Jewelry, Couture, and Musical Instruments Up for Bid at September Skinner Discovery Auction

MARLBOROUGH, Mass. – August 30, 2012 – Skinner, Inc. will host a Discovery auction on September 12^th and 13^th in its Marlborough gallery. The two-day sale of almost 1600 lots presents an excellent assortment of jewelry and silver, couture and textiles, paintings, books, musical instruments, furniture, and decorative objects.

Estate Silver

A vast selection of estate silver will be featured including a J.E. Caldwell & Co. footed sterling silver serving bowl (lot 63, estimated between $600 and $800) and a pair of Randahl Art Nouveau weighted sterling silver three-light candelabra (lot 49, $250 to $350). Also on offer are two small English reticulated silver cobalt glass-lined table articles (lot 97, $300 to $500) including a sugar basket by P. Freeman and a lidded mustard pot by Chas. Aldridge & Henry Green.

Estate Jewelry

Notable jewelry lots offered include a 14kt gold, moonstone, and red gemstone necklace (lot 370, $600 to $800), a contemporary 14kt gold, opal, onyx, and diamond cocktail ring (lot 340, $600 to $800), and a Victorian 14kt gold and enamel portrait locket (lot 284, $300 to $500). The portrait on the locket depicts a masked woman with diamond and seed pearl accents.

Couture Featuring Mariano Fortuny Gown

The September Discovery auction includes a variety of couture clothing and accessories ranging from Victorian clothing to men’s hats and designer gowns, and features a Mariano Fortuny silk pleated Delphos gown in champagne with Murano glass beadwork (lot 642, $4,000 to $5,000). The interior back seam of the gown is signed "Made in Italy Fabrique en Italie Fortuny Depose." An early Louis Vuitton Damier canvas steamer trunk will also be offered (lot 611, $3,000 to $5,000).

Textiles

Textiles from around the world will be up for bid at the sale including a box of Japanese Okinawa Ikat kimonos (lot 649, $400 to $600), a 69-inch, multi-colored Kashmir shawl (lot 646, $300 to $500), and a 19^th century floral "Broderie Perse" applique bedspread (lot 617, $300 to $500).

Paintings and Works on Paper

Highlights from a diverse selection of artwork include American artist Fannie Hillsmith’s The Villa (lot 1120, $1,000 to $1,500) and an oil painting attributed to Joseph Eliot Enneking titled Houses on a Hill (lot 1300, $1,200 to $1,800). Louis L. Novak’s color woodblock Peter Faneuil's Day (lot 1149, $200 to $300) is also on offer at the Discovery auction.

Rare Books

The upcoming Discovery auction at Skinner features a wide selection of books from rare to contemporary including a very rare English-Latin edition of Aesop’s Fables translated by Charles Hoole (lot 901, $200 to $300) and The Psalms of David by Isaac Watts (lot 1060, $150 to $250). A collection of works by Edward Gorey (lot 951, $175 to $225) will also be featured.