Monrovia, CA – Buyers were eager to bring California Living home as evident with Tuesday’s sale on April 6, 2021! On offer was furniture for every room and lamps for tables, floors, and ceilings. Sculptures for mantles and artwork for walls ensured that there was something for everyone in California Living. The sale was diverse and loaded with various Tiffany Studios lighting options from the Alan Schneider Collection as well as exceptional decorative glass pieces by Louis Comfort Tiffany, Galle, and Daum. There was also a nice selection of Stickley furniture and paintings by respectable artists like Carl Sammons and Frank J. Gavencky. A carefully curated selection of jewelry from names like Antonio Pineda, Matl, Hector Aguilar, and William Spratling brought the well-received sale to a close.
Lot 160: Woman Seated with Greyhound, $600-$800 Sold: $2,500
Buyers were eager to bring California Living home as evident with Tuesday’s sale on April 6, 2021! On offer was furniture for every room and lamps for tables, floors, and ceilings. Sculptures for mantles and artwork for walls ensured that there was something for everyone in California Living. The sale was diverse and loaded with various Tiffany Studios lighting options from the Alan Schneider Collection as well as exceptional decorative glass pieces by Louis Comfort Tiffany, Galle, and Daum. There was also a nice selection of Stickley furniture and paintings by respectable artists like Carl Sammons and Frank J. Gavencky. A carefully curated selection of jewelry from names like Antonio Pineda, Matl, Hector Aguilar, and William Spratling brought the well-received sale to a close.
Launching the sale was more amazing Tiffany lighting from the Alan Schneider Collection and several buyers were determined to be successful bidders. A Tiffany Studios Three-light Lily Table Lamp with Favrile glass and blossom shades had an estimate of $1,200-$1,800 but sold for $8,750 with buyer’s premium. Also from the Schneider Collection was a splendid acid-etched Galle Cameo Glass Pendant Chandelier frosted from purple to pink. This shining example of expertly crafted glass climbed up from its $500-$700 estimate and sold for $5,312.50 with buyer’s premium. However, it was a Tiffany Studios Counter-Balance Floor Lamp that stole the spotlight with buyers drawing them in with its attractive green and gold iridescent damascene shade. The estimate for this bronze floor lamp was $4,000-$6,000 but it sold at three times that amount for $17,500 with buyer’s premium.
Next, was a striking sculpture, Woman Seated with Greyhound that could be viewed with admiration from every angle. It was constructed with care by French sculptor Armand Lemo (1881-1935) and was an atypical gilt and cold painted bronze with marble and onyx that made quite the impact on buyers. It was estimated at $600-$800 but sold for $2,500 with buyer’s premium. Also notable, were the Pair of Spanish Revival-Style Bronze Caged Glass Lamp Shades in pale yellow. The beauties made their debut on Tuesday with an estimate of $400-$600 but sold for $4,687.50 with buyer’s premium.
“A Pair of Wrought Iron Garden Gates became the subject of desire for more than a few collectors.”
Lot 195: Pair of Wrought Iron Garden Gates, $500-$700 Sold: $6,250
A Pair of Wrought Iron Garden Gates became the subject of desire for more than a few collectors. The gates, complete with C-scrolls and bronze floral medallions, had bids coming in from every possible outlet. Tensions rose and it was well fought to the end, selling for $6,250 with buyer’s premium, despite its original estimate of $500-$700.
The momentum of the sale kept going with the fine art on offer. California Street, San Francisco by artist Floyd Hildebrand (1896-1984) fully encapsulates the energy and landmarks of downtown San Francisco. This particular landmark street was also home to the Schneider collection for the past 50 years, and Hildebrand’s skillful application of oil paint with a palette knife caused the buildings to vibrate with energy and the streetscape resonated with buyers. California Street, San Francisco had a pre-auction estimate of $1,500-$2,000 and sold for $3,750 with buyer’s premium.
In contrast to the California landscape were two snowy paintings by artist Frank J. Gavencky (1888-1966) that did quite well at the block. The first one entitled, Winter in Chicago is a familiar Mid-western scene with streets and rooftops covered in snow. However, the cold climate in the scene is no deterrent to the many people in the neighborhood walking about and children in the first stages of a snowman construction. The second painting, Salt Creek is completely void of human activity but filled with a peaceful stream and flanking snowy banks. Both paintings have a stunning northern blue light specific to the region. Salt Creek, estimated in the $2,000-$3,000 range, but sold for $12,500 with buyer’s premium, and Winter in Chicago had a pre-auction estimate of $2,000-$3,000 but exceeded expectations when it sold for $17,500 with buyer’s premium.
Jewelry lovers waited patiently until the end of the sale for a chance to own designs from their favorite metal smiths and were particularly moved by the distinguished Antonio Pineda. One set of Antonio Pineda Silver “Birdcage” Jewelry made quite the impact on patrons with its scalloped and stylized birdcage design. Although the pre-auction estimate was $1,000-$1,500 the final sell price was $10,625 with buyer’s premium. Also popular from the artist was a suite of Silver and Obsidian Jewelry with a diamond-shaped collar necklace holding faceted diamond-shaped obsidian. Buyers were here for the drama, and even though its estimate was in the $2,000-$3,000 range, it sold for $13,750 with buyer’s premium.
Lot 217: Salt Creek, Frank J. Gavencky (1888-1966), $2,000-$3,000 Sold: $12,500
Upcoming Auctions
Springtime at Moran’s has something for everyone beginning with Traditional Collector taking place on April 28th at 12:00 pm PST. May auctions will be in full bloom with California and American Fine Art on May 4th, Fine Jewelry & Timepieces on May 12th and Art of the American West on May 25th. Moran’s takes the health and safety of our staff and customers seriously; as such, sales will continue to be held online and without a live audience. However, each item is available for preview through appointment. Moran’s auction preview floor is spaced over 10,000 square feet and allows clients to preview objects within established social distancing guidelines so that buyers can feel confident when making an appointment to preview the property. 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.
Auction Highlights
