Don Presley's May 7-8 Antiques, Art Auction Brings Best of Beverly Hills to the O.C.
ORANGE, Calif., May 3, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- There probably isn't a stretch of highway between Beverly Hills and Newport Beach that auctioneer Don Presley doesn't know. That's his turf, and when the owners of gated estates in those upscale communities part with their art and antiques, it's often Presley's number they call on speed dial. True to form, the Orange County auctioneer has amassed an outstanding array of primarily European, Asian and American art and antiques for his May 7-8 auction, much of it coming from prestigious SoCal addresses.
A Beverly Hills consignor was the source for a pair of superb, 30-inch-tall Chinese carved-ivory emperor and empress figures. "The carving is fantastic. I've never seen ivory figures of this type in such a large size," said Presley. The star lot amongst 250 Chinese antiques in the sale, the figures will be offered as a pair with a $6,000-$10,000 estimate.
A heavily carved 19th-century ivory and gilded-silver German tankard is similar in style to 17th-century drinking vessels made in Ausberg, Bavaria. "Those earlier tankards are in distinguished collections, like the Victoria & Albert Museum and Ireland's Bunratty Castle. They were made for kings and nobles," Presley said. The example to be auctioned stands 20 inches tall and is profusely carved with images of mythological characters. It is expected to make $15,000-$25,000.
In Presley's last sale, Russian buyers paid top dollar for antique Sevres porcelain. The May 7-8 auction includes a magnificent 40-inch-tall Sevres lidded urn straight from a Beverly Hills estate. It is estimated at $8,000-$12,000.
Presley observed that silver "is really rolling at the moment." At his auction he will offer a 40-piece collection of old silver from a San Bernardino estate that includes tea sets, a Tiffany bowl, an inkwell, Paul Revere bowl, Wallace flatware and three Georg Jensen pieces. Another silver collection, which came from a Laguna Beach consignor, includes six silver plates with a tray, and a sterling inkwell.
The furniture selection is led by a signed 95-inch-tall kingwood and ormolu vitrine by Francois Linke, an influential French cabinetmaker of the Belle Epoque period and darling of fashionable 19th-century French society. The vitrine may sell for as much as $125,000.
Presley said the current market for antiques is easily assessed. "In every category, quality is selling. They're buying the best and leaving the rest."
Online: www.donpresleyauction.com
SOURCE Don Presley Auctions
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