Lot 3079: Arthur Matthews music cabinet. Sold for $212,400. Michaan’s Auctions image.
The rare furniture piece was from the prominent estate of Francis Marion Smith, known for discovering and marketing borax. Smith’s luxurious Oakland estate was featured in the book The Art of Arthur and Lucia Mathews, where the music cabinet was documented in the drawing room. The cabinet realized a price fell squarely within its estimated auction value of $180,000-220,000 (lot 3079).
Lee Jester, Michaan’s Arts and Crafts specialist, was honored to present the piece at auction, saying, “The cabinet is undoubtedly remarkable. The provenance combined with the genius of Arthur Mathews solidified the piece as a coveted work of art in the marketplace.”
Handsome figures were also achieved by the auction’s offered decorative objects. Artisan pieces exceeded projected values, including a 22-inch Grueby floor vase selling for $12,980 (lot 3133, $9,000-$12,000). Also successful was a Van Erp brush pot featuring an oak tree cutout design (lot 3093, $1,400-$1,800) sold for $3,540, and a pair of Stickley no. 205 copper hanging sconces (lot 3067, $1,000-$1,500) sold for $2,655.
Furniture lots saw a range of items surpass estimates as well. An L. & J.G. Stickley Shaker-influenced five-drawer chest (lot 3034, $2,500-$3,000) sold for $5,310, a large three-door bookcase (lot 3039, $400-$600) more than doubled projections selling at $1,652, and a pair of Van Erp bookends with oak tree cutout motifs (lot 3087, $400-$600) also more than doubled the estimate going for $1,416).
Works of art also produced honorable mentions in the auction. Bertha Lum’s circa 1912 print Children in the Snow (lot 3099, $300-$400) nearly tripled the high estimate, selling for $1,180, and Harold Doolittle’s aquatint Redwood Giants (lot 3101, $200-$300) managed to more than triple estimates, selling for $944.
Click here to view the fully illustrated catalog for this sale, complete with prices realized.
ADDITIONAL LOTS OF NOTE
Lot 3079: Arthur Matthews music cabinet. Sold for $212,400. Michaan’s Auctions image. Lot 3133: Grueby 22-inch floor vase. Sold for $12,980. Michaan’s Auctions image. Lot 3093: Van Erp brush pot with oak tree cutout. Sold for $3,540. Michaan’s Auctions image. Lot 3034: L. & J.G. Stickley five-drawer chest. Sold for $5,310. Michaan’s Auctions image. Lot 3087: Van Erp bookends with oak tree cutout. Sold for $1,416. Michaan’s Auctions image. Lot 3099: Bertha Lum, 1912, ‘Children in the Snow.’ Sold for $1,180. Michaan’s Auctions image.
