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The Most Widely Read Collector's Newspaper In The East Published Weekly By Joel Sater Publications www.antiquesandauctionnews.net
VOL. 45, NO. 30 FRIDAY JULY 25, 2014
Briggs Auction Sees Sizzling Prices At Late Spring Fine Antiques And Decorative Arts Sale B
for Steinway & Sons ($6,655); and while riggs Auction Inc. of Garnet Valley, not technically an antique, a fine Kindel Pa., kicked the summer season off to a Winterthur Reproduction Rhode Island sizzling start with their Spring Fine desk and bookcase, which sold for $6,490. Antiques and Decorative Arts catalog aucDecorative arts, fine art, porcelains, tion, which was held June 6. and silver also saw strong prices for an Featuring over 400 lots of items from eclectic mix of items, including a rare and selected Main Line, Pa., estates, houses, and important autographed Robert E. Lee carte entire collections, the auction included period de visite with an Alexander Gardner stamp antiques, designer mid-century modern fur($5,082); a colorful Turkish Oushak carpet nishings, decorative and fine art, fine Asian ($4,248); a pair of Chinese porcelain rose and French porcelains, fine estate jewelry, medallion garden seats ($5,192); a rare oriental carpets, country antiques, and much Austrian Art Nouveau bronze dragon-form more. The auction saw enthusiastic bidding lamp with jeweled body, base, and shade in-house, on the phone, and via the Internet ($3,304); a grouping of two pictorial beadfrom over 1,500 registered bidders around the ed bags with landscape and Venetian world. scenes ($1,331); an unusual Gustave Prices were strong across various cateKeller pocket perpetual calendar with silgories, from period furniture to modern ver and brass accents ($1,003); a classic designer pieces to estate jewelry. Top lots of mid-19th-century Martin guitar in asthe evening included the following: found condition, but with period hardThree rare lounge chairs by New Hope artist Paul Evans on welded and patinated Three rare lounge chairs (two shown) by New Hope, Pa., artist Paul Evans on welded and pati- shell case ($1,888); and a robust pair of nated steel frames sold for $47,200 total in two lots and all to the same buyer. Empire bronze 10-branch candelabras, steel frames sold for $47,200 total. All prices which sold for $2,950. A Chinese pottery include buyer’s premiums. Evans’ popularity chrysanthemum-form bowl with tea dust glaze sold for and prices have soared, due to a recent exhibition of his $1,652, and a lot of two Chinese export cabbage leaf-decowork at the James A. Michener Museum in Doylestown, ration porcelain platters brought $1,815, while a Chinese Pa., and these chairs did not disappoint. They sold in two export rose medallion punch bowl realized $1,888. A lots, first a pair, and a then single chair, but remained Chinese export “Rockefeller” plate sold for $1,210, a together, having been purchased by the same determined Chinese watercolor depicting a flowering tree with calligbuyer bidding by phone. raphy poem in the upper right and three red seals sold for A desirable Chester County, Pa., sampler dated 1830, $2,360, and a George Ames Aldrich oil-on-board canal worked by Hannah Bittle, featuring animals and floral scene realized $4,598. motifs and with the delicately stitched names of Bittle’s parents and grandparents, sold for $17,700. The sampler Crossing genres, two large-format Richard Bobby modsold to a family member who wanted to preserve this piece ernist architectural-style paintings realized $3,068. A stunof family history. The sister sampler, also hand-done by ning pair of diamond earrings of over 2.6 total carats with Hannah Bittle and dated 1828, sold for $2,832. removable diamond-drop jackets sold for $8,850, and a A fine Chester County, Pa., Chippendale tall chest with grouping of five fine gold and enamel flower pins realized unusual document drawer and monogram on front, sold for $1,534. $11,800. Hotly contested, this piece stunned the crowd. Additional prices realized and photos for all lots are A gorgeous diamond Art Deco cocktail ring set in platavailable at www.BriggsAuction.com. Details about their inum with approximately 2.9 carats total diamond weight, upcoming fall catalog auction will be available soon and realized $18,880. One of the pieces with the highest prewill feature modern-design furnishings, fine Asian export sale interest level in the auction, this ring saw bidders vying across all platforms before selling to a bidder on the phone. This diamond Art Deco cocktail ring set in platinum with porcelains, fine art, and more. The company holds weekly Friday evening public “Modern designer furniture is the current market approximately 2.9 carats total diamond weight realized estate variety auctions, which feature a range of antiques $18,880. and fine furniture, decorative and fine arts, estate jewelry, leader,” said Stephen Turner for Briggs Auction Inc. “The silver, china, glass, collectibles, coins, books, toys, tools, strong prices we’ve seen for these pieces prove that modern and discovery box lots. Weekly auction listings and hundesign holds its value both esthetically and as investment dreds of photographs are posted every Wednesday. For additional information, call 610-566-3138. pieces.” Notable pieces from the evening included a sleek Gio Ponti King-size Headboard, selling for $7,080 and three pieces of George Nakashima Origins bedroom furniture for Widdicomb USA, including a triple dresser selling for $11,210, a gent’s cabinet selling for $3,304, and a pair of nightstands selling for $4,484. A Hans Wegner for Andreas Tuck dining table realized $5,566. A set of 15 Arne Jacobsen for Fritz Hansen Grand Prix chairs sold for $3,776, and a fine pair of Italian round brass and steel tables brought $2,006. “Period furnishings are also surprisingly strong,” countered John Turner, president of Briggs Auction Inc. “While the market ebbs and flows, the right pieces will always command sold prices.” Highlights included an elegant Empire console table ($16,520); a Georgian four-part banquet table ($6,655); a lovely pair of French Empire commodes ($4,012); a sturdy Walter Durfee 19th-century oak tall-case clock ($4,720); a beautiful A fine Chester County, Pa., sampler dated 1830, worked by Hannah Bittle and featurThis Chester County, Pa., Chippendale tall chest with unusu- grand piano in mirror-finish black- ing animals and floral motifs with the delicately stitched names of Bittle’s parents and al document drawer and monogram on front sold for $11,800. lacquered case by Boston Piano Co. grandparents, sold for $17,700. The sampler sold to a Bittle family member.