Roycroft three-panel screen will headline MBA Seattle Auction House's Dec. 5th online-only auction

RENTON, Wash. – A Roycroft special hand-modeled leather panel screen, an exceptional vertical abstract painting by Gene Davis (American, 1920-1985), and a large three-piece blown glass suite by Dale Chihuly (Wash., b. 1941) are three lots to watch in MBA Seattle Auction House’s Holiday Northwest Luxuries & Fine Arts auction slated for Thursday, December 5th.
  Untitled (Stripes) acrylic on canvas by Gene Davis (American, 1920-1985), a wonderful edge-to-edge vertical abstraction measuring 73 ½ inches by 41 inches, unsigned (est. $30,000-$50,000).
 
The online-only auction will start at 5pm Pacific time, with online bidding available through the MBA Seattle Auction House website (bid.mbaauction.com) as well as LiveAuctioneers.com and Invaluable.com. Phone and absentee bids will also be taken. Previews will be held Tuesday and Wednesday, Dec. 3-4, from 10-5 PST; and auction day, Dec 5, from 10-4; or by appointment.
 
In addition to the aforementioned three expected headliners, the 355-lot auction will also feature a robust selection of Northwest modern and traditional artworks, world arts, silver and jewelry, Pilchuck glass, studio ceramics, and rarities from fine Northwest estates and collections. These beautiful objects and artworks would make perfect gifts and would ship in time for the holidays.
 
The Roycroft special hand-modeled leather panel screen, 71 inches by 80 inches, is one of the most important pieces of Roycroft furniture. The museum-quality, tooled and painted leather three-panel screen is mounted in oak frames with reverse-action hinges. It depicts ducks in flight above water with lily pads on top half and the lower half consists of fish and underwater foliage. It’s in overall excellent, original condition and is expected to bring $20,000-$40,000.
 
“We’re excited to offer the one-of-a-kind Roycroft leather panel room screen that came directly from a Washington State collection by descent,” said Michael Mroczek of MBA Seattle Auction House. “It comes with full provenance of typed letters by Elbert Hubbard II, explaining the screen was never for sale and resided in the music room at the Roycroft Studio. This very important piece from the Arts and Crafts movement is being sold at auction with no reserve.” 
 
The 1971 untitled (Stripes) acrylic on canvas by Gene Davis is a wonderful edge-to-edge vertical abstraction measuring 73 ½ inches by 41 inches. The unsigned work has a Charles Cowles Gallery, Inc. (N.Y.) label on verso and is in overall excellent condition (est. $30,000-$50,000).
 
The exceptional, large three-piece suite with black lip wraps by master glassblower Dale Chihuly is titled Fire Red Basket Set (1993-94). The nesting forms measure 11 inches by 15 inches by 14 inches and 6 inches by 10 inches by 9 inches. The two smaller forms are signed and dated ’93 and ’94. The set, which does not include a box, is in excellent condition (est. $10,000-$20,000).
 
An impressionist oil on canvas board painting by Eustace Paul Ziegler (Alaska, 1881-1969), titled Resting Pack Horses and Mt. McKinley (1965), is 20 inches by 24 inches (image area, less the original gilt frame) and is artist signed and dated lower left (est. $10,000-$20,000).
 
Pop art legend Andy Warhol’s (American, 1928-1987) iconic Cow (F.&S. II 12A) is a 1976 screenprint on wallpaper sheet measuring 45 ½ inches by 28 inches, signed, with a black felt tip pen lower left and numbered 25 (from an edition of 100) on verso (est. $7,500-$15,000).
 
An oil on canvas painting by Norton Bush (American, 1834-1894), titled Tropical Lake with Volcano in Distance, is a composition of far-reaching landscape with palm trees. It’s 36 inches by 20 inches (image, less the frame) and is signed lower right (est. $5,000-$10,000).
 
A patinated bronze sculpture by Stanley Wanlass (Oregon, b. 1941), titled Santa’s New Toy (1988), is a large automotive-themed bronze, 18 inches by 28 inches by 17 inches. The work is signed and numbered (45/88 edition) and is on a white platform base (est. $5,000-$10,000).
 
An untitled (Fish) gouache on paper affixed to board by Francisco Da Silva (Brazilian, 1910-1985), is an exceptional modernist composition of four fish from 1966, signed and dated lower right. It’s loose and unframed, measuring 22 inches by 30 inches (est. $5,000-$10,000).
 
A watercolor on Arches paper by Paul Jenkins (N.Y., 1923-2012), titled Phenomena Greeting the Winds (1980), is a colorful abstract composition measuring 43 inches by 31 inches (sheet size, less the gallery frame), and is signed lower left and titled on verso (est. $6,000-$9,000).
 
A 1904 orotone photograph by Edward Curtis (Wash., 1868-1952), titled Canyon de Chelly, is a scarce original goldtone photograph, 8 inches by 10 inches, photographer signed lower left with “Copyright 1904 by E.S. Curtis” and housed in the original frame (est. $4,000-$8,000).
 
A 1927 color woodcut by Gustave Baumann (Calif., 1881-1971), titled Indiana Red Gum, is pencil signed and numbered 45 from an edition of 125 lower margin. The sheet, showing strong colors, is 12 ½ inches by 14 ¼ inches. It’s in the original frame (est. $3,000-$6,000).
 
A glass cube sculpture by Jon Kuhn (Calif., b. 1946), titled New Vision (1999), is a cut, polished and laminated glass optical spinning cube on a brass base. It’s signed and titled on the underside, stands 11 inches by 7 ½ inches and is in great condition (est. $3,000-$5,000).
 
A color lithograph from 1898 by the renowned French poster artist Alphonse Mucha (1860-1939), titled Femme Aux Coquelicots (Woman with Poppies), measures 23 ½ inches by 16 inches (minus the ornate gilt gallery frame) and is plate signed lower left (est. $3,000-$5,000).
 
A leatherbound book published in the 1880s by the U.S. Treasury Department’s Bureau of Engraving and Printing in Washington, D.C., titled Specimens: Vignettes and Portraits, includes 141 engraved plates of proof portraits and vignettes the bureau used on currency, government bonds, and other printing. The book is inscribed in ink by Charles Edward Coon (1842-1920, Fifth Lt. Governor of Washington) to Mrs. Addie E. Muser (est. $1,000-$2,000)
 
MBA Seattle Auction House is always seeking quality items for future sales, especially ones relating to Northwest Modern Art, including paintings and sculptures from 1930 to present, as well as American studio ceramics and glass. To inquire about consigning a single piece, an estate or collection, call 425-235-6345, or email them at info@mbaauction.com.
 
To learn more about MBA Seattle Auction House and the online-only Holiday Northwest Luxuries & Fine Arts auction slated for Thursday, December 5th, visit www.MBAauction.com.
 
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