John Fontaine and his staff have been busy this summer acquiring hundreds of consignments from all over the country to kick off the fall auction season at Fontaine’ Auction Gallery, beginning on Saturday, September 14, at 11 am with an antiques and fine art auction. 

This auction will include 450 lots of antiques and fine art, over 100 pieces of rare art glass by Tiffany Studios and Quezal, 19th and 20th Century lighting by Tiffany Studios, Duffner & Kimberly, Handel, Pairpoint, Wilkinson, Unique, etc.; American Victorian, Gothic and figural carved furniture; leaded glass windows, fine clocks, music boxes and automatons, paintings, Royal Vienna and KPM porcelains, gold and diamond jewelry, fine silver, cameo glass, bronze and marble statuary, Black Forest items and more.

“We’ve taken our time in putting together a high-quality auction with top names from Tiffany to Hermes,” said Fontaine. “From elegant decorative objects like leaded glass lamps and French silver vases to fine sculpture and paintings, this auction will appeal to buyers with a taste for the finer things in life.”

An expected auction headliner is a large group of monumental and religious stained glass windows attributed to Joseph Lauber (1855-1948). Estimated at $50/100,000, the window grouping, “Sermon on the Mount,” circa 1905-1914, forms a scene of Jesus with a glowing halo, seated and delivering a sermon to various groups of people amid a detailed landscape. When fully assembled, the windows measure 25 feet high by 16 feet wide.

The four main windows use heavy drapery glass, multiple plating and acid burned flash glass while above them is a grouping featuring windows with Bible passages. Lauber apprenticed under John La Farge and worked for Tiffany Studios from 1888-1892; he was a talented artist having a range of works from windows, sculpture, mural painting and mosaic design. These windows postdate his employment with Tiffany Studios.

Tiffany Studios, not surprisingly, figures prominently in the auction, including several leaded glass lamps in some of the most desirable patterns that Tiffany designed. Among the standouts are a rare aquatic fish lamp on a bronze pumpkin base ($80/100,000), having a 16-inch diameter shade surrounded by five swimming fish in gold mottled glass and resting on five arms; a Daffodil table lamp ($25/35,000) with a 20-inch diameter leaded conical shade decorated with long green and blue leaves and golden yellow mottled glass daffodil flowers; a 14-inch Poinsettia table lamp ($20/30,000) with a domical leaded glass shade having a band of pink and purple poinsettias with green and gold centers and a Tiffany Studios 16-inch Poppy table lamp ($20/30,000) having a conical leaded glass shade in the poppy pattern with green and orange-amber poppies.

In the Tiffany Favrile glass category, there will be approximately 100 fine pieces, including a large jack-in-the-pulpit vase, a gladioli paperweight vase, a Black-Eyed Susan paperweight vase, a jonquil paperweight vase, a reactive glass vase, a faceted agate vase, Tel el Amarna vases, floriform vases, and several decorated pieces.

Luxury accessories made in France by renowned craftsmen and designers will be plentiful in this auction and include two pairs of vases by Jean Puiforcat (French, 1897-1945). The first is a rare and signed pair of Art Deco silver flower vases, circa 1928 ($30/50,000), 5 inches tall. The second, also signed, is a pair of Art Deco silver and fumed glass flower vases, circa 1936 ($20/30,000), 14⅜ inches tall. Another silver category highlight is a pair of signed Hermes silver wine coolers ($20/30,000) tapered with an octagonal shape, having tubular handles, circa 1929, standing 11 inches tall.

The parade of renowned artists and designers across the block continues with a Pablo Picasso (Spanish, 1881-1973) “Taureau” ($30/50,000) faience pitcher, 12⅛ inches tall and stamped on the underside, “Edition Picasso” and “Madoura Plein Feu.”

Fine art, both sculptural and framed artworks for the wall, will be well represented in this auction, led by a 19th Century set of Four Seasons carved marble sculptures ($20/30,000). The sculptures depicting spring, summer, fall and winter are raised on four matching carved bases with cartouche shields, ribbons and fruit cluster garland. They range from 73 to 77 inches tall. Other fine art offerings include a Francisco Zuniga (1912-1998) pastel on paper ($10/15,000), titled “Mujer Somnolienta Desnuda,” signed and dated 1975; sight 26 by 19 inches; and a James Crawford Thom (American, 1835-1898) oil on canvas ($10/15,000), “Children at Play by Stream,” signed and dated 1877, sight 23⅞ by 42 inches.

Several lots of heavily carved and R.J. Horner furniture from dining sets to a mahogany sofa with griffin decoration will cross the block, led by a three-piece oak dining room set ($15/25,000). The sideboard and server have figural winged griffin supports on the heavily carved back panel and base with turned columns, scrolling filigree and seashell handles.

Rounding out the auction is a highly detailed Italian micromosaic panel depicting an Islamic scene ($15/25,000) of a soldier on horseback at night attacking an enemy soldier, sight 17 by 20 ¾ inches; an 18K white gold double link necklace with pendant ($10/15,000) measuring 16½ inches long, and a large marble and gilt bronze mantle clock ($10/15,000). The clock has a 9-inch repousse brass dial depicting dolphins and a winged angel with inset porcelain Roman hour numerals. It is signed “Paris Duryea et Potter New-York, Made in France,” 33 by 22 by 9 inches.

Fontaine’s Auction Gallery is the oldest operating auction gallery in Western Massachusetts. It has earned the trust of collectors, investors and gallery owners worldwide. All cataloged lots receive nationwide exposure to the firm’s database of more than 23,000 select buyers. Fontaine’s Auction Gallery has been voted “Best Antique Auction Gallery” eight times by the public.

Fontaine’s Auction Gallery is actively seeking quality items, to include furniture, lighting, clocks and watches, paintings, porcelains, bronze and marble statuary, Asian items, art glass and cameo glass, Russian objects, silver, musical, coin-op, advertising, toys, banks, gaming and carousel items for future sales. Consignments are currently being accepted for the November 16th, 2019 and January 18th, 2020 auctions.

The firm will buy outright or accept on consignment fine antiques, collections or entire estates. Call (413) 448-8922 and ask to speak with John Fontaine, or you can send Mr. Fontaine an email to info@fontainesauction.com. For more information about the company and the upcoming auction schedule, visit www.fontainesauction.com. Updates are posted frequently.

Fontaine’s Auction Gallery is at 1485 West Housatonic Street (Route 20), Pittsfield, Mass. For more information, www.FontainesAuction.com or call 413-448-8922.