Trumpeted Tiffany Studios lamp could light up $60,000

PITTSFIELD, Mass. – A rare Tiffany Studios lamp, a Gustav Becker astronomical floor regulator clock and a carved Carrara marble sculpture of a standing nude woman by Italian artist Pasquale Romanelli (1812-1887) are expected top lots at Fontaine’s Auction Gallery’s next Antiques & Fine Art Auction planned for Saturday, September 9th starting at 11 a.m. Eastern time.

The auction will be held live in Fontaine’s gallery at 1485 West Housatonic Street in Pittsfield. Internet bidding is available via LiveAuctioneers.com, Invaluable.com, Ebay Live and Fontaine’s Live. Phone and absentee bids will also be accepted.

Up for bid are 275 lots of antiques and fine art items, to include 19th and 20th century lighting by Tiffany Studios, Handel, Duffner & Kimberly, Suess and others; fine clocks and watches; American figural carved and Victorian furniture; Asian items; paintings; marble and bronze statuary; Royal Vienna; art glass; gold and diamond jewelry; fine silver and porcelains.

The Tiffany Studios 18-light Lily lamp could very well end up the top lot of the auction. The lamp boasts 18 signed L.C.T. art glass shades having a ribbed and trumpeted form, all in good condition. The Tiffany Studios lamp is 21 inches tall and has a 10-inch diameter base. It carries an estimate of $40,000 to $60,000 into the sale.

The Gustav Becker astronomical floor regulator is rare to the point that it’s assumed to be a one-of-a-kind piece, with a top-grade case and fine quality movement. It’s been in the same family since the 1920s and was made circa 1875-1877. It's likely to be among the displays at the 1876 Centennial International Exhibition in Philadelphia. The 109 ½ inch tall clock should hit $30,000 to $45,000.

The carved Carrara marble sculpture by Pasquale Romanelli is monumental, at 60 inches tall, in perfect condition with no damage or repairs. The standing nude woman is rendered with light garments blowing in the wind. Roses, tulips and other flowers surround her feet and outstretched hand. The work, inscribed “P. Romanelli,” has an estimate of $30,000 to $45,000.

The fine furniture category will be led by a pair of dining room sets by R. J. Horner, both with estimates of $15,000 to $25,000. One is a 15-piece carved mahogany winged griffin set with a 78-inch-wide sideboard. It includes a 78 ½ inch tall bonnet top china cabinet. And a 60-inch split pedestal dining table and 12 chairs. The other is an 11-piece carved oak winged griffin set. It includes a large sideboard, bonnet top china cabinet. Also, a 60-inch split pedestal dining table and eight dining chairs are present.

For lamps and lighting, a Tiffany Studios lamp, a hanging turtle back with an 18-inch shade is a showstopper. It boasts a geometric brick pattern in fiery orange glass, and a five-row border and seven-row domical top. It heads into the auction with an estimate of $15,000 and $20,000. A pair of pure white marble and bronze lamps with a fluted urn form with bronze handles, should hammer for $10,000 to $15,000.

A large, hand-blown Tiffany Studios Stalactite shade, 12 ¾ inches tall, having a vertical two-tone green leaf and vine pattern with 11 large four-petal flowers with millefiori centers, should achieve between $10,000 and $15,000. Also, an unusual Russian silver samovar by Mikhail Ovchinnikov, 19 inches tall, having a conical body on a square base with four feet, and an excellent engraved body with a checkered pattern and a shield on the front is expected to fetch $8,000 to $12,000.

Furniture attributed to Karpen carries appropriately high estimates. The monumental carved mahogany sofa with arched peacock plume crest and large, full figured carved lions, with a polished original finish ($12,000-$15,000); or the beautiful three-piece nouveau carved mahogany parlor set consisting of a settee, an armchair and a side chair, with deep red-brown tufted leather upholstery ($8,000-$12,000).

An oil on wood panel scenic landscape of Mexico City by Conrad Wise Chapman (1842-1910), titled on the back, Mexico, From the Hacienda of Morales, signed lower left, is expected to sell for $20,000 to $25,000; and a large oil on canvas Old Master painting attributed to the Dutch artist Johannes Lingelbach (1622-1674), a scenic view of a busy courtyard in front of a large cathedral with mountains in the background, 62 inches by 54 inches, should command $10,000 to $15,000.

Tops in the fine jewelry category is a dazzling Van Cleef & Arpels 18kt yellow gold and Alhambra 20 motif necklace with white coral, 33 ½ inches long ($12,000-$15,000); and a lovely 18kt white gold DiModolo designer necklace with a diamond studded band above a 3-inch and a 3 ¼-inch long pendant with a diamond studded halo at the bottom ($3,500-$5,000).

A bronze sculpture depicting the maiden Una wearing a crown and holding an overflowing cornucopia in her lap while she rides on the back of a lion, 19 ¾ inches tall on a rouge marble base, is estimated at $8,000-$12,000; and a large bronze figural sculpture by Affortunato Gory (1895-1925), of a female dancer, 38 inches tall on a marble base, should earn $4,500-$6,500.

For more information, visit www.fontainesauction.com.