Bruneau & Co's Online-only Auction, Features Fine Items From Estates Across New England

By Author: Travis Landry
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An oil on canvas painting by Ram Kumar (India, 1924-2018) and a male figural nude drawing by Jehangir Sabavala (India/France, 1922-2011) will headline an online-only Summer Antiques & Fine Art estate auction slated for Thursday, August 19th, by Bruneau & Co. Auctioneers, beginning promptly at 6 pm Eastern time. Over 400 quality lots will come under the gavel.

The catalog is packed with paintings, decorative arts, furniture, jewelry, silver, Asian arts and collectibles, pulled from prominent estates and collections across New England. Internet bidding will be available on multiple platforms: LiveAuctioneers.com, Invaluable.com, Bidsquare.com, bidLIVE.Bruneauandco.com and the mobile app “Bruneau & Co.” on iTunes or GooglePlay.

“These online auctions have become a fixture for us throughout COVID-19,” said Travis Landry, a Bruneau & Co. auctioneer and the firm’s Director of Pop Culture. “Even though everyone is bidding from the comfort of their homes, it is a great learning experience for all involved to see antiques and collectibles, their value and how the market has changed throughout ...
... the last year.”

Kevin Bruneau, the company’s president and owner, added, “It’s very exciting to see this assemblage of items from New England collections. From the Indian artists to Jean Charlot and the amazing collection of mineral specimens, there is something for all collectors being offered.”

With a pre-sale estimate of $25,000-$35,000, the abstract architectural oil painting by India’s Ram Kumar is the sale’s expected top lot. Part of the artist’s Beneras series, the work depicts brown buildings against a vibrant blue sky from the opposite side of a river. It’s signed and dated (“Ram Kumar 07”) on verso and measures 36 inches by 24 inches (the canvas, minus the frame).

Kumar was a prolific artist and one of the most important abstract painters of modern India. He studied at the Sarada Ukil School of Art in New Delhi before traveling to Paris to study art under Andre Lhote and Fernard Leger. In 1969, Kumar traveled to the United States and Mexico on a Rockefeller Scholarship. Kumar's career has been highlighted by numerous solo exhibitions and retrospectives. His work is highly prized by collectors.

The nude drawing by Jehangir Sabavala (India/France,1922-2011) depicts a sculpted male figure with soft facial features and thick curly hair. The graphite on paper work is signed and dated (“Sabavala Paris ‘48”) lower left corner, and measures 28 ½ inches by 12 ½ inches (sight, less frame). It’s from a collector in Texas and was purchased directly from the artist by the present owner's father in Mumbai in the 1960s (estimate: $6,000-$9,000).

Sabavala was born to an affluent Parsi family, earning a diploma in art at Mumbai's Sir J. J. School of Art in 1944. From there, Sabavala studied at the Heatherley School of Fine Art, Academie Andre Lhote, Academie Julian and the Academie de la Grande Chaumiere.

An original oil painting by Jean Charlot (Hawaii/Calif./Mexico, 1898-1979) is a whimsical figural illustration depicting three small, round-faced children wearing glasses and straw hats in an oval-shaped forested world, surrounded by colorful birds. The work is inscribed, signed and dated (“For H.F.D., Jean Charlot 1945”) and is housed in a 36 inch by 56 inch frame (estimate: $7,000-$10,000).

Charlot was born in France and studied at the Ecole de Beaux Arts in Paris. After WWI, he moved to Mexico, where he befriended Diego Rivera, David Alfaro Siqueiros and Jose Orozco, establishing himself within the Mexico City art scene. In 1947, he moved his family to Colorado to become head of the Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center Art School. He then moved again, to Hawaii, where he continued to teach at the University of Hawaii.

A large and ornate 19th century French figural cartel wall clock, the largest and highest-quality cartel clock Bruneau & Co. has ever offered, 32 ½ inches tall by 21 inches wide, carries a pre-sale estimate of $3,000-$5,000. The clock boasts a white face with Roman numeral numbering and is housed in a gilded bronze case decorated with acanthus leaves framing a bare breasted woman feeding birds while a putto reaches towards a rooster.

Rounding out just a few of the sale’s expected star lots, a natural Colombian trapiche emerald, unpolished with a vibrant green coloration, weighing 25.5 grams, should bring $3,000-$5,000. The stone comes directly from the collection of a Smithfield, R.I. estate.

Previews of all individual items will be available by appointment only, the week of auction. To schedule an appointment, call 401-533-9980; or, send an email to info@bruneauandco.com. The gallery is located at 63 Fourth Avenue in Cranston. All COVID-19 protocols will be enforced.

To learn more about Bruneau & Co. Auctioneers and the Estates Fine Art & Antique auction planned for Thursday, August 19th, please visit www.bruneauandco.com. Updates posted often.