Set of four matching American Gothic bookcases made in 1854 sells for $115,000 at Hal Hunt estate auction held Mar. 13
Last Updated on Friday, 26 March 2010 10:00 Written by a2e Friday, 26 March 2010 10:00
(NORTHPORT, Ala.) – A monumental set of four matching American Gothic bookcases, beautifully crafted in Philadelphia in 1854 and attributed to the workshop of Crawford Riddell, a noted cabinetmaker of the time, sold for $115,000 at a multi-estate sale held Mar. 13 by Hal Hunt Auctions. The sale was conducted in the firm’s gallery, at [...]
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Decorative Objects & Park & Garden Ornaments for ParisAuction
Last Updated on Friday, 5 March 2010 12:45 Written by a2e Friday, 5 March 2010 12:45
Sotheby’s Paris will offer for sale 600 historic sculptures and interior/exterior decorative objects (statues, fireplaces, garden furniture, park and garden ornaments) from Origines – specialists in France’s architectural heritage from the Gothic period to the 20th century. Auction on 31 March & 1 April.
The sale includes a broad selection of 18th and 19th century fireplaces, notably an exceptional neo-Gothic terracotta fireplace designed by J. Fritsch and made by Wieneberger Ziegel-Fabriks – doubtless a commission for the Austrian imperial family (est. €300,000-500,000). The fireplace blends medieval style with sophisticated craftsmanship, and bears the Viribus Unitis (“With United Forces”) motto of Habsburg Emperor Franz Joseph (1830-1916), whose reign was the longest in imperial history. In 1854 he married Elisabeth Amelie Eugenie von Wittelsbach, Duchess of Bavaria, better known as the legendary Sissi (1837-98). The couple’s respective coats-of-arms – those of the family of Habsburg-Lorraine and the Duchy of Bavaria – can be found in niches above the fireplace. The two knight figures on octagonal Corinthian columns evoke the Habsburgs’ glorious dynastic past. They portray Maximilian I (1459-1519), Archduke of Austria, Holy Roman Emperor and King of Germany, the veritable founder of Austrian power, who bequeathed half of Europe to his grandson Charles V; and Archduke Matthias of Austria (1557-1619), King of Bohemia & Hungary and Holy Roman Emperor.
