NEW ORLEANS, LA.- Original oil paintings by renowned Louisiana artists George Rodrigue (1944-2013) and Hunt Slonem (b. 1951), and a dazzling men’s stainless-steel and 18K yellow gold Rolex Oyster Perpetual wristwatch are a few expected top lots in Crescent City Auction Gallery’s two-session Important Estates Auction slated for Thursday and Friday, Sept. 10-11.

The auction, starting at 10am Central Time both days, will be held online and live in Crescent City’s auction gallery located at 1330 St. Charles Avenue in New Orleans. Up for bid will be a wide range of French, English and American furniture; original paintings and watercolors; sculptures; garden figures; mirrors; interesting bric-a-brac; decorative art items; and more.

The auction will feature items from the Bourbon Street estate of famed New Orleans hotelier and property developer Joe Jaeger, Jr.; items from the collection of Rosemary James, the notable New Orleans author and interior designer; and other important local and regional estates – in all, a total of more than 725 quality, curated lots – something for nearly everyone.

With a pre-sale estimate of $30,000-$50,000, the oil on canvas board by George Rodrigue, titled Two Oaks Near the Broussard Farm (1989) is a strong candidate for top lot of the auction. Rodrigue began painting Louisiana landscapes in the 1960s, but in the mid-1990s it was his Blue Dog paintings, based on the Cajun legend called Rougarou, that catapulted him to worldwide fame.



Hunt Slonem’s 2013 oil on canvas work titled Bayou Teche has a pre-sale estimate of $7,000-$10,000. Slonem is a painter, sculptor, and printmaker, best known for his Neo-Expressionist paintings of butterflies, bunnies, and tropical birds, often based on a personal aviary in which he has been keeping from 30 to over 100 live birds of various species. Slonem's works are included in many important museum collections all over the world.



The men’s stainless steel and 18K yellow gold Rolex Oyster Perpetual wristwatch, made in 1974, should change hands for $1,200-$1,800. Another noteworthy men’s watch is the Cartier Santos 100 medium wristwatch (2004-2008), with an estimate of $2,500-$4,500. The fine jewelry category includes a pair of 14K white gold diamond pendant earrings, a tanzanite and diamond bracelet, a yellow gold Victorian bangle, and a 14K two-tone Italian coil bracelet.



The rest of the auction will comprise an eclectic mix of merchandise, ranging from a 21st century Wicked Thumb Destroyer Sidecar Bicycle, the Texas electric bike with detachable side car (estimate: $1,000-$2,000); to a late 20th century Restoration Hardware German light bulb voltage tester bar (estimate: $600-$1,200); to a pair of 21st century Neoclassical-style marble garden figures (estimate: $3,000-$6,000).

The Rodrigue and Slonem paintings are just two of many desirable works by notable local and regional artists. Some others are as follows:

• An oil and mixed media diptych on wood panels by William Hemmerling (Louisiana, 1943-2009), titled I’ll Fly Away (2007). Estimate: $6,000-$9,000

• A silver leaf and yellow clay on wood by George Bauer Dunbar (Louisiana, 1927-2024), titled Heart. Estimate: $5,000-$8,000

• An oil on canvas on Masonite by Joe Moran (Miss., 1919-1999), titled Sunset on the Mississippi Sound with the Biloxi Lighthouse. Estimate: $4,000-$6,000

• An oil on canvas by Melissa Bonin (Louisiana, b. 1960), titled Night Moves (2008). Estimate: $4,000-$6,000



• An oil on canvas by James Michalopoulos (Louisiana, b. 1951), titled Smissy Pooka (1993). Estimate: $2,500-$4,500



• An oil on millboard by Alexander John Drysdale (Louisiana, 1870-1934), titled Live Oaks by a Marsh (1911). Estimate: $2,000-$4,000

• An oil on canvas board by Steele Burden (Louisiana, 1900-1995), titled Cabin Scene, Windrush Plantation. Estimate: $1,200-$1,800

• An oil on canvas by the Iranian-born New Orleans artist David Harouni (b. 1962), titled Portrait of a Woman. Estimate: $1,200-$1,800



Sculptures will also come up for bid, including an untitled granite creation by Jesus Bautista Moroles (Texas, 1950-2015), expected to bring $5,000-$8,000; and a late 19th/early 20th century French alabaster carved sculpture of Napoleon (estimate: $1,000-$2,000).

Wonderful French furniture – on full display at nearly every Crescent City auction – will feature an exuberant late 19th century French Renaissance Revival highly carved walnut buffet a deux corps (estimate: $1,500-$2,500); and a pair of late 20th century French style ormolu mounted marble-top boule commodes (estimate: $2,000-$4,000). Also offered will be a large late 19th century French Belle Epoque carved giltwood mirror (estimate: $1,500-$2,500).



Rounding out just some of the sale’s highlight lots is an oil on canvas painting by the French artist Anne-Francoise Couloumy (b. 1961), titled Les Drapeaux (The Flags) (estimate: $3,000-$5,000); and a pair of mid-to-late 20th century Egyptian Revival style slate-top patinated bronze pier tables (estimate: $1,500-$2,500).

Internet bidding will be via www.CrescentCityAuctionGallery.com (and the Crescent City app), as well as LiveAuctioneers.com and Invaluable.com. Phone and absentee bids accepted. In-gallery previews will begin Wednesday, Sept. 2, through Wednesday, Sept. 9, from 10am to 5pm Central Time, excluding weekends and closed Sept. 7. No appointment is needed.

Absentee and phone bids will be accepted until 1 pm Central Time the day before the auction. A 28 percent buyer’s premium will be applied for online bidders or those paying with a credit card. A 25 percent buyer’s premium will be applied for in-house bidding. A printed catalog is available; call 504-529-5057 or send a request via email to info@crescentcityauctiongallery.com.

Crescent City Auction Gallery is always seeking quality consignments for future auctions. To consign a single item, an estate or a collection, you can call them at (504) 529-5057; or you can send an e-mail to info@crescentcityauctiongallery.com. All phone calls and e-mails are confidential.

For more information regarding Crescent City Auction Gallery and the Important September Estates Auction slated for Sept. 10 and 11, online and live in the New Orleans gallery at 1330 St. Charles Avenue, please visit www.crescentcityauctiongallery.com. Updates are posted frequently.