Posted on Fri, Jun. 20, 2008
Between the artwork in the first session of Barry S. Slosberg's two-day quality sale of fine furniture and art and the 150 lots of American and European paintings being offered at Freeman's, Sunday looks to be a busy day for bidders.
The Slosberg sale begins at 10 a.m. at 2501 E. Ontario St. The roughly 80 lots of artwork include both American and European artists, notably a signed acrylic oil-on-board depiction of Jerusalem by Zvi Mairovich.
"Russian artists are very hot these days," Slosberg said this week.
Among the American works are a signed oil-on-canvas by Dines Carlsen,
Near Falls Village, Conn., that Slosberg expects to sell for $2,000 to $4,000. He expects two large panoramic scenes by Hans Liebl that came from the old Schwarzwald Inn at Second Street and Olney Avenue to sell in the mid-three-figure range because of their size.
Other paintings include a signed Edmund D. Lewis watercolor seascape and four signed watercolors by the New Jersey painter George Essig.
Among the furniture in Sunday's session is a Rococo Revival fire screen with a beaded and needlepoint cover depicting a floral scene that is strangely reminiscent of Essig's work. Because it came from the same consigner as the Essig watercolors, Slosberg thinks it possible that the fire screen was once Essig's too. He says it could bring $2,000 to $4,000.
Other furniture of note includes French pieces, a sidelock chest, several case clocks, and a bronze clock and garniture made for Bailey, Banks & Biddle that might bring $6,000 to $8,000.
The auction's second session, beginning at 6 p.m. Monday, will feature 70 to 80 lots of Tiffany, Steuben and other art glass; Rookwood pottery, including a piece signed by Rookwood designer Sarah Sax that could bring $5,000 to $7,000; a Regina music box, and a selection of estate jewelry, notably a Corum man's wristwatch whose face is made of a $20 gold piece. Slosberg expects the watch to sell for $2,000 to $3,000.
Previews are from 2 to 7 p.m. today, at 10 a.m. Sunday, and from 3 p.m. to sale time Monday at the gallery. For more information, call 215-425-7030.
Freeman's sale begins at 2 p.m. Sunday at 1808 Chestnut St., with 69 lots of European paintings and sculpture - some with familiar names, many with big prices.
A diminutive bronze by Rodin titled
Petit tete de Pierre de Wiessant is expected to sell for $5,000 to $7,000, according to presale estimates in the auction catalog. A big bronze (57 inches) by Paul Gustave Dore,
La Defense Nationale, could bring $18,000 to $25,000.
Most of the paintings are by less familiar artists, and have lower presale estimates. Perhaps the most charming, and costliest, is Henri Brispot's
Bouquineurs sur les Quais de la Seine, which depicts a crowd of black-suited, top-hatted Frenchmen browsing at one of Paris' famed open-air book stalls. It is expected to sell for $15,000 to $25,000.
Also eye-catching is
Study of an Irish Girl by Sir William Orpen, which is expected to sell for $5,000 to $8,000. It is one of three works by Orpen and among more than a half-dozen paintings in the sale from the collection of Philip Rieff and Alison Douglas Knox of Philadelphia.
The sale concludes with 89 lots of American paintings and sculpture, beginning with nine bronzes, notably
Pan of Rohallion by Frederick W. MacMonnies ($12,000 to $18,000). Three bronzes are by Harriet Whitney Frishmuth, notably a figure of a nude titled
Star that was one of 120 cast before 1955 ($15,000 to $20,000) and
The Dancers - Pas de Deux Tarantella ($30,000 to $50,000).
Predictably, the paintings include a large number of Pennsylvania impressionists, seven by Fern Coppedge alone, including
New Hampshire Farmhouse and
The Paunnacussing Creek at Carversville ($30,000 to $50,000 each). There also are six works by Roy C. Nuse, notably
Robert Tease's Place ($25,000 to $40,000), and two by Walter E. Baum, notably
Pennsylvania Mill ($30,000 to $50,000).
The top presale estimate in this category is for John Folinsbee's
The Shad Landing, $40,000 to $60,000.
On a more affordable level, the sale offers
Bowl of Flowers by Dox Thrash ($3,000 to $5,000); Walter Stuempfig's
Mending the Net ($2,500 to $4,000); Nicola D'Ascenzo's
Late Afternoon, which comes from the Fidelity Mutual Life Insurance Co. of Radnor ($2,000 to $3,000), and, from the estate of Joan Herschede of Cincinnati, the last item in the sale,
Snow Drops by George Weymouth ($6,000 to $10,000).
Previews are from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. today and noon to 5 p.m. tomorrow. For more information, call 215-563-9275 or go to
www.freemansauction.com.
Contact David Iams at daiams@comcast.net.
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