Rare items expected to create bidding frenzies at EJ’s Auction & Appraisal’s 2nd Annual New Year’s Day Auction
GLENDALE, Ariz. (December 23, 2019) – As EJ’s Auction & Appraisal’s New Year’s Day auction approaches, two rare items are already generating buzz among bidders:
- A pair of Frank Lloyd Wright stained glass door panels that date back more than 80 years are being sold for the first time by Bonnie Jean Wild Keith, a 90-year-old Chino Valley resident whose family was friends with the famed architect. “As a small child, I met Mr. Wright a number of times at my grandparents’ house in Milwaukee, Wisconsin,” Keith said. “As an older child, I remember the jelly/jam cupboard in Gram’s kitchen. The stained-glass doors, I was told, were commissioned by Mr. Wright and given as a gift to my grandmother as thanks for the many good Scottish dinners she cooked for him.” The stained-glass door panels measure 58 ½ inches high by 18 inches wide, and they are considered to be a rare find among collectors. The strong provenance includes a letter from Bonnie Keith to Sotheby’s, which details the history of the stained-glass door panels, which moved with her and her family to Racine, Wisconsin, Buffalo, Wyoming and two homes in Arizona.Frank Lloyd Wright (1867-1959) emerged as an architect during the turn-of-the-century Arts and Crafts movement. He first became known for his Prairie Style of architecture, and later, his more linear Textile Style, followed by his mid-century modern interior designs and furnishings, and his Organic Style or architecture, which is rooted in nature. A world-renowned architect, Wright was also a published author and educator. He designed more than 1,000 structures, 532 of which were completed.
- A Wang Dafan Chinese Painted Porcelain Table Screen featuring an inscription and export stamp is expected to create a bidding frenzy due to demand for the artist’s work.
An accomplished painter, Wang Dafan (1888-1961) was best known for his porcelain work. In 2018, a similar piece by Wang Dafan soared to $150,000 at Heritage Auctions.The porcelain tile measures 7 ¾ inches high x 5 inches wide, and the frame measures 17 inches high x 10 inches wide. In the first panel of the tile, Chinese characters describe the groom drawing his bride’s eyebrows. (It is an implication of having good relationships between the groom and bride). It is believed to be a blessing from the person who gave this panel to them as wedding gift. The panel is marked Winter, 1934, during the new China period and given to the couple by their friend Zhang Ruirong.
EJ’s Auction & Appraisal’s 2nd Annual New Year’s Day Auction features high-end antiques and collectibles from several affluent estates. Other highlights include a 1974 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray, antique silver Russian icons dating back to the mid-1800s, and oil paintings by David Burliuk and Henry Hubbell.
Doors open at 10 a.m. on Wednesday, January 1, 2020 with the New Year’s Day auction starting at noon. A free public preview takes place Monday and Tuesday, December 30-31 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Collectors also can preview items and bid online.
EJ’s Auction & Appraisal conducts exciting, high-energy auctions at 10 a.m. every Saturday at the full-service auction house, located at 5880 W. Bell Road, in Glendale on the northeast corner of 59th Avenue and Bell Road. For details, visit www.ejsauction.com or call (623) 878-2003.
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