“Our October sale, with just under 1,400 lots offered in two days, totaled over $6.7 million dollars in sales including the buyer’s premium. It hammered right above the low estimate of $5.4 million dollars,” said David Rago.

“The Early 20th Century portion of the auction was buoyed by an established collector base, especially for high-end ceramics and furniture. The overall sell-through rate was a bit lower than usual at 80 percent, but most unsold lots were of lesser value. The second session, which brought in $800,000 of our total, included the best collection of modern ceramics brought to auction—175 lots in all. Modern glass was strong overall and particularly for work by Dan Dailey, Dale Chilhuly and Lino Tagliapietra. The single-owner collection of modernist jewelry that rounded out the Saturday sessions was likewise consistently strong, with the vast majority of lots finding buyers,” added Rago.

Sunday’s Modern Design session was notable for the $300,000 sale of Isamu Noguchi’s collection of preparatory works for his sculpture My Arizona, a work about the Japanese internment camps during World War II. Also receiving strong market support was work from the Studio movement, including a Harry Bertoia wall screen from a Princeton, N.J. home at $159,750; a George and Mira Nakashima Minguren II coffee table at $59,375; a Wharton Esherick pedestal desk at $50,000; and several Paul Evans pieces, including a rare four-door Patchwork cabinet at $37,500 and a custom two-door Argente cabinet at $36,250.

Highlights from Saturday’s session devoted to Early 20th Century Design / Arts and Crafts included lot 10, Saturday Evening Girls fireplace surround that sold for $219,750; lot 56, Newcomb College tall art pottery vase, $62,500; lot 1, Adelaide Robineau porcelain vase, $23,750; lot 21, Arthur Baggs, Marblehead pottery vase with geometric design, $11,250; lot 63, Sadie Irvine untitled painting, $10,000; lot 100, Eugene Grasset, Emile Muller Et Cie ceramic art nouveau plaque, $12,500; lot 130 Moorcroft massive landscape vase, $16,250; lot 139, Archibald Knox, Liberty & Co. Cymric carriage clock, $12,500; lot 145, Charles F.A. Voysey, Donegal Donnemara wool carpet, $22,500; lot 176, Gustave Baumann color woodblock print, Singing Trees, $20,000; lot 195, Van Briggle early pottery vase with bronzed base, $27,500; lot 205, Teco tall four-buttressed vase, $13,750; lot 336 Lalique “Grande Nue Socle Lierre” statuette, $17,500; and lot 347, Muller Freres exceptional wheel-carved and applied glass vase, $13,750.

The studio jewelry, glass and ceramics session on Saturday had the following highlights: lot 419, Edwin Scheier figural wood sculpture, $11,250; lot 546 Jun Kaneko large dango, $23,750; lot 550 Brother Thomas Bezanson porcelain vase, $8,125; lot 600, Lino Tagliapietra Dinosaur Vessel, $28,750; lot 616, William Morris large stone vessel, $13,750; lot 619, Dale Chihuly Venetian vase, $25,000; lot 623, Dan Dailey pair of sconces, “Birds with Diamonds,” $59,375; lot 634, Harvey Littleton Implied Movement sculpture, $32,500; lot 658, Ercole Barovier / Barovier & Toso Oriente vase, $20,000; and lot 696, an Elsa Freund fringe necklace, $5,625.

Other highlighted lots from Sunday’s Modern Design session were lot 700, Josef Hoffmann / Wiener Werkstatte hammered silver candelabrum, $43,750; lot 760, Harry Bertoia sculpture, “Devon Dunes,” $159,750; lot 802, Gio Ponti / Rolando Hettner glazed ceramic vase, $21,250; lot 849, Gio Ponti / Singer & Sons four drawer dresser, $15,000; lot 857, Osvaldo Borsani (attr.) coffee table, $20,000; lot 884, Line Vautrin wall-hanging mirror frame, $21,250; and lot 1051, Wendell Castle Starfish console table, “Quest,” $35,000

Consignments are now being accepted for the next 20th Century Design auctions, March 1-2 and all Rago auctions. Phone 609-397-9374 or email info@ragoarts.com for details.

Click here to view the fully illustrated catalog for this sale, complete with prices realized.

ADDITIONAL LOTS OF NOTE