The Mariani name continued to draw admirers and collectors on November 2, as Bonhams & Butterfields presented at auction, furniture and decorative arts from the collections of the late Antonio Mariani and his wife Liliane Mariani.
The sale was the second session offering property from their collections, Part II bringing clients from around the world to buy rare antiques as well as Mariani’s custom reproductions made in the Eighteenth Century techniques. Competitive bidding for many lots exceeded estimates, the November sale totaling more than $1.6 million. Including the successful March 2009 sale of Part I, the Mariani collection has realized more than $3.4 million at auction this year.
The top lot of the sale was a South German baroque-style figured walnut secretary that fetched $52,460, more than five times the presale estimate. Bidders vied for a Louis XV-style gilt bronze and glass 12-arm chandelier, which sold above estimate for $42,700, while a Louis XVI-style gilt bronze and brass mounted circular mahogany dining table with four brass-mounted extra leaves doubled its estimate, bringing $31,720. A late Eighteenth Century “near pair” of Continental neoclassical oak buffets realized $27,450.
A late Eighteenth/early Nineteenth Century Northern Italian neoclassical marquetry inlaid walnut commode in the manner of Giuseppe Maggiolini took $19,520, while a Venetian rococo-style scarlet and gilt lacquered secrétaire drew competitive bids, selling for $42,700.
Decorative arts from the Mariani Collection included a French neoclassical terracotta figural group (first half Nineteenth Century) depicting a maiden holding a bird’s nest populated with chicks on her left and an infant putto’s hand on the right. The lot more than doubled its estimate, bringing $24,400. A Sixteenth Century Italian baroque bronze figure ($4/6,000) of Neptune, after Giambologna, went for $21,960.
The auction and preview coincided with the annual San Francisco Fall Antiques Show. Strong international collector interest impacted the bidding, with multiple pieces destined for shipment overseas. According to Jeffrey Smith, vice president and director of Bonhams & Butterfields’ furniture and decorative arts department, “This was truly a collector’s as well as designer’s sale †honoring the Antonio Mariani tradition with an eclectic and superb selection of European antiques and chic, well-designed custom reproductions. The market seems to be on an encouraging path upwards, drawing international, national and local buyers.”
All prices reported include the buyer’s premium. For information, www.Bonhams.com or 415-861-7500.
