Live Auction on January 16th starting at 5:30 PM

From a variety of New England estates comes a strong offering of Asian antiques, furnishings, woodblocks, sculpture, textiles, ceramics, etc., along with early American and Continental furnishings including Museum deaccessions. Other important items crossing the block include a Canadian Stamp collection, silver and gold coins as well as Franklin Mint silver ingots, fine jewelry and a jeweled Faberge type box, prints, paintings, large collections of books including Tolstoi and Dickens, Oriental rugs; Courtenay lead soldiers, clocks, signed paperweights, etc.

A good selection of Continental and American antiques from a Connecticut Museum Deaccession include a Spanish Vargueno (also known as a Burgueno) which is the oldest form of furniture known and has a mixed Spanish and Oriental origin that first appeared in Europe in the late Middle Ages[1]. The drop front chest became a common article of furniture in the Spanish colonial empire from the late 16th century onward. Valued for both its portability and ornate interior of numerous drawers and cabinets often inlaid with ivory and gilt it continues to appeal to Collectors. From the same Museum come a 17th C. form carved footstool and a 17th C. oil on wood panel by Adriaen Van Der Werff (Dutch, 1659 - 1722) "Ravishment of Lucretia" which depicts the nude noblewoman in distress, fighting off her attacker, Sextus Tarquinius, the son of the king of Rome, who stands above her with dagger. Skillfully depicted by Van Der Werff, the incident is recorded by many great masters and recognized as the end of Kings in Rome. Other deaccessions include early American chairs, carved barrel, Pembroke tables, as well as two large oils by Roger Van Damme.

For those interested in fine Continental decorative arts a collection of Pietra Dura and Micro-mosaics there will be numerous Pietra dura panels, boxes and picture frame is an unusual 11” long bronze centerpiece basket containing nine oval plaques with floral decoration. From the same estate is a large 19th C. micro-mosaic of interior court scene executed with elaborate detail and measuring over 13” in length. Other items of superb quality are a variety of jewelry and gold with highlights including a 14K yellow gold and pink guilloche enamel pill box in the manner of Faberge with cabochon ruby and Imperial Eagle design to top, and a pair of 14K, diamond and ruby earrings by Bulagri, as well as a variety of other jewelry containing diamonds, sapphires, rubies, opal, 18K, 14K, platinum, cameos, miniature portraits, micro-mosaic pendant, enamel, etc.

A large Asian assortment from a variety of New England estates blend nicely, with a six-panel Chinese cloisonné floor screen and a c. 1900 Japanese Ancestral shrine and leading the way. The Ancestral shrine or Butsudan is recognized as a two door cabinet that opens to reveal a richly layered lacquer and gilt interior with numerous steps, platforms, drawers and recesses to accommodate daily offerings to one’s ancestors, a tradition ordered by Royal edict in 685 by Japanese Emperor Tenmu.[2] Other selections include two Chinese cricket cages carved from gourds, two table screens (one reticulated ivory, and one cloisonne with inlay), a lady’s Manchu wedding robe, embroidered Mandarin rank badges and other textiles, collection of netsuke, thirteen figural sculptures of deities in bronze, gilded and silvered metal, wood and stone, an abundance of woodblocks from antique to contemporary, ceramics, two altars and two cabinets with carved decoration, silver and ivory jewelry, carved stone amulets, snuff bottles, and much more.

Stamp and coin collectors will find an impressive collection of Canadian, Newfoundland, New Britain, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island stamps from 1851 to 1984, including multiple 1897 Jubilee sets, as well as sets from France, Israel and the United Nations, a collection of twenty-seven albums in total. From the same New England estate comes a variety of gold and silver coins including a 1974 Cayman Islands $100 proof gold coin, two 1985 British Virgin Islands $20 coins, two Franklin half dollar sets, a 10 coin set of proof $20 coins from the 1988 Canada winter Olympics, a set of 28 silver Olympic coins from the 1976 Montreal games, Roosevelt dimes, and others. In addition are numerous sets of Franklin Mint silver ingots.

Other important items of interest include: twenty-three signed Richard Courtenay (1892-1963) painted lead Medieval knights with shields and armor in animated battle stances including several on horseback;  bound collections by Tolstoi, Dickens, Melville, Bronte Sisters, Robert Browning, James Riley, etc., many complete sets and/or with numerous volumes, some with handsome leatherbound and gilded covers; thirteen signed paperweights by Rosenfeld, Ayotte, Tarsitano, Trabucco, Kaziun, G. Smith, Banford, and Perthshire; four mantel and bracket clocks including Tiffany & Co. Pagoda mantel, Continental ormolu and champleve mantel, Elliot London 4-rod bracket, and New Haven a figural gilt. Lastly, for collectors of etchings, a complete suite of twelve "Industry and Idleness", 1747, by William Hogarth (English, 1697-1764), and works by Frederick Childe Hassam, Renoir, Anders Zorn, Manuel Robbe, Whistler, Edgar Chahine, Raffaelli, Gatier, Legrand, etc.

This sale will be live at the Plainville CT gallery starting at 5:30pm on January 16th. Winter Associates’ auction catalog is available online at www.AuctionsAppraisers.com as of Friday, January 6th. Winter Associates, Inc. is located in central Connecticut at 21 Cooke Street in Plainville, CT. Previews are Friday, January 13th  from 12:00 – 4:00 p.m.; Sunday, January 15th from 2:00 – 4:00 p.m.; and on Monday, January 16th 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] Britannica, The Editors of Encyclopaedia. "vargueno". Encyclopedia Britannica, 13 Oct. 2006, https://www.britannica.com/topic/vargueno. Accessed 29 December 2022.
[2] WHAT IS A BUTSUDAN? and WHY ARE PEOPLE PAYING $630,000 for THEM? Tofugu, 24 June 2015, by 1686 WORDS WRITTEN BY MAMI SUZUKI • ART BY AYA FRANCISCO https://www.tofugu.com/japan/butsudan/