BOSTON, Mass. – September 27, 2002 - www.skinnerinc.com - -- -- Tempus figut! As summertime gives way to autumn, Skinner, one of the nation’s leading auction houses, will hold its fall sale of European Furniture and Decorative Arts, featuring fine silver and Oriental rugs and carpets, on Saturday, October 5th, at 10:00 a.m. in Skinner’s Boston Gallery. The sale features nearly 100 lots of fine silver, over 40 lots of Oriental carpets and rugs, a wide array of timepieces, 17th century textiles, 18th century furniture and other decorative arts.

Timepieces

The auction highlight is a selection of over forty clocks and timepieces, including a collection of carriage clocks, and mantel and wall clocks. The carriage clocks come largely from a private collector. Noteworthy lots include:

Lot 336: English Georgian Ebonized Repeating Carriage Clock, late 18th/early 19th century, marked Barwise, London, (estimated $2500-3500.)

· Lot 302: French Aesthetic Movement Porcelain Mounted Repeating Alarm Carriage Clock, late 19th century, marked for A. Margaine, (estimated $3000-5000.)

· Lot 307: French Grande Sonnerie Repeating Bronze Carriage Clock, late 19th/early 20th century, signed Lepine, Place des Victories, Paris, (estimated $2500-3500.)

· Lot 293: French Engraved Bronze Grande Sonnerie Carriage Clock, late 19th century, marked for Drocourt, (estimated $3000-5000.)

· Lot 279: Tiffany Studios Bronze and Slag Glass "Grape Vine" Pattern Carriage Timepiece, New York, early 20th century, (estimated $1500-2000.)

Other clocks in the sale range in variety from Lot 416, a charming French Empire-style Bronze Doré Mantel Clock mounted with a figure of a classical maiden, (estimated $1400-1800); to Lot 201, an English Brass Skeleton Clock (estimated $1000-1500); to Lot 188, a French Gilt Bronze and “Sevres” Porcelain Mounted Clock Garniture, consisting of mantel clock and pair of five-light candelabra (estimated $2000-3000).

Textiles

Also featured is a grouping of needleworks and textiles, highlighted by Lot 196, a Charles II Beaded Stumpwork Dressing Table Mirror, second half 17th century, with figures of a lady and a gentleman, likely depicting Charles II and Catherine of Braganza, with vignettes of castles, Dutch-style flower-filled urns, caterpillars, flies, and a pair of green parrots, (estimated $2000-4000.) The mirror is a beautiful 17th century survival, and a lovely reflection of times past. Also from the 17th century are Lot 152, a sampler stitched with a lady and gentleman with biblical quotation and pictorial references, (estimated $500-700); and Lot 511, an Embroidery Panel with maiden and bagpipe player, embellished with metal purl, a favorite accent to needleworkers of this period, (estimated $800-1200.)

Furniture

Furniture offerings are crowned by Lot 449, a rare and interesting Irish Georgian Mahogany Demi-line Side Cabinet. This late 18th century side cabinet is of a sinuous demi-lune form, its serpentine front fitted with two doors and an arched apron, (estimated $12,000-18,000). Case furniture also keeps on eye on the passage of time with Lot 108, a Dutch Baroque Marquetry Inlaid and Parcel Gilt Walnut Tallcase Clock, 18th century, with three-train movement and phases of the moon, (estimated $10,000-15,000)

Other highlighted furniture items include: Lot 72, a William and Mary Seaweed Marquetry Inlaid Chest of Drawers, early 18th century, estimate $5000-7000; lot 388, a Regency Inlaid Mahogany Sideboard, c. 1810, with stepped superstructure, or “stage top,” (estimated $3000-5000); and Lot 178, a Biedermeier Fruitwood and Gilt-bronze Mounted Daybed, (estimated $3000-5000).

Silver

The selection of fine silver includes British, European, and American silver and plate. Especially noteworthy is Lot 525, an English Elkington & Co. Figural Electroplated Centerpiece, formed as a glass bowl raised on a tree-form standard, ending in figural base depicting hounds and a stag, (estimated $1500-2000). This piece is a usable example of the highly decorative table ornaments to be found in English stately homes, and is executed by one of the originators of the electroplating process.

American silver spans the 19th and 20th centuries. The 1st half of the 19th century is represented by Lot 546, an American Empire Three-piece Tea Set, made by Hall, Hewson & Co. of Albany, New York, c. 1840-50, (estimated $800-1200); From the latter half, Lot 553 is a Dominick & Haff Aesthetic Movement Hammered Sterling Bowl (estimated $800-1200), c. 1861. From the modern era is Lot 592, a Sterling Presentation Cigarette Box, given by President Lyndon B. Johnson, to Chief Leabua Jonathan, Prime Minister of the African Kingdom of Lesotho, during a private General Assembly visit in Washington DC, September 22, 1967, (estimated $300-500).

Porcelain, Ceramics & Other Decorative Arts

Also presented is Skinner’s signature selection of European porcelain and ceramics, KPM painted porcelain plaques, glass, paintings and miniature portraits, bronze figures, and decorative objects, exemplified by Lot 484, a lovely Viennese Painted Porcelain Portrait Vase depicting a aesthetic movement beauty, (estimated $2000-4000); Lot 465, a pair of Bronze Covered Urns cast with birds and hunt scenes by the notable animalier sculptor Jules Moigniez (French, 1835-1894), (estimated $1200-1800); and Lot 136, a Suite of Twelve Colorless and Parcel-Gilt Glass Articles from the Rothschild Estate, (estimated $1200-1800) purchased in 1977 from the Mentmore house sale of the Executors of the 6th Earl of Rosebery, Buckinghamshire, England.

Oriental Carpets & Rugs

The auction also features over 40 lots of Oriental rugs and carpets, including several lots of European paisley shawls. Rugs offered include Sarouks, Afshars, Kashans, Ushaks, Hamadans, and Lillihans from the 19th and 20th centuries.

Catalogue & Previews

Previews for the sale will be 12 to 5, Thursday, October 3rd, and 12 to 7, Friday, October 4th. There is no preview the morning of the sale. Illustrated catalog #2162 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 in real-time at www.skinnerinc.com. during and after 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.