Rafael Osona Announces Two Day Auction, Aug 3 & 4, 2024 Americana, Fine Arts, Historic Nantucket, Décor ~ Saturday, August 3 The Marine Session ~ Sunday, August 4 Open for Bidding ~ 1000 Lots ~

Nantucket, MA – July 15, 2024  - Rafael Osona’s annual August sale is acclaimed for exceptionally curated offerings. This year's anticipated two-day auction promises outstanding finds. The catalog(s) can be previewed online or by visiting Osona's Nantucket Preview Gallery, July 30 through August 2.  

With a legacy spanning over four decades, Rafael Osona Auctions is a premier destination among discerning buyers who seek quality and authenticity. The two August sales showcase lots across key multiple categories, demonstrating a commitment to excellence.

SATURDAY, Aug. 3, 9:30am

FINE ART - An expansive selection includes significant Nantucket-related works lead by Anne Ramsdell Congdon's 1933 painting "View of Monomoy Beyond the Creeks," Robert Stark Jr.'s "Nantucket Rainbow Fleet," and Emily Hoffmeier's 1936 "Fishing Boats at Nantucket Harbor."

Osona presents select artworks by 20th century American artists including S. (Samuel) Bruce Brown's “Nantucket Bay.” Among a "vibrant Black arts scene [in Washington, DC] for almost fifty years, Brown was a central member of DC's "Little Paris Group." (Alma Thomas papers, Smithsonian) The implied messages among four pencil-signed lithographs by Regionalist Thomas Hart Benton pull no punches. 

Donald Jurney enlivens two traditionally romanticized Bordeaux landscapes via his modern eye. There's work by Jacob Collins, a leading figure in the contemporary revival of classical painting, by Lowell Herrero, whose painterly career produced a straight forward mix of larger-than-life naiveite using a pointillist technique, while an Adrian Gottlieb's classically rendered portrait evokes a more transcendent reality. 

Of the 19th century and further afield, Jan van der Waarden's "Still Life with Flowers" casts the Dutch tradition in floral symbolism among his Netherlands petals.
More than a half-century later - and this artist having been one among the nucleus of Matisse' and Derian's French Fauve group - Charles Camoin's "Still Life with Fruit" quite simply demands attention.

Various examples of Nantucket interest are apparent in 19th and 20th century paintings by Ralph (attrib.) and Martha Cahoon, George Gardner Fish, William Ferdinand Macy, Lincoln Ceely, Frank Swift Chase, Richard Hayley Lever, scarce watercolors by Doris and Richard Beer, significant works by Andrew Shunney, Roy Bailey, Robert Bushong, Ruth Haviland Sutton, John Lochtefeld.

HISTORIC NANTUCKET - Saturday's auction presents highly regarded island collectibles, including a scarce set of four Benjamin Bunker (1770-1815) coin silver spoons; a valuable addition to any silver collection and Nantucket baskets - for which interest is worldwide. 

Having traded in more Nantucket baskets than anyone, anywhere, Rafael Osona was Founding President of the Nantucket Lightship Basket Museum, its collection now permanently housed within the Nantucket Whaling Museum collections. Among twenty five antique and 20th century Nantucket basket lots, a rare form Mitchy Ray rectangular basket with swing handle stands out. Four friendship baskets by José Reyes, lead similar works by Stephen Gibbs and Susan Chase Ottison. From Bill and Judy Sayle there's a 1997 oval nest of five as well as a circa 2000 large waste basket.  

ANTIQUES - A Fine Pair of 1830s John and William Cary Regency terrestrial and celestial globes are among the top offerings during Saturday's sale. Each globe bears hand colored engravings on a plaster sphere, capped with brass hour circle and mounted on a brass meridian.

AMERICAN HISTORY - Note a George Washington and Henry Knox signed Society of the Cincinnati membership document. Founded in May, 1783 in response to Congress's dissolution of the Continental Army, the Society is the nation's oldest patriotic organization. Its mission includes defense of liberty, promotion of union, and preservation of friendships forged in war as its basic principles.

FURNISHINGS - American furniture enthusiasts will find an exceptional selection of period pieces including a Pennsylvania Chippendale tall chest, circa 1790.

Furnishings being offered have been meticulously curated for their historical significance, condition and craftsmanship. From the Continent, don't miss a signed Jean Avisse giltwood console table, Italian Pietra Dura, and an outstanding George IV center table with a 108 variety specimen marble and hard stone top. There's a set of ten English Hepplewhite dining chairs and fine vintage, antique and semi-antique estate carpets among 21 lots. 

Make time to savor 200 years of tradition in 11 lots featuring 19th century Black Forest carvings: including a wonderfully expressive and skillfully carved black bear family hall tree and a life-sized, wall mounted stag's head sporting natural 12-point antlers. 

JEWELRY, WATCHES, BULLION COINS - For those with a preference for elegance and luxury, Saturday's auction presents a stunning array of fine jewelry and timepieces. Two men's wristwatches include a Rolex Oyster Perpetual for Tiffany & Company and a 1962 Enicar Sherpa Graph Swiss Chronograph. There are Seaman Schepps' signature cufflinks, and for the ladies there's value in Osona's carefully curated fine South Sea and Tahitian pearls. American bullion gold coins minted in 1894, 1907 and 1912 are offered in three lots. 

DECORATIVE ARTS - The category offers variety in select items ranging from porcelains and crystal glassware to Americana, fireplace equipment, and textiles. Louis Comfort Tiffany's circa 1910 bronze "Aladdin" floor lamp shines among the treasures to be auctioned. 

SUNDAY, August 4, 9:30 am

THE MARITIME AUCTION -  During the first half of the nineteenth century the United States and most of the world around it looked to the sea. The largest settlements of the period were seaports that acted as economic engines - controlling exports, distributing imports, accumulating and investing capital. Nantucket's maritime culture enriches offerings that span the China Trade and whaling eras to the present. A respected leader in this field, Rafael Osona ensures expertise in all types of marine works of art, objects and artifacts. 

Outstanding Maritime art offered during Sunday's Marine sale includes works by Antonio Jacobsen, William Stubbs, Robert Salmon, William Yorke, William Gay Yorke, three paintings by Derek Montague Gardner, William Norton, eight paintings by Brian Coole, (over two days) Barry Mason, and Arthur Diehl.

Don't be too charmed - you might forget to bid on a whaleman's scrimshaw whalebone cribbage board, circa 1818; its triangular form a single piece of panbone with scalloped skirt and ball feet. It's inscription in ornamental penmanship: "Ship Cretan – May 7th 1818 Perth." The brig was built in Venice for the French Navy and launched in 1807 as Nettuno. She was captured by HMS Unite and taken into service by the Royal Navy as HMS Cretan, serving in the Mediterranean until 1814. She was then sold to become a whaling vessel.

A 19th century pair of scrimshaw whale’s teeth is attributed to the Bank Note Engraver.

An antique scrimshaw whalebone wedge bearing a deeply engraved walled city is attributed to William Perry, alongside various 19th century scrimshaw whale's teeth, pie crimpers, and multiple whalebone or baleen busks. Look for rare nautical instruments, whaleman made walking sticks and ship models alongside 19th - 21st century ship portraits and related scenes. For collectors of navigational logs and workbooks, there's a fascinating "Narrative of the Mutiny on Board the Ship Globe of Nantucket" as well as an 1803 first edition of Norie’s "Nautical Tables." 

Previews Open Tuesday, July 30 through Friday August 2, 10am-5pm 

Online auctions are live beginning promptly at 9:30am EST. 

Bidders must register in advance: via Live Auctioneers, Bidsquare, Invaluable or on the Rafael Osona Auctions website or in person during the auction preview. Bidding options are live online, absentee, and by telephone. Accepted payment methods include wire transfers, cash or checks. Rafael Osona Auctions offers comprehensive third-party shipping services, with options for domestic and international delivery. For information, to view the catalog, or to register for the August 3 & 4 auctions, please visit www.rafaelosonaauctions.com or contact Rafael Osona Auctions at (508) 228-3942.

ABOUT RAFAEL OSONA AUCTIONS

Founded in 1980, Rafael Osona Auctions is a leading auction house specializing in the maritime, 19th-21st century fine arts and furnishings, Americana, fine jewelry, estate carpets, and maritime artifacts. Located in Nantucket, MA, USA, the auction house has built a reputation for excellence, integrity, and an unwavering commitment to quality.

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Additional contact information

Rafael Osona Auctions

Phone: +1 (508) 228-3942 

Email: info@rafaelosonaauctions.com

Website: www.rafaelosonaauctions.com