Ahlers & Ogletree's New Year's Signature Estates & Collections Auction, Jan. 11-12, Grosses $737,374

By Author: Natalie Ahlers
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A 2002 Steinway ebony baby grand piano with a tufted bench played a sweet tune for $27,225, an oil on panel late night river bank scene by Aert Van Der Neer (Dutch, 1603-1677) went for $16,940, and a 19th century five-panel Scottish hunt scene by English artist R. R. Cole finished at $10,890 in Ahlers & Ogletree’s two-day Signature Estates & Collections auction held January 11-12.

The auction was held online and live in the Ahlers & Ogletree gallery located at 1788 Ellsworth Industrial Boulevard NW in Atlanta. The January 11th session featured fine art, furniture, and decorative arts from England and the Americas, including seven Tiffany Studios lamps, plus over sixty lots of silver by Tiffany, Gorham, and Reed & Barton, and other wonderful objects.

Session 2, on January 12th, also featured a selection of fine art, furniture and decorative arts from Europe, to include seven lots of Royal Copenhagen Flora Danica china, collections of Baccarat and Steuben crystal, and Russian enamel and silver objects from an important collection. The two days combined totaled 598 lots and the auction overall grossed ...
... $737,374.

The 1927 Model M Steinway ebony baby grand piano was the top achiever of the two days. It featured the maker’s mark and serial number (#559154) to the metal plate. Impressive at 57 ½ inches wide by 66 ½ inches deep, the piano sailed past its pre-sale estimate of $6,000-$8,000.

The mid-17th century oil on panel River Landscape by Moonlight by Aert Van Der Neer depicted a busy late night river bank scene showing several sailboats under a large cloud formation and a windmill in the background. The work was signed “AVN” monogram lower left and measured 18 ½ inches by 29 ¼ inches (sight, less frame). There was a Christie’s stamp to the work’s center left.

The circa 19th century oil on canvas and leather five-panel floor screen by R. R. Cole, titled Stalking in the Highlands, depicted a figural hunt party with dogs and stags in the Scottish Highlands. It was artist signed to the lower edge of each 18-inch-wide panel (overall, the work measured 69 ¼ inches tall by 90 inches wide). A Brandon and Sons, Furnishers (English) maker’s tag appeared on back.

Following are additional highlights from the auction, which attracted around 50 live bidders to the gallery, as well as 78 absentee bids and 118 phone bids. Online bidding was made available on Ahlers & Ogletree’s popular online bidding platform, bid.AandOAuctions.com, plus LiveAuctioneers.com and Invaluable.com. All prices quoted in this report are inclusive of a 21 percent buyer’s premium.

A circa 1900 untitled portrait of Madame Helleu and child by Paul Cesar Helleu (French/American 1859-1927), executed in conte crayon, pastel, and graphite on paper, depicting a seated female figure holding a baby and artist signed to lower right, changed hands for $9,680. The portrait was beautifully matted and framed, with a size of 18 inches by 12 ¾ inches (paper, minus the matte).

A circa 1890 German coin-op music-box (or polyphon), likely made by Paul Ehrlich, having a Renaissance Revival upright walnut and burl veneer case in two pieces and a coin slot and crank on the right side, surmounting a conforming drop front walnut and burl veneer disc storage case, holding (22) 26 ¼ inch disks, standing 79 inches tall by 35inches wide, commanded $8,470.

A large-scale, 19th century (or earlier) Continental School oil on canvas religious portrait painting of Frances de Sales, depicting the saint at prayer with a crucifix, miter and angels, realized $5,142. The framed work was apparently unsigned, with a plaque reading, 'Presented by Mrs. Singers-Bigger' with chalk notations en verso. The overall size was an impressive 90 ¾ inches by 65 inches.

An English three-part oblong mahogany dining table in the Georgian taste by William Priest (English, 19th century), 132 inches wide, having a reeded top, and triple turned pedestals rising on sabre legs and brass casters, with manufacturer's labels to the underside, hammered for $7,865.

An untitled oil on canvas sailing scene in pastel tones, signed lower left by Pierre Bittar (French / American, b. 1934), framed and with a canvas size of 36 ½ inches by 29 inches, reached $6,665. Bringing the exact same price was a circa 1895 hand-knotted wool Persian Serapi, 12 feet 8 inches by 10 feet, having a cream medallion with pendants on a crimson ground, framed in a navy border.

An oil on canvas painting by Arthur Weeks (American, 1930-1988), titled Taxco Morning, depicting a bright abstract landscape, signed to the lower right and titled, signed, and dated en verso, housed in a gilt frame measuring 32 ½ inches by 38 ½ inches, sold within its pre-sale estimate for $5,748.

A set of eight Royal Copenhagen (Danish 1775), 'Flora Danica' pattern botanical motif porcelain dinner plates, each with a shaped gilt rim with motifs including 'Viola eanina', 'Lathyrus palustris,' 'Potentilla fruticosa' and 'Agaricus kermesinus mull', all having the maker's mark, hit $5,748.

An untitled 19th century oil on panel landscape by the Hudson River School artist David Johnson (American 1827-1908), depicting a landscape populated with multiple figures, signed to lower right and additionally signed and dated with a Windsor and Newton label en verso, framed, hit $5,445.

A caricature portrait in ink and wash of the American poet, social activist, novelist, playwright and columnist Langston Hughes (1901-1967) by Miguel Covarrubias (Mexican, 1904-1957), given by the American writer and artistic photographer Carl Van Vechten (American 1880-1964), to the silent film star Aileen Pringle (American, 1895-1989) and signed by Pringle en verso, finished at $5,445.

A bronze garden fountain modeled as double mermaids supporting a basin with dolphins at their feet, the impressed name 'Clodion' in mold, 57 ½ inches tall, 32 inches in diameter, rose to 4,840.

A pair of Tiffany & Co. (American 1837), private stock Atelier Le Tallec (French 1930-2014) footed porcelain cache pots, 2006, each one 6 ¾ inches in height and having an orange ground, chinoiserie decoration and gilt and silver accents, with painted marks to the underside of each, brought $4,538.

Next up for Ahlers & Ogletree is an online-only Asian Art & Antiques auction on Wednesday, January 24th, a three-day auction of Rare Books & Important Documents from the Estate of Fred Bentley, Sr. on February 7th-9th; a Mid-Century to Post-Modern Art & Design auction on Friday, February 23rd; and a two-day Spring Estates Auction on Wednesday and Thursday, March 27-28.

To learn more about Ahlers & Ogletree and the firm’s calendar of upcoming auction events, please visit www.aandoauctions.com. Updates are posted often. You can follow Ahlers & Ogletree via social media on Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest and Facebook.