Litchfield County Auctions features Property from avid New York City Collectors.

Vice President Nicholas Thorn says that rarely in the 12 years since Litchfield County Auctions’ inception has there been a sale with such a plethora of labels from major New York Auction Houses. Provenances include Doyles-Bonhams, Christies East, Christies House Sales, Sotheby PB 84, Sotheby’s Arcade and even the American Art Association, precursor to Parke-Bernet in New York, not to mention old art galleries like William Macbeth, Ferargil Gallery and E. Weyhe Art Books & Prints. The major collections in the sale are those from the estates of Melvin Kahan, a familiar face at most of the New York galleries, Mr. Nemati a major buyer from auctions and art galleries as well, and a Nobleman of Title, who collected period English and French furniture, with an eye for the decorative, as well as artwork by Mucha, Toulouse Lautrec and Egon Schiele. Anthony J. Santore, another staple in the auction galleries of New York collected mostly Art Deco and Americana, and while some of the highlights of his collection are being saved for LCA’s Modernism sale in November, several lots of folk art and American primitives are being sold in this sale.

According to his heir, Melvin Kahan would collect one area for a period of time and then move on to the next, thus he had many interesting & varied collections within his estate. There are  approximately 22 pieces of Dr. Syntax blue and white Staffordshire for example, plus a Rowlandson watercolor of The Doctor as well. From the Staffordhire, his porcelain collection expands to include Chinese Export, Delft, Spongeware, Lustreware, Paris Porcelain, German Porcelain, Redware and American Pottery. He also collected silver, including a large group of silver boxes, Brass candlesticks & Aubusson tapestries made into pillows. His furniture was mostly English mahogany; his artwork varied, though he liked portraits and figural work. He had in his collection an ink drawing by the Russian artist Pavel Tchelitchew  of Dimitrie Sturdza, one of the “Nudo” series by Cadmus (From the Midtown Payson Gallery) and a lithograph by Mabel Dwight, entitled “Staten Island Shore.” At one point he began collecting fencing-related items, which is when he purchased a Segonzac drawing of a fencer. He also had two drawings by Gustave Dore one a fire fighting scene from the Far East.

The Park Avenue collection of a Nobleman of Title is a quite impressive one. The walls upon entry into his front hall were covered in Egon Schieles’, while the furniture was gilded, carved, bronze mounted, inlaid and marble-topped. From this collection comes a highly decorative pair of neoclassical parcel gilt and cream painted demilune marble top side tables and a pair of matching rectangular pier mirrors, all late 18th c. There is a Mucha Poster, and Four Toulouse Lautrec prints (The Schieles are being kept for the time being). There is a George IV Painted, Parcel Gilt and Upholstered Salon Settee Sociable, Probably from the Second Quarter of the 19th C, and an 18^th Century Louis XIV Carved Fruitwood Upholstered Canape. Chairs include an Italian neoclassical painted and parcel gilt open armchair, late 18th Century, with lion's head hand grips and a pair of 18^th Century Louis XIV carved walnut open arm chairs, with period needlework upholstery, worked with figures from different continents representing Asia and Europe, flowers, birds and dogs, the arms and hand grips with leaf carvings, block and turned front legs and stretchers, octagonal rear legs, one chair bears partial sticker in inside of back leg 'collection s. Alber... Lahaye. There is silver, rugs and a Louis XVI style gilt bronze and malachite striking portico clock, 20th C., marked Planchon a Paris Samuel Marti.

From the Nemati collection comes a variety of major paintings and decorative art. Of particular interest is a portrait of a young woman by William Merrit Chase, American, 1849-1916. There is also a terrific painting by George Wright entitled “The Letter,” of a young woman in a 19^th Century living room seated by the fire with her dog sleeping at her feet. A painting by the impressionist Harry Neyland is of a nude seated on a beach with seashells, most likely in Massachusettes. There is also a drawing by Milton Avery, a Spanish Cuzco School painting, a drawing by Aleksandr Evgen'evich Yakovlev and many more. Decorative arts include Candelabra and sconces, a large Copenhagen figure of an Icelandic falcon, several carpets, Hawkes and Bacarrat glass and much more.

The sale is available for bidding now through September 20^th at www.litchfieldcountyauctions.com. There will be a live viewing at 425 Bantam Road (Rte 202), Litchfield, CT from Friday, September 15 – Tuesday, September 19 from 10 am - 5 pm each day. There will also be a simultaneous tag sale being held at the gallery during these days. There is a 20% Buyer’s Premium on all purchases. For more information, email info@lcainc.us or call 860-567-4661. Litchfield County Auctions is currently seeking property for their fall & winter sales. Their next auction will be a live single owner auction at the historic Reese Estate in Hughsonville on the Hudson River for the benefit of Scenic Hudson.