NEW YORK, NY.- In the lead-up to TEFAF New York Fall, Sotheby’s will present their autumn auctions of furniture and decorative arts in New York. The two auctions − Collections & Curiosities: Silver, Ceramics, and Objects of Vertu (19 October) and Collections: European Decorative Arts (27 October) − celebrate the art of collecting through an enthralling selection of rare objects. With estimates ranging from $500 to $150,000, the sales offer both new and experienced collectors the opportunity to acquire hundreds of these storied pieces, and incorporate them into their everyday lives.

COLLECTIONS & CURIOSITIES: SILVER, CERAMICS, AND OBJECTS OF VERTU
Auction 19 October
The sale is distinguished by a diverse offering of objects united under the concept of a cabinet of curiosities, such as a striking group of animal and marine figures by Mario Buccellati. Highlights from that group include a monumental Italian silver flamingo (estimate $80/120,000), which was modelled to scale of the majestic bird, with textured feathers and an engraved beak. An Italian silver marine-theme centerpiece (estimate $50/70,000), An Italian silver panda (estimate $50/70,000), and An Italian silver marine-theme oyster platter (estimate $25/35,000) accentuate the fantastical group of 20th-century silver figurines by the famed Milanese goldsmith.

Other outstanding works on offer include a rare group of twelve English silver stirrup cups (estimate $18/22,000), in the forms of hounds, foxes, boars and horses – a nod to their traditional use during hunting expeditions – and an engrossing Carrara marble sculpture, Zephyr Teaching Cupid To Fly (estimate $30/50,000) by Charles Francis Summers – one of Australia’s first noteworthy sculptors, whose work seldom appears at auction. A George II silver coffee pot (estimate $20/30,000), chased with shells and scrolling foliage, by Paul de Lameri − one of England’s finest silversmiths – and A pair of Sèvres vases and covers (estimate $60/80,000) by acclaimed sculptor, Louis-Simon Boizot, which were featured in an exhibition of his work at Versailles in 2001, round out the whimsical works on offer.

COLLECTIONS: EUROPEAN DECORATIVE ARTS
Auction 27 October
This fall’s naturalistic concept is continued through the 27 October Collections: European Decorative Arts auction, with many of the works on offer showcasing floral and animal flourishes.

The sale features property from The Metropolitan Museum of Art, sold to benefit the acquisitions fund. The group on offer was gifted to the Museum in 1973 by Lesley and Emma Sheafer. Their bequest comprised nearly 700 items of 18th-century French furniture, Impressionist and American paintings, and most notably, the finest group of 18th-century German decorative arts outside of Europe, of which 132 are being offered for sale. Emma Alexander married stockbroker Lesley G. Sheafer in 1914, and, given Mr. Sheafer’s family ties to Germany, began buying decorative arts during their visits abroad.

Among the highlights from the Sheafers’ collection are Two Meissen figures of gray parrots (estimate $70/100,000), recently attributed to circa 1731-34, Two rare Meissen figures of golden orioles circa 1733-40 (estimate $50/70,000), which bear Japanese Palace inventory numbers on the bases, and a dynamically proportioned and exquisitely decorated South German Rococo ormolu-mounted, carved, parcel-gilt and cream-painted commode (estimate $50/80,000) − a rare surviving example of the region’s rococo furniture from the mid-18th century.

Outside of the Met works, additional sale highlights include a pair of early 19th-century Regency giltwood and ebonized armchairs with owl armrests (estimate $40/60,000), which belonged to the family of the celebrated Regency connoisseur and designer Thomas Hope, and a lavishly-carved Italian Baroque parcel-gilt walnut console table (estimate $50/80,000), overflowing with rocks, shells and flowers, which underscore the sale’s naturalistic themes.