Sterling Associates gathers estate art, Chinese accessories, fine jewelry and luxury watches for April 21 auction

Featured: 1870 Steinway grand piano, vintage Tiffany 18K gold earrings, Cartier and Rolex watches, paintings from estate of artist Luis Cuevas, Chinese boulders and seals

NORWOOD, N.J. – Sterling Associates, Bergen County, New Jersey’s foremost estate specialists, will conduct this year’s edition of their popular Spring Fine Art and Antiques Auction on Wednesday, April 21, exclusively through LiveAuctioneers. The sale’s 223 lots include more than 100 artworks, a sizable selection of Chinese decorative art and accessories, and fine jewelry and luxury watches. The main consignments have come directly from estates in Englewood and Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey.

The extensive fine art category features dozens of high-quality portraits and several artworks by artists with impressive auction records, including Antonio Barone (American, 1889-1971), whose past sales have on occasion landed in the $25,000-$40,000 range. His charming 42- by 76-inch oil portrait of young girl with a Chinese doll, leaning against a Louis XVI chair, has a label on verso from Barridoff Galleries in Portland, Maine. Its pre-sale estimate is $3,000-$5,000.

A signed Luigi Cagliani (1910-1987) oil-on-canvas ballroom scene executed in delicate pastels measures 18½ by 15¾ inches, inclusive of its ornate repousse frame. It is expected to make $600-$800 at auction. 

Two beautifully detailed floral/waterscape oil paintings by the French artist Michel Henry (1928-2016) came directly form a Manhattan residence. Each is accompanied by a 1978 letter of authenticity from Wally Findlay Galleries Inc., New York. One of the works is titled Les Voiliers (Sailboats) and presents a view of boats on the water, perhaps from the viewpoint of a terrace or waterside table laden with flowers, fruit and bamboo vegetation. The second painting, titled Bugdelias, depicts a butterfly bush flanked by seabirds. Each of the artworks is estimated at $2,000-$3,000. 

There are 21 lots of art and sculpture by the Puerto Rican/American artist Luis R Cuevas (1932-2019). All of the works come directly from the Teaneck, New Jersey, estate of the artist and his wife, who recently passed away. 

“Luis Cuevas’ art doesn’t look like anyone else’s work, which is what makes it so interesting to collectors,” said Sterling Associates’ owner, Stephen D’Atri. “It’s modern and quite beautiful, but also radically colorful and reflective of the artist’s roots. Cuevas was expertly trained at the California School for Fine Arts and the Chouinard Art Institute in Los Angeles, and he created illustration art for commercial clients. He was extremely versatile and an artist whom I would describe as an undiscovered name from the mid to late 20th century who deserves to be discovered. Maybe that will happen as a result of our auction.” Each Luis Cuevas lot is estimated at $300-$500, including a group lot containing many hundreds of high-quality serigraphs.

Some very fine pieces of estate jewelry will be offered, starting with an 18K yellow and white gold link necklace with 19 round diamonds (approximate weight 1.5 carats) and 69 blue marquise sapphires (approximately 40 carats). “This was definitely a custom-made necklace. It certainly was not a production piece,” D’Atri noted. Having a total approximate weight of 75.1 grams, it could command $6,000-$8,000 on auction day. 

Seven lots of vintage Tiffany & Co earrings and one brooch, most of them in old velvet Tiffany boxes, include 18K gold designs either in the form of starfish, buckles, buttons or flowers, or with basketweave or Roman numeral decorations. A pair of Alpine Rose 18K gold and diamond earrings is marked on each clip “Tiffany & Co. 750.” The total weight for the pair is 20.6 grams and the lot’s pre-auction estimate is $1,000-$1,500.

Several noteworthy timepieces will be offered, including a ladies Rolex two-tone gold and stainless steel Oyster Perpetual Date automatic wristwatch, $1,000-$1,500; and a 23-jewel 14K gold Waltham Maximus Riverside Railroad pocket watch, $800-$1,200. Leading the group is a stunning Cartier ladies 18K gold Tank Americaine wristwatch with a quartz movement and sapphire cabochon set in the crown. The watch is fully marked and was recently serviced by Cartier. It comes to auction with a $10,000-$12,000 estimate.

The Chinese decorative art and accessories section contains Chinese boulders, carved stone seals, carvings, porcelains, jade items, and teapots. All of the boulders are presented on carved-wood stands and, in general, carry individual estimates of $400-$600. Similarly, the seals come with wood stands and are estimated at $200-$400 each.

A very special entry is an 1870 Steinway rosewood piano, Serial No. 22700, that was professionally restored by Steinway approximately 20 years ago. Measuring 7ft 3in in length and 4ft 6in in width, this piano comes from an Englewood, New Jersey, estate and carries a $10,000-$15,000 estimate.

Sterling Associates’ Wednesday, April 21, 2021 Spring Fine Art and Antiques Auction will begin at 5 p.m. Eastern Time. Sterling Associates, Inc., is a full-service brick-and-mortar auction house whose auctions are conducted online, exactly like a gallery auction, but without a live audience in attendance. Bidders may participate absentee or live via the Internet through LiveAuctioneers. All items may be previewed at Sterling Associates’ gallery prior to auction day by appointment, with masks required. Winning bidders have the option of picking up their auction purchases at Sterling Associates’ premises at 537 Broadway, Norwood, NJ 07648. Alternatively, goods can be shipped anywhere in the world.

For additional information on any item, call 201-768-1140 or email [email protected]. Online: http://www.antiquenj.com. View the fully illustrated catalog and sign up to bid absentee or live online through LiveAuctioneers.

About Sterling Associates:Sterling Associates of Norwood, New Jersey, is owned and operated by its founder, Stephen D’Atri. Stephen’s family has been in the antiques business for over 60 years and provided the all-important foundation that launched him toward his lifelong career. After working with his family and graduating from Rutgers University, Stephen furthered his education at New York School of Interior Design. He followed his passion and, in 1989, opened his own businesses, Sterling Restoration and Antique D’zynes. Those firms merged to become the company known today as Sterling Associates Inc., a full-service antique sales, auction and restoration facility, specializing in the finest European and American antiques. Stephen scours the world for the rare and beautiful objects which he then offers to collectors, interior designers and decorators; and others in the trade. Sterling Associates’ restoration services are known for their historical accuracy and are always undertaken or personally overseen by Stephen D’Atri himself.