CLOSTER, NJ.- The experts at New Jersey’s estate specialists, Sterling Associates, have had a highly successful spring so far, selecting high-quality auction goods from some of the Mid-Atlantic region’s finest homes. The outstanding array of fresh-to-market paintings, furniture, decorative objects and lighting they have gathered will be showcased in Sterling’s Wednesday, May 16 auction.

Leading the lineup are two excellent paintings by American Impressionist Reynolds Beal (1866-1951). His powerful oil-on-canvas seascape depicting craggy cliffs and marine-blue waters with a lighthouse in the distance exhibits a high standard of artistry and a deep understanding of natural tones. The 33¾ by 43¾-inch (framed) artwork is estimated at $10,000-$15,000.

“Reynolds Beal was perhaps at his best when painting water scenes,” said Sterling Associates’ owner, Stephen D’Atri. “As a boy, he and his brother Gifford, also an artist, spent their summers on the Hudson River. Later, he painted and sketched around Cayuga Lake, on the beaches of Cape Cod and on board a ship. He was well respected by his peers and, in fact, was a co-founder of the Society of Independent Artists and the New Society of Artists, which consisted of fifty of the most important painters of the day, including Prendergast and Hassam.”

Also a testament to the artist’s impeccable eye for landscapes, a second Beals painting – a forest landscape – is almost the identical size to the seascape and is also entered in the sale with a $10,000-$15,000 estimate. The canvas is filled with a plein-air hillside scene of bare trees amid autumn colors, and is signed and dated at lower right.

A charming genre painting by Eugenio Zampighi (Italian, 1859-1944) depicts a mother and son bathing an infant in a cozy room. The scene includes a fireplace, sideboard with crockery, and even a family of chickens pecking at the stone floor. Gilt framed, the oil-on-canvas artwork is expected to make $12,000-$15,000.

William C.A. Frerichs’ (b. Netherlands/American, 1829-1905) masterful oil-on-canvas of a North Carolina river waterfall scene is artist-signed at bottom left and presented in a stylish gilt frame. Frerichs had close ties to North Carolina. He spent at least a decade there as a college art teacher, and in his free time loved to travel around the state’s mountainous regions, painting its many unspoiled vistas. The artwork to be auctioned measures 35½ by 30½ inches, and its pre-sale estimate is $4,000-$6,000.

An elegant Emile Louis Picault (French, 1833-1915) bronze titled King Menthuophis stands 20 inches high on a marble-surmounted-to-wood base. Finely modeled to reflect every small detail of the Egyptian monarch’s robe and headdress, the statue bears a GS (George Servant) foundry mark and is stamped Tiffany & Co. Estimate: $5,000-$7,000.

A luxe selection of decorative art includes a pair of Charles X-style gilt bronze garnitures re-styled as lamps on Lucite bases. This impressive lighting duo stands 29 inches high. Both useful and beautiful, the lamps are ready to light up the auction room with a winning bid of $1,500-$2,000.

Possibly by Carrier-Belleuse or Clodion, a tableau of three amusing terracotta putti on a gilt-wood base could reach $800-$1,200; while 12 consecutive lots of icons embody spirituality and the religious messages of the Russian Orthodox Church. They range from hand-painted images of Mother Mary and the Christ Child, to depictions of various saints, including Saint Basil the Great, Saint Demetrios, Saint Nicholas, and Saint George in his classic role as a dragon-slayer. Most carry individual estimates of $100-$300, with a higher estimate of $300-$500 applying to an icon with a silver oklad.

An excellent selection of furniture, both traditional and modern, runs the gamut from deeply comfortable sofas and club chairs to modern designs by Karl Springer. A 60-inch-wide lacquered faux-marble cocktail table by Springer is cataloged with a $200-$400 estimate.

Sterling Associates’ auction events, known as “hybrid auctions,” are conducted online and follow the same industry protocols as live auctions, but without a live audience being present. Bids may be placed absentee, by phone or live via the Internet. Sterling Associates, Inc., is a full-service brick-and-mortar antiques and auction gallery located at 70 Herbert Ave., Closter, NJ 07624, where all auction items can be previewed prior to auction day. Auction day start time: 11 a.m. Eastern Time