Jeffrey S. Evans antique auction to focus on South, Nov. 12

LiveAuctioneers.com will provide Internet live bidding for the more than 900 lots.

The sale will include a large selection of Virginia and other Southern decorative arts; 18th- and 19th-century American furniture; fraktur and folk art; samplers and other textiles, folk pottery, a large collection of ironware, antique firearms, a collection of Southern silver, a large selection of 18th- and 19th-century English and Asian ceramics and fine jewelry. Ninety-nine percent of the lots will sell without reserve.

Virginia furniture is highlighted by a fine Chippendale walnut corner or smoking chair (lot 536) from the second half of the 18th century. This rare survivor is attributed to Isle of Wright County and was published by John Bivins in his 1988 volume The Furniture of Coastal North Carolina, 1700-1820 (p. 173). Another closely related example resides in the Colonial Williamsburg collection and is illustrated on page 108 of Southern Furniture 1680-1830 by Ronald L. Hurst and Jonathan Prown. The Colonial Williamsburg example is attributed to Southampton or Greensville County, Va., just west of Isle of Wright Co. The chair offered in this auction is from the private collection of Dr. Charles and Elizabeth Umstott of Newport, News, Va., and was acquired from the late John Bivins Jr. It carries an estimate of $6,000-9,000.

Additional important Southern furniture includes a signed “John Fessler / Frederick Town,” Md., Chippendale walnut tall-case clock (lot 530) retaining an outstanding historical surface (estimate $4,000-8,000). This late 18th-century timepiece was published on page 157 of Maryland Clockmakers by Whisker, Hartzler and Petrucelli, and was first recorded by MESDA (file S-6052) in 1976. An extremely rare late 18th/early 19th-century northern Shenandoah Valley Federal walnut block-front bureau (lot 562) is probably of western Maryland origin (estimate $4,000-6,000). Its provenance includes MESDA and Sumpter Priddy, III. Another example constructed by the same artisan is in the collection of the Henry Francis duPont Winterthur Museum.

A large collection of 16th-19th-century ironware will be offered including an extremely rare and important Augusta County, Va., stove plate (lot 318) manufactured at Bird and Miller’s Mossy Creek Furnace in 1775 (estimate $5,000-8,000). This plate was originally part of a five-plate jamb stove installed in the George Hanger homestead in the Churchville area of Augusta County and has descended directly in the Hanger family. It represents one of only two intact examples recorded.

Valley of Virginia works on paper include frakturs/birth records by Peter Bernhart (lots 420 and 426), the Stony Creek artist (lot 425), and the Frederick County Record Book Artist (lot 424); a watercolor double portrait of Joseph and Sarah Fisher dated 1854 (lot 429) and attributed to itinerant folk artist Thomas Skynner; and a pair of profile portraits of Dr. Jacob Haller (1796-1877) and his wife. Priscilla Nye Haller, (1805-1871) of Wytheville, Va., (lot 430) that retain their original frames and have descended in the Haller family.

Two Shenandoah Valley of Virginia long rifles will be offered including a signed John Lauck, Winchester, Va., example (lot 129) that was published on page 40 of Long Rifles of Virginia by Butler and Whisker, and a Frederick, Md., example signed by Jacob Metzger (lot 130). Both are from the MESDA collection and are being deaccessioned to benefit the museum’s acquisition fund.

The auction will also feature a large selection of American folk pottery including many rare examples from the Shenandoah Valley. Leading the group is an important and possibly unique mottle-glazed earthenware lamb figure on base (lot 1), attributed to J. Eberly & Co. of Strasburg, Va. The figure was produced from the same mold as the often-seen Eberly lamb doorstop/grave marker; however, this is the first example to be recorded affixed to a base and displaying this particular decorative glazing. It carries an estimate of $8,000-12,000.

On Friday, Nov. 11 at 6 p.m. the Jeffrey S. Evans & Associates Fall Lecture Series will be held at the firm’s Mount Crawford. The featured speaker will be Catherine B. Hollan, author of the newly released 1,000-page tome Virginia Silversmiths, Jewelers, Clock- and Watchmakers, 1607-1860, Their Lives and Marks. The lecture and book signing is free and open to the public.

Visit the firm’s website, www.jeffreysevans.com or call (540) 434-3939 for additional information including a schedule of their monthly cataloged auctions.

View the fully illustrated catalog and register to bid absentee or live via the Internet as the sale is taking place by logging on to www.LiveAuctioneers.com.