On Saturday, June 25th, Neue Auctions will offer, online, the Asian art collection of the late Marvin Drucker, including French furnishings. The auction, beginning at 10 am Eastern time, will feature bronzes, porcelains, carved hardstones, lacquer ware, cloisonné, snuff bottles, Wedgwood, Luster ware, Lalique glass, 18th century English porcelains and more.
Internet bidding will be facilitated by LiveAuctioneers.com, Invaluable.com and Bidsquare.com.
“A lifelong love of Asian art resulted in an enormous collection displayed beautifully in an East Side of Cleveland luxury apartment that housed the collections of Marvin and Sandy Drucker,” said Cynthia Maciejewski of Neue Auctions. She added, “The collection is heavily populated by artistic artifacts from both China and Japan. Many are affordable and will be sold in group lots.”
Maciejewski said the items up for bid “are perfect for those looking for decorative accessories.” In-person gallery previews will be held Monday thru Friday, June 20-24, from 10-5 (open late on Wednesday, June 22nd, until 7 pm). The Neue Auctions gallery is located at 23533 Mercantile Road, Suite 100, in Beachwood, Ohio 44122. Beachwood is situated just outside of Cleveland.
Highlighting the sale is a diminutive, late 18th century boulle marquetry secretary bookcase in outstanding condition, 61 inches tall by 32 inches wide. The piece features a rectangular top with a pair of hinged glazed doors opening to a mirrored back and glass shelf. The interior has a fitted leather writing surface and three small drawers, above hinge doors.
Other furniture items include a Georgian style mahogany secretary bookcase vitrine of breakfront form in three sections, with glazed mullioned doors opening to a silk lined interior with glass shelves, 80 inches tall by 82 inches wide; and a George III mahogany bookcase in two parts, 85 inches tall, made circa 1800, the upper section over a pair of hinged doors, the lower section with two short drawers over two graduated long drawers.
Figural animals, so prominent in Asian culture, will feature a Chinese bronze striding tiger, 10 inches long, featuring coiled decorative patterns on the tiger’s back that emulate archaic motifs on ancient bronzes; and a Thai antique brass lion, 6 ½ inches tall, with wing-like accents to the chest and eyebrows that enhance its mythological and decorative significance. The protective lion originated in China but is revered throughout all of Asia.
Guanyin, the Buddhist goddess of mercy and compassion, is popular in China and a huge hit with collectors. The sale will feature a Chinese bronze Guanyin holding a lotus (the symbol of purity), and offering a blessing for good health, 19 inches tall; and a pair of blanc de chine porcelain Guanyin, 12 inches tall with stand, depicting the two Guanyin, one standing, one seated, while dragons, protector of Buddhism, appear below their feet.
While the overall flavor of the sale is predominantly Asian, the merchandise mix is still quite eclectic, with wonderful items from various cultures as broad and diverse as these:
– One lot consisting of four pieces of Pre-Columbian pottery: two tripod bowls (the larger one being 9 ½ inches in diameter), a figural vessel and a burnished vessel.
– Two Korean Silla-styled covered pedestal bowls, both of them high-fired vessels representing the early stoneware tradition of the Silla Dynasty, 6 ½ inches tall.
– A late 18th century Pierre Joseph Boch creamware potpourri on rectangular stand, 7 inches tall, of ovoid urn form and modeled with a pair of opposing swan handles.
– A cold painted bronze figure of a Turkish girl under a palm tree, a standing figure depicted in a revealing dress and reaching up into a palm tree, 13 inches in height.
Chinese cups and jars will feature a Chinese pottery jar, 15 ½ inches tall, possibly a Neolithic ceramic from the Yangshao culture (5000 BC-3000 BC), having painted motifs of geometric patterns featuring circles and cross hatching; and a Chinese plique-a-jour stem cup, 3 inches tall, decorated with peonies, flowering plum trees and birds. Often compared to stained glass, plique-a-jour is a challenging effect, technically, to achieve.
From Japan comes a collection of eleven silver salt and peppers, comprising a bucket, a teapot, two rickshaws, two kotos, two torii gates, a paper lantern, a standing lantern and a small urn, all marked (except for the small urn, not a shaker); and a vintage Japanese covered ginger jar, 12 inches tall, featuring decorative motifs of fans painted with seasonal designs of fall (deer, chrysanthemums) and summer (bamboo, paulownia tree).
A pair of framed Chinese porcelain paintings (or plaques), painted with themes of birds and flowering trees using overglaze enamels, is certain to attract interest. One features birds in a spring landscape with flowering cherry blossoms; the other features birds in a summer landscape with peony blossoms. Each one measures 19 ¼ inches by 14 ¼ inches.
The 335-lot auction will be clerked live on auction day by Neue Auctions team members. The catalog is up now and posted live on the three bidding sites. Phone and absentee bids will be taken.
Neue Auctions will follow this sale with an auction featuring the lifetime collection of rare and exquisite Moser glass pieces of Carol and Leslie Gould on Saturday, July 30th. The auction will be online-only and will start at 10 am Eastern time. Watch the website for details as the sale date nears. To learn more, visit www.neueauctions.com.
About Neue Auctions:
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 Marvin Drucker auction slated for Saturday, June 25th, starting promptly at 10 am Eastern time, visit www.neueauctions.com. Updates are posted often. Cynthia Maciejewksi, and Bridget McWilliams can be reached by phone at 216-245-6707; or, you can reach them by email, at [email protected] or [email protected]
