Don Presley To Auction Beverly Hills Collection Of Superb Antique Clocks, Porcelain, Silver, Nov 5-6

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Date of Release:  Oct. 21, 2011

Featured additional highlight: John Wayne’s silver-trimmed leather saddle along with other fine and decorative art.

ORANGE, Calif. – The 90210 zip code has become a familiar destination for Southern California auctioneer Don Presley, and on Nov. 5-6, Presley will again present a premier private collection sourced directly from a Beverly Hills estate. This time the contents consist of superb clocks, silver, porcelains and other fine and decorative art from a collector whom Presley describes as having “an eye for the exquisite.” A fine jewelry wholesaler by profession, the consignor has always selected pieces of the highest quality for their collection, never settling for anything less.

The Beverly Hills collection comprises 400 of the 1,000 lots to be auctioned, and features 200 absolutely fresh to the market antique European and American clocks.

“This is such a great clock collection that visitors to our gallery have been asking if a high-end antique store went out of business – but that’s not the case. This is a collection built over many years by an individual who happens to love beautiful clocks and porcelains, and knows how to pick the very best,” Presley said.

“When I first went to visit the collection, my jaw dropped,” Presley continued. “I could not believe what I saw on the walls and shelves – gorgeous champleve clocks, Tiffany, Sevres, old silver. These are the kinds of things that make an auctioneer love his business.”

The spectacular array of fancy French clocks features 18th- and 19th-century designs, including gilt bronze figural, tortoiseshell, dore bronze, inlaid marquetry, bronze and porcelain; and elegant champleve designs, as well as many 3-piece clock and garniture sets. There are no fewer than 10 jewel-face miniature French clocks and a fine collection of carriage clocks, including Tiffany & Co.

Among the innumerable highlights are six French boulle clocks – one of them dating to around 1710 and signed “JB Baillon Paris.” At least two of the clocks are among the earliest of their type to have been manufactured. A magnificent gilt bronze horse-drawn chariot clock, with figures of two riders and a lion, also dates to the 18th century.

Taking pride of place in the collection are no fewer than six clocks from Tiffany & Co., including a rare bronze bell-shape clock supported by two pillars and a crossbar. Japy Freres produced the mechanism for at least one of the Tiffany clocks to be auctioned.

A sumptuous 200-piece selection of fine porcelain features many designs by Sevres, including lavishly gilded pairs of lidded urns, clock sets and an ornately decorated tray. An Old Paris hand-painted vase exhibits the unmistakable aesthetic favored by many porcelain artists in the City of Paris during the mid to latter 18th century. Other manufactories represented in the collection include: Meissen, Limoges, Dresden, and Villeroy & Boch. These exalted names of golden-era porcelain are also seen in the vast array of cups and saucers to be sold.

The Presley gallery is laden with heavy sterling silver, including a complete International Silver La Paglia-designed tea service with tray, an S. Kirk & Son double-handle repousse urn with lid, and a pair of 18th-century Jean Baptiste Francois candelabra having a total weight of 250 ozt. One of the candelabra has a Francois mark designated for Paris, while the other bears a 1784 stamp for Semur. Additional candelabra lots are Sevres style and of gilt bronze and marble.

A 31-piece Moser cranberry stemware set is among the top lots in the glassware and art glass section, which also includes designs by Galle, Lalique, Tiffany, Loetz and Steuben. Extravagantly gilded, a set of green glass goblets might be of Russian origin.

Antique Asian ivory continues to draw the bidders to Presley’s sales. The Nov. 5-6 event includes a pair of 3-ft.-tall elephant tusks, figures of Immortals and elephants, a “jeweled” Guan Yin figure on pedestal, and a lady’s fan with gilded frame, among many other ivory objects.

Paintings and bronzes – many by listed artists – will be auctioned. Russian icons and a pair of signed and framed Napoleon and Josephine portraits, hand-painted on ivory, are among the select offerings.

A featured lot that combines Hollywood legend with the lore of California’s Old West is a leather saddle made by the Visalia Stock Saddle Co. of San Francisco for American screen icon John Wayne. Heavily tooled overall and trimmed with sterling silver conchos, stirrups and other adornments, the saddle also bears a silver diamond-shape cartouche engraved with the initials “JW.” The saddle comes with a matching bridle and breast collar, and is accompanied by extensive provenance and a letter of authenticity. “This saddle dates to the early days of John Wayne’s career, and with the interest currently so strong in items having a personal connection to John Wayne, this saddle should prove very appealing to collectors,” Presley said.

An additional 600 items from several California estates, collectors and other consignors add variety to the Nov. 5-6 auction inventory. The sale summary reveals many pieces of Chinese jade, hand-painted scrolls, musical instruments, a 40-piece majolica collection, a 1933 Rock-ola 5¢ Horse Race Sweepstakes trade stimulator, and novelty furniture designed as a 1956 Chevy sofa and Harley-Davidson chairs with saddlebags.

For the adventurous, Don Presley suggests the remote control twin-engine F-15 Navy jet. “It’s 7 feet long and can reach a top speed of 200 miles per hours. But before anyone decides to fire it up, they should be aware that it requires a special license. It’s a big plane,” Presley said.

Both the Saturday and Sunday sessions will commence at 12 noon Pacific Time. Preview daily 9-5. The gallery is located at 1319 W. Katella Ave., Orange, CA 92867. All forms of bidding will be available, including at the gallery, by phone, absentee or live via the Internet through LiveAuctioneers and Proxibid. For additional information, call Don Presley at 714-633-2437 or e-mail info@donpresleyauction.com. Visit the company’s website at www.donpresleyauction.com.

 

 

Bronze and Sevres porcelain clock and garniture set, one of many from a Beverly Hills private collection. Don Presley Auction image.

#   #   #

Fresh Discovery: Victor Higgins Taos School Oil Painting Could Bing Six Figures at Mapes’ Sept. 30 Auction

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Date of Release: Sept. 14, 2011

Purchased prior to Wall Street Crash of 1929, artwork remained in family for 80+ years

VESTAL, N.Y. – An exciting fine-art discovery – a fresh-to-the-market late-1920s oil-on-canvas painting by Taos Art Colony luminary Victor Higgins (1884-1949) – will headline Mapes Auctioneers’ Sept. 30 auction.

An old family piece, the 27- by 30-inch artwork depicts a Native American woman in front of an adobe building with a vine-covered column in the foreground. It was purchased directly from the artist approximately 80 years ago and passed through descent to the consignor, who is the original owner’s great-nephew. The painting has never before appeared at auction or been offered for sale.

“The Higgins came from a retired gentleman who lives less than a mile from our gallery,” said David Mapes, owner of Mapes Auctioneers. “He walked into my office one day and said he and his wife were moving to Colorado and had two paintings they wanted to sell. The other painting was nice, but when I saw the Higgins, I couldn’t believe my eyes. It was similar to a smaller painting by the artist that sold at Christie’s a few years ago for over $400,000.”

Mapes recalls that he told the consignor, “That’s a very good painting,” to which the consignor replied, “How good?” Mapes then delivered the news that, in his opinion, it was worth more than $100,000, adding that the auction record for a Victor Higgins painting is $769,000. “The consignor was stunned,” Mapes said.

Several identifications are written on the artwork’s stretcher – the name “Ruth” and the notation “Victor Higgins $600.” Mapes said it is likely that the original owner made the purchase prior to the Wall Street Crash of 1929.

“From what the consignor tells me, his great-uncle was an art aficionado who once served as director of the Municipal Art League of Chicago. He was also an attorney who lost a great deal of money when the stock market crashed. It’s unlikely that he would have been buying art after incurring major financial losses, so we think the painting may have been purchased in 1928 or 1929,” Mapes said.

According to Mapes, Higgins was a visionary in search of “the real America” and moved to New Mexico around 1915, when Taos was still an isolated village with dirt roads. “He was fascinated by the native people of Taos and became both a permanent resident and a member of the Taos Society of Artists, in 1917.”

The Higgins painting has been examined by a major art restorer who works with museums, Mapes said, and it was determined that the painting has never been cleaned or restored. “It is in original condition and in a nice period frame that may be the original,” Mapes said. The painting will be offered with a $200,000-$400,000 estimate.”

The other painting coming from the Higgins’ consignor is a 24- by 26-inch Southwestern mountain landscape by Taos school artist Carl Hoerman (German/American, 1885-1955), titled Arizona Desert. Signed and dated “1929” on the front, the framed oil-on-canvas artwork is executed in soft desert hues with depictions of cacti and numerous other indigenous flora. On auction day it is expected to make $1,000-$2,000.

The 300-lot sale also includes a collection of 60 pieces of 19th-century New York state stoneware from an estate in Trumansburg, N.Y. Most of the vessels are ovoid jugs and jars, although there are also some 3-sided examples and later molded pieces from White’s Utica. Most have a floral motif, although one features a bird. Individual estimates range from $100 to $1,000.

A beautiful American blue opaline glass fluid lamp that may be by Sandwich measures 13 inches high and was crafted in the Flame Bull’s-Eye pattern. In excellent condition, it could bring $750-$1,500. Another glass highlight is the Steuben verre de soie perfume bottle with blue stopper, estimated at $200-$400.

The nicely mixed selection of antiques and fine art also includes a 35-inch-tall Theodore Coinchon (French, 1814-1881) garden bronze of Pan playing his flute, est. $2,000-$4,000; a Chief Big Moon cast-iron mechanical bank in original condition with 90% paint, est. $2,000-$4,000; and a 19th-century coin-silver teapot on stand by Bailey of Philadelphia, est. $1,000-$2,000.

Also, a 5-piece array of Deldare ware will be offered. The grouping includes vases and two trays, which aren’t commonly found. The smaller tray measures 9 by 12 inches and is titled “Dancing Ye Minuet,” while the 10- by 13-inch tray is titled “Heirlooms.” Both are in excellent condition, and each carries a presale estimate of $200-$400.

Mapes’ Sept. 30 Antiques & Fine Art Auction will commence at 5 p.m. Eastern time, with a preview the same day from 1-5 p.m. Their gallery is located at 1729 Vestal Parkway West, Vestal, NY 13850. All forms of bidding will be available, including live via the Internet through LiveAuctioneers.com.

For condition reports on the art or any other item in the auction, call 607-754-9193 or e-mail info@mapesauction.com. Visit the company online at www.mapesauction.com. View the fully illustrated auction catalog online at www.LiveAuctioneers.com.

#   #   #

Victor Higgins (Taos school, 1884-1949), oil on canvas, circa 1929, 27 x 30 in., scene of woman in front of adobe building, held in same family for 80+ years. Est. $200,000-$400,000. Mapes Auctioneers image.

 

William H. Bunch To Auction Collection Of Classic Cars, Estate Art, Antiques and Fine Jewelry, Oct 4

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Date of Release: Sept. 19, 2011

Lineup includes swank 1926 Pierce-Arrow, ’76 Cadillac Milan, Model A station wagon

CHADDS FORD, Pa. – A virtual automotive time capsule – from an early Pierce-Arrow to a trendy 1970 Chevy El Camino – will cross the auction block at William H. Bunch’s suburban Philadelphia gallery on Tuesday, Oct. 4. The prized collection of vintage cars and trucks was amassed over many years by Pennsylvania businessman Dorando Faggioli, now 78, who made it his personal mission to restore each vehicle to perfection.

                                                                                                    

Faggioli considers his 1926 Pierce-Arrow Model 80 “New York” car to be the jewel of the collection. “In its day, the Pierce-Arrow was the most expensive car made in this country,” Faggioli said. Everything about Faggioli’s Pierce-Arrow is deluxe; down to the special storage area for golf clubs. Purchased in the 1980s, the car won a national first place at the AACA Show in Hershey, Pa., and has plaque on the radiator to prove it.

Faggioli’s sleek 1976 Cadillac Milan convertible derives its name from the fact that it was a Seville 4-door sedan converted to a 2-door roadster per a design originated by Milan Coach Builders Inc., of Simi Valley, Calif. The number of surviving Cadillac Milans is not known. “What we do know is that Milans are rarely seen nowadays,” said auctioneer William Bunch.

The collection’s 1930 Model A station wagon was purchased for nostalgic reasons, Faggioli said. Not only did it remind him of the vehicle in which he learned to drive, it also brought back boyhood memories of accompanying his father – a landscaper – to a weekly job in posh Radnor, Pa. Faggioli recalled: “While dad did his landscaping work, I would meet with the little girl who lived in the big estate across the street. She knew we would be coming every Monday and would wait for me. We’d talk and pass the time. Her name was Grace Kelly – yes, the Grace Kelly.”

Other early vehicles include a 1919 Ford Model T touring car and a 1933 Ford V8 dump truck. Additionally, the Faggioli collection boasts a 1956 Ford Thunderbird hardtop convertible, 1962 Thunderbird convertible, 1974 Porsche 914 and an icon of West Coast surf culture, an all-original 1970 Chevrolet El Camino.

The nearly 500-lot auction is laden with fine estate jewelry. A 50-piece collection from a Wilmington, Del., estate contains a stunning assortment of Victorian Etruscan yellow gold jewelry, some adorned with diamonds or seed pearls. A slide bracelet approximately 1 inch wide with niello ornamentation is a key lot, as are several brooches. An exceptional brooch is centered with a 28mm by 20mm amethyst whose “table” displays a painted portrait of a young woman with a basket of flowers. Estimate: $1,000-$1,500.

Additional jewelry highlights include a yellow gold pin with a 1.5-carat center diamond and six additional diamonds of 60 points each, est. $3,000-$4,000; and a Victorian engagement ring with a 1.66-carat solitaire diamond in filigreed platinum setting.

Within the grouping of gold men’s and ladies’ pocket watches is a Swiss 18K example with guilloche background and the portrait of a beautiful lady with four diamonds across the crown of her hair. Est. $2,500-$3,500.

A gleaming selection of silver is led by a 7-piece Dominick & Haff repousse and floral-engraved sterling tea set that was the consignor’s grandmother’s wedding set in 1908. Retailed by Bailey, Banks & Biddle, the set has a total weight of 370 ozt., with the massive tray weighing in at 170 ozt. Auctioneer Bunch speculates the “melt” value of the set to be $11,000 to $12,000 but hopes it will be purchased by an antiques collector.

A small Victorian silver vinaigrette in the form of a mussel shell, est. $400-$800, is stamped “S. Mordan & Co. London.” While it has no silver touch marks, it is identical to an example that sold at Christie’s London gallery in 2001 for $4,000. “That one had an 1876 registry stamp,” Bunch noted.

Also to be auctioned are sterling silver serving pieces and souvenir spoons; and two outstanding pieces of American silverplate by Simpson Hall & Miller. A 24-inch double-armed enameled bride’s basket with colored satin-glass inserts is estimated at $2,500-$3,500; while a circa-1880 tilting water pitcher on a trolley could fetch $800-$1,200.

Art glass includes a vase by Pallme-Koenig (Austrian), a Rindskopf purple iridescent bowl and a blue and amber Moser glass vase with applied salamander. A signed, horseshoe-shape Lalique Vielleuses Amours Tiara lamp with engraved flowers is modestly estimated at $2,000-$4,000.

The star lot amongst the fine French furniture is a monumental Louis XV-style 2-drawer kingwood commode with mounted bronze ladies on the top corners and richly decorative ormolu on the ends and door front. Described by William Bunch as “the best piece of Continental furniture in the sale,” it is estimated at $10,000-$20,000. Other noteworthy furniture lots include a pair of small Regency breakfronts with floral-and-urn inlay, a Chippendale block-foot card table and a Chester County dish-top birdcage candlestand.

A stellar oil-on-canvas portrait of statesman Daniel Webster (1782-1852) is attributed to Chester Harding (American, 1792-1866), who painted U.S. presidents and European royalty. “Daniel Webster is known to have been a favorite subject of Harding’s. One of his Webster portraits went to the Bar Association of New York,” Bunch said.

Other artworks include a Louis Kronberg (American, 1872-1965) pastel of a ballerina, a Mihaly Munkacsy (Hungarian, 1844-1900) tabletop still life, and two original oils by Louis Icart. In addition, there will be 20 lots of 1990s works on paper from the estate of a Philadelphia man who worked in a Florida print atelier. Many very collectible late-20th-century listed artists are represented, including Rauschenberg, Scharf and Rosenquist.

Estimated at $6,000-$12,000, a 19th-century signed Aristide Petrilli alabaster lamp with relief-carved shade has an desert oasis theme, with camels, palm trees, ladies and other figures. Another exceptional artwork is the Gerdago enameled and silvered-bronze Art Deco dancer with ivory hands and face. Standing 11 inches high inclusive of green alabaster base, the sculpture is estimated at $10,000-$15,000. The sale also features a Franz Bergmann Vienna bronze of an Arab slave trader presenting a nude woman, and a 15½-inch Antoine Barye bronze of wild dogs attacking a boar.

Also to be offered is a vintage country music autograph collection that belonged to a 1950s country singer named Lloyd "Tex" Reynolds. It includes signatures from Patsy Cline, Marvin Rainwater, Hawkshaw Hawkins, George Jones and more. Another ephemera collection contains over 200 Philadelphia Eagles game programs spanning the 1960s to 1990s at three different home venues.

The Oct. 4 auction will commence at 12 noon Eastern time. All forms of bidding will be available, including live in the gallery, absentee, by phone or live via the Internet through LiveAuctioneers.com. For additional information, call 610-558-1800 or e-mail info@williambunchauctions.com. On the Web: www.williambunchauctions.com.

#   #   #

CAPTION:

Enameled and silvered-bronze Gerdago Art Deco dancer with ivory face and hands, dished green alabaster base, 11 inches tall. William H. Bunch Auctions image.

 

           

California Gold Rush Leads To Don Presley’s Sept. 3-4 Auction

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Date of Release: Aug. 21, 2011

Don Presley will be offering artifacts from a retired prospector’s personal collection including gold nuggets and other exceptional geological specimens

ORANGE, Calif. – Gold is the commodity on everyone’s minds these days, and bidders could very well strike paydirt over Labor Day weekend, Sept. 3 and 4, when southern California auctioneer Don Presley offers nuggets and other specimens from the private collection of a retired professional prospector.

Now in his late eighties, the prospector – who traded in precious metals and sold mining equipment for a living – built a special reserve collection over his lifetime that consisted of exceptional geological specimens. He is now liquidating his collection to provide for his grandchildren.

“Over the years, he has prospected all over the world, and this is the first time he has ever sold anything at auction,” said Don Presley. “Some of the pieces in his collection are just fabulous.”

Headlining the gold lots is a spectacular white quartz specimen with a total weight of 59.2 ozt. that contains a gold chunk weighing 29.5 ozt. “A specific gravity test makes it possible to determine the weight of gold when it is suspended in quartz,” Presley said. “The way the price of gold is going, it would have a melt value of close to $60,000, but I don’t know why anyone would want to melt it; it’s a fantastic thing to look at.” Presley has estimated the item at $60,000-$90,000.

Three nuggets have been consigned by the prospector, the largest weighing 12.86 ozt. (or 400 grams) and estimated at $25,000-$40,000. Presley said that because it is a solid nugget, it has more value than scrap gold of the same weight. An 8 ozt. nugget is estimated at $16,000-$20,000; while a 2 ozt. nugget that was made into a beautiful pendant enhanced with sapphires is expected to pan out at $4,200-$6,000.

Other, smaller gold-quartz specimens have been consigned to the sale, as well. An example weighing 29.58 grams (20 grams gold) is estimated at $1,500-$2,500; and one with a total weight of 20.96 grams (13 grams gold) is expected to fetch $800-$1,500. Reasonable estimates have been placed on all of the gold and gold quartz lots, with opening bids just under the melt value.

“The prospector’s collection has turned out to be quite a shrewd investment. Gold is on the rise, so his consignments have gone up in value without a single bidding paddle being lifted,” Presley observed.

Other valuable “metal” in the sale includes a selection of silver coins and an elegant 1988 Rolls-Royce Silver Spur motor car, which is estimated at $20,000-$35,000. Sparkling estate jewelry featuring sizable diamonds and emeralds are on the roster, as well as watches and a separate collection of Tiffany pocket watches.

Following in the footsteps of previous Don Presley sales, there will be a wealth of fresh to the market fine and decorative art from which to choose on Sept. 3-4. Many exquisite items came from a residence in the exclusive southern California enclave of Palos Verdes.

A grand array of 19th-century French furniture is to be offered, including cabinets, armoires, and an ornately hand-carved bed. Presley said two similarly decorated Linke-style tables deserve special attention. One is sized perfectly as an entry table, while the smaller of the two could even be used as a lamp table. Each of the glass-topped tables is richly adorned in gilt bronze with hand-painted porcelain plaques and cartouches.

Art glass includes pieces by Tiffany Studios – including a few Tiffany lamps – Galle, Steuben, Quezal, Wavecrest and more. Porcelain entries include designs by Sevres, Limoges and KPM, with the addition of two Dresden lamps.

An outstanding collection of Chinese ivories will be auctioned, including king and queen figures, a set of seven Immortals and a superbly crafted chess set. From a separate consignor comes a collection of approximately 100 netsukes that will be apportioned 12 to a lot. An impressive pair of 34-inch-tall Chinese gilded-wood foo dogs on 30-inch pedestals will cross the auction block, together with Chinese jade, scrolls and ivory fans.

The gallery will be alive with the sounds of ticking and chimes from a panoramic array of clocks. Of special note is a collection of desirable hunting clocks. A Steinway & Sons baby grand piano and many other outstanding artworks and bronzes complete the auction lineup.

Presley noted that 90% of the goods in his Sept. 3-4, 2011 sale will be auctioned “absolute,” without reserves or minimums. Both the Saturday and Sunday sessions will commence at noon Pacific Time. All forms of bidding will be available, including Internet live bidding through LiveAuctioneers or Proxibid. For additional information, call Don Presley at 714-633-2437 or e-mail info@donpresleyauction.com. Visit the company’s website at www.donpresleyauction.com.

 CAPTION:

: 

White quartz specimen, total weight 59.2 ozt., containing 29.5 ozt. of gold, presale estimate $60,000 - $90,000. Don Presley Auctions image.

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