OAK PARK, IL.- On Wednesday, June 9,
Toomey & Co. Auctioneers will offer close to 400 lots in Fine Art + Furniture & Decorative Arts. With material drawn from distinguished artists and makers who worked primarily during the early 20th century, the auction includes paintings, prints, sculpture, furniture, lighting, metalwork, silver, jewelry, and textiles. Logistical details and bidding instructions are provided below the sale highlights.
Highlights of Fine Art + Furniture & Decorative Arts on June 9
Painting, Prints & Sculpture
The auction on June 9 boasts an oil on canvas portrait with a Shakespearean theme of Lily Langtry as Viola in 12th Night (estimate $10,000-20,000) by British artist Thomas Francis Dicksee. Italian sculptor Giuseppe Gambogi’s carved alabaster Cleopatra with polychrome additions ($4,000-6,000) presents another famous historic likeness. Dog lovers will appreciate French painter Louise Lalande’s Recumbent Belgian Tervuren with a coastal backdrop ($2,500-3,500). Landscapes in the sale include: two dreamlike nocturnal paintings, an Impressionist rendering of Central Park by Johann Berthelsen and a Tonalist moonlit vista of New Jersey by Charles Warren Eaton (each $800-1,200); five woodcuts by Gustave Baumann (highest $5,000-7,000); and works by Margaret Jordan Patterson and Francis Hammel Gearhart (highest $4,000-6,000). Prints will be available by major artists, such as James Abbott McNeill Whistler, Gustave Klimt, Childe Hassam, John Sloan, Thomas Hart Benton, and Dale Nichols (highest $1,000-2,000). In Midwestern art, the auction has a Torah still life painting by Chicago artist Todros Geller ($3,000-5,000), two Chicago landscapes by Marjorie Dohrs (each $1,000-2,000), and Francesco Spicuzza’s lively depiction of the Wisconsin State Fair ($2,000-3,000).
Furniture, Metalwork & Lighting
Early 20th century design will feature several American Arts & Crafts furniture items by Gustav Stickley, including a rare corner cabinet ($30,000-50,000), an early dresser with mirror ($10,000-20,000), and an inlaid desk ($7,000-9,000). The auction also has handcrafted furniture from The Roycrofters, for example, two bookcases, a magazine pedestal, a sideboard, and a serving table (highest $8,000-12,000). Artistic furniture designer Charles Rohlf’s large bridal chest makes a statement with its original green interior stain ($8,000-12,000). Metalwork includes Dirk van Erp’s Milkcan lamp and copper vase (higher $8,000-12,000) as well as Robert Riddle Jarvie's chamberstick ($4,000-6,000). Two Tiffany Studios table lamps stand out — one with a Jeweled Feather shade on a Grueby pottery base ($10,000-20,000) and another with an Acorn shade on a Night Blooming Cereus base ($8,000-12,000) — as do two chandeliers, a six-light form by L. & J.G. Stickley and a Lalique Champs-Élysées model (each $4,000-6,000). From historic commissions, the sale will offer Prairie School architects Purcell & Elmslie’s hanging light fixture ($5,000-7,000), a pair of andirons by architects Greene & Greene ($20,000-30,000), a Chicago Stock Exchange baluster by Adler & Sullivan ($3,000-5,000), and many Frank Lloyd Wright designs, notably, two slant back chairs (each $8,000-12,000) from Unity Temple in Oak Park, Illinois and a picture frame ($3,000-5,000) made with George Mann Niedecken for the Avery Coonley House in Riverside, Illinois.
Silver & Jewelry
To close the sale, an array of silver and jewelry will be up for bid. Danish maker Georg Jensen’s sterling silver three-piece coffee service ($4,000-6,000) and Grape pitcher ($3,000-5,000) are part of a strong decorative offering. The auction also has a three-piece sterling coffee service ($1,500-2,500) by the Kalo Shop, Chicago’s renowned Arts & Crafts outfit, along with hollowware, flatware, and jewelry from Kalo as well. Two of the more striking pieces of jewelry available are Boston maker Frank Gardner Hale’s silver pendant brooch with mixed stones and New York designer Peer Smed’s intricately detailed Joan of Arc brooch (higher $800-1,200). In timepieces, the sale features an Illinois Watch Co. Bunn Special open-face pocket watch in a Keystone 18K yellow gold case ($1,500-2,500). Finally, a significant grouping of Mexican jewelry will be presented, led by Margot de Taxco’s serpent/snake parure with necklace, bracelet, earrings, and ring ($1,500-2,500), William Spratling’s silver River of Life cuff bracelet ($800-1,200), and Antonio Pineda’s sterling necklace with moonstones and cuff bracelet with bezel-set amethysts (higher $1,500-2,500).
Bidding with Toomey & Co. Auctioneers
Fine Art + Furniture & Decorative Arts on Wednesday, June 9 will start at 10:00 a.m. CDT. The sale will take place at Toomey & Co. Auctioneers, 818 North Boulevard, Oak Park, Illinois. Given COVID-19, the auction will not be open to the public. Bidders may participate by phone (708-383-5234) or leave absentee bids (info@toomeyco.com). The catalog is available online at toomeyco.com and early registration is recommended. Bids may also be placed via two real-time, third-party platforms (LiveAuctioneers and Invaluable). Preview is available virtually and by appointment. Those interested should contact info@toomeyco.com to request further condition information or schedule a preview time.
Upcoming Auctions and Consignments
Toomey & Co.’s next auction is Keramics & Rookwood: American & European Art Pottery on Thursday, June 17. Curated by Director of Ceramics Riley Humler, this will represent the company’s largest ever sale dedicated exclusively to pottery, with over 400 lots total, 218 of which are Rookwood examples. In August, there will be two auctions: Folk, Outsider & Self-Taught Art on Thursday, August 12 and Modern Design + Post-War & Contemporary Art on Thursday, August 26. Consignments are now invited for upcoming sales. Photographs of art and design may be sent to info@toomeyco.com for estimates.
