Eye-catching and unusual items – from a fine majolica collection to a Francis Sultana fur chair – will highlight Benefit Shop Foundation’s Red Carpet auction on Wednesday, May 8, 2019 at 10 AM.
“Eclectic auctions are our specialty and we always aim to have a range of fine items across the board from fine art and midcentury furniture to jewelry and antiques, but we also manage to pull off a few surprises in each auction,” said Pam Stone, owner and founder of The Benefit Shop Foundation. “The Sultana chair, known as the ‘Green Yak’ by its former owner, is a knockout piece and we are quite pleased too with the majolica wares that came out of a single estate in Bedford, NY.”
All donated by a supportive community member, the colorful majolica wares are all intricately designed and sublime examples of the genre. Highlights include a signed antique Medusa ceramic vase ($400-800) in a trophy form having a jug handle with Medusa head medallions in relief, coiled snake forms around handles, butterflies, vines and more, richly glazed, dated 1874, 15 inches tall, and a early and signed ornate horse putti dragon vessel ($400-800) with a bearded male in relief under ribbed spout, with three horse figurals under the beard with swirls, swags and geometric sand scroll work surrounded by putti and children, 19 inches tall.
Another statement piece of majolica is an early and signed Joseph Holdcroft majolica Daisy pitcher ($200-400) that will vie for bidders’ attention. This rich cocoa toned glaze with colorful vines and dogwoods stands 10-1/2 inches tall.
Auctions also have a touch of the unexpected and a highlight here is the aforementioned Anita Kidassia armchair by Francis Sultana in a dark blue-green tone ($3/6,000), measuring 33 by 36 by 38 inches. A go-to interior designer, Sultana hung up his shingle in 2009 to create interiors for many of his major art collector clients, creating statement pieces such as this chair.
Traditional and midcentury furniture will also be well represented in the auction, including an antique oval extendable dining table ($1,500-3,500) with intricate base design and extension two leaves, measuring about 131 inches long with leaves, a John Widdicomb display curio cabinet ($1,500-3,000) with four doors, Russian Empire style with beveled glass doors and a lighted interior, 87 by 84 by 16 inches; and a set of eight Russell Woodard Sculptura MCM Patio pieces ($1,000-1,300), including four iron armchairs, an octagonal dining table and three smaller side tables, all purchased by the consignor in the 1950s.
Rounding out the auction are antique floor size ceramic seated Buddha statue ($300-600), possibly Hindu, glazed with vibrant saffron yellow and moss green hues, 30-1/2 inches tall; a striking Art Nouveau sterling silver water pitcher, standing 19 inches tall and weighing in at 51 troy ounces, made in the 1880s by New York company Black Starr & Frost, and a signed Fernando Lanhas (1923-20212) oil on canvas ($500-1,000) of a vivid yellow and black abstract geometric expressionist composition, 18-3/4 by 15 inches. Lanhas was a Portuguese painter and architect, who was influenced by music, astronomy, and the international abstract movement.
The monthly Red Carpet sales feature choice collections of antique, Midcentury Modern, brand furnishings, sterling, china, crystal, jewelry and fine art. With a mission of “to donate, to discover and to do good,” the foundation is a registered 501(c)3 non-profit and auction proceeds support community organizations. Consignors get a tax deduction; the buyer gets a great deal and local non-profits get much needed funds.
The auction gallery is located on 185 Kisco Avenue, Suite 201 in Mount Kisco, New York. For more information, visit thebenefitshop.org or call (914) 864-0707.
