Louis Comfort Tiffany geometric table lamp, signed Tiffany Studios New York no. 1493 on shade, signed Tiffany Studios no. 587 on base, 25 inches high x 20 1/4 inches diameter. Sold for $14,000 Image courtesy Kaminski Auctions.
BEVERLY, Mass. – A rainbow of color filled the Kaminski auction gallery as a stunning collection of Le Verre Francais glass went on offer at Kaminski Auctions 20th Century Modern, Rare Lamps and Art Glass sale on Sunday, March 25. A prominent Boston Art Deco collector lovingly curated, this collection of art glass over a 40-year period. Rare colors, shapes and sizes from the famous French glassworks company Schneider of Epinay-sur-Seine were on display. Many of the pieces, monumental in size, were rare patterns.
Each piece in the collection, with the signature blue, white and red candy cane was guaranteed authentic and of the period. A color catalog was sent to art glass dealers and collectors all over the country and bidding was intense, from the Internet, phones and in the large audience that attended.
A rare Le Verre Francais cameo glass cache pot, with a mottled orange, green and brown coloring of the Cypress pattern and only 7 inches high by 9 7/8 inches in diameter, sold for $6,600, the top price paid from the art glass lots.
A Le Verre Français, cameo glass vase in the Palm pattern, signed Charder, and a monumental Le Verre Français, vase, of the Nenuphar or Water Lily pattern, both brought a price of $5,950. The Water Lily vase was a spectacular combination of rose, pink and gold glass and stood 23 inches high. Another monumental vase, in the Cedres or Cedar Cone pattern, in lovely shades of apricot, orange and red sold for $5,250.
All of the Le Verre Francais art glass collection sold extremely well. A Lizard pattern vase in yellows and reds sold for $3.600, while patterns like the Rhododendron and Ash Tree brought $3,120 and $2,880 respectively.
In addition to the art glass, the collection included a Louis Comfort Tiffany, geometric table lamp with a bronze turtleback base that was the top lot of the sale, selling for $16,800. The lamp was signed Tiffany Studios New York no. 1493 and the base was signed, no. 587, as well.
In addition to Tiffany, lamps from the collection included a Bigelow Kennard leaded glass table lamp with a cast bronze base that sold for $4,200 and two Le Verre Francais table lamps. The first a Rose Savage or Wild Rose pattern that sold for $2,760 and the second the Frenes or Ash Tree pattern selling for $2,880. A Mark Frankart table lamp in the collection brought $2,880.
There was also a wonderful selection of Art Deco sculpture on offer in the sale. Two Albert Wein (American, 1915-1991) sculptures from a private collection included a Large Prometheus bronze on a black marble base circa 1947-48 that sold for $13,200, and the Fountain of Youth from Wein’s erotic period that sold for $10,800.
Le Comet, a polished bronze by the French sculptor, Maurice Guiraud-Riviere (1881-1947) brought $16,800. A Bruno Zach (1891-1935) bronze and ivory sculpture on black marble base sold for $4,750, while a G. Gori bronzed white metal and ivory Art Deco figural group of a woman with two borzoi on a marble base brought $3,600. All were from the same Boston Art Deco collector.
This was the inaugural Modern sale for Kaminski Auctions. Nathan Russell, the new modern specialist, put together an outstanding selection of mid-century modern furniture, art and decorative arts to compliment the Art Deco portion of the sale.
The top lot in the Modern sale was a 20th century Leonardo Nierman (Mexican b.1932) large-scale bronze sculpture titled Peace from a Palm Desert collection. Four phone bidders and the Internet drove the final hammer price to $16,800.
A Dame Lucie Rie (Austrian, 1902-1995) stoneware studio pottery vase from the same collection piqued multiple customers’ interest at the preview. The vase was hand-thrown and formed of pink and grey pitted volcanic glaze. Circa 1960s to early 1970s with the artist’s impressed LR cipher, it sold for $9,900.
Top prices for paintings in the Modern sale included a David Wu Ject-Key (Chinese 1890-1968), woman with cat, oil on canvas, signed lower right with both English signature, chop, and Chinese signature, that sold for $3,600, and a Louise E. Marianetti (American, 1916-2009), self portrait, oil on board, signed and dated 1942 that sold for $3,360. All prices quoted include buyer’s premium.
Kaminski Auctions next Modern and Glass sale is scheduled for July 2012. For more information go to www.kaminskiauctions.com or call 978-927-2223.
Click here to view the fully illustrated catalog for this sale, complete with prices realized.
ADDITIONAL LOTS OF NOTE
Louis Comfort Tiffany geometric table lamp, signed Tiffany Studios New York no. 1493 on shade, signed Tiffany Studios no. 587 on base, 25 inches high x 20 1/4 inches diameter. Sold for $14,000 Image courtesy Kaminski Auctions. Maurice Guiraud-Riviere (1881 – 1947), ‘Le Comet,’ polished bronze, on marble base, 18 inches high x 27 inches wide x 4 inches deep. Sold for $14,000. Image courtesy Kaminski Auctions. Leonardo Nierman (Mexican b.1932), ‘Peace,’ large scale sculpture, bronze, signed Nierman V/VI, 58 1/2 inches high x 23 inches wide. $12,000. Image courtesy Kaminski Auctions. Albert Wein (American, 1915 – 1991), ‘Large Prometheus,’ bronze on black marble base, circa 1947-48, 21 inches high by 14 inches wide. Sold for $11,000. Image courtesy Kaminski Auctions. Bruce Stillman (American b.1958) kinetic sculpture, stainless steel, rotating elements on supporting welded frame, signed and stamped ‘STILLMAN 84,’ 61 inches high x 40 inches wide. Sold for $8,000. Image courtesy Kaminski Auctions. Rare Le Verre Français cameo glass cache pot, ‘Cypress’ pattern, signed, 7 iches high x 9 7/8 inches diameter. Sold for $5,500. Image courtesy Kaminski Auctions. Dame Lucie Rie (Austrian, 1902-1995), stoneware studio pottery vase, hand thrown and formed, pink and gray pitted volcanic glaze, circa late 1960s-early 1970s, 12 1/2 inches high x 5 3/4 inches diameter. Sold for $8,250. Image courtesy Kaminski Auctions.
