Doyle Offers Susan Waters Painting, Ulla Darni Reverse-Painted Glass Chandelier, and Other Rarities

The upcoming sale at Doyle will feature fine art, Asian antiques, and furniture from the Montgomery County Lady Collections. Among the top lots is an 1887 painting by Susan Catherine Moore Waters. Susan Waters was among the first American women painters who specialized in painting portraits and animals as a profession, visiting towns to get commissions, a method more typical of men during the 1800s. Unlike her female contemporaries, Waters signed her paintings using her name or initials in legible, cursive writing. Her paintings usually featured detailed settings but also depicted figures in stylized positions and poses. The available work, titled Guarding the Sheep, is an oil on canvas and is signed by Waters on the lower side. Other notable works of fine art in the catalog include an 1876 oil on canvas painting by John Charles Maggs, titled A Coach Driving Across a Bridge. The artist gained fame for depicting the energy and tensile motion of moving horses in his portraits of English coaches and hunters. The offered piece is dated and comes with the artist’s signature in the lower left corner.

Another lot of interest in this auction is a reverse-painted glass chandelier by Danish-born glass artist Ulla Darni. Her pieces are unique works of art depicting the artist’s original designs on hand-forged ironwork. A thumbprint and Darni’s signature appear on each piece. Bidders can also consider a lapis lazuli and gold bronze clock by Caldwell. The New York City-based manufacturer specialized in decorative metalwork and electric lighting throughout the 19th and 20th centuries. Visit Doyle to view the complete catalog and browse the A Prominent Pennsylvania Collection: Property from a Montgomery County Lady sale catalog. Find more auction previews and news by visiting Auction Daily.