New Orleans, LA — Spectacular sculptures by Augustus Saint-Gaudens (American, 1848-1907) and Salvatore Florenti Albano (Italian, 1841-1893), and an original oil on canvas painting by Daniel Ridgway Knight (American/Paris, 1839-1924) are expected headliners in an Important November Estates Auction planned for November 8th and 9th by Crescent City Auction Gallery.
The auction – 916 lots in all – will be held online and live in the Crescent City Gallery located at 1330 St. Charles Avenue in New Orleans. Start times both days are 10 am Central time. Featured will be the curated Outsider Art collection of Daryl Sue and Leonard White of Covington, La.; and items from the estate of Laura Simon Nelson, previously married to Dr. James Nelson of Baton Rouge, La.
The bronze Head of Christ by Augustus Saint-Gaudens is from the Memorial of Reverend Phillips Brooks, housed at Trinity Church on Copley Square in Boston from 1896-1907. The sculpture is 1 of 2, cast in the 1960s after the plaster original (per the original Sotheby’s catalog description). Pieces by Saint-Gaudens are highly prized. This one should bring $40,000-$60,000.
The carved Carrara marble sculpture by Salvatore Florenti Albano was created in 1897 and titled L’Amore E Psiche (Cupid and Psyche). It has a pre-sale estimate of $20,000-$40,000. Albano was a Neoclassical sculptor with numerous patrons in Italy, London and New York. L’Amore E Psiche is a mature work executed in the last years of his illustrious career.
The oil on canvas painting by Daniel Ridgway Knight, titled Lavandiere, was rendered circa the 1880s and carries a pre-sale estimate of $20,000-$40,000. Knight was an American artist born in Chambersburg, Pa., but he lived and worked much of his life in Paris, where he painted peasant women outdoors to great popular success. Lavandiere is a fine representation of his work.
The rest of the catalog is an eclectic mix of merchandise, filled with the kinds of items people have come to expect from Cresent City Auction Gallery: fine jewelry (plus a men’s 18k yellow gold and stainless-steel Rolex Submariner black wristwatch, est. $12,000-$15,000); oil paintings by local and regional artists; French furniture; sterling silver; mirrors; art glass; and decorative accessories.
Items range from a late 19th century Adam-style crème and verte paint decorated parcel gilt over-the-mantel mirror with Wedgwood roundels (est. $3,000-$5,000); a 20th century Story and Clark burled walnut and ebonized baby grand piano, Manhattan model with original bench (est. $2,500-$4,500); to a circa 1816-1817 English sterling silver covered dish by William Elliot of London (est. $2,500-$3,500).
An oil on canvas painting by Pauline Lennard Palmer (American, 1867-1938), titled The New Book (1930), signed and dated lower right and housed in a 57 ½ inch by 47 ¼ inch frame, is expected to bring $5,000-$7,000. Palmer was a prolific Chicago artist and a pioneering American Impressionist, regarded by the New York Times as one of the leading American women painters.
An oil on canvas backed by Masonite painting by Mary Jett Franklin (Ga./Paris, 1842-1928), titled Dans la sacristie de (l’eglise) Bagneux (In the Sacristy of the Church at Bagneux), 1900, should change hands for $3,000-$5,000. Franklin was an extraordinary and successful female artist of her time – a genre and portrait painter who was born in Georgia and studied in Paris.
Paintings by local and regional artists will feature three oils on artist board by the renowned black folk artist Clementine Hunter (La., 1887-1989), including Baptism (est. $5,000-$7,000); and three enamel on carved wood panels by Herbert “Coon” Singleton (Moroccan/La., 1945-2007), including Hallelujah (Onward Brass Marching Band) and Jazz Funeral Procession (est. $5,000-$9,000).
Paintings by noted American artists will be plentiful and will include these vibrant examples:
– An oil on canvas painting by Charles Courtney Curran, A.N.A. (1861-1942), titled Chrysanthemums (1890) (est. $6,000-$9,000).
– An oil on wood panel painting by Addison Thomas Millar (Ohio/N.Y., 1860-1923), titled The Rug Shop, circa 1912 (est. $4,000-$6,000).
– An oil on canvas backed by board by Guy Carlton Wiggins (N.Y./Conn., 1883-1962), titled New England Meadow Land (est. $2,000-$4,000).
– A paint on found wooden barrel head by Benny Carter (N.C., 1943-2014), titled Birds Eye View of New York City (est. $2,000-$4,000).
– A painted carved wood relief mounted on wood plaque with handwritten scriptures by Howard Finster (Ga., 1916-2001), titled Angel from God, Man of Many Visions (1997) (est. $1,000-$2,000).
Switching to French furniture, expected top lots include a 19th century French Provincial Louis XV style oak armoire (est. $1,000-$2,000); a 19th century Louis XV style marble-top parquetry bombe commode having a molded serpentine shaped marble top (est. $800-$1,200); and a pair of French Restoration carved mahogany fauteuils (open-armed armchairs), the astragal molded restrained crest over an upholstered back flanked by an anthemion topped stile (est. $500-$900).
Other furniture pieces will feature a 20th century 11-piece Spanish Renaissance style carved oak dining group set (est. $700-$1,200); and an English leather Chesterfield sofa (est. $600-$900).
Also up for bid will be a carved sandstone sculpture by Lonnie B. Holley (Ala., b. 1950), titled Three Faces, 1999 (est. $1,500-$2,500); a fine pair of 19th century Italian pietra dure (inlaid with precious or semi-precious stones) marble consoles (est. $1,000-$2,000); and a mixed media sculptural work by Charles Gilliam, Sr. (La., b. 1945), titled Adam & Eve, 1999 (est. $400-$800).
Internet bidding will be provided by the company website (CrescentCityAuctionGallery.com) and app, as well as LiveAuctioneers.com and Invaluable.com. Phone and absentee bids will also be taken. In-person previews will be held beginning Wednesday, Oct. 30, through Thursday, Nov. 7, excluding weekend days, from 10 am to 5 pm Central time. No appointment is necessary.
Absentee and phone bids will be accepted until 1 pm Central time the day before the auction. A 28 percent buyer’s premium will be applied for online bidders or those paying with a credit card. A 25 percent buyer’s premium will be applied in-house. A printed catalog is available; please call 504-529-5057 or send a request via email to info@crescentcityauctiongallery.com.
For more information regarding Crescent City Auction Gallery and the two-day Important Estates Auction planned for Friday and Saturday, November 8th and 9th, beginning at 10 am Central time both days, visit www.crescentcityauctiongallery.com. Updates are posted often.