Dynamic Cubist Painting by Maqbool Fida Husain (India, 1915-2011) Brings $43,750 in Bruneau Auction

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A dynamic oil on canvas Cubist horse painting by the Indian artist Maqbool Fida Husain (1915-2011) sold for $43,750 in Bruneau & Co. Auctioneers’ Estate Fine Art & Antique Auction held Thursday, September 30th. The monotone composition of gray, black and white was the expected top lot of the auction and it did not disappoint, selling within estimate.

The painting depicted a rider on the back of a wild horse. Impressive at 46 inches by 24 inches (sight, less frame), the work came with a certificate of authenticity from Husain’s son, Shafat. “It was exciting for us to handle an oil on canvas by the artist and that the painting ended up in a local Rhode Island collection,” said Kevin Bruneau, the president of Bruneau & Co. Auctioneers.

The online-only auction – 333 lots in all – was highlighted by a single-owner collection of antiques and collectibles. Internet bidding was facilitated by LiveAuctioneers.com, Invaluable.com, Bidsquare.com, bidLIVE.Bruneauandco.com and the Bruneau mobile app. Following are more highlights from the auction. Prices include a 25 percent buyer’s premium.

An exceptional 19th century Chinese embroidered silk textile, a large polychromatic embroidered silk example of the finest stitching of gold thread, 68 inches by 32 inches (sight, less frame), rose to $25,000. The textile, which utilized forbidden stitch, depicted men, women and peacocks in a garden over white silk. It had previously been in the collection of a prominent Cranston estate.

A Caille Brothers Eclipse 25-cent slot machine, manufactured in Chicago around 1904, went to a determined bidder for $18,750. It was a 63-inch-tall upright floor wheel model having an oak cabinet with a glass front and decorated with cherubs framed by Corinthian columns and ornate acanthus leaves and fine figural metal work throughout. The machine was restored 15 years ago.

“It was great to see the action happening on the single-owner section with the surprises of the textile along with the slot machines,” said Travis Landry, a Bruneau & Co. auctioneer and the firm’s Director of Pop Culture.  “It was a perfect night, thanks to our great online bidding staff.”

Lamps by Tiffany Studios (N.Y.) are always a hit at auction, and this sale had a pair of fine ones. The first was an early 20th century leaded green glass table lamp, boasting a geometric shaped green marbled glass panel lampshade over an openwork bronze column, supported by a square base. The overall 22-inch-tall lamp was marked “Tiffany Studios” on the base and hit $13,750.

Also, an early 20th century Tiffany Studios ‘Bleeding Heart’ table lamp, 22 inches tall overall, having an emerald green marbled glass grid lampshade with yellow leaf and vine belting over a thin, shapely column and supported by a round base, lit up the room for $12,500.  The lamp presented beautifully and was in good working order. The lampshade was 16 inches in diameter.

A chinoiserie porcelain sink set marked “Sherle Wagner Italy” on the sink basin and soap dish, found a new owner for $8,125. The frilled basin featured the original gilt faucet and handles adorned with porcelain over a shapely pedestal base decorated with butterflies, flowers and figures in ornate robes. Included were a soap dish and hold, towel ring and toilet paper hold.

An O. D. Jennings Chief silver dollar slot machine (Chicago, 20th century), about 26 inches tall, featuring a wood and metal cabinet painted with pale yellow and gold glitter and decorated with the side profile of a Native American man, came out of a Cranston collection to ring up $6,875.

A gorgeous impressionist Venetian canal oil on canvas painting by Guy Dessapt (France, b. 1938), housed in an equally beautiful gold gilt frame measuring 34 ¼ inches by 38 ¼ inches, realized $5,938. The work depicted a waterway reflecting colorful buildings lining the way, with one lone gondola drifting through.  Guy Dessapt studied at the Art Decoratifs School in Paris.

A bronze, enamel and hardstone Viennese dancer sculpture by the noted Austrian artist Gerda Iro Gerdago (1906-2004), 14 ¼ inches in height, bested its $1,800 high estimate to sell for $5,938. The sculpture depicted a woman in a dynamic pose, while dressed in a costume of navy blue and lavender enamel over gilded bronze. It was signed “Gerdago” on the hem of the dancer’s skirt.

Bruneau & Co. has a full slate of auctions lined up for the remainder of 2021, to include:

- Oct. 27 – Comic Books & TCG (Trading Card Games) at 6 pm Eastern.

- Nov. 6-7 – Video Games (at the Retro World Expo in Hartford, Conn.)

- Nov. 15 – Estates Fine Art & Antiques, at 6 pm Eastern.

- Nov. 20 – Historic Arms & Militaria catalog auction, at 10 am Eastern.

- Dec. 11 – Comic, TCG, Toy & Sports Memorabilia catalog auction, 10 am Eastern

To learn more about Bruneau & Co. Auctioneers and the firm’s calendar of upcoming events, please visit www.bruneauandco.com. Updates are posted frequently.