Freeman’s July European Furniture & Decorative Arts Auction Achieves $1.8M on the Back of California Single-Owner Collection
Freeman’s summer European Furniture & Decorative Arts auction exceeding its presale estimate by more than $800,000 on its way to a two-day total of $1,812,096. The July 14 and 15 auction was headlined an extraordinary single-owner session of property from the collection of Ada and Barrie Regan and their historic Strawberry Hill home on the San Francisco Peninsula. The collection beat its estimate by more than $100,000 and saw 98% of its lots sell as bidders vied for the opportunity add pieces from the historic home to their collections.
The Jewel of the San Francisco Peninsula
In 1912, Joseph D. Grant, the financier and San Francisco civic leader, commissioned architect Lewis Hobart to design and build "Villa Rose." The 40-acre parcel in Hillsborough, California remains as one of the original, historic Gilded Age estates with lush gardens surrounded by wooded parkland. When Charles R. Blyth and his wife purchased the estate in 1936, they renamed it "Strawberry Hill," a reference to the home's pleasing pink color and a nod to Horace Walpole's Gothic Revival mansion in London.
When Ada and Barrie Regan purchased the residence, it was in a state of disrepair and required substantial attention to the interior and the gardens. Once restoration was complete, Ada and Barrie Regan filled the home with wonderful Continental furniture and decorative objects. Their appreciation for the home's architecture and history is evident in the collection they assembled.
Highlights from the collection included:
- Lot 98 | A Neoclassical Carved Marble Sarcophagus
SOLD FOR $21,760 - Lot 10 | A Louis XVI Style Marquetry and Gilt Bronze Mounted Occasional Table
SOLD FOR $14,080 - Lot 34 | A Steinway and Sons Baby Grand Piano, Model S, 1936
SOLD FOR $12,800 - Lot 4 | A Neoclassical Carved Marble Console Table
SOLD FOR $12,160 - Lot 42| A Pair of Printed Cotton Upholstered Three-Cushion Sofas
SOLD FOR $12,160
Lot 480 | A Large Martelé Silver Punch Bowl Made for the 1904 Louisiana Purchase Exposition in St. Louis | SOLD FOR $153,600
The Martelé Silver Punch Bowl That Brought Art Nouveau to America
The top lot of the auction, however, came from the Fine Silver category as a large Martelé silver punch bowl mad for the 1904 Louisiana Purchase Exposition in St. Louis (lot 480) more than tripled its estimate selling for $153,600.
Following the award-winning and critically acclaimed introduction of the Martelé line of silver hollowware at the 1900 Paris Exposition Universelle, the Gorham Manufacturing Company sought to build on their renown at the 1904 Louisiana Purchase Exposition in Saint Louis, Missouri. The punch bowl offered in the auction was not only a highlight of the largest display of Gorham Martelé on American soil butremains as an exemplar of the thousands of pieces of Martelécreated by the company in the early 20th Century.
Beyond pride-of-place, the punch bowl’s importance was further bolstered by Gorham’s own records of the man-hours, weight and value placed on the object when it was made. A total of 566 hours were logged in its creation with the modeling executed by Frederick Buxton Jr. and the chasing performed by David Wilmot. In addition, the punch bowl was the second largest single object by weight to be featured in the pavilion, and at a cost of $1,950 in 1903, it was the most expensive item shown.
Other Highlights
- Lot 413 | An Italian Micromosaic Panel of the Persian Sibyl
SOLD FOR $108,800 - Lot 257 | A Pair of George I Giltwood Mirrors
SOLD FOR $102,400 - Lot 438 | A Pair of Egyptian Revival Grey Variegated Marble Busts of Antinous
SOLD FOR $64,000
About Freeman’s
Freeman’s is a premier American auction house offering services in multiple categories including fine art, jewelry, design, books and manuscripts, furniture, decorative arts, antiquities, couture, and Asian works of art. With 16 regional locations nationwide, the firm provides auctions, appraisals, private sales, and art advisory services, connecting clients to the global art market. Freeman’s strives to bring art, history, and design to life by connecting people with extraordinary objects through exceptional service and expertise.