Realizing the sale’s highest price of $292,100 was this pair of 15-light Tiffany & Company sterling silver candelabra, custom made circa 1883 for the Vanderbilt family, 31½ by 23 inches ($100/150,000).

Review by Carly Timpson

MONROVIA, CALIF. — John Moran Auctioneers’ July 29-30 auction of The Estate of Robert Day featured more than 770 lots of museum-quality decorative arts and fine arts. The auction catalog noted that Robert Addison Day (1943-2023), a native of Los Angeles, “was a pioneering investor, influential philanthropist and generous civic leader who left an indelible mark on education, science and the arts. […] Day’s estate reflects a life of refined taste, purpose and accomplishment. As Mr Day’s collection now comes to auction, it offers a rare glimpse into the world of the visionary investor and transformative civic leader.”

The Day estate was well-received, with 11,174 registered bidders and a 99 percent sell-through rate. In total, the collection realized $1,760,052. Jennifer Kurtz, head of sale and decorative arts department manager, shared, “It was a privilege to offer for sale such a curated and eclectic collection. Each item was a testament to the refined taste of a true collector, and bidders responded enthusiastically, with strong interest across all categories.”

Custom made for the Vanderbilt family, a pair of large-scale Tiffany & Company candelabra topped the two-day auction. Dated circa 1883, the sterling silver 15-light candelabra were made under the directorship of Edward C. Moore (1873-1891) with a design attributed to Charles T. Grosjean. As the Vanderbilts built grand New York mansions and ordered Classical silver from Tiffany at the same time, it is not known for certain which brother — William K. Vanderbilt or Cornelius Vanderbilt II — these were made for. These, with swirling acanthus leaves, shells, seaweed and stylized dolphin masks, on six lion’s-paw feet, sold well beyond their $100/150,000 estimate to achieve $292,100.

“The Atlantic Packet Albion of the Black Ball Line” by Montague Dawson (British, 1890-1973), 1947, oil on canvas, 24 by 44 inches, set sail for $38,100 ($40/60,000).

The second-highest price of the auction was earned by Montague Dawson’s 1947 oil painting “The Atlantic Packet Albion of the Black Ball Line.” The work, which had additional provenance to Frost & Reed, London and Bristol, UK, and acquired by Day in a 2014 Bonham’s, New York, auction. According to the auction catalog, The Black Ball Line of the Trans-Atlantic Packets “was the first regularly scheduled transatlantic shipping service between New York and Liverpool” and it “revolutionized maritime travel and commerce by committing to sail on set dates, regardless of cargo or passenger load.” This ship portrait sailed to a new home for $38,100.

Diverse landscapes, from the sea to the desert to the mountains, exhibited great collecting interest. A 1915 scene of “Edgartown Harbor – Edgartown, MA” by Colin Campbell Cooper led the selection. In the auction catalog, it was noted that Cooper traveled to Martha’s Vineyard, Mass., in the summer of 1915, and that was the only known trip to the island on record. It was on this trip that he painted this “charming view of the seaside homes, docks and boats on Edgartown’s historic harbor, presented in a pure Impressionist palette.” Signed and dated to the lower left, the impressionistic oil on canvas was laid to board and had provenance to a 1995 Sotheby’s, New York, auction.

Earning $22,860 was “Building the Dam” by Alfred R. Mitchell (American, 1888-1972), circa 1932-34, oil on board, 16 by 20 inches ($8/12,000).

Possibly commissioned by the San Diego County Water Authority, Alfred R. Mitchell’s circa 1932-34 painting of construction at the El Capitan Reservoir (San Diego County, Calif.), titled “Building the Dam,” was one of two he did during the construction. According to the catalog, “The El Capitan Dam was constructed between 1932 and 1934 and is an embankment dam on the San Diego River… [the El Capitan Reservoir] serves mainly to supply water to the city of San Diego, as well as providing flood control.” The other painting of the dam construction was larger than the one in this sale, though it lacked the “charming inclusion of foreground construction vehicles.” “Building the Dam” was signed to the lower right as well as being signed, titled and numbered “203” to the reverse. The reverse also had several gallery and inventory labels aligning with its provenance, including those for Orr’s Gallery (San Diego, Calif.), The Fieldstone Collection (Newport Beach, Calif.) and a 1995 auction at Butterfield & Butterfield (Los Angeles/San Francisco). In this sale, it achieved a roaring $22,860.

The catalog called Edgar Alwin Payne “one of the United States’ preeminent Impressionist painters,” noting that he captured sights such as “the sparkling waters of France and Italy and the snow-swept peaks of the Swiss Alps to the rolling hills of California and sun-kissed deserts of the American Southwest.” Five of his paintings were included in this auction, but one more than doubled its high estimate, impressing bidders who took it to $19,050. This circa 1930s work stood out as it had a handwritten note from a previous owner, G.M. Hegion, affixed to its back side. Dated “1985,” the note identified the painting’s original owners as Hegion’s grandmother, Grace Maria King, and aunt, Nona Lear, proprietors of King-Lear Lodges, who received the work directly from the artist in lieu of payment for room and board. The work passed through the family by descent and was purchased by Day in a 2007 Christie’s, Los Angeles, auction.

This circa 2016 collection of Patrick Mavros (Harawe, Zimbabwe) sterling silver table ornaments included four trees and a herd of elephants; they were taken to $31,750 ($20/30,000).

Another notable highlight of the auction was a set of custom-made sterling silver table ornaments by Zimbabwean craftsman Patrick Mavros. Comprising two pairs of “Fari” acacia trees, which ranged from 12 by 19 inches to 10 by 18 inches, and a herd of seven elephants, ranging from 8½ to 2 inches tall, the tabletop safari set achieved $31,750. Each of the elephants was named, signed, marked with the “PM” monogram and dated, while the trees each bore personalized inscription for Robert Day.

Animal forms were also found in a pair of Japanese bronze kitsune fox figures, which transformed beyond their $6,000 high estimate to realize $20,320. In Japanese folklore, the kitsune is a cunning fox spirit that possesses supernatural ability to shapeshift and bewitch others. These bronze foxes, one with a ball in its mouth and the other with a scroll, were made in the third year of the Meiji era, 1870, by Nakagawa Joeki VIII. Each was sat on a rectangular plinth then set atop a tall Japanese stained wood stand.

The second day, an online only session with all lots offered at no reserve, brought lower prices overall compared to day one. Still, day two was led by an impressive result. Selling for more than five times its high estimate, a Victorian-style stained wood gun cabinet rose to $6,033. With beveled glass doors and interior space for nine guns in the top portion, the Twentieth Century cabinet also had a base with cupboard doors that opened to reveal eight drawers.

Prices quoted include the buyer’s premium as reported by the auction house. For information, www.johnmoran.com or 626-793-1833.