Quinn’s to launch summer auction lineup with online-only Fine & Decorative Arts Auction, June 27

FALLS CHURCH, Va. – Quinn’s Auction Galleries will welcome the summer season with an online-only Fine & Decorative Arts Auction on Saturday, June 27, starting at 11 a.m. Eastern Time. The sale includes a fine selection of Asian, American, European and Modern artworks, with selections by Merton Simpson, Dale Chihuly, Anton Chittussi and other noted artists. Distinctive furniture designs by Mira Nakashima also highlight the sale.

Bronzes, silver, fine clocks, Russian icons, rugs, glass, porcelains and ceramics – including coveted Wedgwood Fairyland Lustre wares – will cross the auction block together with a varied selection of Asian decorative arts. The latter category incorporates Chinese porcelain, silk textiles, snuff bottles and other beautiful objects of the Far East.

With a pre-sale estimate of $10,000-$15,000, a large Chinese three-piece bronze Guanyin from the late Ming or early-to-mid Qing Dynasty is a strong candidate for top lot of the auction. The Guanyin is shown seated in the double-lotus position, draped in a long flowing robe with a peaceful expression and downcast eyes. The overall height, including lotus throne, is 32 inches.

George Nakashima (New Hope, Pa., 1905-1990) was a major innovator of 20th-century furniture design and is considered a pioneer of the American craft movement. Like the designs that came from his studio, pieces created by George’s daughter Mira Nakashima, are considered modern classics and hold a timeless appeal with collectors. A Nakashima lounge chair with a free right arm, hickory spindles and a sap walnut seat, signed and dated (2000) beneath the seat, could reach $4,000-$6,000.

A forest landscape painting by Anton Chittussi (Czech, 1847-1891), signed at lower left and with a wax seal on verso, is expected to sell for $2,000-$3,000. Chittussi was a major figure in Impressionist art circles in Czechoslovakia, where a street is named after him and one of his paintings was used for a postage stamp.

An unsigned oil-on-canvas by Merton D. Simpson (African-American, 1928-2013), titled Confrontation, #3 of 42, created circa 1965 and measuring 26 inches by 21 inches, has a pre-sale estimate of $3,000-$5,000. The work has a Merton Simpson Gallery label on verso. Merton Daniel Simpson was an abstract expressionist painter who, together with Romare Bearden, Hale Woodruff, Norman Lewis and several other Harlem artists, founded the legendary Spiral Collective. He was also a renowned African and tribal art collector and dealer.

A 192-piece sterling silver flatware set in the Reed & Barton “Guildhall” pattern, designed by George L. Turner (1941-2005), marked on the bottom and weighing approximately 172ozt, is expected to make $2,000-$2,500. Reed & Barton was a prominent, highly collectible American silversmith manufacturer based in Taunton, Massachusetts, and operated between 1824 and 2015.

A Seaform vessel made by the celebrated American glass sculptor Dale Chihuly (b. 1941), red striped with orange and purple, and signed and dated (1994) on the bottom, is conservatively estimated at $500-$700. Chihuly is a master of his craft, who revolutionized the American studio-glass movement after observing firsthand the centuries-old techniques of Murano (Italy) artisans.

A Wedgwood “Gargoyles” Fairyland Lustre bowl designed by Daisy Makeig-Jones (British, 1881-1945), made circa 1928 and marked on the bottom, comes to auction with a $1,000-$1,500 estimate. Also, two circa-1925 Fairyland Lustre vases in the “Butterfly Woman” pattern, also designed by Makeig-Jones, will be sold as one lot with an estimate of $1,200-$1,400.

An untitled two-piece brass kinetic sculpture on a round base, executed in 1994 by Clayton Whitehouse (American, b. 1936-), artist signed on the base, 32¼ inches tall and 16¼ inches in diameter, is on target to sell for $400-$600. Clayton Whitehouse is an American post-war and contemporary sculptor whose pieces have sold at auction for $425-$2,125, depending on size.

A set of two Russian icons from the 19 or 20th century, one titled Iverskava Mother of God (25 inches by 21 inches) and the other St. Philip (26½ inches by 24 inches), will be sold as one lot, with an estimate of $500-$700. Each icon is contained in a gilt-wood frame with glass-front “kiot.”

Due to pandemic protocols, in-person floor bidding will not be available for this online-only auction, however phone and absentee bids will be accepted, and Internet live bidding will be facilitated by LiveAuctioneers.com and Invaluable.com. Quinn’s will be hosting in-person previews by appointment only. To schedule an appointment, email [email protected].

For additional information on any item in the June 27 auction, call 703-532-5632, ext. 575; or email [email protected]. View the online catalog and register to bid live online at LiveAuctioneers.com or Invaluable.com. Absentee bids are accepted only via HiBid. Visit Quinn’s online at www.quinnsauction.com. Quinn’s is always accepting consignments for future auctions.

Quinn’s Auction Gallery
360 South Washington Street
Falls Church, Virginia
[email protected]
703-532-5632
http://www.quinnsauction.com

About Quinn’s Auction Gallery

Quinn’s Auction Galleries is a full service auction and estate services company based in Falls Church, Virginia. The company has a range of specialties, from fine art & antiques, to rare books and maps.