February 20th, 2023, Auction starting at 5:30
From a mix of fine New England estates comes a wide variety of important Continental silver, gold, and enamel decorative arts; Asian art and furnishings; Paintings & Prints; Jewelry; Silver; Garden & Victorian Furniture; as well as Stamps.
For collectors of Viennese enamel the February 20th live auction is sure to excite, as a wide variety of rare and unusual forms will be offered. Highlights include: a pair of figural clocks with unusual enamel detailing, a gilt and enamel on silver chest on stand or highboy, a violin form music box, cornucopia vase on stand, barrel form perfume casket, piano form music box, three panel screen, along with a selection of jewelry chests and cabinets. Also from the region known for it’s ornate decoration are two bright blue guilloche enamel egg-form annular clocks which feature ring-shaped dials that revolve around the exterior. These lovely items were all likely created from the mid to late 19th C. when the Austrian capital of Vienna was a key center of enameling.[1]
Also of interest for those with an appreciation for enameling is a rare gilded and jeweled kovsh set. Dating as far back as the 10th C., kovshi (the plural form of kovsh) were traditional Russian drinking vessels for mead featuring a single-handled ovoid shaped bowl (originally carved from wood) and passed from guest to guest.[2] This set, like those serving a more decorative purpose in the 19th- 20th C. features ornate enamel decoration on ‘88’ silver and is set with cabochon stones of green aventurine, amethyst and carnelian. The largest bowl of 12” l. supports a bridge fitted for three smaller kovshi, along with slightly larger matching one. Those with an eye for detail will quickly notice the shaded enamel, a difficult technique mastered by Fabergé workmaster Feodor Rückert.[3]
Not to be outdone are a pair of Chinese palace-sized censors, each a combination of carefully crafted cloisonné and bronze parts reaching over 70 inches tall. A two-tier cloisonné pagoda roof covers intricately crafted bronze dragons twisted around four enameled columns at center, surrounding the main burner. Cloisonné, most commonly seen table-top sized pieces, is a 15th C. technique of creating designs on metal vessels by creating a network or maze-like pattern in copper or bronze wires (bent or hammered into place) and then filling the voids with colored-glass paste.[4]
In addition to these exciting offerings are an eclectic mix of collectables including: French Sevres type and bronze Napoleon form mantel clocks; Russian jeweled silver cloisonné trinket boxes (3), Fabergé style eggs (3) and 14K frames and box; Jewelry including gold, enameled, micro-mosaic, vintage, etc., (38); Four framed Micro-mosaics of Roman Ruins, mosaic size: 4 3/4" w., also paperweights (4) and boxes (5); Asian embroidered floor screen, woodblocks (30), scrolls (7), ivory and metal sculpture (14), table screens (3), etc.; Paintings by Eugenio E. Zampighi “Mother and Children”, Michael Matthews, pair of Chinese Harbor scenes, T. Bailey, Ezio Marzi, Irma Barness, P. Algozzini, Hendrik Jan Verhaaf, John Adamos Manol, etc.; Prints by Jennifer Bartlett, "Autumn" 1990, color screen, series 'The Four Seasons', ed 43/62, 32” h., Louis Philibert Debucourt, Gerald Fairclough, Denise Marovitz, Marcia Marx, Andrew Karoly, etc.; Sculpture including Bill Starke "Skydiver" bronze, 21” l., Kieff Antonio Grediaga bronze, 10” h., two bronzes after Guillaume Geefs and Jean-Baptiste Carpeaux, Art Deco and Classical style bronzes (3); Sterling including Lunt "Eloquence" flatware set; Garden & Victorian Furniture including cast iron benches (3), garden sculptures (3), Sheraton bowfront chest, French and Federal style display cabinets, marble and wood pedestals (5), Shaw Walker Arts & Crafts file cabinet, and Victorian: library table, roll top desk, brass and painted bedstead, etc.; Stamps from three collectors including: Caribbean British Commonwealth, U. S., British Oceania, German, Great Britain, Israel, United Nations, etc.
This sale will be live at the Plainville CT gallery starting at 5:30pm on February 20th. Winter Associates’ auction catalog is available online at www.AuctionsAppraisers.com as of Friday, February 10th. Winter Associates, Inc. is located in central Connecticut at 21 Cooke Street in Plainville, CT. Previews are Friday, February 17th from 12:00 – 4:00 p.m.; Sunday, February 19th from 2:00 – 4:00 p.m.; and on Monday, February 20th from 12:00 – 5:00 p.m. Previewers are welcome at other times, please call to schedule an appointment. (860) 793-0288.
Absentee bids can be submitted prior to the sale and bidders are welcome to actively bid during the sale online or by phone bid. Pickup will be by appointment only, please call the office and we will do our best to accommodate you.
[1] “Collection Info Viennese Enamels.” The Antique Enamel Company, 29 Oct. 2020, www.theantiqueenamelcompany.com/collection-info-viennese-enamels.
[2],3 Sotheby’s. “Three of a Kind: Kovshi: Russian Art.” Sothebys.com, 20 May 2019.
[4] Department of Asian Art. “Chinese Cloisonné.” In Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2000–. http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/clos/hd_clos.htm (October 2004)