An online-only Estate Fine Art & Antique auction packed with over 300 quality lots, mostly pulled from prominent estates throughout New England, is planned for Thursday, June 17th, by Bruneau & Co. Auctioneers, which has been hosting successful Internet sales since the start of the pandemic but is looking forward to resuming live, in-gallery events.
“This will be yet another great auction with an eclectic mix of antiques, fine art, furniture, jewelry, and more,” said Kevin Bruneau, the president and owner of Bruneau & Co. Auctioneers, adding, “Hopefully this will be our last time with an online-only sale. We would love to get our crowd back into the gallery.” Bruneau said telephone and absentee bids would also be accepted.
An immaculate, hand-carved Alaskan Inuit walrus ivory chess set, the pieces modeled after native fauna with exquisite calcification, carries a pre-sale estimate of $3,000-$5,000. The set, with a case, was purchased in San Francisco in 1903 and includes a note that reads, “Chessmen. They were made to order in Alaska of walrus…by an Indian for a consul there, from his ideas.” The pawns are local animals, the walrus heads are bishops and bears (just two) are the knights.
A monumental early 20th century bronze Art Nouveau three-basin fountain, 92 inches tall by 62 ½ inches wide, should realize $2,000-$3,000. The fountain has a figural central column depicting a bare breasted woman sitting atop an eagle with wings outstretched, while she carries an acanthus leaf cornucopia on her shoulder. The top basin is decorated with flowers and wheat sheaths and the fountain itself is supported by a decorative base.
An oil on canvas maritime ship painting attributed to Thomas Buttersworth (English, 1768-1842), depicting a sailing vessel cutting through choppy waves, is expected to bring $1,000-$2,000. The 20 inch by 36 inch painting (canvas, less frame) has an old label on verso that’s marked, “Schooner Yacht Defender by Buttersworth.” Thomas Buttersworth was an English seaman of the Napoleonic wars period who became a respected marine painter.
An 1885 first-edition copy of the Mark Twain classic book The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, published by Charles L. Webster and Company (N.Y.), should change hands for $1,000-$1,500. The book has a green cloth cover (an indicator of its being a first-edition), while several typos and other printing errors reveal that the book’s proofreader may have been asleep at the switch.
An oil on board tonalist winter scene by John Fabian Carlson (N.Y./Colo./Sweden, 1875-1945), 8 inched by 10 inches (sight, less frame) and artist signed “J. F. Carlson” lower left, carries an estimate of $1,000-$2,000. The landscape rendering depicts a snow-covered meadow with dried tall grass peeking through melted patches and bare trees reaching towards the sky. Carlson was involved in the Arts and Crafts Movement as part of the Byrdcliffe Colony.
Internet bidding will be facilitated by LiveAuctioneers.com, Invaluable.com, Bidsquare.com, bidLIVE.Bruneauandco.com and the mobile app “Bruneau & Co.” on iTunes or GooglePlay.
Previews of all individual items will be available by appointment only, the week of auction. To schedule an appointment, call 401-533-9980; or, send an email to info@bruneauandco.com. The gallery is located at 63 Fourth Avenue in Cranston. All COVID-19 protocols will be enforced.
To learn more about Bruneau & Co. Auctioneers and the Estates Fine Art & Antique auction planned for Thursday, June 17th, please visit www.bruneauandco.com. Updates posted often.