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Tiffany lamps

Tiffany lamps propel Cottone Auctions to $2.7M sale day

Tom Hoepf
Tom Hoepf
Tiffany lamps
Tiffany Studios leaded glass and patinated bronze Nasturtium table lamp on an adjustable library base, 32in tall, 22in shade. Price realized: $134,520. Cottone Auctions image

GENESEO, N.Y. – Five gorgeous early 20th-century Tiffany Studios table lamps sold for a combined $465,510 and a dazzling five-carat fancy vivid yellow diamond ring fetched $206,500 at a Fine Art & Antique Auction held Sept. 29 by Cottone Auctions. Absentee and Internet live bidding was available through LiveAuctioneers.

The sale featured an extensive variety of first-time offerings, including the impressive collection of Dr. Gregory Alan Zemenick, an orthopedic surgeon from Troy, Michigan, with a passion for collecting Americana, Tiffany lamps and antiques spanning a wide range of interests. By the time the last of the 352 lots crossed the auction block, the sale overall had grossed $2.7 million.

“Interest was very strong across the board both nationally and internationally,” said Matt Cottone of Cottone Auctions. “We were grateful to have been chosen by Dr. Zemenick to handle his exciting and diverse collection. Just over 100 lots came from his estate. The sale featured some great examples of Tiffany lamps that were hotly contested from bidders all across the country.”

The table lamps lit up the room and illuminated the crowd. All five were superb leaded glass and patinated bronze examples, impressed with “Tiffany Studios New York” on the shade and base.

The group included a Nasturtium table lamp (above) with 22-inch diameter shade ($134,520); an Oriental Poppy table lamp (below) with 18-inch diameter shade ($112,100); an Arrowroot table lamp with 20-inch diameter shade ($88,500); a Parasol table lamp with 24-inch diameter shade ($68,440); and a Daffodil table lamp with 14-inch diameter shade ($61,950). Heights ranged from 19½ to 32 inches.

Tiffany lamps
Tiffany Studios leaded glass and patinated bronze Oriental Poppy table lamp, 25 inches tall with an 18-inch-diameter shade. Price realized: $112,100. Cottone Auctions image

The fancy vivid yellow diamond and diamond ring, size 6½ and GIA-certified, was the top lot of the auction. The 5-carat, emerald-cut diamond had VS1 clarity and good polish and symmetry.

Tiffany lamps
GIA-certified 5.18-carat emerald-cut, fancy vivid yellow diamond and diamond ring, clarity VS1, with very good polish and symmetry, size 6.5. Price realized: $206,500. Cottone Auctions image

Following are additional highlights from the auction, which attracted around 150 live bidders to the gallery and approximately 2,500 online bidders. All prices quoted in this release include the buyer’s premium.

Two additional lots hit the six-figure mark. One was a Chinese Qing Dynasty hardwood scholar table screen with an imperial poem signed by Dong Gao (1740-1818). The 16-by-20-inch screen was relief carved, with rocky landscapes, shrubs, pine trees and more, and included hard stone figures and a nice stand carved with a dragon face and scrolling foliate design ($155,760).

The other was an oil on canvas painting by William Langson Lathrop (American, 1859-1938), titled October Evening, 1922. The 30-by-40-inch work, signed lower right, won the Temple Gold Medal at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts in 1922. The painting sold for $100,300.

Tiffany lamps
Oil on canvas painting by William Langson Lathrop titled ‘October Evening,’ 1922, 30 x 40 inches, signed lower right. Price realized: $100,300. Cottone Auctions image

Other original artwork that also did well included an acrylic on paper by Sam Francis (American, 1923-1994), titled Bright Web, 1973, painted in Tokyo and signed, dated and titled on the reverse ($76,700); and an oil on canvas by Thérèse Cotard-Dupré (French, 1877-1921), titled Le Gardeuse d’oie, 26 inches by 32 inches in a carved gilt wood framed and artist signed ($51,920).

Tiffany lamps
Acrylic on paper by Sam Francis, painted in Tokyo and titled ‘Bright Web,’ signed and dated 1973, 22 x 30 inches. Price realized: $76,700. Cottone Auctions image

Larger-than-life decorative items were led by a late 19th-century cigar store Indian shown with a tomahawk, done by an unknown carver, probably in New York, 7 feet tall, with old surface and paint ($40,120). A Gustav Dentzel “jumper” carousel horse, made from carved and painted wood around 1900, 52 inches tall by 60 inches long, with outstanding original paint ($25,960).

Tiffany lamps
Gustav Dentzel ‘jumper’ carousel horse, circa 1900, 52 inches tall x 60 inches long with outstanding original paint. Price realized: $25,960. Cottone Auctions image

Asian objects featured an underglaze blue and copper-red bowl, with the Qianlong (1736-1795) six-character reign mark and decorated with the eight Daoist Immortals and copper-red waves ($70,800). From France came a Cartier Belle Epoque enamel and agate desk clock, circa 1910, with a fine rectangular case paneled in pink guilloche enamel on a molded agate base ($31,270).

For more information about Cottone Auctions call (585) 243-1000 or email info@cottoneauctions.com.

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