MOUNT CRAWFORD, VA, April 26, 2022 —- The Jeffrey S. Evans & Associates April 20-23 Fine & Decorative Arts Auction offered up a wide range of select merchandise and produced robust prices in multiple categories. The four-day format consisted of 1,768 lots of high-quality material and generated very strong levels of participation for the firm, a solid indication of vigor in this diverse segment of the marketplace. Competition was intense throughout each day with nearly 5,000 registered bidders from numerous countries participating online, by phone, in house, and through absentee.
Wednesday’s session, April 20th, consisted entirely of antique and vintage sewing articles and featured the important sewing collection of Mildred Jarvis, Kennesaw, GA, comprising nearly 300 lots of rare thimbles, chatelaines, needle cases, and other accoutrement; plus the 40-year sewing clamp collection of Lyle and Dennis Drier, Oconomowoc, WI. Top lot highlights include a fine 18th-century English or French Rococo-style gilt-brass sewing chatelaine with stone-set ornamentation (Lot 1001); an unusual 19th-century carved wood and bone figural sewing automaton (Lot 1020); and a late 18th / early 19th century French 18K two-tone gold sewing bodkin case or etui (Lot 1018).
Session I on Thursday featured Part One of the renowned paperweight and art glass collection of Carl Carter of Austin, Texas. The Carter Collection was highly anticipated, with strong pre-sale bidder interest from around the world, and the sale day results did not disappoint. With extremely heavy bidding from start to finish, the vast majority of lots in the Carter Collection met or exceeded expectations, and, in some cases, greatly exceeded expectations. Top lot for the day, and also for the weekend, was a fine Tiffany Studios linenfold table lamp with patinated turtleback base in exceptional condition. The classic form, with a vibrant green shade, sparked significant pre-sale interest, with no less than seven phone bidders lined up in competition for the object. Ultimately, it was an East Coast dealer on the phone who prevailed, pushing the final price to $21,060 (Lot 401 – all prices include the 17% buyer’s premium). Other highlights from the Carter Collection included a Paul Stankard botanical assemblage lampwork studio art glass paperweight sculpture at $9,360 (Lot 1); a Paul Stankard damselfly and bouquet lampwork studio art glass paperweight at $5,265 (Lot 5); a David Graeber fancy-cut series Gladiolus floral garland lampwork studio art glass magnum paperweight sculpture at $5,265 (Lot 19); and a unique Mike Hunter millefiori, murine, and lampwork studio art glass vase at $5,850 (Lot 407). Part Two of the Carter Collection will take place October 15, 2021 and will feature approximately 500 lots of paperweights and studio glass, including examples by many of the same artists whose work was offered in Part One, as well as an excellent selection of antique paperweights by makers such as Clichy, St. Louis, and Baccarat.
Session II on Friday featured the miniature lamp collection of the late Rosemary Bennett, North Port, FL; part one of the open salt collection of Fred and Lorraine Ayers, Layton, NJ; property from the Lonnie Knickerbocker estate, Dansville, NY; the estate of Marjorie Poole Britton, Kensington, MD; plus others. The day’s offerings consisted of over 300 miniature lamps of all types, including rare figurals such as Santa Claus, Columbus, bisque Indian Chief, Elf, Skeleton, and others; open salts, including numerous fine enamel and plique-a-jour examples, figurals, including silver, and cameo examples, including Daum Nancy and Webb; and additional art glass, including rare Tiffany, Steuben, Lalique, and others. Top lot of the day, from the estate of Ann Worischek Harman, was a fine Tiffany Favrile daffodil art glass paperweight vase, which garnered $9,360 (Lot 1308). Other noteworthy results from the Friday session included a rare figural bisque Native American Chief / Indian miniature lamp at $7,020 (Lot 1001); a rare colorless figural glass swan miniature lamp at $5,850 (Lot 1009); and a Viennese enameled open pedestal salt, attributed to Rudolf Linke at $3,510 (Lot 1216).
Session III on Saturday featured the firm’s usual diverse selection of fine and decorative arts and produced strong results and a few surprises with numerous categories demonstrating signs of continued vigor. Consisting of a broad range of jewelry, fine art, furniture, clocks and watches, Oriental rugs, Asian material of all types, African tribal art, rare music boxes, and mid-century modern material, Saturday’s 618-lot session produced consistently strong prices across a number of collecting categories. Saturday’s top lot was an extensive Baltimore, Maryland sterling silver repousse flatware and drinking service retaining original fitted case on stand at $9,360 (Lot 2372), which captured the attention of two determined bidders. Other noteworthy results from the Saturday session included a large Samuel Kirk repousse coin silver serving tray with ornate engraved decoration at $7,020 (Lot 2376); a vintage Jabel platinum and 1.84 ct diamond at $6,435 (Lot 2013); an Emilio Grau Sala (Spanish, 1911-1975) landscape painting at $5,265 (Lot 2275); and an outstanding Oceanic carved figure with provenance at $4,680 (Lot 2514).
After the auction, company president and principal auctioneer Jeffrey S. Evans commented, “This sale generated robust interest across the board, from bidders near and far. Levels of online participation in our auctions continue to grow – a real indication that there is increased market demand for a diverse range of art and antiques. The overall excitement and strong sales results reflect the freshness and high quality of the merchandise offered.” Evans added, “Looking forward, we have a number of fine collections across multiple collecting categories in house that we will be featuring in the coming months and over the course of the year, so we are excited about the future at JSEA.”
The firm is currently accepting consignments for their next Fine & Decorative Arts Auction to be held in October 2022. For additional auction results, a schedule of upcoming sales, or more information, visit www.jeffreysevans.com, email info@jeffreysevans.com, or call 540.434.3939.