Ornate Austro-Hungarian silver bowl vies for top lot

PASADENA, Calif. — Continental furnishings, fine art, an exquisite antique silver, including an Austro-Hungarian .800 silver shell-form centerpiece bowl by turn of the century maker Bruder Frank — expected to command upwards of $12,000 — are some of many collecting interests heading up John Moran Auctioneers’ Feb. 17 auction.
The auction, which begins at 3 p.m., will be held at the Pasadena Convention Center. The Discovery session (immediately following the catalogued auction) also contains a number of gems, including small-scale California Impressionist paintings, Continental silver and porcelain.

The sale features works by important California and North American artists, including a

collection of 30 photographs by celebrated photographers Ansel Adams, Yousuf Karsh, Imogen Cunningham and Helmut Newton. One such work is an iconic, deeply shadowed portrait of Ernest Hemingway by Canadian Yousuf Karsh (1908-2002). The photograph is estimated to bring $5,000 to $7,000 at the block.

A festive, large-scale work by Richmond Kelsey (1905-1987), an Oxnard, Calif.,-based artist who was at one time an Art Director for Walt Disney Studios (1938-1950) as well as an illustrator for a series of popular children’s Golden Books, taps in to the artist’s additional background as a muralist. The three-panel oil on board composition depicts an early California scene of a mariachi band and a group of joyful dancers, and is expected to fetch between $4,000 and $6,000.

The selection of fine silver features impressive pieces of European hollowware, including a George II sterling silver lidded urn repousse-decorated throughout with Bacchic themes. Created by London silversmith Paul de Lamerie in 1741, the urn is painstakingly decorated with putti, lions and scenes of winemaking, and features grapevine-form handles. It is estimated to earn between $3,000 and $5,000.

The array of Continental furnishings on offer also provides a number of intriguing buys. A pair of Italian carved Chinoiserie vitrines in the Rococo style, dating to the mid 19th

century, carries a pre-auction estimate of $4,000 to $6,000.

Additional pieces expected to attract intense bidder interest include a:

• Pair of Spanish Colonial-style three-light torchieres is expected to bring $2,000 to $3,000
• Bronze figure of a seated classical beauty is offered with a conservative $1,000 to $1,500 estimate
• Set of Isamu Noguchi “Rudder” table and stools is pegged to draw $8,000 to $12,000 for the stools, and $6,000 to $9,000 for the table

For more information visit www.johnmoran.com, email info@johnmoran.com or call 626-793-1833.