This pair of large 18th/19th century Continental ivory and bronze warriors (est. $80,000-$100,000), is expected to be one of the top lots at multi-estate sale planned for Saturday, Aug. 27 by Elite Decorative Arts.

BOYNTON BEACH, Fla. – Hundreds of quality lots of fine porcelain, original artwork and wonderful estate jewelry will cross the block in a multi-estate sale planned for Saturday, Aug. 27. The event, to be hosted by Elite Decorative Arts, will begin at 1 p.m. (EDT).

Online bidding will be facilitated by LiveAuctioneers. Phone and absentee bids will also be accepted. Previews will be held on Friday, Aug. 26, from 11 a.m.-5 p.m., and Saturday, Aug. 27, the date of sale, from 11 a.m.-1 p.m. Porcelains will include examples by Meissen, Sevres, Dresden, Royal Vienna, Wagner and more. The name Tiffany will also be chanted frequently.

One lot is expected to bring $80,000-$100,000 or more. It is a pair of large bronze and ivory Continental figures, one depicting a warrior wearing a crown with a sword to the hip and the other depicting a warrior wearing a bearskin headdress and scaled armor. The figures, each one 18 inches in height on a 3 ¼-inch round wooden base, were made circa 18th or 19th century.

Tiffany pieces will feature a stunning linenfold double-shade student desk lamp with a great brown patina to bronze and marked on both the base and shade (est. $15,000-$20,000); a pair of impressive bronze and Favrile glass picture frames with grapevine design, circa 1900 (est. $6,000-$8,000); and a sterling silver Revival snake urn, 54.265 troy ounces (est. $4,000-$6,000).

Also from Tiffany will be a magnificent ribbed Favrile art glass vase with ribbed design and yellow iridescent color, circa 1900 (est. $2,000-$3,000); an iridescent Favrile ribbed art glass vase in a beautiful yellow and purple color, circa 1900 (est. $800-$1,200); and a sterling silver cut crystal pitcher and sterling silver spoon, both in the Chrysanthemum pattern (est. $300-$500).

Meissen pieces—the German-made antique porcelain—will be just as ubiquitous (and impressive). Star lots will include a hand-painted oval-covered dresser box with a reticulated design (est. $2,000-$3,000); an antique figural group candlestick with four-arm candelabra insert (est. $600-$800); and a pair of hand-painted figural candlesticks with cherubs (est. $600-$800).

This stunning Tiffany linenfold double-shade student desk lamp (est. $15,000-$20,000) will be another top-selling lot.

Still more Meissen will feature an antique figurine of a fishing goddess, showing a nude female sitting on rocks with a serpent at her feet, circa 19th century (est. $300-$400); a figural group of five cherubs dancing, playing music and eating fruit, circa 19th century (est. $300-$500); and a hand-painted covered teacup and saucer snowball blossom cup (est. $200-$300).

One of the top achievers in the original artwork category is expected to be an oil-on-canvas depiction of a nude female by Russian/American artist Raphael Soyer (1899-1987). The matted and framed work measures 20 inches by 16 inches and is estimated to bring $6,000-$8,000. Soyer was not only a renowned painter of urban subjects but a noted author as well.

Other artworks of note will feature an original oil on canvas rendering of a young child by Hugo Oehmichen (German, 1843-1932), matted and framed and measuring 10 inches by 14 inches (est. $4,000-$6,000); and an original oil on canvas still life by P. Dufour of a dinner table with fruit and other items, signed lower right and 24 ½ inches by 30 inches (est. $3,000-$5,000).

Two portrait vases are expected to do well. One is an antique Riessner, Stellmacher & Kessel amphora Trnovany Bohemia hand-painted vase depicting a woman wearing a tiara, in beautiful purples and turquoise (est. $4,000-$6,000). The other is a 19th-century French porcelain Paris Exposition vase depicting three cherubs holding up a bouquet wrap (est. $800-$1,200).

This antique German Meissen porcelain hand-painted oval covered dresser box is expected to bring between $2,000-$3,000.

A pair of finely painted late 19th-century German portrait plates by Wagner, one depicting Napoleon Bonaparte and the other Madame de Parabere, are each expected to fetch $500-$700. Both boast stunning gilt work and an exquisite wreath design and red and green enameling to the outer rim. These fine quality plates measure 9½ inches in diameter and are marked at the bottom.

Rounding out just some of the day’s expected top lots: a KPM porcelain portrait plaque depicting the bust of a young woman (Berlin, circa 1900, est. $4,000-$6,000); a Royal Vienna hand-painted porcelain lidded stein titled “The Dancing Graces” (est. $1,500-$2,000); and a bronze figure of a drunk woman by Nam Greb (Franz Bergmann, Austrian, 1838-1894, est. $400-$600).

Elite Decorative Arts is an established, third-generation, full-service antique and auction gallery, specializing in fine decorative arts, paintings, estate jewelry and more. The gallery is located in the Quantum Town Center, located at 1034 Gateway Boulevard (Suite 106) in Boynton Beach, Fla. A full-time, knowledgeable staff is on hand Monday-Friday, from 10-6.

For more information about this auction, call 561.200.0893 or toll-free at 800.991.3340, e-mail to info@eliteauction or visit the Elite Decorative Arts website.

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WorthPoint—Discover Your Hidden Wealth

Royal Vienna-style vase.

A close-up of the hand-painted portrait of a Victorian woman with rosy cheeks and flowing hair.

Atlantique City is a massive antique show, held several times a year at the Atlantic City Convention Center, featuring hundreds of dealers selling quality antiques. One special “draw” to the show is that it offers free appraisals to the public, and last October show promoters invited several Worthologists to help evaluate the items brought in. That is where I met Linda Rubin.

Linda, and her husband, Arthur, were my second appraisal of the morning, following a “not-so-antique” set of collector mugs. It was a refreshing surprise when Linda reached into her bag and withdrew a carefully wrapped object that turned out to be a stunning porcelain vase. It stood nine inches tall and the background was a lovely iridescent emerald green, with alternating panels of flowers and blue jewels. There was a center medallion that had an exquisite hand-painted portrait of a Victorian woman with rosy cheeks and flowing hair.

As I examined the vase closer, it got even better, as I found the signature of the artist: Wagner. Wagner was an artist who worked in Austria painting some of the finest porcelain during the last quarter of the 19th century. I told the Rubins that the vase was in the Royal Vienna style and dated to the late 19th century. I also informed them that the name Royal Vienna—or Vienna Porcelain—refers to a style of porcelain painting that became very popular during the Victorian era, and that there were dozens of porcelain manufacturers in Germany and Austria that produced these magnificent portrait vases, plates and other porcelain articles. I estimated the value of the vase at $2,000. After the evaluation, I gave Linda my WorthPoint business card and assumed that was the last time I would see the vase.

But Linda and Arthur had been trying to downsize in anticipation of a move. They were going through their home, deciding on what to do with the many items that Linda had inherited from her grandfather and mother. Her grandfather was an antiques enthusiast who had amassed quite a collection. He passed these items down to Linda’s mother who, in turn, gave them to Linda. She decided to keep some of the heirlooms that she remembered fondly, like the grandfather clock from her grandparent’s home. Yet, when it came to the Royal Vienna vase, as beautiful as it was, she lacked a connection to it, and decided to sell. She also found a Royal Vienna cabinet plate with equally fine detail. In January 2009, she e-mailed me through WorthPoint, and said that she would like me to assist her in finding an appropriate venue for the vase and plate.

Picking an Auction House

Deciding where to sell porcelain required careful consideration. I wanted an establishment that dealt in quality antiques and that would advertise well to help get my client the best price. After much research, I found the perfect place—Dallas Auction Gallery—also simply known as DAG, has sold thousands of pieces of high-end porcelain and its past auction results were impressive. I contacted Adriane Shuford Crosland, vice president of Dallas Auction Gallery, who said that she would love to have the opportunity to sell the vase and plate. Ms. Crosland wanted to place it in DAG’s April 17, 2008, auction, and estimated the auction value to be between $500 and $7,000 for the plate and $700 and $1,000 for the vase. I was a little disappointed with the estimate of the vase, but as she pointed out, the economy was not working in our favor. Once again, I contacted Linda, who decided it was a go!

The vase and plate were rushed to Dallas and photographed for the auction. The photos were so amazing; they seemed to capture the true vibrancy of the vase. The pictures of the vase and plate were so clear that you could even make out fine details like the artist strokes. After seeing the items in the catalog and on-line, I was sure that they would attract many buyers and surpass the estimates. The auction was broadcast live on LiveAuctioneers.com, and the vase received six online absentee bids prior to the auction. In my role as broker, I felt that it was important to keep the Rubins informed and make them part of the process. I sent Linda and Arthur the Internet link so that they could watch the auction live and follow along with the bidding.

On the day of the auction, the vase sold for $1,800 and the plate for $600, not including the buyer’s premium. Linda was “thrilled” with the outcome of the auction and promised to keep sorting through her items as she continues to downsize in hopes of finding more hidden treasures. She also mentioned that it was hard to believe that a vase that was kept on a “wobbly table” could have been worth so much. As a WorthPoint broker, I thought that the sale was a successful match of item to auction house. But more than this, as an antique porcelain lover, it pleases me to know that the Royal Vienna vase is once again in the hands of someone who will treasure it as much as Linda’s grandfather did.

Audra Blevins is a Worthologist who specializes in French Limoges china and early American pattern glass.

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