Christie's auction of Important American Furniture, Folk Art, Silver, Paintings and Prints on September 25 in New York will be led by a magnificent federal mahogany bookcase from the Westervelt Company.
 The bookcase is a fantastic example of federal-era furniture |
The auction features several notable furniture collections, including property from Thomas Molesworth's Ranch A Commission.
The Westervelt collection was amassed over four decades for the Westervelt Company - a major US paper production organisation - by Jack Westervelt Warner, the former chief executive officer. It contains pieces by the leading American cabinetmakers of the 18th and 19th centuries.
The bookcase is valued at $150,000-300,000. Christie's has described it as "epitomising the sophistication and refinement of Federal-era America", stating that it was likely constructed between 1800 and 1810 for a wealthy, fashion-conscious patron.
It is believed that the piece was created for US representative General John Peter Van Ness and later passed to his niece, whose husband was Sir William Gore Ousley, a British diplomat.
A pair of neoclassical parcel-gilt card tables will follow, attributed to the master cabinetmaker Duncan Phyfe. Expected to sell for $100,000-150,000, the tables are a superb example of Phyfe's "ornamented Grecian style", which was adopted in the early 1810s and embraced both French and English methods.
Pieces such as this are rare, as expensive sculptural supports were integral to their design and, as such, they were usually reserved for Phyfe's most important commissions.
Paul Fraser Collectibles is offering an exceptional 1860 swivel top card table from Holland & Sons, which is made from Hungarian ash and decorated with purpleheart and ebony - a stunning addition to any furniture collection. See all our fine furniture for sale.
