February 5th, 2024, Auction starting at 5:30
A wide variety of items from 18th C. Baltimore, the “wild wild west”, England and France are to be sold at Winter Associates in Plainville, CT at their live auction on February 5th. Consigned from fine homes in Massachusetts, Connecticut and Rhode Island the sale will include fine art, fine furniture, jewelry and silver as well as collectibles.
Weapons from two private Connecticut collectors will cross the block featuring firearms from around the world including a 1789 English sterling on walnut flintlock pistol created by Durs Egg (British, 1748-1831) and silversmith Michael Barnett (London, 1758-1823). Flintlock pistols came about in the 16th C. by using a piece of flint to strike a steel plate to ignite gunpowder instead of having to use a matchstick. A flintlock pistol by Robert Johnson of Middletown, Connecticut is Johnson’s desirable 1836 Model, the last US martial pistol with a flintlock ignition system purchased by the US government, standard issue for the Mexican War, that was eventually replaced by the invention of percussion caps.[1] There are a good assortment of weapons from many other countries such as Middle East Chieftain flintlock pistol and powder flasks, a WW2 German Luftwaffe dagger, Indian long rifle with snaplock mechanism, a pair of North African saif swords and flintlock musket, a Japanese 19th C. matchlock long gun, a French 1777 Copy flintlock pistol, and an American Uberti 1860 Army service revolver and Enfield 1859 Musket, among others.
A c. 1790 Baltimore Hepplewhite sideboard created during the city’s “Golden Age” of furniture production, is a credit to the Federal style with serpentine sides, elegantly tapered legs and delicate contrast stringing throughout. The current auction estimate of $750 - $1,500 emphasizes the opportunities for buyers of fine American antiques today as the piece is accompanied by an early label from Edwin C. Ahlberg who had at one time priced the piece at $35,000. Other examples of early American furniture in the auction include a Pilgrim century oak blanket chest, New England tall clock c. 1800 with handsome cherry case and finely painted moon dial, an 18th C. slat back armchair, and an 18th C. slant lid desk, bowfront and other chests, etc. Examples of fine figured maple include a 19th C. dropleaf dining table and set of four Federal chairs as well as a D.R. Dimes and other reproductions in classic styles. A pair of “L’amour, Paris” stamped gondola chairs are accompanied by a similar French Empire recamier from a New Haven estate. The New Haven estate is also contributing many of the sophisticated Continental and English 18th & 19th C. silver boxes, inkwells and accessories that are in the sale. A highlight of this collection is a 17th/18th C. tortoiseshell and silver pique snuff box with mother of pearl inlay and etched decoration of a kingly bust, with scrolling vines, wings, etc.
The American paintings in the sale include well-loved subject matter. Two Aiden Ripley watercolors will appeal to outdoor sportsmen, and an Emile Gruppe Gloucester harbor scene, a William Merritt Post autumn view, and a J.J. Enneking summer scene are all well done examples of New England landscapes; a typical vignette “Making the Love Potion” by Harry Herman Roseland depicts a scene that brings a smile to most viewers. Both “Sleigh Ride” and “The Feed Bag Livery”, original oils by Linda Nelson Stocks (American, 1938 - 2011), are idyllic scenes of small-town life in New England. Stocks painted such scenes for over three decades, favoring children and animals as subjects and often painting her own dogs into her works. Since the 1980’s the artist’s works have been reproduced as wall calendars, canvas prints and posters, puzzles, and even Christmas ornaments. Proceeds for the Stocks paintings will be for the benefit of the Connecticut Community Fund, specifically for people with health emergencies in the Waterbury and Litchfield Hills regions of Connecticut, where Linda Nelson Stocks had her home.
The February 5th auction will be live at the Plainville CT gallery starting at 5:30pm on February 5th and is also available on Invaluable and LiveAuctioneers. Winter Associates’ auction catalog is available online at www.AuctionsAppraisers.com as of Wednesday, Jan. 26th. Winter Associates, Inc. is located in central Connecticut at 21 Cooke Street in Plainville, CT. Previews are Friday, February 2nd from 12:00 – 4:00 p.m.; Sunday, February 4th from 2:00 – 4:00 p.m.; and on Monday, February 5th 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] Smith, Samuel E. and Edwin W. Bitter. Historic Pistols: The American Martial Flintlock 1760-1845, Scalamandre Publications, New York: 1986, p. 236.