PRESS RELEASE:
WILLIAM AIKEN WALKER PAINTING SITS IN ATTIC SINCE 1905, THEN GIFTED FOR THE FRAME
Leighton Galleries' November 4th auction will be offering a William Aiken Walker oil painting "Possum Hunter". The painting was gifted to the consignor in 1970 by her great-uncle Frank Fuller of Irvington, New Jersey, primarily for the frame. "The house was in Irvington, built by my great uncle's parents", said the consignor. "The exact story is that my great uncle and I were in his attic decades ago; he wanted me to take the picture – not for the picture but for the frame, that's what he wanted me to have. He wouldn't take no for an answer, and I decided that the picture was cute, so I'd take it for that and my uncle would never know what I did with the frame, which ended up in the basement at home. I believe it was not my great uncle who made the original purchase because a newspaper holding it tight in the frame was dated 1905, and I think he was born just a few years earlier than that. His mother or father must have purchased it. I don't know what his mother's first name was. I just heard of her as Mother Fuller", she added. The painting is an oil on board inscribed verso "Possum Hunter". It also bears a partial paper label of a New Orleans gallery. It is signed at lower left and measures 12x6in. And, as the story goes, it is unframed!
As is usual with a Leighton auction, all lots come from finer estates and residences, and are sold to the highest bidder. Among the offerings for the November 4th auction are formal and antique furniture pieces, fine artworks, sterling silver, Asianware, ceramics, jewelry and couture. This particular auction comprises 346 lots all from local New Jersey estates and residences, many with wonderful stories attached.
A lovely lady, a Wyckoff resident who is downsizing, has decided to finally part with her mother's jewelry. Her wish was to not sell it for meltdown value, but to get it into the hands of folks who would actually wear and enjoy the pieces as her mother did, and would cherish them as she herself has. Among the pieces to be offered include a 32" fancy link gold necklace with cabochon sliders, an 18K opal and diamond brooch, a 1912 Indian head five-dollar gold coin pendant with chain, and a nice selection of gold bracelets, necklaces and charm bracelets of heavy weight, as well as rings, pins, pierced earrings and pendants. Other jewelry being offered in the sale include diamond rings, gold jewelry groups, scrap gold lots, and some nice costume trays.
From an older Ridgewood estate, Leighton will be offering an English mahogany tall case clock retailed by Tiffany & Co. estimated to bring $6000-8000, a Chippendale mahogany inlaid secretary, a Sheraton Pembroke table, a Hepplewhite demilune games table, a Chelsea crystal regulator clock for Tiffany & Co., as well as Reed & Barton silver including a coffee & tea service and a 68-piece flatware service in Tara pattern.
From a contemporary residence in Chester, Leighton will offer a fine collection of formal furniture including a Century ball & claw bombe chest, a Sherrill camel back sofa, a Maitland Smith ball & claw tea table, a pair of walnut host chairs in Lee Jofa fabric, a pair of lounge chairs by Tomlinson Erwin-Lambeth, a Harden king-size sleigh bed, and dining furniture attributed to Jeffco. This fine residence also offers a 46-piece Grand Baroque flatware service, Kosta and Steuben pieces, as well as several decorative accessories by Maitland Smith.
From a Mahwah estate, a nice selection of Chinese hardwood furniture by George Zee will be offered including a tall chest, a pair of chests with carved medallion detail, a highly ornate two-door cabinet, and a wine cooler on stand, as well as other Chinese furniture pieces and accessories including a four-panel painted screen.
The bulk of silver lots come from a lovely lady, also downsizing, who just walked into our gallery one day with boxes containing a handsome collection of over 100 sterling silver flatware pieces including a 35-piece Wallace service in Spanish Lace pattern, large repousse pieces, 19thC. examples, assorted sets, and a Cardeilhac French covered trinket box. Other silver in the sale includes a Handarbeit coffee service, a Dutch windmill bell with blowpipe, a Tiffany demitasse coffee pot, a Continental horse-drawn coach and a Gorham Fontainebleau punch ladle.
A small collection of designer couture including Escada, Celine, Valentino, Bill Blass, and Chanel, as well as bags by Loewe, Prada and Ferragamo, and scarves by Ferragamo and Must de Cartier will also be in the offerings.
Other fine items of interest include a pair of barrel chairs designed by Frank Lloyd Wright for Cassina; they are estimated to bring $800-1200, a pair of Arne Jacobsen/Fritz Hansen swan chairs estimated at $1000-1500, a Swiss Jacots Ideal Piccolo cylinder music box by Mermod Freres estimated at $2500-3500, an Erte bronze figural vase by Sevenarts carrying an estimate of $1000-2000, a pair of Old Paris campana-form urns expected to bring $800-1200, a pair of 17th/18thC. Chinese Blanc de chine beaker vases estimated at $3000-5000, and a Louis Vuitton trunk estimated at $800-1200.
The auction is scheduled for Thursday, November 4th at 5pm. It will be held at the Knights of Columbus Banquet Hall at 79 Pascack Road, Washington Township (Bergen County), New Jersey. Previews are scheduled for Wednesday, November 3rd from 5-8pm, and on Thursday November 4th from 1-4pm. An illustrated web-based catalog is available at www.leightongalleries.com. For information call 201-444-3424 or info@Leightongalleries.com