Quinn’s June 9 Fine & Decorative Arts online auction offers diverse array of American, European & Asian artworks, Modernist prints, furniture and British sports cars

Featured: Montague Dawson marine painting with purported White House connection, important Irish portrait of noblewoman, antique German suit of armor, 19th C. Tiffany silver tureen

FALLS CHURCH, Va. – On Friday, June 9, 2023, Quinn’s Auction Galleries will conduct a beautifully curated Fine & Decorative Arts sale featuring American, European, Asian and modern art. All bidding will be online through a choice of platforms, as well as absentee or by phone; no in-person gallery bidding.

The auction selection includes portraiture from the 17th to 19th centuries, an impressive marine painting by Montague Dawson, and a William Watson depiction of Highland cattle. Additionally, there are Modernist fine art prints, including an original lithograph by Elizabeth Catlett, and historical signatures and autographs of prominent figures such as Albert Einstein and Theodore Roosevelt. Other categories showcase antique and modern furniture, fine jewelry, Asian decorative arts (snuff bottles, textiles, screens, etc.), and eccentric interior décor, including a German suit of armor, Phillips 66 gas pump, and an antique harp. Three British sportscars are ready to roll: 1972 and 1980 MG Midgets, and a 1973 Triumph TR6 convertible. 

Leading the fine art selection is a signed Montague Dawson (British, 1895-1973) oil-on-board painting of companion ships in a harbor. It retains a label on verso from one of the UK’s oldest art dealerships, Frost & Reed of London. The painting is untitled but displays a second label on verso that reads: “Montague Dawson was commissioned to paint this picture of ‘The Ark and the Dove off the Scillies with Lord Baltimore aboard’ for the White House, and when it was delivered, they found it was too small. He therefore painted a larger one of the same subject, which is now hanging in the White House.” Sized 19½ by 23½ inches (sight), the auction example is estimated at $15,000-$25,000. 

A lovely oil-on-canvas work by the eminent Irish painter Anthony Lee (active 1724-1769) is titled Portrait of Lady Paisley. It was once housed in Baron’s Court, Newtownstewart, County Tyrone, Ireland, and is shown in the O’Brien and Guinness reference Great Irish Houses and Castles. Its line of provenance reveals it was purchased from East and Orient Company by the 1st Viscount Boyne, Stackallan House (County Meath, Ireland); then passed by decent to the 7th Viscount Boyne, Brance Path Castle, Brancepeth, County Durham, England. In its gilt frame, it measures 60 by 60 inches. It comes to auction with a $3,000-$5,000 estimate. 

A highlight of the Continental art section is a bronze sculpture by Jean Leon Gerome (French, 1824-1904) depicting “Anacreon with the Infants Bacchus and Cupid.” The artwork is inscribed with the foundry mark F. BARBEDIENNE Fondeur and a second mark reading RÉDUCTION MÉCANIQUE A COLLAS BREVETE. It stands 22½ inches high and carries a $3,000-$5,000 estimate.

An imposing 75-inch-tall German Maximilian 16th-century-style suit of armor was made circa 1910 and is attributed to Ernst Schmidt (active 1868-1930), Munich. Its design details include a three-piece closed helm, two-piece neck armor, fluted cuirass, full arm armor with large spaulders, fingered gauntlets, a pair of tassets and pair of full leg defenses with sabatons. Its extensive provenance shows that it was purchased in 2000 from Three Centuries Ship, Vancouver, BC (receipt and letter of provenance included); former Sony Canada president Joseph H. Cohen (Canadian, 1921-2011), and Fritz Ziegler (German/Canadian, 1902-1996). Ziegler was the former Consul General of Monaco and owned the largest collection of armor in Canada, which he displayed in a replica of a 16th-century castle that he built in the Fraser Valley of British Columbia. Estimate: $2,000-$3,000

Nineteenth-century American elegance is exemplified in the flawless balance and design of a Tiffany & Co., Neoclassical sterling silver soup tureen dating to circa 1856-1869. Raised on a round base, it has swept handles, decorative borders, and a delightful artichoke finial. It bears multiple marks indicating it was made by Tiffany & Co., for John C Moore and Son, with an impressed mark 2013/2700. Its total weight is 48.36ozt, and it is cataloged with a $2,000-$3,000 estimate.

The Asian selection is led by a two-panel pair of sympathetically-themed screens by Yoshimura Kokei (1769-1836), the son of another revered Japanese artist, Yoshimura Ranshū. Kokei. Kokei lived in Kyoto and, notably, was one of Maruyama Ōkyo’s famous 10 pupils. The pair of panels, sized 73 inches high by 149 inches wide, depicts a rushing waterfall crashing against rocks (left side) and a vulture standing on a distant rock watching the waves (right side). The artist’s signature is shown at bottom right, together with a seal. Estimate: $3,000-$5,000

Joichi Hoshi (Japanese, 1913-1979) was a printmaker best known for his woodblock print abstractions of the galaxy and engravings of trees embellished with silver or gold leaf. His 1978 print titled Branches (blue) is No. 41 from an edition of 99. Its title is pencil-signed at lower left and it is artist-signed at lower right. Sized 13½- by 36-inches (sight), the print is estimated at $1,500-$2,000. 

Singaporean artist Seah Kim Joo (b. 1939-) is represented by a batik painting of a village scene executed in warm hues. The artist-signed 23- by 34½-inch (sight) print is entered with an $800-$1,200 estimate.

Two furniture lots are worthy of special mention. A Jens Quistgaard (Danish, 1919-2008) for Peter Lovig Nielsen walnut partners desk has a Lovig Dansk Designs Denmark manufacturer’s mark on its underside and is dated 1975. Estimate $1,000-$2,000. An Arts & Crafts classic, a Gustav Stickley V-back #311 rocker, made circa 1905-1912, has a leather seat and arms and retains its Gustav Stickley decal on the reverse side. Estimate: $800-$1,200

Three zippy British sportscars will enliven the day, selling consecutively at the beginning of the auction. The trio consists of a blue 1972 MG Midget, estimate $2,000-$3,000; a 1980 MG Midget in British racing green, $3,000-$5,000; and a restored 1973 Triumph TR6 convertible in white with black racing stripes. The latter vehicle has a pristine engine, replaced soft top, and replaced interior wood paneling. It even has an after-market Alpine stereo system installed in its boot. See catalog for additional details regarding condition. Estimate: $10,000-$15,000

Quinn’s June 9, 2023 Fine & Decorative Arts Auction will commence at 10am Eastern time. All bidding will be remote (no in-person gallery bidding). Bid absentee, by phone or live via the Internet through LiveAuctioneers or Invaluable. Absentee bidding is also available through HiBid. An open preview will be held at the auction gallery, 360 S. Washington St., Falls Church, VA 22046, June 5-8, inclusive, from 11-4 Eastern time.

For additional information about any item in the auction, call Corrie Brady, at 703-532-5632, ext. 572, or email [email protected]. To reserve a phone line, email [email protected]. Visit Quinn’s online at www.quinnsauction.com.