BOSTON, Mass. – March 12, 2002 -- –www.skinnerinc.com -- Skinner, Inc., one of the nation’s leading full-service auctioneers and appraisers of antiques and fine art, will hold an auction of European & Continental Furniture & Decorative Arts (Sale #2135) on April 6, 2002 at 10:00 in its Boston, Mass. gallery. The sale will feature British and European furniture and decorative arts including porcelain, timepieces, glass, paintings, textiles, and American Victorian furniture. Highlights of the sale include over 250 lots of fine British, Continental, Asian and American silver, several very fine animal bronzes, a collection of meerschaum pipes, and 40 lots of Oriental rugs and carpets. Previews for the sale will be 12 to 5, Thursday, April 4th, and 12 to 8, Friday, April 5th. There is no preview the morning of the sale.

Furniture & Decorative Arts
Of particular note is a collection of several very fine animal bronzes. The best of these is a silvered bronze figure of a Turkish Horse, “Cheval Turc” by Antoine Louis Barye (French, 1796-1875). This is an extremely important piece, since there is only two known silvered bronze examples of this model. The bronzes are believed to have been made as a pair, as a special commission for the painter Leon Bonnat, who was a friend and collector of Barye and his works. The other example of this bronze is in the collection of the Bonnat Museum in Bayonne, France.

The sale also includes a collection of over fifty lots of pipes and cheroot holders, the majority of which are carved meerschaum, from a single private Midwest collector. One of the most interesting of these is a meerschaum pipe of a lady in a flowered hat, by Gustav Fischer Sr., 1920. Fischer was a native of Boston, Massachusetts and the premier American pipe maker. This pipe is an ex-collective of the now defunct Museum of Tobacco Art & History in Nashville, Tennessee.

Among the silver offerings is a Tiffany & Co. Sterling Silver Arts & Crafts hammered vase and a gold-washed, hand-chased Gorham Martelé Sterling Silver Coffeepot. Martelé is a line of very high quality Art Nouveau silver produced by Gorham in Providence, Rhode Island at the turn of the century. As some of the best American silver made, it is very highly collectible.

Some of the most notable pieces of furniture to be offered are an American Renaissance Revival marquetry inlaid and bronze mounted sideboard, New York, mid 19th century, and similar center table, reportedly from the estate of Boss Tweed; and an American Renaissance Revival armchair, possibly Pottier and Stymus.

Oriental Carpets & Rugs
The forty rugs offered include several fine examples, most notably the room size weavings. Featured in the sale is a late 19th century Bidjar carpet from Northwest Persia with rows of rosettes, palmettes, and arabesque, 18 ft. 2 in. by 12 ft.; a 19th century French Aubusson from the Meade Museum, with a large oval medallion inset with roses and rectangular cartouche border, 15 ft. 2 in. by 10 ft. 2 in.; and a 20th century Persian Carpet with an overall design with staggered vases of roses surrounded by delicate blossoming vines and birds, 20 ft. by 11 ft. Also noteworthy is a 19th century needlepoint rug from France with summer blossoms and large rosettes, 7 ft. by 5 ft. 6 in.; and a late 19th century West Anatolia Ushak Carpet with a large floral diamond medallion and overall small cruciform motifs, 13 ft. 10 in. by 12 ft.

Catalogue & Previews
Illustrated catalog #2135 is available for $32 ($39 for foreign requests) from the subscription department at Skinner/Bolton (978-779-6241 ext. 240). They are also available at the gallery at $29. Prices realized at the auction will be available at www.skinnerinc.com following the sale. For more information, call 978-779-6241, fax 978-779-5144, or visit www.skinnerinc.com.

Note to Editors:
Photos available upon request. Contact Catherine Riedel at 978-779-6241 x 231.

About Skinner:
With galleries in Boston and Bolton, Mass., Skinner is a one of the nation’s leading auction houses. As a full-service auction house, Skinner provides auction and appraisal services for all manner of antiques and fine art, and its appraisal experts are regularly seen on the PBS series, The Antiques Roadshow. Skinner conducts auctions year-round and has received world-record prices for many pieces sold at auction. Departments include American Furniture & Decorative Arts, Paintings & Prints, English & Continental Furniture & Decorations, Fine Ceramics, Jewelry, Couture, 20th Century Furniture & Decorative Arts, Fine Musical Instruments, Asian Art, Fine Judaica, Toys, Dolls & Collectibles, Science & Technology, Oriental Rugs & Carpets, American Indian & Ethnographic Art, and Discovery. For more information on upcoming auctions, visit Skinner’s web site www.skinnerinc.com.