LAMBERTVILLE, N.J. – Low reserves and reasonable estimates for top property brought Sollo Rago’s Modern Auction of Oct. 24-25 to a total of just over $3,000,000. (All prices include 22% buyer’s premium.) When the final lot hammered, Sollo Rago was 73% sold.
Internet live bidding was provided by LiveAuctioneers.com. “The sale attracted over 200 bidders online and another 200 on the phone, 100 bidders in house and over $1,400,000 in absentee bids,” said David Rago. “Though bidding continues to be more selective than in 2007 and 2008, people know what they want and are certainly willing to spend to get it.”
The economy didn’t keep top designers and tastemakers away from the sale, either. Bidders included Vincente Wolf, Peter Marino, Susan Gutfreund, well-known names from Hollywood and the international art scene, as well as leading dealers from the U.S. and abroad.
The most expensive buy of the day was lot 26, a Wharton Esherick buffet with a sculpted walnut top set upon a curved solid walnut base. The buffet, with seven drawers and a two-door cabinet, sold at the midpoint of its $280,000-$380,000 estimate with a winning bid of $335,500.
Other stand-outs among the furniture in October included lot 23a, a gilt hand chair by Pedro Friedeberg, which sold for $19,520 against an estimate of $3,000-5,000; lot 336, a polished Prism bench by John Lewis which sold for $$32,940 against an estimate of $12,000-18,000; lot 401A, a nine-drawer dresser by Tommi Parzinger, which sold for $28,060 against an estimate of $12,000-18,000; and lot 801, a set of four chairs by Jean Prouve, which sold for $26,840 against an estimate of $10,000-12,000.
The sale featured a fine assortment of decorative arts. Pots by Claude Conover did extremely well, selling for as much as $18,300, far above estimates. A Jun Kaneko vessel, lot 443, did very well, too, selling for $12,810 against its estimate of $4,000-6,000. Lot 624, a Gambone shouldered vase sold high at $5,490 against its estimate of $2,000-4,000. Dan Dailey’s work also sold well, most notably, lot 399a, a sculptural glass vessel for $19,520 against an estimate of $8,000-12,000.
Some of the heaviest bidding of the weekend was for four Alexander Calder tapestries, including lot 53, “Turquoise” which sold for $10,980 against an estimate of $4,000-6,000.
Of the lighting lots, three stand-out: lot 94, a Donald Deskey floor lamp, which sold for $15,860 against an estimate of $3,000-5,000; lot 644, a Venini polyhedron glass chandelier which sold for $$10,980 against an estimate of $3,000-4,000; and lot 901, a desk lamp by Tynell, which sold for $8,540 against an estimate of $3,500-5,500.
The most unusual lot of the sale belonged to Phillip Lloyd Powell and was, in fact, a heavily carved 12-foot door from one of his New Hope, Pa., homes. Entered as lot 342, it sold to a museum collecting Powell’s work, for $54,900.
As of this sale, John Sollo is taking a less active role day-to-day and will continue as a consulting partner specializing in Modern design. David Rago and Suzanne Perrault will head a re-organized department of 20th Century Decorative Arts and Furnishings, holding two sales in January, April and October 2010, inclusive of all the major design movements of the 20th century.
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ADDITIONAL LOTS OF NOTE
