The sale’s top lot was this monumental carved Carrara marble library table, which had graced the consigner’s foyer and sold for $17,850.
Review by W.A. Demers, Photos Courtesy Bonhams Skinner
MARLBOROUGH, MASS. – European décor and design were the focus of a Bonhams Skinner online auction that ran from November 21 to December 1. Sculptures ruled the roost, with three Massachusetts consignments commanding high prices. An Antonio Rossetti white marble statue of a veiled cupid, “Amore Segreto,” was signed and dated “A. E. Rossetti […] / Roma 1878,” and stood atop a marble pedestal. The 36-inch-high statue on a 43-inch pedestal finished at $14,025. It came from a private South Shore estate, as did the sale’s top lot, a monumental carved Carrara marble library table, which had graced the consigner’s foyer and sold for $17,850. It was joined by a carved Carrara marble bench from the garden, which sold for $10,838.
The sale posted a total of $590,960 with an 87 percent sell-through rate. Department head Stuart Slavid said, “The preview was well attended and the higher end lots seemed to carry the sale, especially all of the carved marble, as well as the bronze sculptures. Silver was also very competitive.”
In the sterling silver category, bidders vied for an extensive Reed & Barton Hepplewhite pattern flatware service, which realized $5,738, while a large Kirk repoussé water pitcher sold for $6,375. The Reed & Barton set included 12 of each: place spoons, ice cream forks, salad forks, bouillon spoons, orange spoons, demitasse spoons, fish knives, “steak” knives and more. One ladle was Gorham, and a five-piece hollow handled carving set, monogrammed, retailed at Hardy & Hayes Company. The Kirk pitcher was a tour de force of floral repoussé all over. From Baltimore, Md., 1896, it had a bulbous form, flared rim, protruding spout, and a branch-form loop handle, monogrammed and dated to underside, 8 inches high and approximately 36.95 troy ounces.
More silver shone in the form of a pair of Faberge .875 silver mounted and cut glass tazze, which went out at $10,200. Attributed to Julius Rappoport, maker, Moscow, circa 1899-1908, they were in the Neoclassical style, on a stepped circular base centered with finial, the column form supports with suspended laurel swags below the convex laurel rim, supporting a cut glass bowl with geometric motifs. Struck to the underside was “K Fabergé” in Cyrillic under the imperial warrant. Height was 3½ inches each with approximately 23.05 weighable troy ounces. Each of the silver lots came from private collections.
A Nineteenth Century Italian micromosaic tabletop with base featured a black marble ground with a central micromosaic plaque depicting St Peter’s Square surrounded by six plaques of scenes of ancient Roman ruins, all within a Greek key border. It sold for $15,300.
Another sculpture, a Pasquale Romanelli (Italian, 1812-1887) that was fresh to the market went for $8,288. Carved in Florence in the last quarter of the Nineteenth Century, the white marble figure of Rebecca stood with her head bowed, a jug of water spilling by her feet. The piece was signed “P. Romanelli Florence” on the base and measured 52½ inches high.
Yet another contribution was an Italian micromosaic tabletop with base, selling for $15,300. From the Nineteenth Century, it featured a black marble ground with a central micromosaic plaque depicting St Peter’s Square surrounded by six plaques depicting scenes of ancient Roman ruins, all within a Greek key border. With a diameter of 26 inches, it sat on a later gilt-bronze base.
Prices given include the buyer’s premium as stated by the auction house. The next sale of European Décor and Design is currently scheduled for April with consignments being accepted through the end of February.
For information, 508-970-3278 or www.skinner.bonhams.com.
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