Possible German Attribution for Tiffany Studios Chair Model

Hello 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 Armand-Albert Rateau.  Besides offering an iconic low table and ashtray they have this exquisite perpetual calendar model that I had never seen in the flesh.

Armand Albert Rateau, Perpetual Calendar, Christie's New York, 17 December 2015, lot 213, Estimate $150,000-$250,000 (Image:AestheticusRex)

But I digress...  When Christie's published their design catalogues just prior to the Thanksgiving holiday lot 336 stopped me in my tracks.

"Tiffany Studios" Armchair, Christie's New York, 18 December 2015, lot 336, Estimate $50,000-70,000
(Image: Christies.com)

In a previous post 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 Havemeyer Mansion, 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).

Rembrandt Room within the Havemeyer Mansion, Fifth Avenue, New York
(Image via Metmuseum.org)

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.

The Art Journal, 1901, p. 132

Georg Hulbe Armchair Detail (note the flatter orbs)

The Christie's and Orsay examples visually relate to others offered at auction in the past decade (here, here, here, and here) and appear to be in-line with the period photograph attributing the model to Hulbe.  The Musee d'Orsay has updated their online catalogue 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.

Another Jacques Doucet Treasure Surfaces at Auction

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

Tiffany Wisteria Lamp sets Record at Sotheby's

Just 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 here.  Sotheby's distinctive example reached a staggering $1,565,000 against an estimate of  $600,000-800,000.

Tiffany Studios Wisteria Lamp, Sotheby's New York 18 December 2013, lot 330

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.

The previous record was also set by Sotheby's for a Wisteria from the collection of John M. Fowler.

Tiffany Studios Wisteria Lamp, Sotheby's New York 14 December 2007, lot 208

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.

Tiffany Studios Wisteria Lamp, Christie's New York 17 February 1979, lot 53 ($132,000)

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 here.  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.

Felix Marcilhac Collection to be sold at Sotheby's Paris

Hello dear readers.  I read in the French press 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 press release 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.

Jean Michel Frank, Pair of Armchairs, circa 1938, Shagreen and Oak, €250,000-300,000
Image: Aestheticus Rex

Marcel Coard, Occasional Table, circa 1925, Ebony and Green tinted Shagreen, €60,000-80,000
Image: Aestheticus Rex

Andre Groult, Occasional Table, circa 1926, Shagreen, €100,000-120,000
Image: Aestheticus Rex

Paul Iribe, "Nautile" Armchair, circa 1913, Carved walnut, €150,000-200,000
Image: Aestheticus Rex

Detail of above  Photo: Aestheticus Rex
Image: Aestheticus Rex

Pierre Chareau, "SN1" Stool, circa 1925, Walnut, €15,000-20,000
Image: Aestheticus Rex

Glass vessels by Maurice Marinot
Image: Aestheticus Rex

Glass vessels by Maurice Marinot
Image: Aestheticus Rex

Glass vessels by Maurice Marinot
Image: Aestheticus Rex

Glass vessels by Maurice Marinot
Image: Aestheticus Rex

Raphael Delorme, "Repetition", circa 1925, oil on canvas,  €15,000-20,000
Image: Aestheticus Rex

Bernard Boutet de Monvel, "Woman", oil on canvas, €40,000-60,000
Image: Aestheticus Rex

Raphael Delorme, "Composition", circa 1925, oil on board, €15,000-20,000
Image: Aestheticus Rex

Jean Dupas, "Femme en Buste", oil on panel, €20,000-25,000
Image: Aestheticus Rex

Jean Dupas, "Woman in Fur", circa 1929, oil on panel, €25,000-30,000
Image: Aestheticus Rex

Jacques Majorelle, "Les Deux Amies", 1941, Tempera with gold and silver on paper,  €250,000-300,000
Image: Aestheticus Rex

Joseph Csaky, "Tete de Femme", 1924, gilt and silvered bronze on palmwood base, €60,000-80,000
Image: Aestheticus Rex

Gustave Miklos, "L'Homme et Son Destin", 1929, patinated bronze on black marble base, €250,000-300,000
Image: Aestheticus Rex

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...

Woman with Bird, gilt bronze    Image via Sotheby's

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 Studio at Neuilly-sur-Seine.

Jacques Doucet's "Oriental Cabinet"  Image: L'Illustration, 3 May 1930 

Detail showing sculpture   Image: L'Illustration 3 May 1930

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--AR

Rare Francois-Rupert Carabin Masterwork Returned to France

Detail Francois-Ruper Carabin Piano   Image: Aestheticus Rex

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.

Francois-Rupert Carabin Piano   Image: Aestheticus Rex

Detail, Francois-Rupert Carabin Piano   Image: Aestheticus Rex

Detail, Francois-Rupert Carabin Piano    Image: Aestheticus Rex

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.

Emile Galle Gueridon "Libellule"    Image via Christie's

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.

Two Views, Francois-Rupert Carabin's "Four Elements" Desk and Chair    Image via Christie's

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 article by Didier Rykner in The Art Tribune 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.

Alexandre Honore Ernest Coquelin aka Coquelin Cadet   Image via Wikimedia

Period image of the Piano from the 1905 Henri Herz Catalogue   Image via PianoEsther.de

Period image of the Piano circa 1900   Image via Revue Alsacienne Illustree

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...

Germaine Dulac    Image via SensesOfCinema.com

Period image of the Ecole Boulle Metalworking Workshop   Image via NotreFamille.com

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).

The Piano circa 2011     Image via Musee des Arts Decoratifs

The Piano circa 2011     Image via Musee des Arts Decoratifs

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

Francois-Rupert Carabin Bibliotheque circa 1890    Image via ChasenAntiques.com

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 Petit Palais.

Francois-Rupert Carabin Vitrine circa 1895   Image via Dalbera