CHICAGO, IL.- The May 12 Modern Design auction at Leslie Hindman Auctioneers includes studio glass, furniture, decorative arts and silver. One of the largest silver overlay glass collections to be brought to auction will also be available in the sale.

The Ann P. and Peter G. Todd Collection of Silver Overlay Glass includes nearly 700 items grouped into over 250 lots. Mr. and Mrs. Todd were antique dealers in Rochester, New York and collected in this category together for over 24 years. The collection was previously displayed in the Todd¹s home in Rochester, New York.

The items offered in the session span styles of the early 20th century such as Art Nouveau and Art Deco, making an impression through both depth and quantity. The silver overlay collection is one of the largest to come to auction collectively. Included are various Loetz silver overlay glass vases such as a double gourd form example in striated purple and a baluster form example stamped La Pierre on scrolling foliate, both with presale estimates of $600 ­ 800. Another Loetz glass example has an oil spot decoration with a crossed arrows Austria mark on its base ($500 ­ 700).

A large Rockwell silver overlay glass landscape vase will be offered with a presale estimate of $400 ­ 600 and an Art Nouveau silver overlay glass decanter, retailed by Black, Starr & Frost will be offered with a presale estimate of $300 ­ 500.

As written in a 1991 article in The Collector‹Antiques, Art and Americana, Ann P. Todd discusses the rarity of quality overlay glass, stating, ³Silver overlay was always expensive. It was easily chipped or broken. The silver required frequent polishing, particularly in the early years, while coal was the primary fuel for heating.²

The collection will be sold as a session within the May 12 Modern Design auction at Leslie Hindman Auctioneers, which includes more than 450 additional lots to be sold.

Additional highlights from the auction include a set of eight Kaare Klint for Rud. Rasmussens Snedkerier, Barcelona, dining chairs, model 3758 ($20,000 ­ 30,000), an Albert Paley Torchiere floor lamp ($10,000 ­ 20,000) and a Thomas Molesworth club chair and ottoman ($10,000 ­ 15,000). The May 12 auction will also include a session of modern silver such as a Georg Jensen Danish silver tea and coffee service estimated at $8,000 ­ 12,000 and a Rossi & Arcandi for Cleto Munari Italian constructivist silver teapot estimated at $3,000 ­ 5,000.