Fontaine's Fine & Decorative Arts Auction Soars Past $6.5M

PITTSFIELD, MASS. — Fontaine’s September 28-29 auction attained just over $6.5 million from 1,000 lots over two days. The sale was strong with Tiffany Studios lighting and decorative arts objects dominating the sale but there were unusual and exceptional items across the board. Three major collections contributed to this auction and notable results were achieved in each with many items selling far over estimate.

“These were old time collectors that had a keen eye for collecting and all three estates performed better than expected,” said owner and auctioneer John Fontaine. “We were quite pleased with the competitive bidding we saw and the results.” The top lot of the auction came out of the Dr. Joseph T. Sheridan collection and was a circa 1905 Tiffany Studios “Nasturtium” table lamp. Estimated at $300.000-$500,000, the lamp had a rare “Mosaic and Turtle-Back” base and attracted a total of 12 active bidders, vying for the lamp online, over the phone and absentee. Bidding remained hot up to the very end with several bidders chasing the lamp past the $600,000 mark. One very determined private collector hung on until the final bid claiming the lamp for $825,000 including buyer’s premium.

Tiffany Studios Nasturtium Table Lamp with a rare

Tiffany Studios "Nasturtium" Table Lamp

Besides the “Nasturtium” lamp, a parade of two dozen Tiffany lighting examples, from lamps and chandeliers to sconces accounted for the first day’s top 25 lots. Altogether there were over 225 Tiffany lots in the auction, realizing just under 4.5 million. Most sold within or above their estimates and attracted highly competitive bidding. Among table lamps, the category leader was a circa 1905 Tiffany Studios “Laburnum” table lamp also from Sheridan’s collection, 30 inches tall, that was even more rare due to its “Bird Skeleton” base. It brought $375,000.

Tiffany Studios Laburnum Table Lamp

Tiffany Studios "Laburnum" Table Lamp

Tiffany lighting came in all forms, not just table lamps. A standout included a pair of circa 1881 lanterns made for the two-story “Moorish” smoking room in the Cornelius Vanderbilt II mansion that realized $245,000. Louis Comfort Tiffany and Associated Artists worked in collaboration to design these lanterns for the grand New York City mansion in which socialites and the wealthy gathered. This pair was later part of the late singer John Denver’s estate. Also crossing the block was a vibrantly colored “Flowering Bouquet” chandelier, circa 1910, that went out at $187,500 and a circa 1910 “Peony Border” floor lamp having a “Chased Pod” Senior floor base and a “Pig Tail” finial, $168,750.

Garden ornament also was a robust category with fine statuary and sculptures being popular in both small and large scale. A 16-inch tall patinated bronze sculpture by celebrated sculptor Harriet Whitney Frishmuth, “Reflections,” went to $17,500 while a Robert Holmes bronze sculpture, “Spinning Dancer,” 83 inches tall and which overlooked the Hudson River, brought $15,000.

Multiple other bronzes were avidly scooped up by buyers, led by a Vasily Grachev (Russian, 1831-1905), bronze grouping, “Tsar And His Falconer,” which flew past its $5/7,500 estimate to bring $40,625. There were about two dozen paintings represented in the auction with choice selections, led by late French Expressionist Bernard Buffet’s “Nature Morte au Compotier et Aux Fruits” going out at $37,500. This painting came out of the Ledgerock collection, which featured several other desirable items, including a mid-Fourth Century attic red-figure Bell Krater, decorated on each side with classical figures, that achieved $21,250, selling well above its $2/3,000 estimate. “This collection had some unusual and amazing things,” Fontaine added.

From the Hunter Mountain N.Y., estate of Hassan Basagic came a fine collection of 150 examples of Art and Crafts furniture and decorative arts, led by a Tiffany Studios bronze floor vase, circa 1915, that achieved $20,000. Fine Stickley furniture from the estate performed solidly, including a director’s table, #631, going out at $10,625 and a book table, #516, for $8,125.

Also, far surpassing estimates was a rare Charles P. Limbert Co., Pagoda table, Model 164, estimated at $2,5/3,500, that realized $27,500.

Fontaine’s Auction Gallery is the oldest operating auction gallery in Western Massachusetts. It has earned the trust of collectors, investors and gallery owners worldwide. All cataloged lots receive nationwide exposure to the firm’s database of more than 27,500 select buyers. Fontaine’s Auction Gallery has been voted “Best Antique Auction Gallery” nine times by the public. Fontaine’s is actively seeking quality items for all upcoming auctions, to include lighting, art glass, clocks and watches, paintings, porcelains, furniture, bronze and marble statuary, Asian items, Russian objects, silver, musical, coin-op, advertising, toys, banks, gaming and carousel items. The firm will buy outright or accept on consignment.

Call 413- 448-8922 and ask to speak with John Fontaine, or you can send Mr. Fontaine an email to [email protected]. For more information about the company and the upcoming auction schedule, visit www.fontainesauction.com. Updates are posted frequently. All prices reported include the buyer’s premium. Fontaine’s Auction Gallery is located at 1485 West Housatonic Street (Route 20), Pittsfield, Mass. For more information, visit www.FontainesAuction.com or call 413-448-8922.