Rare Antique Maps and A Carved, Painted Carousel Giraffe are in Neue Auctions' March 11 Online Sale

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Beachwood, OH, USA, March 3, 2023 -- Neue Auctions’ 342-lot, online-only Neue to You – Estate Fine Art and Antiques auction on Saturday, March 11th, starting at 12 o’clock noon Eastern time, is filled with fine art, antiques, Mid-Century Modern, Modern Art, sterling, bronzes, decorative arts, printwork, maps, fine furniture, carpets and more, from prominent estates and collections.

The sale’s expected top lot is an unusual but rare and visually striking piece: a carved and painted carousel giraffe, crafted circa 1910 by Gustav and William Dentzel. The giraffe, professionally restored, stands 64 ½ inches tall and features inset glass eyes and is saddle carved with eagle’s heads and green and red painted saddle details (est. $5,000-$10,000).

An oil on canvas painting by Pittsburgh native artist Joseph Ryan Woodwell (1843-1911), titled Magnolia, Massachusetts, Coastline with Two Figures, is artist signed lower left and is in a 38 inch by 47 inch frame (est. $5,000-$8,000). Woodwell was a member of the Scalp Level School, named for the area of Pennsylvania where they all gathered to paint.

In 1859, at age 17, Woodwell traveled to France where he studied in the atelier of Charles Gleyre. Other artists in this group included Claude Monet, Auguste Renoir and Camille Pissarro. Woodwell also interacted with Barbizon artists Jean Francois Millet and Charles Jacque. He returned to Pittsburgh in 1865 and continued to paint in the Barbizon manner.

A pair of monumental Chinese porcelain jardinieres on carved giltwood stands, overall 38 inches tall (the jardinieres alone are 24 inches) are expected to fetch $5,000-$8,000. Each jardiniere is of baluster form, with octagonal rim, decorated with a stylized lotus scroll, the shoulder with a Ruyi pattern and a wave pattern at the rim. The bases are unmarked.

A rubber stamp on Strathmore 3-ply paper by Chuck Close (American, 1940-2021), titled Phil (1976), from the Rubber Stamp Portfolio, #103 from an edition of 1,000, carries an estimate of $1,000-$2,000. The work, matted and framed with a sheet size of 8 inches square, bears the artist’s stamp on verso and was printed by The Press of A. Colish (N.Y). It was co-published by Parasol Press , Ltd. (N.Y.) and the Museum of Modern Art (N.Y.).

A Chinese jade and rosewood scepter (Ruyi), probably from the 18th or 19th century and a ceremonial symbol of authority, an attribute of Buddhist and Daoist deities and an imperial symbol of power, wealth and status, should realize $3,000-$5,000. Over time it became a decorative object. This one is carved from wood, accented with jade carvings.

The three carvings feature a swan with outstretched wings against a background of lotus plants. They are intricately and deeply carved into the stone so the birds are in slight relief. The stones are positioned at the ends and middle of the “S” shape of the scepter. Two tassels are added to one end. The Ruyi is 19 inches long and in excellent condition.

Two antique maps are very noteworthy. One is a 17th century Dutch Baroque map titled Pascaarte van alle de Zecusten van Europa published by Anthonie Jacobsz (Amsterdam), as seen in the lower cartouche. The map, in a nice 35 ½ inch by 42 ½ inch frame under old rolled glass, is rare and obscure, made on animal skin vellum (est. $4,000-$8,000).

The Pascaarte van alle de Zecusten van Europa was, during its time, a practical working sea chart, so copies tended to be heavily used aboard ship, accounting for its low survival rate. It was printed on both paper and on vellum. Both types are exceedingly rare, with only eight institutional examples known. None are in an American or British collection.

The other is a map of the Persian and Red Seas, after Claudius Ptolemy, Geographica, circa 1482 or later, 12 ½ inches by 22 inches (sight, less frame) (est. $3,000-$6,000). The engraved woodcut with original color is after Ptolemy's Cosmographia, showing Sinus Persicus (Persian Gulf) and Sinus Arabicus (Red Sea), a map of the Arabian Peninsula.

A stoneware vessel by Claude Conover (American, 1907-1994), titled Siyab, ovoid form with a cylindrical neck, 19 inches tall by 15 inches wide, is estimated to change hands for $3,000-$5,000. The vessel is decorated all over in a pattern of small stylized rectangles. It’s signed and titled to the base by Conover, who worked as a commercial designer for over thirty years before turning full-time to ceramics, the techniques of which he taught himself.

A late 18th or early 19th century English Leeds creamware chestnut basket, 9 inches tall, having a footed bowl form base with applied entwined handles and applied bellflower swags, should reach $500-$800. The domed cover is molded with an openwork pattern of arabesques, with a flower bud knop finial. The basket’s base is impressed Leeds Pottery.

Internet bidding will be facilitated by LiveAuctioneers.com and Invaluable.com. 

The auction will be clerked live on auction day by Neue Auctions’ team members. The catalog is up now and posted live on the two popular bidding sites. Phone and absentee bids will also be taken. Neue Auctions invites everyone to be added to its email list to receive notifications and information regarding current and future sales. The firm is always seeking quality consignments. 

To learn more about Neue Auctions and the Neue to You – Estate Fine Art and Antiques auction on Saturday, March 11th, at 12 o’clock noon, visit www.neueauctions.com. Updates are posted often.