A wealth of fine & decorative art, furniture & jewelry in Sterling Associates' Sept. 15 auction Sterling Associates’ Sept. 15 Fall Fine Art & Furniture Auction is laden with high-quality antiques, art, furniture and jewelry from N.Y., N.J. and Connecticut estates.
News-Antique.com - Sep 05,2012 - CLOSTER, N.J. – Those who have had a long involvement with antiques and art may very well experience a touch of déjà vu at Sterling Associates’ Fall Fine Art & Furniture Auction preview. Each category in the Sept. 15 sale abounds with high-quality estate pieces from the New York/New Jersey/Connecticut tri-state area.
“When you walk into the showroom, it looks like a very complete, well-stocked antique store of the 1960s or ’70s, where there would be a large selection of goods from literally every category, not just a few examples of this and that,” said Sterling Associates’ owner Stephen D’Atri. “There isn’t a category in our September auction that could be described as sparse. It’s a true, complete antique, art and furniture sale.”
The 500-lot event features an excellent array of fine and decorative art; Asian antiques, furniture and jewelry. Paintings and other artworks comprise a sizable portion of the sale, and bidders will have their choice of periods, genres and artists spanning a timeline of approximately 250 years. There are American, English, Continental and Russian artworks dating from the 17th- through the mid-20th century, with even a few Old Masters included.
Many of the paintings are from listed artists and are “the type that would be sought after by those who like to decorate their homes tastefully with art,” D’Atri said. Among the artists represented are Friedrich Schaper (German, 1869-1956), William Robert Shulgold, Christian Wilhelm, Rodolfo Mishaan, Bob Evans and Eugenie Marron. Additionally, there is an oil painting attributed to Hermann Ottomar Herzog (German/American, 1832-1932).
“This will be our fifth sale since establishing Sterling Associates. In our first four auctions we sold a tremendous amount of art to overseas bidders who weren’t able to attend the preview but were still very happy with their purchases. In particular, we’ve found that Europeans will buy 16th- to 18th-century art if they can attribute it, whether they preview it in person or not,” D’Atri noted.
A circa-1975 color lithograph by renowned Harlem Renaissance painter Romare Bearden (African-American, 1911-1988) is expected to attract its fair share of attention. Titled “Pepper Jelly Lady,” it depicts a black woman and a chicken, with a house in the background. Hand-signed and numbered, the “folky” 28 x 24-inch (sight) artwork is estimated at $4,000-$6,000.
Sixty lots of desirable Asian porcelain, ivory and jade antiques will be auctioned on Sept. 15, with 40 of the lots coming from a single residence. Most of the items remained in the same collection for 60 to 75 years. The star lot is expected to be the set of 12 very finely carved ivory lohan figures symbolizing the Chinese zodiac years. They are in exceptionally fine condition and date to the 18th century, possibly earlier. Each of the 5-inch figures is hollow, reflecting an old technique that was employed to prevent ivory from absorbing humidity and cracking. The set’s pristine condition, superior carving and completeness have earned it a presale estimate of $10,000-$15,000.
Another interesting Chinese piece is a small Qianlong celadon
