Fontaine’s Auction Gallery will offer a vast selection of antiques, clocks and fine art on Saturday, March 9, at 11 am, consisting of fine clocks, Tiffany lighting and intricate leaded glass windows along with ornate carved furniture, torchieres and an elegant Steinway Centennial grand piano. Auction previews the week of the sale are Friday, 10 am to 5 pm, and Saturday, 8 am to 11 am.

The auction encompasses traditional antiques and designer pieces, comprising 350 lots of fine art, clocks, and antiques, including American Victorian, Gothic and figural carved furniture, 19th and 20th century lighting by Tiffany Studios, Duffner & Kimberly, Handel, Pairpoint, etc., fine clocks, music boxes and automatons; paintings, Royal Vienna and KPM porcelains, gold and diamond jewelry, fine silver, art glass and cameo glass, bronze and marble statuary, Black Forest items, plus related accessories.

“This auction is focused on quality and ticks off just about every box a buyer could want from clocks to musical instruments, American furniture and much more,” said John Fontaine, owner of Fontaine’s Auction Gallery. “The level of craftsmanship on offer here is second to none.”

Fontaine’s is so closely associated with fine clocks that it’s little surprise this auction is awash in quality offerings, starting with an E. Howard & Co. No. 43 astronomical floor regulator  (estimated at $150/250,000) with its original and signed 14-inch painted metal dial, 105 ½ inches tall, and a R.J. Horner mahogany rattail 9-tube grandfather clock ($50/75,000) with a 12-inch silvered dial signed “Joseph Jennens, Skinner Street, Clerkenwell, London,” 118 inches tall.

Sure to tickle buyers’ fancies is a Steinway Model D Centennial Concert Grand piano ($100/150,000) that got its name from William E. Steinway in 1876 before it competed that year at the first World’s Fair held in Philadelphia, in honor of United States’ 100th anniversary of its independence. The model won “best concert grand piano” and this 1877 model is one of about 424 made over seven years.

Years ago, elegant homes were bursting with character by incorporating colorful leaded glass windows. The use of leaded glass in homes today continues this tradition of combining beauty and function. Fontaine’s offers choice examples of these throughout the year and this auction is notable for boasting a total of nine lots. An expected top performer is an 8-foot intricate leaded library window ($50/75,000), measuring a sizeable 103 by 76 inches, with a cornice style top, fiery orange and green panels, figural winged griffins and a central crowned knight’s helmet over a shield and filigree.

Other standouts include a pair of vibrantly-colored drapery glass leaded angel windows ($40/60,000) with two tall angels standing, 87 inches tall; a jeweled and leaded window with glass roundel ($15/25,000) designed with layered glass in bold panels of reds, blues, green, yellow and amber; 74 inches tall; and a leaded glass angel window ($15/25,000) having a landscape background with clouds, trees, hills and daffodils surrounding a lake, 104 inches tall.

Furniture offerings are also strong in this auction, featuring a number of heavily carved and elegant pieces attributed to the prominent firm of Pottier & Stymus, which opened in New York City in 1859, making elegant furniture in a variety of styles ranging from Renaissance Revival to Egyptian Revival. Highlights attributed to the cabinetmakers include a rosewood parlor cabinet ($30/50,000) having a long beveled center mirror with overhanging bonnet top and flanked by two crystal cabinets with beveled glass doors, 101 by 67 by 24 ½ inches; an inlaid rosewood credenza ($12/15,000) with double arched crests with gilt bronze mounted lion’s head plaques, decorated throughout, 61 by 83 by 24 inches; and a marble top walnut credenza ($12/15,000) with a tall carved crest and large relief bronze door panels by Pierre E. Guerin (1843-1911), 63 ½ by 57 by 18 inches.

R.J. Horner furniture pieces were also exuberantly carved and this sale features a 17-piece oak dining room set ($30/50,000) in figural carved quartersawn oak having pierced filigree carved crests with seated winged putti flanking a shield, figural nude maiden bust pilasters, and large relief carved inset door panels with mythical mermaid scenes.

Also represented is a three-piece M.T. bedroom set attributed to Thomas Brooks  ($15/25,000) featuring a figural carved winged putti bust, half fan carved finials, carved capitals and an aesthetic inlaid frieze.
Tiffany is a perennial favorite with Fontaine’s buyers and on offer here are a Tiffany bronze and art glass chandelier ($30/50,000) with six arms having gold iridescent stalactite shades, 53 inches tall; a Tiffany Studios 24-inch inverted hanging lamp ($30/50,000) with a saucer form shade in a geometric brick pattern, 28 inches tall, and a Tiffany Studios 14-inch leaded tulip shade ($18/22,000) with a shade having a clear confetti background glass.

The parade of European cellos across the block at Fontaine’s in recent months continues with another select grouping, led by a Carl Friedrich Lippold cello ($20/30,000), a German cello from the first half of the 19th century ($15/25,000) and an Italian cello labeled Lorenzo Ventapane ($15/25,000).

Rounding out the auction will be a Saint Francis musical automaton clock ($16/18,000) attributed to Alexandre Theroude, circa 1850, France; a pair of bronze torchieres from a Chicago courthouse ($20/30,000) having large square bronze bases with acanthus leaf trim, 88 inches tall, and a Moore’s patent cabinet desk ($15/20,000) designed to accommodate two workers with multiple open compartments and postal drawers.

Fontaine’s Auction Gallery is the oldest operating auction gallery in Western Massachusetts. It has earned the trust of collectors, investors and gallery owners worldwide. All cataloged lots receive nationwide exposure to the firm’s database of more than 20,000 select buyers. Fontaine’s Auction Gallery has been voted “Best Antique Auction Gallery” eight times by the public.

 Fontaine’s Auction Gallery is actively seeking quality items, to include furniture, lighting, clocks and watches, paintings, porcelains, bronze and marble statuary, Asian items, art glass and cameo glass, Russian objects, silver, musical, coin-op, advertising, toys, banks, gaming and carousel items for future sales. Consignments are currently being accepted for all the upcoming auctions.

The firm will buy outright or accept on consignment fine antiques, collections or entire estates. Call (413) 448-8922 and ask to speak with John Fontaine, or you can send Mr. Fontaine an e-mail to info@fontainesauction.com. For more information about the company and the upcoming auction schedule, visit www.fontainesauction.com. Updates are posted frequently.

Fontaine’s Auction Gallery is located at 1485 West Housatonic Street (Rte. 20), Pittsfield, Mass. For more information, www.FontainesAuction.com or call 413-448-8922.