NEW ORLEANS, LA.- Two dazzling ladies’ watches – one by Cartier, the other by Piaget – and early 20th century Newcomb College Pottery pieces by Mary Cecilia Riffel and Marie Levering Benson are just a few of the expected headliners in
Crescent City Auction Gallery’s two-session Important November Estates Auction scheduled for Thursday and Friday, November 5th and 6th.
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 artwork by local and regional artists; sculptures; marble items; bronze sculptures; bric-a-brac; and nice decorative art items.
The auction will feature items from the estate of famed New Orleans hotelier and property developer Joe Jaeger, Jr.; property from 1234 Henry Clay Avenue in New Orleans; and outstanding pieces pulled from other local and regional estates – in all, a total of more than 700 quality, curated lots – something for nearly everyone and at every price point.
The 18K white gold Cartier Tank Amricaine diamond wristwatch and the 18K yellow gold Piaget Classique rectangular diamond wristwatch will be sold as separate lots, with an estimate range of $15,000-$45,000 between the two lots. The fine jewelry category will be led by a two-piece set of Joseff of Hollywood pendant jewelry, circa 1937-1940, a copy of which was worn by Bette Davis in a 1940s glamour publicity photograph. It’s expected to sell for $1,500-$2,500.
The rare 1909 Newcomb College Pottery high-glaze ceramic tyg (multi-handled drinking cup designed to be shared by numerous people) by the New Orleans artisan Mary Cecilia Riffel has an estimate of $4,000-$6,000; while the 1907 two-piece ceramic sugar and teapot set by Marie Levering Benson (New Orleans, 1877-1958) should change hands for $2,500-$4,500.
Fans of marble objects will be excited by the massive pair of marble lion sculptures, each one 70 inches tall (estimate: $5,000-$10,000; a 20th century gilt swan mounted pietre dura white marble and giltwood center table (estimate: $1,000-$2,000); and a 20th century three-tiered figural marble fountain, 65 inches tall and 36 inches in diameter (estimate: $1,500-$2,500).
Decorative items will feature a collection of seven 20th century Courvoisier cognac bottles by the Russian artist Erte (1892-1990) (estimate: $4,000-$6,000); a set of five Francis I sterling silver goblets made in 1955 by Reed & Barton (estimate: $2,000-$4,000); and seven Choctaw River Native American baskets being sold individually, with an estimate range of $400-$1,000.
The furniture category will include an English 19th century William & Mary style walnut display cabinet (estimate: $2,000-$4,000); a late 19th century French Renaissance Revival highly carved walnut bibliothque a deux corps (double body bookcase) (estimate: $1,500-$2,500); a 20th century three-piece Chesterfield seating group (estimate: $1,500-$2,000); a pair of late 19th century French Henri II style carved oak cabinets (estimate: $1,000-$2,000); and a 19th century American Regency style mahogany sideboard (estimate: $1,000-$2,000).
Paintings by local artists will include an oil on gallery wrapped canvas by Billy Solitario (New Orleans, b. 1972), titled Still Life with Blue Crab, Peppers and Lemon (estimate: $1,500-$2,000); and an acrylic and epoxy mixed media on canvas by Sarah Ashley Longshore (New Orleans, b. 1975), titled Audrey Hepburn with Butterflies (estimate: $1,500-$2,000).
Additional local offerings will include an oil wash on paper by Alexander John Drysdale (La., 1870-1934), titled Louisiana Bayou Scene (estimate: $1,200-$1,800); a circa 1830-1840 oil on canvas attributed to C. R. Parker (Conn./La., 1799-1849), titled Sisters, Possibly Barrow Girls, Highland Plantation, St. Francisville (estimate: $2,000-$4,000); a cast stone figure mixed media by A. Hays Town (Baton Rouge, La., 1903-2005), titled St. Francis (estimate: $800-$1,200); and an oil on wood panel work by Kris Wenshuh (German/New Orleans, b. 1969), titled Hold Me in Your Hand Like a Cloud, painted in 2018 (estimate: $1,000-$2,000).
Original paintings by European artists will feature an oil on panel by Niek van der Plas (Dutch, b. 1954), titled The Regatta (estimate: $1,500-$2,000); and a late 17th/early 18th century oil on linen after Gerard von Honthorst (Dutch, 1592-1656), titled Portrait of Louise Christina, Countess of Solms-Braunfels (1606-1669), with a pre-sale estimate of $700-$1,200.
Three patinated bronze sculptures by Eric Kaposta (Texas, b. 1951) – of Muhammad Ali, Joe Frazier and Marlon Brando as “The Godfather” – each carries an estimate of $1,000-$2,000. Also, a 9-foot by 12-foot Turkish Agora Oushak carpet is expected to realize $1,200-$1,800.
Bric-a-brac will include a Tiffany Studios Favrile glass cup, Chinese Wucai porcelain baluster trumpet vases, a carved Chinese ivory tableau, German and English beer steins, an Elsa Peretti vase, microscope lenses, a Haviland Limoges dinner service, an Islamic illuminated manuscript and Imari porcelain.
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, October 28, through Wednesday, November 4, from 10am to 5pm Central Time, excluding weekends. 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 November Estates Auction slated for Nov. 5th and 6th, online and live in the New Orleans gallery at 1330 St. Charles Avenue, please visit
www.crescentcityauctiongallery.com. Updates are posted frequently.
