Items from The Estates of Two Texas Icons will be Auctioned Online, September 11th and 12th

Information may not be reliable

Two important Dallas estates, plus other fine consignments in a wide variety of categories, will come up for bid in a two-day, online and absentee-only auction planned for the weekend of September 11th and 12th by J. Garrett Auctioneers, based in Dallas. Start times both days will be 10 am Central time. Nearly 1,000 quality lots will come up for bid in the two days.

Headlining the auction is the collection of oil magnate Jimmy Musselman. “Mr. Musselman has a knack for finding oil, and he found accidental celebrity when he starred in the movie Big Men, produced by Bratt Pitt,” said Julie Garrett VanDolen, an officer with J. Garrett Auctioneers. “We are honored and privileged to be selling the contents of his Dallas mansion home in the auction.”

The other major estate is that of Onesia Rigney (1940-2020), the renowned interior designer whose husband, the late Frank Rigney, founded Anderson’s Furniture in Dallas in the 1960s. “Ms. Rigney was known for her timeless interiors and for maintaining a portfolio of classical traditional design,” VanDolen said. “We are pleased to offer the contents of her Dallas home.”

Onesia Rigney graduated from Southern Methodist University with a concentration in Interior Design. She was hired as a trainee designer by Anderson's Studio and was elevated to developing residential and commercial clients. In 1976 she married Frank Rigney and carried on his family business. Ms. Rigney was a member of the American Association of Interior Designers (ASID).

The auction will feature important 19th century oil paintings, a large collection of rose famille porcelain, Reed and Barton Francis I and other fine silver, two pristine Lalique Bacchantes bowls, a Steinway piano, a pair of cloisonné pagodas, rubies and diamonds and designer jewelry by names such as Cartier, Gurhan, Kurt Wayne and Tiffany, plus wonderful decorative items.

Day 1 highlights will feature an oil on panel marine painting by Edward Potthast (1857-1927), titled Blue Boats (circa 1920s), signed lower right and nicely housed in a 14 ¼ inch by 12 ¼ inch frame; and a large, early-to-mid-20th century Italian oil on canvas landscape, signed lower right Belle Firenze (Beautiful Florence), impressive at 47 ¼ inches by 71 ¼ inches (sight, less frame).

Gorgeous French furniture will be offered in abundance, to include these expected star lots:

- An exceptional roll-top desk by Henry Dasson, with detailed cast gilt bronze mounts, reticulated gallery and a tooled leather writing surface, stamped “Henry Dasson 1889”.

- A nice pair of 19th century carved walnut bergères (armchairs having an unusually low and deep seat, with cane woven back and sides), boasting custom designer upholstery.

- An early 20th century parcel gilt settee, with custom chinoiserie motif upholstery and bolsters, 72 inches wide and 42 ½ inches tall.

An exquisitely detailed, 19th century Italian marble statue of a young fisherman, signed on the base “Sol Corelli, Firenze” (Florence), stands 46 ¼ inches tall, with all fingers and toes intact. Also sold will be a 19th century French bronze and marble jardiniere centerpiece featuring cherubs and horses with a fish form base, previously used outdoors and 15 inches in height.

Fine jewelry will be offered across both auction days. Expected Day 1 top performers include an 18kt gold diamond necklace with 136 diamonds weighing over 20 carats, 18 inches long (over $120,000 retail); and a GIA-certified tanzanite pendant on a 17-inch platinum chain, tanzanite surrounded by diamonds to comprise a pendant with diamond bail (estimated $80,000 retail). 

On to Day 2, where jewelry will also be in the spotlight, with a spectacular Elizabeth Gage pearl and gold necklace, 55 inches long, with baroque South Sea pearls set in heavy molten 18kt gold shell caps to each end and polished gold jump-rings (retail over $160,000) and a pair of diamond solitaire stud earrings, about 3 carats each set in platinum with screw backs (over $86,000 retail).

A 7-piece Reed and Barton sterling tea service in the Francis I pattern includes a coffee pot, a teapot, a kettle on a stand, a covered sugar bowl, a cream pitcher, a waste bowl and serving tray, circa 19341-1949, weighing about 361 troy oz. Also offered will be a monumental, 7-foot-tall by 5-foot-wide chandelier made from rock crystal and cut crystal prisms.

From France comes a rare, custom-made and stenciled Louis Vuitton trunk, with the original label affixed and all hardware present, plus the original interior tray and one key, all in very good condition; and a 19th century Louis XVI style bronze mounted mahogany vitrine, 88 ½ inches tall by 36 inches wide, the interior glass shelves 25 inches in diameter, the cabinet fitted with a light.

Asian lots on Day 2 will feature a Chinese cloisonné brazier in pagoda form resting on a tripodal imperial Nara deer base, on a pedestal, 52 inches tall, including the 8 ½ inch tall 20th century pedestal; and a monumental early 20th century Chinese lacquer floor screen depicting a large town scene flanked by dragons and town scenes verso, each panel 111 ¼ inches by 21 ½ inches.

Online bidding will be facilitated by the popular bidding platforms LiveAuctioneers.com and Invaluable.com, with phone and absentee bids also accepted. In-person previews will be held on September 9th and 10th, from 10-5 Central time each day and the jewelry on display from 10-3 each day. Appointments will be held in the J. Garrett Auctioneers gallery at 9203 Diplomacy Row in Dallas. COVID-19 protocols will be strictly enforced; masks are required at all times.

To learn more about J. Garrett Auctioneers and the two-day, online-only auction on September 11th and 12th featuring the Jimmy Musselman and Onesia Rigney estates, starting at 10 am Central time both days, please visit www.jgarrettauctioneers.com. Updates are posted frequently.