Wolcottville, IN, USA, September 14, 2024 -- The Leberfeld Collection of majolica – a collection so vast and important it was featured in one of the first coffee-table books on the subject (Majolica by Nicolas Dawes) – will come up for bid at an auction planned for Saturday, October 12th, by the Strawser Auction Group, online and live in the Wolcottville gallery at 200 North Main Street.
The October 12th event is actually one of three days of auctions planned by Strawser, with the Leberfeld Collection being the headliner that day in front of other select consignments. Nearly 250 pieces of majolica – the highly glazed, lead-based pottery first introduced by the Minton Pottery Company in England in 1859 – from the Leberfeld Collection will come up for bid.
Internet bidding will be provided by LiveAuctioneers.com. Here is a link to the catalog: https://www.liveauctioneers.com/catalog/343204_the-leberfeld-majolica-collection-auction/.
Jerry Leberfeld and his wife Aviva amassed one of the most important majolica collections in the world – over 400 pieces, which they displayed in their New York apartment. Many of the pieces were featured in Majolica Mania and exhibited as part of the Majolica Mania Exhibit in New York City and Baltimore. Also, Jerry served as president of the Majolica International Society.
The expected top lot in the October 12th auction is a rare and monumental Minton majolica Victorian wine cooler designed by Pierre Emile Jeannest (1813-1857), shape no. 631 in a cylindrical form with fox and ram heads around the top with four hunt figures plus hounds bringing down a fox and deer with two vintagers on the cover with a wine barrel. The wine cooler, 25 inches tall, is expected to realize $30,000-$40,000.
A complete circa 1875 Minton tete-a-tete, shape no. 1349, consisting of a yellow lychee teapot, a gourd-shaped sugar, a thistle formed creamer, a pair of yellow cups and green saucers with a floral center and a quatrefoil-shaped tray with a green border and yellow trellis sides, the tray 12 ½ inches in diameter, has an estimate of $12,000-$15,000.
An iconic Minton majolica monkey garden seat modeled as a seated monkey with a nut below a cobalt buttoned cushion with tassels atop a basketweave base, shape no. 589, 18 inches tall, should fetch $6,000-$9,000.
A circa 1875 Minton majolica banana leaf garden seat designed by Hugues Protat, of waisted cylindrical form with large banana leaves and bamboo feet and seat, is expected to rise to $3,000-$4,000.
A Minton majolica iconic lobster tureen with shell handled base decorated with seaweed and shells, with a large lobster on the cover atop a bed of shells and seaweed, shape no. 1523, 13 ½ inches tall, has a pre-sale estimate of $3,000-$4,000.
A scarce Minton majolica Renaissance wall mounted candle holder with bearded man holding a torch, 19 inches tall by 16 inches wide, should finish at $2,000-$3,000.
A Minton majolica cobalt pair of trumpet vases, one with morning glory flowers and leaves, the other with foxglove flowers and leaves, 12 ½ inches tall, is expected to ring up $2,000-$2,500.
A hard-to-find Minton majolica cobalt Ming Tree large jardiniere, shape no. 2373, 12 ½ inches tall and 21 inches wide, with a professional repair to the rim, is estimated to earn $1,200-$1,500.
A rare Wedgwood majolica umbrella stand in the form of a tree trunk with two woodpeckers, 20 ½ inches tall, carries a pre-sale estimate of $2,000-$3,000.
An equally scarce Wedgwood majolica cobalt elephant punch bowl with the bowl being supported by four elephants as feet, and four grotesque mask handles, 6 ½ inches tall by 12 inches wide, is expected to achieve $2,000-$3,000.
A hard-to-find Wedgwood majolica game dish with a running rabbit on one side and a pair of hounds on the other, having two guns forming the handle and with game birds and a rabbit on the cover, 10 inches long by 7 inches tall, should earn $2,000-$2,500.
A Wedgwood majolica mermaid vase clock designed by Hugues Protat circa 1871, shape no. M1719, 14 ½ inches tall, with professional repair to the bird’s wings, is expected to change hands for $1,500-$2,000.
A Wedgwood majolica cheese keeper with cow finial and scene of a man and woman with cows in a meadow, on cobalt ground, 11 inches tall and 11 inches wide, with repairs to the cow’s ears and horns as well as rim repair to the base, has an estimate of $1,200-$1,500.
A fine example from Copeland is the rare 1876 majolica memorial vase, 10 inches tall, retailed by J.M. Shaw & Co. (New York City) in the form of three back-to-back eagles guarding the American flag, made as a souvenir for the 1876 Philadelphia Exposition (est. $6,000-$9,000).
A preview will be held in the Strawser Auction Group gallery in Wolcottville on Friday, October 11th, from 4 pm-6 pm Eastern time. The buyer’s premium for live, in-gallery bidders will be 10 percent (not the usual 15 percent); for online bidders it will be 19 percent (not 24 percent).
Strawser Auction Group prides itself on keeping buyers’ premiums low for its many clients. In addition to live and online bidding, phone and absentee bids will also be accepted.
To learn more about the Strawser Auction Group and the Saturday, October 12th auction of the Leberfeld majolica collection with other fine consignments as one auction in a four-day auction event, please visit www.strawserauctions.com. To view a flip-booklet for the auction, click here:
https://flipbooklets.com/pdfflipbooklets/the-leberfeld-majolica-collection
