Brunk Auctions – The Estate of Peter H. Tillou
September 29-30
Asheville, North Carolina
info@brunkauctions.com
828-254-6846

ASHEVILLE, N.C. — For those lucky enough to have known Peter, to have worked with him, bought from him, bid against him, listened to him speak, we know that his passing left a void. He was the real thing — a curious mind that held onto details, a participant with enthusiasm for the chase and the game, someone who shared with us the satisfaction of finding a treasure. The number of categories that he collected is staggering and that he did it with great elan is all the better.

Join Brunk Auctions in celebrating his instinct and capability through its single owner sale: “The Estate of Peter H. Tillou.” Tillou was a legendary art dealer for more than 65 years, with galleries on two continents and a home base in Litchfield, Conn., full of treasures that will be coming to the podium in Asheville September 29-30

The auction will include more than 700 lots spanning the Seventeenth through the Twenty-First Centuries, across all the categories and styles that Tillou was known for. From Old Master still lifes to important portraits from the Seventeenth and Eighteenth Century; from British and European furniture to Dutch and German glass; from Chinese and German ceramic, stone and bronze objects to contemporary trompe l’oeil paintings and Native American artifacts; from early American Folk Art to rare works by Winfred Rembert; there will be opportunities for bidders in every category and estimate range. Bibliophiles will have the chance to bid on his personal library of more than 1,100 volumes of rare books. These areas of specialization are a testament to the genius of this man. He always referred to himself as a peddler. And peddle he did.

Tillou once said, “In the over 50 years of my love affair with dealing and collecting, with a near constant schedule of 16- and 18-hour days, I have found pleasure in an eclectic range of fields.” The word eclectic might have been an understatement. He truly was one of the great dealers of the past century who handled Americana of the best quality. But unlike many other Americana dealers, he also had a reputation of the first order in England and Europe, dealing in Old Master paintings, weapons, armor and English and European furniture.

American painting highlights in the Estate of Peter H. Tillou Auction include a long list of the Folk Art portraits that collectors of Americana will have remembered him for, including Joseph Stock’s portrait “Jane Tyler with Cat” ($8/12,000). Tillou also collected the work of the American artist, Stephen Scott Young. Offered in this auction is one of Young’s portraits titled “Faith” ($60/80,000). Among the extensive offerings of contemporary trompe l’oeil paintings is Michael Theise’s “The Boys are Safe” ($3/5,000).

Brunk Auctions is delighted to be selling two Winfred Rembert paintings on leather depicting his time in Georgia in the 1940s: “Hungry Eye” and “Chain Gang Picking Cotton #4” ($60/80,000 each). The relationship Tillou had with Rembert was that of a dealer/mentor. They met in 2002, but Rembert’s artistic coming out was not staged until he had a sufficient body of work to present to the national market. He would go on to be a nationally recognized artist, and his biography, Chasing Me to My Grave: An Artist’s Memoir of the Jim Crow South, was awarded the Pulitzer Prize in 2022.

Dealers notoriously hold onto their favorites and many of Tillou’s are finally available now. Tillou had an extensive personal collection of Old Master paintings. Each has the ability to capture your imagination — perhaps it is the color, the composition, the gaze of the sitter or the scale. You cannot help but stop in front of an oil that is more than 6 feet wide — “Still Life” by W. Mertens ($100/150,000). According to Seventeenth Century Dutch and Flemish paintings art historian, Fred Meijer, “Next to the former Heinz painting, it is the most prestigious by this artist.”

A pair of rare Seventeenth Century Spanish School “Portraits of a Noblewoman” in extravagant French costumes — one in a riding habit, each standing almost 80 inches tall, to be sold as a pair ($20/30,000); and a French School “Portrait of a Smiling Young Gentleman” ($20/30,000). The auction includes two important Eighteenth Century Joseph Wright of Derby portraits: “Miss Elizabeth Carver” and “Reverend John C. Carver of Morthen, South Yorkshire” ($70/90,000 each). These portraits and two more were originally commissioned by Reverend John Griffiths, D.D., Rector of Eckington (their sister, Miss Ann Carver, sold for $212,500 at Christie’s New York on April 22, 2021).

Furniture highlights include an exceptional George II mahogany parcel-gilt bureau desk and bookcase from Trace Tillou, Peter’s son ($50/70,000). The collection includes early German and Spanish furniture, strong boxes and medals cabinets, Gothic revival case forms and other rarities. Pottery in the sale includes early Chinese figures, dings, vessels and jars; a large German bellarmine jug ($800-$1,200), as well as numerous lots of German stoneware steins from the Seventeenth and Eighteenth Centuries. “Collecting was an early passion for me, which has lasted and brought me joy through my entire life,” said Tillou.

The auction of the Estate of Peter H. Tillou will begin at 9 am on September 29 and continue through Friday afternoon, September 30. Bidders will be able to participate in person or via absentee bid, phone or live-online bidding through Invaluable, LiveAuctioneers or Bidsquare.

Brunk Auctions is at 117 Tunnel Road. For information, 828-254-6846, www.brunkauctions.com or info@brunkauctions.com.

From Old Masters to Antiquities to Folk Art, an Eclectic Auction Reflecting
The Collections of Peter H. Tillou’s Six Decades as the Renaissance Man Among American Dealers
Extensive Collection of Old Master Paintings including a pair of rare 17th Century Spanish School Portraits, a French School Portrait of a Smiling Young Gentleman, an important pair of Joseph Wright of Derby Portraits, and a Prominent Married Couple Holding Hands in the Circle or Style of Marcus Gheeraerts the Younger; Rare and Important Still Lifes by W. Mertens, Osias Beert the Elder, and Theodor van Aenvack
Objects from the Han, Tang, and Song Dynasties including bronze vessels, dings, and earthenware
Naturalist and Western Artwork: including wood carvings by Ernest F. Muehlmatt, Western bronzes by Dave McGary, and paintings by Raymond Booth, David Kerr, Ernest Griset, and Peter Schouten
Stephen Scott Young faith
Folk Portraits including paintings by Joseph Whiting Stock, Folk Art Portrait in the Manner of Joshua Johnson, a rare 1740 New York Limner Portrait Attributed to John Heaton, and many others
Collection of Firearms including a pair of L. Collombert Cased French Percussion Pistols including over 1,100 rare books
Personal Library including over 1,100 rare books
Continental Decorative Accessories including a Painted and Gilt Iron Modernist Hanging Fixture
American and European Furniture including a rare George III Inlaid Desk and Bookcase