Picasso etching, Chiparus bronze, American portraiture among highlights of Quinn’s June 7 Fine & Decorative Arts Auction

Jewelry category includes exquisite 18K white gold ruby and diamond necklace and earring suite

FALLS CHURCH, Va. – A signed etching by Pablo Picasso from 1933 titled Marie-Therese Kneeling, Studying a Sculpted Group, a bronze sculpture of a woman with two dogs by Demetre Chiparus, and a pleasing selection of American portraiture are just a taste of what bidders will find in Quinn’s Fine & Decorative Arts Auction slated for Friday, June 7. The auction is online-only, with absentee bids also accepted through Quinn’s website.

The 468-lot sale consists primarily of consignments from upscale estates and collections in the northern Virginia region, with an emphasis on Asian, American, European and Modern arts. The catalog is replete with antique and modern furniture, prints, bronzes, art glass, and other high-quality vintage goods.

The 1933 etching by Pablo Picasso (Spain, 1881-1973), titled Marie-Therese Agenouillee Contemplant Un Groupe Sculpte (Marie-Therese Kneeling, Studying a Sculpted Group), is from the artist’s Vollard Suite published in 1939 and printed by Lacouriere Paris. From an edition of 260, the work is signed at lower right, with the Vollard watermark. The leaf size is 17½ inches by 13½ inches. Bids are guided by a pre-sale estimate of $8,000-$10,000. Other fine prints and lithographs in the auction include pieces from Salvador Dali, Keith Haring and other collected artists.

An 11-inch-tall bronze sculpture of a woman with two dogs by Demetre Chiparus (Romanian, 1886-1947) is titled Friends Forever. It displays an etched signature on its marble base and is stamped 54 on the back of the woman’s dress. This desirable bronze designed by one of the greats of Art Deco sculpture is expected to achieve $6,000-$8,000 at auction. A large (37½ in) signed bronze by Claire Jeanne Colinet (French, 1880-1950), titled Swaying Dancer, should sell for $800-$1,200.

A pastel-on-paper portrait of Mary B. Humphreys (1763-1836), the step-grandmother of Mary Todd Lincoln (1818-1882), was created by the British-American portrait artist Harriet Anderson Stubbs Murphy (1853-1935). Rendered in 1895, it is artist-signed (under her husband’s name) and dated at lower left. It measures 26¾ inches by 21¾ inches (sight) and comes to auction with a $2,000-$3,000 estimate.

Among the fine-jewelry highlights is a stunning 18K white gold ruby and diamond necklace and earrings suite designed in an overlapping leaf (or petal-style) motif. The 20-inch necklace consists of prong-set, brilliant-cut round diamonds having a total weight of 19.0 carats and prong-set oval faceted rubies totaling 30.0 carats. The matching 18K white gold ruby and diamond drop earrings are of a style compatible to the necklace and feature 6.46 carats of diamonds; 12.0 carats of rubies, and an additional .45ct pear-shape faceted ruby on each earring clip. The suite is presented in a custom-fitted box and has a pre-sale estimate of $13,000-$15,000. The nicely varied jewelry selection also includes a 14K white gold ring with a 3.09ct round diamond solitaire, $18,000-$20,000; and an 18K yellow gold, diamond and emerald matrix pin, $2,000-$2,200.

A cire perdue vase executed in 1929 by Rene Lalique (French, 1860-1945), 9 inches tall and displaying strands of foliage across a frosted glass body, is expected to reach $2,000-$3,000 at auction. The vase is wheel-carved R Lalique FRANCE and engraved 20-5-29 on the base. Cire perdue – or “lost wax” – is a method of metal casting in which the model is produced in wax prior to being coated with clay and fired. The wax is then lost, resulting in a mold into which molten metal is poured for casting.

Other art glass items up for bid include a colorful Enrico Cammozzo Murano glass sculpture of a tree hosting more than a dozen birds on its branches, $800-$1,200; an Emile Galle “Purple Hydrangeas” cameo vase, $600-$800; and a Galle-style “Irises” torchiere floor lamp, $400-$600.

A 1973 German biscuit-porcelain figural sculpture of great blue herons by Gunther Granget (German, 1932-2010) for Hutschenreuther, is titled The Challenge and numbered 42 from a limited edition of 200. Measuring 18½ inches by 19 inches by 12 inches, the artwork is etched with Granget’s name on the lower branch and is well marked under the base. It carries a $1,500-$2,500 estimate.

The furniture category delivers comfort and modern style in the form of a three-seat wing sofa manufactured by Thomas Moser, Maine, and retaining its original Knoll Venue “Alligator” soft chenille fabric. The 79-inch-wide sofa is signed and dated 2004 on the underside and has an estimate of $2,000-$3,000. Also of note is a Harry Bertoia for Knoll “Bird” chair and matching ottoman, in blue fabric over a metal frame. Estimate: $800-$1,200.

A signed oil-on-canvas by Eugene Joseph Verboeckhoven (Belgian, 1798-1881) measures 19 inches by 23 inches (sight) and depicts an endearing interior barnyard scene of a ewe snuggling with her lamb. It is ornately framed and has a metal tag identifying the artist. The auction estimate is $2,000-$3,000.

Asian decorative arts encompass several popular subcategories, including Japanese weapons, jade, porcelain and netsuke. Lot 292 is a Japanese Edo Period (1615-1868) naginata (polearm sword) whose name literally translates to “mowing-down sword.” The fearsome weapon measures 27 inches overall, has a 15-inch blade, an unsigned tang, silver habaki, and 80-inch mother-of-pearl and lacquer ebu staff with silvered bronze semegane rings and an iron ishizuki. It is sheathed in a saya wooden scabbard. Estimate: $1,000-$2,000.

While there will be no in-person gallery bidding for the Friday, June 7, 2024 auction, Quinn’s cordially invites bidders to participate live via the Internet through LiveAuctioneers or Invaluable. Additionally, absentee bids may be placed through Quinn’s website. Auction start time: 10am ET. Quinn’s helpful staff will be on hand at an open gallery preview Monday, June 3 through and including Thursday, June 6, from 11-4 each day. For information about any auction item or to discuss consigning to a future Quinn’s sale, call Corrie Brady at 703-532-5632 ext. 572, or email [email protected]. Visit Quinn’s online at www.quinnsauction.com.