Bloomfield, NJ, USA, August 31, 2023 — Nye & Company Auctioneers’ three-day, online-only Chic and Antique Estate Treasures auction planned for Wednesday thru Friday, September 13th-15th, will feature American, English and Continental furniture, an extensive selection of silver and a broad selection of fine art. The event will begin promptly at 10 am Eastern time.
The catalog is packed with more than 1,000 lots – a curated mix of fine and decorative arts spanning from the 18th century to the present day. Included will be Part V of property from the Stanley Weiss collection, as well as private collections along the Eastern seaboard from Maine to Pennsylvania.
The largest single-owner section of property is being consigned by a private Princeton, New Jersey collector. Highlights include an oil on silk of a mother and child from the French/Vietnamese artist Le Pho. This work dates from his Romanet period of 1946-1962 and is estimated conservatively at $40,000-$60,000.
The collection also includes three Severin Roesen oil paintings. Two are similar fruit-filled horizontal still lifes and the third is a floral still life in a vertical composition. These dynamic paintings are each estimated to sell between $20,000-$40,000.
Another highlight is a truly special enameled silver singing bird box by the Swiss maker Charles Bruguier. The little automaton was made circa 1850 and is numbered 250. Bruguier only made about 10 of these extremely fine and rare boxes per year.
Continuing along with the silver theme, the collection has a wide variety of silver objects that include a Bulgari sterling silver domino set, a Tiffany & Co. enameled silver cigarette box and a rare set of three sterling silver Navette-form bowls with cobalt glass inserts by the highly regarded English silversmith, Matthew Boulton.
The collection also includes a nice selection of American and English furniture, including a terrific Federal inlaid mahogany bowfront drop-panel chest of drawers made in Portsmouth, New Hampshire between 1800 and 1820.
Moving slightly south and west, another group of property is coming from a prominent Philadelphia and UK family. Headlining the group is a life-size portrait of Queen Victoria. Painted by Charles Cohill in 1856, this impressive painting is a copy of Thomas Sully’s highly regarded portrait. The Cohill work is documented in Carrie Rebora Barratt’s book Queen Victoria and Thomas Sully and is expected to realize $20,000-$40,000.
The family also has an excellent oil on board depicting the Marquis de Lafayette, after Ary Scheffer. This well executed copy is similar to Scheffer’s work, which is currently on display at the US House of Representatives in Washington DC. The painting depicts Lafayette and was brought to the US during his return trip to the United States in 1824-1825.
The family also has a small selection of furniture believed to have been ordered directly from the well-known and highly regarded New York City cabinetmaker, Duncan Phyfe. The family retains an 1835 journal from their descendent, Isaac Ogden, in which he has an entry that reads, “Phyfe Bill of Furniture…..$257”. Pieces include a pair of curule base tabourets, a worktable, a bookcase and a trick-leg card table.
Heading back up the Eastern seaboard to New York, the sale has property formerly in the collection of Ian and Carolina Irving, the famous and well-known textile designer and taste maker. Some pieces were featured in World of Interiors and various other shelter magazines.
Highlights include an excellent George Smith ottoman upholstered in vibrant fabrics (est. $1,000-$2,000); a superb Neoclassical iron and brass hobnail safe, Continental, 19th century and another fabulously upholstered George III black and gilt japanned settee (est. $2,000-$3,000). The settee is a symphony of curves and graceful lines and is wonderfully proportioned. There are also numerous smalls and objets d’art to pique bidder interest.
Travelling north to Connecticut, the sale includes a private collection from Darien. This single-owner section contains a diverse mix of European and Continental furniture from the 18th and 19th centuries, as well as some designer furniture from the 20th century. Specifically, there are a terrific pair of Neoclassical marble top commodes and a stamped French Regence ormolu-mounted marble top commode.
If you prefer designer furniture to the traditional period works, the collection contains a plaster “ledge rock” console after Emilo Terry, estimated at $3,000-$5,000. There is also a Bunny Williams designed “hourglass” cocktail table estimated at $1,000-$2,000 and several pieces designed by Dessin Fournir, as well as a Harry Bertoia for Knoll designed chair.
Moving up from Connecticut, we come to the well-known and regarded Rhode Island collector, Stanley Weiss. Collecting for over 30 years, Stanley developed an eye for the early American aesthetic with an emphasis on the Queen Anne through the Neoclassical periods. His passion and enthusiasm for quality craftsmanship and wood are evident in each piece he collected.
Highlights include a superb and rare Classical labeled grand harmonicon by Francis Smith of Baltimore. This rare cased musical instrument is conservatively estimated at $3,000-$5,000. Of the approximately 30 surviving harmonicons, examples by Smith can be found in public collections such as the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Chrysler Museum of Art.
Also included is a nicely proportioned and compact Classical settee with parcel-gilt claw and ball feet attributed to the Rawson shop of Providence, Rhode Island. The Rawsons were brothers following in their father’s footsteps in the cabinetmaking trade and were active between 1826-1852. Estimated at $2,000-$4,000 this piece offers a whole lot of bang for the buck.
Another fine piece is a Federal New York dining table, circa 1800, with monumental proportions measuring five feet wide and over 13 feet long. This table is made of the finest mahogany and would have been made for an extremely grand home. Estimated at $3,000-$5,000, the piece should be sold by the pound because the wood is so dense and is of superb quality.
A private collector from Massachusetts and Kennebunkport, Maine has included a fabulous Federal inlaid mahogany games table probably made in New Hampshire circa 1800-1820, among other things.
For those who prefer shinier objects, the sale has a number of lots of silver from private collections. Highlights include a number of Georg Jensen sterling silver bowls coming from a private Harding Township, New Jersey collection. These included several sterling coffee and tea services by a variety of makers.
Also included is a Gorham “Florenze” designed footed tray. Ian and Carolina Irving also included several pieces of silver in the sale. The most unique is a silver-mounted horse hoof calendar. Estimated at $200-$300, this piece is the perfect desk accoutrement.
Transitioning to fine art, the auction contains a well-balanced mix of traditional through Modern and Contemporary. One of the top lots is a work by Andy Warhol, his off-set lithographs of flowers. This piece is estimated to sell between $10,000-$15,000. There are also two works by the French/Armenian artist, Jean Jansem (1920-2013), both depicting figures in his typical style of painting (est. $5,000-$15,000); and four works by the celebrated self-taught artist Purvis Young that feature his traditional and elaborate depictions his figures, heads and trucks.
Real time Internet bidding and absentee bidding will be provided by LiveAuctioneers.com, Invaluable.com, Bidsquare.com and the Nye & Company website: www.nyeandcompany.com. Telephone bidding will also be available on a limited basis.
People can bid in absentia and online. An online preview is being held from August 30th thru September 13-15th at the abovenamed websites. Anyone looking for additional images, condition reports or info about an object is invited to visit the Nye & Company website or send an email to info@nyeandcompany.com.
For more information about Nye & Company Auctioneers and the Estate Treasures online only auction on Wednesday through Friday, September 13th – 15th, visit www.nyeandcompany.com. A full color online catalog will be available for viewing soon.
About Nye & Company Auctioneers:
John Nye had a long and fruitful career at Sotheby’s before he and his wife, Kathleen, acquired Dawson’s in 2003 and started Dawson & Nye. With the move to Bloomfield seven years later, they renamed the business to Nye & Company (Auctioneers, Appraisers, Antiques). The firm is nationwide, but the vast bulk of the business comes from trusts and estates in the tri-state area. For more information about Nye & Company Auctioneers, visit www.nyeandcompany.com. Updates are posted frequently.