Morphy Auctions’ glittering pre-Christmas Fine & Decorative Arts Auction will be held at Morphy’s gallery December 8-10 and features fabulous Tiffany lamps, 100+ pieces of art glass, 200+ pieces of high-quality silver, 50+ bronzes, coins, furniture, fine art, antique canes, and 150″ pieces of art pottery, including exotic Amphora. Also, 200+ lots of magnificent jewelry and important watches will cross the auction block, offering excellent gift-buying opportunities for even the most selective buyers.
The auction opens with 121 lots of highly desirable Amphora pottery created in Bohemia from 1892 into the first decade of the 20th century. A monumental (21½ in) “Spitting-Coin Dragon” vase gets its name from the striking motif of an applied, extended-wing dragon that appears to spit “coins” into a body of water. Illustrated in Vreeland’s Monsters and Maidens: Collectors Edition, it is estimated at $18,000-$24,000.
More than 175 stained- and leaded-glass lamps will be offered, including 81 coveted Tiffany Studios productions. The shade of a circa-1910 Tiffany Studios “Peony” leaded-glass table lamp displays a medley of peonies and rests upon a six-socket “Chase Pod” base whose telescopic design allows the lamp to be raised or lowered. Double-signed, it is estimated at $100,000-$150,000. Another Tiffany highlight is a led, stained-glass, and bronze “drophead” table lamp in the Dragonfly pattern. The shade’s edge is encircled with dragonflies, each having a different-colored body and all with jeweled eyes. Estimate: $100,000-$125,000.
The revered Tiffany name dominates the silver category, as well, in the form of tea and coffee services, bowls, serving trays, compotes, candlesticks, and elegant flatware. An 1892 sterling tea and coffee service in the Chrysanthemum pattern weighs 485ozt and could command $30,000-$40,000. An appealing hammered silver and mixed-metals pitcher with applied silver and copper swimming fish aims for high waters with its $45,000-$60,000 estimate.
More than 200 lots of superior-quality jewelry and watches are showcased in the December 10 session. A showstopping ladies platinum diamond ring with a total diamond weight of 5.79 carats and gross weight of 10.3 grams consists of a 4.2ct round brilliant-cut diamond, F color/VVS2 clarity; and two round brilliant-cut side diamonds with a total estimated weight of 1.50 carats, graded E/F color and VVS clarity. With its original 1969 GIA Diamond Report, it is estimated at $100,000-$150,000.
Perhaps the ultimate stocking stuffer is a stunning Victorian heart-shaped brooch featuring a 5.52-carat natural blue pear-shape sapphire framed by 15 mixed old mine-cut cushion diamonds and topped with a flowing bow set with 15 smaller diamonds. Accompanied by its original AGL Colored Stone Certificate, it is estimated at $60,000-$120,000.
Twenty-four wristwatches and 34 pocket watches will be auctioned, including examples by Rolex, Audemars Piguet, Patek Philippe, Universal Geneve Film Compax, Tiffany, and Omega. An out-of-this-world Omega Speedmaster Mir 365 stainless steel chronograph wristwatch is #11 of only 28 such watches that were “flown” for 365 days aboard the Mir Space Station (July 1993 to July 1994), then offered for sale in 1995. Boxed with papers and a full set of accessories, this scarce timepiece is offered with a pre-sale estimate of $100,000-$200,000.
Morphy’s December 8-10, 2020 Fine & Decorative Arts Auction will be held live at Morphy’s gallery, 2000 N. Reading Rd., Denver, PA 17517, starting at 10 a.m. Eastern Time. All remote forms of bidding will be available as well, including via Morphy Live.
