Paul Flato, (1900-1999) Hollywood, New York (attr.) “Cluster” ring in 18K yellow gold and set with 39 cabochon rubies (approx. 8 carats TW) and further set with a center round brilliant cut diamond (1+ carat TW) and an additional 14 round pave set diamonds in platinum, c. 1940
French Art Deco ring set with two round aquamarines (approx. 6 carats TW), two triangular shape and four baguette diamonds all set in platinum, signed, c. 1930
American Arts & Crafts ring (most likely Boston School) set with a large rectangular shaped pink tourmaline cabochon (approx. 54 carats) set in an elaborate 18k gold handwrought mounting with a garland surround of leaves and scrolling structural ring shank support, c. 1915
Marcus & Co Art Nouveau pendant necklace, Handwrought 18K yellow gold set with a large cabochon natural emerald center stone surrounded by green enamel details with gold looping bezel mounts and platinum topped diamond side details set with 43 diamonds, cabochon emerald pendant drop with a green enamel and gold capped top, signed, c. 1900
Marcus & Co Art Nouveau pendant necklace, Handwrought 18 K yellow gold set with a large cabochon natural emerald center stone (approx. 30+ carats TW, G.I.A. certificate, moderate clarity enhancement, 18.30 x 18.20 x 12.20mm) surrounded by green enamel details with gold looping bezel mounts and platinum topped diamond side details set with 43 diamonds (approx. 6 carats TW), cabochon emerald pendant drop (approx. 15 carats TW) with a green enamel and gold capped top, elaborate looping 18K yellow gold chain, signed, c. 1900
Paul-Auguste Gagné, French Egyptian Revival Gilt Bronze Garniture Set c. 1875
Paul-Auguste Gagné (Sculptor) France
Egyptian Revival garniture set, circa 1875
Gilt bronze and carved rouge marble mantle clock and candelabra in a high Egyptian Revival style
Marks: P.A. Gagne (elaborate incised scroll signature on the back of the portrait bust)
For more information on Gagné see: Dictionnaire des peintres, sculpteurs, dessinateurs et graveurs, vol. 4, E. Bénézit (Paris: Librairie Gründ, 1976) p. 579.
For other related Egyptian Revival garniture sets see: Egyptomania: Egypt in Western Art, 1730-1930 (Paris: Éditions de la Réunion des Musées Nationaux and Ottawa: National Gallery of Canada, 1994)
European pear shape clip earrings set with large mabe pearls, contoured onyx all in a yellow gold mount and further set with four round cut diamonds, marked, c.1980’s
Robert Phillips, London (1810-1881) Archaeological Revival round “Button” brooch in 18k gold set with a large cabochon salmon coral jewel (15mm in depth x 19mm round) and light sky-blue enamel background with a finely detailed twisted gold wire and beaded applied convex round gold border, original leather and green silk velvet and satin presentation box signed: Phillips, 23 Cockspur Street, London, c.1875
Jules & Louis Wiese Etruscan Revival brooch set with a gem quality cabochon ruby (approx. 4.32 carats by calculation) and two natural pearls (7mm each) all in an elaborate 18k gold mount with intricate twisted scrolls and a gold wire wrapped border signed: Wiese (in Gothic-style signature mark), French diamond maker’s poincon, French Eagle’s head mark for 18k gold, original burgundy leather presentation box with fancy embossed gilt initials on the cover and a vanilla silk velvet and satin interior, c.1875
Art Deco “Fire Opal” necklace, frosted rock crystal round beads and four sided custom rock crystal bezels set in 18K yellow gold with 16 round–cut accent diamonds featuring five large natural fire opals (G.I.A certificate, dimension of each fire opal, 13.00 x 8.15 x 6.20mm for a TW of approx. 17.50 carats), c. 1940’s
Louis Comfort Tiffany for Tiffany & Co. “Oval Moon” brooch set with a large gem quality moonstone (approx. 43 carats) set with 23 Montana sapphires (approx. 8 carats TW), marked: 10% Irid. Plat, c. 1920
Tiffany & Co. “Prince of Wales’ Feathers” made during the reign of Edward VII (he held his title of the Prince of Wales longer than anyone before him and was King of England from 1901 to 1910) brooch pave set with 123 round-cut diamonds (approx. 2.50 carats TW) and all set in a three dimensional brooch of platinum topped gold, signed: Tiffany & Co., c.1900
Enrico Serafini “Pineapple” brooch, 18K yellow and white gold channel set with the pineapple body with citrines with emeralds pave set in the white gold leaves, Marked: 750, Italy, FI, c. 1950’s
Enrico Serafini (1913-1968) was born in Florence, had a workshop in Piazza Santa Felicità in that city in 1947, and quickly established a successful business creating jewelry for many celebrities of that time, including John Steinbeck and Adlai Stevenson.
Seaman Schepps, New York “Maltese Cross” brooch, one large round cut central citrine (approx. 45 carats) set with 4 large square step-cut citrines (approx. 108 carats TW) and further set with four extra long baguette citrines (approx. 13 carats TW) in a radiating pattern set in 14k yellow gold (total citrine carat weight of 166 carats), signed: Seaman Schepps, 14k, c. 1940’s
An immigrant’s son, who grew up in the tenements of New York’s Lower East Side, Seaman Schepps rose to prominence in the 1930s with jewelry designs that challenged the status quo and defined a new style for the American woman. With his chunky brooches, “barbaric” bracelets and “bubble” earrings, Schepps pioneered a unique style of jewelry whose sense of splendor offered a new perspective to the world of fine jewelry.
Witty, over-the-top and flattering, Schepps’ jewelry embodied style and originality and was featured on the covers of Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar, Look and other magazines. It appealed to a myriad of clients from Katherine Hepburn to Andy Warhol to the Duchess of Windsor and greatly influenced his contemporaries. Today, some 50 years after his death, he continues to inspire modern jewelers.
Through the 1930s, and into the 40s and 50s, new clients flocked to him at his store on Madison Avenue. Often clients wanted a one-of-a-kind bauble and commissioned Schepps to incorporate their old jewelry into a fresh new design. Frequently this led to landmark decisions that helped distinguish Schepps as an extraordinary talent. His client list included Coco Chanel, Elsa Schiaparelli, the Duchess of Windsor, and members of the Du Pont, Mellon and Rockefeller families. By serving these most powerful and influential individuals, Schepps became known as “America’s Court Jeweler”.
Mahrokh Beck, Munich, Stylized flower brooch with a large square cut citrine, a smaller square cut citrine, yellow and orange oval citrines, sapphires and cognac diamonds all set in 18K yellow gold, c. 2005
MAHROKH BECK Munich, Germany
Stylized flower brooch c. 2005
Set in 18 K yellow gold with a large square cut citrine (approx. 40 carats TW) and a smaller square cut citrine (approx. 4 carats TW), 2 oval orange citrines, 2 oval yellow citrines, 2 oval sapphires and cognac diamonds
Charlton & Co. (attr.) American Art Deco “Dendrite Agate” jewel cufflinks in an overall hexagonal form further set with caliber cut onyx in platinum topped 18k yellow gold, c. 1920’s
Van Cleef & Arpels, New York gem set floral perfume bottle in 14k rose gold set with 5 round cut natural rubies (approx. 1 carat TW) and one round cut diamond, signed: Van Cleef & Arpels, NY, 2669, 14k, c.1938 (left) &Cartier Art Deco “Candle or Flame” portable perfume bottle in 14k gold, signed: Cartier (script signature), 14k, c.1930’s (right)
Edwardian Era elaborate pendant necklace with a large fancy round-cut natural gem Madeira citrine (approx. 30 carats TW dimensions 20mm x 20mm x 16mm, GIA certificate) in a fine milligrain platinum mount with stylized leaves and flower blossoms and a bow all set with 83 old European round-cut diamonds (approx. 4.65 carats TW) suspended from the matching and period platinum chain, c.1900
Giacinto Melillo (attr.) Etruscan / Egyptian Revival bracelet, finely woven three strand 18K gold braclelet set with very delicate floral rosettes throughout with fine wire work and gold granulation and further set with 5 round cabochons of gem quality lapis lazuli, c.1875
Lawrence Hunter Hand Wrought Brass and Walnut Punch Set c.1965
LAWRENCE HUNTER, San Diego, California
Punch Bowl set c.1965
Hand hammered and hand wrought large asymmetric punch bowl with matching ladle, turned walnut pedestal platter and twenty four hand wrought brass and walnut pedestal shape goblets
Marks: HUNTER spelled out within a large outline of an H (name logo and monogram mark on all pieces)
Punchbowl H: 13 ½” x Dia: 16”
Cups: H: 5” x Dia: 3 ½”
Serving tray: H: 2 ¾” x Dia: 17 ¾”
Price: $11,500
By repute, this elaborate punch set was a custom commissioned work for a West Coast collector and likewise was purchased directly from Larry Hunter in the mid-1960’s for $2,500.
Lawrence “Larry” Hunter grew up in San Diego and received a BA from San Diego State College in the late 1950s. As an undergraduate, Hunter studied with John Dirks, who founded the furniture design program at San Diego State College, and Ilse Ruocco. While completing an MA at University of California, Los Angeles, Hunter worked in clay and was a teaching assistant for Laura Andreson. Hunter was hired to teach general crafts and design classes at San Diego State in 1962, and later inherited the furniture design program from Dirks.
Hunter was a member of the Allied Craftsmen of San Diego and exhibited furniture regularly in the California Design series at the Pasadena Art Museum and the California Crafts series at the Crocker Art Gallery in Sacramento. Hunter led the San Diego State furniture design program until the late 1980s, helping the furniture program to become a vital part of the community. Featured artists will include Toza and Ruth Radakovich, Rhoda Lopez, Jack Hopkins, Arline Fisch, Ellamarie and Jackson Woolley, Larry Hunter, Kay Whitcomb, Ilse Ruocco, and James Hubbell. It was at this same time that Constantine’s, a New York fine wood merchant, offered plans for clocks with wooden works; that John Gaughan made a skeletal grandfather’s clock with wooden works; and that Larry Hunter, who taught at San Diego State, used the clock form to explore kinetic sculpture within a functional format. Hunter eschewed the older traditional adornment of the case and focused upon visible works so that people could watch time actually move.
Josef Hoffmann, Wiener Werkstaette, Silverplate and Crystal Cruet Set c.1922
JOSEF HOFFMANN (1870-1956) Austria
WIENER WERKSTÄTTE (1903-1932) Vienna
Cruet Set c.1922
Silver plated stand with original cut crystal paneled bottles
Model illustrated: Wiener Werkstätte G.M.B.H. catalog (December 1923), kat. nr. M di 5, p. 406. (This WW catalogue is in the collection at the Rare Books Department of the New York Public Library)
Michael Powolny / Lötz Witwe Glaswerks Jugendstil Set of Three “Tango” Glass Vases c. 1920
PROF. MICHAEL POWOLNY (1871-1954) Austria
LÖTZ WITWE GLASWERKS Klostermuhle
Set of three “Tango” glass vases c. 1920
Blown tall yellow glass with applied black handles, blown orange glass with applied cobalt blue handles, blown red glass with applied black handle-form feet
Marks: Cecho. Slovakia (acid etched in an oval) (red vase)
Yellow and black vase H: 6 1/2” x Dia: 6″
Orange and cobalt blue vase H: 5 1/2” x Dia: 6″
Red and black vase H: 3 1/2” x Dia: 6″
For more information see: Lötz: Böhmisches Glas 1880-1940, Band 1, Helmut Ricke and Ernst Ploil, (Munich: Prestel-Verlag, 1989) ; Glass of the Avant-Garde, From Vienna Secession to Bauhaus, The Torsten Bröhan Collection from the Museo Nacional de Artes Decorativas, Madrid, Torsten Bröhan, Martin Eidelberg (Munich, London, New York: Prestel Verlag, 2001).
Other Powolny works: Jugendstil Art Nouveau: floral und functional forms, Siegfried Wichmann (New York / Boston: Graphic Society, Little, Brown and Co., 1984), p. 226; Vienna 1900-1930: Art in the Home, Historical Design exhibition catalogue (New York: Historical Design, Inc., 1996), p. 45; Modernism:Modernist Design 1880-1940, The Norwest Collection, Norwest Corporation, Minneapolis, Alastair Duncan (Woodbridge, Suffolk, England: The Antique Collector’s Club, 1998).
Guttierez Vega / South American Art Deco Sterling Modernist Coffee / Tea Set c. 1935
GUTTIEREZ VEGA (active 1930s) Bogotá, Columbia
Four-piece modernist coffee / tea set c. 1935
Radical form cone and triangular shaped four piece sterling silver with bold design exotic handles.
Marks: T.A.N. Sterling (Maker’s mark), serial number F925
Coffee pot H: 5″ x L: 10 1/2″
Teapot H: 4 3/8″ x L: 10 1/2″
Creamer H: 3″ x L: 8″
Sugar bowl H: 4 1/2″ x L: 7 3/4″
In the 1930s, Colombia began to embrace modern and Art Deco architecture. The new Liberal Party government tore down many older buildings to reject the conservative past. In their place, it constructed modern buildings with an international flavor and interiors and decorative arts were designed to complement these newly stylized buildings.
Gorham Sterling “Exotic” Tea and Coffee Set in Original Presentation Chest 1880
GORHAM MFG. CO SILVERSMITHS Providence, RI
“Exotic” tea and coffee set in original Gorham presentation chest 1880
Sterling silver 5-piece service with “butler” finish, bright-cut chasing and repoussé surface in the Far Eastern exotic style with elephant trunk spouts and handle forms, tent-like splayed lids, interior gilding, engraved conjoined initials, bone spacers in the original deep teal velvet-covered presentation chest with hot pink silk- satin interior
Marks: Gorham marks, STERLING, 1560, “M” (date mark for 1880)
Lid of case interior stamped in gold: Gorham Mfg. Co., Sterling Silver, Union Square, NY
For related pieces and further information see: Gorham Silver 1831-1981, Charles H. Carpenter, Jr., Chapter 6, “Innovation and Fantasy”, p. 94-121 (New York: Dodd, Mead & Company, 1982); In Pursuit of Beauty: Americans and the Aesthetic Movement, Chapter 8,“Metalwork: An Eclectic Aesthetic” by David Hanks, p.253-294 (New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art / Rizzoli, 1987); Silver in America, 1840-1940: A Century of Splendor, Charles L. Venable, Chapter 6, “Consumption and Design” p.123-204, (New York: Dallas Museum of Art, Harry N. Abrams, Inc., 1995).
Jaipur Enameled and Gem Set Rare Solid Gold Cup and Saucer c. mid-19th Century
JAIPUR, MUGHAL INDIA
Enameled and gem set gold Cup and Saucer c. mid-19th Century
High carat yellow gold (22-24 carat) cup and saucer set with a fine emerald, ruby and diamonds, the cup with a high foot with rounded sides and handle formed of two snakes intersecting at three points and biting the rim. The exterior is decorated with red, green, blue and white enamels with roundels containing combatant animals on a ground of floral sprays, the saucer with gently rounded sides decorated with lobed cartouches containing warriors combating tigers and birds, the underside with a series of oval panels containing peacocks and hummingbirds.
Provenance: a gift from a European diplomat in the 1930’s-40’s, and thence by descent.
Saucer: Dia: 5 1/4;
Cup: H: 2 3/4″ (with handle) x Dia: 2 5/8″
Similar animal decoration can be found in an epaulette attributed to Rajesthan, probably Jaipur, in the Khalili Collection (Pedro Moura Carvalho, Gems and Jewels of Mughal India, London, 2010, p. 225, no. 120. A related cup and saucer with similar animal depictions was sold at Christie’s (Islamic Art, Indian Miniatures, Rugs and Carpets, London, 21st October 1993, lot 350.
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