Rare Tiffany Settee at Doyle New York

Image via Doyle New YorkHello Dear Readers. Just a quick post this time but it is of the utmost importance. Thanks to an old colleague I was tipped off to this rare treasure that is slated to sell tomorrow (Feb. 8th) in Doyle New York's Belle Epoch auction. Let me introduce you to the Indian inspired carved wood settee crafted by Louis Comfort Tiffany for the music room of the H. O. Havemeyer house at 1 East 66th Street.





Image via Doyle New York
The modern upholstery may leave much to be desired but you must think it away. The Havemeyer mansion was one of the premier aesthetic movement homes in America when completed in 1892. Tiffany planned every detail of the decor and the music room was no exception.

Period Image of the Music Room
Unfortunately the home was razed in 1930 and its contents were divided by the family...some of which were disbursed. Thankfully for us many pieces have made it into public collections. From time to time they do appear at auction, but usually at Christie's and Sotheby's. Don't get me wrong, Doyle's is a New York institution, but you would expect a lot of this level to command the cover of an important December/June design sale. It is quite puzzling. Perhaps the consigner wants to sell discretely but the motive is unclear at this point.



















Image Doyle New YorkThe provenance shows that the settee descended in the Havemeyer family for four generations but there is no direct indication that it was consigned by the family. It is a bit confusing as that would only add cache to the lot. That said, I have absolutely no doubt that it will sell at its estimate of $125,000-175,000. If I were a gambling man I would guess that it will sell in the $250,000-300,000 range. But there is no telling. This work is so exceedingly rare that it could easily fly despite being discretely inserted in a smaller sale venue. Until tomorrow we wait.-AR

Update:
Well I was proven to be a bit too conservative in my exhuberence, perish the thought. The lot sold this afternoon for $422,500.00. It is no surprise because lets face it...where can you find another one in private hands? I will let you know if any further details surface.--AR

Update II:
Well that did not take too long. My contact at Doyle's confirmed that there were seven active bidders competing for the settee. The lot was won by the powerhouse art consultancy McClelland + Rachen bidding on behalf of a private client. They represent some of the best 20th century art collectors so I am not surprised by this news. Evidently the underbidder was Margot Johnson who featured prominently in a previous post about Herter Brothers. How exciting. Until next time.--AR

Art Nouveau Jewelry at Sotheby's

Detail via Sotheby's

Hello dear readers. The winter antiques/auction season is charging forward despite the fact that we have had little proof that winter has actually taken place in the Northeast thus far. As many of you know I am greatly distracted by interesting and historic jewelry. Thankfully Sotheby's Important Jewels sale this month does not disappoint. The specialists were able to cull a few fine Art Nouveau stunners from different collections for an impressive section in the sale. And here they are:

Image via Sotheby's

This rather florid pendant is by the incomparable Rene Lalique and dates to circa 1900. The enamel on gold is exquisite especially when you note the subtle details to the face enhanced by the engraving to the gold surface below. This was produced at the height of the Art Nouveau period and is exactly what a collector would want, which is likely factored into the estimate of $60,000-80,000.

Image via Sotheby's

This sinewy comb is a perfect marriage of Art Nouveau and Egyptian motifs. It dates to just after 1905 and being a part of the pre-plastic era, it is composted predominantly of translucent tortoiseshell embellished with enamel, opals and gold fitments. It is the work of Georges Fouquet, who in my opinion, does not get the credit he deserves as his works are on the same level as the venerable Lalique.

Detail via Sotheby's

It comes in at a more modest $10,000-15,000 and is really more of collector's cabinet piece but exquisitely designed nonetheless.

Image via Sotheby's

This next offering is composed of a brooch and a separate clasp of the same design by Rene Lalique. The pieces date to circa 1900 and are being offered at an estimate of $60,000-80,000. The decoration is comprised of gold with cream enamel and amethyst stones, the brooch further embellished with pink glass raspberries. While visually interesting the lot gives me pause as there appears to be more to the story. The lot description skirts the issue by merely noting that only the clasp is signed and that the brooch has a later pin fitment. It seems clear to me that these pieces started out life as part of a larger work, perhaps a necklace with the "brooch" serving as the centerpiece or pendent. It will likely sell as it is so rare, but I am not sure where it will fall at that estimate.

Image via Sotheby's

If the previous lot seems a bit lacking this next piece is definitely everything you would want and at the same estimate of $60,000-80,000. Like the peacock, the iridescent dragonfly was a creature emblematic of the Art Nouveau movement and sensibility. This pin of opposing dragonflies was crafted by Rene Lalique between 1903-1904 in enameled gold with opals. The wings are rendered in plique-a-jour enamel which makes them akin to little stained glass windows. It is definitely a technique you want to see in a Lalique piece. I have a strong feeling this work will fare well when it is up on the block. It is a microcosm of a larger work on view at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. I present the elaborate collar necklace that Lalique crafted for his second wife around 1900.

Image via Metmuseum.org

Again it relies on opals, enameled gold and the plique-a-jour technique....but obviously on a much larger scale and completely over the top as the artist was not constrained by the dictates of a client commission.

Image via Metmuseum.org

The collar is comprised of nine stylized maidens with wild Mucha-esque whiplash hair with arms flowing into a lobed frame with black swans on a pale blue plique-a-jour ground. Each maiden is flanked by impressive fire opals in gold vine-work mounts. The workmanship of these pieces is even more evident when you view the verso.

Image via Metmuseum.org

Truly exquisite as there is no need to provide this level of finish to the back of the work. It was donated to the Met in 1985 by the venerable Tiffany dealer Lillian Nassau. I once saw a painting of Nassau wearing the necklace and wish I could find an image of it. It shows the dramatic scale of the piece when worn.

Image via Sotheby's

The final lot to cover from the Sotheby's sale is this intricate pin executed by Georges Fouquet around 1910. Like the comb above, it is looking to the motifs of ancient Egypt for its primary inspiration (albeit filtered through the lens of the late Art Nouveau style). Again it is executed in enameled gold set with an array of semi-precious stones framed by a riviere of small rose cut diamonds. This work is priced at the seemingly popular estimate of $60,000-80,000. As a late Art Nouveau work it is beginning to stiffen-up looking ahead to what would become the Art Deco style. Fouquet took over his father's jewelry business in 1895 and his close alliance with Art Nouveau illustrator Alphonse Mucha is beyond apparent...even to the untrained eye. In 1902 he moved the business to 6 rue Royale and made quite the splash with its decor (designed by Mucha).

Period Image of facade via all-art.org

Period Image of interior via all-art.org

As you know, I do love a period image, but thankfully for us the shop was donated in its entirety to the Musee Carnavalet in Paris where it was faithfully reinstalled. Take-in the feast of details below. The next time you are in Paris it is a must see. We shall await the fate of the Art Nouveau gems at Sotheby's...until next time. AR

Image of interior via all-art.org

Detail via MGLM Architects

Detail via thetripplanner.com

Detail via Bit of Seasoning Tumblr

Detail via Bit of Seasoning Tumblr

Facade detail via Melbourne Our Home Blogspot

The 58th Annual Winter Antiques Show

I braved the snow to make it out to this annual extravaganza of needful things from across the globe. The offerings were varied as usual but as a decorative arts aficionado I am embarrassed to admit that I was more captivated by the fine arts offerings this time around. Starting with this arresting John Singer Sargent charcoal drawing of the dapper Robert Gould Shaw III in the booth of the venerable Fine Art Society of London. The quality is exceptional and it stopped just about everyone. It is no wonder that is already sold so early on in the fair (I would assume near the asking price of $160,00).

The sitter was the rather ill-fated son of Nancy Langhorne Astor who ultimately committed suicide after a long battle with alcoholism and depression. However dark the underpinnings may be, it is magnificent in its sheer presence. A quick look around the internet revealed that it surfaced in a small auction in Kent last year and achieved a tidy £23,000. Who knows where it will turn up next.

When you enter the show you are confronted by the Historic Hudson River Valley installation and this rather smart pair of American Gothic revival benches. They were actually owned by Washington Irving of Sleepy Hollow fame and date to 1836 which is rather early for this style in America. I was struck by their absolute purity, before the Gothic revival was watered-down and blurred into frilly Rococo revival permutations.

This simple sweeping wheel is mesmerizing in its simplicity and almost stark modernity. Suggesting the tracery of a rose window and at the same time a spinning wheel of the coming machine age.

Above one bench hangs a portrait of Washington Irving painted by John Wesley Jarvis in 1809. It is exquisitely painted with all the requisite Empire period drama. Who knew Irving cut such a handsome figure...but I digress.

I next stumbled upon the booth of Elle Shushan and their ever expanding array of portrait miniatures. I was particularly taken by this Henry Colton Shumway portrait of a gentleman circa 1840. The elegant elongation of his form is striking. You see it in the rather gossamer depictions of women of the period and is interesting to see in a male portrait.

Maison Gerard did not disappoint with this rare Jules Leleu partially lacquered cabinet from 1933. However my focus was diverted to the lacquer panels just above and to the left of it.

One depicts a stylized city scene and the other abstract geometrics heightened with eggshell lacquer. I initially thought they were the work of Jean Dunand but in fact they are by the relatively under appreciated French lacquer artist Pierre Bobot. He deserves a full post soon I promise as I feel that he will only increase in estimation as works by Dunand become increasingly scarce and out of reach to most collectors. The panels are old friends that I remember seeing at auction in Paris this past December. They were offered from the estate of the artist's daughter Marie Therese Bobot but failed to sell even at their modest estimates. I am sure they will fare better in the capable hands of Maison Gerard.

Finally, I was quite impressed to see three Alexander Calder stabiles in the booth of Jonathan Boos. They date from the mid-1950s and it is not surprising that they were all sold so early in the show. While they are technically "fine art" they appeal to my passion for design. They transform in appearance as you move around them. Truly a microcosm of the artist's work.

Until next time--AR.

Update: The Bobot eggshell lacquer panel has sold. The venerable Maison Gerard was asking $28,000 and I am sure it found a good home. The other "Skyscraper" panel is still available to the tune of $42,000. We shall see what happens after the final weekend! Happy Hunting!

Prince of Wales Plume Brooch at Auction

Now I was on the fence about this post for the past few weeks for a multitude of reasons. The brooch comes from the collection of Elizabeth Taylor and is one the centerpieces of tomorrow's sale at Christie's. Primarily the exposure was giving me pause, but it was more the fact that I could not find a period image of the Duchess of Windsor wearing it that stopped me in my tracks...selfish? Perhaps, but it always adds to the mystique of an object and makes these posts so much fun to write, but I digress... For those who missed it, the brooch was created in 1935 and was a gift from Edward, Prince of Wales to his paramour Wallis Simpson making it one of those talismanic objects that in itself symbolizes one of the greatest romances of the 20th century.

The three joined plumes are a symbol of the Prince of Wales, the heir apparent, thus this gift in a sense demonstrated the Prince's intention to make the twice divorced Wallis Simpson his queen. It is the stuff of legend but it is a bit clouded as I have heard that it was given to Wallis in 1935 and conversely in 1955. Either way it is still a romantic notion. As the story goes, Elizabeth Taylor and the then Duke and Duchess of Windsor moved in the same circles and Elizabeth admired the brooch to the extent that Richard Burton asked the Duchess if he could copy it for Liz....the stylish Duchess agreed. However, a copy was never made.

After the Duchess died in 1986 her legendary jewelry collection was sold at Sotheby's Geneva the following year to benefit the Pasteur Institute. The legend goes that Prince Charles was part of the bidding war for the piece which was ultimately won by Taylor, bidding via telephone poolside from her home in Los Angeles...naturally. At the time she paid $449,625, so it seems a bargain at the present estimate of $400,000-600,000. I am guessing that it will break the million dollar mark given the success of the Duchess' other pieces that resurfaced last year. The piece now operates on many levels from Hollywood glamour to the centerpiece of legendary if not ill fated romances. I say that not to be melodramatic but I have always been haunted by this image of the bereft Wallis peering out of a window at Buckingham Palace after the Duke's funeral.

To add insult to injury the rest of the royal family decamped to Balmoral and left the Duchess to her own devices. The lost look in her eyes brings home her most famous quote "you have no idea how hard it is to live out a great romance..." Hopefully the brooch will find its way to the epicenter of another great romance... Until then we wait...AR

UPDATE:

Well, the important jewels session one just concluded. It took four and a half hours to sell a mere 80 lots in an industry that usually sells between 80-100 lots in an hour. This is a testament to the interest in the sale. The Prince of Wales Brooch performed as I suspected breaking just over a million dollars achieving $1.3M with buyers premium. The press release has yet to be issued so there is no telling what disclosures can and will be made. But this I do know, the brooch sold via telephone with an Asian Christie's representative named "Mei-Mei". So the brooch may be heading East. Hopefully we will know more soon. --AR

Thanks to Interior Design Hound a period image has finally surfaced online...whew!