WINDSOR, CONN.- A Patek Philippe minute repeater chronometer watch in an 18kt gold case, a pair of George III satinwood and tulipwood marquetry bookcase cabinets in two parts, an oil on canvas depiction of 43 prominent American businessmen by Thomas Prichard Rossiter (Am., 1818-1871), and a one-owner 1966 Thunderbird car will all come up for bid on New Year’s Day.
They’re just a few of the nearly 700 lots that will come under the gavel on Sunday, January 1st, at Nadeau’s Auction Gallery, online and in the firm’s gallery at 25 Meadow Road in Windsor. The annual New Year’s Day auction is typically one of the premier events on Nadeau’s calendar, and this auction will be no exception. The action will get underway promptly at 11 am Eastern time.
Featured will be 150 lots of diamonds, jewelry and 33 watches, including 13 Rolex wristwatches, several Cartier, Baum & Mercier and Breitling; over 250 lots of fine art, paintings and prints; Margolis & Fineberg furniture; custom mahogany, Georgian and continental antiques; Oriental rugs and more, much of it pulled from prominent area homes, estates and collections. All of the lots may be viewed now, in color, on Nadeau’s website, at
www.NadeausAuction.com.
Some items in the sale are from the huge, 3,500-piece Americana collection of the banking giant Credit Suisse, featuring large framed portraits, maps and more. The Thomas Prichard Rossiter painting, for example, comes from the Credit Suisse collection. In Nov. of 2015, Nadeau’s sold Part 1 of the collection. Additional parts were sold throughout 2016.
The New Year’s Day auction will have a wide-ranging mix of merchandise, everything from a 19th century Serapi Oriental carpet measuring 10 feet 4 inches by 12 feet 6 inches (est. $25,000-$35,000) to a Yamaha C7 piano with disklavier control in a black lacquered case (est. $8,000-$12,000) to a Handel Peter Broggi Birds of Paradise table lamp, reverse painted with brightly colored exotic birds amongst blossoming colored flowers and foliage (est. $5,000-$10,000).
The Patek Philippe minute repeater chronometer in an 18kt gold closed face case features a dial with two stopwatch hands, plus a second hand dial marked Patek Philippe & Co. (Geneva). It’s expected to sell for $15,000-$20,000. Also offered will be a Rolex stainless steel wristwatch, GMT model 1675, with the original box and papers. It should knock down for $3,000-$4,000.
The 1966 T-Bird is a Survivor car, one owner, with the original honey dew yellow paint and just 51,569 miles on the odometer. All numbers match on the 8-cylinder car with air conditioning. It’s expected to speed off for $12.000-$18,000. The pair of George III satinwood and tulipwood marquetry bookcase cabinets, in two parts, was possibly made by Gillows, circa 1790, and each one is impressive at 92 inches tall by 45 inches wide. The pair should garner $15,000-$25,000.
The group portrait oil on canvas by Thomas Prichard Rossiter was a study for the original Representative Merchants of America painted in 1857 for the Chamber of Commerce that today hangs in the New York Historical Society. Rossiter’s work depicts 43 of the leading American businessmen of the 19th century. It is estimated to hit $15,000-$25,000. Also, an oil on canvas still life by Charles Ethan Porter (1847-1923), titled Purple Roses, should reach $8,000-$12,000.
A colored print of two male ruffled grouse birds and a pheasant, drawn from nature and published by the renowned American ornithologist John J. Audubon (1785-1851), 25 ¼ inches by 36 ¾ inches (sight), formerly in the Credit Suisse Americana collection, is expected to go for $10,000-$20,000. Also, an oil on canvas painting in a gold gilt frame by the noted artist Emile A. Gruppe (1896-1978), titled Italian Docks, of fishermen and boats, should make $8,000-$12,000.
Leading the jewelry category is a platinum three-stone diamond ring set with three emerald-cut diamonds, each one approximately 1.8-1.9 carats. It carries a robust pre-sale estimate of $15,000-$25,000. Also, a Cartier Art Deco 18kt white gold, rock crystal and diamond brooch with a .80-carat center diamond flanked by diamonds on either side and end, should rise to $8,000-$12,000.
Also from the jewelry category is a lovely 20kt gold and carved light green jade necklace, with jade panels carved with birds, flowers and vines, 16 inches in length and with a modest estimate of $1,000-$2,000. Speaking of birds, a seven-bird white enameled automaton clock, naturalistic wood with birds perched in a silk tree, marked Bontems (Paris), should bring $8,000-$12,000.
A life-size bronze of a red-colored boy doing a handstand by the contemporary Chinese Neo-Realist artist Wenling Chen (b. 1969), titled simply Handstand, 70 ½ inches by 28 ½ inches, has been estimated to finish at $5,000-$10,000. Also, an unsigned late 20th century bronze figure of a boy pushing a girl on a swing, 76 inches tall by 20 inches wide, should gavel for $1,000-$2,000.
Internet bidding will be provided by three platforms: LiveAuctioneers.com, Bidsquare.com and Invaluable.com. Telephone and absentee bids will also be accepted. Previews will be held on Monday, Dec. 26, from 10 am to 2 pm; Wednesday, Dec. 28, from 1-4 pm; Thursday, Dec. 29, from 1-6:30 pm; Friday, Dec. 30, from 1-4 pm; Saturday, Dec. 31, from 9 am to noon; and Jan. 1, the date of the auction, from 9-11 am; or by appointment. To schedule an appointment, call Nadeau’s at 860-246-2444 or 860-524-8666.
Nadeau’s Auction Gallery is always accepting quality consignments for its sales, held throughout the year, and its general auctions, held every four weeks. To
