Fontaine's Auction Gallery, Antiques & Fine Art Auction

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A rare Tiffany Studios 18-light Lily lamp, a Gustav Becker astronomical floor regulator clock and a carved Carrara marble sculpture of a standing nude woman by Italian artist Pasquale Romanelli (1812-1887) are expected top lots at Fontaine’s Auction Gallery’s next Antiques & Fine Art Auction planned for Saturday, September 9th starting at 11 am Eastern time. The auction will be held live in Fontaine’s gallery at 1485 West Housatonic Street in Pittsfield, Mass., as well as online via LiveAuctioneers.com, Invaluable.com, Ebay Live and Fontaine’s Live. Phone and absentee bids will also be accepted. Previews will be held Friday, Aug. 8, from 10-5, and on auction day from 8-11 am. The catalog is now available atwww.fontainesauction.com. Up for bid will be 275 lots of quality antiques and fine art items, to include 19th and 20th century lighting by Tiffany Studios, Handel, Duffner & Kimberly, Suess and others; fine clocks and watches; American figural carved and Victorian furniture; Asian items; paintings; marble and bronze statuary; Royal Vienna; art glass; gold and diamond jewelry; fine silver and porcelains.  For more information about the September 9th auction, please visit www.fontainesauction.com. 

With a pre-sale estimate of $40,000-$60,000, the Tiffany Studios 18-light Lily lamp could very well end up the top lot of the auction. The lamp boasts 18 signed L.C.T. art glass shades having a ribbed and trumpeted form, all in good condition. The lamp is 21 inches tall and has a 10 inch diameter base.

The Gustav Becker astronomical floor regulator is rare to the point that it’s assumed to be a one-of-a-kind piece, with a top-grade case and fine quality movement. It’s been in the same family since the 1920s and was made circa 1875-1877, most likely for display at the 1876 Centennial International Exhibition in Philadelphia. The 109 ½ inch tall clock should hit $30,000-$45,000.

The carved Carrara marble sculpture by Pasquale Romanelli is monumental, at 60 inches tall, in perfect condition with no damage or repairs. The standing nude woman is rendered with light garments blowing in the wind, and roses, tulips and other flowers around her feet and in her outstretched hand. The work, inscribed “P. Romanelli,” has an estimate of $30,000-$45,000.

The fine furniture category will be led by a pair of dining room sets by R. J. Horner, both with estimates of $15,000-$25,000. One is a 15-piece carved mahogany winged griffin set with a 78-inch-wide sideboard, a 78 ½ inch tall bonnet top china cabinet, a 60-inch split pedestal dining table and 12 chairs. The other is an 11-piece carved oak winged griffin set boasting a large sideboard, bonnet top china cabinet, 60-inch split pedestal dining table and eight dining chairs.

For lamps and lighting, a Tiffany Studios turtle back hanging lamp with an 18-inch shade having a geometric brick pattern in fiery orange glass, a five-row border and seven-row domical top, has an estimate of $15,000-$20,000; and a pair of pure white marble and bronze lamps, 38 ½ inches in height and having a fluted urn form with bronze handles, should hammer for $10,000-$15,000.

A large, hand-blown Tiffany Studios Stalactite shade, 12 ¾ inches tall, having a vertical two-tone green leaf and vine pattern with 11 large four-petal flowers with millefiori centers, should achieve $10,000-$15,000. Also, an unusual Russian silver samovar by Mikhail Ovchinnikov, 19 inches tall, having a conical body on a square base with four feet, and an excellent engraved body with a checkered pattern and a shield on the front, is expected to fetch $8,000-$12,000.

Furniture attributed to Karpen carries appropriately high estimates. The monumental carved mahogany sofa with arched peacock plume crest and large, full figured carved lions, with a polished original finish (est. $12,000-$15,000); or the beautiful three-piece nouveau carved mahogany parlor set consisting of a settee, an armchair and a side chair, with deep red-brown tufted leather upholstery, (est. $8,000-$12,000).

An oil on wood panel scenic landscape of Mexico City by Conrad Wise Chapman (1842-1910), titled on the back, Mexico, From the Hacienda of Morales, signed lower left, is expected to sell for $20,000-$25,000; and a large oil on canvas Old Master painting attributed to the Dutch artist Johannes Lingelbach (1622-1674), a scenic view of a busy courtyard in front of a large cathedral with mountains in the background, 62 inches by 54 inches, should command $10,000-$15,000.

For the gentleman of means, two lots come to mind, both with estimates of $10,000-$15,000. The first is a Brunswick, Balke, Collender Company oak pool table in nice refinished condition, with balls and a matching oak side cabinet for storage. The second is a bronze figural sculpture of a jockey on horseback by the French artist Isidore Jules Bonheur (1827-1901), 25 inches tall on a black marble base and with a medium brown patina.

Tops in the fine jewelry category is a dazzling Van Cleef & Arpels 18kt yellow gold and Alhambra 20 motif necklace with white coral, 33 ½ inches long (est. $12,000-$15,000); and a lovely 18kt white gold DiModolo designer necklace with a diamond studded band above a 3-inch and a 3 ¼-inch long pendant with a diamond studded halo at the bottom (est. $3,500-$5,000).

A bronze sculpture depicting the maiden Una wearing a crown and holding an overflowing cornucopia in her lap while she rides on the back of a lion, 19 ¾ inches tall on a rouge marble base, is estimated at $8,000-$12,000; and a large bronze figural sculpture by Affortunato Gory (1895-1925), of a female dancer, 38 inches tall on a marble base, should earn $4,500-$6,500.

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 19,000 select buyers. Eight times Fontaine’s Auction Gallery has been voted “Best Antique Auction Gallery” 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 Saturday, September 9th auction, visit www.fontainesauction.com. Updates are posted frequently.

• Contact:
• John Fontaine
• info@fontainesauction.com
• (413) 448-8922