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.
Rock Crystal and Silver Desk Set, Christie's Paris, 20 May 2014, Lot 4 (€37,500)
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 here. 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".
The set seen in-situ within Jacques Doucet's Studio Image: L'Illustration, 30 Mai 1930.
Detail of above
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.
The desk set present at Jacques Doucet's Bois de Boulogne apartment circa early 1920s Image via Sotheby's
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.
Vente Audap, Ancienne collection Jacques Doucet, 8 novembre 1972 Image: Aestheticusrex
In putting together this post it came to my attention that Architectural Digest September 2014 issue published a short article 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. Reports point out that it is a mix of Doucet items and period works in the spirit of his collection.
Galerie Vallois booth, 2014 Paris Bienalle Image courtesy Galerie Vallois
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.
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
Christie's Paris grand staircase with the Alba/Rateau banner Image: Aestheticus Rex
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 here and here. 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.
Jacques Grange installation of the Alba Rateau consignment at Christie's Paris Image: Aestheticus Rex
Jacques Grange installation of the Alba Rateau consignment at Christie's Paris Image: Aestheticus Rex
Jacques Grange installation of the Alba Rateau consignment at Christie's Paris Image: Aestheticus Rex
Duchess de Alba's Bathroom, Liria Palace, Madrid circa 1922 Image via Musee Des Arts Decoratifs, Paris
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:
Rateau Torcheres lots 119 & 120 Image via Christie's
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.
Rateau Daybed lot 118 Image via Christie's
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.
Rateau Dressing Table lot 123 Image via Christie's
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.
Detail of dressing table top, showing the mounting holes for the former mirror Image: Aestheticus Rex
Rateau Low Table lot 122 Image via Christie's
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.
Rateau Marble Sunken Bathtub lot 124 Image via Christie's
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.
Rateau Canape "Aux Cols de Cygnes" lot 121 Image via Christie's
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).
Period detail image of the Canape "Aux Cols de Cygnes" in situ, lot 121 Image via Musee des Arts Decoratifs, Paris
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.
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
Art History BA, Design History MA, trained at Sotheby's, molded at Christies's, easily distracted by shiny objects.
The purpose of this blog is to provide insight and demystification to the often esoteric world of decorative art and design.
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