Fontaine’s – Fine And Decorative Arts
January 27, 2024
Invitation to Consign
1485 West Housatonic Street, Pittsfield, MA 01201
www.fontainesauction.com

PITTSFIELD, MASS. — Fontaine’s two-part fine and decorative arts auction January 27-28 will begin daily at 11 am and includes more than 750 lots of Nineteenth/Twentieth Century lighting, art glass, leaded glass windows, silver, porcelain, marble and bronze statuary, paintings, American and European furniture, clocks, watches and jewelry. Available bidding methods for the January 27 session are internet, phone and absentee; bidding for January 28 is online-only. Preview will be January 25-26.

No surprise to bidders that Tiffany Studios offerings will likely carry the first day with more than 70 lots on offer, half of those being table lamps and other desirable lighting examples. Highlights include a circa 1910 Peony table lamp ($125/175,000), standing 33½ inches tall with a 22-inch shade; a circa 1910 Curtain Border floor lamp ($80/120,000), 78 inches tall; and a desirable Arrowroot table lamp, circa 1902 ($50/75,000).

A grouping of paintings will be led by a Birger Sandzén (American/Swedish, 1871-1954) oil on board titled “Mountain Lake” (Rocky Mountain National Park), estimated at $30/50,000.

Fontaine’s notably sold a Sandzén painting in its fall 2023 auction for $62,500, and this example is expected to perform well.

The jewelry department has ramped up its platform and has sourced several major collections of diamond jewelry over the last year. A standout in this auction will be a platinum and 4.57-carat old European cut diamond ring ($30/$50,000), and sure to attract men’s attention is a circa 1959 Rolex chronograph wristwatch, Reference #6234 ($15/25,000).

Intricately designed pictorial leaded glass windows are always a buyer’s favorite here and they don’t come around that often. A finely detailed and brightly colored American leaded glass window depicting a mythological musical scene ($20/30,000), circa 1900, features a man playing the flute, a dancing maiden with cymbals and two women and a child observing. The window measures 62 by 61½ inches. The market for furniture has seen its share of ups and downs but cream-of-the-crop pieces always do well, such as the rare Aesthetic Movement burl walnut four-piece bedroom set on offer with a $20/30,000 estimate. The circa 1880 set has striking burl walnut panels and carvings of flowers, foliate, birds in nests with eggs, turned columns, acanthus, geometric motifs and incising.

Featured in this auction are several original works of art in full color from noted film illustrator John Alvin (American, 1948-2008), for Lorelei, depicting film star Carol Channing, and Quest for Camelot. Both are estimated apiece at $15/25,000.

Rounding out the auction are a set of 15 Tiffany Studios Favrile glass “King Tut” shades ($20/$30,000), circa 1910, and an Eighteenth Century Continental carved fruitwood wall clock with Father Time and the goddess Nemesis ($10/15,000).

Fontaine’s Auction Gallery is at 1485 West Housatonic Street (Route 20). For information, www.fontainesauction.com or 413-448-8922.

Tiffany Studios “Peony” Table Lamp
Tiffany Studios “Arrowroot” Table Lamp
Rolex Chronograph Wristwatch, Ref. 6234
Tiffany Studios “Moorish” Five-Light Chandelier
Birger Sandzen (1871-1954) Mountain Lake
Karl Griesbaum Singing Bird Box
Tiffany Studios “Millefiori” Paperweight Vase
Chippendale Reverse-Serpentine Desk-and-Bookcase Circa 1770
Tiffany Studios Rare “Tulip” Table Lamp
Tiffany Studios “Turtle-Back” Desk Lamp
Chippendale Mahogany Dressing Table, Circa 1770
Fine American Leaded Glass Window
Pietro Bazzanti (Italian, 1842-1881) “The Three Graces”
Platinum & 4.57 Carat Diamond Ring
Tiffany Studios “Curtain Border” Floor Lamp
1485 West Housatonic Street, Pittsfield, MA 01201
(413) 448-8922 info@fontainesauction.com www.fontainesauction.com