BEVERLY, MASS.- Kaminski Auctions fall schedule begins with an exceptional Continental auction September 21st, and 22nd, starting at 10:00 AM EST. We are pleased to have been chosen by the George Ricard family of Villa "Zamir" Cap Martin, on the French Riviera. The collection was moved in the 1980s to the Ricard family home in Montecito, Santa Barbara, California. The crown jewel of the Arcady Estate is the historical neoclassical pavilion commissioned by philanthropist George Owen Knapp and designed by Frances Underhill.
The Arcady Estate furnishings include exquisite continental furniture, 18th/19th-century French clocks, Meissen and Sevres porcelains, and an extensive collection of European art. The sale will be on view at the Kaminski Auctions gallery in elegant room settings and vignettes with additions from other estates.
Continental furniture highlights include a pair of late 19th century Louis XVI-style marquetry inlaid chests, having ormolu bronze mounts, and thick burgundy and cream marble tops. There are also two 19th-century French corner mahogany display cabinets attributed to Paul Sormani, the Parisian furniture maker, known for his 'meubles de luxe.' They feature fine ormolu bronze mounts. Another offering attributed to Paul Sormai is a 19th-century French library desk of importance. The 'bureau plat' features a tooled brown leather top, banding with floral and swag, as well as sphinx, and medusa decoration. An ebony Boulle marquetry' Biblioteque base, also in the collection, is thought to be Napoleon II. An exceptional 19th-century Italian Rococo giltwood mirror, measuring 61 inches x 46 inches and a matching console table with marble top, is perfect for an entry or foyer.
There are also several pieces of Majorelle furniture by the famous French decorator and furniture designer Louis Majorelle including a curio cabinet, a Majorelle Art Nouveau carved wood server and a five-piece parlor suite.
The Arcady Estate collection boasts several important timepieces including a large time clock with Boulle marquetry, measuring 70 inches in height overall. Another 18th century French Boulle clock, is decorated with ormolu bronze mounts of horses and has a matching shelf. A Louis XIV Boulle marquetry cartel clock is signed Lemenu, Paris, and measures 53 inches high by 38 inches wide and also features a matching shelf.
Fine art highlights include a circa 1909, Georges Braque, titled 'L' Eglise de Carrieres-Saint-Denis.' The oil on canvas painting bears the signature G. Braque verso. Two landscapes on offer are from the Irish artist Paul Henry (1876-1958). Best known for his post-impressionist style landscapes of the West of Ireland, the Paul Henry's paintings in the sale include a signed, oil on canvas titled 'A Roadside Village Connemara', and the second is signed and inscribed 'Cottages Connemara.'
European art continues with a Cristofano Allori (Italian, Florence, 1577-1621), oil on canvas painting of "Judith with the Head of Holofernes," in a carved giltwood frame and another painting depicting the Mehmed II banquet at a palace in Constantinople, attributed to Bellini, of Florence, Italy.
Several paintings in the sale bear old Christies labels, including a 17th century Italian old master oil on canvas of Venus and Adonis measuring 78 inches x 59 inches, as well as an oil on canvas of a reclining woman by the French painter, Ferdinand Roybet, (1840-1920) with a Christie's East label. There is a rare graphite drawing of Dr. Thomas Church, dated 1816, by the French Neoclassical artist Jean Auguste Dominique Ingres (1780-1867.) The finished drawing is at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art.
Other European artists represented in the sale include works by Narcisse Virgile Diaz de la Pena (French, 1808-1876), an interior view by the Dutch artist F. G. Grust, a painting by the Danish artist, Peder Mork Monsted (Danish, 1859-1941), and a scene of Arab warriors at a watering hole by the German artist Adolf Schreyer.
Russian artists represented in the sale include paintings by Nikolay Petrovich Bogdanov-Belsky (Russian 1868-1945), Nikolai Dimitrievich Milioti (Russian, 1874-1962), Natalia Sergeevna Goncharova (Russian, 1881-1962), as well as Vojtech Hynais (1854-1925), of the Czech Republic. American artists represented in the sale, include a painting by Alfred Maurer (New York, 1868-1932.)
Decorative arts in the sale include a pair of 19th century German Meissen hand-painted covered urns, with cherubs throughout and a cross sword mark on the base. The pair measuring 34 inches x 13 inches and are estimated to bring $6,000-$12,000. There is also a pair of mid-19th-century French Napoleon II Sevres porcelain urns, with hand-painted portraits of young women, signed 'de David,' that is estimated to bring $5,000-$7,500.
There are several pairs of 19th-century French Empire candelabra, as well as, a spectacular 19th-century French Baccarat ormolu bronze and cut crystal chandelier, having amethyst color crystals. The decorative arts continue with several lots of important Galle glass including a spectacular pair of glass carafes signed Galle, a vase and a perfume bottle.
Of special significance in the sale is an Egyptian sarcophagus. Members of the Ricard family are avid Egyptologists, and this hand-painted sarcophagus on offer once graced the entrance of the Senusret Collection in Monaco in the 1970s. Due to conservation concerns, the collection was moved to the United States, and this rare collection of ancient Egyptian and Near Eastern art was recently donated to the Michael C. Carlos Museum at Emory University by the Georges Ricard Foundation in Santa Barbara, California.
Jewelry highlights include a 'loose gem' golden sapphire from Sri Lanka, weighing 16.55-carats, and a ladies' 18-carat yellow gold handmade emerald and diamond ring. The emerald is a Colombian stone, emerald-cut and weighs 5.09-carats. The center stone is surrounded by fifty-two round, square-cut, and tapered baguette diamonds. The ring is expected to bring between $15,000-$20,000. Watch collectors will take note of an 18-carat yellow-gold Audemars Piguet, for Tiffany & Co., manual wind watch with a cabochon sapphire crown.
Rugs in the sale feature an unusual Chinese Art Deco rug and an outstanding Persian Tabriz hand-woven rug with silk, measuring 19' 8" x 12' 7" and a selection of Persian Caucasian and pictorial rugs.
With over 600 lots presented over two days, there is a vast array of quality European art, furniture and decorative pieces on offer. Preview for this exciting sale begins Sunday, September 15 through Sunday, September 22th, 10:00AM-5: 00 PM. Saturday, and Sunday, September 21st and 22nd, Days of sale beginning at 8:00 AM and the preview is open while the auction is live.