Rare and Delightful Fill ‘Eclectic’ BRG Auction
Looking for a five-foot-long replica of The Hindenburg? You’ll find one and a lot more whimsy in 160 lots ranging from the offbeat to the refined in “A Gentleman’s Eclectic Single Owner Collection” from Black Rock Auctions.
A mix of furniture, art, jewelry and eclectic objects from around the world curated from the private collection of an author and antiques and collectibles industry insider highlight Black Rock Galleries’ presentation of “A Gentleman’s Eclectic Single Owner Collection” closing Thursday, March 24.
Author, publicist and seasoned collector, Eric Bradley is one of the most respected voices in the field. He is Vice President of Editorial Content at WorthPoint.com, the world's largest resource for art, antiques and collectibles pricing and preservation; former director of public relations at Heritage Auctions; and has written a dozen books in the category, including the critically-acclaimed "Mantiques: A Manly Guide to Cool Stuff."
Featuring 160 lots, the Black Rock Galleries' auction reflects Bradley's wide-ranging taste, unique vision and deep appreciation for the offbeat.
Historic items span nearly two centuries to include a matching pair of parade torches, circa 1850s, to a rare 64-inch-long, delicately assembled satin canvas model of the Hindenburg zeppelin, D LZ129, by Authentic Models. A set of three Asian snuff bottles on offer includes a rare, antique twin body brass and enamel snuff bottle with display stands, complete with two original bone-carved spoons, and an impressive 19th century, crazy quilt featuring a Benjamin Harrison campaign ribbon over a maple quilt stand.
Original signed artworks range from an alarming Alexis Torres three-dimensional papier-mache Vajigante Careta mask, a dignified painting of longhorn steer, “La Siesta,” after Raimundo de Madrazo y Garreta, “The Musicians,” after Caravaggio, a Rokoko hand-crafted box, a circa 1740s etching titled “Habitations and People of the Island of Atoo,” from Cook’s third journey to modern-day Hawaii, a late 18th/early 19th-century engraving titled “Roi De Siam,” depicting the Siam king at center behind an altar, and documenting various currencies in use during his reign and a limited edition print of “Venus,” signed by Charles Bragg.
The list of unique oddities and curiosities is long and includes a vintage trade sign in the form of a 5-foot-long fiberglass trout, wall cabinets filled with curated miniatures and occult objects, a rare Chinese black and white cloisonné round bowl offered with a collection of cloisonné eggs, a pair of vintage cinnabar bowls in brass, one 13-inches in diameter featuring a motif of flying bats, Inuit-carved stone figures, and a woven pen for transporting racing pigeons. Folk art spans original paintings, three-drawer doll chests, cupboards, and a vintage painted Mexican Day of the Dead cabinet featuring mechanical wooden skeletons dancing over a filled coffin.
A library of historic and contemporary books includes a first edition set of Douglas Southhall Freeman’s biography of George Washington, the 1905 Edition DeLuxe of “Library of American History” by Edward S. Ellis, and the 1909, 13-volume art edition of “The Real America in Romance” by Edwin Markham.
Furniture on offer includes an antique 19th century Hepplewhite style tilt-top candle table, 18½ inches by 13 inches, pedestal form, brass latching mechanism, mortise and tenon construction, tripod arched cabriole spider legs ending in uniquely carved feet under a nicely turned baluster urn-form pedestal, with deep reeded rings on the vase, a 19th century French country farm table with a hand-carved floral stretcher and four matching chairs in robin's egg blue paint, a Victorian-era calling card table with book rack and single drawer, an appealing continuous arm Windsor chair, and a copper brushed patina over a geometric steel-framed table lamp by Robert Sonneman for George Kovacs.
The sale also offers dozens of toys, books, and collectibles related to the Star Wars film and fiction franchise, such as a 43-book library, including “The Star Wars Archives as published by Taschen, vintage and contemporary action figures, and rare, vintage Star Wars collectibles.
Bidding for A Gentleman’s Eclectic Single Owner Collection online is now open. Bidding begins to close the evening of March 24. View the catalog, auction details, and pick-up options (including transports between BRG’s locations in Dallas, Greenwich, Bridgeport, Boston, and Raleigh) by visiting blackrockgalleries.com.
