Monumental torchieres, premier estate furniture and art await bidders in Don Presley’s June 25-26 auction

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Date of Release:  June 17, 2011

The sale will also feature prototype examples of two “canned laughter” machines used in early television shows. 

ORANGE, Calif. – Exquisite antiques, fine furniture and objets d’art from several southern California estates will merge with the final offering of Continental furniture and decorations from the Steven Thomas antiques firm at Don Presley’s June 25-26 auction. In addition, the 1,100-lot sale will shine a spotlight on two technological inventions that dramatically impacted American pop culture – the original machines created to produce “canned” laughter and audience applause for Hollywood’s booming television industry of the 1950s.

Two talented inventors, Charles Rolland Douglass and Jess Oppenheimer, a CBS sound engineer and developer/producer of I Love Lucy , simultaneously created artificial laughter and applause machines for use with television comedies and game shows in the early 1950s. Douglass filed for the patent on his “Laffbox” before Oppenheimer could file for his on the “Jayo Laugher.” In 1954 Douglass’s “LaffBox” went on to become the provider of canned audience laughter and applause for more than 20,000 TV shows over several decades.

Examples of both machines will be presented for sale. Each of the trailblazing recording devices is a prototype, developed at around the same time and with a similar purpose in mind: to house a library of sounds – specifically “canned” laughter and audience applause – for use during the taping of television shows.

The sale’s principal estate collection comes from a magnificent home in Belmont Heights, an oceanfront enclave in Long Beach, California. Auctioneer Presley explained that the owner has sold his residence and is relocating to his country property – a 500-acre ranch in Santa Barbara where he raises rare Peruvian horses.

Towering over the featured collection is a pair of majestic cast-iron figures, classically formed as a Native-American man and woman holding torches aloft. The imposing torcheres dominated a reception area that also held a Steinway grand piano and what auctioneer Don Presley calls “some of the finest French furniture [he has] ever seen.”

But at 92 inches tall and of a weight so substantial it takes four strong men to move even one of them, the statues will not be making the move to the country.

“The consignor’s Santa Barbara home is no less spectacular than the one he is leaving, but the décor is very different,” Presley said. “It’s a ranch house that doesn’t really suit these pieces, which belong in a grand setting.”

The torcheres stand on Doric pedestals, each bearing a tag inscribed with the manufacturer’s name: Fonderies du Val d’Osne, 58 Bd. Voltaire, Paris. Established in 1836 by Jean-Pierre Victor Andre, the Val d’Osne foundry distinguished itself throughout the Victorian Era with its award-winning designs of both functional and ornamental cast iron.

Presley has estimated the torcheres – which will be offered as a single lot – at $40,000-$70,000. Those numbers could prove conservative, however. On May 5, Sotheby’s auctioned a comparable pair of Val d’Osne Native-American figures for $86,500. The only differences were in height and base motif – the Sotheby’s figures stood 9 ft. tall and had ornately decorated as opposed to understated Doric-style pedestals.

The opulent furnishings from the Belmont Heights estate include two Louis XVI vitrines, one of them crafted from oak and adorned with bronze ormolu; a Louis XVI hand-carved and gilded, marble-topped entry table; and a marble-topped Italian Renaissance Revival wash stand of bird’s-eye maple and other exotic woods ($2,000-$5,000). A circa-1880 French intaglio table ($4,000-$6,000) is decorated with carved corner figures, each having a different facial expression.

A 12-piece French walnut dining suite ($12,000-$18,000) comprised of a table, eight cane-back chairs, buffet and two matching hutches is richly carved with a lion-mask motif. “This elegant set will actually fit almost any dining room,” Presley noted. “It’s not monumental; the tallest items – the hutches – top out at just over seven feet.”

From the estate’s gentleman’s study comes a 4-piece set ($8,000-$12,000) consisting of a 19th-century leather-topped walnut desk carved with images of lions, griffins and ladies’ heads; plus three chairs. Other carved-furniture highlights include a superb French entry or library table with griffins hewn into the legs, an 1880s Liege (France) oak Bible cabinet with the carved image of a lamb, and a pair of 1910 Gothic Revival church pews.

An extraordinary artwork to be auctioned is the 69-inch-long whale with calf ($4,000-$7,000) carved from exotic woods and acquired at great cost in Hawaii some 25 years ago. “This is a unique item of utmost quality,” said Presley. “Its composition and the way the flippers are highlighted are a testament to the artist’s skill.”

A pair of 19th-century Sevres gilt-bronze porcelain lidded urns came to Presley’s from a home in the Los Angeles neighborhood of Westwood. Hallmarked and signed “E. Collot,” each of the urns measures 29 inches to the top of the finial.

A Charles Shepard Chapman (American, 1879-1962) oil-on-board autumn landscape with a railroad theme was obtained from a home in Newport Beach, California. Educated at Pratt Institute and William Merritt Chase’s New York School of Art, Chapman was an accomplished painter and illustrator whose work shows the influence of Frederic Remington. Measuring 30 x 52 inches, the landscape is estimated at $4,000-$9,000. Another artwork of note is C.H. Chapin’s (American, 1864-1904) 30 x 36-inch oil on canvas depicting cattle watering in a cove ($800-$1,200).

Chinese ivory has gained an avid following in Presley’s sales. The June 25-26 event includes a set of eight intricately carved ivory Immortals ($12,000-$20,000), as well as a 38-inch-wide tusk fastidiously carved and pierced to create a “bridge” ($8,000-$9,500).

The auction contains many other items of exceptional quality from Santa Monica, Palm Springs, Palm Desert and Beverly Hills residences, including fine clocks, a Steinway & Sons baby grand piano with bench ($12,000-$18,000), a 25-inch-tall Eugene Delaplanche (French, 1836-1891) gilt-detailed bronze on rouge marble base ($8,000-$15,000), and a Maria Szantho (Hungarian, 1898-1984) oil painting of Pan with three nude nymphs.

ABOUT THE LAUGH MACHINES:

The caliber of antiques in Don Presley’s June 25-26 sale is expected to ignite serious bidding, but watch the mood lighten when two circa-1953 American pop-culture icons are presented at the podium: Charles Rolland Douglass’s “LaffBox” and the “Jayo Laugher” invented by I Love Lucy’s legendary creator/producer Jess Oppenheimer.

Each of the trailblazing recording devices is a prototype, developed at around the same time and with a similar purpose in mind: to house a library of sounds – specifically “canned” laughter and audience applause – for use during the taping of television shows.

The thigh-slapping history of the two laugh machines crossed paths earlier this year when Don Presley publicly announced he would be auctioning the “Laffbox” in his May sale. Discovered in a storage locker, the LaffBox came with a thick, neatly organized binder that documented its origin and use over the years. Based on the contents of the binder, Presley believed the LaffBox to be unique and publicized it as such.

Shortly after news of the LaffBox discovery was made public, Presley was contacted by the late Jess Oppenheimer’s son, Gregg Oppenheimer, who informed the auctioneer that his father had invented a machine whose origin may have pre-dated the LaffBox. It was known as the Jayo Laugher.

It seems that while Jess Oppenheimer (1913-1988) was openly developing his Jayo Laugher in 1953, a CBS Radio sound engineer named Charlie Douglass (1910-2003) was also quietly developing a similar device, which he dubbed the LaffBox.

Had he known a competing machine was in the works, Oppenheimer might have placed a greater priority on the completion of his Jayo Laugher, but he did not learn of the LaffBox’s existence until reading about it in a newspaper article. At that point, the race was on.

As reported in the Dec. 16, 1954 issue of the show business publication Variety, Oppenheimer and Douglass waged a neck-and-neck battle over which of their devices would receive a critically important U.S. Patent. In the end, the LaffBox prevailed over the Jayo Laugher, presumably because Douglass’s patent application had been filed first.

At that point, Oppenheimer abandoned his Jayo Laugher project. But his ingenious prototype – described as being capable of emitting “yocks ranging from snickers to giggles” to laughs of all lengths and intensity, “plus sundry variations of each” – remained in the Oppenheimer family archive.

Douglass’s LaffBox, on the other hand, went on to become the provider of canned audience laughter and applause for more than 20,000 TV shows over several decades.

“Anyone who has ever watched a comedy show on television has probably heard sounds from the LaffBox’s repertoire,” said Presley. “Charlie Douglass knew he had something special. He was very secretive about its inner workings and guarded it with his life. He kept it padlocked when it wasn’t in use.” Douglass traveled throughout the world with his LaffBox, Presley said, running its controls for all types of productions, from sitcoms to telethons, major sports events and even beauty pageants.

Now these two technological marvels of television history – the Jayo Laugher and the LaffBox – are coming together under one roof, to be auctioned in Don Presley’s June 25-26 sale as individual lots.

Gregg Oppenheimer is a prominent attorney who, like his sister Jo, has an ownership stake in I Love Lucy. Gregg and Jo are generously donating the entire proceeds from the sale of Jayo Laugher to the Motion Picture & Television Fund. This organization was created by film luminaries such as Charlie Chaplin, Mary Pickford, Douglas Fairbanks and D.W. Griffith to provide assistance to members of the entertainment industry who are in need of a helping hand. To ensure every penny goes to the MPTF, Don Presley Auctions is waiving both the auction commission and the buyer’s premium on the sale of the Jayo Laugher.

As for the LaffBox, it has already had a successful test run before an auction audience. At his May sale, Presley had bidders laughing – real laughs – as he experimented with the machine. “When someone won a piece, I’d hit the button for applause,” Presley said. “If I told a dumb joke and no one laughed, I could hit another button and avoid embarrassment. It’s actually an auctioneer’s best friend.”

But all jokes aside, Presley said the two laugh machines are undeniably important relics of broadcasting history.

“Canned laughter may be electronic now, but these two mechanical prototypes were pioneers in their time. Both should be in the Smithsonian or some other museum that has an American pop culture or 20th-century technology collection.”

For additional information, call 714-633-2437 or email info@donpresleyauction.com. Visit Don Presley Auctions online at www.donpresleyauction.com.

#   #   #

 

Closeup of one of a pair of figural cast-iron torcheres of a Native-American man and woman, 19th century, Fonderies du Val d’Osne, Paris; each 92 inches tall. Est. $40,000-$70,000 the pair. Don Presley Auctions Image.

Don Presley Delivers “Fresh to Market” European, Asian and American Art for His May 7-8 Auction

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Date of Release:  April 26, 2011

                             

Chinese ivory, German tankard and a fine collection of furniture from upscale estates are part of this 1,000 lot May Auction.

ORANGE, Calif. – There probably isn’t a stretch of highway between Beverly Hills and Newport Beach that auctioneer Don Presley doesn’t know. That’s his turf, and when the owners of fine estates in those well-heeled communities decide to part with their art and antiques, it’s often Presley whose number they call on speed dial. True to form, the Orange, Calif., auctioneer has gathered together an outstanding array of primarily European, Asian and American art and antiques for his May 7-8 auction, with much of it coming from prestigious local addresses.

A Beverly Hills consignor was the source for a pair of superb, 30-inch-tall Chinese carved-ivory emperor and empress figures. “The carving is fantastic, and I’ve never seen ivory figures of this type in such a large size,” said Presley. The star lot amongst 250 Chinese antiques cataloged in the sale, the marked figures will be offered as a pair with a $6,000-$10,000 estimate.

A heavily carved 19th-century ivory and gilded-silver German tankard is very similar in style to the 17th-century drinking vessels made in the Bavarian city of Ausberg. “Those earlier tankards are held in distinguished collections, including those of the Victoria & Albert Museum and Bunratty Castle in Ireland. They were made for kings and nobles.” The example in Presley’s sale is profusely carved with images of mythological and other characters. The finial depicts a Native American draped in a bearskin, with a powder horn, tomahawk and shield. Overall, the tankard stands over 20 inches tall. It is expected to bring $15,000-$25,000.

In Presley’s last sale, bullish prices were paid for Sevres urns, with two of them selling to a Russian buyer. The May 7-8 auction includes a magnificent 40-inch tall, 19th-century Sevres lidded urn with scenes of a finely dressed couple in a garden on one side and a waterfall and mountain landscape on the other. Straight from a Beverly Hills estate and bearing all the proper marks for Sevres, it is estimated at $8,000-$12,000. A second Sevres urn, 17 inches tall and beautifully decorated with winged ladies, carries an identical estimate.

An exquisite gilt bronze 19th-century French clock and candelabra suite features “jeweled” adornments and hand-painted enameling. It came from the same Beverly Hills estate as a very fine silver-over-bronze centerpiece with mirrored base and cut-crystal bowls. Measuring 15½ inches tall by 35 inches wide, it is marked with the quatrefoil for the Sheffield silversmiths Henry Wilkinson & Co. The reserve on the centerpiece is $18,000.

Presley observed that silver “is really rolling at the moment.” In his sale, he has cataloged a 40-piece collection of old silver from a San Bernardino estate that includes tea sets, a Tiffany bowl, an inkwell, a Paul Revere bowl, Wallace flatware and three Georg Jensen pieces. Another silver collection, which came from a Laguna Beach consignor, includes six silver plates with a tray, a sterling inkwell and some very nice Pairpoint triple-plated candelabra. Additionally, there are pieces of German 19th-century .800 silver that were made in the manner of 17th-century silver.

The furniture selection is led by a 95-inch-tall by 72-inch-wide kingwood and ormolu vitrine by Francois Linke, arguably the finest French cabinetmaker of the Belle Epoque period. Linke’s designs were highly influential in their day and were coveted by fashionable French society. The vitrine, which is signed and stamped, is offered with a $60,000-$125,000 estimate. Although unsigned, a small curio cabinet attributed to Linke will be auctioned, as will a small Linke table and bronze 4-light chandelier acquired some years ago at Sotheby’s.

A premier piece of American furniture came from a Newport Beach estate. Made around 1790-1800, the Hepplewhite secretary features glazed double doors with diamond-shape accents opening to triple shelves, over a four-drawer base.

All forms of bidding will be available for Don Presley’s May 7-8, 2011 auction, including live via the Internet through LiveAuctioneers or Proxibid. For additional information, call 714-633-2437 or email info@donpresleyauction.com. Visit Don Presley Auctions online at www.donpresleyauction.com.

CAPTION:

KPM porcelain plaque. Don Presley Auctions image.

 

#   #   #

Pa. Impressionists, Old Masters, Premier Selections Lead William Bunch’s Fine Art Auction

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Date of Release:  April 18, 2011

Nearly 400 paintings including premier selections from Philadelphia’s artist’s lifetime collection  and other fine quality works by American and European artists are featured in the May 3^rd auction.

CHADDS FORD, Pa. – The walls at William H. Bunch’s auction gallery are alive with color, in preparation for a Tuesday, May 3 auction of nearly 400 paintings and other fine-quality works by American and European artists. Three primary consignors were the source for the vibrant and varied selection of American Impressionist art – including Bucks County/New Hope School; Old Masters and other Continental pictures; and illustration art.

The single-owner collection of Bucks County/Pennsylvania art features paintings by some of the most collected artists of the genre. Highlights include Bucks County Bridge, an oil-on-canvas winter landscape by Walter Emerson Baum (1884-1956); a dramatic circa-1925 oil-on-board seascape depicting Pigeon Cove, Mass., by George William Sotter (1879-1953); and an atmospheric snow scene of a horse-drawn sleigh entering a covered bridge by Edward Willis Redfield (1869-1965). Redfield’s oil-on-panel painting is titled From Lumberville to Raven Rock and dates to around 1915. It was authenticated by Dr. Thomas Folk, who also documented its trail of provenance.

A highly important New Hope school artwork by Charles Rosen (1878-1950) is titled Delaware Thawing (Delaware Quarries). The 32- by 40-inch oil on canvas is artist-signed and dated “Charles Rosen ’06” and has a long and distinguished history of exhibition, including at the Phillip’s Mill Community Association’s 75th Anniversary Retrospective Art Exhibition of 1983. An exceptional painting that showcases Rosen’s mastery of pastel tones, it is expected to make $100,000-$150,000.

Other Pennsylvania art includes Robert Spencer’s (1879-1931) oil on canvas painted around 1917-18 titled Waterloo Row and S. George Phillips’ (1890-1965) oil-on-board picture from the 1930s titled New England Coast. Auctioneer William Bunch observed that the Pennsylvania art collection “presents beautifully – each painting has been well conserved and tastefully framed.”

An exciting addition to the sale is the collection of illustration art from the living estate of Richard C. Baldwin (b. 1911-). Now 90 years old, Baldwin studied at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts in Philadelphia under Walker Hancock and George Harding. Upon the advice of fellow student N.C. Wyeth, Baldwin headed west in his youth to fulfill a dream he harbored. “He boarded a train and traveled to places where he could paint scenes of cowboys, Indians and Mexican culture as witnessed firsthand,” said Bunch. That period of Baldwin’s career is reflected in several paintings to be auctioned on May 3, including the 30- by 46-inch Stage Holdup and the animated market scene measuring 32- by 56-inches and titled Guadalupe, Mexico.

After his sojourn to the West, Baldwin returned to Philadelphia where he worked as a commercial artist for the advertising agency N.W. Ayer. He would subsequently serve as master sculptor and design director for Franklin Mint, working collaboratively with Norman Rockwell on the company’s respected Boy Scout series and Bicentennial medals.

“Richard Baldwin has had a very successful and diverse career,” said Bunch. “When his son called and asked if we would auction his father’s collection, we knew we would see an interesting cross section of art. Mr. Baldwin worked in nearly every medium and was adept in every style he embraced, from Western and commercial art to 1950s street gangster art and even cheesecake.”

Bunch said the most difficult aspect of cataloging the Baldwin collection was placing values on the various works. “There are people out there who definitely known Richard Baldwin’s name, but his art hasn’t appeared at auction; it’s untested in the marketplace. This sale will be a nice opportunity for collectors to buy excellent-quality illustration art at a fair price. Most of the lots are estimated in the $300 to $600 range.”

Another strong component of the sale is the collection of approximately one dozen Old Masters from a long-held Texas collection. An unidentified 17th/18th-century oil on canvas of the Madonna with Child surrounded by cherubs measures 47 by 38 inches and is presented in a heavy, horsehair-reinforced gilt frame. “This is a painting that could easily be on the wall of The Louvre or some other great museum,” said Bunch, who has estimated it at $20,000-$40,000.

Other Old Masters to be offered run the gamut from simple portraits of men in period dress to large, exotic garden scenes painted by a follower of Melchior D’Hondecoeter (Dutch, 1636-1695). Two luxuriant oils created by the latter artist are entered in the sale, each measuring 64½ by 98½ inches. One of the paintings features cockatoos and other tropical birds in its foreground, while the other depicts peacocks and flamingos amid lush foliage, flowers and fruit trees.

“This collection is going to be a real treasure hunt for people who pay attention to Old Masters. Something here is going to catch fire,” Bunch predicted.

A religious-themed highlight from the array of Continental art is Ecce Homo, an oil on canvas of Christ in the Crown of Thorns, painted in the manner of Guido Reni (Italian, 1575-1642). The 20½- by 18½-inch oil on canvas is presented in a heavy molded-plaster gilt rococo frame with an Uruguayan gallery label that reads: “Arts Dorados Artistico.”

British art is led by a Charles Spencelayh (1865-1958) artist-signed oil on canvas, 18 by 14 inches, titled Matchstick Boy. As its name suggests, the circa-1900 painting depicts a young boy – rosy cheeked and dressed in rain gear – peddling a box of matches.

The sale selection is rounded out by several fine bronzes, including an Ignatius Taschner (German, 1871-1913) sculpture titled Young Woman on Bull, and a bronze bust titled Cuauhtemoc, Aztec Ruler of Tenochtitlan, circa 1520-21.

All forms of bidding will be available for the auction, which commences at 12 noon Eastern time on Tuesday, May 3, including live in the gallery, absentee, by phone or live via the Internet through LiveAuctioneers.com and The-Saleroom.com.

To contact the gallery, call 610-558-1800 or e-mail info@williambunchauctions.com. Visit the William H. Bunch website at www.williambunchauctions.com.

CAPTION:

Edward Willis Redfield (New Hope school, Pa., 1869-1965), From Lumberville to Raven Rock, oil on panel, 4½ by 6 inches. William H. Bunch Auctions image.

 

#   #   #

William H. Bunch

1 Hillman Drive at Route 202 South

Chadds Ford, PA 19317

610-610-558-1800

Fax 510-558-0885

info@williambunchauctions.com

www.williambunchauctions.com

Ivory And Rhino-Horn Trove From TV’s Storage Wars Among Featured Lots In Don Presley’s Mar. 5-6 Auction

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

February 28, 2011

Contact:

Don Presley

714-633-2437

Along with a 22lb. emerald, fine art, antique clocks and a Bentley GT Coupe, the auction features Chinese ivory and rhino horn antiques discovered on the hit TV show Storage Wars.

ORANGE, Calif. – The biggest hit to emerge from this season’s roster of antiques-related TV shows is an unpretentious dark horse that quickly overshadowed a field of glossier contenders. Each week the rough-hewn but addictive reality show Storage Wars pits four veteran buyers against each other as they bid “blindly” on the contents of storage units whose rent has gone unpaid. Sometimes the winning bidder ends up with worthless junk that goes straight to the dumpster; but other times the contents are of considerable value and end up in high-profile auctions – like the trove of Chinese antiques to be auctioned March 5-6 at Don Presley’s gallery in Orange, California.  

Presley, who has conducted on-air appraisals for Storage Wars, received the Asian consignment from David Hester, whom he jokingly describes as the “villain” among the regulars appearing on A & E’s popular Wednesday night show. Hester’s storage-locker find includes an extensive selection of Chinese ivory necklaces, bracelets, earrings and pendants; rhino- and buffalo-horn pendants, and a pair of foo dogs. Collectively, their value is estimated to be as much as $10,000.

“David was not even sure that what he had was ivory, but when he brought it in for an appraisal, I told him he had hit a home run,” Presley said. “Whoever bought the pieces in that storage locker obviously bought a lot of ivory as well as horn of various types, but they may not have known that what they had was rhino horn, which is rare and very valuable. It can sometimes be mistaken for a much more common type of horn.”

Upon receiving the Hester consignment, Presley set about gathering other Chinese antiques from private estates in Beverly Hills – a turf he knows very well. From one upscale estate, he received a 5½-inch rhino-horn libation cup with carvings of rabbits, estimated at $15,000-$25,000; plus a pair of stamps (seals) and a rhino-horn snuff bottle, encased in silver and decorated with carved lions, complete with a curved ivory dipper.

A Chinese family with whom Presley has had prior dealings contributed to the sizable Asian section of the sale a superb 19th-century carved-ivory bust of a female deity wearing a crown with five bas-relief carvings of goddesses. The finely detailed bust is mounted on a rosewood base inscribed with Chinese writing, and is estimated at $7,000-$10,000. The family also consigned a nicely carved ivory bridge and ivory figures of an emperor, 1000-Hands Bodhisattva and several Immortals.

Presley’s March 5-6 auction also includes European fine art, antiques and quality collectibles, almost all of which are fresh to the market. A Joan Miro (Spanish, 1893-1983) lithograph and two particularly desirable hand-signed and “H.C.”-annotated Miro artist’s proofs came from a Las Vegas estate.

The sale also includes an array of authenticated French advertising posters from the Art Nouveau period. The posters promote a variety of products, including wine and vermouth, and an especially nice example features a dance hall girl climbing up a ladder. The art section also includes oil paintings by noted fashion artist Huldah Cherry Jeffe (American, 1901-2001), watercolors, and Louis Icart lithographs.

Presley’s gallery has been filled with the sounds of ticking timekeepers from a consignment that includes a boulle mantel clock, a 7ft. 3in. French bronze ormolu tall-case clock with cherubs and paw feet (est. $20,000-$35,000); Sevres porcelain and candelabra garniture sets, a cloisonné clock topped by a horse figure, and a Sevres-style clock with champleve face and matching candelabra.

“There is a historically important French gilt bronze mantel clock in the sale that appears to have been given as a gift to a European military hero,” said Presley. “It’s dated 1856, hallmarked, and has porcelain Roman numerals and three winged cherubs, as well as an inscribed dedication on the front to General Leopold Heinrich von Wedell of Luxembourg. We expect it to sell in the vicinity of $15,000 to $25,000.”

Several examples of ever-desirable antique Louis Vuitton luggage will be offered, including a flat trunk, circa first decade of the 20th century, which may have been used to transport rifles. It retains its original lock and key, and has a Louis Vuitton Exposition Universalles Paris 1900 label inside. Its exterior is marked “Second King’s Royal Rifles, Sgt. W.H. Heath.” The trunk is estimated at $8,000-$12,000. Also to be auctioned is a serial-numbered Louis Vuitton hatbox with the LV Paris and London label.

The highest estimate in the sale – $200,000-$300,000 – has been applied to a GIA-certified emerald specimen carved to replicate a muscular, rugged-looking man climbing a large rock. The chunky emerald clustered in black mica schist weighs over 22 lbs. and measures 28.30 by 24 by 18.70 cm. (11.14 x 9.45 x 7.36 inches). Quite likely, it is of Brazilian origin. The carving was probably executed more than a century ago, Presley said, and the piece has been in the same Colombian family’s possession for 50 years.

Some lucky bidder will be cruising home in a luxurious 2005 Bentley Continental GT Coupe. When not being driven, the meticulously maintained one-owner car has been housed in a climate-controlled Newport Beach garage. The car has a 12-cylinder, 550-h.p. engine and has clocked up only 80,000 original miles.

Other auction highlights include a Baldwin medium grand piano with bench, heavily adorned with gilt bronze ormolu, estimated at $25,000-$40,000; more than 30 lots of sterling silver, and a beautiful selection of Tiffany Studios vases, boudoir lamps and other glass creations. Additional highlights include a pair of 19th-century Sevres gilt bronze mounted, covered urns, hand painted and artist signed, $18,000-$25,000; and an extremely desirable, circa-1880s Regina table-model disc player with cabinet and five 27-inch discs. “Usually you’ll only see that size disc with Regina upright models,” said Presley. The early musical rarity is expected to make $15,000-$20,000 on auction day.

All forms of bidding will be available for Don Presley’s March 5-6 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.

#   #   #

CAPTIONS:

Carved-ivory deity on rosewood base with Chinese inscription, consigned by a Chinese family in southern California, estimate $7,000-$10,000. Don Presley Auctions image. 

 

GIA-certified emerald in black mica schist carved to replicate a rugged-looking man climbing a large rock, weighs over 22 lbs., measures 11.14 x 9.45 x 7.36 inches, carved more than a century ago, estimate $200,000-$300,000. Don Presley Auctions image. 

Don Presley To Auction Remaining Inventory Of Steven-Thomas Antiques And Interiors, Feb. 5-6

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Date of Release:  Jan. 25, 2011

Prestigious Orange County firm served celebrity clientele in the O/C  for 39 years

SANTA ANA, Calif. – Over the weekend of Feb. 5-6 – Super Bowl weekend – auctioneer Don Presley will preside over the sale of the remaining inventory of Steven-Thomas Antiques and Interiors, which is closing its doors. Founded in 1979 by brothers-in-law Steven Shedd and Thomas Silk, the prestigious Orange County antiques and restoration firm has operated from the same Santa Ana venue since 1979, redesigning and repurposing antiques for functional use in today’s homes.

“Some of the finest oceanfront residences in southern California have benefited from the imaginative design concepts of Steven-Thomas,” said Presley. “The company is very well known here in Orange County, and they’ve sold $150 million in antique furniture since opening their doors.” Steven-Thomas also catered to a large celebrity clientele that included the late John Wayne, who resided in Newport Beach. Their custom work is also on view in the Dorothy Chandler House in the stylish Los Angeles neighborhood of Hancock Park, where they were commissioned to install antique kitchen buffets.

                        

The idea behind Steven-Thomas germinated in 1971 while Steven Shedd was living in Italy and playing on a baseball team. “I was going back and forth to Italy, and a friend said, ‘You should get into antiques.’ That was when dealers were just started to ship antiques from Europe to America in containers,” Shedd recalled. He and his wife decided to cast out their nets to see if the idea had any potential. They started traveling all over northern Italy, buying up the type of furniture that could be bought cheaply there and resold easily in the States. “While there was an abundance of English rolltop desks and gateleg tables at the time, that wasn’t the case with high-end Italian Renaissance Revival furniture,” Shedd said. “We knew we had found an opportunity in the marketplace.”

In 1980, the Shedd and Silk families purchased land on the 55 Freeway five minutes from the John Wayne Airport, and designed and built the Steven-Thomas showroom. It did not take long for Steven Shedd and Thomas Silk to ascertain exactly what their clients wanted.

“The customer base we were serving expected to see things in tip-top condition. To meet their needs, our business became 70% restoration – bringing antiques back to their original condition – and 30% recrafting,” Shedd said. “For instance, we would take two twin beds and make them into a king-size bed, or we’d use the carcass of a buffet to create an entertainment center. We developed a reputation for being very creative and eventually grew to a staff of 50 employees.”

After 30 years of building the business into a landmark antiques and interiors retail destination, the partners are now ready for retirement. Recently, the Steven-Thomas building was sold to a computer assembly company, and the premises must be vacated by Feb. 28. The Feb. 5-6 auction will dissolve the remaining Steven-Thomas inventory in its entirely, with no minimum bids and no reserves. Every article will be sold to the highest bidder, regardless of price.

The vast array of furniture includes complete bedroom suites, buffets, hall trees, dressers and chests, Louis XV and XVI mirrors, china cabinets, and dining tables with complete sets of 6, 8 and 10 chairs. Additionally, there are bookcases, desks, Renaissance-style trestle tables and kitchen cupboards. Coffee tables with carved figures at the base, glass tops and hand-carved finials are prime examples of the Steven-Thomas method of recrafting antiques into unique “fantasy” pieces. “It’s possible that someday those pieces we’ve recrafted with have value as unique articles,” Shedd said.

Befitting the palatial furniture on offer, Presley will auction several lavish crystal chandeliers. Among the top lots is a French robust-center chandelier with six patinated cherubs, each holding two lights; and an 18th-century Russian enameled-bronze chandelier with a blue star-emblazoned globe, and crystal and beads surrounding the 12 arms. A very special pair of Lalique chandeliers renders the illusion of a crystal waterfall. Its round, bronze body is decorated with cherub figures on Lalique glass.

Additionally, the on-site auction will feature hundreds of quality smalls, decorative art and other items. “There is so much merchandise from with to choose, everyone is sure to leave with something wonderful,” said Presley. “And there are sure to be some bargains.”

All forms of bidding will be available, including live via the Internet through LiveAuctioneers.com. Note: all purchased goods must be removed from the premises no later than Feb. 15 to make way for the new tenants.

Steven-Thomas Antiques is located at 800 East Dyer Road at the 55 Freeway in Santa Ana, CA 92705. The auction will commence at 12 noon Pacific Time on both Saturday, Feb. 5 and Sunday, Feb. 6. Preview goods any day prior to the auction from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and from 10 a.m. to noon on actual auction days. For additional information, call 714-957-3989 or 714-633-2437. View the fully illustrated catalog and sign up to bid absentee or live via the Internet as the sale is taking place at www.LiveAuctioneers.com. Visit Don Presley online at www.donpresleyauction.com.

#   #   #

CAPTION:

Richly carved circa-1880s French walnut buffet. Don Presley Auctions image.

87% Increase in Unique Visitors Reported for Fourth-Quarter by LiveAuctioneers.com

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                                                                      

January 18, 2011

Julian Ellison, CEO of the online live bidding platform, LiveAuctioneers.com  said the company benefited from referrals from search engines and an expanding customer base. 

NEW YORK (LAPRS)– LiveAuctioneers.com, the Manhattan-based Internet company that provides an online live-bidding platform and related support services to more than 1,000 auction houses worldwide, has released fourth-quarter 2010 statistics revealing a marked
increase in site visits, new-user signups and page views.

During the fourth quarter of 2010, there were more than 3.8 million “absolute unique” visitors to LiveAuctioneers.com, where both current and archived auction catalogs are readily available to view. This figure reflects an 87% increase over the comparable quarter of 2009.

There was also a sizable jump in the number of overall visits to the LiveAuctioneers site, soaring from 3.3 million in Q4 2009 to 5.9 million in Q4 2010. Statistically, this result represents a 77% increase over the comparable quarter of a year ago.

“Whether they’re first-timers or coming to the site expressly to view catalogs or bid, there’s no question that visitors to LiveAuctioneers are sticking to the site and viewing more catalog pages than before,” said LiveAuctioneers CEO Julian R. Ellison. “In October, November and December, we recorded more than 47.8 million page views on the site, as compared to 27.7 million in the corresponding quarter of 2009 – an increase of more than 72 percent.”

Ellison added that a sizable flow of traffic is being redirected to LiveAuctioneers on a regular basis through search engines. “During the fourth quarter 2010 there were 3.1 million search-engine referrals to LiveAuctioneers – a 42.7% increase over the fourth quarter of 2009,” Ellison said. Additional statistics revealed that during the fourth quarter of last year LiveAuctioneers.com attracted 39,500 new-bidder signups.

“By no means have we reached the outer fringes of our potential – quite the contrary. Our user base just keeps on growing, with phenomenal interest coming from Asia, where the ‘new money society’ is only in its infancy,” said Ellison. “Unquestionably, the repatriation of antiques to China, in particular, hit top gear in 2010, and there’s no slowdown in sight. Already in 2011, we’ve seen a seven-figure online-sales total. More than a million dollars worth of antiques and fine art sold to our online bidders at Brunk Auctions’ January 8 and 9 sale. Well over 1,300 people registered for that sale through LiveAuctioneers.com, and obviously they were very serious bidders. Based on the auction results we’ve seen just in the first two weeks of January, there’s every indication that this is going to be another outstanding year for LiveAuctioneers.”

Visit LiveAuctioneers online at www.LiveAuctioneers.com.

#   #   #

About LiveAuctioneers.com:

Founded in November 2002, LiveAuctioneers.com provides real-time Internet bidding capability to more than 1,000 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:

LiveAuctioneers PR Services

pr@liveauctioneers.com

Highly Important 19th-Century Italian Micromosaic is Centerpiece of Myers Auction Gallery’s Jan. 30 European & Asian Sale

Artwork attributed to Vatican artist Roccheggiani remained in Tampa home for 90 years

ST. PETERSBURG, FL – A remarkable Italian micromosaic artwork depicting the Roman Forum and attributed to Vatican artist Cesare Roccheggiani has emerged from a Florida residence after nearly 90 years of unobtrusive display and will be auctioned on Jan. 30, 2011. The important estate discovery will be offered at Myers Auction Gallery in St. Petersburg as the star attraction in a 500-lot sale of fine European and Asian antiques.

Measuring 59 inches wide by 32 inches long and weighing over 100 lbs., the circa-1870s panoramic depiction of Rome was composed from hundreds of thousands of minute pieces of non-reflective glass. It is believed to be the work of master mosaicist Cesare Roccheggiani, who was active at the Vatican workshops from 1856 to 1864.

“While unsigned, we believe it is almost certainly the work of Roccheggiani,” said Michael Myers, founder and co-owner of Myers Auction Gallery. “An 1879 micromosaic nearly identical in size and subject matter, artist-signed by Rocchegiani, was auctioned in December at Christie’s London gallery for more than half a million dollars.”

Quite likely, the glass mosaic to be auctioned by Myers was a commissioned work created for a wealthy nobleman or aristocrat visiting Italy during a Grand Tour of Europe. “Many Italian artists capitalized on the opportunity to sell mosaic jewelry and miniatures to the influx of well-heeled visitors of that period, but few possessed Roccheggiani’s ability to produce a monumental micromosaic of such superior quality,” Myers said.

“It’s so luminous, it almost looks like a photograph. It even fooled a visitor who walked into our gallery and thought they were looking at a picture on a flat-screen TV,” added Mary Dowd, Michael’s wife and business partner.

Since the 1920s, the artwork attributed to Roccheggiani had rested above a mantel in the residence of a prominent Tampa businessman. When the home was sold in the 1980s, the buyer was given the option of purchasing some of the existing furnishings. The micromosaic was among the pieces selected. Now, through descent, the estate artwork is headed to auction with a conservative $100,000-$200,000 estimate.

Among the paintings on the auction roster are a Jean Ferdinand Monchablon (French, 1855-1904) oil-on-canvas wildflower landscape estimated at $8,000-$12,000; and a pre-1920 Edouard Leon Cortes (French, 1882-1969) gouache on board street scene of Paris in wintertime, from the estate of Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Douglas Moore (1893-1969). Its estimate is $8,000-$10,000. The fine art section also includes a pair of handsome equine paintings by British artist Harry Hall (1814-1882), each estimated at $1,500-$2,500.

Approximately 30 lots of Asian and European carved ivory works are scheduled to sell. Within the grouping are fans, figures and four extremely desirable 19th-century miniature portraits, each depicting a member of Russia’s Romanov family.

A selection of period European bronzes is led by two Albert-Ernest Carrier-Belleuse (French, 1824-1875) sculptures, including the 22-inch-high Allegory of Friendship, $4,000-$6,000; and Jean Baptiste Carpeaux’s (French, 1827-1875) Winkle Gatherer, 28 3/8 inches high and estimated at $4,000-$6,000. The category also features a 31-inch bronze rooster by Jules Moigniez (French, 1835-1894), $2,000-$3,000; and a collection of 19th-century Austrian cold-painted bronzes of Arabs, animals and other figures.

An extensive array of excellent-quality 18th- and 19th-century European sterling silver will be offered, with highlights including a 1797 George III sterling tea caddy by Daniel Pontifax, London; an 1819 Rebecca Emes, London, sterling decanter set; and a variety of ornate hollowware and flatware by various Continental makers. Four hallmarked sterling serving platters by Jean Emile Puiforcat (French, 1897-1945) will cross the auction block, as well. Three will be auctioned as one lot with an estimate of $3,000-$5,000; while a fourth platter will stand on its own with an estimate of $1,500-$2,000.

A featured attraction in the sale is the selection of antique Japanese cloisonné by master makers, a category that Mary Dowd said “has really been bringing premium prices lately.” A Namikawa Sosuke (1847-1910) artist-signed tray to be auctioned is similar to one that sold for $33,000 in 2008. Other Japanese highlights include samurai swords, sterling silver, scrolls, and silk embroidered with monkey and tiger motifs.

Other Asian antiques include an exquisitely carved rosewood Chinese throne chair with possibly original silk damask upholstery; Chinese carved stands, and an altar table. A beautiful assortment of Asian porcelain reveals designs by Imari, Satsuma, Canton and Rose Medallion. Estimated at $3,000-$5,000, a pair of 19th-century Chinese blue and white double-gourd vases stands 29 inches tall.

European ceramics by Meissen, Royal Vienna, KPM, Sevres, Dresden and Delft will go under the hammer. Several sets of ornate service plates are included in the grouping, as is a George Jones majolica doves centerpiece, estimated at $1,000-$2,000.

A top lot within the selection of 19th- and early 20th-century gold gemstone jewelry is a circa-1825 bracelet by Austrian Crown Jeweler Piote et Kochert. The enameled 18K gold bracelet is set with stones and bears an Islamic inscription. Estimate: $4,000-$6,000.

The auction offering is completed with a lineup of fine 18th/19th-century European clocks and more than 25 fresh to the market 19th- and early 20th-century Oriental rugs, all from estates. Among them are Tabriz, Kashan and room-size Chinese and Persian carpets. A noteworthy addition to this portion of the sale is an early Kai-tag Daghestan Persian textile.

Myers Auction Gallery conducts only two sales per year. “We’re very particular about what we sell,” Mary Dowd explained. “We would rather take our time and present only top-quality estate material. It takes a commitment to do this properly, but it’s the reason we have such a faithful following of buyers.”

All forms of bidding will be available for the Sunday, Jan. 30 auction, including live in the gallery, absentee, phone and live via the Internet through LiveAuctioneers.com. For additional information, call 727-823-3248 or 727-823-3249, or email auctions@myersfineart.com. Visit Myers online at www.myersfineart.com.

# # #

CAPTION:


Attrib. to Vatican master micromosaicist Cesare Roccheggiani, circa-1870s micromosaic depicting the Roman Forum, 59 inches wide by 32 inches long, estimate $100,000-$200,000. Myers Auction Gallery image.











# # #