Auction Blog



Another Strong Sale at Schwenke Auctioneers April 24th Important Connecticut Estates Auction


Posted April 27th, 2016


Malachite & Bronze Three Piece Clock Garniture


Theo Hios - Byzantine


Marcel Macken, Standing Figure With Mask


Chinese Gilt Bronze Amitayus Buddha


Tibetan Thangka Depicting Milarepa


Louis XV Rosewood and Satinwood Ormolu Mounted Commode

English, Asian and Continental Decorative Arts Bring Notable Results

Woodbury, CT – On Sunday April 24th at 11am, Schwenke Auctioneers held their Connecticut Fine Estates Auction featuring estate property from several estates and consignors. The auction comprised an eclectic and diverse offering of over 400 lots consigned from several separate estates and consignors from Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, and Massachusetts. The sale included several fine groups of Asian decorative arts from three estates, Mid-Century Modern decorative arts, American, English and Continental decorative arts from a Stamford estate, folk art and American country furniture from Stamford and Woodbury estates, English & other sterling silver, a large selection of estate costume jewelry, fine art, miscellaneous decorative arts, musical instruments, a group of ethnic art from a West 93rd Street NYC estate, two fine groups of English formal furniture and decorative arts from Middlebury and Harwinton collections, and many fine Persian and Caucasian estate carpets.

Top lot of the sale was a magnificent French Empire gilt bronze and malachite three piece clock garniture, the central figure depicting “Time” flanked by a pair of angel five-light candelabra. The work, measuring 27 1/4" high, 19" wide to 27 1/2" high, 9" wide, was claimed by an internet bidder at $18,750, winning out against other internet bidders and two phone bidders.

Second top lot was a fine room size Persian Serapi carpet, 14' 9" long, 12' wide, also selling to an internet bidder at $8,750. Other rugs sold well, with the second top rug lot being a medium sized room size Persian Heriz carpet, 6' 8" long, 9' 7" wide, selling at $2,040 to a phone bidder.

Fine art performed well, with a large Jean Duquoc (French, B. 1937), "Le Soleil Jeut" oil on canvas, signed lower left "Jean Duquoc" and signed, inscribed and dated 1990 on verso, sight size 51 1/4" high, 77" wide, selling also to an internet bidder at $6,250. Also of interest was a work by Theo Hios (Greek/American, 1910-1999) entitled "Byzantine 1966-67 42", oil on canvas, signed, dated on verso "Hios '67", sight size 48" high, 36" wide, which sold to an absentee bidder for $1,475. Decorative arts standouts included a Marcel Macken (Belgian, 1913-1977) bronze standing figure with mask, signed at rear of base "Mark Macken", and mounted on a black marble base, measuring overall 29 1/2" high, 8" wide, 7" deep, which sold well above estimate at $1,500 to yet another internet bidder.

Several Asian lots sold well above estimate, including a Sino-Tibetan Qing thangka depicting a Shakyamuni Buddha teaching dharma, Qing Dynasty, pigments on fabric, measuring 32 1/4" high, 22" wide, which brought $3050 from a phone bidder; a Chinese gilt bronze Amitayus Buddha, signed on verso, sized 8" high, 4 5/8" wide, which fetched $6,700 from an internet bidder; a Khmer polished sandstone figure of goddess Uma, Angkor Wat Style, 12th century wearing a striated sarong, central sash with beading and leaf-shaped pendants, large frontal overfold covering wide belt with oblong jewels, upper arms with beaded quatrefoil armlets, chest with broad foliate ornamented collar, 19 3/4" high, 7 3/4" wide, which hammered at $2,950 to a phone bidder; a Tibetan Bronze Tara Deity, 6 7/8" high, 4 1/2" wide, selling to the internet for $2,125; a Tibetan thangka depicting a seated deity and attendants, pigments on fabric, 26” high, 18 1/4" wide, selling to an in-house absentee bidder at $3,660; a Tibetan thangka depicting Jetsun Milarepa, pigments and gilt on fabric, 28 3/4" high, 18 1/2" wide, knocked down to another internet bidder at $4,685; a Tibetan thangka depicting Green Tara, pigments and gilt on fabric, 30 1/2" high, 19 1/4" wide, also selling to a phone bidder at $3,660; and a Tibetan thangka depicting Padmasambhava, pigments and gilt on fabric, sight size 16 1/8" high, 11 1/4" wide, selling to the internet for $3,125.

English and Continental formal furniture was featured in the sale, consigned from three different estate collections. A Louis XV rosewood, kingwood and ormolu mounted serpentine commode, stamped "F. Moreau JME", with serpentine marble top overhanging a conforming case veneered in rosewood with kingwood panels having two drawers and embellished with ormolu mounts and hardware, 31" high, 39" wide, 19 1/2" deep, sold for $2,400 to an internet bidder. Selling at $2,685 was a fine George I carved giltwood mirror, the scrolling foliate carved frame enclosing a shaped rectangular beveled plate and measuring 50" high, 33" wide.

The catalog for the sale was posted on Live Auctioneers and Invaluable. Please watch the company’s website www.woodburyauction.com for information regarding the next catalog auction, scheduled for Sunday, June 26th at 11:00 am. Consignments are being accepted and please send photos or call 203-266-0323 to discuss consigning to upcoming sales.



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