Don Presley's April 14-15 Auction Features Antiques 'Fit for Royalty'

ORANGE, Calif., April 10, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Imagine the fanciest of European antique shops, brimming with decorative pieces of old gold, soft silver, rouge marble and jade. Then imagine those contents being offered at a California auction and you'll have a very accurate picture of what awaits bidders on April 14-15 at Don Presley's gallery in Orange. Auction commences both days at 12 noon Pacific Time.

More than 1,000 auction lots of premium-quality estate antiques and art will be sold, most of it from upscale estates in Beverly Hills and Newport Beach.

"I think even the most sophisticated buyer would agree that many pieces in this sale are fit for royalty," said Presley.

An exquisite 19th-century Louis XVI-style ormolu commode was crafted by ebeniste Guillaume Benneman, one of the last of the pre-French-Revolution royal cabinetmakers. Benneman's early neoclassical designs were favorites with French nobility. The commode is expected to make $25,000-$30,000.

Another important furniture entry is a signed Paul Sormani (Italian/French, 1817-1877) rouge marble and bronze ormolu table. Sormani's work was shown at many Expositions Universelles, including the 1855 edition in Paris, where he won a gold medal. The Sormani table at Presley's carries a $9,000-$15,000 estimate.

Practically every aristocratic European home of the late 18th/early 19th century included a lavishly gilded tall-case clock. Just such an example is the 91-inch boulle clock with bronze ormolu decoration, porcelain Roman numerals and sunburst pendulum, estimated at $12,000-$20,000. The shapely timepiece is signed "F. Dardenne a Orleans."

The auction includes dozens of fine Continental paintings, led by a Jean-Alfred Desbrosses (French, 1835-1906) oil; an 1875 marble statue of Cupid by listed Italian artist Ferdinando Andreini (1843-1922), and a monumental 19th-century Meissen mirror profusely embellished with porcelain flora, fauna and cherubs.

A magnificent 42-piece Reed & Barton sterling silver flatware service in the "Love Disarmed" pattern weighs 75.85 ounces and could bring $15,000-$20,000. Sevres highlights include a monumental hand-painted centerpiece with putti, clock and candelabra sets; jardinieres, vases and other art objects.

A top highlight is the antique verni Martin French sedan chair – an extravagant portable "cabinet" in which footmen transported wealthy nobles or "dandies" from place to place. "The sedan chair was the rich man's taxi cab before motorcars existed," Presley noted. The fare to ride in Presley's giltwood sedan chair could reach $50,000-$75,000.

View the catalog at www.LiveAuctioneers.com or www.donpresleyauction.com.

SOURCE Don Presley Auctions