The 19th c. Aesthetic Movement porcelain collection of Helene Fortunoff will be auctioned April 23rd

WOLCOTTVILLE, Ind. - April 1, 2024 - PRLog -- Anyone who grew up in the New York-New Jersey metropolitan area will recognize the name Fortunoff, the high-end retailer of housewares, silverware, lighting fixtures and jewelry. Few are probably aware, however, that the matriarch of the Fortunoff family, Helene Fortunoff (1933-2021), was a passionate collector of fine antique ceramics.

Now, the entire collection that Helene assembled with her second husband Robert Grossman will come up for bid in an online-only auction slated for Tuesday, April 23^rd, starting at 6 pm Eastern time. The sale, comprising 243 lots, will be conducted by Strawser Auction Group. Online bidding will be via LiveAuctioneers.com

A preview is by appointment only on auction day from 3-5 pm, in the Strawser Auction Group facility at 200 North Main in Wolcottville, Ind. For an appointment, call 260-854-2859 or 260-336-2204; or, send an email to michael@strawserauctions.com.

The auction is officially titled The Fortunoff Collection of 19^th Century Aesthetic Movement Porcelain, reflecting the main focus of the collection. Helene had a passion for Japanese design and collected Japanese lacquer pieces. The specific styles in the auction were mostly inspired by Japan, including important pieces designed by the Father of Modernism, Christopher Dresser.

"Although very large, the collection was very specific based on the highest quality, rarity and strength of design," said Nick Boston, a dealer who first met Helene and Robert in January 2007 at the New York Ceramics Fair and went on to sell them many of the pieces in their collection. "Helene had an eye for quality. Her background in jewelry passed on to her taste in porcelain."

Mr. Boston called the collection "without a doubt the finest collection of Aesthetic Movement porcelain in the world," one that focused mainly on Minton and Royal Worcester's 'Japan' range, first introduced in 1862, and items from British manufacturers Copland, Royal Crown Derby and Coalport, "basically companies who were supplying Gilded Age US homes in the 19th century."

Numerous pieces in the auction are expected to vie foe top lot honors. Chief among them is a pair of rare Worcester porcelain Renaissance Revival pate sur pate moon flasks, circa 1875, the white ground bodies decorated with a cobalt blue panel of Italianate masks, scrolls, caryatids and fantastic animal heads and each with a large panel of pate sur pate flowers (est. $5,000-$7,000).

To view a flipbook of the auction, click on this link: The Helene Fortunoff Collection - FlipBooklets

To learn more, visit www.strawserauctions.com.