Monrovia, CA – Coinciding with the joyous beginning of the Spring season, John Moran Auctioneers is pleased to present our first Traditional Collector auction of the year. Featuring a wide variety of over 350 lots on April 12th. We invite collectors who appreciate classic luxury items, antiques, and decorative collectibles to seek out the untold history that lies behind every treasured item in this sale.
Our fine selection includes Continental porcelain and furnishings, French Provincial, chandeliers, clocks, bronze sculptures, silver from prominent makers such as Wallace, Gorham, Christoffel Reed & Barton, and International. Also includes English, Portuguese, and Continental silver. Iranian and Turkish, including Hereke rugs, Chinese hand-carved furniture, L.C. Tiffany Favrile glass, Russian silver enamel eggs, and much more. We have an impressive collection of Fine Art by recognized artists including Maurice dupuis, after Francisco Goya, Paul Emile Lecomte, E. Battiglia, James Wilcox, Constantin Kaluge, Antoine Blanchard, Rudolf Otoo Von Ottenfeld, William Tjarda van Starkenborgh, Pietro Barzanti, John Watson Gordon, George Paul Chalmers, Arthur David McCormick, Jean-Jacques Henner, Andre Paul Arthur Massoulle, Charles Bertrand D’Entraygues, Luther Emerson Van Gorder, Georges E. Capon, Anna Rosenkranz, Longworth Nicholas Powers, Bruno Zack, Carlo Wicoli, Eugene Vail, Jean Joseph Xavier Bidauld, Joseph Bail, Paul C. Grooleran, George Morland, Issac Snowman, Suzanne Eisendieck, Arbit Blatas, Maximilien Luce, Jules Taupin, and many more.
All aboard! Introducing an essential component that equipped an elite traveler from the first quarter 20th century is our rare antique Louis Vuitton trunk. This piece would serve as a great conversation piece in your humble abode after knowing the history behind Louis Vuitton and its humble beginnings. Louis Vuitton was born on August 4th, 1821, in Anchay, a small village in France. At age 13, Vuitton traveled 292 miles by foot on an escapade to Paris, working small jobs to support himself throughout his arduous 3-year journey until his arrival in Paris. He started working at an atelier apprenticing for Monsieur Maréchal, where he grew his exquisite skillset and iconic artistry in trunk-making. This steamer trunk was created in Vuitton’s third London store at 149 New Bond Street in 1900 (address located on label). During the bygone eras of rail and ocean liner travel, Vuitton became the avant-garde visionary to trunk-design. This innovative rectangular shaped trunk was made for the purpose of rigorous handling, stacking inside the cargo hold of ships or luggage racks of trains, with a waterproof waxed canvas over wood and sturdy iron hardware and lock plates. Vintage trunks made from this period with such thoughtful details are a rarity, as Louis Vuitton later moved onto designing more leather textured monogrammed canvas pieces that are primarily what we see in production today. This antique trunk would be a perfect decorative piece for your home or office space, estimated to sell for between $3,000 to $5,000.
Founded in 1710, Meissen was Europe’s first hard-paste porcelain manufacturer who produced its works in a Gothic castle located in Albrechtsburg. The location was chosen to be far, far away from its competitors, as its artisans worked in secret to preserve the company’s innovative hard-paste porcelain formula. Within the marketplace, Meissen porcelain has historically been very desirable, and the company became well-known for the development of decorative figurines. Companies such as Meissen helped to develop a uniquely European porcelain tradition that emerged in response to the popularity of Chinese and Japanese export porcelain styles that had become popular in the West. In this auction, we have a stunning pair of Meissen “Schneeballen” urns made in the 19th century estimated at $8,000 to $12,000. Schneeballen means “snowball” in German and refers to the bulbous clumps of flowers that are mounted onto the vase. They are also covered in thousands of hand-made white mayflower blossoms throughout, adorned with colorful parrots, yellow buntings, and other small colorful realistic birds. A timeless piece made with tender, love and care, this porcelain artistry is even more incredible seen with the naked eye.
“This innovative rectangular shaped trunk was made for the purpose of rigorous handling, stacking inside the cargo hold of ships or luggage racks of trains, with a waterproof waxed canvas over wood and sturdy iron hardware and lock plates.”
An early Louis Vuitton steamer trunk $3,000-$5,000
Thomas Webb & Sons, originally known as the “Crystal Kind of England,” created a strong family legacy of patents since 1854 that progressively influenced methodologies of glassmaking. One of the patents, cameo glass engraving, became highly sought-after in the late 19th century. Here we have a unique Victorian acid-etched cameo glass oil lamp, decorated with hawthorn tree motifs with leaves, berries, and flowers. With a size of 15.5” tall and 5.5” wide, it is a rare piece due to its large size and extreme level of detail, leaving little to no negative space. Thomas Webb & Sons designs were primarily small by nature due to the time-consuming artistic process of etching multiple layers of glass. This one-of-a-kind gem collectible is estimated at $1,500 to $2,000.
Scenes and subjects of the Middle East are often referred to as “Orientalist,” a style of genre, landscape, and portrait painting that became especially popular in the 18th and 19th century. Interest in the Middle East and North Africa was sparked during the reign of Napoleon when the Napoleonic French forces invaded Egypt in 1798. This resulted in a peaked commercial and stylistic interest for Middle Eastern aesthetics in Europe. It was common for European artists, such as the artist of the painting “La Toilette de la Mariée”, Jules Taupin (French, 1863-1932), to paint scenes of Middle Eastern women living their day-to-day lives or conducting cultural or religious activities but perceived and interpreted through a voyeuristic European lens. Scenes of harems, bath houses, or odalisque portraits were favorite subjects, such as is seen in this painting. This is an incredible piece of art history- a thought-provoking masterpiece, estimated at $10,000 to $15,000.
Upcoming Auctions
Fine Jewelry: Tuesday, May 3rd | 10:00 am PST
Studio Jewelry: Tuesday, May 4th | 10:00 pm PST
California and American Fine Art: Tuesday, May 10th | 12:00 pm PST
California Living: Tuesday, May 17th | 10:00 am PST
Art of the American West: Tuesday, May 24th | 12:00 pm PST
Studio Fine & Decorative Art: Tuesday, June 7th | 10:00 am PST
Postwar & Contemporary Art + Design: Tuesday, June 21st | 12:00 pm PST
John 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 public preview. Moran’s auction showroom is 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.
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