Nye & Company’s Sept. 9-10 Chic & Antique Auction brings the Stradling Study Collection of American ceramics to market

Offered: American pottery, Vermont Federal furniture, painted country pieces, British portraiture, sporting art, Old Masters, modern prints, contemporary design

BLOOMFIELD, NJ, UNITED STATES, August 26, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Nye & Company Auctioneers invites collectors, dealers, designers and connoisseurs everywhere to discover two days of exceptional objects at its Chic & Antique Auction, slated for September 9th and 10th, beginning at 10am Eastern Time both days.

At the heart of the sale is an extraordinary opportunity for collectors of American ceramics: more than 100 lots from the Stradling Study Collection -- property from the celebrated New York City antiques dealers Diana and Gary Stradling. The collection launches the first session with over 100 lots of pottery and related material—a remarkable concentration assembled by two dealers whose scholarship, eye and enthusiasm helped shape the American ceramics market for decades.

“Nye & Company is thrilled to bring The Stradling Study Collection to market in partnership with Connor Rush of SFR Antiques, whose assistance and scholarship were instrumental in completing the catalogue for this important offering,” said Andrew Holter of Nye & Company Auctioneers.

Holter added, “Diana and J. Garrison ‘Gary’ Stradling have been partners in the antiques business since 1967 and became particularly respected for their expertise in American pottery, porcelain and glass. Their decades of collecting, dealing and scholarship placed them among the most influential specialists in American ceramics. The Stradling material is more than a group of exceptional objects—it’s a window into the intellectual history of American ceramics collecting.”

The collection is officially titled “The Stradling Study Collection: American Pottery at Its Most Collectible.” Among the standouts is an extremely rare signed “S. RISLEY / NORWICH” Connecticut relief-molded Rockingham-glazed stoneware corn pitcher, a superb example of the distinctive molded stoneware produced in 19th century New England.

Also commanding attention is a Swan Hill Pottery (South Amboy, N.J.) molded Rockingham-glazed presentation Toby mug with frog. Swan Hill is a compelling chapter in the history of New Jersey ceramics. The pottery was established at South Amboy in 1849, and its early production is associated with makers including Edward Hanks and Charles Fish. The factory became known for yellow ware and Rockingham-glazed wares, part of the flourishing American pottery industry that drew heavily upon Staffordshire technology, designs and immigrant craftsmen.

The firm's story becomes even more fascinating with Charles Coxon, the English-born potter and modeler who left the Bennett Pottery and operated Swan Hill from around 1858-1860. Coxon produced highly sculptural Rockingham and yellow wares there before moving to Trenton and establishing Coxon & Co. His Swan Hill production is rare and highly sought after by specialists.

Other highlights from the Stradling Study Collection include a rare Philadelphia relief-molded redware pitcher, attributed to Haig, and an equally scarce Bennington scroddled earthenware figural book flask with applied star. Together, these lots demonstrate the astonishing range of American ceramic ingenuity—from sophisticated relief molding to whimsical figural forms and boldly decorated earthenwares.

A detailed bibliography for lots 1–111 has been prepared to accompany this offering. View the Stradling Study Collection bibliography. For questions regarding lots 1 through 111, or for assistance accessing the bibliography, interested parties may contact Connor Rush at
connor@nyeandcompany.com.

Beyond the ceramics, the September sale offers a particularly strong selection of early American and English furniture and folk art from private collections, with several pieces destined to attract serious attention from Americana collectors. A major furniture highlight is the rare Federal inlaid cherrywood bombé swell-front chest of drawers attributed to George Stedman (1795–1881), Norwich, Vermont, circa 1815–1822.

Stedman was part of the vigorous cabinetmaking tradition of northern Vermont. He worked in Chester before ultimately moving to Norwich, and scholarship has associated his work with the distinctive use of cherry, string inlay and French-inspired Federal forms. Vermont furniture of this period is particularly compelling because it combines sophisticated cosmopolitan design with the materials and craftsmanship of a relatively rural market.

The offered chest is an exceptionally rare form, with only four or five known examples, making it an important opportunity for collectors of Vermont and Federal furniture. A related Stedman bombé chest has realized $17,775 at auction, while another example more recently sold for $19,700, demonstrating the continued appeal of this unusual Vermont form.

The broader bombé tradition is one of the great achievements of early American cabinetmaking. Important related examples are represented in major museum collections, including Winterthur, while bombé furniture is also prominently represented at Historic Deerfield. The rarity of these highly curved case pieces—and the extraordinary technical skill required to construct them—has long made them favorites among advanced American furniture collectors.

Another furniture star is a Federal carved and ormolu-mounted mahogany sofa, possibly by Samuel Field McIntire (1780–1819), Salem, Massachusetts, early 19th century. The sale also includes a Federal mahogany eagle-inlaid easy chair, Massachusetts, circa 1790, formerly handled by the esteemed American furniture firm Israel Sack Inc. The combination of an eagle motif, Federal form and distinguished dealer provenance makes this a particularly appealing piece for the serious Americana collector.

Rounding out the Massachusetts furniture are a near pair of William and Mary turned and joined maple “leather back” side chairs, Boston, circa 1725. These are fabulous and unusually rare survivors, offering collectors an opportunity to acquire early Boston seating furniture with a strong architectural presence and wonderfully restrained early-18th-century form.

For collectors who prefer their Americana with a little more patina and a little less polish, the sale offers an exceptional selection of painted furniture. One of the most evocative pieces is The Dr. Josiah Bartlett Federal grain-painted apothecary chest, New Hampshire, 1790–1820. The painted surface is original and undisturbed, presenting what can only be described as a virtual archaeological site of use: layers of wear, handling and history remain visible across the surface.

The chest is associated with Dr. Josiah Bartlett, one of New Hampshire's most distinguished 18th century physicians and statesmen. Bartlett practiced medicine beginning in 1750, signed the Declaration of Independence, served in the Continental Congress, became the first president of the New Hampshire Medical Society and later served as president and governor of New Hampshire.

Apothecary chests were essential tools for physicians and pharmacists, designed to organize bottles, medicines, powders and instruments for both office and travel. Their highly compartmentalized interiors made them practical working objects, while their survival today offers a remarkably intimate connection to early American medical practice.

The Bartlett chest was once owned by the highly regarded Connecticut dealer Marguerite Riordan, further enhancing its importance within the history of American painted furniture collecting.

Another standout is a paint-decorated pine chest of drawers, Mid-Atlantic States, possibly Gettysburg-area, Pennsylvania, circa 1840, formerly handled by James and Nancy Glazer and once in the collection of Peter and Barbara Goodman, before ultimately being offered at Christie's in New York.

The sale also features several attractive sets of painted Windsor chairs. Windsor chairs occupy a special place in the history of American furniture. Originating in England in the early 18th century, the form was adopted and transformed by American chairmakers into one of the country's most recognizable furniture types.

American makers embraced bentwood technology and developed regional variations in back, arm and leg construction. The result was a chair that was comparatively light, strong, practical and visually elegant – qualities that have kept the Windsor relevant for more than three centuries.

The fine-art portion of the sale offers an equally eclectic mix. A highlight is A.B. Frost's watercolor, The Hunters Story, depicting two hunters seated on logs in the woods with their dogs, apparently deep in the telling—or perhaps embellishing—of the day's adventures.

Arthur Burdett Frost (1851–1928) was one of America's great illustrators, celebrated for his humorous depictions of rural life, animals and sporting subjects. He worked for publications including Harper's and illustrated such enduring works as Uncle Remus. He later studied with William Merritt Chase and developed a parallel career as a painter of landscapes, sporting scenes and still lifes.

Frost's market is broad, with works selling from hundreds or a few thousand dollars for smaller or less significant examples to substantially higher figures for important sporting watercolors. Recent auction history includes—Fall Woodcock Shooting, for example, achieved $78,000, and Grouse Shooting sold for $34,800. A 2026 Frost watercolor, An Unexpected Chance, carried an estimate of $60,000–$90,000, illustrating the continuing strength of the artist's best sporting material.

Also noteworthy is a painting in the manner of Jacopo Robusti Tintoretto (1518–1594) depicting Pietro Capello, Governor of Friuli, inscribed at upper right with an identification of the sitter. The work bears labels from the Fogg Museum of Art and the Minneapolis Institute of Art, with corresponding loan numbers. The painting is a terrific example of the enduring power of 16th century Venetian portraiture, with its penetrating characterization and dramatic sense of presence.

For portrait enthusiasts, the sale continues with a group of works attributed to or associated with such artists as Rembrandt Peale, John Hoppner, William Matthew Prior and Jean-Jacques Henner.

Rembrandt Peale (1778–1860), son of Charles Willson Peale, became one of America's leading portraitists and is particularly renowned for his numerous portraits of George Washington. He also traveled extensively in Europe, studied the Old Masters and sought to elevate American painting through history painting and museum culture.

John Hoppner (1758–1810) was one of the leading British portrait painters of the Georgian era. His elegant portraits of aristocratic and royal sitters established him as a major rival to Sir Thomas Lawrence and Sir Joshua Reynolds, and his work remains a staple of the British portrait market and museum collections.

William Matthew Prior (1806–1873) represents a very different but equally important American tradition. A prolific folk portraitist, Prior painted families and children with an immediately recognizable directness. Approximately 1,500 portraits have been attributed to him, and his paintings are represented in major American museum collections.

And then there is the wonderfully haunting red-haired woman by Jean-Jacques Henner, whose distinctive fascination with red-haired female figures has made such works particularly recognizable within his oeuvre. The painting adds a decidedly Continental and atmospheric note to an otherwise deeply American portrait offering.

For those who prefer Chic over Antique, Nye & Company's September sale offers plenty to tempt the modern eye.

Contemporary furnishings include selections from Ralph Lauren and Restoration Hardware, including a pair of Metropolitan end tables and a Ralph Lauren club chair and ottoman—pieces equally at home in a sophisticated townhouse, country house or modern apartment.

The sale also embraces modern and contemporary art, including 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.

Gottlieb (1903–1974) was an important American modernist and a founding member of the group known as The Ten. His career encompassed the pictograph imagery of the 1940s, the imaginary landscapes of the 1950s and his celebrated Burst paintings.

The public is invited to preview the auction at Nye & Company's Bloomfield gallery at 20 Beach Street in Bloomfield, New Jersey, from 10am-4pm, August 31 through September 4, and again September 8 and 9. Nye & Company will be closed on Labor Day, Monday, September 7.

The first session begins Wednesday, September 9 at 10am Eastern Time, followed by the second session on Thursday, September 10 at 10am Eastern Time. Both sessions will be livestreamed through Nye & Company.

Collectors can bid directly through Nye & Company. Bidders who bid directly with Nye & Company save 5 percent on the buyer's premium compared with the applicable premium when bidding through the third-party platforms. Additional bidding is available through Invaluable, BidSquare, BidSpirit, Drouot and LiveAuctioneers.

Whether your passion is American pottery, Vermont Federal furniture, painted country pieces, British portraiture, sporting art, Old Masters, modern prints or contemporary design, Nye & Company's September Chic & Antique Auction promises an unusually rich intersection of scholarship, provenance and style.

Follow Nye & Company on social media for additional highlights, behind-the-scenes glimpses, new discoveries and upcoming auction news. For additional information, catalogues, condition reports and bidding, visit www.nyeandcompany.com. They can be reached by phone at 973-984-6900; or via email at info@nyeandcompany.com.

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Andrew Holter
Nye & Company Auctioneers
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