Nye & Company to sell Stradling Study Collection in September auction

Nye & Company Auctioneers will open its Sept. 9-10 Chic & Antique Auction with more than 100 lots from the Stradling Study Collection of American ceramics, alongside Vermont Federal furniture, painted furniture, portraits and modern art. The sale highlights rare material with strong provenance and scholarship, and previews begin Aug. 31 in Bloomfield, New Jersey.

Why it matters: - The sale brings a major private study collection of American ceramics to market, including more than 100 lots assembled by Diana and Gary Stradling. - The auction also combines ceramics with important early American furniture, painted country pieces, portraiture and modern art, giving collectors a broad buying opportunity in one sale. - Several lots carry strong provenance, rarity and museum-level interest, which can drive competition and prices.

What happened: - Nye & Company Auctioneers scheduled its Chic & Antique Auction for Sept. 9 and 10, beginning at 10 a.m. Eastern both days. - The auction will take place at Nye & Company’s Bloomfield gallery at 20 Beach Street in Bloomfield, New Jersey, with livestreaming for both sessions. - The Stradling Study Collection opens the first session with more than 100 lots of American pottery and related material. - The collection is titled “The Stradling Study Collection: American Pottery at Its Most Collectible.” - Nye & Company is partnering with Connor Rush of SFR Antiques on the Stradling catalogue.

The details: - The ceramics section includes an extremely rare signed “S. RISLEY / NORWICH” Connecticut relief-molded Rockingham-glazed stoneware corn pitcher. - Another standout is a Swan Hill Pottery molded Rockingham-glazed presentation Toby mug with frog. - Other ceramic highlights include a rare Philadelphia relief-molded redware pitcher attributed to Haig and a Bennington scroddled earthenware figural book flask with applied star. - A bibliography has been prepared for lots 1-111, and questions about those lots can be directed to Connor Rush at connor@nyeandcompany.com. - Furniture highlights include a Federal inlaid cherrywood bombé swell-front chest of drawers attributed to George Stedman of Norwich, Vermont, circa 1815-1822. - The Stedman chest is one of only four or five known examples. - The sale also includes a Federal carved and ormolu-mounted mahogany sofa, possibly by Samuel Field McIntire, early 19th century. - A Federal mahogany eagle-inlaid easy chair from Massachusetts, circa 1790, formerly handled by Israel Sack Inc., is also in the sale. - A near pair of William and Mary turned and joined maple “leather back” side chairs from Boston, circa 1725, rounds out the Massachusetts seating. - Painted furniture offerings include The Dr. Josiah Bartlett Federal grain-painted apothecary chest from New Hampshire, circa 1790-1820, with an original undisturbed surface. - Another painted highlight is a pine chest of drawers from the Mid-Atlantic States, possibly the Gettysburg area of Pennsylvania, circa 1840. - The sale includes several sets of painted Windsor chairs. - Fine art highlights include A.B. Frost’s watercolor The Hunters Story. - The fine-art section also includes a painting in the manner of Jacopo Robusti Tintoretto depicting Pietro Capello, Governor of Friuli. - Portrait offerings include works attributed to or associated with Rembrandt Peale, John Hoppner, William Matthew Prior and Jean-Jacques Henner. - Contemporary furnishings in the sale include Ralph Lauren and Restoration Hardware pieces, such as a pair of Metropolitan end tables and a Ralph Lauren club chair and ottoman. - Modern and contemporary art includes a Pablo Picasso linocut, L'Homme au Baton (Man with Stick), two silkscreen prints by Adolph Gottlieb and a large-scale acrylic on canvas by Kazys Varnelis. - Public preview runs Aug. 31 through Sept. 4 and again Sept. 8 and 9, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., with the gallery closed on Labor Day, Sept. 7. - Additional bidding is available through Invaluable, BidSquare, BidSpirit, Drouot and LiveAuctioneers. - More information is available on the company's website.

Between the lines: - The Stradling material is more than a ceramics sale; it is a scholarly collection built by dealers known for shaping the American ceramics market. - The furniture and painted-woodenware lots lean into Americana, where provenance, rarity and condition matter as much as design. - The mix of American, British and Continental art broadens the sale’s audience beyond one category of collector. - Direct bidding through Nye & Company lowers the buyer’s premium by 5 percent versus third-party platforms, which may steer activity toward the house’s own channels.

What's next: - Collectors can preview the auction in Bloomfield before the first session opens on Sept. 9. - Nye & Company will livestream both auction days. - Bidders can choose direct bidding or use outside platforms, with catalogues, condition reports and additional updates available through Nye & Company. - The auction house says more highlights and behind-the-scenes content will appear on its social channels.