NEW YORK.- On January 18, 2003 Sotheby’s in New York will offer 350 lots of American Furniture and Decorations from the Appell Family home of Sinking Spring Farms in York, Pennsylvania. The Appell Family Collection was assembled primarily in the 1930s and 40s with the advice of Joe Kindig, Jr., one of the "founding fathers" of the American furniture trade, for the late Mr. and Mrs. Louis J. Appell and has remained unseen in this private family’s Georgian-style home. The collection spans from the William and Mary to the Federal Period and includes examples from New England, Pennsylvania, New York and the South.
John B.A. Nye, Director of Sotheby’s American Furniture Department, said: "Like the Copelands and the du Ponts, the Appell’s sought the guidance and expertise of legendary dealer Joe Kindig, Jr. to furnish their Colonial-revival, Georgian-style home with period furniture and antiques. The result is a collection comprised of 18th and 19th-century pieces that serves as a timeline of the development of furniture craftsmanship in America. "
Mr. and Mrs. Louis Appell were known for their commitment to the community of York, Pennsylvania, home of the family business, The Susquehanna Pfaltzgraff Company, a manufacturer of tableware and operator of Media Properties. The Appells were active in all aspects of Southern Pennsylvania life and the economic, cultural, historic, and aesthetic preservation of York were all initiatives to which Mr. and Mrs. Appell were devoted.
Among the highlights in the sale is a very Rare Queen Anne Carved Curly Maple Dressing Table , described by Joe Kindig, Jr. as "one of the finest" of its type. This circa 1750 table relates to a small group of Baroque-style Philadelphia-area case pieces with heart-pierced skirts, squared cabriole legs and fluted Spanish feet. It appears to retain its original hardware and is extraordinary for its excellent quality, highly-figured maple, and fine proportions. It is estimated to sell for $30/50,000.
A circa 1770 Chippendale Carved Cherrywood Desk-and-Bookcase with Figural Bust of John Locke is one of a small group of Philadelphia case pieces with finial busts representing an important literary or intellectual figure. Featuring an original finish and original brasses, the desk is distinguished from other Philadelphia examples by its diminutive proportions (7 feet 1 inch by 39 inches) and the use of cherrywood. The portrait bust on the present example of the English philosopher is based on a Locke portrait engraved in 1738 by Vertue from a Sir Godfrey Kneller Painting and a related portrait bust of Locke is found on the Potts family desk and bookcase which Sotheby’s sold in the record-setting auction of The Collection of Mr. and Mrs. Lammot du Pont Copeland last January. The Appell example is estimated to sell for $60/90,000.
A circa 1770 Philadelphia Chippendale Mahogany Drop-Leaf Dining Table was among those types known in 18th century Philadelphia as a "square leaf’d" dining table. The present example features a dark chocolate brown color and was, according to the bill of sale, previously owned by Robert Logan, a direct descendant of James Logan, William Penn’s private secretary. It is estimated to sell for $5/8,000.
One of the earliest known pieces attributable to master craftsman John Seymour is a Federal Inlaid Mahogany and Marble Inset Sideboard estimated to sell for $30/50,000. Circa 1785, the sideboard features a full wood frame around the marble top with several decorative veneers stringing and crossbanding patterns, all of which were attributes particular to Seymour’s shop before 1800.
Also included is a rare Federal eagle-inlaid and figured mahogany games table, made in Massachusetts, circa 1800, which is estimated to sell for $25/35,000. The present example has a great surface, and is in superb condition.
The Appell Family Collection also boasts several important pieces of New England case furniture including a circa 1800 Federal Inlaid Mahogany Demilune Commode, probably from Massachusetts, which was purchased from Mr. Kindig in 1940 for only $800. Representing a rare form in American furniture, this commode displays a French-derived semi-elliptical shape probably inspired by a "Commode" design illustrated in The Cabinet-Maker and Upholsterer’s Guide by George Hepplewhite, who noted those pieces intended for "principal rooms, require considerable elegance." This example is fitted with four central drawers and eight swinging side compartments made to simulate drawers and is estimated to sell for $4/6,000.
A Fine and Rare Federal Inlaid and Figured Mahogany Mechanical Writing Desk from New York, circa 1790, is estimated to sell for $12/18,000. Made of mahogany, inlaid with satinwood stringing and beautifully ornamented with figured veneer, this rare American writing table was acquired by Mr. and Mrs. Appell to be the focal point of their library. This magnificent table was exhibited in the famous Girl Scouts Loan Exhibition of 1929 at Sotheby’s predecessor organization, The American Art Association, before its purchase in 1936 from Mr. Kindig for $900.
The Appell Family Collection also features porcelain and silver as well as a number of fine examples of Pennsylvania Windsor chairs including a white-painted low-back armchair, a turned and white-painted sack-back armchair, and red-painted comb-back armchair. The Windsor chairs range in estimate from $2,000/10,000.
