Turner Auctions + Appraisals is pleased to present the sale of Fine Art, Silver, Art Pottery & Art Glass at its online auction on Saturday, April 24, 2021. Offering 260 lots from various consignors and estates, the sale features a diverse selection of art and decorative arts from the 16th to 21st centuries from the U.S., Europe and Asia. This auction also presents the personal collection of art pottery of Steven Yvaska, a noted writer, speaker, appraiser and advisor on antiques from the San Francisco Bay Area.
Among the art in the sale are a variety of paintings, with works by Ira Yeager, Norton Bush, Charles Wilson Knapp, Mary DeNeale Morgan, and Louis Bassi Siegriest. There are also etchings, mounted pressed plants, and botanical prints and plates, some hand-colored, including one by Giovanni Baptista Ferrari. A selection of photographs from San Francisco’s famed Cliff House restaurant, sadly now closed, showcases movie stars, sports figures and other celebrities from the 1930s to the present day; most include autographs and inscriptions.
The sale features an extensive array of decorative arts: Herend and Limoges porcelain boxes; mirrors; items of Wedgwood and Jasperware; Roycroft copper pieces; Stangl pottery birds; Dresden porcelain and military figures; an Aubusson tapestry; a French music box and mantel clock; a George III tea caddy; china designed by Paloma Picasso; and neoclassical obelisks, sconces and relief panels. From Asia are plates, figures, and boxes, including Japanese Hokai boxes. Sterling silver and silverplate pieces include a Tiffany & Co. coffee service and tray, items from Shreve & Co. and Stieff, German medieval-style figures, tea and coffee service items, salts, caviar dishes, and servingware. Among the art glass offerings are ones from Lalique, Daum, Baccarat, Orrefors, Steuben, Loetz, Murano, Zellique, and cameo glass after Gallé.
A substantial portion of the sale is devoted to the Steven Yvaska Collection of Art Pottery. Offerings, mostly vases, include works by Rookwood, Polia Pillin, Weller, Van Briggle, Roseville, Turkell, other Arts & Crafts makers, and more. Mr. Yvaska is a graduate of Syracuse University with Bachelor of Arts and Master of Science degrees in Social Science, Education, and Environmental Design. He wrote the popular “Seasoned Collector” antiques column for the San Jose Mercury News/Bay Area News Group for over 25 years. In addition to his expertise as an antiques appraiser and advisor, Mr. Yvaska is also a frequent guest speaker in the Bay Area and received the Award of Excellence from the Philanthropic Educational Organization in 2013.