ASTON, Pa. – A three-day, online-only Modern Design auction is planned for August 3-5 by Uniques and Antiques, with August 4 being dedicated to an Artisan Studio auction, highlighted by a Tiffany Studios Dragonfly table lamp and the Katherine Mezger collection of George Nakashima furniture. Overall, more than 1,500 lots will be offered across the three days. Absentee and Internet live bidding will be available through LiveAuctioneers.
The marquee lot of the Artisan Studio sale is undoubtedly the Tiffany Studios Dragonfly table lamp, which has an estimate of $250,000-$375,000. The lamp is a wonderful example of Tiffany’s early 20th century master craftsmanship. It boasts a drop head shade on a bird skeleton base with Four Seasons multicolored and shaped jewels and wisteria blue, green and purple glass.
“We’ve been holding Modern Design auctions since 1995, and this three-day auction is a continuation of our series of early August ‘Season Kickoff’ auctions that so many buyers look forward to,” said Kent Jackson, a General Manager of Uniques and Antiques and a licensed auctioneer in the state of Pennsylvania. “The quality is very strong throughout all three days.”
The Katherine Mezger collection of Nakashima furniture promises to be a Day 2 highlight. Katherine worked at the Nakashima studio until she retired in 1969. She amassed a collection of more than 50 pieces of Nakashima furniture. This is the first time these items have been seen on the market. All items from this collection will receive a letter of provenance from the Mezger estate.
Timothy Aikens, Director of Acquisitions for Uniques and Antiques, remarked, “It was exciting walking into an untouched home with more than 50 pieces of original Nakashima furnishings, virtually untouched since the 1960s. There was another piece around every corner. You often dream of finding a collection like this. You never see this much, all in one home, with the original owner.”
Nakashima pieces from the Mezger collection will include an American live edge walnut floor lamp on a trestle base, estimated at $5,000-$8,000; a single slab American walnut table with one butterfly joint, boasting beautiful grain, estimated at $5,000-$8,000; and an American walnut picture frame having a simple elegant construction with bowed sides, estimated at $1,500-$2,000. The picture frame includes a copy of wedding photo of Mezger and her husband. According to Mezger’s family, Nakashima gave the couple a coffee table on the occasion of their wedding.
In addition to the Nakashima pieces, furniture lots in the Artisan Studio auction will feature creations from Phil Powell, Frederick Weinberg, Philip and Kelvin LaVerne, Silas Seandel, Inge and Luciano Rubino, Paavo Tynell, Val Bertoia, Tommi Parzinger, Fritz Hansen, Robert Whitley, Ludwig Sander, Sarah Grant, Guido Gambone, Paul Evans, and Aldo Tura.
Furniture lots expected to do well include an eight-piece Inge and Luciano Rubino dining set consisting of seven dining chairs with leather “dog bone” backrests and seats, plus a large table with three alternating inverted triangle bases, as well as an original handcrafted cabinet armoire by Phil Powell that has two antique stained glass panel doors, signature carved wood side panels and carved polychrome wood brackets. Both lots are estimated at $5,000-$8,000.
Fine art will be led by a 1971 American Modernist abstract painting by Ludwig Sander, titled Sioux II and estimated at $3,000-$4,000, and a figural wall sculpture by Frederick Weinberg that lights up, and carries an estimate of $3,000-$4,000.
Two chandeliers are expected to light up the room. One is a diminutive Modernist lighting snowflake chandelier attributed to Paavo Tynell, estimated at $3,000-$4,000. The other is a Tommi Parzinger bronze Modernist chandelier, equipped with eight arms to hold tall candle form lights and a central decorative element, estimated at $2,000-$3,000.
The three-day event will officially get underway on August 3, at 10 am Eastern time, and will start the bids with a Raymond Loewy double-sided DF 2000 cabinet credenza bar complete with the original bottle storage trays, estimated at $3,000-$4,000. A little later in the day, a set of six Norman Cherner antique dining chairs made from laminated wood on chrome rod legs is expected to bring $400-$600.
Also on day one, two pairs of Fritz Hansen iconic egg lounge chairs will be offered as separate lots, with each pair having a pre-sale estimate of $1,000-$1,500. Both pairs are upholstered forms on metal pedestal bases, marked FH Denmark, and all original, displaying very crunchy foam and in need of a reupholstering. One pair has wine-colored upholstery; the other is the color of desert sand.
Uniques and Antiques, founded in 1987, is a full-service auction and appraisal company. To inquire about consigning a single piece, an estate or a collection, you may call them at (610) 485-7400; or, you can send an email to info@uniquesandantiques.com.
[av_button label=’Click to view the auction catalog and sign up to bid’ icon_select=’no’ icon=’ue800′ font=’entypo-fontello’ link=’manually,https://www.liveauctioneers.com/auctioneer/390/uniques-and-antiques-inc/’ link_target=’_blank’ size=’small’ position=’center’ label_display=” title_attr=” color_options=” color=’theme-color’ custom_bg=’#444444′ custom_font=’#ffffff’ btn_color_bg=’theme-color’ btn_custom_bg=’#444444′ btn_color_bg_hover=’theme-color-highlight’ btn_custom_bg_hover=’#444444′ btn_color_font=’theme-color’ btn_custom_font=’#ffffff’ id=” custom_class=” av_uid=’av-no29ey’ admin_preview_bg=”]
View top auction results on LiveAuctioneers here: https://www.liveauctioneers.com/pages/recent-auction-sales/
