Turn-of-the-Century Tiffany Studios Lighting as well as Stunning Bronzes & Artwork to Highlight Fontaine’s February 28th Sale

PITTSFIELD, MA…. Several stunning early 20th century lighting pieces from Tiffany Studios (including a Tulip table lamp and a Moorish-style hall lantern) and a pair of bronze figural works (one signed Dimitri Chiparus, the other Vassili Grachev), are expected top lots at a cataloged auction planned for Saturday, Feb. 28th, by Fontaine’s Auction Gallery, at 11 a.m. Eastern time. The auction will be conducted in Fontaine’s gallery, located at 1485 West Housatonic Street in Pittsfield. Over 400 lots will come up for bid, including Tiffany Studios floor lamps, hanging lamps, table lamps and pendants, as well as Tiffany Favrile glass vases and cabinet pieces. Also sold will be lamps by Duffner & Kimberly, Handel and Pairpoint, plus many sets of art glass shades.
In addition to the bronzes given above, the sale will also feature five works by Harriet Frishmuth (N.Y./Conn., 1880-1980), best known for her nude female figural creations, plus other important bronzes. Also due to be sold will be original paintings, art glass, cameo glass, KPM porcelains, a selection of art pottery, gold and diamond jewelry, sterling silver and hundreds of related decorative accessories.
A strong candidate for top lot of the auction promises to be a Tiffany Studios Tulip table lamp with domical shade having a background with wonderful blue translucent hammered textured glass with hints of purple, red and opaque striated tulip flowers, surrounded by long green stems and leaves and signed Tiffany Studios (est. $25,000-$40,000). The lamp is in superb condition.
The Tiffany Studios Moorish-style hall lantern has a tapered cylindrical form, a fiery amber, gold and opaque glass geometric fish scale body, a 12-point feathered crown, domical top and lower door and a border of 25 amber jeweled cabochons (12 on the crown and 9 on the dome above the crown). With an excellent original gilt finish, the hall lantern should gavel for $20,000-$30,000.
A bronze grouping signed by Vassili Yacovlevitch Grachev (Russian Federation, 1831-1905), has a pre-sale estimate of $15,000-$25,000. The grouping, twenty inches long is a snow-covered scene of a troika drawn by a team of horses passing a peasant in a sled riding in the opposite direction. It is artist signed in Cyrillic character, with the mark of the St. Petersburg foundry.
The bronze and ivory figural creation by Romanian-born French Art Deco-era sculptor Dimitri Chiparus (1886-1947), signed and 14 ½ inches tall, should realize $15,000-$20,000. It is of a standing figure of a young lady wearing extravagant garments, cold-painted with gilt highlights. She has a carved ivory head and hands, which grasp a closed book that she holds in front of her.
Another noteworthy bronze is a sculpture after Seraphin Denechau (Fr., 1831-1912), titled Diana on the Crescent Moon (est. $3,000-$5,000). The signed work, 25 inches tall, is of a nude female reclining in the curve of a crescent moon. Also sold will be a pair of winged figural pedestals of marble and bronze, 42 ½ inches tall, having birds-heads and winged griffin bodies (est. $6,000-$8,000).
One of the star lots of the furniture category is a monumental walnut marble-top partner’s desk and chair (est. $12,000-$15,000). The desk has a black marble top inset in a gadroon and leaf-carved walnut top border. The sides of the desk have large full-standing female figures leaning forward. And the carved walnut chair has bowed arms and legs with large full-standing maidens.
The Tiffany name will be chanted frequently throughout the day. A Tiffany Favrile red hooked feather cabinet vase with a tapered body and an all-over iridescent surface, 3 ¼ inches tall, in excellent condition, should finish at $6,000-$8,000; and a Tiffany Favrile deep blue iridescent vase with bold purple highlights in the neck and shoulder, 7 ¼ inches tall, should rise to $2,000-$3,000.
A signed Tiffany & Company 18kt gold, diamond and jade bracelet, 7 ¼ inches long, with 21 bezel set large carved green jade center mounts and about 406 Pave set diamonds is expected to gavel for $6,000-$8,000. Also sold will be a KPM hand-painted porcelain plaque with a beautiful scene of a woman leaning against a wall, holding a peacock feathered fan (est. $1,500-$2,500).
With over 40 years in the auction business, Fontaines Auction Gallery is a name that has earned the trust of collectors, investors and gallery owners around the world. All cataloged lots receive nationwide exposure to the firm’s expansive database of more than 18,000 select buyers. Seven times Fontaine’s Auction Gallery has been voted “Best Antique Auction Gallery” by the public.
Previews will be held on Friday, Feb. 27, from 10-5, and on auction day, Feb. 28, from 8-11 a.m. Internet bidding will be provided by LiveAuctioneers.com and Invaluable.com. For more information visit Fontaine’s web site at www.fontainesauction.com