tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31189556259570535672024-03-13T17:20:38.515-07:00Aestheticus Rexthe incestuous world of design...Patrick Sheehanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11237658330558641719noreply@blogger.comBlogger112125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3118955625957053567.post-54051886567673919032018-05-19T19:44:00.002-07:002018-05-23T09:40:24.007-07:00A Tiara For Miss Markle Part II: The Duchess of SussexWell the royal wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle has come and gone and the young couple are now styled as the Duke and Duchess of Sussex. I have to say my guess as to what tiara she would don for the big day was way off, but I was not alone as the tiara selected had not been seen publicly in nearly seventy years.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-G--wkISttAM/WwCHGn_qkBI/AAAAAAAAC2Q/VcWu9G3LQi85tCQCPnN89udoiIdqMk0TACLcBGAs/s1600/meghan-markle-tiara-703788.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="413" data-original-width="620" height="266" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-G--wkISttAM/WwCHGn_qkBI/AAAAAAAAC2Q/VcWu9G3LQi85tCQCPnN89udoiIdqMk0TACLcBGAs/s400/meghan-markle-tiara-703788.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Meghan, Duchess of Sussex wearing Queen Mary's Bandeau Tiara <i> Image via Daily Star</i></td></tr>
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I present Queen Mary's Diamond Bandeau Tiara (formerly known to royal watchers as the filigree tiara).<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-qmf5G-zBbfc/WwCLQ0yYtMI/AAAAAAAAC2c/s5qVBsjeMJkT-YFUue1fe5gyYJKqo-8dgCLcBGAs/s1600/bandeau.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1109" data-original-width="888" height="400" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-qmf5G-zBbfc/WwCLQ0yYtMI/AAAAAAAAC2c/s5qVBsjeMJkT-YFUue1fe5gyYJKqo-8dgCLcBGAs/s400/bandeau.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Queen Mary's Diamond Bandeau Tiara <i> Image via The International Order of Sartorial Splendor</i></td></tr>
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The tiara was loaned by the Queen and is a high art deco stunner. It was commissioned by Queen Mary in 1932 and is centered by a Victorian diamond rose brooch that Queen Mary received as a wedding gift from the County of Lincoln in 1893. The tiara is divided into eleven flexible sections with an overall geometric pattern of interlacing arcs.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-TzHIvzObFcg/WwCPiqL_XbI/AAAAAAAAC2o/Fg3klRedMXEgVsbNfIqJJ1-kHnTHLKWkwCLcBGAs/s1600/RSJ97835.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="370" data-original-width="473" height="312" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-TzHIvzObFcg/WwCPiqL_XbI/AAAAAAAAC2o/Fg3klRedMXEgVsbNfIqJJ1-kHnTHLKWkwCLcBGAs/s400/RSJ97835.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Queen Mary wearing the bandeau to a film premier in 1949 <i> Image via Historic Images</i></td></tr>
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The tiara was seen publicly at a few events up through the late 1940s and then it passed to Queen Elizabeth II upon Queen Mary's death in 1953 and disappeared from view. While it has been stated that the tiara was designed to accommodate the the County of Lincoln brooch, you can see from the period images Queen Mary was wearing it with a different central stone. Queen Mary loved versatility with her jewels and often had pieces that could be worn a number of ways and with different configurations of stones.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LW5KCfoDSxE/WwCYF6B0RiI/AAAAAAAAC20/Cz4uyW2ZZ_ES-ArOFwnkTXnY3UQzLUMXgCLcBGAs/s1600/2ajaupy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="830" data-original-width="748" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LW5KCfoDSxE/WwCYF6B0RiI/AAAAAAAAC20/Cz4uyW2ZZ_ES-ArOFwnkTXnY3UQzLUMXgCLcBGAs/s400/2ajaupy.jpg" width="360" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Queen Mary wearing the bandeau <i>Image via Royal Jewels of the World</i></td></tr>
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When a royal jewel such as this falls out of use there is the worry/assumption that it may have been dismantled for the creation of another piece. It is for this reason none of the most skilled royal watchers had this tiara in the running on their prediction lists. </div>
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The use of a sleek and modern tiara seems to be a growing trend among royal brides which is fitting given the simplified clean lines preferred by contemporary brides. It is a far cry from the <a href="https://c8.alamy.com/comp/B4PW6X/duke-and-duchess-of-york-wedding-day-july-1986-B4PW6X.jpg" target="_blank">romantic</a>, <a href="http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2017/08/18/00/4356B95300000578-4801020-image-m-28_1503011809014.jpg" target="_blank">historicist</a> and <a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-DY_PKstkf3Q/Ul39eVbMybI/AAAAAAAAYu8/d-giPFTj2R0/s1600/_ds2.jpg" target="_blank">opulent</a> trends preferred in fashion and the decorative arts of the go-go 1980s and 90s. The Duchess of Cambridge borrowed the Queen Mother's <a href="http://aestheticusrex.blogspot.com/2011/04/catherine-middleton-wears-haloscroll.html" target="_blank">Cartier Halo</a> art deco tiara for her nuptials to Prince William in 2011 with great effect.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-voPBMzZplaw/WwDDcdcd2RI/AAAAAAAAC3A/P791jvbTcM8sDCYF2TKx3jLfSndp4jbXACLcBGAs/s1600/cartier-tiara-exhibition-social.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="630" data-original-width="1200" height="210" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-voPBMzZplaw/WwDDcdcd2RI/AAAAAAAAC3A/P791jvbTcM8sDCYF2TKx3jLfSndp4jbXACLcBGAs/s400/cartier-tiara-exhibition-social.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Duchess of Cambridge on her wedding day and the "Halo" at right <i>Image via MamaMia</i></td></tr>
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Similarly, Princess Anne's daughter, Zara Phillips wore the starkly modern Meander Tiara for her 2011 wedding to Mike Tindall. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-tCDT6fEUYME/WwDICoosfcI/AAAAAAAAC3M/u5Z0FFRBxsEW71YmpWhzbiqFZWx1uhEmQCLcBGAs/s1600/ba53fa0de9ab744e3247d033d87dd845.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="893" data-original-width="1000" height="356" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-tCDT6fEUYME/WwDICoosfcI/AAAAAAAAC3M/u5Z0FFRBxsEW71YmpWhzbiqFZWx1uhEmQCLcBGAs/s400/ba53fa0de9ab744e3247d033d87dd845.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Zara Phillips on her wedding day in 2011 <i>Image via Pinterest</i></td></tr>
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While technically not art deco this Edwardian neoclassical bandeau has a chic austerity and a low profile perfect for a contemporary bride.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-W_H2Ac5-0CA/WwDMLozSdrI/AAAAAAAAC3Y/HKi5j0nO1ksofJIWw2gISw_SOk9gWPFhgCLcBGAs/s1600/11189138_473842586115397_1618151515_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="640" height="400" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-W_H2Ac5-0CA/WwDMLozSdrI/AAAAAAAAC3Y/HKi5j0nO1ksofJIWw2gISw_SOk9gWPFhgCLcBGAs/s400/11189138_473842586115397_1618151515_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Meander Tiara seen from left with: Princess Anne, Zara Phillips and Princess Andrew of Greece <i>Image via SociImage</i></td></tr>
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The Meader Tiara dates to the turn of the century and belonged to Princess Andrew of Greece, Prince Phillips mother and was given to Queen Elizabeth II as a wedding present. In turn, it was given to Princess Anne in 1972 in whose possession it remains.<br />
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There you have it. A few questions remain. Is it a lifetime loan? Will the Duchess of Sussex have access to other pieces as needed? Only time till tell.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-WWPQUibzIrg/WwWZIk5VdDI/AAAAAAAAC3k/6QKK7jyvhrAnRd65u2smd2q-jVU6NqNiQCLcBGAs/s1600/Sussex.Bandeau.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="620" data-original-width="564" height="400" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-WWPQUibzIrg/WwWZIk5VdDI/AAAAAAAAC3k/6QKK7jyvhrAnRd65u2smd2q-jVU6NqNiQCLcBGAs/s400/Sussex.Bandeau.JPG" width="363" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Duchess of Sussex on her wedding day <i>Image via the Telegraph</i> </td></tr>
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Until next time--AR</div>
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Patrick Sheehanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11237658330558641719noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3118955625957053567.post-45432889529243039712018-05-18T10:36:00.000-07:002018-06-22T11:05:32.119-07:00A Tiara For Miss MarkleI have long neglected this blog but as the nuptials of Prince Harry and our Miss Meghan Markle are upon us I thought I would chime-in regarding the possible tiara she may wear on the big day. The <a href="http://aestheticusrex.blogspot.com/2010/11/tale-of-tiaras-what-will-queen-bestow.html" target="_blank">post</a> regarding the wedding tiara for the Duchess of Cambridge remains my most read post to date. I am motivated to write due to the vast amount of sensational and incorrect information that is floating about. The majority of news outlets on both sides of the Atlantic are putting forth tiaras that are now more closely associated with the Duchess of Cambridge and I believe this to be an obvious oversight. Namely the Cambridge Lover's Knot and the Queen Mother's Lotus Flower tiara.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-BcT2rSOazsc/Wvz3iq0rquI/AAAAAAAACzQ/7NAFtBcRCKsjmAWB_nSATat2Epyg_Q2ZACLcBGAs/s1600/cambridge%2Blovers%2Bknot%2Btiara.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="337" data-original-width="566" height="236" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-BcT2rSOazsc/Wvz3iq0rquI/AAAAAAAACzQ/7NAFtBcRCKsjmAWB_nSATat2Epyg_Q2ZACLcBGAs/s400/cambridge%2Blovers%2Bknot%2Btiara.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cambridge Lover's Knot Tiara <i>Image via The Royal Digest</i></td></tr>
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<span style="background-color: white;">As we know, the Lover's Knot is most closely associated with Princess Diana but it has a deeper history. </span><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #191919; font-family: "georgia" , serif;">It was commissioned in 1914 by Queen Mary who, in a nostalgic vein, wanted to recreate the lover's knot tiara that belonged to her grandmother, Princess Augusta of Hesse. Originally each knot was surmounted by an oval pearl to mirror each drop below but by 1935 it was simplified to its present form. Queen Mary passed it to her granddaughter Queen Elizabeth II who in turn presented it to Diana upon the occasion of her marriage to Prince Charles. Most recently it has been worn to state events by the Duchess of Cambridge which is why I feel it would be a misstep to have it as a centerpiece of Miss Markle's big day.</span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5MoUztpZeug/Wvz6vsCGQdI/AAAAAAAACzc/JIs52DT-LDQQIiymEAEOVjpUxH6dbK6LwCLcBGAs/s1600/LoversKnot.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="578" data-original-width="962" height="240" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5MoUztpZeug/Wvz6vsCGQdI/AAAAAAAACzc/JIs52DT-LDQQIiymEAEOVjpUxH6dbK6LwCLcBGAs/s400/LoversKnot.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Cambridge Lover's Knot seen from left with: Queen Mary, Queen Elizabeth II, Princess Diana and the Duchess of Cambridge <i> Image via the Daily Mail</i></td></tr>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #191919; font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 13px;">I have similar thoughts regarding the Queen Mother's Lotus Flower Tiara. Also known as the </span></span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #191919; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 13px;">Papyrus Tiara, it was fashioned from a necklace that was given to The Queen Mother on the occasion of her wedding to Prince Albert (later George VI) in 1923.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Q5LbgINQ5yM/Wvz-7ggUZpI/AAAAAAAACzo/m1cKXX1WVuABckhK5yVObklAajrsWmNUwCLcBGAs/s1600/Lotus.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="362" data-original-width="320" height="400" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Q5LbgINQ5yM/Wvz-7ggUZpI/AAAAAAAACzo/m1cKXX1WVuABckhK5yVObklAajrsWmNUwCLcBGAs/s400/Lotus.jpg" width="352" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Lotus Flower Tiara and the necklace from which it was fashioned <i>Image via WhatKateWore.com</i></td></tr>
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The Queen Mother loaned the tiara to Princess Margaret and it became a fixture in her repertoire. Princess Margaret in turn loaned the tiara to her daughter-in-law Serena Stanhope on the occasion of her marriage to Viscount David Linley. The fact that the Lotus Flower has been regularly loaned to the Duchess of Cambridge has solved an age old mystery. It was long assumed that the Queen mother likely gave the Lotus Flower to Princess Margaret outright, but it is now clear that is was a lifetime loan and was returned to the royal vaults after the Princess' death in 2002 and thus falls under the purview of Queen Elizabeth II.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-MtikVYCljN4/Wv0FJwPpUAI/AAAAAAAACz0/AeMxBS1BIIMmvrJaWm4H9WGG9XV93wjcACLcBGAs/s1600/555152173c34bda4a9796320310504d9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="382" data-original-width="636" height="240" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-MtikVYCljN4/Wv0FJwPpUAI/AAAAAAAACz0/AeMxBS1BIIMmvrJaWm4H9WGG9XV93wjcACLcBGAs/s400/555152173c34bda4a9796320310504d9.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Lotus Flower seen from left with: The Queen Mother, Princess Margaret, Serena Viscountess Linley and the Duchess of Cambridge <i>Image via the Daily Mail</i></td></tr>
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Again, since the Lotus Flower has been loaned to the Duchess of Cambridge for recent state functions it would lack special significance for Miss Markle's wedding.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-JsdpcuPZRIc/Wv0NWX4xx5I/AAAAAAAAC0A/9UOratDXn9YQ-K_ZmesKtOBMCaCpghq4gCLcBGAs/s1600/spencer.tiara.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="520" data-original-width="891" height="232" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-JsdpcuPZRIc/Wv0NWX4xx5I/AAAAAAAAC0A/9UOratDXn9YQ-K_ZmesKtOBMCaCpghq4gCLcBGAs/s400/spencer.tiara.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Spencer Tiara <i>Image via The Order of Splendor</i></td></tr>
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Time Magazine, as well as other outlets, has put forth the Spencer Tiara as a candidate as it would be a sentimental nod to Princess Diana who wore it on her wedding day to Prince Charles in 1981. The tiara is a historic piece from the Spencer family and was worn at the weddings of both of Diana's older sisters and by her sister-in-law Victoria Aitken.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-vCyfOkqd4ng/Wv0OmUhKgmI/AAAAAAAAC0M/6oXNcqp1anEjaInNStOGWOeGdVsuoCpvQCLcBGAs/s1600/screen-shot-2017-08-27-at-2-32-34-pm.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="507" data-original-width="1024" height="197" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-vCyfOkqd4ng/Wv0OmUhKgmI/AAAAAAAAC0M/6oXNcqp1anEjaInNStOGWOeGdVsuoCpvQCLcBGAs/s400/screen-shot-2017-08-27-at-2-32-34-pm.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Spencer Tiara seen from left with: Lady Jane Spencer, Lady Sarah Spencer, Princess Diana, and the former Victoria, Countess Spencer <i>Image via The Royal Watcher</i></td></tr>
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It has seen many a wedding, which in itself is not such a bad thing but it is the property of Princess Diana's brother, Charles the 9th Earl Spencer which could add a wrinkle. Since it is the 9th Earl's property the royal couple and the British Royal Family would have no control over its later use and exhibition which could prove unseemly. In addition, the 9th Earl has five daughters of his own who will likely lay claim to use of the tiara for their respective wedding days down the road.<br />
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Since the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge's union and subsequent children, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle will not be "main line" royals in the strictest sense. Meaning there is little likelihood that Prince Harry would ever been King. The Queen Mother and especially Queen Elizabeth II have been very forward thinking about the core collection of jewels, consolidating them for the working Royals of the main line, making loans of some pieces and purchasing others as outright gifts, thus ensuring that historic pieces will remain for the use of the current monarch. Such was the case when Princess Margaret wed Anthony Armstong-Jones in 1960. Princess Margaret at this point was no longer "main line" and already had use of many historic pieces as a young woman, therefore instead of something leaving the core collection the decision was made to buy her a tiara. Thus enters the Poltimore Tiara.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Tf2df7mp8Ys/Wv370iYJayI/AAAAAAAAC0Y/RviLErZ3w6AJckFZuVPmrA--B3VGQCbswCLcBGAs/s1600/gallery-1484588851-gallery-1484322523-gettyimages-107706474.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="615" data-original-width="768" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Tf2df7mp8Ys/Wv370iYJayI/AAAAAAAAC0Y/RviLErZ3w6AJckFZuVPmrA--B3VGQCbswCLcBGAs/s400/gallery-1484588851-gallery-1484322523-gettyimages-107706474.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Princess Margaret and Anthony Armstrong-Jones on their wedding day <i>Image via Country Life</i></td></tr>
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The tiara is a Victorian piece by the then court jeweler Garrard dating to the 1870s. You can read more about its history <a href="https://www.christies.com/lotfinder/lot/the-poltimore-tiara-4718180-details.aspx?from=searchresults&intObjectID=4718180&sid=401d39d5-2f89-4b31-be71-24e1154e8fa1" target="_blank">here</a> as it was sold at Christie's for a whopping $1.7M along with the rest of Princess Margaret's estate in 2006.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-1UsQYQ0oOXA/Wv38s_JekuI/AAAAAAAAC0o/XR5WWTdWqGQ1bCSt4sSrsOHUhl71sRbhACEwYBhgL/s1600/Paltimore%2BTiara%2B%25281870%2529%2Bby%2BGarrards%2Bfor%2BLady%2BFlorence%2BPaltimore%2B3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="890" data-original-width="1600" height="222" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-1UsQYQ0oOXA/Wv38s_JekuI/AAAAAAAAC0o/XR5WWTdWqGQ1bCSt4sSrsOHUhl71sRbhACEwYBhgL/s400/Paltimore%2BTiara%2B%25281870%2529%2Bby%2BGarrards%2Bfor%2BLady%2BFlorence%2BPaltimore%2B3.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Poltimore Tiara <i>Image via Tiara Mania</i></td></tr>
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Similarly, when Queen Elizabeth's son, Prince Andrew, wed Sarah Ferguson in 1986 the decision was made to purchase a tiara rather than have one leave the core collection. Thus enters the York Diamond Tiara.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-giWOVA5Ygc8/Wv4C1IX3kbI/AAAAAAAAC0w/aTSVogjNHkobuLMapKeqR-qlVi-aus5rACLcBGAs/s1600/0001C56200000C1D-5352743-image-a-18_1517825958672.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="491" data-original-width="634" height="308" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-giWOVA5Ygc8/Wv4C1IX3kbI/AAAAAAAAC0w/aTSVogjNHkobuLMapKeqR-qlVi-aus5rACLcBGAs/s400/0001C56200000C1D-5352743-image-a-18_1517825958672.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson on their wedding day <i>Image via the Daily Mail</i></td></tr>
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Again the Queen purchased a Garrard piece, this time a tiara with scrolling foliage surmounted by a brilliant cut diamond.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-AMZ2ofWQy7k/Wv4DzC9L5II/AAAAAAAAC08/gt6kZe0qWS0UWWJG4q1c9gR-qapsLCjawCLcBGAs/s1600/_ywt1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="356" data-original-width="648" height="218" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-AMZ2ofWQy7k/Wv4DzC9L5II/AAAAAAAAC08/gt6kZe0qWS0UWWJG4q1c9gR-qapsLCjawCLcBGAs/s400/_ywt1.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The York Diamond Tiara <i>Image via The Royal Order of Sartorial Splendor</i></td></tr>
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The tiara was a fixture in Sarah's brief career as a royal and was last seen publicly in 2001. Perhaps we shall see it again when her daughter, Princess Eugenie, weds later this fall.<br />
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The Queen could also choose to adapt a minor historic piece as a gift or lifetime loan as she did when her son Prince Edward wed Sophie Rhys-Jones (later Countess of Wessex) in the summer of 1999. Thus enters the Wessex Tiara.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-QE9zHqFmqw8/Wv4HY03mJwI/AAAAAAAAC1I/ehK1pHndvPgzKcLSlEmlTCWKjp5D1p7kgCLcBGAs/s1600/Sophie%2BWessex%2BWedding%2BTiara.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="505" data-original-width="580" height="347" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-QE9zHqFmqw8/Wv4HY03mJwI/AAAAAAAAC1I/ehK1pHndvPgzKcLSlEmlTCWKjp5D1p7kgCLcBGAs/s400/Sophie%2BWessex%2BWedding%2BTiara.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Prince Edward and Sophie Rhys-Jones on their wedding day <i>Image via The Royal Order of Sartorial Splendor</i></td></tr>
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The Tiara itself is comprised of four scrolling elements (three with anthemions) cobbled onto a golden frame. It has height and thus impact but has always seemed a bit awkward in my humble opinion. At the time of the marriage its origins were unknown, but that mystery has been solved.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-XHVhJ-xKKWw/Wv4I7mr7ptI/AAAAAAAAC1U/5BblKEuLqV81s89uwGopuchg7BRsob3mwCLcBGAs/s1600/Sophie%2BWessex%2BWedding%2BTiara%2BClose%2BUp.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="411" data-original-width="684" height="240" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-XHVhJ-xKKWw/Wv4I7mr7ptI/AAAAAAAAC1U/5BblKEuLqV81s89uwGopuchg7BRsob3mwCLcBGAs/s400/Sophie%2BWessex%2BWedding%2BTiara%2BClose%2BUp.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Countess of Wessex's Tiara <i>Image via The Royal Order of Sartorial Splendor</i></td></tr>
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As it turns out, the four ornaments were from Queen Elizabeth's personal collection and were once part of Queen <a href="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/gogm/16088410/150927/150927_original.png" target="_blank">Victoria's "Regal Circlet"</a> dating back to 1850s. Unfortunately for us the circlet was unmounted in the 1930s but its frame survives in the Museum of London.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-pRsCg-pJHtI/Wv4L2pr02sI/AAAAAAAAC1g/PMUtiPRAYIwWFDryE_Do70b4NKfzqk_jQCLcBGAs/s1600/circlet.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="585" data-original-width="965" height="241" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-pRsCg-pJHtI/Wv4L2pr02sI/AAAAAAAAC1g/PMUtiPRAYIwWFDryE_Do70b4NKfzqk_jQCLcBGAs/s400/circlet.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Queen Victoria's Regal Circlet <i> Image via The Royal Collection Trust</i></td></tr>
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Now bear with me, it is hard to see where this all fits in but if you examine the rest of the diadem's box you see resting spots for the anthemion ornaments which could have been swapped out for the other elements on the circlet.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-wX1N8XPWlhU/Wv4OCBD4_5I/AAAAAAAAC1s/ajg9vVTvRTcrvD6UO7GZTY2FXBtlKHHQgCLcBGAs/s1600/Circlet.box.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="621" data-original-width="960" height="258" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-wX1N8XPWlhU/Wv4OCBD4_5I/AAAAAAAAC1s/ajg9vVTvRTcrvD6UO7GZTY2FXBtlKHHQgCLcBGAs/s400/Circlet.box.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Regal Circlet with its fitted box, at right photoshopped with the Wessex elements inserted. <i>Images via Pinterest</i></td></tr>
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As you can see, considerable effort was extended for a limited return, however the provenance does make for an interesting story.<br />
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It is my feeling that the Queen will purchase a piece for Miss Markle which would fit the established trend laid out above. But, if she were to choose a historic piece I think the Strathmore Rose Tiara would be very fitting.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ZIw3fUaG7HI/Wv8CRTzlnlI/AAAAAAAAC14/WlMJ0VVKm1oqNxW2xHQVUN7XdBMfpzCnQCLcBGAs/s1600/_strathmorerose1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="332" data-original-width="669" height="197" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ZIw3fUaG7HI/Wv8CRTzlnlI/AAAAAAAAC14/WlMJ0VVKm1oqNxW2xHQVUN7XdBMfpzCnQCLcBGAs/s400/_strathmorerose1.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Strathmore Rose Tiara <i>Image via The Royal Order of Sartorial Splendor</i></td></tr>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #191919; font-family: "georgia" , serif;">The Strathmore was given to the late </span><a href="http://orderofsplendor.blogspot.com/2011/03/tiara-thursday-strathmore-rose.html" target="_blank">Queen Mother</a><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #191919; font-family: "georgia" , serif;"> by her parents upon the occasion of her marriage to Prince Albert on April 26, 1923. It consists of a band of foliage surmounted by five pave diamond roses. The tiara was in fairly active use while the Queen Mother was Duchess of York but receded into the background when she became Queen.</span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-u30fCXNcy3I/Wv8GGltDPXI/AAAAAAAAC2E/GRk5cfwh_dE5kBEkWV5Tp6dgF8iFafenACLcBGAs/s1600/Queen-Mother-in-the-Strathmore-Flower-Tiara-1335255.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="738" data-original-width="590" height="400" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-u30fCXNcy3I/Wv8GGltDPXI/AAAAAAAAC2E/GRk5cfwh_dE5kBEkWV5Tp6dgF8iFafenACLcBGAs/s400/Queen-Mother-in-the-Strathmore-Flower-Tiara-1335255.jpg" width="318" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Queen Mother wearing the Stathmore Rose in the 1920s <i>Image via the Daily Express </i> </td></tr>
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It is believed to have passed to the present monarch when the Queen mother died in 2002. It hasn't been in use in decades but its survival is known from fairly recent color photographs. It would be a fitting choice for Miss Markle as it is youthful, romantic, historic, and hasn't been associated with another royal since the first part of the 20th century. For other historic outliers not in present use consult my previous <a href="http://aestheticusrex.blogspot.com/2010/11/tale-of-tiaras-what-will-queen-bestow.html" target="_blank">post</a> about the wedding of the Duchess of Cambridge but my instinct is that a tiara will be purchased. At any rate we will know very soon.<br />
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Until next time--AR<br />
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Patrick Sheehanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11237658330558641719noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3118955625957053567.post-75087896819003508682016-02-14T11:37:00.000-08:002016-02-14T11:37:07.436-08:00Jacques Doucet - Yves Saint Laurent - Vivre Pour L'Art<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-zegnCp90e0c/VsDTXBmm-dI/AAAAAAAACxg/-lYyfhg9Vlk/s1600/Capture-d%25E2%2580%2599%25C3%25A9cran-2015-12-04-%25C3%25A0-21.30.06-366x550.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-zegnCp90e0c/VsDTXBmm-dI/AAAAAAAACxg/-lYyfhg9Vlk/s400/Capture-d%25E2%2580%2599%25C3%25A9cran-2015-12-04-%25C3%25A0-21.30.06-366x550.png" width="265" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image via Fondation Pierre Berge - Yves Saint Laurent</td></tr>
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<span style="text-align: left;">Hello dear readers. This post comes some ten days after my return from Paris where I quite luckily took in this exhibition at the Fondation Pierre Berge - Yves Saint Laurent. Long time readers are more than familiar with my <a href="http://aestheticusrex.blogspot.com/search/label/Jacques%20Doucet" target="_blank">posts</a> and mini obsession with the collecting prowess of Jacques Doucet. This exhibition made links between the two couturiers and their voracious collecting habits that were largely against the grain and were testaments to their forward thinking visions. I came across the press release for the show some months ago and it appeared to highlight about twenty works and I thought it would be a fairly modest yet interesting showing. I was pleasantly surprised by what the Fondation PB-YSL was able to achieve.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-LWOhiDyxjM0/VsDFQuavxLI/AAAAAAAACws/BlEqvp62VI0/s1600/ob_841189_ysl-vue-de-l-exposition-jacques-doucet.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-LWOhiDyxjM0/VsDFQuavxLI/AAAAAAAACws/BlEqvp62VI0/s400/ob_841189_ysl-vue-de-l-exposition-jacques-doucet.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Exhibition vignette -- Image via FOMO blog</td></tr>
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The exhibition was able to reunite an impressive amount of material from Jacques Doucet's "Studio" collection, culled from public and private institutions across the globe. Turning every corner within the galleries was truly a jaw dropping experience.<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-pPOxwCxyamU/VsDGg75df3I/AAAAAAAACww/O2yOH-scecI/s1600/Doucet.1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="263" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-pPOxwCxyamU/VsDGg75df3I/AAAAAAAACww/O2yOH-scecI/s400/Doucet.1.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Exhibition vignettes -- Image via WWD</td></tr>
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I was especially struck by Marcel Coard's "Africaniste" sofa from the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts being reunited with Henri Rousseau's canvas "The Snake Charmer" lent by the Musee D'Orsay in Paris.<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-JEICYCbynM4/VsDLYc2azOI/AAAAAAAACxE/l6ahTbKts5A/s1600/Doucet.2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="276" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-JEICYCbynM4/VsDLYc2azOI/AAAAAAAACxE/l6ahTbKts5A/s400/Doucet.2.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Doucet's "Studio" showing works in-situ -- Image <i>L'Illustration</i> 30 Mai 1930</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-DVGm2l1ZhT8/VsDMue_W4ZI/AAAAAAAACxI/qMNUde94h2c/s1600/Capture021.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-DVGm2l1ZhT8/VsDMue_W4ZI/AAAAAAAACxI/qMNUde94h2c/s400/Capture021.jpg" width="323" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Exhibition vignette -- Image via Deco-Source</td></tr>
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Moments like this are truly breathtaking, when you see pieces separated by time and circumstance reunited with the original collector's vision in mind. Unfortunately, the exhibition closes today, but the exhibition catalogue is exceptional. Every single piece is documented and illustrated. There are also a number of essays weaving a thread between Doucet and YSL and their overlapping collections. I was particularly grateful for the number of previously unpublished period images that give one a better sense of the layout of Doucet's "Studio" and its contents. Around every corner was an object that I had never seen in its original context...but I digress.<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-D8TyGH5My2M/VsDSZ0p2STI/AAAAAAAACxc/12rK02V1CAE/s1600/Doucet.3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="280" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-D8TyGH5My2M/VsDSZ0p2STI/AAAAAAAACxc/12rK02V1CAE/s400/Doucet.3.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Doucet "Studio" period images -- Images Fonds Pierre Berge - Yves Saint Laurent</td></tr>
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I have plenty of material to pour over for the time being...until next time I leave you with this clip of the exhibition presented by curator Jerome Neutres--AR.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Patrick Sheehanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11237658330558641719noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3118955625957053567.post-50719543672031071192015-12-15T21:38:00.003-08:002015-12-15T22:41:38.439-08:00Possible German Attribution for Tiffany Studios Chair ModelHello Dear Readers. It has been far too long since I have last written. The New York 20th century design sales are happening this week and between Sotheby's, Christie's and Bonham's it will prove to be a stellar showing. Christie's in particular is offering many exceedingly rare works by my perennial favorite <a href="http://aestheticusrex.blogspot.com/search/label/Armand-Albert%20Rateau" target="_blank">Armand-Albert Rateau</a>. Besides offering an iconic low table and ashtray they have this exquisite perpetual calendar model that I had never seen in the flesh.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-MosaWpyOlRk/VnDfVIT1-qI/AAAAAAAACuc/1sPb_31HNeM/s1600/IMG_3745.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-MosaWpyOlRk/VnDfVIT1-qI/AAAAAAAACuc/1sPb_31HNeM/s400/IMG_3745.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Armand Albert Rateau, Perpetual Calendar, Christie's New York, 17 December 2015, lot 213, Estimate $150,000-$250,000 (Image:AestheticusRex)</td></tr>
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But I digress... When Christie's published their design catalogues just prior to the Thanksgiving holiday lot 336 stopped me in my tracks.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-PFQiMQsY1LI/VnDjihAjiwI/AAAAAAAACu0/xWM02G9Ow2U/s1600/Chisties.fauteuil.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-PFQiMQsY1LI/VnDjihAjiwI/AAAAAAAACu0/xWM02G9Ow2U/s400/Chisties.fauteuil.png" width="326" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Tiffany Studios" Armchair, Christie's New York, 18 December 2015, lot 336, Estimate $50,000-70,000 <br />
(Image: Christies.com)</td></tr>
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In a previous <a href="http://aestheticusrex.blogspot.com/2011/08/holy-odin-viking-revival-furniture.html" target="_blank">post</a> regarding viking revival furniture I wrote about another example of this chair model that was then a recent acquisition of the Musee d'Orsay in Paris. At that point the model was attributed to Tiffany Studios due to the fact that very closely related examples were part of the interior decoration of the Rembrandt Room within the <a href="http://daytoninmanhattan.blogspot.com/2015/01/the-lost-h-o-havemeyer-mansion-no-1-e.html" target="_blank">Havemeyer Mansion</a>, a celebrated Tiffany Studios commission. (The Havemeyer examples are of slightly grander proportion and have variations in the carving notably to the highly realized orbs on the arm posts).<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-yPa6mi1a-yE/VnDl_Jz3oQI/AAAAAAAACvA/e57s62wxH3o/s1600/887N09358_7Y7ZL_COMP.jpg.thumb.500.500.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="333" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-yPa6mi1a-yE/VnDl_Jz3oQI/AAAAAAAACvA/e57s62wxH3o/s400/887N09358_7Y7ZL_COMP.jpg.thumb.500.500.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rembrandt Room within the Havemeyer Mansion, Fifth Avenue, New York<br />
(Image via Metmuseum.org)</td></tr>
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Some time after I published that post a follower contacted me to assert that the chair from Musee d'Orsay had received an updated attribution. The shift is due to the uncovering of a period Art Journal article reviewing the 1900 Paris Exposition Universelle. It would appear that a German leather craftsman and furniture maker Georg Hulbe exhibited chairs of the same design. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-52U8KREBz3M/VnDrt2YLxiI/AAAAAAAACvQ/FploCAc7Y0k/s1600/Art%2BJournal%2B1901%2Bp132.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-52U8KREBz3M/VnDrt2YLxiI/AAAAAAAACvQ/FploCAc7Y0k/s400/Art%2BJournal%2B1901%2Bp132.jpg" width="277" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Art Journal, 1901, p. 132</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-o5XY6_9RR7I/VnDsy-YCGqI/AAAAAAAACvc/CreFOKXlmTc/s1600/Hulbe.detail.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-o5XY6_9RR7I/VnDsy-YCGqI/AAAAAAAACvc/CreFOKXlmTc/s400/Hulbe.detail.jpg" width="256" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Georg Hulbe Armchair Detail (note the flatter orbs)</td></tr>
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The Christie's and Orsay examples visually relate to others offered at auction in the past decade (<a href="https://www.liveauctioneers.com/item/25059889_tiffany-havemeyer-house-armchair" target="_blank">here</a>, <a href="https://www.liveauctioneers.com/item/7267672_tiffany-louis-comfort-new-york" target="_blank">here</a>, <a href="http://www.sothebys.com/en/auctions/ecatalogue/2008/important-20th-century-design-n08454/lot.69.html" target="_blank">here</a>, and <a href="http://www.ragoarts.com/auctions/2010/01/16/early-20th-c/169" target="_blank">here</a>) and appear to be in-line with the period photograph attributing the model to Hulbe. The Musee d'Orsay has updated their online <a href="http://www.musee-orsay.fr/en/collections/index-of-works/notice.html?no_cache=1&nnumid=154348&cHash=4c70273013" target="_blank">catalogue</a> to vaguely note Georg Hulbe as the author (designer?) and Tiffany Studios as the maker of their chair. It is clear that more research needs to be done as countless scenarios are possible. The Havemeyer examples could be the work of Georg Hulbe sub-contracting for Tiffany Studios or they could merely be Tiffany Studios executing Hulbe's design (or vice-versa). It is also a reasonable hypothesis that examples of this armchair coming from old European collections may have precious little to do with Tiffany Studios whatsoever. Until then the jury is out. At the time of this posting Christie's has withdrawn the lot from their upcoming sale pending research.</div>
Patrick Sheehanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11237658330558641719noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3118955625957053567.post-47834038594349701312014-09-21T19:29:00.002-07:002014-09-23T23:25:36.753-07:00Another Jacques Doucet Treasure Surfaces at Auction<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Hello Dear readers I have taken far to long to start posting once again but life does tend to get in the way. In preparation for the unfolding fall auction season I took time to look back at the spring season to take stock. A reader tipped me off a few months ago that another rarity from Jacques Doucet's Studio St. James residence emerged at Christie's Paris May 20th, 2014 in the form of a rather smart silver and rock crystal desk set.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-NLXrCKSPyVo/VB4J56Om5HI/AAAAAAAACr0/y7oaYFED_ig/s1600/Screen%2Bshot%2B2014-09-20%2Bat%2B7.05.42%2BPM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-NLXrCKSPyVo/VB4J56Om5HI/AAAAAAAACr0/y7oaYFED_ig/s1600/Screen%2Bshot%2B2014-09-20%2Bat%2B7.05.42%2BPM.png" height="236" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rock Crystal and Silver Desk Set, Christie's Paris, 20 May 2014, Lot 4 (€37,500)</td></tr>
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The lot comprises an inkwell, pin tray, stamp box and paper clip pot. The winning bid of €37,500 is rather astonishing given that the set is not attributed to a known designer/maker and was offered on a pre-sale estimate of €10,000-12,000. The result shows the importance of a Doucet provenance. If you are not familiar with Jacques Doucet or his fabled collection see my previous posts <a href="http://aestheticusrex.blogspot.com/search/label/Jacques%20Doucet" target="_blank">here</a>. Christie's placed the date of the set to around 1929, the year Doucet died and when period images of his modernist studio home were published widely. Looking at a period image of the studio the set indeed can be seen resting on the Pierre Legrain desk just outside of the "Oriental Cabinet".<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Z7obFg3V_ow/VB9ujucqsgI/AAAAAAAACsE/1S0bRXkKMoo/s1600/Doucet%2BStudio%2B3.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Z7obFg3V_ow/VB9ujucqsgI/AAAAAAAACsE/1S0bRXkKMoo/s1600/Doucet%2BStudio%2B3.jpeg" height="400" width="332" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The set seen in-situ within Jacques Doucet's Studio Image: L'Illustration, 30 Mai 1930.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-jC4nU7O57YA/VB9wSjVnbVI/AAAAAAAACsQ/_WH3UN_T_3E/s1600/Crystal.Set.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-jC4nU7O57YA/VB9wSjVnbVI/AAAAAAAACsQ/_WH3UN_T_3E/s1600/Crystal.Set.jpg" height="336" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Detail of above</td></tr>
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I would not date these items so late as they were present in the apartment Doucet acquired in 1912 on the avenue Bois de Boulogne. The image below from the early 1920s shows the desk set in the Bois de Boulogne residence placed on the same Pierre Legrain desk which itself was designed in 1920 and executed shortly thereafter. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-xZD3Vl_YIx8/VB997EEqFdI/AAAAAAAACsg/fDFe5kfcqY8/s1600/IMG_1722.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-xZD3Vl_YIx8/VB997EEqFdI/AAAAAAAACsg/fDFe5kfcqY8/s1600/IMG_1722.jpg" height="305" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The desk set present at Jacques Doucet's Bois de Boulogne apartment circa early 1920s Image via Sotheby's</td></tr>
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The desk set was one of a number of pieces that was not disbursed in the subsequent years immediately following Doucet's death. According to the Christie's catalogue the set was offered as lot 13 in his groundbreaking 1972 sale. The desk articles sold for a tidy 4500 francs where they were purchased by a Madame M., the present consignor to Christie's, which means they have had only two owners in nearly 100 years which only adds to their allure.<br />
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<tr><td><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-J6eUoAdh_LE/VB_AETpf4WI/AAAAAAAACs8/FhMN4KCzi6M/s1600/IMG_1724.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-J6eUoAdh_LE/VB_AETpf4WI/AAAAAAAACs8/FhMN4KCzi6M/s1600/IMG_1724.jpg" height="330" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px; text-align: start;">Vente Audap, </span><i style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255); border: 0px; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: start; vertical-align: baseline;">Ancienne collection Jacques Doucet</i><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px; text-align: start;">, 8 novembre 1972 Image: Aestheticusrex</span></td></tr>
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In putting together this post it came to my attention that Architectural Digest September 2014 issue published a short <a href="http://www.architecturaldigest.com/decor/2014-09/jacques-doucet-furniture-art-collection-article" target="_blank">article</a> about Doucet as a collector. It seems that the venerable Cheska Vallois dedicated her booth to Doucet's collecting genius at the 2014 Paris Biennale which closed today. <a href="http://www.architecturaldigest.com/blogs/daily/2014/09/biennale-des-antiquaires-jacques-doucet" target="_blank">Reports</a> point out that it is a mix of Doucet items and period works in the spirit of his collection. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-OhIXgSUIHfE/VB-CtdpPorI/AAAAAAAACss/51skmrRLKwU/s1600/cn_image_3.size.paris-biennale-2014-jacques-doucet-01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-OhIXgSUIHfE/VB-CtdpPorI/AAAAAAAACss/51skmrRLKwU/s1600/cn_image_3.size.paris-biennale-2014-jacques-doucet-01.jpg" height="267" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Galerie Vallois booth, 2014 Paris Bienalle Image courtesy Galerie Vallois</td></tr>
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I am loving the printed scrim at the end of the installation showing the entry stairs to Doucet's Studio. Connaissance des art Decortatifs produced the following interview which highlights a few of the works presented. <br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/CqhgTazvO0s?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
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I must get my hands on Vallois' Biennale publication tout de suite. I will undoubtedly travel to Paris for the fall 2015 Jacques Doucet exhibition at the Fondation Pierre Berge-Yves Saint Laurent. Much to do and see....until next time. -AR</div>
Patrick Sheehanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11237658330558641719noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3118955625957053567.post-31798228815334210782014-01-03T23:35:00.000-08:002014-01-07T07:25:32.470-08:00Duchess of Cambridge Steps out in First Tiara since Wedding<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Hello Dear readers. It has been quite some time since I have posted on this subject, but the Duchess of Cambridge has waited over three years for the privilege of attending another "tiara" event. On December 3rd the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge were guests of the Queen at Buckingham Palace for a diplomatic reception. Unfortunately, no formal state portraits have surfaced, just this partially obscured press image as she arrived with Prince William.</div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Y3ITWXthqL4/UseounNtGoI/AAAAAAAACoc/SFOTch8shPc/s1600/duchess+kate+tiara.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Y3ITWXthqL4/UseounNtGoI/AAAAAAAACoc/SFOTch8shPc/s400/duchess+kate+tiara.jpg" height="290" width="400" /></a></div>
While this tiara did not make my official <a href="http://aestheticusrex.blogspot.com/2010/11/tale-of-tiaras-what-will-queen-bestow.html" target="_blank">list</a> as a contender for her wedding, it was mentioned as an outlier because of its associations with Princess Margaret and recent use in another royal wedding.<br />
The tiara is known as the Papyrus Tiara and was fashioned from a necklace that was given to The Queen Mother on the occasion of her wedding to Prince Albert (George VI) in 1923.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-s0RoiU_QVTI/UsesINFuh_I/AAAAAAAACoo/Jev8Q4RBudE/s1600/Screen+shot+2013-12-15+at+10.17.36+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-s0RoiU_QVTI/UsesINFuh_I/AAAAAAAACoo/Jev8Q4RBudE/s400/Screen+shot+2013-12-15+at+10.17.36+PM.png" height="400" width="250" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Queen Mother (while Duchess of York) <i>Image via A Tiara A Day</i></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-zt5JpyicskU/UseuDTLyLJI/AAAAAAAACo4/M9dwFJFd90w/s1600/Kate-Tiara-Papyrus-Lotus-Flower-via-Royal-Order-Sartorial-Splendor-.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-zt5JpyicskU/UseuDTLyLJI/AAAAAAAACo4/M9dwFJFd90w/s400/Kate-Tiara-Papyrus-Lotus-Flower-via-Royal-Order-Sartorial-Splendor-.jpg" height="400" width="352" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image of the tiara and the wedding necklace from which it was created <i>Image via whatketewore.com</i></td></tr>
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Evidently the queen mother presented the Papyrus Tiara to Princess Margaret prior to her wedding to Anthony Armstrong-Jones in 1960. It became a mainstay for Princess Margaret over the years.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-yaIYW3GgW5g/UsewObgwVvI/AAAAAAAACpA/rg8LQ3SFSG0/s1600/margarita17pq4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-yaIYW3GgW5g/UsewObgwVvI/AAAAAAAACpA/rg8LQ3SFSG0/s400/margarita17pq4.jpg" height="400" width="261" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Princess Margaret wearing the Papyrus Tiara <i>Image via theroyalpost.com</i></td></tr>
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Princess Margaret in-turn loaned it to her future daugher-in-law Serena Stanhope for her wedding to Viscount David Linley in 1993.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-dkP8_YuAUrE/Use1V9RuFnI/AAAAAAAACpU/5tOpBeCzgMc/s1600/1993-10-08-linley-wedding-5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-dkP8_YuAUrE/Use1V9RuFnI/AAAAAAAACpU/5tOpBeCzgMc/s400/1993-10-08-linley-wedding-5.jpg" height="400" width="313" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Viscount David Linley and Lady Serena Stanhope on their wedding day <i>Image via theroyalforums.com</i></td></tr>
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The Duchess of Cambridge now wearing this tiara has settled an ongoing debate. It is now clear that the tiara must have been a lifetime loan to Princess Margaret and was returned to the royal vaults upon her death in 2002. I hope to see the Duchess adorned in many more family gems in the future. One last look before we go....until next time.--AR<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-hCcywydCmXI/Use3UeCzksI/AAAAAAAACpg/jd4-MzXNVDQ/s1600/Papyrus_Motif.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-hCcywydCmXI/Use3UeCzksI/AAAAAAAACpg/jd4-MzXNVDQ/s400/Papyrus_Motif.jpg" height="237" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Papyrus Tiara circa 1923 <i>Image via Pinterest</i></td></tr>
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Patrick Sheehanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11237658330558641719noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3118955625957053567.post-87007975684938298132014-01-03T21:24:00.000-08:002014-01-03T21:24:56.208-08:00Tiffany Wisteria Lamp sets Record at Sotheby'sJust a quick note in the new year dear readers. The design auctions concluded just before the holidays and Sotheby's set a new world record for the Wisteria lamp model by Tiffany Studios. For an in-depth discussion of this design and its market, see my previous post <a href="http://aestheticusrex.blogspot.com/2010/11/object-lesson-tiffanys-wisteria-bluer.html" target="_blank">here</a>. Sotheby's distinctive example reached a staggering $1,565,000 against an estimate of $600,000-800,000. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-l1nD0ZfJ-Fg/Usd_0RT-jdI/AAAAAAAACns/h_BuOoDjg4Q/s1600/Screen+shot+2014-01-03+at+10.12.55+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-l1nD0ZfJ-Fg/Usd_0RT-jdI/AAAAAAAACns/h_BuOoDjg4Q/s400/Screen+shot+2014-01-03+at+10.12.55+PM.png" width="315" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tiffany Studios Wisteria Lamp, Sotheby's New York 18 December 2013, lot 330</td></tr>
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The lamp had many things going for it. It was slightly deeper in tone in person and had a range of mottled turquoise glass along the lower border which gave an added sense of depth. The lamp also had the added benefit of an impeccable provenance. The lamp descended in the family of Baron Heinrich Thyssen-Bornemisza of Madrid who acquired the work around 1975. I have known dealers to ask this price range for the Wisteria model in a retail setting so it seems clear to me that lamp was very likely purchased by a private buyer, pushing the bidding into the retail realm. No details have surfaced yet, but I have a few ideas.<br />
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The previous record was also set by Sotheby's for a Wisteria from the collection of John M. Fowler.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-0FMPDyKv15s/UseHuaEbDTI/AAAAAAAACn8/MRBJxAJzVWM/s1600/Screen+shot+2014-01-03+at+10.56.49+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-0FMPDyKv15s/UseHuaEbDTI/AAAAAAAACn8/MRBJxAJzVWM/s400/Screen+shot+2014-01-03+at+10.56.49+PM.png" width="375" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tiffany Studios Wisteria Lamp, Sotheby's New York 14 December 2007, lot 208</td></tr>
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This example was similarly saturated in tones and also had a range of deeply mottled glass. At the height of the pre-crash market it reached $881,000 against and estimate of $450,000-600,000. While the Wisteria is not the rarest of examples it is infinitely desirable to collectors and nuanced, saturated examples have always been the largest movers in the market. Throughout the 1970s auction records for the Wisteria climbed steadily from $16,250 for an example at Sotheby's London in 1971 to an example at Christie's in the fall of 1978 that moved the record to $52,800. However, before the close of the decade the example would be one of the very first tiffany lamps ever to exceed $100,000 at auction. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-fC3kMJKW7hY/UseTylyASJI/AAAAAAAACoM/enM7XJqWESY/s1600/wisteria+2.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-fC3kMJKW7hY/UseTylyASJI/AAAAAAAACoM/enM7XJqWESY/s400/wisteria+2.jpeg" width="357" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tiffany Studios Wisteria Lamp, Christie's New York 17 February 1979, lot 53 ($132,000)</td></tr>
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The Wisteria in question came from the collection of Florida real estate magnates Eugene and Eleanor Gluck offered at Christie's in February of 1979. For insight on the Gluck sale see my previous post <a href="http://aestheticusrex.blogspot.com/2009/11/gluck-part-ii-not-really.html" target="_blank">here</a>. The period press described the Gluck's Wisteria as the best that had been seen at market achieving $132,000. The catalogue image above seem's a bit dark but it appears to be a mottled example with greenish turquoise glass used in the lower register to articulate the blooms. If this example were to hit the market today it would very likely exceed the newly established world record. We shall wait and see what the future auction seasons bring us. Until next time--AR.Patrick Sheehanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11237658330558641719noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3118955625957053567.post-48566430786614622422013-11-03T20:35:00.000-08:002013-11-04T16:30:17.761-08:00Felix Marcilhac Collection to be sold at Sotheby's Paris<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Hello dear readers. I read in the French <a href="http://www.lefigaro.fr/culture/2013/07/02/03004-20130702ARTFIG00576-artcurial-s-associe-a-sotheby-s-pour-disperser-la-collection-de-felix-marcilhac.php" target="_blank">press</a> over the summer that renown French art historian and 20th century design dealer Felix Marcilhac would be selling his personal collection via Sotheby's. Recently Sotheby's Paris put forth a <a href="http://files.shareholder.com/downloads/BID/2629958301x0x697443/a985a1de-99e7-4617-8308-383e9f512ab5/697443.pdf" target="_blank">press release</a> with additional details but scant few images to sate my overtly visual nature. Fortunately, I was able to take-in a preview exhibition at Sotheby's New York headquarters open now through Friday, November 8th. Do see it be for it closes. Here is a run down of everything on view.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hvhF4OCgEHw/UnbfDq3gmtI/AAAAAAAACl4/f8Skd2Ku7uM/s1600/IMG_8423.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hvhF4OCgEHw/UnbfDq3gmtI/AAAAAAAACl4/f8Skd2Ku7uM/s400/IMG_8423.jpg" width="387" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jean Michel Frank, Pair of Armchairs, circa 1938, Shagreen and Oak, €250,000-300,000<br />
Image: Aestheticus Rex</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ykCe77B5bbs/UnbpXVp27HI/AAAAAAAACmE/U3_S9Siq4Lg/s1600/IMG_8383.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ykCe77B5bbs/UnbpXVp27HI/AAAAAAAACmE/U3_S9Siq4Lg/s400/IMG_8383.jpg" width="391" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Marcel Coard, Occasional Table, circa 1925, Ebony and Green tinted Shagreen, €60,000-80,000<br />
Image: Aestheticus Rex</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Kzb7vRJNbgQ/UnbcqTuUFTI/AAAAAAAAChI/Ba_iUVN5Odo/s1600/IMG_8385.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Kzb7vRJNbgQ/UnbcqTuUFTI/AAAAAAAAChI/Ba_iUVN5Odo/s400/IMG_8385.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Andre Groult, Occasional Table, circa 1926, Shagreen, €100,000-120,000<br />
Image: Aestheticus Rex</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-v8k16r6qSdg/Unbc09T7NCI/AAAAAAAAChQ/oWeB8MuRKw8/s1600/IMG_8386.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-v8k16r6qSdg/Unbc09T7NCI/AAAAAAAAChQ/oWeB8MuRKw8/s400/IMG_8386.jpg" width="390" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Paul Iribe, "Nautile" Armchair, circa 1913, Carved walnut, €150,000-200,000<br />
Image: Aestheticus Rex</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-PMxbG_UNEec/Unbc2eN8rpI/AAAAAAAAChg/jWwSUAt_96I/s1600/IMG_8387.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-PMxbG_UNEec/Unbc2eN8rpI/AAAAAAAAChg/jWwSUAt_96I/s400/IMG_8387.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Detail of above Photo: Aestheticus Rex<br />
Image: Aestheticus Rex</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-qCdeMq6QemI/UnbdCz1wuTI/AAAAAAAACh0/iVulFRszZR4/s1600/IMG_8390.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="346" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-qCdeMq6QemI/UnbdCz1wuTI/AAAAAAAACh0/iVulFRszZR4/s400/IMG_8390.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pierre Chareau, "SN1" Stool, circa 1925, Walnut, €15,000-20,000<br />
Image: Aestheticus Rex</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-FV_jmdFSbVs/UnbdOo7HCqI/AAAAAAAACiQ/AflezWwDmeU/s1600/IMG_8394.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="356" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-FV_jmdFSbVs/UnbdOo7HCqI/AAAAAAAACiQ/AflezWwDmeU/s400/IMG_8394.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Glass vessels by Maurice Marinot<br />
Image: Aestheticus Rex</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-7zzNy11yWl4/UnbdXA3acrI/AAAAAAAACiY/gA05PjDjbX4/s1600/IMG_8395.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="350" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-7zzNy11yWl4/UnbdXA3acrI/AAAAAAAACiY/gA05PjDjbX4/s400/IMG_8395.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Glass vessels by Maurice Marinot<br />
Image: Aestheticus Rex</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/--dURmo6MTr8/UnbdaIQABGI/AAAAAAAACik/q2_9wS-bvLA/s1600/IMG_8397.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="361" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/--dURmo6MTr8/UnbdaIQABGI/AAAAAAAACik/q2_9wS-bvLA/s400/IMG_8397.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Glass vessels by Maurice Marinot<br />
Image: Aestheticus Rex</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-NA3h4nhAnFk/UnbdhGV1q-I/AAAAAAAACiw/nh_5Y7z6ukQ/s1600/IMG_8398.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="322" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-NA3h4nhAnFk/UnbdhGV1q-I/AAAAAAAACiw/nh_5Y7z6ukQ/s400/IMG_8398.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Glass vessels by Maurice Marinot<br />
Image: Aestheticus Rex</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-7cr4uhbwPlA/UnbdnPU7QrI/AAAAAAAACjA/LqEj9_1zYNU/s1600/IMG_8399.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-7cr4uhbwPlA/UnbdnPU7QrI/AAAAAAAACjA/LqEj9_1zYNU/s400/IMG_8399.jpg" width="307" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Raphael Delorme, "Repetition", circa 1925, oil on canvas, €15,000-20,000<br />
Image: Aestheticus Rex</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-R8qeIxxbzhA/Unbdx108ymI/AAAAAAAACjQ/ZbDmM-n84Bk/s1600/IMG_8401.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-R8qeIxxbzhA/Unbdx108ymI/AAAAAAAACjQ/ZbDmM-n84Bk/s400/IMG_8401.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bernard Boutet de Monvel, "Woman", oil on canvas, €40,000-60,000<br />
Image: Aestheticus Rex</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Un72qW04Bro/Unbd0HvoDRI/AAAAAAAACjY/B-bOh1LNHP8/s1600/IMG_8403.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Un72qW04Bro/Unbd0HvoDRI/AAAAAAAACjY/B-bOh1LNHP8/s400/IMG_8403.jpg" width="323" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Raphael Delorme, "Composition", circa 1925, oil on board, €15,000-20,000<br />
Image: Aestheticus Rex</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-TEoXej2ui_Q/Unbd9wV6YWI/AAAAAAAACjw/5icUQD-Fvus/s1600/IMG_8405.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-TEoXej2ui_Q/Unbd9wV6YWI/AAAAAAAACjw/5icUQD-Fvus/s400/IMG_8405.jpg" width="322" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jean Dupas, "Femme en Buste", oil on panel, €20,000-25,000<br />
Image: Aestheticus Rex</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ozBvpAlmEnw/UnbeKVolkOI/AAAAAAAACkI/0dxuw9OwtwM/s1600/IMG_8408.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ozBvpAlmEnw/UnbeKVolkOI/AAAAAAAACkI/0dxuw9OwtwM/s400/IMG_8408.jpg" width="317" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jean Dupas, "Woman in Fur", circa 1929, oil on panel, €25,000-30,000<br />
Image: Aestheticus Rex</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_8yv2gGlYis/UnbeVua3QdI/AAAAAAAACkY/54oVsutkmp4/s1600/IMG_8411.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="373" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_8yv2gGlYis/UnbeVua3QdI/AAAAAAAACkY/54oVsutkmp4/s400/IMG_8411.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jacques Majorelle, "Les Deux Amies", 1941, Tempera with gold and silver on paper, €250,000-300,000<br />
Image: Aestheticus Rex</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-WZ9fXHw_WMY/Unbe7xUYIbI/AAAAAAAAClg/wTJ80cGJij4/s1600/IMG_8420.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-WZ9fXHw_WMY/Unbe7xUYIbI/AAAAAAAAClg/wTJ80cGJij4/s400/IMG_8420.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Joseph Csaky, "Tete de Femme", 1924, gilt and silvered bronze on palmwood base, €60,000-80,000<br />
Image: Aestheticus Rex</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-p1xwnL72iow/Unb5e6i8VpI/AAAAAAAACmU/ZTcEMOnfDS8/s1600/IMG_8381.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-p1xwnL72iow/Unb5e6i8VpI/AAAAAAAACmU/ZTcEMOnfDS8/s400/IMG_8381.jpg" width="346" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gustave Miklos, "L'Homme et Son Destin", 1929, patinated bronze on black marble base, €250,000-300,000<br />
Image: Aestheticus Rex</td></tr>
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The works are exquisite, and the press release reveals that the sale will have some 300 lots by top makers many with stellar provenances...including Jacques Doucet. This point brings me to press images that were also displayed including one of the gilt bronze statue below...<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-6OveqbFh4ic/Unbepf7QNyI/AAAAAAAACk4/S37dAkyGyVg/s1600/IMG_8415.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-6OveqbFh4ic/Unbepf7QNyI/AAAAAAAACk4/S37dAkyGyVg/s400/IMG_8415.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Woman with Bird, gilt bronze Image via Sotheby's</td></tr>
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Unfortunately this image was not labeled but the model is familiar to me. The same model was part of the collection of Jacques Doucet seen at the entrance of his "Oriental Cabinet"within his <a href="http://aestheticusrex.blogspot.com/2011/04/jacques-doucets-studio-st-james-at.html" target="_blank">Studio</a> at Neuilly-sur-Seine. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dvRq5cQGTME/UncHtMsIZdI/AAAAAAAACmk/Hag8Ok_LAZ0/s1600/Doucet+Studio+2.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="296" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dvRq5cQGTME/UncHtMsIZdI/AAAAAAAACmk/Hag8Ok_LAZ0/s400/Doucet+Studio+2.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jacques Doucet's "Oriental Cabinet" Image: L'Illustration, 3 May 1930 </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8addc68SWI8/UncRWQ6xpPI/AAAAAAAACm0/_oiGGDcW1-c/s1600/DoucetSculpture.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8addc68SWI8/UncRWQ6xpPI/AAAAAAAACm0/_oiGGDcW1-c/s400/DoucetSculpture.jpg" width="377" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Detail showing sculpture Image: L'Illustration 3 May 1930</td></tr>
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The 3 May 1930 issue of L'Illustration attributes the sculpture to Constantin Brancusi but I always had my doubts. A boldface name like Brancusi would have been featured in the press release....and it is not. However, the press release does mention Ossip Zadkine and a little research led me to discover that this is indeed a Zadkine model known as "Jeune Fille a al Colombe". I am very much hoping that it is from Doucet's collection. The sale is not until 11 March 2014 so we will have to wait until the catalogue is issued in February. Until next time--ARPatrick Sheehanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11237658330558641719noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3118955625957053567.post-66947085696002120482013-10-24T21:00:00.001-07:002013-10-24T21:01:52.271-07:00Elements of Jacques Doucet's "Oriental Cabinet" at the MFA BostonHello at long last dear readers. I seem to be stuck on the subject of Jacques Doucet's collection within his studio at Neuilley-sur-Siene, but pieces from this famed interior seem to be finding themselves in the path of my various research projects. The other day, I was searching on the greatly updated website for the Museum of Fine Arts Boston. When I concluded I opted to search "Jacques Doucet" on a lark....I am very glad I took the time. You see, mixed within the holdings of his various fashion designs were these two lovelies that I never seen reproduced in the modern literature regarding Doucet.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-pzZoYtGRpaw/Ug8cq5B846I/AAAAAAAACek/YAPPJnVYDvg/s1600/e1064.fpx&obj=iip,1.0&wid=960&cvt=jpeg.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="121" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-pzZoYtGRpaw/Ug8cq5B846I/AAAAAAAACek/YAPPJnVYDvg/s400/e1064.fpx&obj=iip,1.0&wid=960&cvt=jpeg.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jacques Lipchitz, Carved limestone mantelpiece, ca. 1928 Image: <i>MFA Boston</i></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-T1gcV6dhURA/Ug8cum0yk8I/AAAAAAAACes/Ucc_TOuXs5k/s1600/e1065cr-d1.fpx&obj=iip,1.0&wid=960&cvt=jpeg.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-T1gcV6dhURA/Ug8cum0yk8I/AAAAAAAACes/Ucc_TOuXs5k/s400/e1065cr-d1.fpx&obj=iip,1.0&wid=960&cvt=jpeg.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jacques Lipchitz, Gilt bronze and iron chenets, ca. 1928 Image: <i>MFA Boston</i></td></tr>
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You see, these anthropomorphic sculptural gems were a focal point within Jacques Doucet's "Oriental Cabinet".<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-fHh1FTCQ2DQ/Ug8h3S4RBlI/AAAAAAAACfA/Oz-P-5GG1vw/s1600/Doucet+Studio+2.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="296" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-fHh1FTCQ2DQ/Ug8h3S4RBlI/AAAAAAAACfA/Oz-P-5GG1vw/s400/Doucet+Studio+2.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View of Jacques Doucet's "Oriental Cabinet" with the chenets seen just beyond Eileen Gray's "Lotus Table" Image: L'Illustration, 30 Mai 1930</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-uBKdri-7pWc/Ug8hNXJAh4I/AAAAAAAACe4/X4UwPLjpmoU/s1600/lipchits.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="357" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-uBKdri-7pWc/Ug8hNXJAh4I/AAAAAAAACe4/X4UwPLjpmoU/s400/lipchits.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Detail of above</td></tr>
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I never knew, until I saw them glittering on my screen, that the cubist mantelpiece and chenets had survived as they were not featured in Doucet's 1972 sale. According to the MFA's website the works were acquired by the museum from the Parisian gallery Brame et Laurenceau in 1986. According to Brame et Laurenceau the works were inherited by Doucet's widow, Jeanne Roger Doucet and eventually made their way into a private collection from whence the gallery acquired them. They are presently not on view.<br />
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On a side note, it appears that another pair of chenets from Doucet's studio surfaced at the Art Deco exhibition at the Musee des Arts Decortifs Bordeaux. This time they were sculpted by Hungarian avant garde sculptor Gustave Miklos in 1925, cast in bronze, gilded and detailed with enamel.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-EkMV3ahf738/Umni-ldtmXI/AAAAAAAACfk/O83kBuO360Y/s1600/bordeaux_arts_deco-redim400-c3ad6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="298" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-EkMV3ahf738/Umni-ldtmXI/AAAAAAAACfk/O83kBuO360Y/s400/bordeaux_arts_deco-redim400-c3ad6.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gustave Miklos, one of two chenets Image: © Mairie de Bordeaux, photo Lysiane Gauthier</td></tr>
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These chenets were loaned to the exhibition from a private collection and I have reached out to the Museum to confirm the Doucet provenance. Due to some of the surface wear I believe that they are indeed lot 16 from the Doucet Collection sale in 1972.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-pcEP5L_Jp0c/UmnoQDzEGfI/AAAAAAAACf0/DzO9rFWZZG8/s1600/IMG_0494.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="347" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-pcEP5L_Jp0c/UmnoQDzEGfI/AAAAAAAACf0/DzO9rFWZZG8/s400/IMG_0494.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gustave Miklos enameled and gilt bronze chenets, Collection Jacques Doucet, Hotel Drouot, 8 November 1972 lot 16 ($8500)</td></tr>
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I await to hear the museum's input. Until next time--AR.Patrick Sheehanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11237658330558641719noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3118955625957053567.post-71892261329846068822013-08-04T12:42:00.000-07:002013-08-09T23:52:18.196-07:00Pierre Legrain Stool with Jacques Doucet Provenance at the Brooklyn Museum?Hello Dear Readers. Just another quick post. The other week I found myself attending an event at the Brooklyn Museum for the first time in many years I hate to admit. Just beyond the lobby is a grand installation entitled "Connecting Cultures: A World in Brooklyn". The concept is part of a sweeping trend among Museums to get more artworks out of the storerooms and display them en mass not only to show off their holdings but also to make cross cultural connections. It was a display case of African and African inspired furniture that stopped me in my tracks.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-f6f6EuZ01zE/Uf2zq960KpI/AAAAAAAACY8/p37Upymlsfw/s1600/DIG_E_2012_Connecting_Cultures_04_PS4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-f6f6EuZ01zE/Uf2zq960KpI/AAAAAAAACY8/p37Upymlsfw/s400/DIG_E_2012_Connecting_Cultures_04_PS4.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Connecting Cultures: A World in Brooklyn" installation Image: <i>Brooklyn Museum</i></td></tr>
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As I rounded the case I knew at once I was seeing an art deco masterwork by the French designer Pierre Legrain.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ML_fOs71Foc/Uf23ELlcAgI/AAAAAAAACZM/kxfYLUcPYDs/s1600/73.142_transp2547.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ML_fOs71Foc/Uf23ELlcAgI/AAAAAAAACZM/kxfYLUcPYDs/s400/73.142_transp2547.jpg" width="360" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pierre Legrain Stool, Ca. 1923 Image: <i>Brooklyn Museum</i></td></tr>
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The form is African in origin but is rendered in the materials of art deco luxury, namely lacquer and galuchat. Legrain works are exceeding rare as he died in 1929. It was for this reason I was keen to read the gallery text to find its provenance. Unfortunately there was no listed provenance beyond the credit line "Purchased with funds given by an anonymous donor". Fortunately the accession number "73.142" may provide some insight. You see, accession numbers are typically a combination of the year that the object is acquired and the number of the bequest/object donated in that year. The stool's number would suggest that it was acquired in 1973 which was was in close proximity to a major event in the nascent art deco market...that would be the groundbreaking sale of the collection of Jacques Doucet. For background on Doucet and his awe inspiring collection see my previous post <a href="http://aestheticusrex.blogspot.com/2011/04/jacques-doucets-studio-st-james-at.html" target="_blank">here</a>. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-qxa96eD5ABg/Uf3MnfhF35I/AAAAAAAACZc/g1Sjvx8eUKo/s1600/doucet_ancienne_collection_jacques_doucet_mobilier_art_deco_saint_james_1972_0.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-qxa96eD5ABg/Uf3MnfhF35I/AAAAAAAACZc/g1Sjvx8eUKo/s400/doucet_ancienne_collection_jacques_doucet_mobilier_art_deco_saint_james_1972_0.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Collection Jacques Doucet, Hotel Drouot, Paris 8 November 1972 Image via <i>diktats.com</i></td></tr>
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The couturier Jacques Doucet died in 1929 and eventually the contents of his studio in Neuilly Sur Seine were placed in storage only to be rediscovered by his descendants decades later when the storage facility was closing down. The subsequent sale in November of 1972 is a subject of legend in the decorative arts community and pieces ended up in the best collections and museums across the globe. Unfortunately, I do not have a copy of the sale catalogue at my fingertips or else I would settle this mystery in mere moments...therefore, we are left to consult the period images of the studio. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-9Vt9ui_8RBY/Uf3UTng0-ZI/AAAAAAAACZs/rTQjQp5QMzU/s1600/Doucet1.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="296" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-9Vt9ui_8RBY/Uf3UTng0-ZI/AAAAAAAACZs/rTQjQp5QMzU/s400/Doucet1.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View of Doucet's Studio at Neuilly-sur-Seine, circa 1930 Image: <i>L'Illustration, No. 4845</i></td></tr>
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In the image above a very similar stool to the one at the Brooklyn museum can be seen just to the left of the monumental Lalique door.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-4_ZoheqipvM/Uf4MNJMVd_I/AAAAAAAACZ8/NQ3MLH2nTF0/s1600/DoucetStool.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="353" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-4_ZoheqipvM/Uf4MNJMVd_I/AAAAAAAACZ8/NQ3MLH2nTF0/s400/DoucetStool.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Detail of stool in Doucet's Studio Image:<i> L'Illustration, No. 4845</i></td></tr>
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The seat is of the same shape and proportion as is the rectangular stepped base, but the legs appear to be comprised of four posts and not faceted columns. Its also hard to tell if there is a cream central support. This lack of detail may be due to the period method of tinting these images or it may in-fact not be the same Legrain stool. Thankfully, the Centre Pompidou's catalogue for their recent Eileen Gray exhibition published another view of the Studio that I had never seen before.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-HnTC3YAMUig/Uf4ObWzK6II/AAAAAAAACaU/bIGev6jcQ9c/s1600/Doucet+Studio+8.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="261" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-HnTC3YAMUig/Uf4ObWzK6II/AAAAAAAACaU/bIGev6jcQ9c/s400/Doucet+Studio+8.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Studio Jacques Doucet Neuilly-sur-Seine Image:<i> Institut national d'histoire de l'art</i></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-2Rdc_ww-mNg/Uf4RQyDr-fI/AAAAAAAACak/-FIQT-NnDYE/s1600/Doucet+Stool.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="366" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-2Rdc_ww-mNg/Uf4RQyDr-fI/AAAAAAAACak/-FIQT-NnDYE/s400/Doucet+Stool.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Detail of Legrain Stool in Doucet's Studio Image: <i>Institut national d'histoire de l'art</i></td></tr>
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If the Brooklyn Museum's stool is from Doucet's fabled studio, this appears to be an image of it in-situ. It is of the same overall shape, possesses the central cream support, and you can make out the collars on the four faceted legs as they catch the light. I need to consult a copy of Doucet's sale to be sure, but if I were a gambling man I would suspect that this is indeed the example now in the collection of the Brooklyn Museum....I will provide updates as the truth emerges.<br />
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On a side note, the Metropolitan Museum of Art has an African inspired Legrain stool that was purchased from the 1972 Doucet sale. It was on view a few years back, but alas is now safely in storage.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-OrORdUOuIl8/Uf6V7IJYg7I/AAAAAAAACa8/nDFC-Bf4jM8/s1600/hb_1972.283.1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="257" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-OrORdUOuIl8/Uf6V7IJYg7I/AAAAAAAACa8/nDFC-Bf4jM8/s400/hb_1972.283.1.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pierre Legrain carved rosewood stool for Jacques Doucet, ca. 1925 Image: <i>Metmuseum.org</i></td></tr>
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This stool borrows its form from an African headrest but is of the proportion of a low stool. The sister to this stool was sold from the outstanding Dray Collection presented at Christie's Paris in 2006. It achieved the tidy sum of $660,066.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-kmaodmJwcn0/Uf6ZxNHLkVI/AAAAAAAACbM/Do7K4y_t1eo/s1600/d4717127x.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-kmaodmJwcn0/Uf6ZxNHLkVI/AAAAAAAACbM/Do7K4y_t1eo/s400/d4717127x.jpg" width="366" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pierre Legrain carved hardwood stool for Jeanne Tachard, Circa 1925. Image: <i>Christie's</i></td></tr>
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The Christie's catalogue notes that while Legrain's works for his top clients were generally unique pieces it is believed that since Jacques Doucet and Jeanne Tachard were close friends some exceptions could be made. The Yves Saint Laurent sale at Christie's in 2009 yielded yet another rare stool by Legrain. This stool can be traced directly to Jacques Doucet as it was lot 43 in the 1972 sale of his collection. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-61smxKyJvYU/Uf6egRKkIOI/AAAAAAAACbc/Wlz_JcmoxhM/s1600/Screen+shot+2013-08-04+at+2.33.13+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-61smxKyJvYU/Uf6egRKkIOI/AAAAAAAACbc/Wlz_JcmoxhM/s400/Screen+shot+2013-08-04+at+2.33.13+PM.png" width="392" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Legrain carved hardwood stool for Jacques Doucet, ca. 1925 Image: <i>Christie's</i></td></tr>
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I have always loved this particular example. It is overtly African in inspiration but the supports to me also skew into the arena of the machine age becoming stylized gears. Christie's sold this work for $589,130.<br />
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As a final aside, I am pleased that more period images of Doucet's collection are coming to light. As reader's of this blog know I love seeing works as they were presented in their original context. This recently published image is no exception as it clearly shows two "old friends" that I have marveled at for years.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-QNjWcnFOhv8/Uf6i99dGSnI/AAAAAAAACbs/HHx6DbAK1-8/s1600/Doucet+Studio+8.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="261" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-QNjWcnFOhv8/Uf6i99dGSnI/AAAAAAAACbs/HHx6DbAK1-8/s400/Doucet+Studio+8.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Studio Jacques Doucet Neuilly-sur-Seine Image:<i> Institut national d'histoire de l'art</i></td></tr>
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At the immediate left you can see two figures from Eileen Gray's screen "Le Destin". The work dates to 1914 and was one of the first Gray pieces that Doucet acquired. It resurfaced in his 1972 sale where it achieved $36,000. It presently resides in a private collection.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-g7cyVyai5XM/Uf6lXmZv6VI/AAAAAAAACb8/L5XpF-ndCY4/s1600/Destin.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-g7cyVyai5XM/Uf6lXmZv6VI/AAAAAAAACb8/L5XpF-ndCY4/s400/Destin.jpg" width="315" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Doucet's Studio detail showing Gray's "Le Destin" Image:<i> Institut national d'histoire de l'art</i></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-MR5kDrVS0wU/Uf6l2tsW-UI/AAAAAAAACcE/M4fMiM-a3tg/s1600/Le_Destin_Lacquer_Screen_-Eileen_Gray-_Marc_Bongaerts_106_LR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-MR5kDrVS0wU/Uf6l2tsW-UI/AAAAAAAACcE/M4fMiM-a3tg/s400/Le_Destin_Lacquer_Screen_-Eileen_Gray-_Marc_Bongaerts_106_LR.jpg" width="395" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Eileen Gray's "Le Destin" lacquered wood screen, ca. 1914 Image via <i>marcbongaerts.nl</i></td></tr>
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Another work visible in the image of the studio is a bit hard to make-out but is well know today as it resides in the Musee des Arts Decoratifs, Paris.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-u5GQa5gUEQM/Uf6nahpOVYI/AAAAAAAACcU/VCrpcI4tZkg/s1600/Legrain+cabinet.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-u5GQa5gUEQM/Uf6nahpOVYI/AAAAAAAACcU/VCrpcI4tZkg/s400/Legrain+cabinet.jpg" width="396" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Detail of Doucet's Studio showing the Legrain side cabinet at the Musee des Arts Decoratifs <br />
Image:<i> Institut national d'histoire de l'art</i></td></tr>
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It is a bit hazy but if you know the work it becomes clear. I shot a few images of this piece when I was last in Paris.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-x2XhWgbqscU/Uf6ogJmWU0I/AAAAAAAACck/TSSTHqDP638/s1600/IMG_2608.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-x2XhWgbqscU/Uf6ogJmWU0I/AAAAAAAACck/TSSTHqDP638/s400/IMG_2608.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pierre Legrain & Gustave Miklos side cabinet, ca. 1923 Image: <i>Aestheticus Rex</i></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-JM5pyq5ybog/Uf6okO0JDGI/AAAAAAAACcs/KiMiH7CDcT4/s1600/IMG_2611.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-JM5pyq5ybog/Uf6okO0JDGI/AAAAAAAACcs/KiMiH7CDcT4/s400/IMG_2611.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Detail of the Gustav Miklos silvered and enameled panel. Image: <i>Aestheticus Rex</i></td></tr>
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In the period photo you can just pick out the graphic nature of the stylized African panel by Gustave Miklos. It is all very exciting. I am trying to get my hands of a copy of the 1972 Doucet sale as we speak. Updates to follow. Until next time...--AR.<br />
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UPDATE:<br />
Well in the days since penning this post I have discovered that a stool of the same exact model as the one at the Brooklyn Museum is in the possession of the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-yZXNlHjzTy8/UgCOFxY50vI/AAAAAAAACc8/cxoMKJEcxFE/s1600/LegrainVMFA.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="348" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-yZXNlHjzTy8/UgCOFxY50vI/AAAAAAAACc8/cxoMKJEcxFE/s400/LegrainVMFA.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pierre Legrain Stool, ca. 1923 <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: x-small;"> Image: <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #413b37; line-height: 16px;"><i>© Virginia Museum of Fine Arts</i></span></span></td></tr>
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It is part of the Sidney and Frances Lewis bequest and the listed provenance is none other than Jacques Doucet. I am very curious to know if there was a pair made for Doucet, or if the example at the Brooklyn Museum was made for another client. I should have my hands on a copy of the Doucet sale in a few days...details to follow.<br />
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UPDATE II:<br />
Well the mystery has been solved on two fronts. I was able to find a copy of the Doucet auction and there was only one stool of this design offered, lot 33. This would mean that Doucet's Legrain stool is definitely the example in the collection of the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jdwiQUGy8EM/UgWrH_j4WDI/AAAAAAAACdM/rAguILCIBH4/s1600/Doucet+Studio+5.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jdwiQUGy8EM/UgWrH_j4WDI/AAAAAAAACdM/rAguILCIBH4/s400/Doucet+Studio+5.jpeg" width="338" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jacques Doucet's Legrain stool, Hotel Drouot, Paris, 8 November 1972, lot 33 ($4300)</td></tr>
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The Brooklyn Museum also confirmed that theirs was indeed not from the Doucet sale but was actually acquired from an Italian collection and it was originally made for the de Crespi family with whom Legrain designed textiles. Examples of this collaboration were evidently shown at the 1925 Exposition in Paris and recall his work in luxury bookbinding.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-VDO3xsoRiLM/UgWzc2rylZI/AAAAAAAACdc/qPRsnlbyI3E/s1600/Screen+shot+2013-08-09+at+11.27.26+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-VDO3xsoRiLM/UgWzc2rylZI/AAAAAAAACdc/qPRsnlbyI3E/s400/Screen+shot+2013-08-09+at+11.27.26+PM.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pierre Legrain textile designs for Benigno Crespi, ca. 1925 Image via <i>Flickr</i></td></tr>
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Until next time.--AR</div>
Patrick Sheehanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11237658330558641719noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3118955625957053567.post-23383245453144252722013-07-27T22:15:00.002-07:002013-07-28T00:54:16.831-07:00Jan Juta's "Pegasus" Window To Be RestoredHello Dear Readers. Just a quick post as I have come across a bit of interesting news. It seems that at long last the British art deco jewel New Filton House is presently being restored. The structure also known as "Pegasus House" was designed in 1936 by Whinney, Son and Austen Hall as offices for the Bristol Aeroplane Company.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-FkEdx2Ved88/UfR6dKr8byI/AAAAAAAACWc/SShkFmzzO20/s1600/Screen+shot+2013-07-27+at+8.57.04+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="301" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-FkEdx2Ved88/UfR6dKr8byI/AAAAAAAACWc/SShkFmzzO20/s400/Screen+shot+2013-07-27+at+8.57.04+PM.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">New Filton House circa 1953 <i>Image via aviationarchive.org.uk</i></td></tr>
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The rather stark yet sleek exterior was embellished with a relief of the Bristol 142 "Britain First" airplane high above a freestanding figure of Pegasus both by sculptor Denis Dunlop.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-UY0OgGJKbBA/UfSKH3JOsxI/AAAAAAAACWs/4qioHtYj6Rk/s1600/filton.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="177" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-UY0OgGJKbBA/UfSKH3JOsxI/AAAAAAAACWs/4qioHtYj6Rk/s400/filton.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bas relief of the Bristol 142 by Denis Dunlop <i>Image: Linda Bailey via WikiCommons </i></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-3TKbHs6fR34/UfSMW2AwHJI/AAAAAAAACW8/8H2bjRvdKH4/s1600/Screen+shot+2013-07-27+at+9.00.16+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-3TKbHs6fR34/UfSMW2AwHJI/AAAAAAAACW8/8H2bjRvdKH4/s400/Screen+shot+2013-07-27+at+9.00.16+PM.png" width="296" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sculpture of Pegasus by Denis Dunlop <i>Image: John Honniball via Flickr</i></td></tr>
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Now dear readers, I first became aware of this structure many years ago doing research on the art deco muralist and glass artist Jan Juta. You can find a previous post about him <a href="http://aestheticusrex.blogspot.com/2010/04/mirror-mirror.html" target="_blank">here</a>. The main staircase of New Filton House possesses a multi-story stained glass window depicting the history of the Bristol company executed by none other than Juta himself. I have only ever seen small crops of the window in the past which thankfully is undergoing a complete restoration this summer by the Creative Glass Works in Bristol.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-U1TrPfVI-CA/UfSU33QQsNI/AAAAAAAACXM/hMoxHBtXBEs/s1600/Screen+shot+2013-07-27+at+8.59.15+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-U1TrPfVI-CA/UfSU33QQsNI/AAAAAAAACXM/hMoxHBtXBEs/s400/Screen+shot+2013-07-27+at+8.59.15+PM.png" width="285" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image of the window featuring Pegasus <i>Image via bristol-aeroplane.com</i></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-vCMgYxOxVKM/UfSU_Ar6gYI/AAAAAAAACXU/KRcnRP6vePA/s1600/Screen+shot+2013-07-27+at+8.48.34+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="315" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-vCMgYxOxVKM/UfSU_Ar6gYI/AAAAAAAACXU/KRcnRP6vePA/s400/Screen+shot+2013-07-27+at+8.48.34+PM.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Detail of Mercury <i>Image via ThisIsBristol.com</i></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-f1vwPp4m8pU/UfSVDVYbgKI/AAAAAAAACXc/1BXu3ag5KkM/s1600/Screen+shot+2013-07-27+at+9.16.24+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="305" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-f1vwPp4m8pU/UfSVDVYbgKI/AAAAAAAACXc/1BXu3ag5KkM/s400/Screen+shot+2013-07-27+at+9.16.24+PM.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Detail of window <i>Image via bristol-aeroplane.com</i></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-pVL-BA7Foog/UfSVDXOOfCI/AAAAAAAACXg/blk9dITGEuw/s1600/Screen+shot+2013-07-27+at+9.16.37+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-pVL-BA7Foog/UfSVDXOOfCI/AAAAAAAACXg/blk9dITGEuw/s400/Screen+shot+2013-07-27+at+9.16.37+PM.png" width="253" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Detail of Pegasus <i>Image via bristol-aeroplane.com</i></td></tr>
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You see dear readers, the offices were vacated over two decades ago and the structure as well as its decor fell into disrepair becoming the realm of squatters and urban explorers. Haunting images of the decay can be found <a href="http://www.28dayslater.co.uk/forums/industrial-sites/8145-bae-filton-house-23-01-07-a.html" target="_blank">here</a>. It has been reported that some of the panes were damaged or otherwise broken. As noted above, my previous research caused me to stumble across a design drawing for the staircase window.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ykBiNgzRh3Y/UfSh7NzOZXI/AAAAAAAACX0/Ozj8l5-WeOE/s1600/DSCF0016.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ykBiNgzRh3Y/UfSh7NzOZXI/AAAAAAAACX0/Ozj8l5-WeOE/s400/DSCF0016.JPG" width="277" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Pegasus" Window design drawing by Jan Juta <i>Image: Aestheticus Rex</i></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZCwqLmIXEHU/UfSiDfezkSI/AAAAAAAACX8/WVfQJ8fpgOQ/s1600/DSCF0020.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="357" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZCwqLmIXEHU/UfSiDfezkSI/AAAAAAAACX8/WVfQJ8fpgOQ/s400/DSCF0020.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Detail of Juta's Design <i>Image: Aestheticus Rex</i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WeFY0lF_I88/UfSiFSspiUI/AAAAAAAACYE/F_fgnpE9Eco/s1600/DSCF0018.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="348" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WeFY0lF_I88/UfSiFSspiUI/AAAAAAAACYE/F_fgnpE9Eco/s400/DSCF0018.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Detail of Juta's Design <i>Image: Aestheticus Rex</i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-wUQs5x0Y5JM/UfSiI2F3JUI/AAAAAAAACYM/3k1Hr1xKfmk/s1600/DSCF0023.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="382" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-wUQs5x0Y5JM/UfSiI2F3JUI/AAAAAAAACYM/3k1Hr1xKfmk/s400/DSCF0023.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Detail of Juta's Design <i>Image: Aestheticus Rex</i></td></tr>
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This is all terribly exciting to say the least. To know that something feared lost to neglect is being saved at long last is always reassuring. I have reached out to the Creative Glass Works to obtain an update on their progress. I hope to post images of the completed work and details of the restoration as they come to light. Until next time...--AR<br />
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UPDATE:<br />
While I was cross posting around Facebook I located the page of the Creative Glass Works. It seems that the window restoration is nearly complete. I await their response but leave you with their images of the work in progress...<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KOac97Z9Cfg/UfS7eN1gU3I/AAAAAAAACYc/GCDzs9y8Y8I/s1600/1013650_558570734186759_1143134756_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="298" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KOac97Z9Cfg/UfS7eN1gU3I/AAAAAAAACYc/GCDzs9y8Y8I/s400/1013650_558570734186759_1143134756_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Detail of Mercury from the Pegasus Window by Jan Juta <i>Image: Creative Glass Works</i></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-J7aJcPuflFs/UfS7fxXlreI/AAAAAAAACYk/xoUhth3g_WA/s1600/993509_558570110853488_908691468_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-J7aJcPuflFs/UfS7fxXlreI/AAAAAAAACYk/xoUhth3g_WA/s400/993509_558570110853488_908691468_n.jpg" width="298" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Detail of restored Pegasus from the Jan Juta Window <i> Image: Creative Glass Works</i></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vVgOgQbq4Es/UfS7paMU13I/AAAAAAAACYs/ILZFf6684nM/s1600/934602_566246970085802_2082153589_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vVgOgQbq4Es/UfS7paMU13I/AAAAAAAACYs/ILZFf6684nM/s400/934602_566246970085802_2082153589_n.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image of Creative Glass Works team at work Image: Creative Glass Works</td></tr>
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Patrick Sheehanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11237658330558641719noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3118955625957053567.post-86707995997150976272013-06-15T18:20:00.000-07:002013-06-16T10:50:08.007-07:00Rare Francois-Rupert Carabin Masterwork Returned to France<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-C7mihevjDuI/Ubzmxnh_ftI/AAAAAAAACTI/my3SeEDkXd0/s1600/IMG_0438.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-C7mihevjDuI/Ubzmxnh_ftI/AAAAAAAACTI/my3SeEDkXd0/s400/IMG_0438.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Detail Francois-Ruper Carabin Piano <i>Image: Aestheticus Rex</i></td></tr>
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Hello dear readers, I am still wishing I was in Paris and have been sifting through all of my images to prioritize future posts....this one caught my fancy today. As I was tooling though the Musee des Arts Decoratifs on a particularly rainy Tuesday I rounded the corner of their Art Nouveau gallery to see this wonder that I had only known by reputation. I present the Francois Rupert Carabin (French, 1862-1932) sculpted walnut piano.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-WIy52i7BHOo/UbzpZxrjoNI/AAAAAAAACTU/vCgxSg77T-E/s1600/IMG_0433.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-WIy52i7BHOo/UbzpZxrjoNI/AAAAAAAACTU/vCgxSg77T-E/s400/IMG_0433.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Francois-Rupert Carabin Piano <i>Image: Aestheticus Rex</i></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ybIZa4fDjS8/Ubzp_5meWeI/AAAAAAAACTc/n7v62Q_8Ads/s1600/IMG_0434.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ybIZa4fDjS8/Ubzp_5meWeI/AAAAAAAACTc/n7v62Q_8Ads/s400/IMG_0434.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Detail, Francois-Rupert Carabin Piano <i>Image: Aestheticus Rex</i></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jDW-NFt2tbk/UbzqBQI9McI/AAAAAAAACTk/Fhf7sfGaOWc/s1600/IMG_0435.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jDW-NFt2tbk/UbzqBQI9McI/AAAAAAAACTk/Fhf7sfGaOWc/s400/IMG_0435.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Detail, Francois-Rupert Carabin Piano <i>Image: Aestheticus Rex</i></td></tr>
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Now I know some of you will think that I have lost my mind referring to this piano as a masterwork. Yes, Carabin was not as successful at integrating his sculptural forms into a piece of furniture as say Emile Galle, but nonetheless his works are dramatic and exceedingly rare.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-VWPDYr_idmQ/UbzuEfY7P-I/AAAAAAAACT0/4Yu1lMCLMHI/s1600/d5066433x.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-VWPDYr_idmQ/UbzuEfY7P-I/AAAAAAAACT0/4Yu1lMCLMHI/s400/d5066433x.jpg" width="326" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Emile Galle Gueridon "Libellule" <i>Image via Christie's</i></td></tr>
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Carabin is primarily known for his ceramic and bronze sculptures but it is his rare furniture commissions that garner the most attention. His last major piece to hit the auction block, to my knowledge, was just over a decade ago and realized $427,500 at Christie's New York.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-IwPMJ-pnASg/Ubzw7Hj1axI/AAAAAAAACUE/LzT6OrUlG-4/s1600/d4028084x.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="165" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-IwPMJ-pnASg/Ubzw7Hj1axI/AAAAAAAACUE/LzT6OrUlG-4/s400/d4028084x.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Two Views, Francois-Rupert Carabin's "Four Elements" Desk and Chair <i>Image via Christie's</i></td></tr>
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So you get the picture, they are really to be viewed as sculptures that happen to incorporate furniture and are rather expensive. Now back to the piano...according to an <a href="http://www.thearttribune.com/A-Piano-Sculpted-by-Carabin.html" target="_blank">article</a> by Didier Rykner in <i>The Art Tribune</i> the piano was created in 1900 for the French comedic actor Coquelin Cadet by the Herz piano firm and was exhibited at the Exposition Universelle in Paris.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-I2fwqmeLjQY/Ubz1Dt-nlDI/AAAAAAAACUU/6ZWkyMyiSoQ/s1600/Coquelin_Cadet.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-I2fwqmeLjQY/Ubz1Dt-nlDI/AAAAAAAACUU/6ZWkyMyiSoQ/s400/Coquelin_Cadet.jpg" width="337" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Alexandre Honore Ernest Coquelin aka Coquelin Cadet <i>Image via Wikimedia</i></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-MBByuQ1u8oE/Ubz1rbDEl9I/AAAAAAAACUg/E7OoD1RwSnc/s1600/Piano-Herz-Cherubin.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="382" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-MBByuQ1u8oE/Ubz1rbDEl9I/AAAAAAAACUg/E7OoD1RwSnc/s400/Piano-Herz-Cherubin.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Period image of the Piano from the 1905 Henri Herz Catalogue <i>Image via PianoEsther.de</i></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2FBCa8dI06M/Ubz-gGHgS-I/AAAAAAAACVE/GaC9kqiraN0/s1600/Carabin.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2FBCa8dI06M/Ubz-gGHgS-I/AAAAAAAACVE/GaC9kqiraN0/s400/Carabin.png" width="333" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Period image of the Piano circa 1900 <i>Image via Revue Alsacienne Illustree</i></span></td></tr>
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However, according to Mr. Rykner, Coquelin was unable to pay for the piano and it was later sold to the noted feminist and surrealist film director Germaine Dulac with whom it remained until 1938 when it was donated to the Musee des Arts Decoratifs by her daughter. Here is where things get interesting... <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-RJXWelktBCw/Ubz5siS9uPI/AAAAAAAACUs/Oh2uI3H-8D4/s1600/4.-Germaine-Dulac.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-RJXWelktBCw/Ubz5siS9uPI/AAAAAAAACUs/Oh2uI3H-8D4/s400/4.-Germaine-Dulac.jpg" width="286" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Germaine Dulac Image via SensesOfCinema.com</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JCHORfJ1C8s/Ub0D-mWHXbI/AAAAAAAACVY/nfmZkLOCOEA/s1600/cartes-postales-photos-Ecole-Boulle--Atelier-de-Ciselure-et-de-Monture-Paris-75012-75-75112031-maxi.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="263" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JCHORfJ1C8s/Ub0D-mWHXbI/AAAAAAAACVY/nfmZkLOCOEA/s400/cartes-postales-photos-Ecole-Boulle--Atelier-de-Ciselure-et-de-Monture-Paris-75012-75-75112031-maxi.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Period image of the Ecole Boulle Metalworking Workshop <i>Image via NotreFamille.com</i></td></tr>
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Evidently for some reason the Musee had the piano deposited at the Ecole Boulle, the highly regarded design and applied arts school in Paris. Well, it appears that the piano vanished from the Ecole during World War II and was not even noticed until a proper inventory was conducted in 1974 (almost 40 years later). From there it was "in the wind", but it probably was lost for the bulk of that time. Who knows for sure when it left France, but in the end it did surface at Sotheby's New York in 1981. During the course of their research Sotheby's realized the origins of the Piano and notified their consignor that the work was actually Property of the Musee des Arts Decoratifs. That is a call an expert never wants to make trust me...but I digress. According to Rykner, negotiations were made between the Musee and Sotheby's consignor but in the meantime the piano languished at Sotheby's for another 30 years! Upon its restitution in 2011 the Musee released the following images showing the piano pre-restoration (note all the inventory stickers).<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-RFrCCd1Iir0/Ub0JQAzpXtI/AAAAAAAACVk/NHSfGZbXS_4/s1600/Carabin_Piano.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="321" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-RFrCCd1Iir0/Ub0JQAzpXtI/AAAAAAAACVk/NHSfGZbXS_4/s400/Carabin_Piano.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Piano circa 2011 <i> Image via Musee des Arts Decoratifs</i></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-jZ6yRX2mTMg/Ub0Jvx6tJwI/AAAAAAAACVs/3HuYuNZNpAk/s1600/Carabin_Piano_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="381" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-jZ6yRX2mTMg/Ub0Jvx6tJwI/AAAAAAAACVs/3HuYuNZNpAk/s400/Carabin_Piano_1.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Piano circa 2011 <i> Image via Musee des Arts Decoratifs</i></td></tr>
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It may have taken some seventy years, but the piano now has pride of place at the Musee alongside the masterworks of Majorelle, Galle, Serrurier-Bovy et al. The Musee d'Orsay has a rather wild monumental cabinet by the artist that is definitely worth a look when you are in Paris. Until next time.--AR<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-gCHVd9agytw/Ub0QsHK2hxI/AAAAAAAACV8/8VoMsnSbYto/s1600/carabin-musee-dorsay.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-gCHVd9agytw/Ub0QsHK2hxI/AAAAAAAACV8/8VoMsnSbYto/s400/carabin-musee-dorsay.jpg" width="292" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Francois-Rupert Carabin Bibliotheque circa 1890 <i>Image via ChasenAntiques.com</i></td></tr>
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P.S. I just remembered the unusual two sided vitrine Carabin created for the city of Paris in 1895. It is on view at the <a href="http://www.petitpalais.paris.fr/fr/collections/vitrine" target="_blank">Petit Palais</a>.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-OBmo9T7RXbw/Ub0hmzvZTfI/AAAAAAAACWM/0ASdKmxmfqw/s1600/Screen+shot+2013-06-15+at+10.19.03+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-OBmo9T7RXbw/Ub0hmzvZTfI/AAAAAAAACWM/0ASdKmxmfqw/s400/Screen+shot+2013-06-15+at+10.19.03+PM.png" width="270" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Francois-Rupert Carabin Vitrine circa 1895 <i>Image via <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/dalbera/5499258635/in/photostream/" target="_blank">Dalbera</a></i></td></tr>
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Patrick Sheehanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11237658330558641719noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3118955625957053567.post-7344218570376624532013-06-02T13:35:00.001-07:002013-08-10T16:16:58.446-07:00Eileen Gray at Auction: Follow the Lady Where Does She Go...<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-GjvZYUM-grQ/UaubDR4L-3I/AAAAAAAACR4/ftC2r9Ovxhc/s1600/IMG_0274.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-GjvZYUM-grQ/UaubDR4L-3I/AAAAAAAACR4/ftC2r9Ovxhc/s400/IMG_0274.jpg" width="312" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Eileen Gray from the Centre Pompidou Exhibition Photo: <i>Aestheticus Rex</i></td></tr>
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Dear readers, I know I owe you a re-cap of the Eileen Gray exhibition at the Centre Pompidou which closed last month. I was able to attend and shot a slew of images, rest assured. Today I was settling into a peaceful Sunday afternoon thumbing through the upcoming Christie's 13 June 2013 Design Sale and was pleased to find lot 142.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-nJF_TJAiTzo/UauchZra5aI/AAAAAAAACSE/FMvfXm8s76A/s1600/H0027-L44000185.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="247" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-nJF_TJAiTzo/UauchZra5aI/AAAAAAAACSE/FMvfXm8s76A/s400/H0027-L44000185.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Eileen Gray set of ten lacquered plates <i>Image via Christie's</i></td></tr>
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They are a lustrous set of Eileen Gray aubergine lacquered wood plates with provenance back to the legendary Sotheby's sale of The Collection of Eileen Gray held in Monaco in 1980. The plates are being offered at an estimate of $5000-8000.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xb27sZgdU04/UauejZGUQZI/AAAAAAAACSQ/jeVocZKCggk/s1600/XXX_8996_1315229880_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xb27sZgdU04/UauejZGUQZI/AAAAAAAACSQ/jeVocZKCggk/s400/XXX_8996_1315229880_1.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cover of the seminal Eileen Gray Collection Sale, Sotheby's Monaco, 1980 <i>Image Via 1stDibs</i></td></tr>
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Christie's present offering lists the plates provenance as being from a larger set offered as successive lots in the 1980 sale, lots 245a, b, or c. But there is a bit more to the story as the tagline of this blog isn't "the incestuous world of design" for nothing. As I have stated before, things tend to pop-up here, disappear for a while and re-emerge over there...but the internet has made the world a much smaller place. The set of plates at Christie's quietly sold at Stair Galleries in Hudson, NY in December 2011 for $2000 on an estimate of $800-1200. I only heard about the sale after the fact much to my chagrin...the winning bidder was a lucky person indeed.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-YqNqoxMq1xU/UaumDXQODqI/AAAAAAAACSg/INQoCcxA0xU/s1600/H0043-L25513952.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-YqNqoxMq1xU/UaumDXQODqI/AAAAAAAACSg/INQoCcxA0xU/s400/H0043-L25513952.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Eileen Gray Lacquered Plates, Stair Galleries, Hudson, NY, 3 December 2011, lot 368 <i>Image via Artfact</i></td></tr>
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The Stair Galleries cataloging acknowledges that the plates indeed were part of lot 245 in the the 1980 Gray sale but goes further noting that the plates were also later sold at Sotheby's New York, 5 June 2001, lot 469. How they emerged at a small Stair Galleries sale a decade later is anyone's guess. With the buzz of the Yves Saint Laurent Sale and the recent retrospective at the Centre Pompidou in Paris I expect them to do much better. We will have to wait until the hammer falls later this month. As an FYI, another set of twelve plates was offered in the same December 2011 Stair Galleries sale but they have yet to resurface...<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-wJyoChNWezo/Uauqu1xII7I/AAAAAAAACSw/AHSQJ0vR0vI/s1600/H0043-L25513953.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="250" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-wJyoChNWezo/Uauqu1xII7I/AAAAAAAACSw/AHSQJ0vR0vI/s400/H0043-L25513953.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Set of Twelve Eilenn Gray Lacquered plates, Stair Galleries, Hudson NY, lot 367, sold $1200 <i>Image via Artfact</i></td></tr>
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UPDATE: Well the auction took place a few hours ago and the plates sold for a whopping $43,750! That is an amazing return on a $2000 investment. I am sure we will see the other set in due course. Happy hunting...--AR<br />
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UPDATE II:<br />
I have been adding catalogues to my collection and unrelated research led me to additional provenance for these well traveled plates. They were of course a set of 23 that were broken-up across four lots in the 1980 Sotheby's "Collection Eileen Gray" sale. Lots 245, 245a, 245b, and 245c to be exact.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QxHY7rw2g3k/Uga3BVRXU5I/AAAAAAAACd0/8h3PCN6Jo5Q/s1600/GrayPlate1980.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QxHY7rw2g3k/Uga3BVRXU5I/AAAAAAAACd0/8h3PCN6Jo5Q/s400/GrayPlate1980.jpeg" width="375" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Collection Eileen Gray, Sotheby's Monaco25 May 1980, Lots 245 & 245a-c Image via <i>Sotheby's</i></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-aQtVngUZWyo/Uga25rmVhsI/AAAAAAAACds/4NIvhpus4H0/s1600/GrayPlates1980Text.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="232" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-aQtVngUZWyo/Uga25rmVhsI/AAAAAAAACds/4NIvhpus4H0/s400/GrayPlates1980Text.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lot text for the above image. Image via <i>Sotheby's</i></td></tr>
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They next surface in the collection of antiquities dealer Robin Symes in the guise of the "Philip Johnson Townhouse" sale at Sotheby's New York, 6 May 1989, lots 97-99 where they were now reduced to 22 plates split over three lots.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-M2WOFtyeee4/Uga81XKbaKI/AAAAAAAACeU/kZirLeE9-ic/s1600/GrayPlateTwnhs.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="318" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-M2WOFtyeee4/Uga81XKbaKI/AAAAAAAACeU/kZirLeE9-ic/s400/GrayPlateTwnhs.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Philip Johnson Townhouse, Sotheby's New York, 6 May 1989, lots 97-99 Image via<i> Sotheby's</i></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-d-6oCjVfcN0/Uga8GF3ssVI/AAAAAAAACeM/ELBhj-g-dwM/s1600/GrayPlatesTwnhsText.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="233" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-d-6oCjVfcN0/Uga8GF3ssVI/AAAAAAAACeM/ELBhj-g-dwM/s400/GrayPlatesTwnhsText.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lot text for the above image. Image via <i>Sotheby's</i></td></tr>
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Take note that the provenance is slightly incorrect as they include lot 244 from the Eileen Gray Collection which was actually a lacquer box. Anyway, I have always thought it was a disservice to refer to the Symes sale in reference to the townhouse that was its final lot. The sale was largely comprised of a cache of masterworks by Eileen Gray and Pierre Legrain including a slew of rare archival materials. If you don not have a copy....find it! It is a treasure trove of information. As I stated previously, the plates next resurfaced at Sotheby's New York, 5 June 2001, lot 469. I am assuming that all 22 plates were in that lot (I am tracking down a copy of this sale as Sothebys.com is spotty with sales results beyond a decade). From here they disappeared into the ether before they emerged in two successive lots at Stair Galleries in Hudson, New York, 3 December 2011. The 22 being split over two lots (367 & 368). As we now know they have been split-up, ten being sold at Christie's New York, 13 June 2013, lot 142. I am waiting to see how long it will take for the other 12 surface.Patrick Sheehanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11237658330558641719noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3118955625957053567.post-77991210825998611642013-06-01T17:20:00.001-07:002013-06-01T17:38:50.391-07:00Le Salon des Antiquaires et Galeristes-Tour Eiffel<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Hello Dear Readers. This is just a quick post as Le Salon des Antiquaires et Galeristes-Tour Eiffel closes tomorrow so if you are in Paris...check it out. The fair is a bit small which makes it manageable and no one could fault its location under the tents at the foot of the Eiffel Tower along the Seine.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-z19ts8MG9ag/Uap7PNVzK-I/AAAAAAAACQE/GlbtEBdv7gg/s1600/IMG_0099.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-z19ts8MG9ag/Uap7PNVzK-I/AAAAAAAACQE/GlbtEBdv7gg/s400/IMG_0099.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The fair was under the tents at left Photo: <i>Aestheticus Rex</i></td></tr>
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There was a broad mix of dealers from Paris and beyond selling Old Master and Contemporary paintings to all sorts of decorative arts and jewelry, definitely something for everyone. In the booth of tableware and textile dealer <i><a href="http://www.cmo-antiquites.com/accueil/cmo_exposants/tous_les_exposants/dans_de_beaux_draps" target="_blank">Dans Le Beaux Draps</a></i> I was tempted by every manner of embroidered linen and outmoded textile. It truly is a lost art as we live our lives ever faster and simpler on a day-to-day basis. I had a chuckle at seeing my nom-de-plume initials emblazoned on an elaborate 19th century tablecloth.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-BHcYrzY7IRM/Uap-hROd_XI/AAAAAAAACQU/eWaUhd-WJ_4/s1600/IMG_0086.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="260" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-BHcYrzY7IRM/Uap-hROd_XI/AAAAAAAACQU/eWaUhd-WJ_4/s400/IMG_0086.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Aestheticus Rex" table linen in the booth of <i>Dans Le Beaux Drap</i> Photo: <i>Aestheticus Rex</i></td></tr>
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The mini period rooms and decorative pastiches always get me. A good dealer will stop you in your tracks with their presentation as they only have a moment to draw you in. This was the case with the booths of <i><a href="http://www.pipat-antiquites.info/galerie-56.html#.UaqAOnDT1UR" target="_blank">Galerie Pipat</a></i> and dealer <i><a href="http://www.patrickmartin-antiquaire.fr/en/" target="_blank">Patrick Martin</a></i>. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-HJ77cABaX7I/UaqCQWYEfhI/AAAAAAAACQk/7mcH9XJzSMc/s1600/IMG_0089.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-HJ77cABaX7I/UaqCQWYEfhI/AAAAAAAACQk/7mcH9XJzSMc/s400/IMG_0089.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Booth of <i>Galerie Pipat</i> Photo: <i>Aestheticus Rex</i></td></tr>
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I was most captivated by the empire painting of and officer. While it wasn't the most youthful or dramatic rendering I have seen from this period the technical execution was superb, especially in the details of the gold embroidery on his jacket.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-X9zDbiG8YE0/UaqCQxbe1xI/AAAAAAAACQs/IBHvGrCZHcs/s1600/IMG_0098.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="271" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-X9zDbiG8YE0/UaqCQxbe1xI/AAAAAAAACQs/IBHvGrCZHcs/s400/IMG_0098.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Booth of <i>Patrick Martin</i> taking pride of place at the entrance of the fair Photo: <i>Aestheticus Rex</i></td></tr>
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Patrick Martin created a continental fantasy and I was most amused by the stag head wall-lights with their bulb embellished points.<br />
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At the end of the day, it was the call of modernity that won the focus of my attention. In the booth of contemporary art and design dealer <a href="http://www.cmo-antiquites.com/accueil/cmo_exposants/tous_les_exposants/le_floch" target="_blank"><i>Ludovic Le Floch</i></a> I found my prize tucked away on a console table.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-9pzqY8DfwvQ/UaqGuiAMLLI/AAAAAAAACQ8/na8hCcnj1ic/s1600/IMG_0094.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-9pzqY8DfwvQ/UaqGuiAMLLI/AAAAAAAACQ8/na8hCcnj1ic/s400/IMG_0094.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Booth of design dealer <i>Ludovic</i> <i>Le Floch</i> Photo: <i>Aestheticus Rex</i></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-0OHtqcyykV0/UaqJrQOofBI/AAAAAAAACRM/YemV-ExKtOA/s1600/IMG_0091.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-0OHtqcyykV0/UaqJrQOofBI/AAAAAAAACRM/YemV-ExKtOA/s400/IMG_0091.jpg" width="343" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Clockwork Skull" at <i>Ludovic Le Floch</i> Photo: <i>Aestheticus Rex</i></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-P1OrZvS64r8/UaqJuUb4mSI/AAAAAAAACRU/OBBppEEPE1Y/s1600/IMG_0092.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-P1OrZvS64r8/UaqJuUb4mSI/AAAAAAAACRU/OBBppEEPE1Y/s400/IMG_0092.jpg" width="372" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Centimes Skull" at <i>Ludovic Le Floch</i> Photo: <i>Aestheticus Rex</i></td></tr>
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The skulls are masterfully crafted from the innocuous components of our daily lives yet they are themes that rule our mortal days...time and money. I am a big fan of a clever memento mori and these were stark in their modernity. Regrettably, I mislaid the card with the artist's details, but I remember that they were priced at €6500 each. With a heavy heart I had to leave them with the venerable Mr. La Floch. They immediately reminded me of the coin furniture by Johnny Swing, delicate and lacy yet durable with an edge. Until next time--AR<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-VpC4HkKgylU/UaqNX6Ss9kI/AAAAAAAACRk/2LxJELkT9rU/s1600/Screen+shot+2013-06-01+at+8.09.34+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="313" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-VpC4HkKgylU/UaqNX6Ss9kI/AAAAAAAACRk/2LxJELkT9rU/s400/Screen+shot+2013-06-01+at+8.09.34+PM.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Johnny Swing "Half-Dollar /Butterfly Chair" Image via <i><a href="http://JohnnySwing.com/">JohnnySwing.com</a></i></td></tr>
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Patrick Sheehanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11237658330558641719noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3118955625957053567.post-5409725238739582722013-05-27T22:03:00.001-07:002013-05-27T22:03:34.194-07:00Rateau's Commission For the Duchess de Alba to be Sold at Christie's Paris: Part III (Results)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-qeQ7Uqvs-Ns/UaQEWDRmziI/AAAAAAAACMk/4VLBzlz7ynE/s1600/IMG_0387.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-qeQ7Uqvs-Ns/UaQEWDRmziI/AAAAAAAACMk/4VLBzlz7ynE/s400/IMG_0387.jpg" width="260" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Christie's Paris grand staircase with the Alba/Rateau banner <i>Image: Aestheticus Rex</i></td></tr>
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Hello dear readers, I am still in Paris finishing-up taking in the design auctions but had to post on this long awaited topic. For those who are not up to speed on the Armand Albert Rateau furniture that sold last week at Christie's Paris please see my posts <a href="http://aestheticusrex.blogspot.com/2013/03/rateaus-commission-for-duchess-de-alba.html" target="_blank">here</a> and <a href="http://aestheticusrex.blogspot.com/2013/05/rateaus-commission-for-duchess-de-alba.html" target="_blank">here</a>. Christie's Paris office did an incomparable job displaying the group of works that were originally commissioned for the Duchess de Alba's bathroom in the Liria Palace, Madrid. Jacques Grange designed the installation which was an inspired attempt to capture the spirit of this room known only from a few period images.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-QCvWK4SPE2w/UaQKG8nXsiI/AAAAAAAACNM/_5JzbqCP0tE/s1600/RateauExhibition.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="307" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-QCvWK4SPE2w/UaQKG8nXsiI/AAAAAAAACNM/_5JzbqCP0tE/s400/RateauExhibition.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jacques Grange installation of the Alba Rateau consignment at Christie's Paris <i>Image: Aestheticus Rex</i></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-s0gblkfwJtc/UaQJwCXEfVI/AAAAAAAACNE/Ab-CkgSGBHU/s1600/IMG_0038.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-s0gblkfwJtc/UaQJwCXEfVI/AAAAAAAACNE/Ab-CkgSGBHU/s400/IMG_0038.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jacques Grange installation of the Alba Rateau consignment at Christie's Paris <i>Image: Aestheticus Rex</i></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-qkwdyiUIQVY/UaQNKnvUn0I/AAAAAAAACNc/bAXlTrBN5FQ/s1600/IMG_0367.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-qkwdyiUIQVY/UaQNKnvUn0I/AAAAAAAACNc/bAXlTrBN5FQ/s400/IMG_0367.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jacques Grange installation of the Alba Rateau consignment at Christie's Paris <i>Image: Aestheticus Rex</i></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-B8mjezNYVoo/UaQTqbjLCKI/AAAAAAAACN8/AkwLn41dZQw/s1600/AlbaBain2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-B8mjezNYVoo/UaQTqbjLCKI/AAAAAAAACN8/AkwLn41dZQw/s400/AlbaBain2.jpg" width="327" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #191919; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 10px; line-height: 20px;">Duchess de Alba's Bathroom, Liria Palace, Madrid circa 1922 <i> Image via Musee Des Arts Decoratifs, Paris</i></span></td></tr>
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I have taken a few days since the sale on May 23rd to digest what happened. Once again I was ever the enthusiast in my posts and while six of the seven masterworks sold they did so at the low end of their estimates, seemingly at their reserves. Here is the rundown:<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-VtW52UjiMco/UaQZezItpxI/AAAAAAAACOM/oTU2y36ZtBE/s1600/AlbaLamps.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-VtW52UjiMco/UaQZezItpxI/AAAAAAAACOM/oTU2y36ZtBE/s400/AlbaLamps.jpg" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rateau Torcheres lots 119 & 120 <i>Image via Christie's</i></td></tr>
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The majestic torcheres each sold for a hammer price of €1.4 million (€1,665,000 with premium) against their estimates of €1,500,000-2,000,000 each.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-lvmcTKATapA/UaQd6sHXQBI/AAAAAAAACOc/oga0wAJco78/s1600/Screen+shot+2013-05-04+at+6.14.16+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="276" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-lvmcTKATapA/UaQd6sHXQBI/AAAAAAAACOc/oga0wAJco78/s400/Screen+shot+2013-05-04+at+6.14.16+PM.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rateau Daybed lot 118 <i>Image via Christie's</i></td></tr>
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The daybed was the essence of chic in person and sold for a hammer price of €350,000 (€421,500 with premium) against an estimate of €400,000-600,000. Evidently the bronze tassel mounts were recent replacements to the original specifications.<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-VdmCxrcEeMA/UaQfsaBvhKI/AAAAAAAACOs/kU8iuwafjGM/s1600/Screen+shot+2013-05-04+at+6.12.06+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="378" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-VdmCxrcEeMA/UaQfsaBvhKI/AAAAAAAACOs/kU8iuwafjGM/s400/Screen+shot+2013-05-04+at+6.12.06+PM.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rateau Dressing Table lot 123 <i>Image via Christie's</i></td></tr>
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The dressing table was one of my favorite pieces in person. The proportions were sheer perfection. It ultimately realized a hammer price of €550,000 (€661,500 with premium) on an estimate of €600,000-800,000. As I discussed previously the mirror superstructure is now lacking, but the top appears to be original (a rather sparkly granite) as it still retains its drill holes for the mirror mount.<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-UUhF2xknqRQ/UaQi6fN_JuI/AAAAAAAACO8/8GwytD_dMck/s1600/IMG_0371.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-UUhF2xknqRQ/UaQi6fN_JuI/AAAAAAAACO8/8GwytD_dMck/s400/IMG_0371.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Detail of dressing table top, showing the mounting holes for the former mirror <i>Image: Aestheticus Rex</i></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-a2Ix4oYC52Y/UaQjhWY0gnI/AAAAAAAACPE/dO3Iy0XAZQU/s1600/Screen+shot+2013-05-04+at+6.15.59+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="226" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-a2Ix4oYC52Y/UaQjhWY0gnI/AAAAAAAACPE/dO3Iy0XAZQU/s400/Screen+shot+2013-05-04+at+6.15.59+PM.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rateau Low Table lot 122 <i>Image via Christie's</i></td></tr>
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What can I say, the low table "aux oiseau" is one of Rateau's most iconic designs and it was a visual feast to see it up-close and personal. It achieved €1.4 million (€1,665,000 with premium) against its estimate of €1,500,000-2,000,000. If I were in the running, this would have been where I spent my money.<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ySii7UGWho4/UaQlgb6YuiI/AAAAAAAACPU/YCA1G1m9u1A/s1600/Screen+shot+2013-05-04+at+6.22.04+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="192" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ySii7UGWho4/UaQlgb6YuiI/AAAAAAAACPU/YCA1G1m9u1A/s400/Screen+shot+2013-05-04+at+6.22.04+PM.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rateau Marble Sunken Bathtub lot 124 <i>Image via Christie's</i></td></tr>
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The bathtub while a consummate object was a big gamble. As I stated previously it takes the right client with a vision to take on something that in itself becomes a huge project. That said, it sold at a conservative €50,000 hammer price (€61,500 with premium) against a pre-sale estimate of €150,000-200,000. This was a smart strategy because if this lot failed to sell it would have been pretty difficult to re-offer in a later sale stripped of the context and buzz of this exciting consignment.<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hWIu-V9Gr94/UaQpdpQliCI/AAAAAAAACPk/NdABivfsxOs/s1600/Screen+shot+2013-05-04+at+6.18.12+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="235" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hWIu-V9Gr94/UaQpdpQliCI/AAAAAAAACPk/NdABivfsxOs/s400/Screen+shot+2013-05-04+at+6.18.12+PM.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rateau Canape "Aux Cols de Cygnes" lot 121 <i>Image via Christie's</i></td></tr>
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The casualty of the evening was this graceful sofa with scrolled swan arms. I knew from the period images that there was something slightly amiss with the seatrail as it originally had a central cartouche and a lattice pattern of stars/rosettes (which are seen in repeated motifs on all the other pieces).<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HTE-iUCSZQw/UaQr3ip1GgI/AAAAAAAACP0/wcFP3Ka1tdw/s1600/AlbaSwanSofa.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="347" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HTE-iUCSZQw/UaQr3ip1GgI/AAAAAAAACP0/wcFP3Ka1tdw/s400/AlbaSwanSofa.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Period detail image of the Canape "Aux Cols de Cygnes" in situ, lot 121 <i>Image via Musee des Arts Decoratifs, Paris</i></td></tr>
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The catalogue disclosed that the legs were replaced and the condition report disclosed that the rosettes to either end of the seatrail were also replaced to the original design as well. I heard from a few people at the exhibition that the sofa had later been re-upholstered covering the seatrail entirely. If you are lucky the upholsterer will just pad over any carvings and then place the fabric over. In this case it seems that the carvings were scraped away when the canape was later updated. With all of this in mind the canape ultimately failed to sell at its estimate of €200,000-300,000. I am sure we will see this work again very soon. <div>
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All of the lots sold were purchased in the room by Galerie Vallois with the venerable Cheska Vallois doing the bidding. She famously purchased Eileen Gray's "Dragon" armchair from the Yves Saint Laurent sale for the stratospheric sum of $28,238,277. She along with her husband Bob were critical in rediscovering the importance of art deco in the late 1960s and rightfully hold the keys to the Rateau and Eileen Gray markets. I expect to see the Alba suite again, perhaps at the next Paris Biennale, that is of course unless Vallois was bidding on behalf of a private client, then dear readers....all bets are off. As before, these works may not be seen for a few generations. Until next time I leave you with a video of Cheska Vallois discussing her passion for art deco produced for the 2012 Biennale--AR</div>
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Patrick Sheehanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11237658330558641719noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3118955625957053567.post-79048577281235669312013-05-22T02:23:00.000-07:002013-05-27T17:56:41.645-07:00Greetings from Design Week in ParisHello dear readers. Just a quick post. Between the museum exhibitions, galleries and auction previews it has been an exciting time thus far...despite the spring rain. Yesterday I had the opportunity to take in the 20th Century preview at Tajan and I must say I forgot how well suited their art deco space is to this material.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-pgmL4apOZ2w/UZyI2GzuKwI/AAAAAAAACLc/r5HWfIPJ_qA/s1600/IMG_0032.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-pgmL4apOZ2w/UZyI2GzuKwI/AAAAAAAACLc/r5HWfIPJ_qA/s400/IMG_0032.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tajan Premises: Design Sale (23 May 2013) Photo: AR</td></tr>
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There were many offerings between Printz, Leleu (the chair and ottoman in the foreground) and an impressive Adnet suite in parchment. But I was captivated by something a bit earlier in the category.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-l6jjW48YEp4/UZyKO4ju6JI/AAAAAAAACLs/6RBBlm1QR6U/s1600/IMG_0025.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-l6jjW48YEp4/UZyKO4ju6JI/AAAAAAAACLs/6RBBlm1QR6U/s400/IMG_0025.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Georges De Feure Writing Table and Chair Photo: AR</td></tr>
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For me, this is a lovely rare survival that is not often seen. This finely carved art nouveau writing table and chair retain their original upholstery scheme. The chair and table are by Georges De Feure who was a master of florid art nouveau that was slightly more restrained then his contemporaries. It is always a treat to see how the period upholstery operates with the work, incorporating the motifs from the carving and integrating the work as a whole. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-dBIj_1Dn0rA/UZyMYi7RBkI/AAAAAAAACME/QVfnNXd0P3U/s1600/IMG_0027.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-dBIj_1Dn0rA/UZyMYi7RBkI/AAAAAAAACME/QVfnNXd0P3U/s400/IMG_0027.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Georges De Feure Chair Photo: AR</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-okecmMrk6QA/UZyMYoLNw6I/AAAAAAAACL8/guyKtqJJgnA/s1600/IMG_0028.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-okecmMrk6QA/UZyMYoLNw6I/AAAAAAAACL8/guyKtqJJgnA/s400/IMG_0028.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Detail Photo: AR</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-afzgBnJnSC8/UZyMYg1GYSI/AAAAAAAACMA/6IOhst6yIQI/s1600/IMG_0030.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-afzgBnJnSC8/UZyMYg1GYSI/AAAAAAAACMA/6IOhst6yIQI/s400/IMG_0030.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Detail of table upholstery Photo: AR</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-qYV62F_IsBs/UZyMaIT4uRI/AAAAAAAACMU/IXw2RR2_Ihw/s1600/IMG_0031.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-qYV62F_IsBs/UZyMaIT4uRI/AAAAAAAACMU/IXw2RR2_Ihw/s400/IMG_0031.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Detail of carving to leg Photo: AR</td></tr>
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This piece will hit the block tomorrow and I will post an update. While art nouveau is not the hottest commodity in this category it has seen a resurgence in the past few years and intact works such as these are what a serious collector seeks. I am off to hit the galleries....until next time. --ARPatrick Sheehanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11237658330558641719noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3118955625957053567.post-23433016296285588942013-05-05T17:09:00.000-07:002013-05-22T19:18:35.499-07:00Rateau's Commission For the Duchess de Alba to be Sold at Christie's Paris: Part II<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-wLNZvP7SKMw/UYW9w5LnsfI/AAAAAAAACHM/bf2IgbEvp8w/s1600/AlbaBain2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-wLNZvP7SKMw/UYW9w5LnsfI/AAAAAAAACHM/bf2IgbEvp8w/s400/AlbaBain2.jpg" width="327" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #191919; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 10px; line-height: 20px;">Duchess de Alba's Bathroom, Liria Palace, Madrid circa 1922 <i> Image via Musee Des Arts Decoratifs, Paris</i></span></td></tr>
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Hello dear readers. Well I hope you enjoyed my first <a href="http://aestheticusrex.blogspot.com/2013/03/rateaus-commission-for-duchess-de-alba.html" target="_blank">post</a> on this subject. The Christie's catalogue is out and many questions have been answered regarding this elusive Rateau commission for the Liria Palace in Madrid. According to the catalogue, upon the marriage of the XVII Duke of Alba to the future Duch<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">ess (<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #191919; line-height: 20px;">doña María del Rosario de Silva y Gurtubay)</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #191919; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20px;">, </span>in 1920 an entire enfilade of rooms were commissioned for her use including a boudoir, bedroom and bathroom.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-_j9DHJwChpw/UYXGZ5cEhLI/AAAAAAAACHY/JEaeHbWfuM8/s1600/Screen+shot+2013-05-04+at+10.28.05+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="156" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-_j9DHJwChpw/UYXGZ5cEhLI/AAAAAAAACHY/JEaeHbWfuM8/s400/Screen+shot+2013-05-04+at+10.28.05+PM.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Liria Place, Madrid: Plan of first floor with the Duchess' suite highlighted in white. Image via Christie's (Fonds Rateau)</td></tr>
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We now know that this fabled suite of rooms had a rather short shelf-life. The Duchess died 11 January 1934 of tuberculosis and the Liria Palace itself was greatly destroyed during the tumultuous Spanish Civil War (1936-1939). According to the catalogue essay, in advance of the looming revolution, many of the palace treasures and furnishings were safeguarded at either the British Embassy or the Banco de Espana. So now the mystery is solved, The Rateau interiors enjoyed a mere decade of completeness before the tides of war sealed their fate. Now, onto the surviving artworks themselves.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qt6isyMMBac/UYXXJCcr8cI/AAAAAAAACJI/UVyY5t1Gty4/s1600/AlbaLamps.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qt6isyMMBac/UYXXJCcr8cI/AAAAAAAACJI/UVyY5t1Gty4/s400/AlbaLamps.jpg" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Alba commission Rateau torcheres <i>Image via Christie's</i></td></tr>
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We know the floor lamps "aux oiseau" as this image was included with the press release for this sale issued in February. The lamps are being offered individually each at an estimate of €1,500,000-2,000,000. They are two from the four that were originally installed in the bathroom.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DAC2Gbk7AZU/UYXWoaNTKkI/AAAAAAAACIU/UC72BaGVr80/s1600/Screen+shot+2013-05-04+at+6.15.59+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="226" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DAC2Gbk7AZU/UYXWoaNTKkI/AAAAAAAACIU/UC72BaGVr80/s400/Screen+shot+2013-05-04+at+6.15.59+PM.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Alba commission low table "aux oiseau" <i>Image via Christie's</i></td></tr>
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As I stated previously this iconic low table is a Rateau collector's must-have item and seems to be in very good order. I am completely unfazed by the estimate of €1,500,000-2,000,000. It will do far better than that.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-88M7wMN-OaA/UYa285yb7xI/AAAAAAAACJY/5_IJuu-cce8/s1600/AlbaTable.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="351" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-88M7wMN-OaA/UYa285yb7xI/AAAAAAAACJY/5_IJuu-cce8/s400/AlbaTable.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Alba commission Rateau low table "aux oiseau" shown in situ <i>Image via Musee des Arts Decoratifs</i></td></tr>
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Now onto the adjustable daybed. The previous literature on the subject suggested that this was a unique work. It has now come to light that it is one of two recorded. The other example with cream upholstery shown in my previous post was exhibited at Delorenzo Gallery, New York in 1990. It can be deduced that it was subsequently sold, its whereabouts are currently unknown.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3p5tKwdMosU/UYXWnNSMcNI/AAAAAAAACII/n8YQgcatm58/s1600/Screen+shot+2013-05-04+at+6.14.16+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="276" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3p5tKwdMosU/UYXWnNSMcNI/AAAAAAAACII/n8YQgcatm58/s400/Screen+shot+2013-05-04+at+6.14.16+PM.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Alba commission Rateau adjustable daybed <i>Image via Christie's</i></td></tr>
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The Alba daybed has never left their possession and looks to be in good condition. It has been recovered in an animal print fabric in keeping with the original ocelot upholstery. While it is no longer classified as a "unique" work it is only one of two known and with this stellar provenance the estimate of €400,000-600,000 still seems conservative.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-nDyaoziyjd4/UYa8heQ7KCI/AAAAAAAACJo/BVEGm3CNmTg/s1600/AlbaChaise.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="282" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-nDyaoziyjd4/UYa8heQ7KCI/AAAAAAAACJo/BVEGm3CNmTg/s400/AlbaChaise.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Alba commission Rateau adjustable daybed shown in-situ <i>Image via Musee des Arts Decoratifs</i></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Z5tsTMCjrSY/UYXWntvX-cI/AAAAAAAACIM/jmGfFDOHi80/s1600/Screen+shot+2013-05-04+at+6.14.53+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="178" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Z5tsTMCjrSY/UYXWntvX-cI/AAAAAAAACIM/jmGfFDOHi80/s400/Screen+shot+2013-05-04+at+6.14.53+PM.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Detail of daybed <i>Image via Christie's</i></td></tr>
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I really enjoy the shell and drapery carved frieze on the seatrail. The bronze pendent's are functional as well as beautiful as they hold the pins that secure the adjustable sides in various positions.<br />
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Now onto the dressing table. It appears that over the years of movement and storage that the original top and bronze-mounted mirror superstructure have been lost.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-UYDe-_3P_Bc/UYXWjzWSCjI/AAAAAAAACH0/ONuVZynRB_Y/s1600/Screen+shot+2013-05-04+at+6.12.06+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="378" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-UYDe-_3P_Bc/UYXWjzWSCjI/AAAAAAAACH0/ONuVZynRB_Y/s400/Screen+shot+2013-05-04+at+6.12.06+PM.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Alba commission Rateau dressing table <i>Image via Christie's</i></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-kBxRAKJD_Jo/UYbA7X8Ex3I/AAAAAAAACJ8/kRCAW6EvzJs/s1600/albavanity.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-kBxRAKJD_Jo/UYbA7X8Ex3I/AAAAAAAACJ8/kRCAW6EvzJs/s400/albavanity.jpg" width="330" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Alba commission Rateau dressing table in its original configuration shown in-situ <i> Image via Musee des Arts Decoratifs</i></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-fXcYOeAmTLI/UYbJ-KdgTvI/AAAAAAAACKI/iY-Qg432reE/s1600/VanityDetail.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="370" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-fXcYOeAmTLI/UYbJ-KdgTvI/AAAAAAAACKI/iY-Qg432reE/s400/VanityDetail.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Detail of dressing table showing original bronze mounted mirror <i>Image via Musee des Arts Decoratifs</i></td></tr>
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As you can see from the period images the mirror and its sculptural mount are now lacking. I would surmise that the the top has been replaced as well. It either took a spill in the past ninety years or was modified to make it a more versatile piece. I will be attending the exhibition so I will be able to check for sure because if the top is original it will have plugged holes to the surface where the bronze mount was affixed. From the images it looks like the present top is thicker and in the period photos the upper edges appear to be rounded (however it may just be glare). Rateau made versions to this table with and without mirrors so the present condition is not a deal-breaker and explains the €600,000-800,000 estimate. It will perform quite well with this conservative approach.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-I8pSoiA47pY/UYXWqW5lDtI/AAAAAAAACIk/Hd3NWOW0RDM/s1600/Screen+shot+2013-05-04+at+6.18.12+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="235" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-I8pSoiA47pY/UYXWqW5lDtI/AAAAAAAACIk/Hd3NWOW0RDM/s400/Screen+shot+2013-05-04+at+6.18.12+PM.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Alba commission Rateau Canape aux Cols Cygnes <i>Image via Christie's</i></td></tr>
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Now to the sofa, it looks very smart in it brown satin upholstery. The catalogue confirms that it was originally covered in dark pony skin. It also notes that all four legs have been replaced to the original specifications. It is also noted that the patinated seatrail has been restored to its original color. However, if you look at the period image, the seatrail had additional stenciling, carving or appliques when it was originally installed.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-I0viPB9Wb0o/UYbTo2JQDgI/AAAAAAAACKY/3yJeqdP6SL4/s1600/AlbaSwanSofa.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="347" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-I0viPB9Wb0o/UYbTo2JQDgI/AAAAAAAACKY/3yJeqdP6SL4/s400/AlbaSwanSofa.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Alba commission Rateau Canape aux Cols Cygnes shown in-situ with original seatrail decoration <i>Image via Musee des Arts Decoratifs</i></td></tr>
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The rosettes at either end of the seatrail appear to be in low-relief in the period photo as well. I will be intriguing to read the condition report for this lot to see what was needed to make it presentable for the auction. That said, the estimate seems right at €200,000-300,000. Not conservative given the condition, but that will likely not matter given the provenance.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1srVfUiQtog/UYXWsuVrPkI/AAAAAAAACI8/5MAT5n1jGMw/s1600/Screen+shot+2013-05-04+at+6.22.04+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="192" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1srVfUiQtog/UYXWsuVrPkI/AAAAAAAACI8/5MAT5n1jGMw/s400/Screen+shot+2013-05-04+at+6.22.04+PM.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Alba commission Rateau marble bathtub <i>Image via Christie's</i></td></tr>
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Last but not least we come to the marble tub. I was curious as to how it was configured. It was in-fact carved out of a solid square block of white marble. As you can see from the period image the mass was sunken into the floor with only the edge molding exposed.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-iTX0x9WIW5w/UYbYRHklreI/AAAAAAAACKo/gj2R1FPGHZA/s1600/AlbaTub.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-iTX0x9WIW5w/UYbYRHklreI/AAAAAAAACKo/gj2R1FPGHZA/s400/AlbaTub.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Alba commission Rateau bathtub shown in-situ <i>Image via Musee des Arts Decoratifs</i></td></tr>
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Unfortunately, it is now lacking its cast bronze fixtures. As you can see from the detail below the holes have been patched.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-pC1t20PLdOc/UYXWsFjgqWI/AAAAAAAACI0/sCU4Ec_XQWU/s1600/Screen+shot+2013-05-04+at+6.22.38+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="190" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-pC1t20PLdOc/UYXWsFjgqWI/AAAAAAAACI0/sCU4Ec_XQWU/s400/Screen+shot+2013-05-04+at+6.22.38+PM.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Detail of carved marble tub showing the infilled holes from the bronze taps <i>Image via Christie's</i></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ec9jwQvdUic/UYbecWSOphI/AAAAAAAACK4/NiVjkP8Ba_A/s1600/Alba+Taps.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="322" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ec9jwQvdUic/UYbecWSOphI/AAAAAAAACK4/NiVjkP8Ba_A/s400/Alba+Taps.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Detail showing original bronze taps from the Alba commission <i>Image via Musee des Arts Decoratifs</i></td></tr>
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The arrangement of birds and floral motifs are in keeping with the rest of the room's decorative scheme. The same arrangement of bird faucets and stopper were utilized in the bathroom of Jeanne Lanvin as well.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-HBpbBJgtq2U/UYbtvp98S9I/AAAAAAAACLI/7v0K_M-PG6E/s1600/RateauFixtures.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="261" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-HBpbBJgtq2U/UYbtvp98S9I/AAAAAAAACLI/7v0K_M-PG6E/s400/RateauFixtures.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rateau bronze bath fixtures from Jeanne Lanvin's Bathroom <i> Image via Musee des Arts Decoratifs</i></td></tr>
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The catalogue also notes that the tub will not be displayed at Christie's Paris office but rather at the Monin warehouse located on the northern border of the city. I can only guess it has to do with the massive weight of the work causing logistical and safety concerns. On a side note, I heard that the tub spent part of the past sixty years as a water feature in the gardens of the Liria Palace. The mind reels, but I digress. The tub is indeed a great object but as I stated before it will need the right buyer who is willing to take on a project. Lacking its bronze hardware and being relegated to an off-site display location, I do hope that it meets its €150,000-200,000 estimate. Fingers crossed.<br />
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Stay tuned for updates from the design sales in paris later this month!--AR.</div>
Patrick Sheehanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11237658330558641719noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3118955625957053567.post-24036125197123497472013-03-16T19:31:00.001-07:002013-04-15T20:12:52.293-07:00Rare Lalique Masterwork Sells in Paris<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Tv_xMKMirn0/UUUU7bZKhiI/AAAAAAAACFI/n3B_o7r_vqo/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-03-16+at+8.54.30+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Tv_xMKMirn0/UUUU7bZKhiI/AAAAAAAACFI/n3B_o7r_vqo/s400/Screen+Shot+2013-03-16+at+8.54.30+PM.png" width="332" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rene Lalique: Winged Woman Balustrade Section, Detail. <i>Image via Sotheby's</i></td></tr>
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Hello Dear Readers. Just a quick post today. In reviewing recent sales during this gloomy snowy Saturday I came across this stunner that sold at Sotheby's Paris some four weeks ago. In a previous <a href="http://aestheticusrex.blogspot.com/2012/08/tiffany-coup-for-michaans-auctions.html" target="_blank">post</a> regarding the sale of Tiffany Masterworks from the Garden Museum at Michaan's Auctions, I noted that the Museum's art nouveau treasures were being offered later at Sotheby's Paris salesroom. I thought for sure they would be sold at the usual times for this material...the spring season but alas the sale was slated for February 16th. There were many interesting pieces that I had not seen in some years but the rare Rene Lalique patinated bronze winged woman balustrade panel stole the show achieving the highest price of the sale.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-u7UKZao-iOM/UUUX_x0jMwI/AAAAAAAACFQ/osfFPnanE7E/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-03-16+at+3.26.39+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="237" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-u7UKZao-iOM/UUUX_x0jMwI/AAAAAAAACFQ/osfFPnanE7E/s400/Screen+Shot+2013-03-16+at+3.26.39+PM.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rene Lalique: Patinated bronze Winged Woman Balustrade Section <i>Image via Sotheby's</i></td></tr>
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This panel was part of a sculptural balustrade within Rene Lalique's display with Siegfried Bing at the Paris Exposition Universelle of 1900.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-uNZ5SH19zMI/UUUaf_uWMhI/AAAAAAAACFY/flyY7Nh2vkE/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-03-16+at+9.20.25+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="286" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-uNZ5SH19zMI/UUUaf_uWMhI/AAAAAAAACFY/flyY7Nh2vkE/s400/Screen+Shot+2013-03-16+at+9.20.25+PM.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rene Lalique installation at the 1900 Paris Exposition Universelle <i>Image via Allposters.com</i></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-cdTGjAEWYh8/UUUeV7WEeYI/AAAAAAAACFo/shQCmpO9Dq8/s1600/Scan+34.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-cdTGjAEWYh8/UUUeV7WEeYI/AAAAAAAACFo/shQCmpO9Dq8/s400/Scan+34.jpeg" width="310" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Detail of installation showing balustrade. <i>Image via Sotheby's</i></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-OKezGEL4oJU/UUUfI-ODytI/AAAAAAAACF8/XbFezj0CIO4/s1600/Scan+34+copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-OKezGEL4oJU/UUUfI-ODytI/AAAAAAAACF8/XbFezj0CIO4/s400/Scan+34+copy.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Further detail showing balustrade <i> Image via Sotheby's</i></td></tr>
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The bronze panel offered at Sotheby's was one of five that formed a decorative balustrade that was backed with a sheer gauze simulating wings from which Lalque jewels were hung. According to Sotheby's description:<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 12px;"><em>Contemporary illustrations of Lalique's display at the 1900 Exposition universelle show five sculpted bronze figures in three different poses. Two have their hands under the chin, one in the collection of the Kunstgwerbemuseum Berlin (acquisition no. 1901-111), the other on exhibition in the Lalique Museum, Hakone, Japan (lent by Shai Bandmann); one with both arms raised above her head with head to her left (private collection) and two with arms raised above her head (the present example and private collection).</em></span></div>
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As the cataloging shows the panel is one of five produced and only one of two made utilizing the same figure which may explain the result.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ub4PleKFx3I/UUUbwrAlOTI/AAAAAAAACFk/8DxhMP-kV4s/s1600/Scan+37.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ub4PleKFx3I/UUUbwrAlOTI/AAAAAAAACFk/8DxhMP-kV4s/s400/Scan+37.jpeg" width="313" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Detail of present model at the exhibition Universelle Paris 1900 <i>Image via Sotheby's</i></td></tr>
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The panel was estimated at €200,000-300,000 and achieved a stellar €1,240,750 ($1,658,313). This was quite an unexpected result and is a testament to the rarity and desirability of the work. As an investment it was a rather wise one. It was purchased by the Garden Museum in 1998 at Christies New York for $134,500 against an estimate of $100,000-150,000.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-jvUybwGQ8l8/UUUkwy3cq5I/AAAAAAAACGA/aY54177Zl6c/s1600/d1402798x.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-jvUybwGQ8l8/UUUkwy3cq5I/AAAAAAAACGA/aY54177Zl6c/s400/d1402798x.jpg" width="308" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The present work as illustrated at its previous sale, Christie's New York, 10 December 1998, Lot 111 <i>Image via Christie's</i></td></tr>
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A decorative art item increasing in value by over ten times in fifteen years is not too shabby to say the very least. At the same sale in 1998, another version from the suite of five was offered, making $101,500 against the same estimate of $100,000-150,000. This appears to be the example owned by collector Shai Bandmann presently on loan to the Lalique Museum in Hakone, Japan.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-k684SsWyBP8/UUUnciRorLI/AAAAAAAACGI/nxYpPJxY2RI/s1600/d1402799x.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="380" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-k684SsWyBP8/UUUnciRorLI/AAAAAAAACGI/nxYpPJxY2RI/s400/d1402799x.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The example presently on loan to the Lalique Museum Hakone, Japan, Christie's New York, 10 December 1998, Lot 112 <i>Image via Christie's</i></td></tr>
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<div>
The new $1.6M price may motivate the owners of the three other privately held examples to consider selling. We will have to wait and see. Until next time.--AR</div>
Patrick Sheehanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11237658330558641719noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3118955625957053567.post-15312865542147167172013-03-06T20:35:00.003-08:002013-03-16T22:01:43.123-07:00Rare Tiffany Furniture on the Block at Ivey-Selkirk<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-IGmHxyob5mU/UTfrI3nWoZI/AAAAAAAACAw/RP_0EhhPxbc/s1600/21221911.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-IGmHxyob5mU/UTfrI3nWoZI/AAAAAAAACAw/RP_0EhhPxbc/s400/21221911.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Louis C. Tiffany and Samuel Colman carved and micromosaic inlaid side chair. <i>Image via Ivey-Selkirk</i></td></tr>
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Hello dear readers. A dedicated follower tipped me off to this exciting Tiffany consignment that has emerged at St. Louis regional auction house <a href="http://iveyselkirk.auctionflex.com/showlots.ap?co=4859&weid=28945&weiid=0&archive=n&keyword=colman&lso=lotnumasc&pagenum=1&lang=En" target="_blank">Ivey-Selkirk</a>. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-bjAyCoSfNIg/UTftSK_DvqI/AAAAAAAACA4/DKjCF8qVBsE/s1600/21221901.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="273" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-bjAyCoSfNIg/UTftSK_DvqI/AAAAAAAACA4/DKjCF8qVBsE/s400/21221901.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Louis C. Tiffany and Samuel Colman set of four carved and micro mosaic inlaid primavera wood side chairs <i>Image via Ivey Selkirk</i></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-AkakIEnUvd8/UTftUu9T_vI/AAAAAAAACBA/utA3mSBQLm4/s1600/21472527.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="330" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-AkakIEnUvd8/UTftUu9T_vI/AAAAAAAACBA/utA3mSBQLm4/s400/21472527.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Louis C. Tiffany and Samuel Colman micro mosaic inlaid carved primavera wood side table <i>Image via Ivey-Selkirk</i></td></tr>
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The table is being offered on its own at $70,000-100,000 and the chairs are being offered as a set of four at $30,000-40,000. While it is not in their description, the primary wood is tropical primavera which is a blonde timber with a fine grain not unlike mahogany. The pieces are further embellished with fine wood and brass micro mosaic bands and small square panels. The catalogue does correctly note that this group of furniture relates to the suite Tiffany and Colman created for the music room of sugar baron H. O. Havemeyer's Manhattan mansion. A settee from that commission surfaced at Doyle New York in February of 2012 achieving a staggering $422,500. You can read the details in my previous <a href="http://aestheticusrex.blogspot.com/2012/02/rare-tiffany-settee-at-doyle-new-york.html" target="_blank">post</a>. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ujqiKc1cExE/UTf2Xco5kGI/AAAAAAAACBk/TIwZm7lEiTk/s1600/849272.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="220" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ujqiKc1cExE/UTf2Xco5kGI/AAAAAAAACBk/TIwZm7lEiTk/s400/849272.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Louis C. Tiffany and Samuel Colman carved wood settee offered at Doyle's New York <i>Image via Doyle's New York</i></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-PGo4c0NU5GI/UTf0fJQnsjI/AAAAAAAACBY/jjo-sx7hnhU/s1600/Music+room.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="297" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-PGo4c0NU5GI/UTf0fJQnsjI/AAAAAAAACBY/jjo-sx7hnhU/s400/Music+room.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Music room of the H. O. Havemeyer house, New York, circa 1891 <i>Image via Flickr</i></td></tr>
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While the works are very similar in their exotic influence, carving and overall details, the Ivey-Selkirk group is actually a dead ringer for a pair of Tiffany/Colman armchairs in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7dYOBSO51J0/UTf6xBHLAJI/AAAAAAAACB4/D00ARPmCUU0/s1600/Tiffany+met.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7dYOBSO51J0/UTf6xBHLAJI/AAAAAAAACB4/D00ARPmCUU0/s400/Tiffany+met.jpg" width="311" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Louis C. Tiffany and Samuel Colman carved and micro mosaic inlaid primavera wood armchair, circa 1891 <i>Image via Metmuseum.org</i></td></tr>
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If I were a gambling man I would guess that they all were from the same original commission. The table and chairs at Ivey-Selkirk have no listed provenance and the armchairs at the Metropolitan Museum merely list their 1964 donation by Mr. and Mrs. George E. Seligman. While we do not know their origins they are all made of the same materials and match in the fine details.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-FEHowMhTgy0/UTgAUyAy-NI/AAAAAAAACCI/AOfY7iFRrEg/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-03-06+at+9.42.49+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="186" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-FEHowMhTgy0/UTgAUyAy-NI/AAAAAAAACCI/AOfY7iFRrEg/s400/Screen+Shot+2013-03-06+at+9.42.49+PM.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tiffany/Colman table at Ivey-Selkirk <i> Image via Ivey-Selkirk</i></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-bIzFyi6Geak/UTgA--gKSUI/AAAAAAAACCY/3Ytrr3ds2ts/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-03-06+at+9.41.46+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="198" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-bIzFyi6Geak/UTgA--gKSUI/AAAAAAAACCY/3Ytrr3ds2ts/s400/Screen+Shot+2013-03-06+at+9.41.46+PM.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tiffany/Colman chairs at Ivey-Selkirk <i>Image via Ivey-Selkirk</i></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-hDY4mWe3NLw/UTgAjtRo6hI/AAAAAAAACCQ/6CWEOwvj8hE/s1600/192956.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="185" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-hDY4mWe3NLw/UTgAjtRo6hI/AAAAAAAACCQ/6CWEOwvj8hE/s400/192956.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tiffany/Colman armchairs at the Metropolitan Museum of Art <i>Image via Metmuseum.org</i></td></tr>
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The lush flowers are the same from their shallowly carved roots up to their overlapping leaves and blooms. The array of fine micro mosaic inlays are exact as well.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-HlU4RA8efMk/UTgG4njIOEI/AAAAAAAACCo/P-XsNIskxeA/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-03-06+at+8.38.48+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-HlU4RA8efMk/UTgG4njIOEI/AAAAAAAACCo/P-XsNIskxeA/s400/Screen+Shot+2013-03-06+at+8.38.48+PM.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Micro mosaic detail from the Tiffany/Colman table at Ivey-Selkirk <i>Image via Ivey-Selkirk</i></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-P9OzXdn1b5w/UTgHDCnWWmI/AAAAAAAACCw/rpiEO95CSZs/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-03-06+at+10.08.50+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-P9OzXdn1b5w/UTgHDCnWWmI/AAAAAAAACCw/rpiEO95CSZs/s400/Screen+Shot+2013-03-06+at+10.08.50+PM.png" width="386" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Micro mosaic detail from the Tiffany/Colman chairs at the Metropolitan Museum of Art <i>Image via Metmuseum.org</i></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-sMH5kWQ0_Qw/UTgMidjR5II/AAAAAAAACDo/vapADuhLG8A/s1600/21472525.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-sMH5kWQ0_Qw/UTgMidjR5II/AAAAAAAACDo/vapADuhLG8A/s400/21472525.jpg" width="298" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Micro mosaic detail from the Tiffany/Colman table at Ivey-Selkirk Image via <i>Ivey-Selkirk</i></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2UzPzpFR9H8/UTgMiUhEMiI/AAAAAAAACDs/9ewWONDSWcQ/s1600/21221913.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2UzPzpFR9H8/UTgMiUhEMiI/AAAAAAAACDs/9ewWONDSWcQ/s400/21221913.jpg" width="298" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Micro mosaic detail from the Tiffany/Colman chairs at Ivey-Selkirk <i>Image via Ivey-Selkirk</i></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-tAWkKcsLEig/UTgMwlq8iII/AAAAAAAACD4/P6J7ut_IrhY/s1600/DT283449.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-tAWkKcsLEig/UTgMwlq8iII/AAAAAAAACD4/P6J7ut_IrhY/s320/DT283449.jpg" width="312" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Micro mosaic detail from the Tiffany/Colman armchairs at the Metropolitan Museum <i>Image via Metmuseum.org</i></td></tr>
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And while the table is now lacking its glass ball feet, there is evidence that it had them as the side chairs and the armchairs at the Met do. Note the same reeded round tapered legs as well.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-L4W6Tq9LXME/UTgRV_K85HI/AAAAAAAACEI/WlCxw6zYMwk/s1600/21472523.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="302" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-L4W6Tq9LXME/UTgRV_K85HI/AAAAAAAACEI/WlCxw6zYMwk/s400/21472523.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Leg detail from the Tiffany/Colman table at Ivey-Selkirk Image via <i>Ivey-Selkirk</i></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-d9x3wGHyt-8/UTgRZNjPF-I/AAAAAAAACEQ/aYlGxL-6dYQ/s1600/21221908.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-d9x3wGHyt-8/UTgRZNjPF-I/AAAAAAAACEQ/aYlGxL-6dYQ/s400/21221908.jpg" width="363" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Leg and caster detail from the Tiffany/Colman chairs at Ivey-Selkirk <i>Image via Ivey-Selkirk</i></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-3aBU3UmUX9I/UTgRdHkWKMI/AAAAAAAACEY/15A0oH6uPBE/s1600/DT283449-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-3aBU3UmUX9I/UTgRdHkWKMI/AAAAAAAACEY/15A0oH6uPBE/s400/DT283449-1.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Leg and caster detail from the Tiffany/Colman armchairs at the Metropolitan Museum <i>Image via Metmuseum.org</i></td></tr>
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<div>
The table and side chairs are in "estate condition" meaning that it appears they have been untouched which is what serious collectors dream about. It is much easer to improve fine chips, scratches and a darkened original finish than to attempt to reverse an aggressive restoration. The Tiffany group at Ivey-Selkirk truly ticks all the boxes and I expect them fly at these conservative estimates. Expect results well into the six figures for each lot. I am positive all the requisite advisors, dealers and important collectors are circling as we speak. Items like these do not come to light every season so this is a big deal in the Tiffany world. I do hope that Metropolitan Museum has a donor step-in to buy the group as it would be a perfect ending to have this mystery Tiffany commission reunited at long last. Until March 16th we wait.--A.R.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DDbQ8gIM6rw/UTgVSkvzNzI/AAAAAAAACEo/V2fc71gIEzo/s1600/21472522.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="258" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DDbQ8gIM6rw/UTgVSkvzNzI/AAAAAAAACEo/V2fc71gIEzo/s400/21472522.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tabletop detail of Tiffany/Coleman table at Ivey-Selkirk <i>Image via Ivey-Selkirk</i></td></tr>
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UPDATE:<br />
<div>
I have been in touch with the specialists at Ivey-Selkirk and have gotten a bit more information. It appears that their Tiffany group of furniture was acquired by the family of the present owners in Washington, D.C. in 1968-69 from a house sale or other trade source. As is often the case the trail has r<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">un cold. In the course of my research (according to the Metropolitan Museum of Art) I read that Louis C. Tiffany displayed furniture with these Indian inspired inlays at the 1893 World's Colombian Exposition in Chicago. Tiffany described the micro mosaic as <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #262626; line-height: 16px;">"patterns . . . made of thousands of squares of natural wood, one sixteenth-of-an-inch in size, of different colors, and each individual square surrounded by a minute line of metal." To my knowledge there is no known image of the works displayed bearing this technique, so alas I cannot say with certainty that the Ivey-Selkirk group along with the Met Museum armchairs were at the World's fair. But, it cannot be ruled out either. They do not appear in the known images of the Havemeyer Mansion and precious little is known regarding other private commissions of that period. Unusual Tiffany <a href="http://www.liveauctioneers.com/item/6867814" target="_blank">pieces</a> have surfaced before achieving wild results with absolutely no provenance so I wouldn't rule out the present group or the World Fair connection. We have a week to go and I for one am on pins and needles. Until next time--AR.</span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-V1PMtSW1YLw/UTwytCpaZwI/AAAAAAAACE4/SUJdPjKYlyg/s1600/556789_488450097858643_284188269_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-V1PMtSW1YLw/UTwytCpaZwI/AAAAAAAACE4/SUJdPjKYlyg/s640/556789_488450097858643_284188269_n.jpg" width="441" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tabletop detail of Tiffany/Coleman table at Ivey-Selkirk <i>Image via Ivey-Selkirk</i></td></tr>
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UPDATE:</div>
<div>
Well dear readers...the sale is still ongoing as I am writing this but I can confirm that both lots have sold. The table achieved a hammer price of $60,000 ($72,600 with premium) and the chairs sold for $45,000 ($54,450 with premium). I was a bit surprised that they stayed comfortably within their estimates. Perhaps it was their condition or the lack of deeper provenance information. I am sure we will see these pieces again maybe at the Met Museum, an antique show or a larger auction in New York. Until next time--AR.</div>
Patrick Sheehanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11237658330558641719noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3118955625957053567.post-62221945842792725672013-03-03T18:27:00.000-08:002013-05-01T22:40:31.288-07:00Rateau's Commission For the Duchess de Alba to be Sold at Christie's Paris<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">In researching my previous <a href="http://aestheticusrex.blogspot.com/2013/03/rare-eileen-gray-lamp-at-auction-of.html?showComment=1362330563997" target="_blank">post</a> on Eileen Gray and her retrospective at the Centre Pompidou, I thought of planning a trip to Paris. I did a little digging considering the upcoming auctions I could take-in....and I am glad I did. Christie's has announced that they will be selling Armand-Albert Rateau pieces from my favorite of his commissions, t<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 20px;">he private apartments of the Duchess of Alba, doña María del Rosario de Silva y Gurtubay (1900-1934), in the Liria Palace, Madrid. Commissioned between 1920-1921 by her husband, Jacobo Fitz-James Stuart y Falco (1878-1953), 17</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 20px;"><sup>th</sup></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 20px;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 20px;">Duke of Alba.</span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-N28i5a-0lVI/UTL3Jt2p63I/AAAAAAAAB8M/1dIq-o5IdWA/s1600/AlbaBain2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-N28i5a-0lVI/UTL3Jt2p63I/AAAAAAAAB8M/1dIq-o5IdWA/s400/AlbaBain2.jpg" width="326" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Duchess de Alba's Bathroom, Liria Palace, Madrid circa 1922 <i> Image via Musee Des Arts Decoratifs, Paris</i></td></tr>
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As faithful readers may notice, I have mentioned this room in a previous post and am simply ecstatic that I will be able to see some of these pieces in the flesh at long last. According to the press release:<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20px;">“</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20px;"><em style="font-style: italic; font-weight: normal;">The House of Alba has decided to sell the Armand Albert Rateau furniture commissioned by the 17<sup>th</sup> Duke of Alba, don Jacobo Fitz-James Stuart in the early 1920s in France, in order to support the funding of its heritage and of its various palaces throughout Spain as well as supporting new projects for the family. This is part of a general reorganization undertaken by the House of Alba, as illustrated by the recent exhibition ‘El Legado Casa d’Alba’, the first ever organized in Madrid between December 2012-March 2013. These pieces of furniture are all that remain of a larger ensemble that no longer exists. They do not form part of the historic collection of the House of Alba nor do they relate to the history of Spain”, </em></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20px;">stated the</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20px;"><strong style="color: black; font-weight: bold;"> House of Alba</strong></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20px;"><em style="font-style: italic; font-weight: normal;">.</em></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-g_srV68zKRo/UTL3rEtGs7I/AAAAAAAAB9U/aj7g27zoTLE/s1600/alba+detail.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-g_srV68zKRo/UTL3rEtGs7I/AAAAAAAAB9U/aj7g27zoTLE/s400/alba+detail.jpg" width="298" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Duchess de Alba's Bathroom, Liria Palace, detail of niche <i> Image via Musee Des Arts Decoratifs, Paris</i></td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 20px;">While exciting on many levels it settles a long scholarly debate, that this interior was in-fact dismantled at some point and no longer exists. Hopefully the Christie's catalogue will shed more light on the details when it is issued. According to Christie's expert Sonja Ganne the pieces consigned include:</span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-26KtH1hh85Q/UTMRVOPaH4I/AAAAAAAAB9g/ahCKoLokBp0/s1600/AlbaLamps.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-26KtH1hh85Q/UTMRVOPaH4I/AAAAAAAAB9g/ahCKoLokBp0/s400/AlbaLamps.jpg" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Alba Commission Torcheres <i>Image via Christie's</i></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-zofc9salb8I/UTOT8d5MxrI/AAAAAAAAB90/4ENeQawQgKU/s1600/AlbaLampsDetail.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-zofc9salb8I/UTOT8d5MxrI/AAAAAAAAB90/4ENeQawQgKU/s400/AlbaLampsDetail.jpg" width="268" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Alba Torcheres, detail <i>Image via Christie's</i></td></tr>
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<ul>
<li>Two green patinated bronze floor lamps "aux oiseau" offered as individual lots at €1,500,000-2,000,000 each.</li>
</ul>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3r4CewfbWpk/UTOilNzXF8I/AAAAAAAAB-E/Lfl1g9vsSRc/s1600/AlbaTable.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="351" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3r4CewfbWpk/UTOilNzXF8I/AAAAAAAAB-E/Lfl1g9vsSRc/s400/AlbaTable.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Alba comission bronze and marble low table "aux oiseau" Image via Musee Des Arts Decoratifs, Paris</i></td></tr>
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<ul>
<li>A dark green patinated bronze and black marble low table "aux oiseau" at €1,500,000-2,000,000</li>
</ul>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XVLDwwJN5hw/UTL3lrGfLuI/AAAAAAAAB9M/75H8S5RRxhw/s1600/albavanity.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XVLDwwJN5hw/UTL3lrGfLuI/AAAAAAAAB9M/75H8S5RRxhw/s400/albavanity.jpg" width="330" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Alba commission patinated bronze and marble dressing table <i>Image via Musee des Arts Decoratifs , Paris</i></td></tr>
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<ul>
<li>A deep green patinated bronze and black marble dressing table at €600,000-800,000</li>
</ul>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-G92TnRfQ69Y/UTL3PB5a5iI/AAAAAAAAB8U/kEZ22a0gF2Q/s1600/AlbaChaise.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="282" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-G92TnRfQ69Y/UTL3PB5a5iI/AAAAAAAAB8U/kEZ22a0gF2Q/s400/AlbaChaise.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Alba commission carved giltwood and bronze adjustable daybed <i>Image via Musee des Arts Decoratifs, Paris</i></td></tr>
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<ul>
<li>A carved giltwood and patinated bronze adjustable daybed at €400,000-600,000</li>
</ul>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-znYmpwbIk_I/UTOpRZsz5pI/AAAAAAAAB-I/3jGnLKMuu9Y/s1600/AlbaSwanSofa.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="347" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-znYmpwbIk_I/UTOpRZsz5pI/AAAAAAAAB-I/3jGnLKMuu9Y/s400/AlbaSwanSofa.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Alba commission parcel gilt carved wood canapé "aux cols de cygne" <i>Image via Musee des Arts Decoratifs, Paris</i></td></tr>
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<ul>
<li> A parcel gilt carved wood canapé "aux cols de cygne" at €200,000-300,000</li>
</ul>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-JzXgY5hdlq4/UTOrPQcROiI/AAAAAAAAB-Q/t67LHCuPSkY/s1600/AlbaTub.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-JzXgY5hdlq4/UTOrPQcROiI/AAAAAAAAB-Q/t67LHCuPSkY/s400/AlbaTub.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Alba commission carved white marble bath tub Image via <i>Musee des Arts Decortifs, Paris</i></td></tr>
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<ul>
<li>A carved white marble bath tub at €150,000-200,000</li>
</ul>
The line-up is astonishing and I feel that the estimates are actually quite conservative given the rarity of Rateau's works and the fact that these pieces come directly from this original coveted commission. The torcheres are the same model that were utilized in Jean Lanvin's bathroom (now in the Musee des Arts Decoratifs, Paris). To my knowledge a torchere of this model has not been up at auction in the past few decades, if ever.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5I1NV_lV2zc/UTL3lOtNVWI/AAAAAAAAB9I/gy78b5TJfY8/s1600/AlbaLampDesign.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5I1NV_lV2zc/UTL3lOtNVWI/AAAAAAAAB9I/gy78b5TJfY8/s400/AlbaLampDesign.jpg" width="351" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rateau design for a floor lamp variation <i>Image via Fonds Rateau</i></td></tr>
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Two similar and less ornate lamps were offered as successive lots at the Delorenzo tribute sale at Christie's New York in December 2010 achieving $842,500 and $1,142,500 respectively.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-l2oy8lwx96w/UTO6hG_iZ6I/AAAAAAAAB-k/6bkQvL22LyU/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-03-03+at+3.03.53+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; display: inline !important; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-l2oy8lwx96w/UTO6hG_iZ6I/AAAAAAAAB-k/6bkQvL22LyU/s320/Screen+Shot+2013-03-03+at+3.03.53+AM.png" width="90" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of two Rateau lamps offered in the Delorenzo Sale at Christie's New York <i>Image via Christie's</i></td></tr>
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A similar example was offered at Christie's Paris from the amazing sale of the Collection of Claude and Simone Dray in June of 2006, then making $1,302,782.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-GAmdqoajWRk/UTO9v4nwQ0I/AAAAAAAAB-0/pi6IKljkz0s/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-03-03+at+2.52.51+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-GAmdqoajWRk/UTO9v4nwQ0I/AAAAAAAAB-0/pi6IKljkz0s/s400/Screen+Shot+2013-03-03+at+2.52.51+AM.png" width="207" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Related Rateau torchere from the Claude and Simone Dray sale, Christie's Paris <i> Image via Christie's</i></td></tr>
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Also in the Dray sale was a slightly more elaborate version with an ivory switch...the rare variation was reflected in the price as it achieved a staggering $2,307,673.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-x4yP4U9gIGw/UTO_T6A9MiI/AAAAAAAAB-4/xjtSy_naVd0/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-03-03+at+2.53.38+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-x4yP4U9gIGw/UTO_T6A9MiI/AAAAAAAAB-4/xjtSy_naVd0/s320/Screen+Shot+2013-03-03+at+2.53.38+AM.png" width="203" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Variant Rateau torchere from the Claude and Simone Dray sale, Christie's Paris <i>Image via Christie's</i></td></tr>
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It is this variant nature and the rare Alba provenance that lead me to believe that the Alba torcheres will each soar past their estimates of €1,500,000-2,000,000.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-CM1YqQozU-Q/UTPBMvIMm_I/AAAAAAAAB_A/5bCvst2bx-w/s1600/TableDessin.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="205" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-CM1YqQozU-Q/UTPBMvIMm_I/AAAAAAAAB_A/5bCvst2bx-w/s400/TableDessin.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rateau design drawing for the table "aux oiseau" <i>Image via Fonds Rateau</i></td></tr>
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Now on to the table "aux oiseau". This is a model, that while rare, was a staple for well heeled Rateau clients most notably Jeanne Lanvin who had one in her bedroom.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-DVbiLVsZgD0/UTPFxuol77I/AAAAAAAAB_I/OBRa46735zM/s1600/LanvinTable.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="292" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-DVbiLVsZgD0/UTPFxuol77I/AAAAAAAAB_I/OBRa46735zM/s400/LanvinTable.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jean Lanvin's "table aux oiseau" at the Musee des Arts Decoratifs, Paris <i>Image via Musee des Arts Decoratifs, Paris</i></td></tr>
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The last example at public auction was a variant of the Alba/Lanvin model with closer set, more arched birds centered by a flower and lacking the tray top opting for just the simple marble slab. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DAJ4CNEzD4Q/UTPIJB9A5fI/AAAAAAAAB_Q/sexphCvoZ9Y/s1600/d4717064x.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="310" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DAJ4CNEzD4Q/UTPIJB9A5fI/AAAAAAAAB_Q/sexphCvoZ9Y/s400/d4717064x.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rateau "table aux oiseau" from the Claude and Simone Dray Sale, Christie's Paris <i>Image via Christie's</i></td></tr>
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This table not surprisingly also came from the Christie's Paris Dray sale in 2006 where it achieved $2,601, 667. It appears that the Dray table was presented at the booth of <a href="http://www.vogue.com/vogue-daily/article/flea-market-fantasy-karl-lagerfeld-holds-court-at-the-biennale-des-antiquaires-in-paris/#1" target="_blank">Galerie Vallois</a> at the Biennale des Antiquaires in Paris this past September. Again, with this price as a base line I feel that the Alba table will blow through its estimates of €1,500,000-2,000,000 given its rarity and provenance.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xFWSIuueQDM/UTPMqN_26lI/AAAAAAAAB_Y/UbynJPwzdMs/s1600/VanityDesign.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="397" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xFWSIuueQDM/UTPMqN_26lI/AAAAAAAAB_Y/UbynJPwzdMs/s400/VanityDesign.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rateau Design for a vanity table <i>Image via Fonds Rateau</i></td></tr>
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Now the vanity table is a Rateau design icon that turns-up with and without the mirror. Jeanne Lanvin had a variant in her Paris apartment (on view at the Musee des Arts Decoratifs, Paris) and one presently resides in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-oTz5G2fHKK8/UTPUgDKx0TI/AAAAAAAAB_o/aj3t1zQaRT0/s1600/hb_25.169.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-oTz5G2fHKK8/UTPUgDKx0TI/AAAAAAAAB_o/aj3t1zQaRT0/s400/hb_25.169.jpg" width="292" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rateu dressing table at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York <i>Image via Metmuseum.org</i></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-san-QdcT628/UTPV4lCTHwI/AAAAAAAAB_w/-wzRJnIFQmg/s1600/Scan+26.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-san-QdcT628/UTPV4lCTHwI/AAAAAAAAB_w/-wzRJnIFQmg/s400/Scan+26.jpeg" width="267" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rateau's variant dressing table for Jeanne Lanvin <i>Image via Musee des Arts Decortifs, Paris</i></td></tr>
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The last example at auction once again came from the Collection of Claude and Simone Dray at Christie's Paris in June of 2006. It realized a heady €1,916,000 against a seemingly conservative €500,000-700,000.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-I44HjrurfFo/UTPYUJYs1BI/AAAAAAAAB_4/LdrI2G3H320/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-03-03+at+2.57.47+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-I44HjrurfFo/UTPYUJYs1BI/AAAAAAAAB_4/LdrI2G3H320/s400/Screen+Shot+2013-03-03+at+2.57.47+AM.png" width="291" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rateau dressing table from the Dray Collection <i>Image via Christie's</i></td></tr>
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With this in mind, once again the example from the Alba commission seems conservative at €600,000-800,000.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-jEkYNYPskhY/UTL3V82avKI/AAAAAAAAB8k/QQ-9FM9LJqc/s1600/AlbaChaise2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-jEkYNYPskhY/UTL3V82avKI/AAAAAAAAB8k/QQ-9FM9LJqc/s400/AlbaChaise2.jpg" width="361" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rateau's adjustible daybed from the Alba commission shown in two positions <i>Image via Editions de L'Amateur</i></td></tr>
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There is no comparable for the Alba daybed which makes sense as the literature suggests that it is unique. The period images above show it in two positions and with its original ocelot fur upholstery. Thankfully for us it was photographed more recently with both the head and foot in raised positions making it a more versatile curule form bench.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-jJUYg0PlG3M/UTPdl0flp5I/AAAAAAAACAA/_1eNGbqnKqM/s1600/Scan+30.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="305" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-jJUYg0PlG3M/UTPdl0flp5I/AAAAAAAACAA/_1eNGbqnKqM/s400/Scan+30.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rateau adjustible daybed shown with ends raised <i>Image via Editions de L'Amateur</i></td></tr>
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Rateau's carved wood furniture typically does not reach the prices of his works in bronze. But, the fact that it comes from the Alba commission and is apparently a unique work, I expect bidders to completely ignore the sale estimates of €400,000-600,000.<br />
<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red;">UPDATE: The catalogue is out and it has recently come to light that there are two examples of this daybed. The example above in the cream upholstery was part of a Rateau exhibition at Delorenzo Gallery, New York in 1990. Its present whereabouts are unknown...</span><br />
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Now onto the parcel giltwood canapé "aux cols de cygne". There is not an auction precedent for this work to my knowledge and its rather historicist Empire style form seems right at an estimate of €200,000-300,000. I still think that it will go well over the high estimate, but it is not the most highly prized work in the offering. It is by no means a unique work, but I personally have not encountered one in in the flesh. The Alba model appears to have been originally covered in a dark satin or dark short haired fur and the literature shows this period image of the same model covered in a light striped fur.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-rM1CpJ7K5ZQ/UTL3eAnDaFI/AAAAAAAAB80/xs_cS0m-aTE/s1600/AlbaSwan.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="290" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-rM1CpJ7K5ZQ/UTL3eAnDaFI/AAAAAAAAB80/xs_cS0m-aTE/s400/AlbaSwan.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rateau canape "aux cols de cygne" <i>Image via Fonds Rateau</i></td></tr>
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In the period, the model was also seen at the 1925 Paris exposition where Rateau recreated the Alba bathroom at the Arnold Seligmann Gallery on the Place Vendome. The example at the exhibition was covered in a striped fabric and had a minimally carved seat rail.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-t9Sqiw0icFw/UV44rk3a7oI/AAAAAAAACGs/laAZVlW3Nww/s1600/Alba1925Copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-t9Sqiw0icFw/UV44rk3a7oI/AAAAAAAACGs/laAZVlW3Nww/s400/Alba1925Copy.jpg" width="290" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rateau installation at Arnold Seligmann Gallery, Paris 1925 <i>Image via Fonds Rateau</i></td></tr>
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Last but not least we come to the tub. It is a great object, but as with all site specific works and architectural elements it will prove to be a tough sell which is reflected in its relatively modest €150,000-250,000 estimate. Hopefully it still has its sculptural bronze taps and spout as this will help. However, at the end of the day, you need that special client who has a vision and is willing to design an entire room around this dreamy sunken tub. This type of client can prove to be elusive and if the piece passes it will be hard to sell in a later auction stripped of its context. But I will think good thoughts.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-JzXgY5hdlq4/UTOrPQcROiI/AAAAAAAAB-U/0JkUQ-Yg11I/s1600/AlbaTub.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-JzXgY5hdlq4/UTOrPQcROiI/AAAAAAAAB-U/0JkUQ-Yg11I/s400/AlbaTub.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Alba commission carved white marble bath tub Image via <i>Musee des Arts Decortifs, Paris</i></td></tr>
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As a final thought, I mused over the press release's rather adamant stance that "these pieces of furniture are all that remain of a larger ensemble that no longer exists". As you peer once more into the period images you notice a second pair of floor lamps, a bronze mounted alabaster floor vase, a small vanity chair and tabouret that are unaccounted for. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-N28i5a-0lVI/UTL3Jt2p63I/AAAAAAAAB8M/1dIq-o5IdWA/s1600/AlbaBain2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-N28i5a-0lVI/UTL3Jt2p63I/AAAAAAAAB8M/1dIq-o5IdWA/s400/AlbaBain2.jpg" width="327" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Duchess de Alba's Bathroom, Liria Palace, Madrid circa 1922 <i> Image via Musee Des Arts Decoratifs, Paris</i></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-vOySUkDmpHk/UTPxx4WR8NI/AAAAAAAACAQ/io8ejjq1p9w/s1600/Albachair.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-vOySUkDmpHk/UTPxx4WR8NI/AAAAAAAACAQ/io8ejjq1p9w/s400/Albachair.jpg" width="313" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Detail showing vanity chair <i>Image via Musee Des Arts Decoratifs, Paris</i> </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-L8Z486apwbo/UTPx1WcMckI/AAAAAAAACAY/go9giXzy2fk/s1600/Albavase.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-L8Z486apwbo/UTPx1WcMckI/AAAAAAAACAY/go9giXzy2fk/s400/Albavase.jpg" width="323" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Detail showing floor vase <i>Image via Musee Des Arts Decoratifs, Paris</i> </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-olh7I7ji_zo/UTPx5OjfoUI/AAAAAAAACAg/OKseeiRkHBo/s1600/AlbaTabouret.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="375" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-olh7I7ji_zo/UTPx5OjfoUI/AAAAAAAACAg/OKseeiRkHBo/s400/AlbaTabouret.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Detail image showing low stool/tabouret <i>Image via Musee des Arts Decoratifs, Paris</i></td></tr>
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Who knows where these pieces are or if they will ever surface and don't get me started about the elaborately lacquered and painted walls. If you look at the plan you see that it was a round room created by cleverly framing out a square room, thus creating concealed niches for the sink, w.c., closet, and an alternate exit/staff access.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Dr4UbbkRWcg/UTL3aQ2qtaI/AAAAAAAAB8s/7cqeZgTOniI/s1600/AlbaPlan.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Dr4UbbkRWcg/UTL3aQ2qtaI/AAAAAAAAB8s/7cqeZgTOniI/s400/AlbaPlan.jpg" width="395" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Plan of the Duchess de Alba's bathroom. <i>Image via Fonds Rateau</i></td></tr>
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For color images of this type of Rateau painted decoration see my previous <a href="http://aestheticusrex.blogspot.com/2010/05/screen-fling.html" target="_blank">post</a> on the subject. I plan to provide updated information as we learn more about the Alba consignment at Christie's. Until next time--AR.<br />
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UPDATE:<br />
It has come to my attention that Galerie Vallois presented a canapé "aux cols de cygne" with a matching chair at the 2004 Paris Biennale des Antiquaires. The pieces came from a group of works that were from the apartment of Jeanne Lanvin circa 1920.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DQ-0jSw8bIM/UV47pk-5xRI/AAAAAAAACG0/eUHYkZs6vmA/s1600/4caddd2833331.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="318" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DQ-0jSw8bIM/UV47pk-5xRI/AAAAAAAACG0/eUHYkZs6vmA/s400/4caddd2833331.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Galerie Vallois Rateau Installation at the Paris Biennale des Antiquaires in 2004 <i>Image via Galerie Vallois</i></td></tr>
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Patrick Sheehanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11237658330558641719noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3118955625957053567.post-71630987875809367152013-03-02T19:03:00.000-08:002013-04-04T20:21:04.935-07:00Rare Eileen Gray Lamp at Auction on Heels of Centre Pompidou RetrospctiveHello Dear readers. It is funny how inspiration comes in waves. While doing some unrelated research, I found that this early Eileen Gray lamp is on the block (today) at the regional auction house <a href="http://www.damienleclere.auction.fr/FR/index.php" target="_blank">Leclere</a> in Marsaille.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-tOpyz4eU-Hg/UTKOqT5GbNI/AAAAAAAAB7A/yGLsqngWSvo/s1600/eileen-gray-lampe-ambiance-pietement-1360680629028468.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-tOpyz4eU-Hg/UTKOqT5GbNI/AAAAAAAAB7A/yGLsqngWSvo/s400/eileen-gray-lampe-ambiance-pietement-1360680629028468.jpeg" width="265" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Eileen Gray ivory, ebony and parchment table lamp, circa 1922-25 <i>Image via Leclare</i></td></tr>
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I was not readily familiar with this form but the experts at Leclere presented a period image of this model within the "Monte-Carlo Boudoir" Gray produced for the XIV Salon des Artistes Decorateurs, Paris of 1923.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-AocGgZXUKOE/UTKWOTzApQI/AAAAAAAAB7I/iKWbz0mUZVs/s1600/eileen-gray-lampe-ambiance-pietement-1360680631203411.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="295" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-AocGgZXUKOE/UTKWOTzApQI/AAAAAAAAB7I/iKWbz0mUZVs/s400/eileen-gray-lampe-ambiance-pietement-1360680631203411.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Eileen Gray, Monte Carlo Boudoir for the Salon des Artistes Decorateurs, Paris 1923 <i>Image via Leclare</i></td></tr>
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I was familiar with this sumptuously tinted image and was a bit lost as I thought I had "seen it all". In scanning the finer details...voila!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-WCAmAeAuQWw/UTKXcoSDLqI/AAAAAAAAB7Q/B8m81HAfyuo/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-03-02+at+6.55.35+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-WCAmAeAuQWw/UTKXcoSDLqI/AAAAAAAAB7Q/B8m81HAfyuo/s320/Screen+Shot+2013-03-02+at+6.55.35+PM.png" width="268" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Detail showing lamp model on the low table <i>Image via Leclare</i></td></tr>
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I simply love discovering something "new" about a subject I had considered so well covered. After doing a bit of digging I found a few examples that have been on the market within the last decade.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-GmBRARaQkUA/UTKiIVDNlSI/AAAAAAAAB7c/LDOQTOKfzIE/s1600/picture.aspx.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-GmBRARaQkUA/UTKiIVDNlSI/AAAAAAAAB7c/LDOQTOKfzIE/s400/picture.aspx.jpeg" width="262" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Eileen Gray ivory, ebony and parchment table lamp, circa 1922-25 <i>Image via Artfact</i></td></tr>
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Camard & Associes had this example in March of 2010 achieving €120,000 against an estimate of €120,000-150,000, making the example at Leclare a relative bargain at €50,0000-60,000. The Camard example was a bit more exciting as the shade is embellished with a westernized interpretation of an African pattern. We will have to wait and see the result as the Leclere sale. While the sale had a nice mix of 20th century design the Gray lamp was the top lot and definitely stood out amongst the rest of the offerings. One wonders why the consignor would not have chosen to sell with a larger house in Paris...but I digress. If its provenance holds-up (it was acquired by a family in the period directly from the artist and then made its way to a Parisian private collection) then I would see no problem with it flying past the conservative estimates listed.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-vKmM9NntXEs/UTKlbcz_m5I/AAAAAAAAB7o/Yneg5Gc_aDU/s1600/picture-2.aspx.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-vKmM9NntXEs/UTKlbcz_m5I/AAAAAAAAB7o/Yneg5Gc_aDU/s400/picture-2.aspx.jpeg" width="368" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Eileen Gray pair of rosewood and mahogany table lamps , circa 1920 <i>Image via Artiste</i></td></tr>
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This pair of lamps of the same design but in carved wood were offered at Christie's New York in September of 2007 achieving $22,500 against an estimate of $25,000-35,000. These are perfectly elegant, but I prefer the examples in ivory with their original shades. <br />
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In the course of researching this post it has come to my attention that the <a href="http://www.centrepompidou.fr/cpv/ressource.action?param.id=FR_R-aaf2fdf88fa74c39fd857aab8506811&param.idSource=FR_E-18c51835e9fd47c1d213c6cc5336f774" target="_blank">Centre Pompidou in Paris has just opened a sweeping retrospective</a> of the Gray's work on now through May 20th. The displays are after my own heart showing the objects (where possible) against backdrops of period images of their original commission/interior. It just so happens the they feature the Monte-Carlo Boudoir...</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1tVFCmeL8QQ/UTK0Xdup5vI/AAAAAAAAB7w/VWrIB_f4QCM/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-03-02+at+8.54.53+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="216" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1tVFCmeL8QQ/UTK0Xdup5vI/AAAAAAAAB7w/VWrIB_f4QCM/s320/Screen+Shot+2013-03-02+at+8.54.53+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Monte-Carlo Boudoir items displayed at the Centre Pompidou <i>Image via Arte-Case</i></td></tr>
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As you can see from the rather small image (my apologies) they are showing the ivory table lamp, floor lamp and a side table form the original installation. I am not sure who presently owns the table lamp or the side table. But the African inspired floor lamp is on loan from the Virginia Museum of Fine Art.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-B0krapbQegE/UTK2HtMC3QI/AAAAAAAAB74/jzFD171QQgE/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-03-02+at+3.06.32+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-B0krapbQegE/UTK2HtMC3QI/AAAAAAAAB74/jzFD171QQgE/s400/Screen+Shot+2013-03-02+at+3.06.32+PM.png" width="296" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Eileen Gray lacquer and parchment floor lamp, circa 1923 <i>Image via VMFA</i></td></tr>
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This exhibition is terribly exciting and I have just ordered the catalogue. I think that a trip to Paris is in order as the closing of the Gray exhibition coincides with what are shaping up to be exciting sales at Christie's and Sotheby's....details to follow. I will post the results of the table lamp at Leclere as soon as they are published. Until next time--AR.<br />
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P.S. Here is a highlight reel put together by the Centre Pompidou...<br />
<iframe frameborder="0" height="250" src="http://www.dailymotion.com/embed/video/xxfqjd" width="410"></iframe><br />
<a href="http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xxfqjd_eileen-gray-du-20-fevrier-au-20-mai-2013_creation" target="_blank">Eileen Gray, du 20 février au 20 mai 2013</a> <i>by <a href="http://www.dailymotion.com/centrepompidou" target="_blank">centrepompidou</a></i><br />
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UPDATE:<br />
The lamp did indeed sell for a confirmed price of <a href="http://www.damienleclere.auction.fr/FR/vente_art_nouveau_art_deco/v19808_leclere_maison_de_ventes/l4005526_eileen_gray_lampe_ambiance_pietement.html" target="_blank">€73,000</a>! It must have passed the test to achieve such a good price. My congratulations to <a href="http://Lelere./">Leclere.</a><br />
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Patrick Sheehanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11237658330558641719noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3118955625957053567.post-92014195996672315622013-02-22T17:55:00.002-08:002013-03-16T13:15:22.947-07:00Second "Jazz" Screen Emerges in Charity Auction<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Yira6CqaDBk/USkfazHn79I/AAAAAAAAB4w/36xcAsi9Oxs/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-02-23+at+2.57.15+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="383" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Yira6CqaDBk/USkfazHn79I/AAAAAAAAB4w/36xcAsi9Oxs/s400/Screen+Shot+2013-02-23+at+2.57.15+PM.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Indore "Jazz" screen <i> Image courtesy Bid & Hammer</i></td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Hello Dear Readers. While reviewing my backlog of emails I came across a delightful press release that was forwarded from a subscriber in India. As I predicted in my previous </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://aestheticusrex.blogspot.com/2011/05/drian-jazz-screen-at-christies.html" target="_blank">post</a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">, the second and more famous "Jazz" screen by art deco designer Etienne Drian has resurfaced...</span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-qNRjWltooiE/USgS6M7GFrI/AAAAAAAAB4M/UEwCau7nI6g/s1600/Adrienne-Etienne-Drian-Panel-410.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="202" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-qNRjWltooiE/USgS6M7GFrI/AAAAAAAAB4M/UEwCau7nI6g/s400/Adrienne-Etienne-Drian-Panel-410.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Maharaja of Indore's "Jazz" screen <i>Image via Paul Fraser Collectibles</i></td></tr>
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The screen is being offered as the centerpiece of charity auction on March 9th which is part of the inaugural "One World Retreat" held in Jodhpur to benefit the Indian Head Injury Foundation. It seems a noble and worthy cause attracting artifacts and philanthropists from across the globe (including <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Pjc-g7UlUU" target="_blank">Sting</a>). You can read the press release <a href="http://www.bidandhammer.com/pdf/AUCTION%20SALE%200014%20PRESS%20RELEASE%2018-01-13.pdf" target="_blank">here</a>. <br />
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It seems that the screen has not traveled too far in the past eighty years as it was <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #191919; font-family: Georgia, serif; line-height: 20px;">was executed for the ballroom/theatre of the Maharaja of Indore's art deco Manik Bagh palace.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #191919; font-family: Georgia, serif; line-height: 20px;"> Paul Fraser Collectibles <a href="http://www.paulfrasercollectibles.com/News/ART-%26-PHOTOGRAPHY/JMW-Turner-watercolour-will-highlight-Jodhpur-Auction-at-$552,000/13181.page" target="_blank">blog</a> notes that the Maharaja of Indore acquired the screen at a French exhibition in 1931 which is a new bit of information in its history. I have reached out to the auction company running the sale (<a href="http://www.bidandhammer.com/" target="_blank">Bid & Hammer</a>) for further information and images so I will keep you posted on my findings. Hopefully it is in better condition than its <a href="http://www.christies.com/lotfinder/furniture-lighting/etienne-drian-an-eight-panel-verre-eglomise-mirrored-5454995-details.aspx" target="_blank">sister that sold at Christie's New York</a> in June of 2011 for $110,500. According to Paul Fraser the sale estimate for the Indore screen is $736,000-1,100,000. This seems rather steep considering how the example at Christie's performed, but it is for a good cause so wee shall see how it goes. On a side note, the screen sold at Christie's was beautifully restored by the experts at Lowy in New York City. You can see the process over at their <a href="http://lowyfineartservices.wordpress.com/2011/08/25/a-glass-act/" target="_blank">blog</a>. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #191919; font-family: Georgia, serif; line-height: 20px;">--AR</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #191919; font-family: Georgia, serif; line-height: 20px;">UPDATE:</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #191919; font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 20px;">A client service representative from Bid & Hammer has thankfully forwarded better images and the cataloging for their screen.</span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-FMQFlJ1Oloc/USkd17e8KlI/AAAAAAAAB4o/uQJT7j-oTrA/s1600/Etienne+Drian-Glass+Screen++Painting.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="218" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-FMQFlJ1Oloc/USkd17e8KlI/AAAAAAAAB4o/uQJT7j-oTrA/s400/Etienne+Drian-Glass+Screen++Painting.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Indore "Jazz" screen <i> Image courtesy Bid & Hammer</i></td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #191919; font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 20px;"> The cataloging highlights the fact that the screen was in-fact purchased from an exhibition in France by the Maharaja Yeshwant Rao Holkar II of Indore in 1931 and placed in the Music Room of his fabled art deco Manik Bagh Palace. The screen then passed by descent to his daughter, Usha Devi, the present Maharani of Indore who in turn gifted it to the present owner in 1977. From the images the screen appears to be in an excellent state of preservation which is not often the case with the verre eglomise works of Etienne Drian. The sale estimate was confirmed to be $740,740-1,111,111. The estimate does cause a bit of sticker shock, but the condition and stellar Indore provenance are strong attributes in its favor. </span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #191919; font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 20px;">For those not in the know, </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #191919; font-family: Georgia, serif; line-height: 20px;">Maharaja Yeshwant Rao Holkar II of Indore was Oxford educated and quite the aesthete.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-6Xdr5y3p_pc/USlFPFXubUI/AAAAAAAAB5I/VJWgi21kbaE/s1600/de-monvels-moharaja21.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="397" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-6Xdr5y3p_pc/USlFPFXubUI/AAAAAAAAB5I/VJWgi21kbaE/s400/de-monvels-moharaja21.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Portrait of the Maharaja of Indore, Yeswant Rao Holkar (1908-1961) by Bernard Boutet de Monvel</td></tr>
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I have always found his 1934 portrait in traditional dress to be haunting. Modern and lavish yet with an austerity that demands attention. This is counter-balanced by his companion portrait in Western evening clothes.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gEDABasg7VU/USlG8c1TnUI/AAAAAAAAB5Q/qmOOTLtRc0A/s1600/boutet-de-monvels-moharaja.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gEDABasg7VU/USlG8c1TnUI/AAAAAAAAB5Q/qmOOTLtRc0A/s400/boutet-de-monvels-moharaja.jpg" width="238" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Portrait of the Maharaja of Indore, Yeswant Rao Holkar (1908-1961) by Bernard Boutet de Monvel</td></tr>
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He succeeded his father as Maharaja of Indore in 1926 and in 1930 commissioned German architect Eckart Muthesius to design a refined art deco palace. The young architect worked in cooperation with the premier art deco and avant guard designers of the day including<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: georgia, 'times new roman', serif; line-height: 20px;"> Charlotte Perriand and Pierre Jeanneret, Charlotte Alix and Louis Sognot, Eileen Gray and Emile-Jacques Ruhlmann. The result was a late art deco masterwork moving toward the international style.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-jcdVhDB3xf0/USlMLz3uiMI/AAAAAAAAB5Y/_7NisM_upbs/s1600/Scan.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="302" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-jcdVhDB3xf0/USlMLz3uiMI/AAAAAAAAB5Y/_7NisM_upbs/s400/Scan.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Maharaja's Bedroom, Manik Bagh Palace <i>Image via Arnoldsche</i></td></tr>
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This is evidenced by the Maharaja's sleek cool bedroom seen above. The contents were disbursed in a celebrated sale at Sotheby's Monaco in 1980, therefore items do turn up at auction and their provenance is a major factor in the estimates and prices realized.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-TCgjjUnJJZ0/USlO9M1NCdI/AAAAAAAAB5k/2jAK_Df7dAM/s1600/H0046-L00694435.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="253" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-TCgjjUnJJZ0/USlO9M1NCdI/AAAAAAAAB5k/2jAK_Df7dAM/s400/H0046-L00694435.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Maharaja's Bed, designed by Louis Sognot and Charlotte Alix <i> Image via Artfact.com</i></td></tr>
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The Maharaja's bed was last at auction at Sotheby's in 2003 and achieved $209,600. An example of Eileen Gray's "Transat" chair is also seen in the period image of the bedroom. It surfaced again at Sotheby's Paris in 2011 but failed to sell on an estimate of €700,000-1,000,000.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-tVNlJ_ZmAUo/USlR3fFr5YI/AAAAAAAAB54/96UnY_e8yM4/s1600/H0046-L25186963.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="353" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-tVNlJ_ZmAUo/USlR3fFr5YI/AAAAAAAAB54/96UnY_e8yM4/s400/H0046-L25186963.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Eileen Gray, "Transat" Chair, circa 1930 <i> Image via Artfact.com</i></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gMdfN9wqn9M/USlU9g5V-cI/AAAAAAAAB6A/KU0Skb7lMfA/s1600/Scan+1.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gMdfN9wqn9M/USlU9g5V-cI/AAAAAAAAB6A/KU0Skb7lMfA/s400/Scan+1.jpeg" width="308" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Entrance Hall of Manik Bagh Palace I<i>mage via Arnoldsche</i></td></tr>
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I have included the image above as it captures the understated opulence that greeted one right at the front door. It also shows a rare Muthesius floor lamp, one of a pair designed specifically for this commission. The pair surfaced once more at Christie's Paris in 2009 from the collection of Yves Saint Laurent and Pierre Berge achieving a staggering €2,529,000 against an estimate of €400,000-600,000.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-N4D7M6qgllk/USlWuxwVfBI/AAAAAAAAB6I/abFF2jKBMKY/s1600/H0027-L10863726.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="370" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-N4D7M6qgllk/USlWuxwVfBI/AAAAAAAAB6I/abFF2jKBMKY/s400/H0027-L10863726.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Torcheres designed by Eckart Muthesius for Manik Bagh Palace <i>Image via Artfact.com</i></td></tr>
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One final example of the allure of and Indore provenance comes in the form of chrome and glass wall shelves that were designed by Muthesius for the palace's library.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QM_nbHYjdwI/USlcsJErTGI/AAAAAAAAB6g/HirUYeODklc/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-02-23+at+7.16.47+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="282" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QM_nbHYjdwI/USlcsJErTGI/AAAAAAAAB6g/HirUYeODklc/s400/Screen+Shot+2013-02-23+at+7.16.47+PM.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Detail of the library from Manik Bagh Palace <i>Image via Liveauctioneers.com</i></td></tr>
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The set of shelves, chic and yet unassuming, were offered at Christie's Paris from the Collection of the Chateau de Gourdon in 2011 at an estimate of €400,000-600,000, achieving €481,000.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-b44MPxnlpPo/USleMxQ_pfI/AAAAAAAAB6o/EnsORRjt438/s1600/H0027-L20889714.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="368" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-b44MPxnlpPo/USleMxQ_pfI/AAAAAAAAB6o/EnsORRjt438/s400/H0027-L20889714.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wall mounted shelves from the library at Manik Bagh Palace <i>Image via Artnet.com</i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small; font-style: normal;">I look forward to the results of the One World Retreat auction on March 9th. I hope the screen achieves a record for Drian and benefits a noble cause in the process. Again for more information contact </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small; font-style: normal;"><a href="http://www.bidandhammer.com/" target="_blank">Bid & Hammer</a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small; font-style: normal;"> or the </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small; font-style: normal;"><a href="http://www.jodhpuroneworld.org/" target="_blank">One World Retreat</a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small; font-style: normal;">.</span></i></span><br />
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--AR<br />
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UPDATE:<br />
The One World Retreat auction took place last weekend and unfortunately the screen failed to sell. Bid & Hammer Auctioneers are still entertaining after sale offers if you are interested.--AR</div>
Patrick Sheehanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11237658330558641719noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3118955625957053567.post-3774719522741933892012-12-05T00:25:00.000-08:002012-12-06T08:35:58.233-08:00Greetings from Design Miami...<br />
Hello dear readers. As Basel week kicks off in Miami I send you my best visual thoughts from the front lines. While Basel proper looms in the near distance, I spent most of Tuesday soaking in the treasures of Design Miami, and lets face it, these are my people... So lets get to it, shall we?<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Tkvkn3X-HHg/UL7ptLSO0rI/AAAAAAAAB1M/0UKPHBDBH4E/s1600/IMG_4198.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Tkvkn3X-HHg/UL7ptLSO0rI/AAAAAAAAB1M/0UKPHBDBH4E/s400/IMG_4198.jpg" width="347" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The booth of Todd McDonald NYC</td></tr>
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I was captivated by the booth of Todd McDonald who has long been a friend of good design, but his array of period Eames was quite a warm respite. Along with the ESU's and esoteric leg splints he brought a great collection of design jewelry which was already finding homes amongst fair attendees on opening night.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-H46Kb-o9PRk/UL7vjhSkQSI/AAAAAAAAB1g/WLhbeeJbjhY/s1600/IMG_4216.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-H46Kb-o9PRk/UL7vjhSkQSI/AAAAAAAAB1g/WLhbeeJbjhY/s400/IMG_4216.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Galerie Downtown-Francois Laffanour Paris</td></tr>
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Galerie Downtown Paris was a Prouve-Perriand affair and I must say sometimes it does pay to keep like with like. I had preview access and thus the booth was free from clients who can delightfilly distract from the most stridently prepared gesumtkunstwerk.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-aVA5hV6Nt7Q/UL7v93owvoI/AAAAAAAAB18/H43xvyfUVe4/s1600/IMG_4219.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-aVA5hV6Nt7Q/UL7v93owvoI/AAAAAAAAB18/H43xvyfUVe4/s400/IMG_4219.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Galerie Downtown-Francois Laffanour Paris</td></tr>
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While I could never personally live with this much Mouille/Prouve/Perriand outside of the Congo, it does make sense in the design wilds of Miami and I am sure many of these masterworks will find new homes before the week is out.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-eUsc25e6x1A/UL7zc0gFbAI/AAAAAAAAB2Q/0zkIn40wz5A/s1600/IMG_4228.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-eUsc25e6x1A/UL7zc0gFbAI/AAAAAAAAB2Q/0zkIn40wz5A/s400/IMG_4228.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Moderne Gallery of Philadelphia</td></tr>
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While Moderne Gallery of Philadelphia is a leading exponent of the New Hope School (read Nakashima) their booth was decidedly a Wharton Escherick affair. While I like his works in small doses it was impressive to see so many models in one spot. The pair of stools at top left were particularly exquisite.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-FM569eQa0fI/UL720Yvo7UI/AAAAAAAAB2k/v7qv2rr8-qo/s1600/IMG_4230.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-FM569eQa0fI/UL720Yvo7UI/AAAAAAAAB2k/v7qv2rr8-qo/s400/IMG_4230.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Galerie Jacques Lacoste Paris</td></tr>
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Galerie Jacques Lacoste never (ever) seems to disappoint. I rarely get verbose but he always manages to procure the masterful examples of Royere. His booth was excellently curated and while breathable was stocked full of top-notch French 40s design.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-eidzNXL3m5s/UL74azjOY3I/AAAAAAAAB2w/hdPbNwUxQsc/s1600/IMG_4232.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-eidzNXL3m5s/UL74azjOY3I/AAAAAAAAB2w/hdPbNwUxQsc/s400/IMG_4232.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jason Jacques, Inc.<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">As an admitted design geek the booth New York "pot dealer" Jason Jacques made me lose myself for a moment as there was so much to absorb. I must hand it to him he brought out many ceramic works of unmatched quality and provenance (I would hate to be his shipper/insurer).</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-JYtixB9Ogbs/UL76OtaXdcI/AAAAAAAAB24/0fkmuFcKl7k/s1600/IMG_4199.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="393" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-JYtixB9Ogbs/UL76OtaXdcI/AAAAAAAAB24/0fkmuFcKl7k/s400/IMG_4199.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Masterworks by Viennese ceramicist Ernst Wahliss<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">This particular group of vessels by the Viennese ceramicist Ernst Wahliss made me so very happy. While being firmly rooted in the Jugenstil (1900s) they made me think of Murakami especially the mushroom shaped pot in the foreground (below).</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">I leave you lastly with an unexpected new discovery. The highlight of every season is the encounter with something that captivates the eye with its uniqueness, may I present the "Fragile Future" chandeleier (2012) by Ralph Nauta and Lonneke Gordijn.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">I apologize in advance for the rather cold nature of the captured light but this is the nature of LEDs. It read from a distance as a work of Harry Bertoia, but having never seen a model close to this I knew my design vocabulary was leading me astray. The framework is constructed of polished bronze, but the "bulbs" are actually individually adhered "dandelion seeds" to commercial LEDs, thus recreating and array of clustered dandelions.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">The table lamp version of this chandelier was clad in glass which made complete sense as one can only imagine that these delicate reconstructed dandelions would become caked with dust over time. Oh well, sometimes design is simply made for dreaming....More to follow from my week at the Basel Fair...</span></div>
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Patrick Sheehanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11237658330558641719noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3118955625957053567.post-64604339385078376632012-11-24T23:31:00.000-08:002012-12-16T11:24:11.532-08:00Wrightsman Collection Yields Royal Jewel <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-V2T4aE4b3fo/ULFv6ZvA-wI/AAAAAAAABzk/2Uva18dg7qU/s1600/Screen+shot+2012-11-22+at+3.41.43+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="356" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-V2T4aE4b3fo/ULFv6ZvA-wI/AAAAAAAABzk/2Uva18dg7qU/s400/Screen+shot+2012-11-22+at+3.41.43+PM.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Diamond Bow Brooch: Image courtesy Sotheby's</td></tr>
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Hello again. It has been far too long since my last offering but the business of business has once again gotten in the way. But this post will not disappoint. It seems that Sotheby's has snagged a consignment of jewels from the collection of Metropolitan Museum of Art donor Jayne Wrightsman. Sotheby's was a shoe-in as they have been selling off Jayne's treasures ever since they aided her in dusbursing works from her Palm Beach residence in 1984. The present sale is a single owner catalogue rife with the standard sets of jewels that were requisite for a 5th avenue hostess of the 1950s-1980s. Big, colorful and impressive, but the sale saves one treasure for last....the above royal brooch.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XIv3x4q1JQk/ULGz_irhLGI/AAAAAAAABz4/wHxR32fMXeU/s1600/elena_vladimirovna_seated.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XIv3x4q1JQk/ULGz_irhLGI/AAAAAAAABz4/wHxR32fMXeU/s400/elena_vladimirovna_seated.jpg" width="217" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Grand Duchess Elena Vladimirovna wearing the brooch: Image via The Royal Forums</td></tr>
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May I present the diamond and gold bow brooch of circa 1850 from the collection of Russian Grand Duchess Elena Vladimirovna. For those not in the know, she was the daughter of Grand Duchess Vladimir whose jewelry collection was one of the only Russian aristocratic collections to escape the revolution intact. As the story goes, the brooch was a wedding present to Grand Duchess Elena either from her mother or from the Czar himself when she married into the Greek line becoming Princess Nicholas of Greece. The brooch later passed to Elena's daughter Princess Marina of Greece. Marina was quite a beauty and made a fortuitous match marrying Prince George of Kent thus becoming a prominent member of the British Royal Family. The brooch was an apparent favorite as she wore it to numerous state events and in formal portraits most notably to the Coronation of George VI in 1937 and Queen Elizabeth in 1953.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-RHKmAsiKw5E/ULG7L31bDwI/AAAAAAAAB0M/7a-2lgCzGHM/s1600/tumblr_m1wx1nSmo51qg2128o1_1280.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="333" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-RHKmAsiKw5E/ULG7L31bDwI/AAAAAAAAB0M/7a-2lgCzGHM/s400/tumblr_m1wx1nSmo51qg2128o1_1280.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Princess Marina wearing the brooch with her sisters Elizabeth and Olga: Image via Tumblr</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-FYycszD088U/ULG_LBrwJPI/AAAAAAAAB0g/4H-OYSYuzkY/s1600/cecil-beaton-princess-marina-duchess-of-kent-13-december-1906-27-august-1968_i-G-29-2995-MSTQD00Z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-FYycszD088U/ULG_LBrwJPI/AAAAAAAAB0g/4H-OYSYuzkY/s1600/cecil-beaton-princess-marina-duchess-of-kent-13-december-1906-27-august-1968_i-G-29-2995-MSTQD00Z.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Portrait of Princess Marina by Cecil Beaton: Image via Tumblr</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-UZsVBDG3IWw/ULHBjiGbU4I/AAAAAAAAB0w/zCjT-LIwQ6w/s1600/marinaduchessofkent-coronation1937.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-UZsVBDG3IWw/ULHBjiGbU4I/AAAAAAAAB0w/zCjT-LIwQ6w/s400/marinaduchessofkent-coronation1937.jpg" width="366" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Duke and Duchess of Kent (with brooch) at the coronation of George VI in 1937: Image via Operagloves.com</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1jXfRgonimI/ULHEBuN5BOI/AAAAAAAAB04/jnivvbgDbLI/s1600/tumblr_m7brovMnvx1qg0umko1_1280.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1jXfRgonimI/ULHEBuN5BOI/AAAAAAAAB04/jnivvbgDbLI/s400/tumblr_m7brovMnvx1qg0umko1_1280.jpg" width="314" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Duchess of Kent wearing the brooch at the Coronation of Elizabeth II in 1953: Image via Tumblr</td></tr>
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With the present climate for the repatriation of Russian Royal treasures I am confident that the brooch will sail past its estimate of $200,000-300,000 especially given the added layer of British Royal history. The listed provenance stops with Princess Marina (Duchess of Kent) so we don't know exactly how and when Jayne Wrightsman acquired it which is always frustrating, but then again this was the collector who managed to get <a href="http://metmuseum.org/Collections/search-the-collections/120021438">Louis XV's desk</a> out of France so I am sure for her anything was possible. Until next time...AR<br />
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UPDATE: The sale is over and the brooch achieved a staggering $842,500! Unfortunately the press release provides no clues as to who the buyer may be. We must wait for any further disclosures...<br />
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Patrick Sheehanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11237658330558641719noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3118955625957053567.post-27095993663920185272012-08-26T17:49:00.000-07:002012-08-26T21:09:21.031-07:00Tiffany Coup For Michaan's Auctions<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Hello dear readers, it has been far too long since my last post, but relatively speaking it was rather a slow summer for the art market in general. As August winds to a close the September sale catalogues are upon us as are the flurry of fall press releases. Asia Week will dominate a majority of next month as well as Sotheby's single owner sale of the <a href="http://www.sothebys.com/en/auctions/2012/property-from-the-estate-of-brooke-astor-n08890/overview.html">Estate of Brooke Astor</a>. However, I was stunned by a major upset in the New York dominated Tiffany Studios market. It appears that Michaan's Auctions (based in Almeda, California) has brought to market one of the best collections of Tiffany works of art in the world. Michaan's beat out both Christie's and Sotheby's for the right to sell the "Tiffany Masterworks" from The Garden Museum in Japan.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-N3UsqrMH-Z0/UDmOxsBkwbI/AAAAAAAABuk/WHNSOk3PxZc/s1600/IMG_0043.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-N3UsqrMH-Z0/UDmOxsBkwbI/AAAAAAAABuk/WHNSOk3PxZc/s400/IMG_0043.jpg" width="304" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tiffany Studios "Grape" Table Lamp, Estimate $750,000-$850,000. Photo courtesy Michaan's Auctions.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-s_TmsD6wcUg/UDmO-z41JTI/AAAAAAAABu8/TWU95FsH_Ps/s1600/Screen+shot+2012-08-25+at+10.45.25+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-s_TmsD6wcUg/UDmO-z41JTI/AAAAAAAABu8/TWU95FsH_Ps/s400/Screen+shot+2012-08-25+at+10.45.25+PM.png" width="379" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Detail, courtesy Michaan's Auctions.</td></tr>
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This is quite a coup for the small California auction house considering that it was founded some ten years ago. With the collapse of the economy, auction houses have become much more cautious about offering 0% terms, collateral loans, and guarantees in order to secure consignments but when they do come into play it is usually the larger houses that have the wherewithal to seal the deal...not so in this case. According the their <a href="http://www.michaans.com/pdf/press/2012/November2012TreasuresofLouisCTiffany.pdf">press release</a>, Michaan's dug in deep and actually secured a group of private investors to acquire the contents of The Garden Museum outright and they will be selling it on their own behalf. Quite risky and a very bold move for a smaller auction venue, but well played I must say. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-tV_bnnnRQnc/UDmOw0HxqTI/AAAAAAAABuc/Jv9tj-ZHcpU/s1600/IMG_0024.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-tV_bnnnRQnc/UDmOw0HxqTI/AAAAAAAABuc/Jv9tj-ZHcpU/s400/IMG_0024.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Selection of lamps, a painting and favrile glass vases from The Garden Museum. Photo courtesy Michaan's.</td></tr>
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The Garden Museum was the brainchild of fervent Tiffany collector Mr. Takeo Horiuchi aided by noted Tiffany expert Alastair Duncan after meeting at an exhibition in 1992. From that point foreward, the pair worked closely together to track down only the best and most rarified works. Horiuchi stuck by Duncan while he suffered a career setback that would have ruined others with lesser intestinal fortitude, but that is another <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/1999/08/13/nyregion/expert-guilty-in-scheme-to-steal-tiffany-glass-from-tombs.html?pagewanted=all&src=pm">story</a> for another day. Duncan played a major role in bringing this collection to market so it is a definite coup for him as well.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-e9yrPW31ifI/UDmO7woNcDI/AAAAAAAABus/8_f5M6nHFpo/s1600/Screen+shot+2012-08-25+at+10.39.46+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="347" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-e9yrPW31ifI/UDmO7woNcDI/AAAAAAAABus/8_f5M6nHFpo/s400/Screen+shot+2012-08-25+at+10.39.46+PM.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wisteria and "Pony" Wisteria lamps from the collection. Photo courtesy Michaan's.</td></tr>
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From the press release, Japan's recent seismic activity and ensuing tsunamis motivated Horiuchi to disband the museum as he felt he could no longer ensure the long term safety of the works if they stayed in Japan.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-kiUxEUl41dE/UDmO9LP2XII/AAAAAAAABu0/U8SyxCiiJDo/s1600/Screen+shot+2012-08-25+at+10.40.29+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="251" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-kiUxEUl41dE/UDmO9LP2XII/AAAAAAAABu0/U8SyxCiiJDo/s400/Screen+shot+2012-08-25+at+10.40.29+PM.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Selection of highlights from the sale. Photo courtesy Michaan's.</td></tr>
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We will have to wait and see if a larger financial motivation comes to light. The sale is oddly placed on November 17th, a full three weeks before the 20th century sales in New York. I guess this will make it easier for collectors to to attend both the east coast and west coast sales but if I were Michaan's I would have had the sale in a pop-up space in New York to dominate the week typically won by Christie's and Sotheby's... but I digress. More to come as the details unfold. Make sure to secure your copy of Duncan's <a href="http://www.antiquecollectorsclub.com/uk/store/pv/9781851494576/louis-c-tiffany/alastair-duncan">catalogue</a> of the Museum published in 2002 as it will now likely become a scholarly collectors item. Until next time--AR.<br />
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Patrick Sheehanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11237658330558641719noreply@blogger.com3