The top lot from the Herschede estate Russian enameled silver came as an unassuming enameled kovsh was offered. Cataloged as "bearing pseudo Faberge marks in Cyrillic,” the 10¼-inch-tall piece was estimated at $1/1,500; it sold at $553,000.
:Appearing nonchalantly amid the approximately 1,000 lots offered recently at Freeman's was a small and unassuming selection of Russian cloisonné that some hoped would leave the auction house as quietly as they were presented. Instead, the group of 21 pieces of Russian silver, some bearing marks indicating that they may have been made by the likes of Feodor Ruckert and other artisans known to have worked for Faberge and other firms, made a spectacle of themselves, creating quite a ruckus as they left the auction block.
Sold during Freeman's fine English and Continental furniture, silver and decorative arts auction October 10 and 11, the lots had been consigned from the estate of Joan Herschede of Cincinnati, Ohio.
Ruckert, the most famous of the artists whose marks appeared on the selection of elaborately decorated items, worked independently, as well as on contract with the firms of Faberge, Ovchinnikov and Kurlyukov during the end of the Nineteenth and early Twentieth Centuries.
Late on day two of the sale, the selection of Russian materials began with an offering of a silvered bronze figure of a lion, "probably Russian," that carried a $700–$1,000 estimate and sold for $1,625. An ebonized pier mirror of Russian origin was offered next and failed to find a buyer, and a small lacquered tray table went out between estimates at $438.
The Russian silver and shaded enamel covered chalice measuring 15 inches tall, bearing the marks of Ivan Khlebnikov, estimated at $12/18,000, soared to $265,000.
Lot 854, however, startled the crowd and drew attention not only to it, but also to the subsequent lots that would follow. The first of the Herschede estate lots, a Russian cloisonné and shaded enamel kovsh, cataloged as Twentieth Century and "stamped 88 standard, maker's mark HA," carried a presale estimate of $2,5/3,500. Bidding soared past estimates, with the lot hammering down at an impressive $73,000.
A large Russian enameled silver presentation kovsh, $2,5/3,500, with the flattened handle inscribed "St Petersburg, 1892" and an imperial eagle mounted on the opposing side, was marked with "88 standard and bearing Gratchev maker's marks." Cataloged as Twentieth Century, the lot hammered down at $109,000.
A Russian silver and shaded enamel covered chalice measuring 15 inches tall was decorated with "panels of stylized flowers surmounted by a domed cover with bird finial." Bearing the marks of Ivan Khlebnikov and stamped 88 standard, this lot, estimated at $12/18,000, sold for $265,000.
The top lot from the Herschede estate Russian enameled silver came as an unassuming enameled kovsh was offered. Cataloged as "Having a firebird handle with red glass eyes, the whole decorated with floral and geometric motifs in shaded enamels, stamped 88 standard and bearing pseudo Faberge marks in Cyrillic," the 10¼-inch-tall and 9-inch-long piece was estimated at $1/1,500. Bidders, apparently doubting the doubted marks, finalized bidding at $553,000.
The high estimate for the 21 lots of Russian enameled silver totaled $41,900, yet when the smoke had cleared from the auction hall, a tally of $1,187,013 had been achieved.
A large Russian enameled silver presentation kovsh with the flattened handle inscribed "St Petersburg, 1892” was marked with Gratchev maker's marks. Cataloged as Twentieth Century, the lot soared past the $2,5/3,500 estimate, hammering down at $109,000.
Other items from the two-day sale included a nice pair of Regency boulle inlaid rosewood and mahogany teapoys, circa 1815, attracted a good deal of attention. Attributed to Louis Le Gaigneur, the rare stands returned to Freeman's after having been sold previously in 1970 to Philadelphia collector John Johnson. Consigned from Johnson's estate, they sold well above the $8/12,000 estimates, bringing $31,000.
The Seventeenth Century German baroque bone and ivory table cabinet was sold at $43,000, while an elaborate Austrian enamel, silver and lapis steepled table clock attributed to Hermann Boehm, Vienna, circa 1880, realized $26,200.
The first of the Joan Herschede estate lots of enameled Russian silver was this cloisonné and shaded enamel kovsh, cataloged as Twentieth Century and stamped "88 standard” and bearing the maker's mark "HA.” It carried a presale estimate of $2,5/3,500 and sold for $73,000.
A Twentieth Century carved white marble sculpture by American artist Attilio Piccirilli depicting a nude female went out at $32,200. Another carved marble piece was a Nineteenth Century Italian fountain base with a satyr and putti supporting a large shell ($12/18,000) that brought $23,750.
A pair of bronze and Jasperware-mounted candelabra in the style of Robert Adam did well at $31,000, while a Reed & Barton Francis I pattern sterling silver seven-piece tea and coffee service brought $27,400.
For further information, contact Freeman's, 215-563-9275 or
www.freemansauction.com
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