Founded in 1878, Daum remains one of the top art glass manufacturers to this day, with a team of hundreds of local artisans in Nancy, France still producing each work by hand. Daum was a leading manufacturer of Art Nouveau glass, setting many of the standards of that movement. This wintry scene featuring lonesome trees on a snow-packed landscape is 16in in height and in excellent condition. It is estimated at $6,000-$8,000.
Manfred Wild (b. 1944-) is a German designer born into a family of gemstone processors dating to 1630. He calls himself “Crazy Manfred” due to the whimsical nature of his gemstone figurines produced in partnership with Emile Becker, a company that describes itself as being known for “eccentric gem objects.” This watermelon tourmaline duck miniature figurine by Wild and Becker features 18K gold feet and diamond eyes and carries an estimate of $5,000-$7,000.
Luigi Genazzi (1876-1946) was a noted Italian silversmith working out of Milan. He began his career in the 1920s and his son Eros joined the firm a decade later. Working together, the father-son team produced spectacular designs with a timeless look. This six-piece silver and wood coffee and tea service is from Eros’ period of production, likely the 1950s. It weighs approximately 215 troy ounces and is estimated at $4,000-$5,000.
Left, Tiffany Studios Cypriote vase, from the May 23 Early 20th Century Design auction, $53,500; Right, Dale Chihuly’s Indigo Blue Persian Set with Red Lip Wrap, from the May 24 Modern Design sale, $13,860. Images courtesy of Hindman
CINCINNATI and CHICAGO – Tiffany Studios and Daum glass led Hindman’s biannual May Design auctions, with a number of the top lots coming from the estate of Madelyn Marley of Yakima, Washington. Overall, the Early 20th Century Design auction, held May 23, and the Modern Design auction, which took place May 24, together achieved $1,148,365. Absentee and Internet live bidding was facilitated by LiveAuctioneers.
Mickey and Minnie Mouse porcelain wind-up figure, estimated at $250-$500
BROOKLYN, N.Y. – SJ Auctioneers’ Collectible Toys, Decor, Glass Art sale will be an online-only event, slated for Sunday, April 16, beginning at 5 pm Eastern time. Absentee and Internet live bidding will be available through LiveAuctioneers.
Circa-1930 Popeye the Pilot tin wind-up toy plane by Marx, estimated at $1,000-$1,500
BROOKLYN, N.Y. – SJ Auctioneers’ first major event of 2023 will be an online-only sale titled Winter Watch for Wanted Collectibles, slated for Sunday, January 29 and beginning at 4 pm Eastern time. Absentee and Internet live bidding will be available through LiveAuctioneers. Of the 244 lots, two stand out: a 1930 Popeye the Pilot tin wind-up toy plane and a 1934 Popeye pocket watch in excellent working condition.
Exquisite signed/numbered Tiffany Studios Nasturtium table lamp with 19in (dia.) leaded-glass shade featuring multicolored confetti glass tiles and flowers in various shades of red, orange, purple and yellow against a green ground. Tiffany-stamped telescoping cat’s-paw base. Excellent condition. Estimate $120,000-$160,000
DENVER, Pa. – Arguably, Morphy’s most-loved sale from its always-busy calendar of events, the annual pre-Christmas Fine & Decorative Arts Auction consistently delivers luxury, rarity and peerless quality to discerning collectors and holiday gift-givers. This year’s edition, which will be held on December 19 and 20, is brimming with superior jewels and watches, paintings, art pottery, silver, and dazzling Tiffany Studios lamps. Bid absentee or live online through LiveAuctioneers.
Lui Shou Kwan scroll painting, estimated at $5,000-$7,000
BOONTON, N.J. – Millea Bros.’ Select three-day auction, scheduled for May 19-21, features a collection of collections, comprising 10 individual New York single-owner collections. Each is devoted to a particular area of interest, but all share a stunning level of scholarly expertise and reflect the obsessive drive to assemble only the best examples. Absentee and Internet live bidding will be available through LiveAuctioneers.
NEW YORK – In this edition of The Hot Bid, the subject turns to a French cameo-glass creation by one of the premier makers of the 19th century/early 20th century.
What you see: A circa 1900 Daum glass vase, painted in the Prairie pattern and rendered in a bulbous stick form. It stands a little over 12 inches tall. Jaremos estimates it at $12,000 to $18,000.
The expert: Bruce Orr, founder of Jaremos, which is located in Flower Mound, Texas.
How is the word “Daum” pronounced? [Laughs] It depends on if you’re American or French. Here, it’s “dom”. In France, it’s more like “dome”.
Who, or what, was Daum? Is it still active? Two brothers, August and Antonin Daum, ran a cameo-decorating company at the turn of the century. It was in competition with Émile Gallé, and it was contemporary with Tiffany Studios in the United States. The company was strong until 1913, when World War I shut the factory down, and it ended up being used as a field hospital. After the war, the brothers were too old to continue. One of their sons took over. Daum has been a continuously producing glass house for 130 years.
And the “Nancy” in the title of the lot listing–that is the town in France where Daum is based? Yes. Gallé was the primary glass-maker in Nancy. Daum came second. But in 1904, Gallé died, so it lost its leader a little early. Daum has more appeal to Americans than Europeans because it’s pretty. Americans buy pretty. Americans have always gone pretty. Europeans like technique.
Was there a golden age of Daum art glass? There’s an argument based on whether you’re a fan of Art Nouveau or Art Deco, but 1900 to 1913 is considered the high point.
Do we have any notion of how many pieces of art glass Daum produced during its golden age? I’m sure the records are out there somewhere, but any number I could give you would be a guess. Daum was a big operation. It had 100 artists at one point, decorating the glass.
The lot notes describe the vase as having “iconic Prairie décor”. Was “Prairie” a specific line of art glass that Daum produced?Yes. This is a guess on my part, but it was not popular in its day, compared to the Daum Winter scenes. I might see one Prairie piece for every 100 Winter pieces. Because of that, Prairie is desired by collectors.
Do we know how many Prairie pieces Daum made, and how many survive? No, but I can tell you that over the last 15 years, eight have sold publicly that I know of.
Would this be the only Daum glass vase you’ve seen that’s in the Prairie style and has a bulbous stick shape? It’s the only one I know of.
How many different shapes did Daum offer in the Prairie line? There could have been 30 to 40 different ones. Most of the time with Prairie, they’re small.
The lot headline calls this Daum glass vase “rare”. What makes it so? Is it purely the Prairie decoration, or does its unusual shape play a role? It really wouldn’t make a difference what shape it has. It could be an ashtray and it would still get attention. This is one of the better ones I’ve seen as far as the shape. That should help it, but it’s the decoration that makes it rare.
Does this bulbous stick form vase show up only in the Prairie line, or do other pieces of Daum take this form? Other Daum pieces have this shape.
What can we tell, just by looking, how difficult this Daum glass vase was to make?As far as the enameling–and again, I don’t mean to downplay it–the decoration itself is not difficult to do. It wouldn’t have been that complicated. The difficulty is in getting the shape. When you consider that they were all hand-blown pieces, that’s saying something.What challenges would the bulbous stick form pose to the glass-blower? Just the consistency. It’s difficult to do it consistently, but Daum, they were masters.In looking at the shape of the Daum glass vase, it almost revels in its inability to function. Was it explicitly designed never to be used to hold flowers? Oh, come on! You could put one flower in it! [Laughs] I don’t think it was meant to be used. Tiffany, Gallé, and Daum were always made for the affluent of the day. It was always strictly a decorative piece.
What condition is the Daum glass vase in, and what condition issues do you tend to see with the bulbous stick form pieces?Anybody can crack or chip these. Once that happens, it takes 90 percent of the value out of the vase. The decoration can wear, and it’s usually worn by exposure to the sun. This one is very clean. On a one to ten scale, it’s about an 8.5. It has pretty strong decoration and not a lot of wear on it at all.
So the sun is the number one enemy of a piece like this? That, and if the owner is a klutz.
What is the Daum glass vase like in person? The delicate flowers on the bottom–I took a shot of the vase laying down so you could see it–I don’t know how you paint this on a piece of glass. The trees have definitive branches and the wildflowers are very delicately done. It doesn’t take a super artist, you just have to have the time to do it.As we speak on March 25, 2021, the Daum glass vase has been bid up to $5,500 with the auction almost three weeks away. Is that meaningful at all, this far out?Yeah. It tells you there’s interest. Normally, most [lots] come close to two or three times their presale estimates. In my last sale, I had a Tiffany red flower formthat was at $5,500 with three weeks to go, and it ended up doing $19,200. [The link reflects the Tiffany piece’s hammer price, or the price before the premium and attendant fees are added.]
Why will this Daum glass vase stick in your memory? It’s the only one I’ve ever had. You remember the pieces that are really, really rare. When you have pieces this special, it’s exciting.
MONROVIA, Calif. – After setting a world auction record for the sale of a Picasso vase during the recent biannual Modern and Contemporary art sale, John Moran Auctioneers quickly pivoted to a single owner sale of The Alan Schneider Collection. The auction prominently featured American and European art glass and furnishings from the late 19th and 20th centuries. A wide array of Tiffany Studios leaded glass lamps, candlesticks, and Favrile glass, alongside Handel reverse-painted lamps all over-performed. With more than 1,000 active participants bidding online, by phone, and absentee, Moran’s rolled out a 6-hour white glove sale with 100% sell through by lot and 175% by value.
