An unexpected result at Leland Little’s Fine & Decorative Arts auction, March 14, 2015

My goal is to publish new posts twice a week — Mondays and Thursdays. However, if you don’t see a new post on Thursday, it’s because I was too busy, so please look for a new one the following Monday.


OK, I lied. I said no posts this week because we’re on vacation, but I did have time to write this quick one.

Tiffany Studios charger, Little lot #590

Tiffany Studios charger, Little lot #590

Leland Little held a Fine & Decorative Arts auction on March 14, 2015. Included in the sale was lot #590, a 12″ diameter Tiffany Studios bronze charger with enameled decoration. It sold for a whopping $13,310, against a pre-sale estimate of $200 – $400.

So what gives? How could a plain-looking charger bring so much money? Easy. First, it was fresh to the market since the 1960s, when it was purchased from Lillian Nassau. Nice, but not key. The key was the signature, “L.C. Tiffany, 196 A-Coll.” Items marked “A-Coll.” were in Louis Comfort Tiffany’s personal collection — oooh, now I understand!

For the complete results of the sale, click here.


pier-show-3-2015We’re vacationing this week. We’ll be back in time for our next show, next week at the NYC Pier Antique Show, March 28-29, 2015.

Click here to check my website for the latest items and to look around. I always strive to offer the finest objects for sale on my website and at every show. There are many items for sale, sold items with prices and free lessons about glass and lamps. And remember to keep reading my blog.

The remains of Louis C. Tiffany’s home — Laurelton Hall

Monday’s post should be up by noon.

My goal is to publish new posts twice a week — Mondays and Thursdays. However, if you don’t see a new post on Thursday, it’s because I was too busy, so please look for a new one the following Monday.


This mansion sits right on the site of Laurelton Hall

This mansion sits right on the site of Laurelton Hall

I feel lucky to live only a few miles from Laurelton Hall, the home of Louis C. Tiffany. I wonder how many of the residents of the many mansions that now cover the 600 acres of the former grounds of Laurelton Hall know about its history. My gut feeling is that most of them don’t have a clue. The mansion above is one of a couple that sits right on the location of Laurelton Hall. In the backyard, one original wall remains. I’m curious if the owner is permitted to knock it down, or does it have historical status? What a joy it must be to live right on the same ground that Tiffany lived and breathed. It’s my opinion that if Laurelton Hall had never burned down, and were preserved, it would be one of the most visited sites in the entire USA. I dream about it.

Sagamore Hill

Sagamore Hill

Did you know that Sagamore Hill, the summer residence of President Theodore Roosevelt, is just down the road? Tiffany and Roosevelt were neighbors. Sagamore Hill has been beautifully preserved and is a must-see if you come to Long Island. Here’s another hint. Teddy Roosevelt is buried just down the road and almost nobody goes. It’s right next to the Theodore Roosevelt Sanctuary & Audubon Center, 134 Cove Road, Oyster Bay, NY. My guess is that most people who visit Sagamore Hill never visit his grave, simply because they don’t know it’s there.
Historical photo of the minaret at Laurelton Hall (courtesy of http://www.oldlongisland.com/)

Historical photo of the minaret at Laurelton Hall (courtesy of www.oldlongisland.com)

The snowy view today from the beach

The snowy view today from the beach

You can see the blue glass at the top of the minaret

You can see the blue glass at the top of the minaret

If you travel to the beach at Laurel Hollow, next to the parking lot of the Village Hall, you can see the Laurelton Hall minaret, originally the smokestack for the power house. At the top, you can see the original blue glass. It’s in the backyard of the mansion pictured above in the first photo. (BTW, thanks to Chris Delloiacono for showing it to me. I’ve lived in the area for 25 years and never knew it existed.)

The view of the Laurelton Hall caretaker's house from Tiffany Road

The view of the Laurelton Hall caretaker’s house from Tiffany Road

Driving down Tiffany Road, you can see the caretaker’s house, near the original entrance to the estate. I might be spreading rumors here, but to the best of my knowledge, the house was occupied for many years by Bruce Randall. He was Mr. Universe in 1959 (way before Arnold Schwarzenegger). He’s the same Bruce Randall who not only wrote the forward to the famous book on Tiffany lamps, The Lamps of Tiffany, by Egon Neustadt, but the entire book. Supposedly, Dr. Neustadt was just the collector who put together his famous collection, while Bruce did all the writing. In another aside, you can view the Neustadt collection of Tiffany lamps in two places, the New York Historical Society in NYC and the Queens Museum in Flushing Meadow Park (the site of the 1939 and 1964 World’s Fairs).

If you’re planning a trip to New York, consider adding a side trip to the Oyster Bay, Laurel Hollow, Cove Neck area of Long Island. You’ll be rewarded.


There won’t be a Thursday post this week, but tune in next Monday for What’s New at Chasen Antiques, part III, with an emphasis on French glass.

miami-national-show-1-2015I’ll be spending the next couple of weeks looking for still more treasures to bring to Florida for our southern circuit. Wish me luck!

Click here to check my website for the latest items and to look around. I always strive to offer the finest objects for sale on my website and at every show. There are many items for sale, sold items with prices and free lessons about glass and lamps. And remember to keep reading my blog.

Louis Comfort Tiffany-designed necklace to be auctioned by Heritage Auctions on December 9, 2014

My goal is to publish new posts twice a week — Mondays and Thursdays. However, if you don’t see a new post on Thursday, it’s because I was too busy, so please look for a new one the following Monday.


Louis Comfort Tiffany necklace, Heritage lot #54124

Louis Comfort Tiffany necklace, Heritage lot #54124

Most people are aware that Tiffany Studios made lamps and many people know they made other items, including glassware and desk sets. But I suspect if you were to ask someone if Louis Comfort Tiffany designed jewelry, the answer would probably be “I don’t know.” or “No.”. Well, he did, and Heritage Auctions will sell a lovely example on December 9th. Lot #54124 in the Holiday Fine Jewelry Signature Auction is an amethyst, enamel and gold necklace, designed by Louis Comfort Tiffany, for sale at his father’s store on Fifth Avenue in Manhattan, Tiffany & Co. The necklace features a 35 carat amethyst, enhanced by several smaller amethysts, set in 18k gold, with enameled leaves and suspended by an 18k gold chain. It is marked Tiffany & Co.

Enamel detail

Enamel detail


The pre-sale estimate is $30,000 – $50,000. In most auctions, the reserve is kept secret, but in this case Heritage revealed the reserve of $20,000. That means as soon as the bidding hits $20,000, the item is sold. It can stop at $20,000 or sky’s the limit. Anything less than $20,000 will mean the item will go unsold. It’s provenance will certainly help. It’s been passed down through three generations of New York women.

It will be on public view in NYC at the Fletcher-Sinclair Mansion on E. 79th St. for several days prior to the sale. I’m curious to see what happens as I specialize in the works of Louis Comfort Tiffany, but never his jewelry. I’ll let you know after the sale.

For the complete catalog, click here.


miami-national-show-1-2015I’ll be spending the next month and a half looking for treasures to bring to Florida for our southern circuit. The Florida shows begin with the Miami National Antiques Show on January 24, 2015.

Click here to check my website for the latest items and to look around. I always strive to offer the finest objects for sale on my website and at every show. There are many items for sale, sold items with prices and free lessons about glass and lamps. And remember to keep reading my blog.

Original artwork by Louis Comfort Tiffany on display at the Nassau County Museum of Art

My goal is to publish new posts twice a week — Mondays and Thursdays. However, if you don’t see a new post on Thursday, it’s because I was too busy, so please look for a new one the following Monday. There will not be a Thursday post this week because we’ll be in Whippany, New Jersey setting up the Birchwood Manor Antiques Show. (Hope you can visit us this coming weekend, Saturday, January 7 – Sunday, January 8. Which reminds me to wish all of you a Happy, Healthy, and Prosperous New Year!

Part of the Tiffany exhibition at the Nassau County Museum of Art

The current exhibition at the Nassau County Museum of Art is entitled The Paintings of Louis Comfort Tiffany: Works from a Long Island Collection. To the best of my knowledge, no other museum has ever displayed such a comprehensive collection. The exhibition will end on March 18, 2012, so there’s still plenty of time to visit. Make your plans to see this superb collection before it’s too late!

Louis Comfort Tiffany oil on canvas painting of a North African scene

Starting in his twenties, Tiffany traveled extensively in the Middle East and Europe. His paintings illuminate his travels and serve as a wonderful record.

Oil on canvas painting Pushing Off the Boat at Sea Bright

Tiffany painted Pushing Off the Boat at Sea Bright on his visit to Sea Bright, NJ in 1887.

A rare tropical scenic Tiffany Studios window, on display at the exhibition

In addition to the 125 paintings and watercolors, the exhibition contains a few fine examples of windows and lamps from Tiffany Studios. Photos do not do justice to the exhibition, so run, don’t walk, to the Nassau County Museum of Art in Roslyn, Long Island, New York! Here’s the link to the Museum’s website, Tiffany exhibition.

One of the many new superb Daum Nancy vases I will be exhibiting at my upcoming shows

Look around my website. There are many items for sale, sold items with prices and free lessons about glass and lamps. I regularly add Tiffany vases, lamps and desk accessories, as well as French cameo glass by Galle and Daum Nancy and Louis Icart etchings. Here’s the link. chasenantiques.com

Superb results at Sotheby’s Important Tiffany sale, December 15, 2011

My goal is to publish new posts twice a week — Mondays and Thursdays. However, if you don’t see a new post on Thursday, it’s because I was too busy, so please look for a new one the following Monday. No Thursday post this week because of a brief holiday. Hope to have a new post on Monday, but it might be Tuesday.

Sotheby’s New York held its Important Tiffany sale on December 15, 2011, a day after Bonham’s New York held its 20th Century Decorative Arts sale. Sotheby’s separated its 53 Tiffany Studios’s items into one catalog and its Important 20th Century Design items into another. Continuing the excellent results for Tiffany Studios items, the sale totaled $4,597,875, with 83.0% of the offerings sold by lot and 78.2% by value. That worked out to an impressive average price of $104,497 per sold lot. The Important 20th Century Design portion of the sale grossed $5,106,251, for a combined total of $9,704,126.

Tiffany Studios Wisteria table lamp, Sotheby's lot #238

Top lot of the sale was #238, a beautiful Tiffany Studios Wisteria table lamp, which sold for $842,500, including buyer’s premium — well above the pre-sale estimate of $400,000 – $600,000.

Three Tiffany Studios wall sconces, Sotheby's lot #231

The most mystifying result of the sale was lot #231, a set of three relatively simple (except for the bronze balls) Tiffany Studios wall sconces. Estimated to sell for $25,000 – $35,000, they sold for an astonishing $182,500. Bidding slowed and almost finished near $45,000, when two determined phone bidders continued to duke it out to $182,500. Another happy consignor hit the jackpot! There’s no other way to describe it. If I had displayed these sconces at a show and asked $182,500, I would have been laughed out of the show.

Original oil painting on panel by Louis Comfort Tiffany, Sotheby's lot #201

Prices and interest have been steadily rising on original artworks by Tiffany. The current exhibition at the Nassau County Museum of Art in Roslyn, Long Island, NY, displays a vast collection of Tiffany artwork. (More on that in a subsequent blog.) Perhaps that had some influence on the sale of lot #201, a small, original oil painting on panel by Louis Comfort Tiffany, of a Mediterranean seascape. Estimated to sell for $15,000 – $20,000, it realized $53,125.

For the complete results of the Tiffany sale, click on the following link. Sotheby’s Tiffany results.

Very rare R. Lalique red vase, Ronces

Look around my website. There are many items for sale, sold items with prices and free lessons about glass and lamps. I regularly add Tiffany vases, lamps and desk accessories, as well as French cameo glass by Galle and Daum Nancy and Louis Icart etchings. Here’s the link. chasenantiques.com