On Nov 16, 17, and 18 Millea Bros. unleashes its latest live, in-person “Select” 3-day auction. Featuring a dazzling collection of art, design and antiques fresh to market from prominent New York area estates – including paintings by Alexander Calder, custom furnishings from an important Peter Marino Palm Beach commission, the third and final sale of museum quality Tribal Art from the Faith Dorian and Martin Wright Art Trust, and a once in a generation single-owner sale of 18th c. porcelains
Day 1 features Modern and Contemporary art and design, including two Alexander Calder gouaches on paper. The 1945 “Victory”, an early work of pure abstraction, dates to Calder’s ‘Constellations’ series, works in dialogue with the famous gouaches by Joan Miro. The painting was later gifted to experimental composer Edgard Varese and retains a pencil inscription to the composer. In contrast, 1969's “The Pheasant" is a light and charming figurative work that captures the joyful exuberance associated with Calder’s later paintings. Both works are registered with the Calder Foundation.
Other modern art highlights include a Jean Arp bronze deaccessioned from the Foundation Mireille and James Levy, a Rufino Tamayo watercolor from an important New York collection, a c. 1925 Arthur Davies ‘Dancers’ oil mural study, a Chryssa lightbox, an Andrew Lord ceramic sculpture, and a large Dale Chihuly glass work.
Design highlights include over 50 pieces of furniture from an important Peter Marino Palm Beach Commission including an extraordinary Jean Dunand daybed, finished in a volcanic copper and gold lacquer. The collection also includes contemporary furniture and lighting designs by Peter Marino Architects, and Art Deco pieces by Jean Michel Frank, Eugene Printz, and Paul Dupre Lafon reproduced by Ludwig & Dominique, Paris.
Other design highlights include a pair of shagreen-clad chairs by Jean Michel Frank for Chanaux & Pelletier, a custom c. 1935 TH Robsjohn-Gibbings Lotus console, original Wiener Werkstatte pieces by Josef Hoffmann, Otto Wagner and Koloman Moser, and a group of American Studio works deaccessioned from the Museum of Art and Design. Interspersed with the modern designs are over thirty 19th c. African and Oceanic artifacts from the Faith Dorian and Martin Wright Art Trust, many with JJ Klejman and museum provenance.
Day 2 offers Asian, British and American Arts, including over 50 pieces of ancient to antique Chinese objects from the Collection of Lewis Stein. One of the original SOHO artist pioneers, Stein amassed a formidable collection of Asian artifacts over four decades, and a reputation for scholarly connoisseurship. Highlights from the Stein Collection include a 4’ tall early Ming era wood carved Guanyin seated on a Buddhist Lion. Only a handful of similar examples have come to market, with near identical carvings in the Met and other museum collections. There are also notable examples of Song to Qianlong ceramics, archaic bronzes, ancient Chinese stone carvings, and an impressive selection of antique Korean porcelains.
American and British art highlights include a wonderful John Singer Sargent watercolor, and a Daniel Ridgway Knight oil on canvas, once part of the collection of famed financier and philanthropist ‘Diamond’ Jim Brady. A single owner collection of rare 18th c. English porcelains includes figural, center and serving pieces by Chelsea, Dr. Wall Worcester, Derby and Bow.
Assembled in the 1920s and 1930s, the collection has remained in the same family for two generations. Extraordinary examples of Native American artifacts from the Faith Dorian and Martin Wright Art Trust include a complete 19th c. Sioux bow and arrow set, good 19th c. Iroquois and Inuit masks, rattles, and carved ritual objects. The sale closes with a group of letters and government documents from the Charles Sigety Collection, including examples from the hands of George Washington, Thomas Paine, and Thomas Jefferson.
Day 3 features Continental Art & Antiques including the remainder of our important porcelain sale from 565 Park Avenue, NYC. This Continental porcelain group includes ten pieces of the earliest Bottger and Hausmaler Meissen dating to the start of the 18th c., as well as early pieces of Mennecy, St. Cloud, Delft and Doccia. Artworks from the same collection include a Pieter de Hooch Dutch School oil on panel and an imposing 7’ tall oil portrait from the circle of Diego Velazquez. Other artworks include period Durer engravings deaccessioned from the Albertina Museum, Vienna, and post-impressionist lithographs including Degas, Matisse and Toulouse-Lautrec. Antique highlights include a group of Moser jeweled glass, an important Galle ‘Parlant’ coupe, 19th c. Bessarabian and Persian carpets from the collection of a Media mogul, and a selection of 17th c. military weapons.
