Rhinoceros horn libation cups, rare Russian icon to headline Crescent City estate sale, Dec. 8-9

Nov. 19, 2012 - PRLog -- (NEW ORLEANS, La.) – A rare 19th century framed Russian icon of St. Nicholas, a rare 17K yellow gold Chimu Kero (ceremonial cup) probably made in Peru around 1,000 A.D., and three highly collectible Chinese carved rhinoceros horn libation cups are just a few of the expected top lots  at a multi-estate sale planned for Dec. 8-9 by Crescent City Auction Gallery. Start times will be 9 a.m. (CST) both days.

   The auction will be impressive – over 1,500 lots in all – with quality merchandise, most of it fresh to the market. Featured will be the estate of Mr. Charles W. Frank of New Orleans, the McSherry estate of Baltimore, Md., and numerous other local estates and collections. The event will be held in the Crescent City Auction Gallery showroom, located at 1330 St. Charles Avenue.

   The categories will include fine Southern art, European and American antiques, Chinese antique objects and porcelains, lighting, rugs, jewelry, bric-a-brac and objets d’art. Internet bidding will be provided by Artfact.com and LiveAuctioneers.com. Phone and absentee bids will also be accepted. Previews will be held Nov. 29-Dec. 7, from 10-5 (excluding Sunday). The Wednesday, Dec. 5 preview will last until 8 p.m.

   The Russian icon of St. Nicholas is expected to generate large bidder interest. The framed icon is marked on the reverse (in Russian): “Presented to the ship Admiral Lazarev, in 1901, in thanks for saving 31 crew members,” and “Blessed by the Pope, from the Holy Mountain, 1898.” The rare piece also has a Sotheby’s lot tag on the back and is 20 ½ inches tall by 15 inches wide.

   The 17K yellow gold Chimu Kero cup will also be desirable to collectors, for its rarity and age – 600 or more years old. The antiquity is of traditional beaker form and measures 5 inches tall and 13 ½ inches in diameter. The three Chinese carved rhinoceros horn libation cups date to the 19th century. One is 3 ½ inches tall by 2 ¾ inches wide, with relief floral decoration.

   Fans of folk art will instantly recognize the names Clementine Hunter (1886-1988) and Sister Gertrude Morgan (1900-1980), both of whom were active in Louisiana. The Clementine Hunter offering in the sale is a circa 1980 signed oil on canvas work titled Cotton Pickers. The Sister Gertrude Morgan painting, titled Let Him Come In, is an oil on board, signed top center.

   Two renderings of the same work by Alexander Drysdale (La., 1870-1934), titled Moss Draped Oak – one a rare vertical wash, signed, in the original frame, the other an oil on board, signed – will be sold as separate lots. And, two versions of the painting Cabin in the Swamp, by Robert Rucker (La., 1932-2001), one a watercolor and one an oil on Masonite, will also be sold.

   Another painting by Rucker will also come up for bid: an oil on canvas holiday scene titled Ascension Parish Church at Christmas. The work is signed lower right and measures 20 inches by 24 inches. And, a 19th century oil on board by still another regional artist, George Dunbar (La., b. 1927), titled Heart – gold leaf over red clay -- will also come under the gavel.

   The furniture category will be led by an exceptional Louis Phillippe burled walnut armoire, made circa 1830, 100 inches tall by 64 inches wide; and an unusual Empire-style carved mahogany settee crafted in the early 19th century, with upholstered sleigh sides and a back carved with large swans’ heads. The piece measures 50 inches tall by 76 inches wide by 26 inches deep.

   The auction will feature a large selection of sterling silver, to include names like Kirk, Jacoby & Jenkins and more. One lot in particular is certain to garner interest: a 190-piece assembled set of Kirk & Son sterling flatware in the “Floral Repousse” pattern, weighing an impressive 252.75 troy ounces. Also, ivory pieces will include carved tusks, bridges and figures.

   Estate jewelry will include diamonds, sapphires, rubies, emeralds, tanzanites, Rolex watches, pearls and more. Also sold will be Oriental porcelain, to include Celadon, Hsien, Feng and other 19th century pieces. The rare and unusual will include a Mardi Gras folding ball invitation (Proteus, 1903), and a Jon Bok center table creation with ceramic tile insert of a skull and crossbones.

   Returning to artwork, two bird-related paintings will come up for bid. One, by John P. O’Neill (La., b. 1942), is a gouache work titled Birds of North America (circa 1983), one of two featured in The National Geographic’s Field Guide to the Birds of North America. The other is a signed 1888 oil on canvas by James E. Bourhill (U.K., active 1880-1892), titled Mallard Family.

   Other artworks will include a signed 19th century oil on board by William Merritt Post (N.Y., 1856-1935), titled Marsh Scene, measuring 9 ½ inches by 13 ¾ inches; and an 1896 print of an original work by Alphonse Mucha (1860-1939), titled Salon des Cent (F. Champenois, Paris), 13 ¾ inches by 10 inches. Mucha was active in New York, France and Czechoslovakia.

   Crescent City Auction Gallery, LLC is a locally owned and operated full-service auction house based in New Orleans. The firm conducts sales featuring fine art (particularly works from Louisiana and the Southern United States), pottery, silver, jewelry, art glass, furniture (especially American, English and Continental), lighting, rugs, bric-a-brac, decorative accessories and more.

   Crescent City Auction Gallery, LLC is always accepting quality consignments for future sales. To consign a single item, an estate or a collection, you may call them at (504) 529-5057; or, you can e-mail them at info@crescentcityauctiongallery.com. A catalog for the Dec. 8-9 sale is available on request. All lots can be seen online, at www.crescentcityauctiongallery.com.

To learn more about Crescent City Auction Gallery and the upcoming December 8-9 auction, please log on to www.crescentcityauctiongallery.com. Updates are posted frequently.

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