Calder Bracelet, Modern Decorative Arts, American Folk Art and Single Owner Clock Collection Featured at Schwenke April Fine Estates Auction

Also Fine Art, Ethnographic Arts, Asian Arts and Estate Oriental Rugs

Woodbury, CT – On Sunday April 26th Schwenke Auctioneers presents its April Fine Estates Auction with an eclectic and diverse offering of over 400 lots of Mid Century Modern, American, English, Continental and Asian decorative arts, consigned from more than sixty separate estates and consignors from Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, and Massachusetts. The sale includes a single owner clock collection of over twenty five clocks and barometers from a New Jersey estate, and many fine Persian and Caucasian estate carpets. 

This sale begins at 11:00 am in the firm’s auction hall at 710 Main Street South, Middle Quarter Plaza, in Woodbury. Preview times are Thursday, April 23rd through Saturday, April 27th from 10:00am to 5:00pm, and Sunday from 9:00am to 11:00 am.

The featured lot in the sale is a wonderful Alexander Calder sterling silver wire bracelet. The bracelet was given by Calder to the consignor on November 10, 1979, at the opening of the Calder exhibition held at the Whitney Museum, and is believed to the last item gifted by the artist before his untimely death the next day, November 11, 1979.

Of special interest is a rare Gibson ukulele, known as "The Gibson" style three ukulele, circa 1920-1930, which measures 20 3/4" long by 6 3/8" wide.

Noteworthy mid-century modern lots include a fine Louis Sognot (French, 1892-1970), modernist Art Deco tubular steel double sided standing floor mirror and similar vanity stool upholstered in calf hide, both circa 1930-1935. The mirror stands 5'9" high and 21" wide. Other modern lots of interest include pieces by Harvey Probber, George Nelson, Marcel Breuer and other noted 1950’s designers. Contemporary art includes several works by Angel Ortiz (LA II), the noted “Graffiti Artist”, and pieces by Peter Keil and several other 1950’s through 1970’s artists.

Several important American folk art pieces are being sold, including a very fine Massachusetts full bodied copper setter weathervane by E.G. Washburn & Co., Middleton, Massachusetts, circa 1890, with a pristine original gold leaf surface, measuring 18" high by 34" long. The weathervane is the property of a Massachusetts gentleman who worked for Washburn as an adolescent. Upon leaving at age 20 to join the service, this vane was gifted to him as he had often admired it and it had been in the shop, unsold, for longer than anyone could remember. It was stored at his parents’ house until he was released from the service, at which time he bought a house where this high-ranking Shriner enjoyed it for more than 50 years. Also crossing the block are a wonderful decorated and carved wood carousel horse, a rare carved wood Blue Heron wood sculpture/decoy, and a fanciful paint decorated gaming wheel.

Many lots of American, English and Continental period and decorative furniture and decorations are being offered. Of special interest is a rare Wooten style pedestal desk with the unusual Wooten Patent cabinet, a fine Salem Massachusetts serpentine chest, a Boston federal cabinet secretary, a pair of Gaines type carved maple side chairs with Spanish feet, and a pair of McIntyre carved shield back side chairs.

Offered on behalf of a New Jersey estate are over twenty-five clocks, including tall case clocks, mantle clocks, carriage clocks, banjo clocks, pillar and scroll clocks, miniature clocks and stick barometers. Also being sold is a vintage Rolex stainless steel oyster perpetual date "Explorer II" men's watch, circa 2005, with white dial, band marked 78360.

Fine silver is also being sold, including a large Durgin sterling silver flatware service for twelve in the original wooden case, a rare Paul Storr handled bowl, and several other Georgian and sterling silver items.

Ethnographic and native/tribal arts include a collection of Inuit items ranging from stone carvings to fossilized ivory tools and implements and walrus ivory carvings; a scrimshaw walrus tusk cribbage board with image of schooner at sea; twenty-six early Inuit, Thule and Dorset ivory and bone tools; a contemporary Northwest Coast dagger having a carved marine ivory and abalone bear form pommel with a leather wrapped handle; a Fiji carved wood Tonga throwing club; a Caledonian Kanak carved wood bird head club on metal display stand; various African carved figures and tools, and a rare carved Northwest Coast bentwood box.

Several lots of Asian decorative arts are on offer, including two rare Japanese bronze temple bells, a Chinese bronze mirror, Japanese kimonos, a Japanese painted four panel screen, and many Chinese porcelains and other wares.

The sale also features many fine art lots including two large Fernando Botero paintings, oil on canvas, of a Priest and a Lady; M. Shifano "Composition" acrylic on paper; C. Myron Clark (Massachusetts, 1858-1925), "Nova Scotia Brigantine" oil on board; Thomas McKnight (American, born 1941), three serigraphs; C. Harry Allis (American, 1870-1938) "Landscape" oil on board, signed lower right, in original frame; Abel Truchel (French, 19th/20th century), "Children At Play in Luxembourg Park" original poster; Robert S. Austin (Virginia, 1876-1895), two works; Guy Arnoux (French, 1886-1951), "Les Vins de Bourgogne" original poster printed in Paris by Imprimerie Devambez and signed in plate; Edward Loyal Field (New York, 1856-1914) "New England Landscape" oil on canvas; David Hardy (English, active 1855-1870), "Feeding the Goat" oil on panel, signed, titled on verso, in original frame; Dutch school "Village Canal" oil on panel, signed indistinctly LL, legend verso "Amsterdam Holland 1883"; Continental school, 19th century, "Harbor Scene" oil on canvas, unsigned; Cecil Collins (English, 1908-1989), "Court Jester with Owl and Heart" edition #30/30, signed in pencil and dated 1944; Laurence Biddle (English, 1888-1968) two still life paintings "No. 6 Pansy, Wallflower and Forget-Me-Nots", "No. 9 Little Flower Piece" oil on panel, both signed; Richard Bassett (American, 1900-1995), "Ruins" oil on canvas, signed lower right; Egisto Ferroni (Italian, 1835-1912), "Musicians" two oils on canvas, both signed; Landscape attributed to Charles Hunt (English, 19th century), "Children Fishing in Landscape", oil on canvas, unsigned; Georges Braque (French 1882-1963), "Male Figure" ink and watercolor on paper signed L.R. "G. Braque"; and a mixed media on paper by Robert Rauschenberg (American, 1925-2008), titled "John Paul Jones Has Plenty".

The sale also includes several fine Caucasian rugs and over twenty five other estate oriental carpets including Persian, Caucasian and Turkoman room and scatter sized rugs, and other regional and modern rugs of varying sizes.

The catalog for the sale is viewable at www.woodburyauction.com. Internet, absentee and phone bidding are available for this live gallery auction by registering directly with Schwenke Auctioneers. The sale will be broadcast live through Live Auctioneers, Invaluable and Bidsquare. For information please call Schwenke Auctioneers at 203-266-0323.