Items descended in the family of General and former President Ulysses S. Grant, an 18-carat gold presentation box purportedly given by France's Louis XVI to Marquis de Lafayette, a gyratory kinetic sculpture by George Warren Rickey (American, 1907-2002), and a watercolor painting by Charles Burchfield (American, 1893-1967) will all come up for bid Friday and Saturday, Feb. 20 and 21, at Cottone Auctions. Those are just several of the expected top lots in a two-day Fine Art and Antiques Auction. It will be held in auction firm’s gallery located at 120 Court St. in Geneseo, N.Y. In all, about 750 lots will come under the gavel at Cottone's first big auction event of 2015. Start time for the Feb. 20 session (323 lots) will be noon Eastern time, and start time for the Feb. 21 session is 11 a.m.
The auction comes with an impressive pedigree, featuring items from the collections of Walter Vogel of Rochester, N.Y., a pioneer collector and dealer; Richard F. “Dick” Brush, also of Rochester, the founder of Sentry Safe; Richard Bright and Kyle Goodman of Corning, N.Y.; The Memorial Gallery of Rochester; The Strong Museum in Rochester; plus items from various estates and collections.
Brush is one of Rochester's leading philanthropists. The son of a Universalist minister, Brush became an inveterate collector, with much of the work acquired during worldwide travel. His love of 20th-century American art is evident is his collection of work by Alexander Calder, Richard Diebenkorn, Albert Paley, and George Rickey. Rickey’s gyratory kinetic sculpture titled “Three M's and One W II” is estimated at $50,000-$80,000. One of three produced, the stainless steel work is 8 feet 9 inches tall and signed and dated (1987) by Rickey. George Rickey is regarded as the father of precisely engineered kinetic sculpture. He studied in the U.S., the United Kingdom, and Paris.
A favorite to take top lot honors is the Charles Ephraim Burchfield painting, a 30-by-22-inch watercolor titled “Dreaming of Christmas.” The work, monogrammed lower right and artist-titled in pencil, is expected to hit $75,000-$100,000. It was originally purchased from the Kennedy Gallery (Buffalo, N.Y.) collection. Burchfield lived and worked in both Ohio and New York.
The items descended in the family of Ulysses S. Grant would stand on their own as desirable collectibles even if they weren't linked to the Civil War general and president. One lot, a Rose Medallion punch bowl (est. $10,000-$15,000) shows Grant's monogram within a laurel leaf and was part of a unique 360-pc. service ordered in 1868 and used by the Grants in the White House.
The second lot is a rare Ives clockwork toy depicting Grant, circa 1870, standing 14 inches tall and made from wood, metal and cloth (est. $8,000-$12,000). The third is a 5-inch-tall cut crystal seal made for Grant (est. $3,000-$5,000) in the original light blue leather box with the maker's name on it: Ayer & Taylor Company, Jewelers (Washington, D.C.).
The fine and diminutive 18-carat gold presentation box, made in Paris circa 1778, is believed to have been given by France's King Louis XVI to Marquis de Lafayette celebrating the May feast at the Versailles Opera Theater. It was retailed by Charles-Raymond Granchez (Paris, France) and was descended in the family of Count de Linares, son of Queen Maria Luisa (est. $10,000-$15,000).
An oil-on-canvas rendering of a mother and daughters in springtime by the Irish-born American and Canadian artist William John Hennessy (1839-1917) carries a pre-sale estimate of $15,000-$25,000. The 30-by-54-inch work is signed lower left. Hennessy was a versatile landscape artist, genre painter, and illustrator who was also active in the Young Ireland movement of 1848.
A Sevres cobalt and gold enameled tureen (circa 1812) is descended in the family of William Weightman, who used it in his house in Mount Airy, outside Philadelphia. Upon his death the house was given to the Catholic Church, which converted it into a girls’ school. The tureen has a conservative estimate of $5,000-$8,000.
Internet bidding will be available through LiveAuctioneers.com and Invaluable.com. Phone and absentee bids will also be accepted.
For directions or to learn more, call 585-243-1000 or visit www.cottoneauctions.com.