Trove of Tiffany silver, fine and decorative art selected for Quinn’s Sept. 10 auction Also slated: Sept. 7 Pewter session and Sept. 8 Antique Books session featuring important 1802 Thomas Jefferson-signed Presidential document
News-Antique.com - Aug 27,2011 - FALLS CHURCH, Va. – When it comes to elegant residential decor and grand ambassadorial-style hospitality, few American cities can match Washington, D.C. A hub for international diplomats for centuries, it has long been known as a sweet spot for tasteful antiques and artworks, such as those to be auctioned Sept. 10, 2011 at Quinn’s & Waverly in suburban Falls Church, Virginia. A special Sept. 8 offering of antique books, maps and autographs; and a Sept. 7 session devoted to antique pewter will precede the main sale.
The company’s Sept. 10 Fine & Decorative Art sale includes a wealth of treasures from D.C.-area homes, including a superb Tiffany & Co. antique sterling silver flatware service for 12 and a striking hand-painted and glazed Picasso ceramic pitcher.
Representing the highest quality in American decorative arts, the Tiffany name has never fallen out of favor with bidders at Quinn’s auction events. From the retail side of the Tiffany operation, Quinn’s will present as the centerpiece of its upcoming sale a magnificent circa-1900 sterling silver flatware service in the Florentine pattern. The set is accompanied by no fewer than a dozen serving pieces, including a soup ladle, asparagus tongs, pie knife and salad fork and spoon. The total measurable weight for the service – which is stored in a custom-made, triple-tier satin-lined chest – is 272.436 ozt. The hefty sterling service carries a presale estimate of $20,000-$25,000.
A classic circa-1905 Tiffany Studios table lamp entered in the Sept. 10 sale actually came from a private collection in Chicago and features an exquisite Daffodil shade on a perfectly balanced, urn-form, oil-font base. It has multiple Tiffany markings and stamps on both the shade and base – always a desired bonus – and is expected to make $15,000-$20,000.
A handsome mid-19th-century Continental rosewood-veneer secretary features two doors with glass panels in Gothic trefoil frames, and side-by-side drawers over a pull-out writing surface that reveals further drawers and inlaid pigeon holes. The bottom portion consists of three stacked drawers centered by two cabinets. Estimate: $2,000-$3,000.
Ever-popular Picasso pottery is represented by a circa-1952 painted and glazed “Cavalier and Horse” glazed earthenware pitcher. Finished in deep cobalt blue, tobacco brown and black on a white ground, it is inscribed “Edition Picasso” and “Madoura,” with appropriate stamps and the edition number “126/300.” The vessel is estimated at $4,000-$6,000.
Fine art entries include a signed, circa-1963 Richard Alan Schmid (American, B. 1934-) oil on canvas titled Azaleas. An accomplished work measuring 20 by 12 inches (sight) and presented in a frame inscribed “Framed by Schmid,” it is described by Quinn’s associate Matthew Quinn as “a painting with great presence – it captures the eye and stands out as being something special.” The artwork could bring $4,000-$6,000.
The oil-on-canvas landscape Pine Tree, Norfolk, Connecticut was painted by Guy Pene du Bois (American/French, 1884-1958) and features a central pine tree with long branches, against a hazy green and blue background. Artist-signed and inscribed, the artwork measures 16¼ by 12 inches (sight) and
