Massive two-session auction planned for Feb. 19 by Fontaine's A massive, two-session cataloged antique auction featuring over 800 lots of period furniture, vintage clocks and lighting and rare Civil War items will be held Feb. 19 by Fontaine's Auction Gallery.
News-Antique.com - Feb 01,2011 - (PITTSFIELD, Mass.) – A massive, two-session cataloged antique auction featuring over 800 lots of period furniture, vintage clocks and lighting, firearms, militaria, antique and Russian silver, estate jewelry and highly collectible Civil War items will be held Saturday, Feb. 19, by Fontaine’s Auction Gallery. The Civil War items will be a session unto itself – over 400 lots.
The auction will be held in Fontaine’s gallery facility, located at 1485 West Housatonic Street in Pittsfield, but bidders will have the option to bid live, via absentee and phone bids, or online, through LiveAuctioneers.com or the Fontaine’s website (www.FontainesAuction.net). Previews will be held Feb. 18, from 10-4, and Feb. 19, the date of the sale, from 8-11 a.m.
Session One will begin at 11 a.m. on Feb. 19, and last until 4 p.m. A one-hour break will then be held, after which Session Two – the Civil War items -- will cross the block starting at 5 p.m. The action will continue until the last gavel comes down – almost certainly close to 9 p.m., if not later. It will be the first cataloged antique auction of the new year for Fontaine’s.
One lot in Session One could bring up to $100,000 or more. It is a splendid pair of Carl Faberge silver figural candelabra, 24 inches high overall and weighing 268 ounces. Two 9 ½ inch winged putti stand on a large sphere, each holding a wreath above their heads, while branching from the top are three scrolling cornucopias. The lot has no breaks, repairs or losses.
Rare and vintage clocks are a category for which Fontaine’s has become renowned in recent years. Three French clocks expected to do well include a Chronos & Amour figural mantel clock with a “Love and Time” figural theme; an animated bronze gilt bronze cherub clock made around 1840, showing cupid; and a marble and bronze annular clock, circa 1880.
American-made clocks in the auction’s first session will include a 2-weight mahogany grandfather clock made by Walter Durfee & Co. (Providence, R.I.), with brass dial; a nice carriage clock with painted ivory panels, made circa 1880 by Bigelow Kennard & Co. (Boston); and a Seth Thomas No. 5 weight-driven wall clock with 7 ½ inch dial and walnut case.
Works of art will be very much in evidence. Some of the better pieces will include:
A signed oil on canvas luminous landscape, signed Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot (Fr., 1796-1875), showing a woman standing by the shore (est. $25,000-$35,000).
An oil on canvas rendering of a French battle scene by Wilfird Constant Beauquesne (Fr., 1847-1913), 33 inches by 51 inches, in great condition (est. $12,000-$15,000).
A terracotta bust by Alexander Ney (Russian Federation, b. 1939), red on a tan base and signed (1999), 17 inches tall and in excellent condition (est. $10,000-$15,000).
An oil on canvas landscape work by J. Francis Murphy titled Grey Weather, signed lower right and in very good condition, 30 inches by 36 inches (est. $8,000-$12,000).
