NEW YORK – LiveAuctioneers App Technologies, a division of LiveAuctioneers LLC, has launched the world’s first app (application program) for real-time bidding through Apple-brand mobile devices. The downloadable app is compatible with both Apple’s iPhone and iPod Touch series, and interfaces with sales conducted by the nearly 900 auction houses worldwide who use LiveAuctioneers.com for Internet live bidding.
“This is one of the most exciting developments in the history of our company,” said LiveAuctioneers CEO Julian R. Ellison. “In July we took an initial step in this direction by introducing an iPhone app that enabled users to browse our clients’ catalogs and leave absentee bids. Our first-generation app was the first of its kind within the auction industry to connect smart phone users with sales at hundreds of auction houses worldwide. Now we’ve taken it to the next level with an enhanced functionality that allows iPhone and iPod Touch users to bid and interact, in real time, in any auction facilitated by LiveAuctioneers’ bidding platform.”
The LiveAuctioneers live-bidding iPhone app is a free download available from Apple’s App Store. Those who already have the original version of LiveAuctioneers’ app on their iPhone or iPod Touch also can upgrade directly from their devices through the App Store. The technology is compatible with iPhone or iPod Touch software version 3.0 or later.
To bid in real time via iPhone using LiveAuctioneers’ new app, the user simply registers online with the auction house of choice, no differently than if they were registering through their PC or Mac. Upon approval from the auction house, the user is authorized to bid through their iPhone/iPod Touch as the auction is taking place. The app isn’t just for bidders, however. Anyone can use the app to view auctions in progress.
Julian Ellison stressed that bidders will always be able to participate in LiveAuctioneers-supported auctions conventionally through their PCs or Macs, but adds: “There’s no denying that we are an increasingly mobile society that conducts more and more of its business through mobile phones and PDAs. When we first saw the launch of online bidding, which was back in the early days of eBay Live Auctions, people were able to bid against the auction floor through their laptops. Now they don’t even need their laptops. They can be anywhere at all, as long as they have access to their iPhone or iPod Touch. This is the next big step forward for Internet live bidding and will give many more people instant access to auctions worldwide.”
Founded in November 2002, Manhattan-based LiveAuctioneers.com provides real-time Internet bidding capability to 898 auction houses in a dozen countries. LiveAuctioneers.com has opened up once-exclusive sales to the cyber community worldwide through online publication of auction catalogs, and universally accessible Internet live bidding. For further information, log on to https://www.liveauctioneers.com/news.
BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) – Nearly two dozen new state statutes take effect in Lousiana with the start of the new year. Some are arcane or technical changes to existing laws while others are more sweeping.
One of the new statutes prohibits the sale of novelty cigarette lighters. An exemption has been written into the statute, however, that exempts cigarette lighters manufactured before 1980, which are considered collectibles.
Violators could be fined up to $250.
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On the Net:
Louisiana Legislature: www.legis.state.la.us
Copyright 2010 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
This important bronze ritual wine jar, Fanglei Late Shang to Early Western Zhou, is 9 1/4 inches high and has a $60,000-$80,000 estimate. Image courtesy Wichita Auction Gallery.
WICHITA, Kan. – Chinese antiquities are anticipated to carry the highest bidding at Wichita Auction Gallery’s 200-lot auction on Jan. 6 beginning at 2 p.m. Central. LiveAuctioneers will provide Internet live bidding.
A large and important bronze ritual wine jar dating to the Fanglei Late Shang or Early Western Zhou Dynasties tops these items with a $60,000-$80,000 estimate.
The auction will also include a Tang Dynasty painted pottery figure (estimate: $1,500-$2,000), fine Chinese ceramics, Meissen porcelain, Japanese ivory and American oil paintings.
A fine Famille-Verte Hehe Erxian vase from the Qing Dynasty, probably late 17th century, is 18 inches tall and is painted with the Hehe Erxian twins and Liu Hai looking at a toad, while red bats swoop overhead. This vase is estimated at $20,000-$30,000.
A Warring States Period disk topped with a carved dragon figure, 6 inches high overall, is estimated at $4,000-$6,000. A rare gilt bronze sword from the Warring States Period is 25 1/4 inches long and has a $2,000-$3,000 estimate.
A cloisonné enamel tripod censer and cover from the Qing Dynasty, 9 1/2 inches high, has a $1,500-$2,000 estimate.
Approximately 20 Japanese carved ivory figures will be offered with estimates ranging from $100 to $800 apiece.
Paintings include a scene of five cowboys on horses by Ross Stefan (American 1934-1999). The oil on canvas, 21 1-2 by 29 1/2 inches, has a $5,000-$6,000 estimate.
A signed painting by George Rondolph Barse Jr. (American, 1861-1938) of a Classical woman arranging a flowers in a vase has a $2,000-$3,000 estimate. The oil on canvas painting is 42 1/2 by 20 inches.
The sale will be conducted at Wichita Auction Gallery, 1020 E. English St. For details phone 316-269-1111.
To view the fully illustrated catalog and sign up to bid absentee or live via the Internet during the sale at www.LiveAuctioneers.com.
The interior of this rare archaic bronze wine vessel from the Western Zhou period is cast with more than 30 character inscriptions. It stands 12 1/4 inches and has a $30,000-$50,000 estimate. Image courtesy Wichita Auction Gallery. This bronze ritual food vessel form the early Western Zhou period is 5 3/4 inches high by 12 1/2 inches in diameter. It has a $20,000-$30,000 estimate. Image courtesy Wichita Auction Gallery. Raised on three blade-form supports, this bronze ritual wine vessel is 7 1/8 inches high. It dates to the Ji Shu reign and has a $20,000-$30,000 estimate. Image courtesy Wichita Auction Gallery Also carrying a $20,000-$30,000 estimate is this Famille-Verte Hehe Erxian vase of the Qing Dynasty, probably the late 17th century. It is 18 inches high. Image courtesy Wichita Auction Gallery.
Antiques Roadshow : Discovering America’s Hidden Treasures. Copyright WGBH Educational Foundation.BOSTON – Antiques Roadshow, PBS Television’s most-watched primetime series, has announced its summer 2010 tour destinations: San Diego, Billings, Mont., Miami Beach, Fla.; Biloxi, Miss.; Des Moines, Iowa; and Washington, D.C.
Programs taped in those locations will make up Roadshow’s 15th broadcast season on PBS, airing in 2011.
“We’re calling this our Crystal Anniversary Tour,” said Antiques Roadshow executive producer Marsha Bemko, author of the new book, Antiques Roadshow Behind the Scenes. “It’s our way of celebrating Roadshow’s 15-year romance with America’s stories, its objects, and its extraordinary history.”
Roadshow’s 2010 tour features a series of local events at which top appraisers offer the public free evaluations of antiques and collectibles, revealing the often-surprising history and value of these items.
Antiques Roadshow 2010 stops and dates include:
San Diego – June 12, 2010
Billings, Mont. – June 26, 2010
Miami Beach, Fla. – July 10, 2010
Biloxi, Miss. – July 24, 2010
Des Moines, Iowa – Aug. 7, 2010
Washington, D.C. – Aug. 21, 2010
Admission to Antiques Roadshow events is free, but tickets are required and must be obtained in advance. Ticket applications and complete ticketing rules will be available on Antiques Roadshow online or by dialing toll-free 1-888-762-3749 after Antiques Roadshow’s season premiere, Monday, Jan. 4, 2010 at 8 p.m. Eastern Time/7 p.m. Central.
This year’s lineup, with host Mark L. Walberg, kicks off from Raleigh, N.C., with the highest-value treasure ever seen on Antiques Roadshow, a set of Chinese carved jade objects estimated to be worth as much as $1.07 million. Visit pbs.org/antiques for a preview of this record-breaking season premiere.
Additional information about the Summer 2010 Tour is available at pbs.org/antiques
PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) – A Rhode Island man whom prosecutors call a “habitual con man” heads to trial next week on charges that he duped investors by claiming access to deep-pocketed business connections.
Rocco DeSimone, a former art dealer from Johnston, was convicted in 2005 of filing a false tax return and later escaped from prison. He now is accused of inducing people to invest money in products that he said brand-name companies had offered millions of dollars to buy.
One invention was a protective covering for CDs and DVDs to prolong their life. DeSimone told potential investors that he owned the product and that Nintendo had offered millions of dollars for it, even though both claims were false, federal prosecutors said.
He also allegedly persuaded an inventor to give him an ownership stake in a product called the Drink Stik – a device that connects beverage containers to respirators and gas masks worn by military officers in contaminated areas – by falsely claiming that he was friends with the chief executive of Fidelity Investments. He also lied in telling potential investors that Raytheon Corporation had agreed to buy the Drink Stik for hundreds of millions of dollars, prosecutors said.
DeSimone is accused of taking in roughly $6 million in money, property and forgiven debt. Prosecutors plan to call as witnesses some of the people who gave him money.
Jury selection starts Tuesday in U.S. District Court in Providence and opening statements are expected Wednesday. The trial is expected to last at least three weeks.
One of DeSimone’s lawyers, Katherine Godin, said DeSimone maintains his innocence.
“We’re going to try and establish that he was genuinely trying to market the products and that this was not a fraud,” Godin said.
DeSimone was convicted in 2005 of cheating on his taxes by claiming he owned the painting “Canal at Zaandaam” by Monet for more than a year before selling it. The lie saved him roughly $420,000 in taxes.
The latest alleged scam began when DeSimone was free pending appeal of that conviction, prosecutors say.
He was sentenced to more than two years in prison, but escaped in March 2008 from a minimum security facility in New Jersey before surrendering days later.
Copyright 2010 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
AUBURN, Ind. (AP) – Embattled auto auction house Kruse International is suing some of its customers to try to recoup millions of dollars as it faces legal pressure over its own debts.
Auburn-based Kruse has filed lawsuits in DeKalb County seeking more than $2 million. The auction house says it is owed $6.7 million by customers.
Kruse spokeswoman Kelley Ellert says the company plans to file five to 15 additional lawsuits over the next several weeks.
Kruse faces several lawsuits, including one by a Kansas bank alleging auctioneer Dean Kruse violated terms of a loan on which he still owes $6.5 million and another claiming Kruse defaulted on a $7.8 million debt.
The auctioneer told The Journal Gazette of Fort Wayne, Ind., in August that the recession has hurt his sales.
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Information from: The Journal Gazette, http://www.journalgazette.net
Copyright 2009 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
It looks like a train, but it’s really an iron. A woman had to be strong to press clothes with this 10-pound rarity. Simmons & Co. auctioned the iron for $15,000 at the annual convention of the Pressing Iron and Trivet Collectors of America.The old iron your great-grandmother used to iron her clothes with would not seem to be of much use or value today, but there are many collectors who want irons and other laundry-related collectibles. Prices are determined by age, condition, maker, rarity and appeal. It’s like a romance for these collectors – something about the iron seems unusual, entertaining and intriguing. So when a collector found an iron in Alabama about 10 years ago that looked like a locomotive with a handle, she knew it had to be hers. She was able to buy it for about $35. The 10-pound, 8 1/2-inch-long iron has most of its original black paint and gold trim. It was heated with burning alcohol. Research showed that the iron, marked with 1888 and 1889 patent dates and the name “E.B. Crosby,” was known; at least two other examples exist. The figural steam locomotive iron was auctioned at the annual convention of the Pressing Iron and Trivet Collectors of America. It brought $15,000. The new owner is taking it to Romania to put in a museum.
Q: I have a sugar and creamer marked “Lotus Ware.” They also have the letters “KTK” in a circle with a crown on top. Who made them? When?
A: Lotus Ware was made by Knowles, Taylor & Knowles Co. of East Liverpool, Ohio, from 1890 to 1900. The Belleek-like porcelain was sometimes decorated outside the factory. Lotus Ware sugar and creamer sets sell for $100 or more, depending on the quality of the decoration.
Q: Since 1964, I have had an old teacher’s desk and armless swivel chair that were removed from my grammar school before it was torn down. The desk is nondescript and unmarked, but the chair has a metal piece on the back that says “Heywood-Wakefield.” What can you tell me about the chair?
A: Heywood-Wakefield Co. was formed in 1921. Its immediate corporate predecessor was Heywood Brothers & Wakefield. So your chair doesn’t date earlier than the 1920s. Both Heywood-Wakefield and its predecessor manufactured school furniture, including children’s and teachers’ desks and chairs, starting in 1897. The earliest furniture was wooden. Later pieces were cast iron, steel or (in the 1950s) plastic.
Q: I came into a collection of World War II paperback books that are sexually explicit. Nothing is left to the imagination. I was told they were given to our servicemen overseas. Is there a market for something like this?
A: Sexually explicit literature, leaflets, posters and cartoons were used as propaganda by both sides during World War II. Germany and Japan air-dropped leaflets in an attempt to demoralize Allied troops, but the leaflets actually had the opposite effect. The pictures of scantily clad women often were used as pinups and were traded by the GIs. Erotica of all sorts sells, but there are laws about displaying sexually explicit items at shows. Ask a local antiquarian bookseller how to sell your books in your state.
Q: I have an April-June 1934 copy of a newspaper called the American Illustrated News. It’s filled solely with stories and photos about Hitler, applauding his leadership and reconstructive work in the “new Germany.” I haven’t been able to dig up any information about this newspaper. Any ideas?
A: We found some articles about the American Illustrated News in the archives of the New York Times. The issue you have may be the only one that ever made it to print. The 64-page broadsheet was dedicated to promoting Hitler and the achievements of the Nazi party to English-speaking readers in London and New York City. But Carl Bergmann of Berlin, the editor of the newspaper, was quoted as saying he regarded the newspaper “as a tourist promotion and not as a political venture.” He said that 50,000 copies were printed and that American readers would be charged 80 cents for a copy, which was expensive at the time.
Q: Are all Boehm figurines marked on the bottom? I recently inherited several porcelain figurines that were always referred to as “Boehm,” but they are not marked at all.
A: Edward Marshall Boehm (1913-1969) opened a porcelain studio in Trenton, N.J., in 1950. The studio is still there, although today it’s owned by a private group of investors. Boehm figurines are always marked. Some are signed with the company’s name either on the bottom or on the plinth. Others carry the company’s horse-head logo. And each piece is numbered, too. Some numbers and marks are stamped and may have worn off, but it’s highly unlikely that all the marks on all of your figurines would have worn off. Your figurines probably were not made by Boehm. Many companies copied Boehm’s style.
Correction: The skeleton rocking chair pictured with our Halloween column was correctly identified in the picture caption as a 20th-century copy of a 19th-century Russian chair. But the article confused the pictured chair with the original Russian chair that auctioned at Christie’s in 1992. The auction price Christie’s listed for the chair was $154,000.
Tip: Put your pearls on after you finish using hair spray or perfume. Both will discolor the pearls.
Terry Kovel answers as many questions as possible through the column. By sending a letter with a question, you give full permission for use in the column or any other Kovel forum. Names, addresses or e-mail addresses will not be published. We cannot guarantee the return of any photograph, but if a stamped envelope is included, we will try. The volume of mail makes personal answers or appraisals impossible. Write to Kovels, Auction Central News, King Features Syndicate, 300 W. 57th St., New York, NY 10019.
Need more information about collectibles? Find it at Kovels.com, our Web site for collectors. Check prices there, too. More than 700,000 are listed, and viewing them is free. You can also sign up to read our weekly Kovels Komments. It includes the latest news, tips and questions and is delivered by e-mail, free, if you register. Kovels.com offers extra collector’s information and lists of publications, clubs, appraisers, auction houses, people who sell parts or repair antiques and much more. You can subscribe to Kovels on Antiques and Collectibles, our monthly newsletter filled with prices, facts and color photos. Kovels.com adds to the information in our newspaper column and helps you find useful sources needed by collectors.
CURRENT PRICES
Current prices are recorded from antiques shows, flea markets, sales and auctions throughout the United States. Prices vary in different locations because of local economic conditions.
Silhouette, woman in ruffled dress seated on sofa and gazing in mirror, white reflection in mirror, circa 1920, Eva Schonberg, 9 3/4 x 12 1/2 inches, $30.
Stoneware pot, Harley’s English jam, dancing golliwog, Seedless Bramble label, circa 1920, 5 1/4 inches, $225.
New York Clipper newspaper almanac, color graphics of baseball, track, crew, circus scenes, sports statistics, 64 pages, 9 x 6 inches, $255.
Jim Dandy Cleanser powder can, character wearing black top hat and bow tie, red coat, holding can, image of trademark, metal top and bottom, dated 1911, 7 x 3 inches, $385.
Schwinn Apple Krate Sting-Ray bicycle, red with white lettering, 1970, 56 x 42 inches, $450.
Cloth doll, boy, stitched fingers, sepia features with blue accents, woolen two-piece suit, one leather shoe, circa. 1880, 12 inches, $695.
Just published. The new full-color Kovels’ Antiques & Collectibles Price Guide 2010, 42nd edition, is your most accurate source for current prices. This large-size paperback has more than 2,500 color photographs and 47,000 up-to-date prices for more than 700 categories of antiques and collectibles. You’ll also find hundreds of factory histories and marks, and a report on the record prices of the year, plus helpful sidebars and tips about buying, selling, collecting and preserving your treasures. Available at your bookstore; online at Kovels.com; by phone at 800-571-1555; or send $27.95 plus $4.95 postage to Price Book, Box 22900, Beachwood, OH 44122.
The consignor purchased this secretary bookcase across the Ohio River from Cincinnati in 1988. It features an arched crown of carved fruit and flowers and a fitted interior with bird’s-eye maple trim. It stands 84 inches high and 40 inches wide. The estimate is $1,000-$1,200. Image courtesy Cowan’s Auctions Inc. CINCINNATI – Cowan’s Fine and Decorative Art Department will hold its first Décor auction on Jan. 8 at Cowan’s saleroom. The inaugural sale will include a fine selection of paintings and prints, furniture spanning the 18th to the 20th centuries, ivories, carved and gilt frames, rugs, baskets, sterling, and early and Bohemian glass. LiveAuctioneers will provide Internet live bidding.
Bidders can participate in person or place absentee or phone bids.
Diane Wachs, director of Fine and Decorative Art, noted that “buyers for this auction are interested in great looking pieces within a good price range. This is a sale for everyone, from dealers to retail collectors, to people looking to furnish their house with great art.”
Highlights of the auction include several fine paintings by listed artists. An oil on panel by American artist Herbert Phillip Barnett (Ohio/Massachusetts 1910-1972) titled L’eglise St. Germain, is estimated to sell for $1,000-$1,500. The painting is signed and housed in wooden frame with papier-mâché around the interior. A label on the back notes Miller Gallery, Cincinnati, Ohio.
A selection of mid-century modern furniture and other decorative arts are featured. A Knoll Bertoia Diamond Chair, designed by sculptor Harry Bertoia in 1950 and later manufactured by Knoll Furniture, is offered with an estimate of $600-$800. A unique circa 1956 Sputnik star bust chandelier, with an estimate of $100-$200, is a rare but affordable find.
Victorian and early American furniture account for more than 100 lots in the auction. An English Queen Anne table, 1750-1770, will be offered. Made of walnut and oak, the swing-leg drop-leaf table features an oval top and demilune leaves, above a bowed and scalloped apron. The drop-leaf table is estimated to bring $800-$1,200. Also featured is a rosewood grain-painted Rococo Revival secretary bookcase, circa 1840-1850, which was found by the consignor in Covington, Ky., estimated to sell for $1,000-2,000.
Rounding out the auction are dozens of collections of fine porcelain, including a 32-piece Minton Rose luncheon service, from the mid- to late 20th century, decorated in polychrome floral swags and detailing. The service, which contains footed cream soup bowls, demitasse cups and saucers, and luncheon plates, is estimated at $800-$1,000.
The auction catalog is available online at www.cowans.com. For details phone 513-871-1670.
To view the fully illustrated catalog and sign up to bid absentee or live via the Internet during the sale at www.LiveAuctioneers.com.
‘L’Eglise St. Germain’ by Herbert Phillip Barnett (American/Ohio/Massachusetts, 1910-1972) estimate: $2,000-$3,000. Image courtesy Cowan’s Auctions Inc. Minton Rose luncheon service by Minton, 32 pieces, 20th century, includes nine footed cream soup bowls with saucers, eight demitasse cups and saucers, and 15 luncheon plates; all marked with Minton Laurel backstamp ‘Minton Rose/A.4807,’ estimate: $800-$1,000. Image courtesy Cowan’s Auctions Inc. Knoll Bertoia Diamond Chair, designed by Harry Bertoia, 1950, later manufactured by Knoll Furniture; in bent steel with Knoll replacement cushion; estimate: $600-$800. Image courtesy Cowan’s Auctions Inc. Sputnik star burst chandelier, polished brass; circa 1956; diameter 40 inches, 32 inches high; estimate: $100-$200.
Tiffany Studios’ rare enameled copper bud vase is just 4 inches high. It is expected to bring $17,500-$22,500. Image courtesy Rago Arts and Auction Center. LAMBERTVILLE, N.J. – Rago Arts and Auction Center begins 2010 with a weekend of top 20th century design featuring exceptional individual pieces, conservative estimates and property not seen on the market for a generation. The Early 20th Century Design sale, to begin Saturday, Jan. 16, at noon, will feature nearly 500 lots, including the property of Ned Chapman, Lee and Susan Mohn, the Heckscher Museum of Art, R.W. Apple Jr. and two private collections. LiveAuctioneers will provide Internet live bidding.
David Rago calls it “our finest selection since the Sidney Sheldon Estate in 2008.”
Highlighting the American art pottery in the sale is, lot 1, a rare Louis Comfort Tiffany cabbage-shape vase, estimated at $19,000-$24,000. Among the best offerings from Rookwood are lot 16, and a 1903 Iris glaze vase with orchids by Carl Schmidt, estimated at $20,000-$30,000; lot 23, a 1901 Kataro Shirayamadani tall carved and painted Black Iris vase, estimated at $10,000-$15,000. Top Grueby includes lot 31, a floor vase estimated at $8,500-$12,500 and lot 249, a rare and large bulbous vase by Marie Seaman, estimated at $6,000-$9,000. First among the Newcomb College is lot 74, a tall vase with tulips, created by Maria DeHoa LeBlanc in 1909 and estimated at $12,000-$16,000. Two works by Frederick H. Rhead stand out: lot 441, a rare Rhead Faience umbrella stand made for Weller, estimated at $4,000-$6,000 and lot 274, a Rhead Pottery enamel-decorated and inlaid vase, estimated at $3,000-$4,000. Also of note: lot 12, a rare vase with modeled snake by Theophilus A. Brouwer for Middlelane, estimated at $5,000-$7,500; a large Persian urn from Jugtown, lot 268, estimated at $7,500-$10,000; an early Van Briggle vase embossed with heart-shaped leaves, lot 92, estimated at $3,000-$5,000; a W.J. Walley squat vessel, lot 353, estimated at $2,500-$3,500; a large ovoid ribbed Teco vase, lot 361, estimated at $3,500-$4,500; and a fine George Ohr coffeepot, lot 6, with sponged glaze, estimated at $5,000-$7,000.
The sale includes a fine selection of European decorative arts, including a private collection of more than 50 pieces of Amphora pottery, as well as Lalique glass, Moorcroft pottery and Art Nouveau furniture. Highlights here include lot 179, a Lalique Poissons vase in deep red glass cased in yellow, circa 1921, estimated at $17,000-$22,000; lot 166, an Art Nouveau carved maple and burlwood china cabinet, estimated at $10,000-$15,000; lot 167, a Louis Majorelle carved mahogany and bird’s-eye maple occasional table, estimated at $9,000-$14,000; lot 180, a Rain vase by Daum, estimated at $3,500-$4,500; and lot 206, “Daphne,” an Ernst Wahliss Amphora ceramic bust, estimated at $4,000-$6,000.
Metalware from the best European and American makers is here, from lot 178, a rare Tiffany enameled copper cabinet vase embossed with mushrooms, estimated at $17,500-$22,500, to lot 225, a silver-plated presentation platter by Joseph Hoffman for Wiener Werkstätte, estimated at $3,250-$4,250. Also look for a Gustav Stickley hammered copper charger with pods, estimated at $12,000-$16,000.
The lighting in the sale features a number of lamps by Dirk Van Erp, including lot 288, a hammered copper and mica four-panel table lamp, estimated at $8,000-$12,000; lot 172, a Tiffany Studios Colonial table lamp with blown-out bronze base, estimated at $18,000-$22,000; and lot 171, a Tiffany Studios table lamp with Daffodil shade over Secessionist bronze base, estimated at $35,000-$45,000.
As a whole, the 91 pieces of Arts & Crafts furniture we are offering represents the strongest level of high-quality furnishings we have presented in many sales, said Rago.
Several exceptional Rohlfs items will be offered: lot 147, a large 1903 blanket chest with carvings and ornate copper work, estimated at $14,000-$22,000; lot 145, an extensively carved music cabinet, estimated at $7,000-$10,000; and lot 146, an octagonal table with a repeating pattern of elaborate cutout panels, estimated at $10,000-$15,000.
An important Tiffany chair, lot 169, from the New York Havemeyer residence, designed in conjunction with Samuel Coleman, will be offered for $100,000-$125,000.
Early and rare Gustav Stickley pieces include lot 57, a 1902 office desk with paneled sides and a 10-drawer gallery top in exceptional original finish, estimated at $11,000-$14,000; lot 58, a 1901 miter-mullion tall single-door china cabinet, estimated at $8,000-$12,000; lot 54, a Grueby tile-top plant stand from 1901, estimated at $7,000-$10,000; and lot 235, a custom-made leather-top desk from 1901 estimated at $8,000-$12,000. A beautiful Roycroft Ali Baba bench, lot 156, is estimated at $10,000-$12,000.
The Modern Design sale on Sunday, Jan. 17, will feature almost 500 lots in an array from Art Deco to classic mid-century to contemporary, with standout work by Tommi Parzinger, John Lewis, Clement Rousseau, Wharton Esherick, Paul Evans, Robert Arneson, Josef Hoffman and perhaps the most exceptional lot of the sale, a pair of museum-quality wrought-iron gates with antelopes by W. Hunt Diederich, mounted on contemporary stands, circa 1920.
Furniture comprises the largest portion of the sale and includes work from most of the leading designers working from the ’40s through the ’60s in the United States and abroad. Among the Scandinavian/Northern European offers are lot 737, a Poul Kjaerholm PK-80 daybed estimated at $8,000-$12,000; lot 747, a Hans Wegner credenza, estimated at $7,000-$9,000; lot 733, a Hans Wegner Papa Bear chair and matching ottoman, estimated at $5,000-$7,000; and lot 750, a set of six Finn Juhl/Niels Vodder dining chairs estimated at $5,000-$7,000.
The sale includes a choice selection of Tommi Parzinger design, including lot 500, a rare mahogany inlaid dining table; lot 508, a massive elm and mahogany credenza; and lot 504, a lacquered oak credenza on mahogany legs with milk-glass panels, each estimated at $8,000-$12,000.
Karl Springer, known for simple shapes in exotic materials, is well-represented here by lot 974, a freeform polished stainless steel coffee table on adjustable feet, estimated at $8,000-12,000.
James Mont’s over-the-top showmanship is on display in more than 30 lots of furniture and more of lighting. Among the furniture highlights: lot 527, a pair of oversize cabinets/tables of antiqued mirror, estimated at $2,500-$3,500; lot 931, a polychrome bar cabinet, estimated at $2,000-$3,000; lot 526, a rare grandfather clock in polychrome finish, estimated at $3,500-$5,500; and lot 926, a large, lighted cabinet with an Asian motif in polychrome and gilt, estimated at $3,500-$5,000. Those whose taste in Modern design is a bit more restrained will find much to admire as well. There are elegant furnishings by Edward Wormley for Dunbar and T.H. Robsjohn-Gibbings for Widdicomb.Iconic mid-century works include CSS units and Thin-Edge chests by George Nelson for Herman Miller; dining table and chairs by Warren McArthur; folding screens and a rosewood and leather lounge chair with ottoman from Charles and Ray Eames; Vladimir Kagan’s Cloud sofa and an Isamu Noguchi side table.
Rago’s is known for selling great studio furniture. This auction includes the work of Wharton Esherick, Paul Evans, Phil Powell and George Nakashima, highlighted by lot 601, a three-piece corner office from Wharton Esherick with storage unit, desk and shelves, estimated at $10,000-$15,000; lot 542, a rare Paul Evans Deep Relief patinated steel credenza, estimated at $20,000-$30,000; 547, lot 613, a George Nakashima Frenchman’s Cove II walnut dining table with two leaves, estimated at $15,000-$25,000; lot 618, a George Nakashima Minguren coffee table with occlusions and rosewood butterfly, estimated at $18,000-24,000; lot 605, a set of six Nakashima walnut Conoid dining chairs with hickory spindles, estimated at $24,000-$34,000; and lot 554, a Phil Powell dining table with walnut top on iron base, estimated at $4,000-$6,000.
John Lewis is a remarkable contemporary designer of furniture and sculpture in glass. The sale includes five of his tables, highlighted by lot 685, a clear square console table with a black glass base, 1997, estimated at $10,000-$15,000, and lot 688, a copper center table with a clear, sandblasted cast glass base, estimated at $12,000-$18,000.
The lighting in the sale is notable for lot 719, a rare Clément Rousseau table lamp from 1948, made of exotic wood, ivory and shagreen, estimated at $12,000-$15,000; lot 505, an enameled iron seven-light wall sconce with original clip-on silk shades by Tommi Parzinger, estimated $4,000-6,000; lot 545, three chrome and brass uplight floor lamps by Paul Evans, estimated at $3,000-$5,000; and lot 699, a Jacques Adnet floor lamp with tripod base and leather column, estimated at $3,000-$4,000.
Robert Arneson’s porcelain trophy bust (lot 665) of the artist from 1981, estimated at $11,000-$14,000, is one of the stars of the Modern ceramics.
Rago’s also has its usual fine selection of Claude Conover, including lot 644, a glazed ceramic garden stool estimated at $5,000-$7,000.
There is great variety in the Modern glass portion of the sale, with contemporary work by John Lewis, here with lot 684, a sculpture estimated at $4,500-$6,500; an internally decorated cased glass vase by Joel Phillip Myers, estimated at $2,750-$3,750; lot 835, and a Fratelli Toso Cattedrale glass vase with square murrines, estimated at $4,000-$6,000.
Jewelry includes lot 588, a gold necklace by George Rickey, estimated at $12,000-$16,000; and lot 593, a copper and glass bead necklace from Albert Paley, estimated at $6,000-$8,000.
Previews will be Saturday, Jan. 9 through Jan. 15, from noon to 5 p.m. and by appointment. Doors open at 9 a.m. on the mornings of the sales.
For details contact Rago 609-397-9374.
To view the fully illustrated catalog and sign up to bid absentee or live via the Internet during the sale at www.LiveAuctioneers.com.
Lalique’s Poissons deep red glass vase dates to the early 1920s. It is 9 1/2 inches high and 9 1/2 inches in diameter. It has a $17,000-22,000 estimate. Image courtesy Rago Arts and Auction Center. The Dirk Van Erp hammered copper table lamp stands 20 1/2 inches tall. The shade is 16 3/4 inches in diameter. It has an $8,000-12,000 estimate. Image courtesy Rago Arts and Auction Center. Charles Rohlfs’ mark, an ‘R’ carved within a bow saw, is on the back of this exceptional music cabinet. It measures 20 inches high, 36 inches long and 11 1/2 inches deep. It has a $7,000-$10,000 estimate. Image courtesy Rago Arts and Auction Center.
