Moran’s all-encompassing California Living Sale makes collectors feel right at home

Monrovia, CA – John Moran Auctioneer’s April 13th California Living auction is filled with fine art and accouterment perfect for the California abode.  Treasures from around the Golden State and the world will make a welcome addition to any collection including works of art from Mary DeNeal Morgan, Harold Doolittle, Hanson Puthuff, and Guy Wiggins.  A second round of offerings from the Alan Schneider Collection with more than 100 lots of art glass and objects will feature prominently. Tiffany Studios Handel and Duffner Kimberly lighting, Tiffany Favrile glass vases, French art glass by Daum and Gallé as well as other more eccentric European lighting options represent a slew of options to enlighten the California Home and add beauty to our new home offices and living spaces.  From Arts and Crafts to Art Deco, and Art Nouveau, this sale has something for you.  As a bonus, we are offering a fine selection of wearable art from Mexican jewelry masters William Spratling, Matilde Poulat, Margot de Taxco, Antonio Pineda, Hector Aguilar and others.

Nothing says sleek elegance like an exquisite Tiffany Studios counter-balance floor lamp that was created between 1902 and 1919. As if the gold and iridescent Favrile glass shade was not enough, there is an added damascene element which is when a darkly oxidized steel background is embellished with gold or another metal. The weighted ball rests in a foliate cradle and has an adjustable head that is raised on five curved legs with spade feet.  This bronze vision will go to the block and is estimated to sell in the $4,000-$6,000 range (Lot 9).

In keeping with the glass motif is a suite of silver and obsidian jewelry made by the masterful and prolific Antonio Pineda. Obsidian is a rich black/deep green volcanic glass that is formed when felsic lava erupting from a volcano cools at just the right speed and creates only a limited amount of crystallization. The central figure in this suite is the diamond-shaped collar necklace that holds faceted diamond-shaped obsidian creating twice the amount of drama. This necklace along with the matching bracelet, a pair of screw-back earrings, and a ring is estimated at $2,000-$3,000 (Lot 276).

Speaking of drama, it is not difficult to recognize the truly inspired metalwork of Matilde Poulat, more commonly known as Matl. She was an artist who began to focus her creative efforts on jewelry in 1934. Her widely recognized pieces usually involve two very intricate techniques, channel setting and hand chasing, and she often combined the two.  Her channel setting was done with several extremely small stones, frequently turquoise and coral. The other method she employed was hand chasing which created texture in her pieces. Unlike her other works, the Matl silver necklace with a bird and rose motif in this auction was a cast piece commissioned for Sandborn in the 1960’s and will be offered with an estimate of $3,000-$5,000 (Lot 264).

Carl Sammons (1883-1968) is a painter who captured the picturesque California landscape.   He often utilized his Bay Area surroundings to incorporate scenes of the coast. Sammons painted in Plein Air, meaning he did so outdoors within nature. It is a very romantic concept, but the practicalities of executing such a feat are challenging. Oil painting is demanding in and of itself but leaving the comforts of a studio means being instantly exposed to the elements; scorching heat, flying insects, blowing dust attaching itself to wet paint, and that is not even to mention that the entire endeavor was usually predicated by a significant hike accompanied by the weight of equipment. With the advent of Spring, the Southern California hills will soon reflect these glorious colors. Bush Lupin is a beautiful example of California Plein Air painting. This work is coming to the block with a pre-sale estimate of $800 – $1,200 (Lot29).

Even closer to home is the work of Pasadena-based artist Harold L. Doolittle (1883-1974). Doolittle was chief design engineer by day for the Southern California Edison Company and an artist by night who worked in many mediums including photography, metalsmithing, and even furniture. However, he was first and foremost a printmaker and associated with his expertly executed aquatints, a printmaking process in which acid is applied to a metal plate creating tonal variations as opposed to engraving or lithography. Morning in Yosemite shows Doolittle’s skillful application of aquatint. He manipulates the medium in a way that not only adds depth to the image but simultaneously exemplifies the overwhelming grandeur of standing at the base of Yosemite’s El Capitan, a California national treasure. This piece is estimated at $1,000-$1,500 (Lot 34), and will be accompanied by the book, The Lore and the Lure of Yosemite, by Herbert Earl Wilson.

What better way to sum up California Living than with a Handel Teroca table lamp bearing the iconic view of a sunset with palm trees. Teroca is when a design is made from metal and overlaid on a colorful glass shade and in this example recreating the globally recognized scene of palm trees in shadow against a warm pink sunset. The technique originated at The Handel Company but was often copied by many other lamp companies. The Handel Teroca “Palm Tree and Sunset” table lamp gives buyers the ability to turn on that majestic California sky whenever it may suit them. Estimated at $1,500-$2,000 (Lot 82).

Upcoming Auctions

Moran’s Spring season will bring installments of California & American Fine Art and The Traditional Collector in April and will keep going in May with Fine Jewelry & Timepieces and Art of the American West. Moran’s auction preview floor is spaced over 10,000 square feet and allows clients to preview objects with-in established social distancing guidelines. Moran’s takes the health and safety of our staff and customers seriously, as such, the sales will be held online and without a live audience. For upcoming highlights, online catalogues, and more information on these sales, visit Moran’s website: www.johnmoran.com. Bidding is now available online via Moran’s new mobile app, Moran Mobile, available on both iOS and Android operating systems. Live bidding on a desktop is available through our website; bidding is also supported by telephone or absentee.