Among the Furniture & Decorative Arts highlights at Clars Auctions’ July 17th Gallery Auction are three extraordinary lots that tell a fascinating story of California’s early political, financial, and cultural history.
Together, they trace the intersecting legacies of Governor Milton Slocum Latham and railroad magnate Mark Hopkins — two figures whose lives helped shape the Golden State during the nineteenth century.
Estimate: $8,000–$12,000
At the center of this narrative is a rare set of Herter Brothers armchairs, commissioned circa 1872 for the billiard room of Governor Milton Slocum Latham’s Menlo Park estate, Thurlow Lodge. Celebrated as America’s premier cabinetmakers during the Gilded Age, Herter Brothers furnished many of the country’s most prestigious residences, and these chairs stand as exceptional examples of their craftsmanship. Following Latham’s financial collapse and death in 1882, Thurlow Lodge and its contents were purchased by Mary K. Hopkins, widow of railroad executive Mark Hopkins, weaving the furnishings of one prominent California family into the legacy of another. The armchairs remained within the Hopkins family until they were sold as part of the estate in 1942.
Estimate: $8,000–$12,000
Estimate: $8,000–$12,000
Further strengthening this remarkable connection is an 1878 carved marble bust of Mark Hopkins by Italian sculptor Pietro Mezzara. Executed during the same year as Hopkins’ death, the portrait captures one of the famed “Big Four” railroad pioneers whose vision transformed transportation and commerce throughout the American West. Offered alongside the Herter Brothers armchairs, the bust provides collectors with an exceptional opportunity to acquire objects connected through one of California’s most distinguished historical estates.
Estimate: $1,500–$2,500
Completing the grouping is a beautiful Baccarat opaline glass vase dated 1867, produced during the same year the renowned French glassmaker exhibited at the Paris Exposition Universelle. Unlike the furnishings from Thurlow Lodge, the vase descends directly through the family of Governor Latham, offering an unbroken lineage to one of California’s earliest political leaders.
Estimate: $2,500–$3,500
Together, these exceptional works represent far more than fine examples of decorative arts. They embody the intertwined histories of two influential California families, preserving a tangible connection to the personalities, homes, and ambitions that shaped the state’s Gilded Age. Opportunities to acquire objects with such well-documented provenance and historical continuity are increasingly rare, making this grouping a standout feature of Clars’ July 17th Gallery Auction
