CRANSTON, R.I. – A Neoclassical bronze figure of the Greek goddess Thetis on a large mantle clock by French sculptor Pierre Eugene Emile Hebert (1828-1893), a Madoura pottery partial glaze ceramic bowl by Pablo Picasso and an oil on board hunting scene by Gregory Hollyer (Br./Am., 1871-1965) will all be sold on Saturday, January 14th, by Bruneau & Co. Auctioneers.

They’re just a few of the expected top lots in Bruneau & Co. Auctioneers’ three-session Winter Antiques Fine Art Auction, featuring a wide variety of decorative and fine arts, Asian art and objects, militaria and erotic art, gathered from prominent estates and collections throughout New England. In all, almost 400 lots will come under the gavel over the course of the day-long event. The auction will be conducted in the firm’s gallery, located at 63 Fourth Avenue in Cranston.

“We’re excited to start off the New Year with a multi-estate auction that offers such a diversified selection of antiques, fine art and decorative arts from all over New England,” said Kevin Bruneau, the president of Bruneau & Co. Auctioneers. Travis Landry, a specialist with the firm, added, “This promises to be a fun sale, with an eclectic mix for collectors all across the board.”

The first session, starting at 10:30 am Eastern time, will be a live-only affair – no reserves and no absentee or internet bidding – with more than 150 lots coming up for bid. The second session, a catalog and internet auction, will begin promptly at 12 noon and feature more than 350 lots, with online bidding facilitated by LiveAuctioneers.com, Invaluable.com, eBay and Auctionzip.com.

The first portion of the cataloged sale will open with 40 pieces of artwork, comprising various artists and styles. Included will be the oil on panel landscape painting by British-born American artist Gregory Hollyer. The 24 inch by 36 inch (framed) work depicts a hunter observing with his rifle as a small bird flies by, his two eager dogs nearby. The work should hammer for $600-$900.

Two other paintings in the session are an oil on canvas landscape painting by Edmund Aylburton Willis (UK/US, 1808-1899), 14 ½ inches by 25 ½ inches (framed), depicting seven cows resting in a field by a river (est. $500-$800); and a watercolor and gouache painting of a Dutch flower market by Francis William Van Vreeland (Calif./Neb., 1879-1954), which should hit $300-$600.

The second portion of the catalog will feature 200 lots of antiques, decorative arts, militaria and Oriental rugs and textiles. A decorative art highlight promises to be the Madoura pottery partial glaze bowl by the modern master Pablo Picasso (Sp., 1881-1973), titled Picador and depicting a bullfighter on horseback with lance in hand, jabbing a bull. The lot should bring $1,500-$2,000.

The session will also include the Neoclassical bronze figure of the Greek sea goddess Thetis by Pierre Eugene Emile Hebert, standing on a French Neoclassical black slate mantle clock, overall 28 ¼ inches tall (est. $1,000-$2,000). Thetis rests on an anvil, her foot against a Corinthian-type helmet as she prepares for war. The circa-1860 clock is powered by a Samuel Marti movement.

Equally impressive is a fine French ormolu and patinated bronze garniture set attributed to the sculptor Edmund Louis Auguste Leveque (Fr., 1814-1875). The mantle clock depicts Gil Blas and Captain Rolando from the French novel Adventures of Gil Blas of Santillane, and is paired with two large matching candelabra, also of Gil Blas and Captain Rolando (est. $1,000-$1,500).

Two American-made weathervanes are expected to pique bidder interest. One is a 19th century copper and lead full-body cow weathervane, attributed to J.W. Fiske Ironworks, finished in a bronze patination, 33 inches long (est. $2,000-$3,000). The other is a circa-1910 folk art full-body copper and lead example, showing a goose in flight with wings spread (est. $1,000-$1,500).

The session also contains the militaria component, with ephemera, firearms, medals and more. Key lots will include a rare 19th century U.S. Revenue Marine service sword made by the Ames Mfg. Co. (Chicopee, Mass.), with scabbard (est. $2,000-$3,000); and a German World War I-era Erfut .30 caliber Luger pistol with a checkered wood handle and a steel barrel (est. $500-$800). Also sold will be several original (and highly collectible) World Wars I and II war effort posters.

The last portion of the catalog will contain 40 lots of Asian arts and antiques. A strong candidate for top lot of the category is a 19th century Tibeto-Chinese gilt bronze figure of a seated White Tara, diminutive at 5 inches tall but with a robust $2,000-$3,000 estimate. The figure was finely cast with inset turquoise stones (some are missing), seated in Dhyanasana on a double lotus base.

Other Asian lots will include a large, colorful Chinese Qing Dynasty landscape scroll painting, 57 inches by 110 inches (with borders), depicting horses grazing in a riverside pasture shaded by a tree (est. $400-$600); and an 18th century Indian Hindu bronze figure of a standing Ganesh, just over 5 ½ inches tall, with Ganesh in a serene state, with arms outstretched (est. $250-$400).

The third and final session of the sale, starting at 4 pm, will feature 60 lots of erotic artwork, all from a single estate in Providence, R.I. Highlights will include four bronze groupings by Franz Bergman (1861-1936); three bronze figures by Bruno Zach (1891-1945); seven colored etchings by Claes Oldenburg (b. 1929); and three trompe l’oeil paintings by Pierre Ducordeau (b. 1928).

Franz Bergman was the owner of a Viennese foundry who produced numerous patinated and cold-painted bronze Oriental, erotic and animal figures, the latter often humanized or whimsical, humorous objets d’art. Bergman sometimes signed his erotic bronzes as “Nam Greb” (“Bergman spelled backwards) or with a letter “B” in an urn-shaped cartouche, so as to disguise his identity.

Claes Oldenburg is an American sculptor, best known for his public art installations, typically featuring large replicas of everyday objects. Another theme in his work is soft sculpture versions of everyday objects. Many of his works were done in collaboration with his wife of 32 years, Coosje van Bruggen, who died in 2009. Oldenburg is still active and living in New York City.

Bruno Zach was born in Ukraine and went on to become an Austrian art deco sculptor of some renown. He was known for a wide repertoire of genre subjects, but he was best known for his erotic sculptures of young women. He was a prolific creator of dominating women in bronze and ivory, the combination of the two in art casting sometimes being referred to as chryselephantine.

Previews will be held on Thursday, Jan. 12, from 10-5; Friday, Jan. 13, from noon to 9 pm; and on Saturday, Jan. 14, the date of auction, when the doors open at 9 am. In addition to live and internet bidding, phone and absentee bids will also be accepted. To learn more about Bruneau & Co. Auctioneers and the January 14th three-session auction, please visit www.bruneauandco.com. To contact Bruneau & Co. Auctioneers via e-mail, you may e-mail to info@bruneauandco.com.

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