NEW YORK, NY.- Shapiro Auctions announces its September sale of International Fine and Decorative Art. On Saturday, September 26th beginning at 10am and then 3pm, Shapiro Auctions will hold two sessions of Important Fine and Decorative Art for public auction. Session I beginning at 10am will in-clude selections of important Russian and Asian art; Session II is scheduled to begin at 3pm and will offer collections of American and European art.

The morning session will begin with a small yet diverse collection of Asian fine and decorative art. Over the past several seasons, collectors have paid particular attention in auction rooms to Vietnamese artists who spent their formative and productive years working in France. The morning session will offer several examples by such artists. One lovely example is a work by Vu Cao Dam, lot 5, Le poete, estimate: $7,000-9,000. Vu was an artist who embraced both his traditional Vietnamese her-itage as well as his adopted French culture. Also offered in the morning session are works by Vu’s con-temporaries, Le Pho and Mai Trung Thu. The morning session offers a wide display of Russian fine and decorative art ranging from early 17th c. Religious Icons through contemporary Russian paintings. A highlight from this section of sale is an extraordinary Faberge Miniature Icon that was produced by the Russian branch of the illustrious Faberge firm (lot 223, estimate: $75,000-95,000)

Beginning at 3pm, Session II of the auction will offer an exceptional collection of European and Amer-ican 19th and 20th c. painting. A work of exceptional quality and provenance is lot 514 by the 19th c. French artist, Leon Augustin Lhermitte (estimate: $250,000-350,000). Previously in the col-lection of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, the work first appeared in the collection of the artist’s primary dealer in the late 1880’s at the time the work was painted Boussod, Valadon & Cie. (Of inter-est, the brothers Van Gogh, Vincent and Theo, were each employed and were partners at Boussod and both held Lhermitte in very high esteem). Among the many highlights of Session II is lot 550, Le Bou-quet D’Amour, by the highly acclaimed artist Marc Chagall. In this wonderful example of Chagall’s work the artist returns to one his most recognizable and indeed beloved themes: flowers, young lovers and humble cluster of rooftops and small village life. Chagall’s use of dynamic lyrical col-or and spatial imagery in this picture are intertwined so harmoniously as to make it seem effortless thereby emphasizing the master painter’s true brilliance. “We are so honored to include such a classic work with such impeccable provenance by such an important master artist of the early 20th century,” Principal Auctioneer Gene Shapiro said.

Also on offer in Session II are selections of European decorative arts. Among the gems of the sale are a collection of European 19th and 20th century gold snuff boxes each meticulously decorated some with enameled miniature paintings. One such exquisite example of the group is lot 591. The intri-cately decorated box also depicts a miniature enameled painting after William Hogarth that shows the apocryphal tale of Christopher Columbus Breaking the Egg.

The full exhibition will be on view at the Shapiro Auctions gallery in New York, 506 East 74th Street, beginning on Friday, September 18th through Friday, September 25th, 10am – 6pm, as well as by ap-pointment.