FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Date of Release:  Feb. 28, 2012

A percentage of the proceeds from the sale of the Barrett collection to go to a foundation benefiting seniors

SHERMAN OAKS, Calif. – The southern California auction house Clark’s Fine Art is preparing its spacious gallery for a March 10 sale filled with beautiful artworks, quality furniture and decorative art. The 310-lot sale features several important West Coast consignments, including artworks from the collection of trailblazing entertainment columnist Rona Barrett. Proceeds from the sale of the Barrett collection will benefit The Rona Barrett Foundation, which provides assistance to seniors in need.

Additionally, the auction includes highly collectible drawings from the Diane and Sandy Besser collection; and desirable contemporary prints from the Irv Wiener collection. Furniture, paintings and decorative art objects have come directly from the Estate of Harold Berkowitz and the Estate of Guy McElwaine, who was chairman and CEO of Columbia Pictures during the 1980s.

The caliber of fine art to be offered sets the tone for the entire sale. The selection is led by a Theophile-Alexandre Steinlen (French/Swiss, 1859-1923) lithographed color poster, artist-signed and dated 1896. Titled La Rue: Affiches Charles Verneau, the vividly colored impression depicts a bustling street scene populated with a cross-section of French society. Bright and lively, the massive six-panel Art Nouveau poster measures 90½ by 116¼ inches and is expected to make $50,000-$70,000.

Other 19th-century paintings to be auctioned include an Alexandre-Marie Colin (French, 1798-1873) oil on canvas titled Man and Woman by the Shoreline, est. $6,000-$9,000; and Hugh Bolton Jones’ (American, 1848-1927) Farmers Tilling the Fields, a 30 by 50-inch oil on canvas that could harvest a winning bid of $4,000-$6,000. Boy with Dog, a 19th-century Continental school oil on canvas, measures 40 by 30 inches and is estimated at $2,000-$4,000. All three artworks are from the Estate of Guy McElwaine.

An outstanding 1837 British painting, after 17th-century artist Aelbert Cuyp, is Jacob Thompson’s (1806-1879) River Landscape with Horsemen and Peasants. A signed work, it is estimated at $20,000-$30,000. Peasant Girl in Field, a 1917 oil on canvas by the Polish artist Antoni Piotrowski (1953-1924), is signed and dated both at lower right and on verso. Its estimate is $5,000-$10,000.

The distinctive grace of the hand of Vietnamese artist Le Pho (1907-2001) is seen in his signed Flower Still Life, a tranquil 28¾ by 21¼-inch work that the consignor acquired from the Wally Findlay Gallery in Beverly Hills. Estimate: $10,000-$15,000.

California artists are well represented in the sale. A monumental painted and welded-steel sculpture by Guy Dill (b. 1946-) could realize $15,000-$25,000; while Charles Arnoldi’s (b. 1946-) acrylic painting on chain-sawed multilayered plywood, titled Untouchable, is entered in the sale with a $7,000-$9,000 estimate. A 48-inch-square untitled mixed media on canvas by Mary Ann Corse (b. 1945-) was acquired directly from the artist, whose abstract works have been shown at the Guggenheim and Whitney Museum of American Art. It carries an estimate of $5,000-$7,000.

Other American artists include visualist and sculptor Robert Longo (b. 1953-), whose 1989 End of Season – a mixed media work numbered 9/11 on the artist’s label on verso – carries an $8,000-$12,000 estimate. The Longo comes from the Irv Wiener collection, as does a selection of prints by Louise Nevelson, Terry Winters, Carroll Dunham, Barbara Bloom and Helen Frankenthaler. The art selection continues with an Edward Curtis (1868-1952) platinum photograph titled Standing Woman in Dress and drawings by John Sloan and David Burliuk (Russian, 1882-1967).

A Dale Chihuly (American, b. 1941-) blue and gold work of acrylic and metallic paint on paper is framed with glass, reflecting the medium for which the Seattle-based artist is so widely acclaimed. It is estimated at $2,000-$3,000.

A beautiful array of Reuge music boxes will be auctioned, with estimates ranging from $200-$400 for an inlaid marquetry box that plays four songs to $1,000-$2,000 for a singing automaton bird box with oval pop-up. Also by Reuge, a musical erotic pocket watch, Louis XVI style, has a 15-inch gold chain and colored stone inlays and key. Estimate: $2,000-$4,000.

Interior furnishings include a dining set, sideboard, mahogany cheval mirror and a sparkling leaded-crystal chandelier with 20 lamps, estimated at $2,000-$4,000. In addition, the auction features Chinese porcelains, sterling silver wares, an antique carousel horse, and a collection of letters Charles Manson wrote to his attorney, Irving Kanarek, during the infamous Helter Skelter trial.

Clark’s Fine Art welcomes all forms of bidding for its March 10 auction, including live at the gallery, absentee, by phone, or live via the Internet through LiveAuctioneers.com. The gallery is located at 14931 Califa St., Space A, Sherman Oaks (Los Angeles), CA 91411. The auction will begin at noon Pacific Time. Preview 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday, March 5 through Friday, March 9, and from 10 a.m. till noon on auction day.

For additional information on any lot in the sale, call 818-783-3052 or e-mail gallery@pacbell.net. View the fully illustrated catalog online at www.LiveAuctioneers.com. Visit Clark’s website at www.estateauctionservice.com.

CAPTION:

Theophile-Alexandre Steinlen (French/Swiss, 1859-1923), ‘La Rue: Affiches Charles Verneau,’ lithographed color poster, artist-signed and dated 1896, 90½ by 116¼ inches, est. $50,000-$70,000. Clark’s Fine Art image.

 

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Don Presley’s March 3 Once In A Lifetime Auction Features Turkish Sultan’s Private Photo Album, Mysterious Tapestry, Roman Micromosaic

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Date of Release: Feb. 24, 2012

   

Unique one-of-a-kind treasures are included in the sale

ORANGE, Calif. – Southern California’s finest estates continue to yield their treasures to Don Presley, whose March 3rd “Once in a Lifetime” auction of antiques, art and collectibles includes an exciting array of genuinely unique items.

The first of the one-of-a-kind entries in the sale is an incredible photorealistic Italian micromosaic artwork depicting the Roman Forum and its surrounding landscape. Composed of thousands of pieces of hand-laid miniature pieces of glass, the circa-1870s artwork was executed in the manner of Vatican master mosaicist Cesare Roccheggiani. Artworks of this type were created for noblemen and wealthy aristocrats visiting Rome during their Grand Tour of Europe. Each commissioned work was painstakingly crafted and reflected the artist’s own impression of the subject, just as though it were a painting. One of four antique micromosaics included in Presley’s sale, it measures 11¾ by 14¼ inches and is estimated at $15,000-$25,000.

The second unquestionably unique item in Presley’s sale is a remarkable mid-19th-century sultan’s photo album containing pictures of his concubine, as well as other people and views of Constantinople.

For several decades the album was the property of the Scottish Rite Museum in Los Angeles. It comes with a signed letter from the person who donated it to the Scottish Rite Temple for its archives. The letter reads: "While on duty with the Navy for 2 1/2 years (1919 to 1921) in Constantinople, an assistant postmaster gave me this album as we were jointly working, photographing mosques and other places of interest in that area. The original photographer is, of course, unknown. Originally the album was probably in the archives of the sultans, as the gold insignia on the cover is the Official Seal of the Sultan…Photos 19 to 40 are priceless, as photographically they are what is known as the "wet plate" process in which the photographer would wet a sheet of glass with collodion, put it in the camera and take the picture as soon as possible thereafter, but the edges of the plate would dry, leaving a reticulation on the outer edges, which are the "fingerprints" of the wet plate process.” The writer goes on to explain that the wet plate process was abandoned after the so-called dry plate process was invented in 1880.

“This photo album has to be seen to be believed,” said Don Presley. “I can’t imagine there is another one like it in the world.” Its presale estimate is $6,000-$10,000.

Another deaccession from the Scottish Rite Museum is a metallic tapestry that was donated to the fraternal organization around 1900. Woven with silver and gold threads, it is decorated with arcane Masonic or possibly Knights Templar symbols including a skull and bones, stonemasonry tools, a handshake, and a pentagram overlaid with a diamond.

“This tapestry is a mystery. We can’t identify some of the symbols. It may have been a burial shroud, as it does not appear that it was ever hung,” said Presley. “We showed it to a museum curator who said he thinks it’s 300 to 400 years old, and to an expert dealer who sells only the highest quality of textiles. He said he has never seen anything like it before and that it is a minimum of 200 years old.” Estimate: $15,000-$25,000.

These three very special items offer a mere taste of what lies in wait on March 3rd at Don Presley’s gallery. The sale also includes fine paintings by listed artists, Chinese ivory carvings, an elaborately carved Chinese brush pot, and an ivory, jade and coral screen. An exceptional pair of late-19th-century Chinese cloisonné elephants, 22½ inches tall, are entered in the sale with a $12,000-$25,000 estimate.

Among the porcelain highlights are an exquisite Sevres center bowl with candelabra, est. $15,000-$25,000; a 19th-century German KPM hand-painted portrait plaque, $6,500-$8,000; and two outstanding Royal Vienna productions – a vase, $9,000-$15,000; and a covered urn, $4,500-$6,000.

An Affortunato Gory (French/Italian, 1895-1925) gilt bronze and ivory Art Deco sculpture carries a $7,000-$9,000 estimate, while a bronze and marble bust is expected to make $7,000-$10,000. A signed Eugene Bernoud gilt bronze and ivory figure of the goddess Athena is estimated at $4,000-$6,000.

Following in the footsteps of other Tiffany & Co. timepieces that have brought outstanding prices at Presley’s, an ornate Tiffany wall clock commissioned by a hotel in St. Louis measures 47 inches long. It is estimated at $15,000-$25,000.

The auction also includes two French Erard harps, $12,000-$20,000 each; a pair of Art Deco club chairs from the RMS Queen Mary, a mother-of-pearl inlaid papier-mache table with two chairs, and a wealth of other high-end antiques and artworks from some of the West Coast’s finest homes and estates.

The auction will commence at 12 noon Pacific Time on Saturday, March 3, 2012. Preview Mon.-Sat. 10-5. The gallery is located at 1319 W. Katella Ave., Orange, CA 92867. All forms of bidding will be available, including live at the gallery, by phone, absentee or live via the Internet through LiveAuctioneers.com. For additional information, call Don Presley at 714-633-2437 or e-mail info@donpresleyauction.com. View the catalog at www.LiveAuctioneers.com or on the Presley website at www.donpresleyauction.com.

CAPTION:

Photorealistic Italian micromosaic artwork depicting Roman Forum, circa 1870s, in the manner of Vatican master mosaicist Cesare Roccheggiani. Est. $15,000-$25,000. Don Presley Auctions image.

 

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