MELBOURNE, FLA.- A spring auction featuring more than 400 fresh to the market lots of distinctive antiques and fine art, carefully selected from important and diverse collections, will be held on Sunday, May 18th, by Matheson’s Auctions, in the firm’s gallery located at 600 East New Haven Avenue in Melbourne, five minutes from the ocean. The start time is 11 a.m. (EDT).

The auction (which will be held in conjunction with the United Appraisal Group of Miami, Fla.) will be packed with quality consignments in several categories. They include original paintings, bronzes, ceramics, glass, Georgian silver, dazzling estate jewelry, African sculptures, exceptional Chinese pieces and more. Previews are by appointment and from 9-11 a.m. on the date of sale.

”This auction has the highest consistent quality of any sale to date,” said Lloyd Matheson of Matheson’s Auctions. Bidders can view the full online catalog, at www.mathesonsgallery.com . Internet bidding will be facilitated by LiveAuctioneers.com. Phone and absentee bids will also be taken. Previews are by appointment (call 321-768-6668) and from 9-11 a.m. on auction day.

Noteworthy oil paintings will feature an important interior oil on canvas work of a woman and a monkey by Raimundo de Madrazo y Garreta (1841-1920), measuring 30 ½ inches by 23 ½ inches and inscribed to friend and fellow artist “E. Zamacois” (Eduardo Zamacois y Zabala); an oil on canvas nude rendering by Francois Edouard Zier (1856-1924), 53 inches by 33 inches; and a stunning oil on board landscape by William Mason Brown (1828-1898).

Headlining the bronzes category will be a life-size sculpture of a man reading The Wall Street Journal on a park bench by Seward Johnson (b. 1930 in Washington, D.C.). The work, titled Waiting, is similar to other examples by the artist that are seen in outdoor settings around the country. Other bronzes to be offered will include creations by Otto Gutfreund, Medardo Rosso, Ernest Neizvestny, Michael Ayrton and Jose Villa (whose full-size rendering of slain Beatle John Lennon will be sold).

Pablo Picasso’s name will be chanted not once but twice – for a Madoura hand-over-fish charger (large plate) and a Madoura wood owl pitcher. Ceramics by the artists Charles Catteau and Wiener Werkstatte will also come up for bid. Glass creations will include an example by the renowned glass blower Dale Chihuly, plus creations by Victor Vasarely, Tiffany and Handel.

Recently consigned was a group of paintings purchased from galleries by a prominent Cuban art collector. Artists in the collection include Mariano Rodrigiez, Wilfredo Lam, Sandro Chia, Mario Carreno, Rene Portocarrera, Vincente Dopico-Lerner, Amelia Peleoz, Domingo Ramos, and Jose Marie Mijares Fernandez. Some paperwork and receipts for these artworks will be available.

Other artists of note will include Maurice Milliere (a French artist who will be represented by an oil on canvas work in an incredible frame), Ludwig Bemelmans, Cornelis Janssens van Ceulen (a 17th century Dutch School painter), Robert Philipp and others. Most of the bronzes in the auction are important mid-century works (all circa 1930s-1950s), purchased from the Grosvenor Gallery in New York City.

Other expected top lots include two important Chinese famille jaune porcelain and silver stands (one an ink stand, the other a sewing stand, both signed); other fine Chinese and Asian items; a rare set of six period Australian Biedermeier chairs, approximately 30 pieces of fine estate jewelry, to include Van Cleef & Arpels, Tiffany, 12-carat diamond earrings and gold Rolex watches; and many pieces of fine Georgian silver.

Dealers and collectors are more than welcome to attend this and all Matheson’s Auctions events. In addition to live and internet bidding, as well as phone bids, absentee (or left) bids may also be submitted, by fax, to 321-768-6664, up until the start of auction. A buyer’s premium of 20 percent will be applied to all internet purchases; for all other winning bids, it will be 17 percent.

Matheson’s Auctions is always accepting quality consignments for future auctions. To inquire about consigning an item, an estate or a collection, you may call them at 321-768-6668; or, you can e-mail them at mathesonsauctions@yahoo.com.