Drian "Jazz" Screen at Christie's

I have spent the past few days pouring over the June design sales and I was delighted to see that another "old friend" has emerged on the auction block. Now this is not something I have personally handled before but it is an object of great reputation and I am delighted that I will be able to see it in the flesh very soon. I present you with the "Jazz" screen comprised of reverse painted mirror panels by French artist Etienne Drian, currently on the block at Christie's.
For those not in the know, Drian was born Etienne Adrien in 1890 in Bugneville, France and emerged as one of the preeminent fashion illustrators of the dress reform era. It was later in the 1920s and 30s that he expanded his repertoire to include portraiture, murals and decorative arts.

This image shows Drian in his studio circa 1930 with American actress Gilda Gray who popularized the "Shimmy" dance craze. Note the mirrored screen panels in the background awaiting completion. The "Jazz"screen originally decorated the music room of Mrs. Bradford Norman's apartment at the fabled River House which was published in Arts & Decoration (May 1933).

As you can see the screen held court along one wall and and provided an important backdrop for Mrs. Norman's concerts. The image below from Vogue (October 1933) shows the screen again as Mrs. Norman plays for Mrs. Averell Harriman, Mr. Edward McIlvan Jr. and Mr. John Kennedy.

As you follow the Christie's provenance for the screen the next time it emerges is in the collection of New York fashion designer John Moore. Fortunately it was photographed in his apartment for a Life magazine piece in May of 1963.

It seems that Mr. Moore used the screen in much the same manner as Mrs. Norman, an elegant backdrop amidst a sea of cream tones, zebra hide and a lacquered piano. The screen then passed to New York antiques dealer/designer Christopher Chodoff and was photographed in his home for Architectural Digest (May/June 1977).

Mr. Chodoff's 1990 obituary noted that his antiques business opened in Manhattan in the early 1950s and that he was one of the first dealers to introduce modernist masterworks by Eileen Gray, Diego Giacometti and Jean-Michael Frank to an unsuspecting post-war American clientele. His companion at the time of his death was noted as a Mr. Maury Green and it is likely that the screen remained with him until now.

While the provenance is listed with confidence the lot essay backs away from it slightly noting that it was "likely from the New York apartment of Mrs. Bradford Norman" which is slightly annoying as it was definitely hers. There was possibly some reason for concern as the "Jazz" screen has a slightly more famous sister (below) that was executed for the ballroom/theatre of the Maharaja of Indore's art deco Manik Bagh palace. Images of the two have been interchanged for years but they vary slightly in the fine details. If you study them closely you can sort it out.

Indore "Jazz" Screen

(L) Norman "Jazz" Screen,detail (R)Indore "Jazz" Screen,detail

As you can see from the details above the join cuts through the tuba player's arm in two distinctly different places. The example at Christie's is definitely the "Jazz" screen from Mrs. Norman's apartment... no question about it. What has always struck me about the band depicted in the screen is that the players are highly individualized and not the typical exotic derogatory stereotypes of the Jazz Age. I always felt that the figures had to be based on real people and thankfully the experts at Christie's were able to unravel part of the mystery.

It appears that the drummer in the screen is directly copied from a Berenice Abbot photograph of jazz musician Buddy Gilmore. After World War I, Gilmore played the capitals of Europe and had lengthy stints at Parisian venues such as La Revue Négre. It seems fairly evident that Drian collected and composited a number of jazz musician portraits for his finished work. Further research will need to be done identify the rest of the players... perhaps for another post!

On a side note, it appears that Mrs. Bradford Norman was not the only Drian client at the River House, enter British lumber heiress Audrey Evelyn James... (if you are not familiar with the River House apartments please read Michael Henry Adams' series for the Huffington Post). The vivacious Audrey James was one of the "bright young things" in London society and was a favorite of the Prince of Wales. It was during her second marriage to department store magnate Marshall Field III that she resided at the River House and was published in Vogue (April 1934) with her Drian portrait screen as a backdrop.

Her screen traveled to London after her divorce from Field and it was photographed by Country Life at her residence "The Holme" in Regent's Park around 1938.

Luckily for us this art deco stunner survived and was sold at Christie's from the Estate of fashion PR legend Eleanor Lambert in 2004.

I remember seeing it at the sale preview and it was quite distressed but it still achieved nearly $22,000. But this lovely screen was not Mrs. Field's only Drian commission. It seems that she also hired Drian in 1932 to spruce-up her River House dining room with mirror murals much like the London music room of her friend Sir Philip Sassoon. Unfortunately no image survives but we know from the period press that the "mirrors are painted [with] the most wondrous collection of our feathered friends." It leaves the imagination to wonder....but fortunately for us this was an oft repeated Drian theme.

I present the mirrored dining room that Drian executed for couturier Edward Molyneux. This gives us a pretty clear indication of how the Field's dining room likely appeared. While ephemeral, some of Drian's murals were carefully dismantled and sold at auction so we thankfully have a sense of what they were like in person.

These are two of eighteen panels from the entrance foyer of Mrs. Randolph Hearst's residence at 300 Park Avenue executed by Drian between 1927-1928. Screens are easier to sell than sections of interior elements, Sotheby's sold this group in 2004 for a dismal $2700. What a steal! Even rarer are Drian's smaller decorative works...

This unusual pair of Drian side tables were sold by Sotheby's from the collection of Karl Lagerfeld for a whopping €33,275. While rare, this model is by no means unique as evidenced by this example presently for sale at the New York gallery of Alan Moss.

I seem to remember that dear Alan had a pair, perhaps one was sold...but I digress. If you are interested you can purchase it here.

This unusual cabinet mounted with Drian panels surfaced at Tajan Paris in 2007 and despite its rather clunky presence it achieved €33,458. If you missed it, do not worry, it is now in the capable hands of Parisian art deco expert Felix Marcilhac and can be purchased here.

Last but not least is this lovely still life/mirror from the estate of fashion designer Bill Blass. These surface from time to time and can usually be had at auction for less than $5000 depending on their size. But it was likely the Blass provenance that led this example to sell for nearly $7000 at Sotheby's in 2005.

I did not intend for this post to be so encompassing but Drian is close to my heart. The "Jazz" screen will hit the block at Christie's on June 16th at an estimate of $100,000-150,000. We shall see how it goes, that price seems a bit steep given the form and its fragility. If it is an amazing success I am sure we will see the other "Jazz" screen re-emerge within short order. Until then dear readers...we wait.

UPDATE: The screen sold this morning just within estimate at $110,500. I was a bit concerned it would not after I saw the piece in person as the condition was rather rough, finely painted but flaking and distressed. Expect to see other Drian pieces come out of the woodwork....one success tends to beget speculation in the art market.

Royal Tiara On The Block At Sotheby's

I spent the latter part of the afternoon scouring the major auction house websites to find the highly anticipated June design sales. Unfortunately they will not drop until next week, but my inquiries did not leave me empty handed. Thankfully, it was on Sotheby's main page I came across this lovely emerald laden stunner.

I must admit I was hesitant to write about another royal jewel so quickly after my coverage of the recent royal wedding. But I figured you may be up for a bit of sparkle this weekend. Sotheby's describes this aristocratic diadem as "A Magnificent and Rare Emerald and Diamond Tiara, Formerly in the Collection of Princess Katharina Henckel Von Donnersmarck, Circa 1900." The base of the tiara is of a lovely foliate design and par four the course as far as high-end Belle Epoque jewels go. However, it is the approximately 500 carats of polished emeralds comprising 11 pear shaped spikes that set it apart from the pack.

The catalogue goes to great, yet measured, lengths to assert that the emeralds

probably/ possibly/ perchance belonged to Empress Eugenie of France from a group of 25 such polished emerald drops sold from her personal collection in 1872. Historical layering such as this adds to the mystique and hopefully the end result but I am a stickler for hard facts and always find it a bit too fluffy when dealing with a masterwork that can really sand on its own, but hey that's just me. What is certain is that the emeralds are of Colombian origin and are polished in the Indian tradition, likely in the 17th or 18th century. While the overall effect is striking I have always found the mixing of globular cabochon stones and brilliant cut diamonds to be a tricky affair....lest they look like shiny gum balls wed to a refined base. The present lot is just on the cusp of looking top-heavy, but only just. Queen Elizabeth's Grand Duchess Vladimir tiara utilizing the Cambridge emeralds is a bit more successful but who is counting really....well I guess I am since it is one of my favorites from her collection.

Queen Elizabeth's Grand Duchess Vladimir Tiara

The catalogue also asserts that the tiara is (yet again) "possibly" the most important to appear at auction in 30 years (since it was last sold by the heirs of Princess Katharina Henckel Von Donnersmarck via Sotheby's Zurich in 1979). This glosses over Christie's great success selling the fabled Portland tiara just last December and the Poltimore tiara that they sold from the Estate of Princess Margaret in 2006.

The Poltimore Tiara Sold Christie's 13 June 2006 ($1,7o4,576)

The Portland Tiara Sold Christie's 1 December 2010 ($1,188,239)

Granted, the Donnersmarck tiara with its 11 large emeralds may pack more of a punch in intrinsic value, but the importance of the provenance is debatable when compared to the Portland or the Poltimore. That said, I wish Sotheby's well as the estimate range is a stellar $5.3-10.6 million. We will have to wait until next week to see where it ultimately lands. I leave you with this press image which gives you a better sense of the tiara's scale and the greater distance obscures the natural imperfections in the in the emeralds which can be distracting when viewed too closely.

UPDATE: The tiara sold on May 17th for an astounding $12.7 million becoming the most expensive tiara ever sold...

McQueen Savage Beauty Exhibition

Well, dear readers I have at long last made the trip to the Metropolitan Museum of Art to view the McQueen retrospective Savage Beauty now up through July 31st. I must say, crowd control aside, it was captivating to say the very least. The rooms were set-up by themes and contrasted starkly with one another between sheer opulence and stark materials.

For months we have been bombarded with the show stoppers....the McQueen avant garde creations that really pushed the envelope. I too was guilty of that in my previous posts. But it was in some of the restrained galleries that one could have a quiet moment to take in a work and see the nuanced genius of the man. You could sense that while McQueen had a penchant for fantasy and the macabre he was at the very core a craftsman (trained as a tailor) and was well versed in the history of art. Don't get me wrong, I love his darker moods, flirting with fetish and the Gothic...who doesn't like a good Poe or Fonthill Abbey reference...but I digress.

In the first gallery, dedicated to McQueen's tailoring roots entitled The Romantic Mind, you are confronted by these re-invisioned Napoleonic jackets. The text provided made it crystal clear that it was his deep knowledge of construction that allowed him to later deconstruct and reinterpret forms and silhouettes. But it was in the Romantic Nationalism gallery that I was stopped dead in my tracks by this gown...

This Empire infused confection was a highlight of the Fall/Winter 2008 collection entitled The Girl Who Lived In The Tree. While McQueen is quoted as saying "I don't really get inspired [by specific women]" but more by "Iconic women" his references from this period in history are evident.

Madame Recamier by Francois Pascal Simon Gerard

Madame Grassini in the Role of Zaire by Elizabeth Vigee-Lebrun

Portrait of Madame de Stael by Anne-Louise Girodet de Roucy-Triosson

The Grande Odalisque by Jean Auguste Dominique Ingres

Details of the ensemble from the Fall/Winter 2008 collection

It was definitely one of those moments where something modern can transport you in a flash to an age of Empires, Orientalism, conquest and romance. I could do fifty related posts on the exhibition as it is a veritable feast. While the exhibition catalogue is good it does not contain all the works in the show and cannot capture the lushness of the installation. We are sad to see McQueen go but he has left his mark with an astonishing fashion legacy.

Catherine Middleton Wears the Halo/Scroll Tiara!

Well at long last dear readers we are here. Catherine and William are married and we finally know all the details as they were revealed before our eyes. Sarah Burton for Alexander McQueen designed the gown which took a page right out of Grace Kelly's playbook. Well played Miss Middleton... now the Duchess of Cambridge. The tiara she wore was one of my personal favorites from the list of contenders. We knew it as the "Scroll" tiara, but the palace has confirmed that it is actually known to the British Royal Family as the Cartier Halo tiara. We now know that the tiara was purchased by the Duke of York (King George VI) for the Duchess of York (the Queen Mother) in 1936. It is a rolling cascade of scrolls that converge in a central ornament surmounted by a brilliant diamond. We now know that the tiara was given to Queen Elizabeth II for her eighteenth birthday and she has subsequently loaned it to both her sister Princess Margaret and her daughter Princess Anne.

Image of the Halo from the Cartier Archives

The Halo tiara is a youthful feminine tiara with absolutely zero severity. The paisley like scrolls picked-up the lace details of her dress. An absolutely perfect choice.

Detail with gauzy veil in play, perfection!

The Queen Mother wearing the the Halo tiara with King George VI.

Collage of pictures of the stunning Princess Margaret wearing the Halo to various engagements in the 1950s.

Collage of pictures of Princess Anne wearing the Halo to state events in the 1960s/early 1970s.

Jacques Doucet's Studio St. James at Neuilly-sur-Seine

If you don't know by now, I am more than a little obsessed with research. In fact, it often drives me to distraction but it comes with the territory working in the "art biz". I especially love to learn all I can about places that no longer exist. Gazing deep into a period photo or painting and absorbing the details of how the room was decorated and used...especially if it is filled with treasures. Wondering what all the objects are and where on earth they are now... or if they even survive at all. Enter couturier Jacques Doucet's Studio St. James at Neuilly-sur-Seine. Jacques Doucet was famous as a fashion label but the man himself was a voracious collector. In 1912, at the age of nearly 60 he sold his conventional collection of French antiques and fine arts and embraced the avant-garde to an astounding degree.

This lush corner of the grand salon from the Studio is a feast for the eyes and I have taken the liberty of pointing out a few masterworks:

Tucked into the corner was this exotic ebony cartonnier by Pierre Legrain with lacquer panels executed by Edouard Degaine. It was created around 1925 and presently resides in the permanent collection of the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris.

This unusual lacquer "Bilboquet" table sat adjacent to the sofa and is an extremely rare early work by Eileen Gray before she fully embraced modernism. It dates to circa 1915 and presently resides in a private collection.

This late Amedeo Modigliani masterwork hung on the far wall and is entitled "The Pink Blouse". It was painted in 1919 and is currently housed in the Musée Angladon.

This early cubist delight hung just above the Legrain cabinet. It is entitled "Man with a Guitar" by Pablo Picasso and was painted in the south of France in the fall of 1912. It now forms part of the permanent collection of the Philadelphia Museum of Art.

This haunting work titled "The Snake Charmer" is a large masterwork executed by French primitive painter Henri Rousseau in 1907. It now hangs in the Musée d'Orsay in Paris.

This exoticist sofa dominated the room and was created by Marcel Coard around 1927. It is cleverly carved in rosewood to resemble rattan and is further embellished with ivory. It is a perfect counterpoint the African influenced works by Legrain that were scattered throughout the home. The sofa was given to the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts in Richmond in 1985.

This almost cubistic carpet sat in front of the Coard Sofa and is a work by Pierre Legrain executed in 1924. It surfaced last month at the Chateau de Gourdon Sale at Christie's Paris and fetched €325,000.

Nestled in the center of Doucet's "Oriental Cabinet" was this chinese/egyptian inspired "Lotus" table executed by Eileen Gray in 1915. It has been widely published but yet resides within a private collection.

If the previous treasures were not enough, Picasso's iconic "Les Demoiselles d'Avignon" of 1907 held pride of place at the top of the Studio's stair landing. The painting now hangs in the Museum of Modern Art in New York.

This is another view of the long living room within the Studio and perfectly illustrates how black and white photography denies the modern eye the true vibrancy of a period interior. Thankfully we know the whereabouts of many of the works seen above.

This "African" chair was created by Pierre Legrain in 1924 and can be viewed today at the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris.

This rare green lacquer and eggshell encrusted side cabinet anchored the large wall at the left of the image. It was created by Paul-Louis Mergier around 1928 and is now part of the permanent collection of Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris.

Placed just above the Mergier cabinet was Henri Matisse's "Goldfish and Palette" painted in the fall of 1914. It can be viewed today at the Museum of Modern Art in New York.

Visible in the foreground of the image is yet another African influenced work. This time it is an eggshell lacquered side table based on stool form. It was executed by Pierre Legrain in 1923 and is now at Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris.

This monumental rosewood and python skin veneered bureau is just visible in the background of the image. It was created by Marcel Coard around 1925 and once again it can be found today at the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris.

Doucet's eye was amazing to say the very least and collections of this level are rarely seen today. We can at least console ourselves with these lush images and dream of what it was like to be surrounded by such masterworks all under one roof.

Update!

In researching another lacquer topic I stumbled across another piece from the studio that has survived to this day. First things first, here is a period image of the Doucet Studio's foyer.

Like many important pieces from the period, this table has passed through the hands of Galerie Vallois in Paris.

This image appears to be from the 1980s or 1990s and it has not surfaced in some time so it is likely resting in a private collection.

The table is a real oddity, but in the best sense. It is vaguely Chinese in form but the charioteers that emerge from the legs are right out of classical antiquity. Hopefully more pieces will emerge--AR.