioneers.com has opened up once-exclusive antiques and fine art sales to the cyber community through online publication of auction catalogs, and Internet live bidding. For further information, log on to www.liveauctioneers.com.

Media enquiries:

pr@liveauctioneers.com

Furnishing Commissioned by East Indian Royalty Headlines Austin Auction’s Sept. 25-26 Multi-Estates Sale

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Date of Release: Sept. 14, 2010

Extensive research suggests lavishly appointed dressing table was made under order of fabulously wealthy 7th Nizam of Hyderabad

AUSTIN, Texas – An extraordinary mahogany “Beau Brummel” dressing table fit for a princess has swept into the spotlight of Austin Auction’s Sept. 25-26 Estate Auction.

The circa-1930 triple-mirrored dressing table is of the highest-quality construction and is fitted with a key-lock safe and exquisite 30-piece Art Deco vanity set of sterling silver and cut glass. The well-marked table and its accessories were crafted by the premier London firm Goldsmiths & Silversmiths Co. Ltd.

Each hallmarked vanity accessory is finely enameled and adorned with an Islamic moon-and-star motif as well as one of three images of a regally attired gentleman believed to be Asaf Jah VII, Mir Osman Ali Khan, the Nizam of Hyderabad (1886-1967).

In a Feb. 22, 1937 cover story in Time magazine, His Exalted Highness, The Nizam of Hyderabad was reputed to be the richest man in the world, with a fortune of $2 billion. Among those who enjoyed the lavish lifestyle The Nizam provided were his seven wives and 42 concubines. Austin Auction Gallery associate Chris Featherston said “intensive research into the dressing table’s background gives every indication that the piece was commissioned by the Indian prince, perhaps for one of his wives or concubines.”

“We have convincing photo similarities for the three portraits that appear on most of the items in the vanity set, which include hairbrushes, jars, bottles, scissors, nail files and even an 8-day clock,” Featherston said. “Our expert in India told us that, in his opinion, the person whose images are the focal point of the vanity items is, indeed, The Seventh Nizam of Hyderabad, one of India’s last princes.” The vanity was purchased by the consignor in the 1990s from a private antiques dealer, the dressing table is estimated at $20,000-$30,000.

Many significant artworks, as well as furniture, decorative art, estate jewelry and ladies’ designer handbags, will be auctioned in the Sept. 25-26 auction. Standing 84 inches tall inclusive of black granite base, a life-size Neapolitan marble statue of Bacchus (a k a Dionysus), the god of wine, is adorned by garlands of grapes around his head and waist, and holds a bowl of grapes with one hand and a cluster of grapes with the other. The mid-18th-century sculpture’s age and region of origin have been authenticated by a Professor Emeritus and PhD from the University of Texas’ Art History department. It carries a presale estimate of $20,000-$30,000.

The influence of visionary architect Antonio Gaudi (Spain, 1852-1926) is strikingly obvious in the design of a Gothic Revival carved walnut and stained glass armoire consigned to the auction. The circa-1890 design incorporates four decorative glass-embedded doors, the two central doors displaying artistic leaded-glass panels with an intricate botanical theme. A stunning presentation, the 113-inch-tall by 81-inch-wide armoire is entered in the sale with a $2,000-$4,000 estimate.

Other highlights of the furniture section include a 14-foot dining table from northern Spain, 18th- and 19th-century French furniture, a pair of MacKenzie-Childs rattan chairs, and a circa-1890s six-piece walnut parlor set with carved heads, attributed to John Jelliff. Non-traditional and sure to attract attention on auction day, a Carol Hicks Bolton for E.J. Victor “Bollywood” sofa of beaded and sequined burgundy velveteen could make $2,000-$4,000 at auction, while a Renaissance Revival 3-piece parlor set upholstered in long-haired cowhide and embellished with winged-griffin crests and figural hand rests is cataloged with a $3,000-$5,000 estimate.

A grand dore bronze figural mantel clock and garniture set by Japy Freres (France) features three winged putti resting over profuse foliate and floral decoration. This exceptionally beautiful ensemble is estimated at $10,000-$15,000. In all, more than 40 figural clocks will be offered, some of them after Auguste Moreau and standing 3feet tall, and others of the Black Forest genre. Within the latter group is a highly detailed 4-foot parcel gilt wall clock mounted with a stag, wolfhound and boar.

Dating to the Qing Dynasty (1644-1912), a Chinese white jade bear carving is conservatively estimated at $400-$600. Another figural piece with charm and eye appeal is the large presentation drinking horn decorated with a three-dimensional finial shaped as a drunken gnome – estimate $1,000-$2,000. The latter piece is one of a large collection of unusual drinking horns to be auctioned.

The profusion of top-tier antiques continues with a Tiffany dresser set in fitted leather travel case, a scarce and unusual George B. Sharpe gilded sterling ice cream set in fitted leather case from Robbins, Clark & Biddle; and an 1890s handwoven tapestry. Made around 1890 in Leipzig, Germany, an upright Polyphon Musikwereke music box, walnut with crank handle, is accompanied by 36 discs. Its estimate is $4,000-$6,000.

Modern master Dale Chihuly (American, b. 1941-) designed and created the three artist-signed glass sculptures included in the auction. Of billowing and striated yellow glass, the “Radiant Persian Pair” is expected to fetch $8,000-$10,000. A marine-blue creation of similar concept, known as “Paradise Persian,” is estimated at $3,000-$5,000.

Austin Auction has enjoyed great success in the past with designer handbags. The September event includes an excellent assortment of purses by Gucci, Salvatore Ferragamo and Louis Vuitton – one of the Vuitton bags is lotted with matching shoes.

Leading the estate jewelry category are a diamond and alexandrite ring, and several pieces of Brazilian beaded accessories with 18K gold clasps. A selection of coveted David Yurman designs will be auctioned, as well.

All forms of bidding will be available for Austin Auction Gallery’s Sept. 25-26 Multi-Estates Sale, including live via the Internet through LiveAuctioneers.com. For additional information, call 512-258-5479 or e-mail info@austinauction.com. View the fully illustrated catalog online and sign up to bid absentee or live via the Internet at www.LiveAuctioneers.com. Visit Austin Auction Gallery’s Web site at www.AustinAuction.com.

CAPTION:

An extraordinary circa-1930 “Beau Brummel” dressing table with 30-piece Art Deco silver and cut glass vanity set produced by Goldsmiths & Silversmiths Co. Ltd., London. Estimate $20,000-$25,000. Austin Auction image.

 

LiveAuctioneers.com reports booming second quarter with dramatic increase in platform use

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

July 8, 2010

CEO Ellison views the results as proof of continued strong interest in top-end antiques and fine art

NEW YORK (LAPRS)– LiveAuctioneers.com, the Manhattan-based Internet company that provides an online live-bidding platform and related support services to more than 960 auction houses worldwide, has released second-quarter statistics revealing a marked increase in sign-ups, site visits and page views.

“What our second-quarter results have shown us is that fine art, antiques and high-quality memorabilia seem to be performing as an independent microeconomy,” said LiveAuctioneers’ CEO Julian R. Ellison. “Globally, the economy is struggling, but at the same time, interest in collecting the best examples from any given category has never been higher. Fine art, in particular, has been surging, as we’ve witnessed lately in one record-setting auction after another.”

During the second quarter of 2010, there were more than 2.6 million unique visitors to LiveAuctioneers.com, where both current and archived auction catalogs are readily available to view. This figure reflects a 31.04% increase over the comparable quarter of 2009.

There was also a sizable jump in the number of visits to the LiveAuctioneers site, soaring from 3.2 million in Q2 2009 to 4.1 million in Q2 2010. Statistically, this result equates to a 31.99% increase in site visits.

“Visitors are sticking to the site and viewing more catalog pages than before,” Ellison observed. “During April, May and June, there were 33.7 million page views, as compared to 25.5 million in the corresponding quarter of 2009.”

Ellison added that a sizable flow of traffic is being redirected to LiveAuctioneers on a regular basis through search engines. “Last quarter there were 2.3 million search-engine referrals to LiveAuctioneers – a 16.98% increase over the second quarter of 2009. The user base just keeps on growing,” Ellison said.

Technology continues to be the drawcard for new visitors from non-English-speaking countries. “LiveAuctioneers’ bidding platform can translate nine major languages and automatically convert bids into any of 14 currencies,” said Ellison. “Add to that our online bidding apps for iPhone, BlackBerry and Google’s Android phone, and it’s a package that’s totally up to the minute, offering every possible convenience to enrich the online-bidding experience.”

Ellison noted that auction houses have responded enthusiastically to the company’s White Label platform service, which allows an auction house to customize the online bidding environment for those who participate in their sales. The benefits include being able to brand the LiveAuctioneers bidding platform with the auction house’s own name, linking the platform directly to the auction house’s Web site and allowing bidders to register directly with auction house staff.

“We’ve known from the beginning that in order to stay ahead of the pack we would have to keep the emphasis on new technology. We’re constantly refining, inventing and evolving. That’s where our focus will remain throughout 2010 and beyond,” Ellison said.

Visit LiveAuctioneers online at www.LiveAuctioneers.com.

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About LiveAuctioneers.com:

Founded in November 2002, LiveAuctioneers.com provides real-time Internet bidding capability to more than 960 auction houses worldwide. LiveAuctioneers.com has opened up once-exclusive antiques and fine art sales to the cyber community through online publication of auction catalogs, and Internet live bidding. For further information, log on to www.liveauctioneers.com.

East meets West June 26-27 as Austin Auction Gallery presents European antiques and religious treasures of French colonial Vietnam

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Date of Release: June 13, 2010

Whit Hanks collection includes 19th-century Indochinese Catholic artifacts

AUSTIN, Texas – The stellar Whit Hanks collection of European antiques and Vietnamese French Catholic religious relics serves as the centerpiece of Austin Auction Gallery’s June 26-27 East Meets West cataloged Estates Auction. A total of 600 lots will be offered, 350 coming from the Hanks collection.

Owner of a high-profile antiques center located in Austin’s original Coca-Cola bottling plant, Whit Hanks is also a real estate developer known for rescuing and relocating two complete 19th-century Vietnamese churches to a country property in Dripping Springs, near Austin.

“Mr. Hanks is an antiques icon in Austin and always ahead of the next collecting trend,” said Austin Auction Gallery associate Chris Featherston. “He owns the city’s premier multi-dealer gallery and is known for his impeccable taste in European antiques and Mexican religious art, which he bought and sold for nearly 30 years before discovering the colonial treasures of Vietnam.”

Initially drawn to antiques after inheriting his grandfather’s lavishly furnished New York apartment in the 1970s, Hanks made dozens of trips to Europe in pursuit of architectural antiques. “He would bring back spectacular stained glass and monumental mirrors, similar to the 8½-foot-tall gold leaf mirror with a carved putto and wolves’ heads that’s included in the June sale,” said Featherston.

The auction’s inventory list is also rife with evidence of Hanks’ attraction to offbeat items that aren’t standard fare in an antique gallery – things like the 30 to 40 antique terra-cotta olive jars acquired in northern Spain, each of substantial heft and standing 3½ feet tall. “If Mr. Hanks saw something he knew was special and there was a shipping container large enough to accommodate it, he would buy it,” Featherston said.

Whit Hanks’ appreciation for religious icons began in the 1980s, Featherston said, and some of his purchases were made at sales conducted by Austin Auction Gallery. “At that time, we’ve been told that it was possible to buy retablos in Mexico, six for $10. The interest in these objects was not all that great back then, but now those same retablos may be valued at $2,000 to $3,000 apiece.”

In 2007, while visiting his son who lives in Asia, Hanks discovered and made an immediate connection with the French-influenced religious antiques and architecture of Vietnam. He began to buy the relics with the same fervor that spurred his earlier trips to Europe and Mexico. Now headed to auction, the Asian collection includes more than 40 antique French colonial statues up to 45 inches tall, several relief-carved religious panels – one of them after a 15th-century Italian painting – carved altar adornments and stone heads; and a compartmented Vietnamese marriage box with lacquered faux-tortoiseshell lid. These beautiful artworks would find a fitting home in either of the two French religious cabinets to be auctioned.

The sale also features property from several distinguished estates, including art and ivory from the Marshall estate, formerly of New Orleans. Thirty pieces of Chinese and Japanese ivory will cross the auction block, including an extraordinary chess set whose “kings” each measure 12 inches tall, a profusely carved censer on tripod feet, and other fine carvings featuring deities and elders. A walking cane collection includes examples that are entirely of ivory as well as some that feature carved-ivory heads of dogs and other creatures.

A small but highly select collection of swords includes an early 19th-century showstopper of Indo-Persian origin. The sword’s decorative gilt grip and guard terminate in a three-dimensional horse-head form with jeweled ruby eyes. A foliate-decorated scabbard completes the regal presentation of this connoisseur’s edged weapon.

In the fine-art section of the sale, one of the most sought-after names in Texas regional art, Julian Onderdonk (1882-1922), is represented by a signed, oil-on-canvas landscape painting of a quintessential Hill Country scene. Handsomely framed, the artwork titled Springtime II, Texas, Bexar County measures 11¼ inches by 8½ inches and is additionally signed and titled on verso.

The furniture category is led by a circa-1880 Eastlake bedroom suite with marble-top dresser, a Victorian half-tester bed, and numerous pieces of French furniture, including a large oak vasselier.

An Italian crystal chandelier of near-diamond shape has a drop length of 38 inches and a width of 34 inches. Another lot expect to light up the gallery on auction day is the late-19th-century bronze chandelier with six lights on arms formed as winged griffins.

Additional items of note include a pair of marble lions that formerly guarded the entrance to a palace in India, 2-ft.-tall Murano millefiori glass eggs converted to lamps, several 18th-century French clocks, a pietre dure table, a circa-1900 Ernst Plank (Germany) magic lantern with 23 colored-glass slides, and a selection of Native-American art highlighted by a circa 1200 A.D. to 1350 A.D. Southwestern pottery bowl. An actual cage-style elevator from a Paris building would be a guaranteed conversation-starter in any home.

All forms of bidding will be available for Austin Auction Gallery’s June 26-27 East Meets West sale, including live via the Internet through LiveAuctioneers.com. For additional information, call 512-258-5479 or e-mail info@austinauction.com. View the fully illustrated catalog online and sign up to bid absentee or live via the Internet at www.LiveAuctioneers.com. Visit Austin Auction Gallery’s Web site at http://www.austinauction.com/.

CAPTIONS:

American half-tester bed. Austin Auction Gallery image.

Examples from a selection of more than 40 antique French colonial religious statues from the Whit Hanks collection. Austin Auction Gallery image.

French 8½-foot-tall gold leaf mirror with a carved putto and wolves’ heads. Austin Auction Gallery image.

Antique cage-style elevator from Paris building. Austin Auction Gallery image.

Antique swords in the auction include an early 19th-century Indo-Persian example (center) with gilt grip and guard terminating in three-dimensional horse-head form with jeweled ruby eyes. Austin Auction Gallery image.

Julian Onderdonk (1882-1922), Springtime II, Texas, Bexar County, 11¼ inches by 8½ inches, oil on canvas, signed lower right, signed and titled on verso. Austin Auction Gallery image.

An extensive selection of carved Chinese and Japanese ivories will be auctioned. Shown here is a tripodal censer with dragon motif. Austin Auction Gallery image.

Circa 1200 A.D. to 1350 A.D. Southwestern Native-American pottery bowl. Austin Auction Gallery image.

Four examples from a grouping of 30-40 antique earthenware olive jars acquired from northern Spain, each of substantial weight and standing 3½ feet tall. Austin Auction Gallery image.

Carved-ivory chess set with “kings” standing 12 inches high. Austin Auction Gallery image. Austin Auction Gallery image.

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Rare 1782 American Bible has the last word at William Bunch Auctions, earning $78,975

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Date of Release: May 12, 2010

‘Old guard’ of antiques trade buys from late dealer Fred Peech’s cream of the crop

CHADDS FORD, Pa. – On a day when a trio of high-profile consignments brought outstanding prices at William Bunch Auctions’ April 13, 2010 sale, friends and former customers of the late Fred Peech showed their respect for the longtime antique dealer from Marmora, N.J., with strong bidding for the best pieces from his home.

“It was just a nice sale where a lot of I’ll say ‘the old guard’ of the antique business came together to pay homage to Fred,” said auction house owner William Bunch. He was a nice guy, very humble fellow, very well liked, who had a lot of product knowledge.”

The top piece of furniture was an early 18th-century walnut William & Mary stretcher-base tavern table with one full drawer. This Pennsylvania piece sold for $21,060. (All prices quoted in this report are inclusive of 20% buyer’s premium.)

Exhibiting a crusty finish, a small walnut stretcher-base joint stool measuring 16 1/2 inches by 10 1/2 inches by 20 1/2 inches high rose to $9,945.

“A good Philadelphia dish-top tea table with a single-board top had a little repair to it, but brought a respectable $9,300,” said Bunch. 

“It was the typical sale one has today where the brown furniture that has a few apologies doesn’t do as well as you’d like it do,” said Bunch, “but the things that are sweet, that are still charming, still attract a lot of attention and command a lot of competition … and good prices as well.”

Three separate consignments performed particularly well at the sale, starting with a Bible printed in Philadelphia by Robert Aitken during the American Revolution. With its cover detached, the well-worn volume looked much like any other old family Bible that might have been found in an attic. 

“It was literally contained in a one-gallon baggie. It was a humble-looking book, just octavo size, which is 6 or 7 inches,” said Bunch, who quickly learned the Bible was rare and valuable.

Of the 10,000 printed in 1782, significantly fewer than 100 remain, with only a handful in private hands. It is significant in that it is the first Bible containing both the Old and New Testaments ever printed in English in America. It was sanctioned and supported by the U.S. government. George Washington said of the Bible, “It would have pleased me well, if Congress had been pleased to make such an important present (a copy of the Aitken Bible) to the brave fellows, who have done so much for the security of their Country's rights and establishment.”

Only one of Aitken’s Bibles has surfaced in recent years at auction, bringing $57,000 in 2008. Bunch assigned an estimate of $40,000 to $60,000 on this copy.

“It has some potential to bring into five figures,” he had told the consignor, who is a descendant of the original owner.

Bunch, who was hoping to attract several interested parties to make the bidding competitive, was surprised by the broad response. “I landed eight phone lines, three active bidders on LiveAuctioneers … and I had three people in the room who that had looked at the Bible and were seriously interested. And I had an absentee bid in the neighborhood of $50,000,” said Bunch. 

It finally came to a battle between two phone bidders, with a rare book dealer winning the Bible for $78,975.

“It’s hard to say if he was bidding for a client. I didn’t ask and they don’t like to say,” said Bunch.

The top painting at Bunch’s auction was an impressive work by Christopher Richard Wynne Nevinson (1889-1946), an English-born artist who studied at the Academie Julien in Paris. He was interested in Cubism and Futurism, styles that are evoked in the painting titled Canal at Ghent, a 30-inch by 22-inch oil on canvas.

The painting was consigned by a grandson of Charles Hovey Pepper, 1864-1950, who was an American artist trained in New York and Paris and was a member of “The Four Boston Painters,” founded in 1913 by Carl Gordon Cutler and including Maurice Prendergast and E. Ambrose Webster, all Academie Julian graduates. Pepper was also an avid collector, and his grandson has consigned works to Bunch in recent years that were collected by Pepper.

After discussing the painting with a British art scholar who had written books on Nevinson, Bunch estimated the painting at $60,000 to $90,000.

“I had a lot of interest from London, but they were scared off a little by my estimate,” said Bunch. “I didn’t think I was too high; maybe I was a little optimistic.”

After a collector from the West Coast and a London gallery chased the painting to $55,000, one of Bunch’s regular customers in the gallery jumped into the fray and trumped them with a bid of $70,200.

“She buys expensive things but surprised me by buying that particular painting, but I’m glad she did,” said Bunch.

The third major consignment of the sale was what Bunch described as a “rare survivor” – an all-original 1958 Ford Custom 300 two-door sedan in like-new condition.

The original owner purchased the car from Keyser & Miller Ford in Pottstown, Pa., on July 30, 1958.

“The story goes he and his wife took a trip to Florida. She didn’t like the car, so the fellow parked it and didn’t drive it much after that,” said Bunch. 

The consignor’s father purchased the car from the original owner in 1973, but drove it little and kept it garaged.

“It wasn’t the most desirable model as ’50s and ’60s cars go – you’d rather see a convertible or a hardtop – but to find a car with barely 5,000 miles on it of any model is rare and unusual,” said Bunch. “Other than a little peeling paint on the engine block it was in beautiful showroom condition.”

A man from Georgia bought the classic Ford for $25,740. 

For additional information contact William Bunch by calling 610-558-1800 or e-mailing info@williambunchauctions.com.

Captions:

Lot 276

The cover of “The Holy Bible” printed by Robert Aitken was detached, but its condition did not deter a rare book dealer from buying the 1782 volume for $78,975.

 

Lot 276 (alternate view)

The title page of Robert Aitken’s Bible, which was printed in Philadelphia.

 

Lot 270

Christopher Richard Wynne Nevinson (English, 1889-1946) painted this oil on canvas titled Canal at Ghent about 1912. The 30-inch by 22-inch work sold for $70,200.

 

Lot 300

All original, this 1958 Ford Custom 300 Custom had only 5,333 actual miles on the odometer. The two-door sedan was equipped with a straight-six engine and standard transmission. A Georgia bidder paid $25,740.

 

 

Lot 148

The Patented Parlor Putter was combination cast-iron ashtray stand and parlor game made by Wellington-Stone in Chicago, circa 1925. With the three original putters, the device parred the low estimate, selling for $1,404.

 

Lot 152

A sweet piece from the Fred Peech estate was this walnut William & Mary stretcher-base tavern table with one full drawer. Made in Pennsylvania in the early 18th century, the table sold for $21,060.

Lot 155

A crusty finish covered this walnut stretcher-base joint stool, which rose to $9,945. It stood 16 1/2 inches by 10 1/2 inches by 20 1/2 inches high.

Lot 219

A 15-star American Flag flutters from the stern of the ocean-going Sea Lark, depicted in a mid-19th-century watercolor attributed to English marine painter Duncan MacFarlane. The 16-inch by 34-inch work in a gold painted frame dropped anchor at $6,435. 

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