Press Release

Atlanta, GA, USA, August 29, 2024 -- Just one day after offering nearly 400 curated lots from the Atlanta estate of Gregory Crawford, Ahlers & Ogletree will get right back in the saddle on Friday, September 13th, with a Fine Estates Auction featuring an assortment of unique antiques, including fine silver and crystal, timeless period furniture, hand-woven tapestries and carpets, original paintings, sculptures and more.

The 330-lot auction, starting at 10 am Eastern time, will be held online as well as live in the Ahlers & Ogletree gallery located at 1788 Ellsworth Industrial Boulevard NW in Atlanta. One of the headliners is the outstanding collection of fine and decorative arts from Diana McCluskey of Tampa, Fla. Other items have been pulled from prominent estates and collections, mostly in the Greater Atlanta area.

The centerpiece of the McCluskey collection is an unsigned 17th century oil on canvas painting from the workshop of Francesco Albani (Italian, 1578-1660). The figural rendering, titled The Dance of Cupids, measures 29 ¾ inches by 39 ¾ inches (minus the frame). It was acquired from Tajan, Paris in 2008 and before that in Riga in Italy in the 1920s. The work is expected to sell for $8,000-$12,000.

A seven-piece coin silver floral repousse hot beverage service by Grosjean & Woodward (American, 1847-1862), comprising one tilting hot water urn on a stand, one coffee pot, one teapot, one covered sugar bowl, one lidded cream jug, and one waste bowl, plus an unmarked silverplated tray, 33 inches in diameter. All are hallmarked and the total weight, excluding tray, is 190.08 ozt. (est. $6,000-$8,000).

A late 19th century French mythological scene tapestry depicting two gentlemen (possibly Aristotle and Alexander the Great), greeting two maidens in a landscape while Cupid looks on, is 104 inches by 116 inches and is contained within a scrolling acanthus border with anthemion corners (est. $4,000-$6,000)

Three sculptures – two bronze and one marble – have identical estimates of $4,000-$6,000. They are:

- An unsigned Italian School white marble sculpture after Antonio Canova (Italian, 1757-1822), titled Psyche Revived by Cupid’s Kiss, standing 32 ½ inches tall by 36 inches in width.

- A bronze sculpture on a red marble plinth by Karl Sterrer (Austrian, 1844-1918), titled Mythological Group / Persephone Led by Hippocampi, 13 inches tall, signed “K. Sterrer”.

- A late 19th/early 20th century figural bronze sculpture by Raoul Francois Larche (French, 1860-1912), titled La Seve / Metamorphoses of Daphne, 36 ¾ inches tall, signed, with foundry mark.

An oil on canvas painting by Aleksei Popov (Ukrainian, 1916-1988), titled Builders of the New Port, signed in Cyrillic and housed in a 26 ½ inch by 51 inch frame, is expected to finish at $4,000-$6,000; while an oil on canvas untitled beach scene signed by Gaston Sebire (French/American, 1920-2001), 28 ½ inches by 36 ¼ inches (less frame), with a Christie’s label on verso, should hit $3,000-$6,000.

An early 20th century Louis XV style bronze mounted rosewood veneer envelope card table made by Paul Sormani (French, 1817-1877), with a fold-out top, a red felt game surface, over a single drawer, and raised on cabriole legs with sabot feet, is signed by Sormani and has an estimate of $4,000-$6,000.

A pair of 19th century French Louis XV style bronze mounted marble cassolettes (urns), 22 ¾ inches tall by 10 ¾ inches wide, are expected to finish at $3,000-$5,000. The ormolu mounted fleur de peche marble lidded urns with flame finial are raised on paw feet with a tripartite base.

To learn more about Ahlers & Ogletree and the Fine Estates auction planned for Friday, September 13th, online and live in the Atlanta gallery, beginning promptly at 10 am Eastern time, please visit www.aandoauctions.com. You can also follow A&O on Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest and Facebook.

Organisation Profile: