Crescent City's Nov. 16-17 Fall Estates Auction will feature a fossilized woolly mammoth tusk, much more

NEW ORLEANS, La. – A fossilized woolly mammoth (or mastodon) tusk measuring 93 inches long, a Steinway Model L ebonized baby grand player piano, a collection of 19th century Russian icons, a pair of superb men’s Rolex wristwatches and an oil painting by English artist Richard Hume Lancaster (1773-1853) are all part of Crescent City Auction Gallery’s next major auction.
 

The Important Fall Estates Auction will be held the weekend of November 16th and 17th, online and in Crescent City’s gallery at 1330 St. Charles Avenue in New Orleans, at 9 am on Saturday, Nov. 16 (lots 1-600), and 10 am on Sunday, Nov. 17 (lots 601-862). Times quoted are Central. Internet bidding is provided by the platforms LiveAuctioneers.com and Invaluable.com.
 
The fossilized woolly mammoth tusk is 66 inches across from tip to tip and is nicely mounted on a steel stand, giving the piece an overall height of 51 ½ inches. It’s expected to bring $10,000-$15,000. The Steinway Model L ebonized baby grand player piano (1981, serial #477074) comes with a lift-top music bench $8,000-$15,000).
 
The 19th century Russian icons include the Virgin of Kazan (St. Petersburg), with a silver and enamel oklad and the maker’s mark of Ivan Khlebnikov. The signed oil painting by Richard Hume Lancaster, 35 inches by 50 ¾ inches, is titled Repairs to a Pier (est. $3,000-$5,000). Lancaster was a British artist and clergyman. He was rector at Warnford Rectory in Hampshire.
 
The men’s Rolex watches are being sold by court order and include a Rolex Datejust Oyster Perpetual wristwatch with a black dial and stainless band (est. $5,000-$7,000); and a Rolex Datejust Oyster Perpetual Milgauss wristwatch with a black dial, green sapphire crystal and stainless band (est. $4,000-$8,000). Both come with original invoices and presentation boxes.
 
The auction is packed with the broad mix of merchandise people have come to expect from a Crescent City auction: fine period French, American and European furniture, original artworks by New Orleans and other regional artists, original artworks by American and foreign artists, estate jewelry, French clocks, Asian objects, Russian icons and gorgeous decorative accessories.
 
Items will range from a group of twelve 20th century Chinese polychromed glazed clay figures (est. $6,000-$8,000); to an African power board from the Ejagham people of Upper Volta and Nigeria, the Leopard Spirit Society (est. $4,000-$8,000); to a fine pair of 19th century Venetian polychromed carved wooden blackamoor gondolier figures, 21 ½ inches tall (est. $700-$1,200).
 
Original artwork by New Orleans artists will feature a mixed media painting by Noel Rockmore (1928-1995), titled Osiris (circa 1990), from Rockmore’s Egyptian Series, 47 ½ inches by 35 ½ inches (est. $1,000-$2,000). Also sold will be an unsigned 19th century French School oil on canvas painting titled Battle Scene, measuring 28 ¼ inches by 35 ¾ inches (est. $600-$900).
 
Two oil on canvas portraits attributed to Frederic R. Spencer (N.Y., 1806-1875), titled Portrait of a Gentleman in an Armchair and Portrait of a Woman in a Lace Scarf, will be offered as a single lot, with an estimate of $2,000-$4,000. Also, a 19th century oil on canvas painting by Charles Warren Eaton (American, 1857-1973), titled Bare Trees on the Edge of a Field at Sunset, signed lower left, carries an estimate of $2,000-$3,000.
 
French period furniture items, a staple at most Crescent City auctions, will feature the following:
 

• A 19th century French Empire style ormolu mounted carved mahogany bonnetiere, 95 inches tall by 47 inches wide (est. $1,000-$2,000).
• A 19th century French provincial Louis Philippe carved cherry sideboard, 43 inches tall by 68 inches wide (est. $800-$1,200).
• A 19th century French provincial carved inlaid walnut vaisselier, 85 inches tall by 67 inches wide (est. $800-$1,200).
• A circa 1850 French Empire style carved cherry commode, 34 ¼ inches tall by 45 ½ inches wide (est. $800-$1,200).

 
American-made period furniture will include a 20th century Victorian style carved rosewood high-back double bed, 94 inches tall by 76 inches long (est. $800-$1,200); and a 19th century American Classical ormolu mounted carved mahogany settee, 77 inches wide (est. $700-$1,000).
 
Period furniture from Europe will feature an English inlaid burled oyster walnut Georgian chest from the early 19th century, 39 inches tall (est. $800-$1,200); and a late 19th century Dutch style inlaid walnut ormolu mounted bombe secretary chest, 39 inches in height (est. $700-$1,000).
 
Exceptional 19th century clocks will be led by a French Empire style gilt bronze figural mantel clock, 18 ½ inches in height (est. $1,500-$2,500); and a French gilt bronze figural and ocher marble mantel clock with a large allegorical figure of “Knowledge” and the outer ring of the face mounted with the twelve relief figures of the zodiac, standing 22 ½ inches tall (est. $600-$900).
 
Also offered will be an impressive three-piece patinated spelter figural clock set from the late 19th century, with a clock depicting Neptune on a shell borne by two horses, together with a pair of 19 ½ inch tall patinated spelter garniture vases depicting maritime rescuers (est. $500-$900).
 
Estate jewelry will feature a selection of platinum and gold pieces, to include diamonds, rubies, sapphires and emeralds. Lighting will feature a circa 1970 Lightolier Art Deco style tiered glass rod 21-light chandelier by Italian designer Gaetano Sciolari (1927-1994) (est. $1,000-$2,000).
 
Previews will be held beginning Thursday, Nov. 7th, from 10-5 Central time (except on Sunday, when the gallery is closed). A late evening preview will also be held on Wednesday, Nov. 13th, from 5-7 pm. A Saturday preview will be held on Nov. 9th, from 9 am to 1 pm. Absentee and phone bids will be accepted up until 1 pm Central time on Friday, Nov. 15th. A printed catalog is available on request; call 504-529-5057 or e-mail them at info@crescentcityauctiongallery.com.
 
Crescent City Auction Gallery is always seeking quality consignments for future auctions. To consign a single item, an estate or a collection, you can call them at (504) 529-5057; or, you can send an e-mail to info@crescentcityauctiongallery.com. All phone calls and e-mails are confidential.
 
For more information about Crescent City Auction Gallery and the November 16th-17th Important Fall Estates Catalog Auction, visit www.crescentcityauctiongallery.com.  Updates posted often.
 
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