Winter Fine Arts Catalog Sale

William Bunch Auctions will hold a two-day sale of Asian, Antiques, Fine, and Decorative Arts on February 23-24, 2015.

Monday’s session of the sale exclusively features several hundred lots of fine art, including pieces from two notable collections.  The sale will begin with a collection of art from the estate of Mary Beaumont.  Ms. Beaumont was a prominent figure in the West Chester and Philadelphia art community.  A student and exhibitor at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts and the Philadelphia Sketch Club, she is best remembered as a longtime teacher at the Chester County Art Association.  As an avid color theorist and promoter of en plein air painting, her influence is reflected in the numerous portraits and landscapes.  Many examples of these works are from notable regional artists and gifts to Mary from her students over the years.  Also included are Impressionistic landscapes by Pennsylvania artist Richard Chalfant and a pencil sketch by American realist painter, Bo Bartlett.  Additionally, it will feature three large works by Mary’s father, Frank Stepler.  Stepler was also an alumnus and former teacher of the PAFA.  The three pieces, all completed in egg tempera, are vibrantly colored and brilliantly graphic.  They include scenes of everyday life, such as in Grocery and Post-Industrial, as well as a scene that best reflects Stepler’s long time career as a medical illustrator, in Surgery. 

The Fine Art sale also includes over 50 pieces from African American artist James Wilson Edwards.  A veteran of World War II, Edwards went on to a prestigious art career, studying at both the Art Students’ League of New York and the Academie Julian in Paris.  He was a long time resident of Princeton, New Jersey, where he worked and exhibited.  Working primarily in oils, Edward’s pieces are distinctly surrealist in nature; exhibiting dream-like landscapes and portraits. 

In addition to these interesting collections, the sale also will feature numerous other fine art pieces including oils, watercolors, and works on paper from various estates and personal collections.  There are many more regional Pennsylvania artists featured in this sale, notably three cityscapes from brothers  Giovanni and Antonio Martino, a miniature oil on canvas, Draft Horse, by Peter Sculthorpe, and an Irish landscape watercolor by Ranulph Bye. Other American works include two oil scenes from Colin Campbell Cooper.  European works are highlighted by a large pastoral scene from Belgian painter Henri De Buel, a late 19^th century portrait of a musician by Ernst Karl Georg Zimmerman, and an oil on canvas by Borge Nyrop entitled The Farm By the Sea. 

The second day is diverse and eclectic, presenting over 500 objects across a broad variety of categories.  It will open at 11 AM with a selection of fine Oriental carpets followed by a large assortment of sterling and silver plate to feature flatware, tea sets, and other appointments.  The sale will include over 30 lots of unique estate jewelry, highlighted by a 3 carat solitaire diamond and platinum pendant necklace. 

A portion of the sale will focus on a selection of fine books, comprised primarily of 18^th and 19^th century medical books from a Philadelphia Mainline estate, including works by William Cullen and William Hewson.  Additionally, this category will showcase an early 20^th century binding of Omar Khayyam’s Rubiyat by Sangorski and Sutcliffe set with gemstones. 

Transitioning to period furniture, the afternoon will present a fine collection of 18^th- 20^th century American, English, and Continental pieces to include chairs, chests, and mirrors. Chippendale, Hepplewhite, and Louis XV-style designs are showcased in particular, as well as some Midcentury modern pieces.  Early 19^th century examples include a tall case clock from Philadelphia maker Nicholas Le Huray and a Windsor chair signed by Thomas Ashton. A unique Japanese carved bench with monkeys and dragons and a circa 1878 Steinway rosewood concert grand piano certainly will command considerable attention.

Continental porcelain figurines and serving ware encompasses a selection of Meissen, Paris porcelain, Royal Copenhagen Flora Danica, as well as a large quantity of English Staffordshire Rural Scenery by J. & W. Ridgeway.  Americana will include blue decorated crocks and a redware jug by John Bell.  There will be a varied collection of modern art glass, including many signed pieces.  Other notable items are a fine Tiffany Studios Pine Needle desk set and a Swiss music box with a bank of bells.

The second session also will present many interesting ethnographic artifacts, including 14 lots of early Southwest Native American pottery, an African beaded tunic, a fine Tibetan thangka, two story boards from Papua New Guinea, as well as Persian helmets and shields. 

The sale will finish with over 150 lots of fine Asian antiques.  There will be a variety of Chinese and Japanese cloisonné, to include an important pair of lanterns.  Porcelain pieces are highlighted by a Chinese export armorial platter bearing the crest of King George IV and a pair of wedding lanterns.  Japanese porcelain will include a Satsuma, Kutani, an interesting Sumida Gawa pitcher, as well as an Ormolu mounted Imari  bowl.  A nice variety of blue and white porcelain, Rose Medallion, Thousand Butterfly, and flambé will be offered.  Other notable items are Blanc de Chine figurines, a large ancestor portrait, a Ming Dynasty bronze box, 6 framed Famille Rose tiles, and a fine Chinese carved Mother of Pearl shell in an ornate teak stand.