Highlights of The Clare and Jared Edwards Collection
June 5, 2024 Auction
Asheville, North Carolina
auction starts at 10:00 am preview by appointment see our website for full catalog brunkauctions.com
The Collection of Clare and Jared Edwards, West Hartford, Connecticut
Clare and Jared Edwards were passionate, erudite collectors who lived immersed in a world of 19th and 20th century American and European art and design. The first painting they ever bought was by Maxfield Parrish, a sophisticated choice that should not be surprising considering Jared’s art and architecture education at Yale, and Clare’s art historical background. They collected for fifty-five years, developing relationships of mutual respect with the best dealers in the country, filling their home with the paintings, furniture, and decorative arts they loved. They collected with their heads and their hearts, and everything they bought is a reflection of both their passion and their intellect. They remain vital members of both the Hartford and the greater New England art and architecture communities, with Jared being instrumental in historic preservation statewide. As influential and important as they are to the community, they are also generous patrons who have served countless art, architecture, and historic preservation organizations. Their fine art, furniture, jewelry, wine cellar, and all their various decorative arts are offered here at Brunk Auctions–a rare opportunity for aesthetes, connoisseurs, seasoned collectors, and first time buyers.
Maxfield Parrish, Brook at Sunset
Aesthetic Movement
The Aesthetic Movement of the late 19th century was a primary focus in the Edwards Collection, especially in the decorative arts. An art movement that emerged in response to industrialization, the designs focused on “art for art’s sake” and emphasized nature’s beauty. Flora and fauna motifs play center stage amongst the offerings and include a William De Morgan lustre charger with storks, a dragonfly adorned silver tea caddy, and Christopher Dresser porcelains designed for Mintons.
Fine Art
Personal collections are by nature unique. They are a singular entity, tied together both visually and conceptually. There is something about each chosen item that a collector recognizes, that places it in a certain context, with importance gained by inclusion in the whole. Does it relate to what it is hanging next to on the wall? Is it significant in some large or small way historically? Decoratively? Does it fill a particular niche that is vital to the collection as a whole? Two important paintings in the Edwards Collection that are inextricably entwined are shown here. In the parlor hung a pastel portrait by Boston School master William McGreagor Paxton of the artist’s wife Elizabieth Okie Paxton at age 18, Mrs. Paxton (shown above). In the dining room, one could see a still life, Red, White and Blue, painted by the sitter, Elizabeth Okie Paxton (shown at right).
Leslie Prince Thompson, Figures on a Beach
Leslie Prince Thompson, Summer Landscape
Dennis Miller Bunker, Notre Dame de Larmor
Allen Butler Talcott, The Connecticut River
Theodore Robinson, Farm Buildings
Thomas Anshutz, Boy on Boat, Reading
Jules Lefebvre, Venus and Cupid
Attributed to Claude Raguet Hirst, Rubrum Lilies
Works on Paper
The various works on paper in the Edwards’ sizeable collection included both American and European masters from the 19th and 20th centuries. Many related to the decorative arts, architecture, or design aspects of their collection, such as the Charles Rennie Mackintosh Trapioleum Carieriancis, Canary Creeper or the exquisite Mariano Fortuny pencil study for The Vicarage. They were as firmly rooted in the traditions of the 19th century as the Samuel Colman Colorado Canyon, and as modernist as a Maurice Becker watercolor Diana and the Huntress from 1940. This collection of works on paper offers a unique opportunity to buy the work of a master’s hand at a fraction of the cost of an oil painting.
Silver
Featuring Tiffany sterling Tureen, bowl and pair of silver plate candlesticks; five piece Boston Coin Silver Tea Service; Gorham Narragansett sterling ladle; Kalo sterling charger; French gilt silver crown wreath; English silver forks and knives with granite handles; Continental silver cup and box; and more.
Jewelry
This lifetime collection is both dignified and elegant, evoking both a love of nature and a refined understatement, featuring a Tiffany & Co. yellow vivid diamond ring, an emerald and diamond Art Deco bracelet, Edward Oakes bracelets and a ring, a pair of Seaman Schepps shell earrings, and captivating octopus earrings by Lalaounis.
Lalaounis Edward Oakes Tiffany & Co. 3.52ct. Seaman Schepps
Wine
Brunk is pleased to present a collection of over 400 bottles of rare and vintage wine. Among the collection are Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignons, Left Bank and Right Bank Bordeauxs, Burgundies, Champagnes, and select Chardonnays. Each bottle has been well cellared and represents the lifetime collection and passion of a discerning palate.
World-Class Results, Exceptional Service
Founded four decades ago in the fertile cultural ground of Western North Carolina and invigorated by the combined expertise and enthusiasm of its staff, Brunk Auctions offers a winning combination of art world sophistication and small town customer service. We regularly achieve stunning results across all categories. We have grown, but we haven’t outgrown our roots. Our expertise and offerings span all decades and genres, and our clients bid with trust, confidence, and enthusiasm. While based in Asheville, our reach is worldwide. We offer you world class results and hometown customer service. Give us a call.
828.254.6846 ۰ info@brunkauctions.com
Rare American Queen Anne Filigree and Wax Sconce Sold for $221,400
James I English Silver Wine Cup Sold for $46,740
Oscar Heyman Sapphire and Diamond Necklace Sold for $104,550
