Bonhams announces The Elegant Home sale on June 24 and 25, which will offer over 600 lots featuring paintings, silver, furniture, carpets, works of art and clocks. Highlighting the sale is The Freels Carousel Collection, five unique sculptures from Americas Premiere assemblage of Carousel Art Masterpieces with estimates ranging from $10,000 to $110,000. Leading the collection is a very rare Allen Herschell Co. outside row stander camel, circa 1924 (estimate: $110,000-120,000). The one-of-a-kind camel was originally made at the request of the amusement park owner's daughter, Emily Bourgard. The Allen Hershell Company was commissioned to create extraordinarily ornate carousel animals for the family machine, resulting in one of the most spectacular carousels ever made.
The Freels family began collecting carousel figures in the mid-1960s. Mr. Freels was able to gather over 300 individual figures and create the American Carousel Museum, where the bulk of his collection resided until 1995. Since then, the Freels Collection has been featured in dozens of exhibits and museum shows throughout the country. Over the past few years, many carousel animals from the collection have been accepted into the permanent collections of many of Americas most prestigious museums.
Additional highlights of the sale include:
A pair of German 800 standard silver knights on horseback, with the mark of B. Neresheimer & Sohne, Hanau, circa 1900 (estimate: $8,000-12,000)
An American Aesthetic Marquetry Inlaid and Ebonized Center Table, Possibly Herter Brothers Workshop, late 19th century (estimate: $4,000-6,000)
A fine French gilt-bronze, onyx and champlevé enamel table jardinère, Second half 19th century (estimate: $15,000-25,000)