Tiffany silver jug in unidentifiable pattern an intriguing highlight in Sterling Associates' Dec. 5 On Wednesday, Dec. 5, Sterling Associates will offer the finest estate consignments D’Atri and his team have secured over the past several months in a 400-lot Winter Fine Art & Antiques Auction.
decoration. D’Atri said he believes the 8¼-inch-tall by 9½-inch-wide pitcher may well have been a specially commissioned item. “I researched it but could not find its pattern in any books or archives,” D’Atri said.
The sale is also brimming with luxe clock sets, lamps, lighting and sconces; and French glass – most notably a collection of 50 pieces of very tasteful modern Lalique collected over a 30-year period.
The Asian art section is highlighted by superb famille rose porcelain, including a pair of monumental (54-inch-tall) 19th-century palace urns, and a very special pair of garden seats. Another important Chinese lot is the pair of folding chairs made of hardwood, possibly huanghuali.
Other lots poised for success on auction day include a handsome 18th-century Hepplewhite mahogany bookcase from an estate in Fairview, N.J., and a pair of whimsical mid-century painted papier-mache monkey parade masks made by the American Mask Manufacturing Company.
For numismatic collectors – both novices and veterans – Sterling Associates will offer 268 uncirculated New York Federal Reserve notes dated 1934. The notes will be offered in multiple lots that follow consecutive serial number order, with the exception of one lot.
Sterling Associates’ Winter Fine Art & Antiques Auction will be held on Wednesday, Dec. 5, starting at 5 p.m. Eastern Time. It is structured as a hybrid auction in which previewing is available at the physical gallery, but all bidding is exclusively absentee, by phone or live via the Internet through LiveAuctioneers.com.
“The way our auctions work, all bidding is conducted remotely, but we’re very much a permanent brick-and-mortar company where anyone can come in to inspect the goods,” said D’Atri. “It will be run exactly like a live auction, but without a live audience.”
D’Atri explained that he has changed the day of the week on which his sales are held – now Wednesdays instead of Saturdays – with a start time of 5 p.m. Eastern.
“Previously, our sales were held on a Saturday, but people like to have their Saturdays off. We also decided to change the start time to 5 p.m. because it makes it much easier for West Coast bidders to participate and also works well for our many Asian bidders,” D’Atri said.
The gallery is located at 70 Herbert Ave., Closter, NJ 07624. The live gallery preview will be held from 10-6 Nov. 28 through Nov. 30 inclusive; 10-5 on Dec. 1, 10-7 on Dec. 4, and 10 a.m.-12 noon on auction day, Dec. 5. The gallery is closed on Sundays and Mondays. For information on any item in the auction, to reserve a phone line or to leave an absentee bid, call 201-768-1140 or e-mail sterlingauction@optimum.net. View the illustrated online catalog at www.LiveAuctioneers.com, www.Artfact.com or on the Sterling Associates website: www.antiquenj.com. Internet live bidding is available only through LiveAuctioneers.com.
CAPTION FOR IMAGE AT TOP:
Beautiful and unique repousse-decorated Tiffany & Co. sterling silver 5-pint pitcher, circa 1891-1902. Possibly a custom-made piece. Height: 8 1/4 inches. Width: 9 1/2 inches. Sterling Associates image.
