Decorative Arts
Decorative Arts
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Gustave Herter Renaissance revival “portrait” cabinet 1858 – 1864
GUSTAVE HERTER (1839-1883) b. Germany/New York
Renaissance revival “portrait” cabinet 1858 – 1864
Carved cherry wood portrait plaque, mahogany, exotic wood inlays and gilding; black and gold veined marble topMarks: G. Herter / New York (impressed mark)
Provenance: Patrick A. Valentine Family, Lake Oconomowoc Wisconsin; Phillip Danforth Armour, Chicago and Lake Oconomowoc, Wisconsin.
H: 42” x W: 43 1/2” x D: 22”
This Renaissance Revival cabinet is an exceptional example of the style as it developed in the United States from the middle of the 19th century into the early years of the Civil War. Along with intricate marquetry and gilded elements, the cabinet boasts a rare carved wood civil war era portrait. Herter’s case pieces in this style were generally ornamented with bronze medallions or plaques imported from Europe. In addition, the G. Herter signature makes this piece a great rarity as the cabinetmaker rarely signed his work. This spectacular cabinet also has an interesting provenance. The original owner, Phillip Danforth Armour, founder of the famous Chicago Meat Packing Co., likely acquired the cabinet at the time of his wedding in 1863. Thirty years later, the cabinet was moved to the Armours’ summer estate, Danforth Lodge, which was built on Oconomowoc Lake in Wisconsin. The mansion was raised in 1953 but the cabinet survived in the family of Armour’s widow who had married Patrick A. Valentine, a principal in the Armour company.
“Danforth Lodge”, Oconomowoc Lake, Wisconsin (known as Newport of the Midwest) a grand summer residence, built in 1893 by Phillip Danforth Armour (founder of the Armour Meat Packing Co., Chicago, Illinois). After Phillip Danforth Armour died, his wife married Patrick A. Valentine, an officer of the Armour Meat Packing Co. In 1916 they enlarged it into an even grander estate, which was later sold and subdivided in 1941. The mansion was eventually torn down in 1953.
Herter Brothers of New York City became one of the leading cabinetmaking and decorating firms of the nineteenth century. Gustave Herter (1830-98) and his younger brother Christian (1840-83) emigrated from Germany to New York. While Gustave spent time working at Tiffany, Young, and Ellis (later Tiffany and Company), Christian had studied at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts in Paris, France. Their partnership led to prominent commissions including the homes of wealthy industrialists, William H. Vanderbilt, J. Pierpont Morgan, and Potter Palmer, among others. Dictated by the favored tastes of the Aesthetic Movement and its quest towards “art for art’s sake,” the Herters’ work achieved a perfect blend of classic and craft as they became one of the first “tastemakers” of the period, designing exquisite furniture as well as interior schemes.
***A related work of Herter Brothers Renaissance Revival can be found in the Music Room Mirror from the Milton Latham Residence at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art.
Herter Brothers
The firm of Herter Brothers, New York, (working 1864–1906), founded by Gustave (1830–1898) and Christian Herter (1839–1883), begun as an upholstery warehouse, became one of the first firms of furniture makers and interior decorators in the United States after the Civil War. With their own design office and cabinet-making and upholstery workshops, Herter Brothers were prepared to accomplish every aspect of interior furnishing including decorative paneling and mantels, wall and ceiling decoration, patterned floors and carpets and draperies.
The Herters were born in Stuttgart, Württemberg. Gustave was born Julius Gustav Alexander Hagenlocher, with his unmarried mother’s surname. She married Christian Herter (1807–1874) in 1835, and he adopted Gustave. Christian Augustus Ludwig Herter, Gustave’s half-brother, was born in 1839. Gustave and Christian’s father was a skilled cabinetmaker and they followed him in the trade. Gustave Herter came to New York City in 1848 and by 1858 was working under his own name. Christian was in New York by 1859 and joined his brother in the firm (renamed Herter Brothers) by 1864.
The firm was at the forefront of the panoply of furnishing styles that preceded the Mission style: Renaissance Revival, Neo-Grec, Eastlake, the Aesthetic Movement, ebonized “Anglo-Japanese style” furnishings of the 1870s – 1880s for which the firm is best recognized today, and the wide range of furnishings in revival styles required for Gilded Age houses.
The Red Room of the White House was furnished with Herter Brothers furniture during the administration of Ulysses S. Grant. Several pieces of Herter Brothers furniture remain in the White House including a center table and a slipper chair. This center table bears the remains of the only known Herter Brothers paper label; generally the firm stamped their furniture, a common practice in the 19th Century.
Among their most prominent clients were the Vanderbilts. Between 1879 and 1882, Herter Brothers decorated William Henry Vanderbilt‘s new Fifth Avenue mansion.
At 634 Fifth Avenue, in 1880–1882, they decorated the mansion of Darius Ogden Mills, on the site of part of Rockefeller Center now occupied by the colossal bronze Atlas. Their bills came to US$450,000. At the same time they were furnishing the nearby Jay Gould residence at 579 Fifth Avenue, at Forty-seventh Street.
The Herters did much of the interior work for the Eldridge Street Synagogue.
The White House’s interiors were extensively renovated during the administration of Theodore Roosevelt. Executing the designs of architect Charles Follen McKim, Herter Brothers created the plaster ceiling and ornately-carved oak paneling for the expanded State Dining Room. The firm’s workshops also provided the heavily carved paneling for the renovated East Room.
Very few Herter Brothers interiors remain extant. “Elm Park” in Norwalk, Connecticut was built 1864-68, and partially decorated by Herter Brothers. Open to the public as the Lockwood-Mathews Mansion Museum, the drawing room, music room and rotunda/art gallery are examples of the Herters’ interior design schemes, including lavishly carved and inlaid woodwork and frescoed walls and ceilings. The recently restored drawing room retains a suite of Herter furniture purchased for it by the home’s second owner, Charles D. Mathews.
Furniture from an early Herter commission survives in Victoria Mansion in Portland, Maine.
A notable surviving Herter interior is the John Thatcher home, now the Rosemount Museum, in Pueblo, Colorado (however, this work was carried out by the firm after the death of Christian Herter and the retirement of his brother, Gustave; connoisseurs and collectors tend to concentrate on the furniture and interiors designed during the brothers’ supervision of the firm).
Examples of Herter furniture are in major public collections in the United States. The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City presented an exhibition, “Herter Brothers: Furniture and Interiors for a Gilded Age,” in 1995.
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Flavio Poli / Seguso Vetri d’Arte Murano Mid-Century Modern art glass vase c. 1950’s
FLAVIO POLI (1900-1984) Italy
SEGUSO VETRI D’ARTE ItalyVase c. 1950’s
Blue and clear Murano glass
H: 10″ x D: 3″ x W: 4 1/2″
Price: $1,850
Designer, businessman, ceramic artist. Born in Chioggia, he attended the Istituto d’Arte di Venezia and began work as a designer in ceramics. in 1929 he switched to glass and for Libero Vitali’s I.V.A.M. he designed animals, splendid Novecento-style nude figures in massiccio glass, as well as bowls and urns with figures resting on the inside, on lids or as handles. He subsequently collaborated with the Compagnia di Venezia e Murano, with the furnace of Mario and Lino Nason and with the engraver Gino Francesconi. in 1934 he accepted the artistic direction of Barovier, Seguso & Ferro, later to become Seguso Vetri d’Arte, and became partner three years later. Together with the master of the principal team Archimede Seguso, Poli was the author of grandiose lighting installations, of corroded vessels, of sculptures in bulicante glass, of animals in massiccio glass shaped while hot, productions which represented a milestone in the development of Murano glass. At the height of his artistic maturity, in the years between 1950 and 1960 he designed a series of sommerso glass pieces in a Nordic style, essential forms and sharp cold colors, which were awarded prestigious prizes (Compasso d’Oro). After leaving Seguso in 1963, between 1964 and 1966 he organized the artistic glass division at the Societˆ Veneziana di Conterie e Cristallerie.
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Fontana Arte Italian, Mid-Century Glass “Fruit” Bookends, circa 1950
FONTANA ARTE Milan, Italy
“Glass fruit” bookends c. 1950
Glass, chromium-plated brass
For more information see: Fontana Arte, Una storia Trasparente, Laura Falconi (Milan: Skira, 1998).
H: 5” x W: 3 3/8” x D: 5”
Price: $3,500
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Andrea Branzi “Cucus” chair c. 1985
Andrea Branzi (1938 – ) Zabro, Italy.
“Cucus” chair c.1985
Lacquered wood, tree branches
Illustrated: Domestic Animals: The Neoprimative Style Andrea and Nicoletta Branzi, (London, 1987) n.p.; Designed by Architects in the 1980s, Julie Capella and Quim Larrea, Barcelona, 1987, p. 37; Anne Bony, Paris Les années 80, 1995, p. 520; Charlotte and Peter Fiell, 1000 Chairs, Cologne, 2000, p. 588
H: 42 3/4″ x W: 19 3/4″ x D: 24″
Price: $19,000
The “Cucus” chair was part of the “Domestic Animals” series
designed in 1985/86 by Andrea Branzi for Zabro.Andrea Branzi's “Domestic Animals” series was designed in 1985 and 1986 for the Italian firm Zabro. Designs were later also manufactured by Zanotta. Andrea Branzi created “Domestic Animals” in collaboration with Nicoletta Branzi, who produced limited edition art clothing for this series. The “Neoprimitive” style in which this collection has been rendered utilizes natural materials such as sticks to create an object that brings archetypal symbols into the home to produce emotional effects. These objects combine technology and nature and the symbols and codes that these entail demonstrating that “a hybrid love between different creatures is possible.” (Branzi, Domestic Animals, 1987, n.p.) With these objects Branzi aims to “domesticate” technological inventions so as to make them a positive presence in man's life.
“The difference between a domestic animal and a trained (or tamed) one lies in the fact that the latter is the outcome of an unnatural and violent attitude, while the domestic animal establishes the dream of a loving relationship with man.” (Branzi, Domestic Animals, 1987, n.p.)Andrea Branzi, architect and designer, born in Florence in 1938, where he graduated in 1967, lives and works in Milano. From 1964 to 1974 he was a partner of Archizoom Associati, first vanguard group internationally known, whose projects are preserved at Centro Studi e Archivio della Comunicazione in Parma and at Centre Georges Pompidou in Paris.
Since 1967 he works in the fields of industrial and research design, architecture, urban planning, education and cultural promotion.He is Professor at the Third Faculty of Architecture and Industrial Design of Politecnico di Milano. -
Italian Design “Pop-Art” Oversized “Anywhere” Lamp c. 1960’s-1970’s
ITALIAN DESIGN / POP ART
“Oversized “anywhere” lamp circa 1960’s-1970’s.
Real blown glass bulb with a yellow metal “protector” paying homage to the classic “anywhere” work light. It is interesting to note that at a later date Ingo Maurer who designed the famous “flying bulb lights” used this light as an inspiration and did a paired down simple version utilizing plastic rather than glass for the actual glass bulb part.
H: 19″ X W: 11 1/2″
Price: $2,450
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Flavio Poli / Seguso Vetri d’Arte Brown Murano Art glass vase c. 1950’s
FLAVIO POLI (1900-1984) Italy
SEGUSO VETRI D’ARTE ItalyVase c. 1950’s
Asymmetric vase in a dark brown Murano glass cased inside with a layer of pale green and clear glass
H: 10 1/2″ x W: 5 1/2″ x D: 2 3/4″
Price: $4,000
Designer, businessman, ceramic artist. Born in Chioggia, he attended the Istituto d’Arte di Venezia and began work as a designer in ceramics. in 1929 he switched to glass and for Libero Vitali’s I.V.A.M. he designed animals, splendid Novecento-style nude figures in massiccio glass, as well as bowls and urns with figures resting on the inside, on lids or as handles. He subsequently collaborated with the Compagnia di Venezia e Murano, with the furnace of Mario and Lino Nason and with the engraver Gino Francesconi. in 1934 he accepted the artistic direction of Barovier, Seguso & Ferro, later to become Seguso Vetri d’Arte, and became partner three years later. Together with the master of the principal team Archimede Seguso, Poli was the author of grandiose lighting installations, of corroded vessels, of sculptures in bulicante glass, of animals in massiccio glass shaped while hot, productions which represented a milestone in the development of Murano glass. At the height of his artistic maturity, in the years between 1950 and 1960 he designed a series of sommerso glass pieces in a Nordic style, essential forms and sharp cold colors, which were awarded prestigious prizes (Compasso d’Oro). After leaving Seguso in 1963, between 1964 and 1966 he organized the artistic glass division at the Societˆ Veneziana di Conterie e Cristallerie.
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Linda Lee Johnson, Organic Shaped Sculpted Silver bird bowl Vessel XII c. 2004
LINDA LEE JOHNSON (1944-2018) Washington, DC
Sculpted silver bowl “Vessel XII” c. 2004
Irregular organic shaped lost wax cast silver bowl with an irregular shaped top and one pierced hole (3/4 inch). Approx. silver weight is 80 troy ounces.
Marks: Logo monogram, 5/20, initial monogram
H: 5 1/4″ x W: 8 1/2″ x D: 7 1/4″
At the age of three Linda Lee Johnson was given a handmade Native American bracelet from her father, a naval aviator, and subsequently another every time they crossed the country. By the time she was seven, she had seven bracelets which she never removed. She was an American field service exchange student to Greece in high school. It was here that she developed her love of theater, sculpture and ancient
jewelry. She graduated from the University of California, Berkeley, in English literature and dramatic art and immediately began to study sculpture making.She was a founding member of the Berkeley Repertory Theatre, and a professional actress for nineteen years with many major roles in New York city and regional theaters around the country and abroad.
She studied jewelry making in New York City 1984-88.
In 1986, she was asked to place her pieces in Tiffany & Co. in all major stores. At the same time she had many featured pieces of jewelry, small sculpture and functional objects in the Museum of Modern Art design store.
Barney’s New York began to represent her in l989, where her jewelry and limited edition decorative art work are still found today.
She lived in Washington DC and the Adirondack Mountains where she continued to craft and sculpt her jewelry and decorative works of art until her passing in 2018.
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Wolfgang Gessl Unique sterling silver Arc pitcher with acrylic handle 1990
WOLFGANG GESSL (b. 1949) Austria
Arc pitcher – unique 1990
Hand wrought silver in a rounded arching form with a cylindrical luminous yellow-green acrylic handle
Marks: Wolfgang Gessl (script impressed signature), WO.GE (in a rectangle), Swedish assay mark for Stockholm, 925 (silver guarantee in a rectangle), Q10 (in a rectangle)
Illustrated: Gold and Silversmith Wolfgang Gessl: Exceeding Geometry, Kerstin Wickman, p. 17, cover.
H: 13 1/2″ x W: 10 ¼” x D: 4 ½”
Price: $27,500
Wolfgang Gessl was born in 1949 in Vienna, Austria and trained as a goldsmith with Professor Hans Angerbauer. Upon moving to Sweden, Gessl studied under the eminent silversmith Sigurd Persson at Konstfack, the National University of Art, Craft and Design in Stockholm, Sweden.
Wolfgang Gessl has had fifteen solo exhibitions including shows at The National Museum, Stockholm and The Royal College of Art in London. His metalwork has been widely exhibited in Sweden, Europe and the U.S and his pieces can be found in many private collections throughout the world. He has taught at Konstfack for more than twenty-four years, and continues to live and work in Stockholm.
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Marcello Fantoni Torched bronze and white plaster painted mirror 1950’s
MARCELLO FANTONI (1915-2011) Italy
Starburst mirror 1950’s
Torched bronze and original white plaster painted finish.
Marks: Fantoni, Firenze, Italy (hand script)
***This mirror has great style and character.
Overall dimension: H: 26″ x L: 33″ x D: 4″
Mirror dimension: H: 12″ x L: 17″Price: $17,500
Born in Florence on October 1, 1915, Marcello Fantoni registered at the Institute of Art at Porta Romana in 1927 to attend the course The Art of Ceramics, which at that time was taught by the ceramist Carlo Guerrini, artistic director of the Cantagalli factory. Other teachers also contributed to his artistic formation including Libero Andreotti and Bruno Innocenti in sculpture and Gianni Vagnetti in the figure. He graduated in ’34 as a ‘maestro’ of art, and began working as a ceramist. In 1936, after having worked for a few months as the artistic director of a factory in Perugia, he established himself at Villa Fabbricotti in Florence and founded the Fantoni Ceramic studio. It’s production of serial and unique pieces had remarkable success at the Florentine Arts and Crafts Exhibit in ’37, revealing itself in line with the most recent tendencies, so much so that at the beginning of hostilities his production had already received notable artistic and commercial attention in Italy and abroad. After the war years, when Fantoni was involved in the resistance, in ’46 he began the creative and productive fervor that will allow him to enlarge his company, reaching at the beginning of the next decade the impressive size of over fifty collaborators. Among his employees were many students who, in ceramics and other fields, would become excellent artisans and even famous artists. In the following decades, especially between 1950 and the 70’s, the success of his work continued to increase, his unique pieces of sculpture and sculptural work, characterized by a design in step with the contemporary artistic currents, like archaic stylization inspired by Etruscan models, rendered modern because of their modern handling of materials, glazes and colors. For this original spirit of modernity, his works are in many private collections and in some of the most important museums of the world: in the United States his works can be seen at the Metropolitan Museum of Art of New York, the Brooklyn Museum, the Museum of Fine Art of Boston, the Currier Gallery, the Syracuse Museum. In Britain they are in the Victoria and Albert Museum of London, the City Art Gallery of Manchester, at Royal Scottish Museum of Edinburg. In Japan they are present at the Museum of Modern Art of Tokyo and Kyoto. In Italy they are represented at the International Museum of Ceramics in Faenza, the National Bargello Museum and at the Gabinetto Disegni e Stampe of the Uffizi. In his long and versatile career, Fantoni has completed works for churches, public and private buildings, schools, cinemas, theaters and ships cementing himself in both figurative and abstract ceramics and various metals, and qualifying himself also in the field of medalism. In 1970 he founded the International School of Ceramic Arts at his laboratory in via Bolognese in Florence. Fantoni died at the age of 95 in 2011.
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Ane Christensen Contemporary British Sterling Silver Bowl 1999
ANE CHRISTENSEN (b.1972) born in Copenhagen, Denmark/ based in London, UK
Bowl 1999
Sterling silver
Marks: AKC, 925, Z, British hallmarks
H: 2 ½” x L: 12”
Price: $5,950
The starting point for all of metalworker Ane Christensen’s tableware is a single sheet of metal. Her aim is to develop a three dimensional object from a flat sheet without adding or removing any elements. Japanese paper packaging influences Ane’s work, but a more important influence is the half finished or half demolished structures of building sites that she says can hold unexpected sculptural qualities.
Ane graduated from the Royal College of Art and has since been involved in exhibitions in London, Denmark and Copenhagen, including more recently at Collect, V&A.
Ane makes pieces in a variety of metals including silver, stainless steel and powder coated copper.
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Kishimoto Kennin Japan Hand Thrown Monumental “Iga” Stoneware Vase, c. 1995
KISHIMOTO KENNIN (b. 1934), Japan.
Monumental “Iga” vase, circa 1995.
Hand thrown and handbuilt stoneware vase with a natural ash glaze in rich salmon rust, celadon, grey and black glaze
H: 20″ x Dia: 22″
Price: $20,000
1934 born in Nagoya 1953–1955 attends college in Nagoya 1960 moves to Mino, Gifu Prefecture 1965 establishes his own studio 1970 builds an anagama in Mikuni-Sanroku, where he lives and works until today 1976 appointed member of the Japan Crafts Association (Nihon kôgei-kai) Group exhibitions 1967 Asahi Ceramics Exhibition (Asahi tôgei-ten) 1968 Exhibition of Japanese Ceramics (Nihon tôgei-ten) 1970 International Exhibition of Chûnichi Ceramics (Chûnichi kokusai tôgei-ten) 1972–75 Japan Traditional Crafts Exhibition (Nihon dentô kôgei-ten)
One man shows:
1979 Takashimaya Gallery, Tôkyô; since then again in 1981, 1983, 1985, 1987, 1990.
1982 Hankyû Gallery, Ôsaka; since then again in 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987.
1984 Maru’ei Gallery, Nagoya; again in 1986. -
Peter Shire Memphis Group California Art Pottery Rare Early “Peach Tea Set” 1980
PETER SHIRE (b. 1947) USA
Rare and early “California Peach” teaset 1980
Handmade earthenware with polychrome glazes
Made by Shire at his studio in Echo Park, CaliforniaSigned: Shire 1980 EXP (painted on base of each)
Model illustrated: Tempest in a Teapot, the Ceramic Art of Peter Shire, Norman M. Klein et al. (New York: Rizzoli, 1991) p. 11.
Teapot H: 10” x W: 11 1/4” x D: 5 1/2”
Pair of teacups H: 7 3/4” & 8”Price: $8,500
Peter Shire (born 1947) is a Los Angeles artist. Shire was born in the Echo Park district of Los Angeles, where he currently lives and works. His sculpture, furniture and ceramics have been exhibited in the United States, Italy, France, Japan and Poland; Shire has been associated with the Memphis Group of designers, has worked on the Design Team for the XXIII Olympiad with the American Institute of Architects, and has designed public sculptures in Los Angeles and other California cities. Shire has been honored by awards for his contribution to the cultural life of the City of Los Angeles.
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PER SAX MOLLER / Scandinavian Modern Sterling sculptural centerpiece 2000
PER SAX MØLLER (b. 1950) Denmark
Round sculptural centerpiece with geometrical shapes 2000
Sterling silver
Marks: PER SAX MØLLER, Copenhagen, 925s, Sterling
Exhibited: Danske Sølsmede-nye arbejder (Danish silversmiths-new work), Museet på Koldingshus, 2002.
Diameter: 8 ¼”
Price: $12,500
The silversmith Per Sax Møller was trained in the Danish silver tradition with Jeweler to the Royal Danish Court, A. Michelsen, from 1968-1972. The workshop specialized in style copies and modern silver, which during the 1900’s was designed by architects such as Thorvald Bindesbøll, Kay Fisker, Erik Herløw, Tove and Edvard Kint-Larsen, among many others.
After completing his apprenticeship, he worked at Preben Salomonsen’s workshop in Copenhagen, mainly creating style copies for stores such as Tiffany, Bloomingdale’s and Aspery. Here, the ancient silversmith’s craft he had learned at A. Michelsen, was further honed. During the years 1973-1975, he attended classes at Guldsmedehøjskolen, but he was disappointed in the low standard of teaching and therefore did not graduate.
He found the opportunity for a far richer artistic education as a conscientious objector, stationed at the art museum Louisiana in Humlebæk, outside Copenhagen. He spent more than a year here, surrounded by the works of Henry Moore, Arp, Calder, Laurent and Danish artists such as Astrid Noack, Ejler Bille, Sonja Ferlov Mancoba, Villy Ørskov and many more, which left a deep and profound mark.In 1976, Per Sax Møller established himself in a workshop alongside goldsmith Jørgen Bindesbøll, in St. Kongensgade in Copenhagen. Over the next couple af years, he also joined the association “Danske Sølvsmede” in exhibitions throughout Scandivavia. He retired from the workshop with Jørgen Bindesbøll in 1980, but continued to create works in rented space. To help earn a living, he drove a city bus and worked for Folketeateret in Copenhagen, creating theatre sets.
Jørgen Bindesbøll moved to Møn in 1984, and Per Sax Møller took over his workshop in St. Kongensgade. Soon thereafter, he established himself in a workshop in Pilestræde, Copenhagen, and then in 1992, he took over silversmith Kay Bojesen’s workshop in Bredgade 47, where he resides today.
In the mid 1990’s Per Sax Møller rejoins “Danske Sølvsmede”, and in 1999 he succeeds silversmith Ib Andersen as president of the association. As president, he revitalizes Danish silver by initiating the exhibition Danish Silver 2000, which takes up most of the space in the museum Koldinghus and becomes one of the largest manifestations of Danish silver. During one summer month, the exhibition was visited by 30,000 guests.In 2002, Per Sax Møller resigns the presidency of “Danske Sølvsmede” to once again concentrate on his own works. Per Sax Møller has received Danish State Arts Foundation grant in 1979, 1997, 2000 and 2002. His works are represented at Oslo Museum of Art and Design, Danish Museum of Art and Design, at the museum Koldinghus and in private collections in Europe, USA and Canada.
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Gustavo Perez, Mexican Contemporary Pottery, Ceramic vase 2000
GUSTAVO PEREZ Mexico
Stoneware vase 2000
Black, randomly positioned rectangles on a cream / sandy base with a pinned overlap detail
Signed: GP 2000-68
H: 9 1/4″ x D: 6 1/2″
Price: $5,500
Gustavo Pérez makes vessels that are simple, smooth and symmetrical. Their elegance is due to the precision of the incised lines and other markings on the pots. While using the same clay body—sand colored stoneware—throughout his work, the artist achieves a wide range of form and pattern and includes slowly undulating walls beneath the subtly incised surfaces.
Gustavo Pérez works are incessantly experimental. There have been parallel lines, calligraphic traces, geometric cuts into the surface, minimalist vessels, recollections of pre-Hispanic vases and references to other ancient cultures.
The ceramics of Gustavo Pérez are distinguished by eliminating superfluous details, by synthesis of his elements. During the past two decades he has created a visual language that seems closely aligned with music. Pure in form, with a significant structure, completely abstract and without specific associations, his language of line, the bending of forms, and the definition of the vessel mark his work as a distinctive voice. The form is not just a container or a receptacle; it is architecture.
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Gio Ponti / Del Campo enamel bowl c. 1955
GIO PONTI (1891-1979) Italy
DEL CAMPO ItalyGraphic enameled bowl c. 1955
Silver foil enameling on copper with a striated silvery white body with a dark silver grey modernist graphic.
Marks: del campo, ITALY (etched marks)
For more information on Ponti and Del Campo see: Gio Ponti, ed. Ugo La Pietra (Rizzoli International Publications: New York, 1996); Gio Ponti: the complete work 1923-1978, Lisa Licitra Ponti (Cambridge, MA: The MIT Press, 1990)
8” square
1″ HeightPrice: $3,200
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Lawrence Hunter Hand Wrought Brass and Walnut Punch Set c.1965
LAWRENCE HUNTER, San Diego, California
Punch Bowl set c.1965
Hand hammered and hand wrought large asymmetric punch bowl with matching ladle, turned walnut pedestal platter and twenty four hand wrought brass and walnut pedestal shape goblets
Marks: HUNTER spelled out within a large outline of an H (name logo and monogram mark on all pieces)
Punchbowl H: 13 ½” x Dia: 16”
Cups: H: 5” x Dia: 3 ½”
Serving tray: H: 2 ¾” x Dia: 17 ¾”Price: $11,500
By repute, this elaborate punch set was a custom commissioned work for a West Coast collector and likewise was purchased directly from Larry Hunter in the mid-1960’s for $2,500.
Lawrence “Larry” Hunter grew up in San Diego and received a BA from San Diego State College in the late 1950s. As an undergraduate, Hunter studied with John Dirks, who founded the furniture design program at San Diego State College, and Ilse Ruocco. While completing an MA at University of California, Los Angeles, Hunter worked in clay and was a teaching assistant for Laura Andreson. Hunter was hired to teach general crafts and design classes at San Diego State in 1962, and later inherited the furniture design program from Dirks.
Hunter was a member of the Allied Craftsmen of San Diego and exhibited furniture regularly in the California Design series at the Pasadena Art Museum and the California Crafts series at the Crocker Art Gallery in Sacramento. Hunter led the San Diego State furniture design program until the late 1980s, helping the furniture program to become a vital part of the community. Featured artists will include Toza and Ruth Radakovich, Rhoda Lopez, Jack Hopkins, Arline Fisch, Ellamarie and Jackson Woolley, Larry Hunter, Kay Whitcomb, Ilse Ruocco, and James Hubbell. It was at this same time that Constantine’s, a New York fine wood merchant, offered plans for clocks with wooden works; that John Gaughan made a skeletal grandfather’s clock with wooden works; and that Larry Hunter, who taught at San Diego State, used the clock form to explore kinetic sculpture within a functional format. Hunter eschewed the older traditional adornment of the case and focused upon visible works so that people could watch time actually move. -
Josef Hoffmann / Wiener Werkstätte Brass Candleholder and Match Safe 1906
JOSEF HOFFMANN (1870-1956) Austria
WIENER WERKSTÄTTE (1903-1932) ViennaCandlestick holder and match safe 1906
Hand wrought brass with beading around the perimeter of the edgesMarks: JH monogram, WIENER/WERK/STÄTTE, rosemark
Model illustrated: Österreichische Werkkultur, Max Eisler (Vienna: Österreichischer Werkbund, 1916). (slipcovered); Wiener Werkstätte G. M. B. H. catalog (December 1923), p. 114
H: 1 3/4″ x D: 2 5/16″ x W: 4 1/2″
Price: $4,500
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Max Läuger Germany Unique Jugendstil footed bowl inlaid with gold mosaic 1906
PROF. MAX LÄUGER (1864-1952) Karlsruhe, Germany
Unique Jugendstil ceramic footed bowl inlaid with gold mosaic 1906
Light and dark green glazed earthenware inlaid with mosaic gold glass squares on four cylindrical feet.
Marks: ML, K (monogram)338 (incised), 4., MUSTER B.., GESCHTZ
For other mosaic inlaid works by Max Läuger see: Max Laeuger (1864-1952): sein graphisches, kunsthandwerkliches und keramisches Oeuvre, Elisabeth Kessler-Slotta (Saarbrücken: Saarbrücker Druckerei und Verlag, 1985) pp. 178/179; Europäisches Kunstgewerbe 1927, Stadtisches Kunstgewerbe-Museum zu Leipzig, (Leipzig: E.A. Seeman, 1928) p. 86; Deutsche Kunst und Dekoration vol. XII “Professor Max Laeuger Karlsruhe”, pp. 221-237; Modernism: Modernist Design 1880-1940 (The Norwest Collection, Norwest Corporation, Minneapolis), Alastair Duncan (Woodbridge, Suffolk, England: The Antique Collector’s Club, 1998), p. 86.
H: 5 3/4″ x Dia: 7 1/4″
Max Laeuger (or Läuger) was born in Lörrach on September 30, 1864. Laeuger was a self taught ceramicist, studied at the Karlsruhe Polytechnic a hundred miles to the north-west of Lörrach (now Karlsruhe University) and eventually became a professor at the university. In 1895 after travelling throughout Europe visiting the major cultural centers to study art he was appointed director of the art pottery department of Tonwerke Kanderne close to his home town. He stayed there until 1913 and later took up a similar position at Majolika-Manufaktur in Karlsruhe.
From 1921 he had his own workshop on the premises formerly owned by the company and produced designs there. The work produced fell into three categories, slip decorated wares designed by Laeuger but produced entirely by the factory, pieces made at the factory but decorated and glazed by Laeuger and one-off pieces by the professor made from beginning to end in his own workshop. All were marketed by Majolika-Manufaktur. Laeuger’s one-off pieces had the brushed initials ‘ML’ and the other works were marked ‘LAEUGER’ or ‘PROF. MAX LAEUGER’
Through the thirties and into the Second World War he worked on his own, but after his workshop was destroyed in 1944 he returned to Lörrach where he died on December 12, 1952. Laeuger was a major figure in German ceramics. His designs and his glazes had ‘organic’ characteristics that are his signature design and his work is much sought-after by collectors. Examples of Laeuger pieces are on display at the Badisches Landesmuseum in Karlsruhe.
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Karl Koepping (attr.) / Grossherzogliche Sächsische Fachschule, Germany Tall Pair of Liquor glasses c. 1900
KARL KOEPPING attr. (1848-1914) Germany
GROSSHERZOGLICHE SAECHSISCHE FACHSCHULE Weimar, Germany
Tall Pair of Liquor glasses c. 1900
Blown golden yellow glass
H: 8 1/2″
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Marianne Brandt / Metallwarenfabrik Ruppelwerk / F.W. Quist Bauhaus Black enameled desk accessories & ashtray c. 1930
MARIANNE BRANDT (1893-1983) Germany
METALLWARENFABRIK RUPPELWERK Gotha, GermanyPaper holder c. 1930
Black enameled and nickeled metal, hinged ball weight, ball feet
Marks: RUPPEL (in a circle), mehrfach geschützt
Illustrated: Die Metall Werkstatt am Bauhaus, (Berlin: Bauhaus-Archiv, Museum für Gestaltung, 1992) pp. 181-3;
H: 1 5/8” x W: 5 1/4” x D: 4”Napkin holder c. 1930
Black enameled metal and nickeled base
Marks: RUPPEL (in a circle), mehrfach geschützt, 85/4440/37, Ruv 5 (numbers in red crayon)
H: 3 ¾” x W: 5” x D: 2 1/8”For other works by Brandt for Metallwarenfabrik Ruppelwerk see: Die Metall Werkstatt am Bauhaus, (Berlin: Bauhaus-Archiv, Museum für Gestaltung, 1992) pp. 180-183; Die Metall Werkstatt am Bauhaus, (Berlin: Bauhaus-Archiv, Museum für Gestaltung, 1992) pp. 181-3; Avantgarde Design 1880-1930, Torsten Bröhan, Thomas Berg (Cologne: Benedikt Taschen, 1994) p. 105.
F.W. QUIST Esslingen, Germany
Ball ashtray “Smokny”
Nickel plated metal and black lacquered surface
Marks: Quist (on bottom)
H: 3 1/2″The hardwarefactory F.W.Quist, Esslingen, Germany was founded 1868 as „Lackier- und Metallwaarenfabrik“ from the turner and metal-turner Jacob Schweizer, jun.. In the year 1872, the conversion of the business from a public company occurred, the “Actien-Plaqué Fabrik”. From 1890, the director and shareholders Friedrich Wilhelm Quist took over the business as alone-owner. In his succession four generations continued the business as family-businesses until 1981.
The business always stood for the manufacture more representatively props in the taste of the time. „Tischkultur, Gastlichkeit, Geschenkkultur dienten als Felder, einen gehobenen, verfeinerten Lebensstil zu dokumentieren und das unabhängig von der gesellschaftlichen Zugehörigkeit.“ (Served table-culture, hospitality, gift-culture as fields should document lifestyle, independently of the social affiliation) (Esslingen 2004, S.60)
So, the form of the 1970 as newness presented ball-ashtray was borrowed this famous „ball“ or „globe“ (presented for the first time, 1966 at the international furniture-fair in Cologne) and „bubble“ (1968) chairs by the finish designer Eero Aarnio. The completely new and unconventional shape, Aarnio developed on basis of the simplest geometrical form, the ball. It advanced to a cult-object of the following decade and didn’t lose anything modernity until today.
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Alfred Grenander / W. Kummel 1904 St. Louis Exhibition cabinet, unique 1904
ALFRED GRENANDER (1863-1931) Sweden / Germany
W. KUMMEL Berlin, Germany (cabinetmaker)
Cabinet (unique) c. 1904
Flamed mahogany, ebony, ivory and fruitwood inlays, brass hardware and details, textured glass
Marks: American import label (from Germany) for the St. Louis exhibition
Exhibited: The 1904 St. Louis Exhibition, German Section in the Herrenzimmer
Illustration of Grenander room: Deutsches Kunstgewerbe St. Louis 1904, Hugo Nachtlicht, 1904, p. 80.
Commentary on Grenander’s display at St. Louis Exhibition: Deutsche Kunst und Dekoration, Band XV Oktober 1904-Marz 1905, “Die Wohnungskunst auf der Welt –Austellung in St. Louis”, Dr. Hermann Muthesius, p. 213-16.
Related bookcase-cabinet illustrated: Deutsche Kunst und Dekoration, Band XVI April-September 1905, p. 426.
For other works by Grenander see: Deutsche Kunst und Dekoration, Band XVI April-September 1905, p. 395-407, 426, 427, 671-73, 694, 695; Das Deutsche Kunstgewerbe 1906, 111. Deutsche Kunstgewerbe-Austellung Dresden 1906, (München, Verlagsanstalt P. Bruckmann A.G., 1906) p. 129-133, 232, 261
H: 79 1/2” x W: 57” x D: 23”
Price: $95,000
Alfred Grenander was born in June 1863 in Skövde, Sweden, and came to Berlin in 1885 to study. The city became his home, and he built his first buildings here together with his brother-in-law Otto Spalding. In 1897 Grenander began teaching at the Unterrichtsanstalt des Berliner Kunstgewerbemuseums (college attached to Berlin’s Museum of Arts and Crafts). His involvement with underground railway architecture began in 1900 and came to dominate his life’s work, with more than 80 buildings. He died on 14 July 1931 in Berlin.
From the turn of the century through the early 1930s, Alfred Grenander provided the emerging metropolis of Berlin with an extensive net of subway stations. He was an architect, draughtsman, and city planner; as well as a remarkable furniture designer. Grenander was the celebrated German representative at the 1904 World’s Fair in St. Louis, where he was being honored as “the renewer of German art.” This mahogany cabinet inlaid with pewter, ebony and ivory was exhibited in the elegant Herrenzimmer of the German pavilion at the Louisiana Purchase Exposition, St. Louis, Missouri, 1904, was bought in 1904 by a Kansas City, Missouri family and the piece descended in the family.
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Joseph Maria Olbrich Jugendstil Darmstadt Cake server 1901
Joseph Maria Olbrich (1867-1908) Austria
Clarfeld & Springmeyer Hemer (Westfalen), Germany
Ludwig Ziech Vereinigter Silberbesteckfabrik Hamburg, GermanyCake Server, 1901.
Silvered alpaca with JO (J. Olbrich) monogram and stylized linear motif .
Marks: A.B.S.Z. 60
Illustrated: Joseph M. Olbrich 1867-1908, Eckhart G. Franz, et al., exhib. cat. (Darmstadt: Mathildenhöhe, 1983), p. 346.
For other examples of this service see: Bestecke des Jugendstils: Art Nouveau Knives, Forks and Spoons, Barbara Grotkamp-Schepers and Reinhard W. Sänger (Stuttgart: Arnoldsche, 2000), p. 100, illus. 104; Catalogue Museum Künstlerkolonie Darmstadt, Klaus Wolbert et al. (Darmstadt: Institut Mathildenhöhe, n.d.), illustr. 306, p. 198; Das Deutsche Silber-Besteck 1805-1918: Biedermeier – Historismus – Jugendstil, Reinhard W. Sänger (Stuttgart: Arnoldsche Verlagsanstalt GmbH, 1991), pp. 176-180.L: 10 5/8″ x W: 2 9/16″
Price: $3,750
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Wilhelm Wagenfeld for WMF, German Art Deco Crystal and Silver footed box c.1935
WILHELM WAGENFELD (1900-1990) Germany
WMF [Württembergische Metallwarenfabrik] Geislingen, Germany
Tazza c. 1935
Hexagonal green-tinted lead crystal covered dish / tazza with lid in a stepped jewel-like form mounted with a silver lid and footed base silver
Marks: WMF logo, moon, crown, 800
For more information see: Wilhelm Wagenfeld und die Moderne Glasindustrie,Walter Scheiffele (Stuttgart: Verlag Gerd Hatje, 1994); WMF Ikora Metall / Metalwork, Carlo Burschel and Heinz Scheiffele (Stuttgart, Germany: ARNOLDSCHE, 2006).
H: 5 1/4″ x D: 7″ x W: 7″
Price: $3,500
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Archibald Knox / Liberty & Co. Clutha bowl on tri-leg Tudric stand c. 1902
ARCHIBALD KNOX (1864-1933) UK
LIBERTY & CO. London
JAMES COUPER & SONS GlasgowClutha bowl on tri-leg stand c. 1902
Clutha glass with inclusions of aventurine streaks and bubbles, polished tri-leg Tudric pewter stand.
Marks: Tudric, 0276
Illustrated: Liberty’s 1875-1975, An Exhibition to mark the Firm’s Centenary (London: Victoria & Albert Museum, 1975), p. 89, number D 250 A; The Designs of Archibald Knox for Liberty & Co., A.J. Tilbrook (London: Ornament Press Ltd., 1976), p. 114; Liberty Style, The Classic Years: 1898-1910, Mervyn Levy (New York: Rizzoli, 1986), p. 31; Archibald Knox, ed. by Stephen A. Martin (London: Academy Editions, 1995), p. 96.
H: 6 3/4″ x Dia: 7 3/4″
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Archibald Knox / Liberty & Co. Tudric charger / tray c. 1902-05
ARCHIBALD KNOX (1864-1933) UK
LIBERTY & CO. London
Tudric charger c. 1902-05
Pewter with abstract Celtic design in bas-relief
Marks: TUDRIC, 0163, Made in England
Illustrated: Archibald Knox, ed. Stephen A. Martin (London: Artmedia Press, 2001) p 203
Drawing illustrated: Archibald Knox, ed. by Stephen A. Martin (London: Academy Editions, 1995) p 137;
D: 9 9/10”
This British avant-garde charger demonstrates the profound influence of Celtic ornament upon Knox and his highly individual and sophisticated use of these ancient graphic devices of interlocking loops and tendrils.
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Archibald Knox Liberty & Co. Sterling Chocolate Pot 1906
ARCHIBALD KNOX (1864-1933) UK
LIBERTY & COMPANY LondonBlack coffee / demitasse pot 1906
Sterling silver with bone handle
Marks: L & Co, Birmingham assay marks for 1906, (engraved) 1906, 5103
Model illustrated: The Designs of Archibald Knox for Liberty & Co., A.J. Tilbrook (London: Ornament Press Ltd., 1976) p. 144.
H: 8 1/2″ x W: 5″ x D: 2 3/4″
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Archibald Knox / Liberty & Co. Square biscuit box with cover 1903-05
ARCHIBALD KNOX (1864-1933) UK
LIBERTY & CO. London
Square biscuit box w/cover 1903-05
Pewter with stylized blossom and leaf motif on each side
Marks: “Tudric” model no. 0237, MADE IN ENGLAND
Illustrated: Archibald Knox, ed. by Stephen A. Martin, London:Academy Editions, 1995, p. 83.
H: 5” x W: 4 3/8” square
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Archibald Knox / Liberty & Co. Tri-footed “Bomb” vase c. 1902-05
ARCHIBALD KNOX (1864-1933) UK
LIBERTY & CO. London
“Bomb” vase c. 1902-05
Pewter w/ abstract Celtic leaf design in bas-relief on looping tri-footed base
Marks: TUDRIC PEWTER 0927
Illustrated: Archibald Knox, ed. by Stephen A. Martin (London: Academy Editions, 1995) ; Liberty Design 1874-1914, Barbara Morris (London: Pyramid Books, 1989) p. ; The Designs of Archibald Knox for Liberty & Co., A.J. Tilbrook (London: Ornament Press Ltd., 1976) p. .
L: 11 3/8 “
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Archibald Knox / Liberty & Co. Rare Sterling and Opal caviar server 1904
ARCHIBALD KNOX (1864-1933) UK
LIBERTY & COMPANY London, UKCymric tri-handled covered server 1904
Sterling silver with repoussé Celtic knot motifs and three buttress handles; the handle of the domed lid inset with a jelly opal, cylindrical crystal bowl.
Marks: No. 5199, Liberty & Co., CYMRIC and Birmingham assay marks for 1904 (all the marks appear both on the underside of the base and on the cover)
W: 7 1/4″ x D: 7 1/4″ x H: 2″
Price: $28,000
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Archibald Knox / Liberty & Co. Tri-footed pewter vase with blue enamel c. 1902-05
ARCHIBALD KNOX (1864-1933) UK
LIBERTY & CO. London
Tri-footed vase c.1902-05
Pewter with blue enamel
Marks: Liberty & Co., ENGLISH PEWTER, 0927
Model illustrated: Liberty’s 1875-1975, An Exhibition to mark the Firm’s Centenary (London: Victoria & Albert Museum, 1975) p. 76; The Liberty Style, introduction by Victor Arwas (NY: Rizzoli, 1979) cat. no. 36
H: 11 3/4”
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Archibald Knox / Liberty & Co. / James Powell & Sons Serving dish c.1902-1905
ARCHIBALD KNOX (1864-1933) UK
LIBERTY & CO. London
JAMES POWELL & SONS . WHITEFRIARS, UKServing dish c. 1902-1905
Pewter with floral entrelac in bas-relief and Powell green glass insert
Marks: 0163 (Tudric number), English Pewter, CONNELL 83 Cheapside London (retailer)
Illustrated: Archibald Knox, ed. by Stephen A. Martin (London: Academy Editions, 1995) p 97.
Related models illustrated: Archibald Knox, ed. Stephen A. Martin (London: Artmedia Press, 2001) p 208.
H: 2” x Handle to handle W: 7 ¼”
Spoon length: 6 3/8” -
Archibald Knox (attr.) / Barnard & Sons Sterling Coffee pot 1903
ARCHIBALD
EDWARD BARNARD & SONS London, UK
Coffee pot 1903
Sterling silver
Marks: B WMJS RD into a shield (Barnard & Sons), hallmarks, “h” (London Silver hall mark for 1903), 419 (on bottom of pot)
H: 8 3/4″
Price: $19,500
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Archibald Knox / Liberty & Co. Sterling hand mirror 1908
ARCHIBALD KNOX (1864-1933) UK
LIBERTY & CO. London, UK
Hand mirror 1908
Sterling with large matrix cabochon turquoise
Marks: L & Co. cipher, Birmingham assay marks for 1908
Similar works with turquoise Illustrated: Archibald Knox, ed. by Stephen A. Martin (London: Academy Editions, 1995) ; Liberty Design 1874-1914, Barbara Morris (London: Pyramid Books, 1989) p. ; The Designs of Archibald Knox for Liberty & Co., A.J. Tilbrook (London: Ornament Press Ltd., 1976)
L: 11″
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Archibald Knox / Liberty & Co. Pair of tri-footed vases c. 1902-05
ARCHIBALD KNOX (1864-1933) UK
LIBERTY & CO. LondonPair of tri-footed vases c. 1902-05
Pewter with abstract Celtic floral design in bas-relief on tri-footed base
Marks: 6, MADE BY LIBERTY & CO.., ENGLISH PEWTER 0227
Illustrated: Archibald Knox, ed. by Stephen A. Martin (London: Academy Editions, 1995) ; Liberty Design 1874-1914, Barbara Morris (London: Pyramid Books, 1989) p. ; The Designs of Archibald Knox for Liberty & Co., A.J. Tilbrook (London: Ornament Press Ltd., 1976)
L: 9 3/8”
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Pierre-Emile Legrain (attr.) Pair of French Art Deco drop and roll front cabinets c. 1927
PIERRE-EMILE LEGRAIN attr. (1889-1929) France
Matching Cabinets (pair) c. 1927
Golden cerused oak, roll-front and drop front doors,
original brass keys, reeded baseProvenance: Felix Marcilhac, Paris
For more information on Legrain see: Pierre-Emile Legrain 1889-1929 (Paris: exh. cat. Galerie Jacques de Vos,1996); Union des Artistes Modernes, Arlette Barré-Despond (Paris: Editions du Regard, 1986) 119-120.
H: 50 1/2 ” x W: 23 1/2” x D: 11 1/2”
The Art Deco movement centered in early 20th-century Paris sought to bridge the transition from academic art and craftsmanship to modern art and industrial production. Regarded by some as one of its founders, Pierre-Emile Legrain (1889-1929) worked at a time of great ferment in art, as well as in society. Legrain’s curiosity and receptiveness to these changes led him to adapt forms, materials and techniques from other cultures.
Legrain created two distinct bodies of work: an assemblage of approximately 1,200 bookbinding designs and a much smaller production of furniture made for couturiers in the French fashion trade. Both artistic endeavors shared fine craftsmanship, masterful use of rare and expensive materials, unusual combinations of textures and surfaces, and spare, geometrical forms. Nearly all of his creations were one-of-a-kind.
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Henri Lapparra Art Deco “Mikado” covered sugar bowl c. 1930
Silver lidded bowl with ebony finial and rectangular ebony handles, decorated with enamel in fan shapped tiers of three shades of blue and black
Marks: French Touchmarks (Head of Minerva) 2x, Lapparra diamond shape silver touch mark, Red Lacquer Cranbrook Museum Accession No. 1930.77
Exhibited: Third International Exposition of Contemporary Industrial Arts, 1930-1931 The American Federation of Arts 1930-1931, The Museum of Fine Arts Boston, October 15 – November 10, 1930, The Metropolitan Museum of Art New York, December 1 – December 28, 1930, The Art Institute of Chicago, January 19 – February 15, 1931, The Cleveland Museum of Art Cleveland, March 11 – April 5, 1931; Art Deco, 1971 (Minneapolis: Minneapolis Institute of Arts)
Model illustrated: Art Deco, A Guide for Collectors, Katherine Morrison McClinton (New York: Clarkson N. Potter, Inc., 1972) p. 162; Art Deco, Judith Applegate (New York: Finch College Museum of Art, 1970) illustr. 392; The Cranbrook Collections, Sotheby, Parke-Bernet, New York, 1972, illustr. 31, pp. 7 & 9, Third International Exposition of Contemporary Industrial Arts, 1930 (New York: Finch College Museum of Art) No. 392; Art Deco, 1971 (Minneapolis: Minneapolis Institute of Arts) No. 164; International Exhibition of Metalwork and Cotton Textiles exhibition catalogue (The American Federation of Arts, 1930) No. 169
H: 4” x W: 4 ½” x D: 4”
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Francois-Emile Decorchement French Art Deco “Bleu” pâte-de-crystal vase 1926
FRANÇOIS-EMILE DECORCHEMENT (1880-1971) France
“Bleu” pâte-de-crystal vase c. 1926
Cobalt blue pâte-de-crystal (lost wax cast crystal) with mauve inclusions, two low-relief friezes of varying abstract vine motifs
Impressed: DECORCHEMENT in a lunette seal, numbered A 865For more information on Decorchement see: Art Deco, Victor Arwas (New York: Harry N. Abrams,1980) pp. 268-69, 298.
H: 4 1/2″ x Dia: 4 3/4″
Decorchement, Francois Emile. (1880-1970) He set up a glass house in Conches in 1902 producing exquisite pate-de-verre, statuettes, bowls and vases. He extended this range to encompass a rougher hewn surface with motifs of flowers and sometimes insects. His designs became increasingly abstract during the 1930s toward the outbreak of the Second World War; these were often executed in pate-de-cristal. Later the production continued although in a more restrained manner with softer semi-opaque and translucent colors.
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Andre Arbus (attr.) French Art Deco Straw Marquetry Box c. 1940
ANDRÉ ARBUS (attr.) (1903-1969) France
Straw marquetry box c. 1940
Natural gold and ebony stained straw inlaid in a design of a window pane diamond pattern on the hinged lid, original suede cloth/paper interior, wood frame
For more information see: André Arbus: architecture-décorateur des années 40, Yvonne Brunhammer (Paris: l’Editions NORMA, 1996).
W: 8″ x D: 5 1/2″ x H: 1 1/2″
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Scandinavian Modern / Art Deco Finnish Silver Presentation Bowl 1925
SUOMEN KULTASEPPÄ OY Turku, Finland
(FINNISH GOLDSMITH COMPANY, LTD.)Silver bowl 1925
Hand wrought and repoussé silver with an overall scrolling leaf, blossom and vine motif, applied stylized open work silver handles
Marks: “TILL AIS och NILS WENER 19 [28-30/ IV] 26 ADI och ALLAN RÖNEHOLM,” maker’s mark (hammer with wings), government control mark (crown), 813 H (silver standard) U5 AT (date mark), city mark for Turku
H: 7 1/4″ x W: 13 1/2”
This Art Deco Finnish silver centerpiece was presented as a gift from Adi and Allan Röneholm to Ais and Nils Wener in 1926. By repute this piece was shown the year prior at the Paris 1925 exhibition.
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Emile Galle “Egyptian Coin” handled dish c. 1881
EMILE GALLÉ (1846-1904) France
“Egyptian Coin” handled dish c. 1881
Handpainted faience in barbotine, glazed polychrome decoration beneath transparent glaze, gold highlights
Marks: stamped in black: E. Gallé, nancy depose, E G with cross of Lorraine
Designs for other Egyptian decoration illustrated: Les dessins de Gallé, Philippe Thiébaut (Paris: Réunion des musées nationaux, 1993) p. 98-99
Related forms and designs illustrated: La Ceramique de Gallé (Nancy: Musée de l’Ecole de Nancy, 1984) p. 119; Egyptomania: Egypt in Western Art, 1730-1930 (Paris: Éditions de la Réunion des Musées Nationaux and Ottawa: National Gallery of Canada, 1994), pp. 472=74.
H: 7″ x L: 12″ x W: 8″
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Thomas Jekyll (attr.) Aesthetic Movement Iron Umbrella or Cane Stand c.1885
THOMAS JEKYLL (attr.) (1827–1881)
BRITISH AESTHETIC MOVEMENTUmbrella stand c. 1885
Black nickelled and patinated cast and wrought iron,
sunburst detail and decorative fretworkH: 25 1/4” x W: 13” x D: 9 1/2”
Base W: 9 1/2”Although he was a successful architect, Jeckyll is best known today for his “epoch-making” designs in metalwork. His architectural practice routinely included the design of gates, railings, and metal fittings for domestic commissions and of coronas, candelabra, and altar rails for ecclesiastical ones. But it was his exhibition pieces for the ironworks firm of Barnard, Bishop & Barnards of Norwich that brought him his greatest renown. His “Norwich Gates” for the 1862 London International Exhibition set in motion the 19th-century wrought iron revival in Great Britain. Subsequent creations, including his “Four Seasons Gates,” exhibited in Paris in 1867 and Vienna in 1873, and his cast iron pavilion for the 1876 Philadelphia Centennial Exhibition, received substantial praise, in particular for their creative use of Asian principles and motifs. His innovative Anglo-Japanese designs for stoves, stove fronts, fenders, fire irons, and other domestic metalwork were also produced and sold in large numbers. As these designs were both artistic and affordable, they allowed the incorporation of objects of beauty into middle-class homes. He was one of the few figures in the design reform movement in Britain who managed to unite beauty and utility.
A very intricately worked late Victorian or Aesthetic Movement wrought and cast iron tall stand for umbrellas or canes with delicately riveted cross hatch fretwork and curling details and handle motif along with an attached iron base with a sunburst design all in the original black nickel finish.
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British Arts & Crafts “School of Mackintosh” Glasgow Rose box c. 1900
SCHOOL OF MACKINTOSH (1868-1928) UK
Box with hinged cover c. 1900
Silver plate with a large abstract heart design and stylized Glasgow rose motifs in bas-relief.
Illustrated: Modern Silver throughout the world, 1880-1967, Graham Hughes (New York: Crown Publishers, Inc., 1967), p. 145.
H: 2″ x W: 6 1/4″ x D: 4 3/4″
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Muller Freres / French Art Deco Art Glass vase c. 1925
MULLER FRÈRES Lunéville, France
Vase c. 1925
Heavy cased clear glass over black glass with silver foil inclusions; acid-etched and deeply wheel-carved with a large zig zag motif
Signed: MULLER FRES LUNEVILLE (etched signature)
For more information see: Glass, Art Nouveau to Art Deco, Victor Arwas (New York: Harry N. Abrams, Inc., 1987) pp. 231-6;L’Europe de L’Art Verrier, des Precurseurs de l’Art Nouveau a l’Art Actuel 1850-1990, Giuseppe Cappa (Mardaga: Liège,1991) pp. 344-7.
H: 8” x Dia: 8″
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Flavio Poli for Seguso Large Murano Glass Bottle with Stopper c.1950’s
FLAVIO POLI (1900-1984) Italy
SEGUSO VETRI D’ARTE ItalyBottle with stopper c. 1950’s
Spectacular large decanter or bottle with stopper with a golden cognac cased glass interior tear drop form suspended in a solid clear glass body by FLAVIO POLI (1900-1984) Italy for SEGUSO VETRI D’ARTE Italy
H: 16 1/2″
Price: $4,200
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Erik Tidäng Sculptural Artichoke Vase, 1999
ERIK TIDÄNG (b. 1973) Stockholm, Sweden
Sculptural “Artichoke” vase 1999
Oxidized and waxed iron, silver
Marks: ERIK, 2/2
H: 11 ½”
Price: $17,500
***The only other Artichoke vase (Number 1 out of 2) is in the permanent collection of the Swedish National Museum, Stockholm.
Erik Tidäng was born in Gothenburg, Sweden in 1973. He received his Bachelor and Master of Fine Arts from the Institution for Metaldesign, Konstfack.
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George Richards Elkington British Sterling Trompe L’Oeil Covered Box 1854
George Richards Elkington (1801-1865)
Trompe L’Oeil Box 1854
Sterling silver shallow box with a hinged lid of a life-size trompe l’oeil damask napkin neatly folded on a gilt-sterling Georgian dinner plate
Weight: 45 troy ounces
Marks: GRE makers mark, London hallmarks for 1854H: 2″ x Dia: 10 1/2″
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Lucien Lelong / French Art Deco Handpainted Porcelain Vase circa 1935
LUCIEN LELONG (1889 – 1958) Paris, France
“Metaphysical” vase c. 1935
Hand painted and glazed porcelain with aqua, black and silver tones.
Marks: LL monogram, AB
H: 13 3/4″
Lucien Lelong was born in Paris, France on October 11, 1889. Lucien learned his trade from his father, Arthur Lelong, who owned a textile factory in 1896, and his mother Eleanore, a dressmaker. He discovered his vocation in the family business and as soon as World War I was over, he expanded the family business by creating his own fashion house in the late 1918.
He became immediately famous due to the neat tailoring of his designs and his skill in choosing and manufacturing fabrics. He did not actually create his own designs but hired the most prominent designers of the moment to design his collections such as Christian Dior, Pierre Balmain and Hubert Givenchy. Lelong was one of the first designers to diversify into lingerie and stockings. He introduced a line of ready-to-wear in 1934 which he labeled “editions.” In 1939, Lelong’s collections showed tightly waisted, full skirts; a style which became the “new Look” in Dior’s collection in 1947. After the war, in 1947, Lelong showed pencil-slim dresses; pleated, tiered, harem hemlines; and suits with wasp waists, cutaway fronts and square shoulders.
After a trip to the United States where he learned everything pertaining to the working methods in the mass production of clothes, he returns to France and creates a line of pret-a-porter (ready-to-wear) collection, branded “LL” Edition. Lelong used his double” LL” logo to influence his designs as well as refining the packaging design of his perfumes and cosmetics. He was a master of the use of knits and bias to shape the body in the most complementary way. His house’s trademark was their unique ability in designing with fur.
He was married to Natalie Paley who was the daughter of the Grand Duke Paul of Russia that assisted him with his business. Lelong was an active member of high society; socialized with the women he dressed, and did not miss the opportunity to capitalize on his name. From 1937 until the end of the war in 1948, Lelong was President of the Chambre Syndicale de la Couture Parisienne, in which role he was able to fight and hinder the transfer of the Parisian fashion houses to Berlin during the German occupation. It was largely due to his efforts that ninety-two houses stayed opened during the war.
Poor health caused the end of his career; Lelong retired in 1952, and died in 1958 of a heart attack.
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American Art Deco Reed & Barton Sterling candlesticks 1928
REED & BARTON (active 1824 – present) Taunton, MA
Candlesticks 1928
Sterling silver with Hoffmann-like fluted base and bobêches with undulating stem and palm leaf like terminating detail.
Marks: eagle R (in a shield) lion, Sterling, 1000, cement reinforced, eagle (date mark for 1928).
Model illustrated: Vanity Fair (Dec. 1928, Vol. 31), p. 120., Reed & Barton Vintage Catalog, p. 10, plate number 1000.
For more information on Reed & Barton see: Encyclopedia of American Silver Manufacturers, Dorothy T. Rainwater (West Chester, PA: Schiffer Publishing Ltd., 1986), p. 156-160.
These candlesticks retailed for $19 in 1928.
H: 10″ x Dia: 4 1/2″