Philip Chasen Antiques » Skinner

Martinware does well at Skinner’s European Furniture & Decorative Arts sale, July 9, 2011

Philip Chasen — Mon, 11 Jul 2011 07:00:46 +0000

Lots of interesting things have been happening in the antiques world recently. Since I have a bit more time to write about them during the spring and summer, I will be posting new blog entries twice a week, instead of once — Mondays and Thursdays for the next few weeks. So make sure you come back often and tell your friends about my blog!

Skinner’s held their European Furniture & Decorative Arts sale on Saturday, July 9, 2011. In among the diverse offerings were two lots by the Martin Bros. of London & Southall, England. Works by the Martin Brothers have been popular and highly sought after for decades. What’s interesting is that the earlier items from the 1870s and 1880s are fairly undesirable in today’s market. Why, you may ask? Because they’re not “grotesque” — a big compliment in the world of Martinware. Early stoneware items were, for lack of a better word, ordinary. They mostly depicted realistic looking flowers and birds. At some point in the mid to late 1880s, the brothers started producing wares that were strange and zany with fantastic creatures. They also created bird tobacco jars with wonderfully eccentric faces. These are the types of grotesque items that today’s collectors eagerly seek.

Martin Bros. ewer with fish decoration, Skinner's lot #64

Skinner’s lot #64 was a Martin Bros. ewer from 1884, with fish decoration. The decoration shows the direction that they would begin to take a few years later. In this example, the fish are realistically depicted. As a result, I assumed the lot would not do well, but it did. Realistically estimated to sell for $2,500 – $3,500, it reached $4,148, including buyer’s premium.

A later Martin Bros. vase with 'grotesque' fish decoration, not in the Skinner's auction, but illustrated for comparison

Rare miniature Martin Bros. bird jar -- Skinner's lot #65

The next lot, #65, was a rare miniature bird tobacco jar, with removable head, only 3½” tall. It more than quadrupled it’s pre-sale estimate of $1,200 – $1,800, to sell for $9,480, including buyer’s premium — impressive for such a tiny example, but not surprising.

For the complete results of the auction, click on the following link. Skinner’s Decorative Arts results.

Rare Louis Icart etching Miss America

Check out my new acquisitions. I just listed a very rare Louis Icart etching, entitled “Miss America”, plus a gorgeous Daum Nancy pink floral vase; a rare Tiffany Studios desk lamp in the Spanish pattern; several fine Daum vases; a Daum lamp; several Galle vases; and several more Tiffany Favrile vases. Soon I’ll be listing a wonderful Tiffany Studios 7-light lily lamp with beautiful shades and a fine patina. Also coming soon will be several wonderful European ceramic items by Clement Massier, Zsolnay and Amphora. Here’s the link. chasenantiques.com

Martin Brothers stoneware on fire at Skinner’s sale of the Richard Wright Collection

Philip Chasen — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 10:00:07 +0000

Richard Wright had quite an eye for the best and that included very fine examples of Martin Brothers stoneware. The auction results of that good eye showed at the Skinner auction of his collection on October 24, 2009.

The Martin Brothers were well represented in his collection. There were vases, tobacco humidors, face jugs and a spoon warmer, that ranged from the early “normal” items to the very desirable and collectible “grotesque” items. The standard early ceramics don’t usually command much interest because collectors have zeroed in on the grotesque, but that didn’t stop a determined crowd and phone bidders. A large stoneware vase with realistic lily flowers carried a low pre-sale estimate of $4-600 and sold for $4,444, including the buyer’s premium.

A wonderful Martin Brothers spoon warmer, Skinner lot #100

Other early standard vases also did well, but the real fireworks started when the grotesque items came up for sale. The first important item was lot #100, a large spoon warmer in the form of a fish. It soared to an incredible $53,325, against a pre-sale estimate of $3-5,000.

A fine Martin Brother bird, Skinner lot #151

That set the stage for the other important Martin Brothers items, two tobacco humidors in the form of birds. Martin Brothers birds are the best known and most sought after of all Martin items and these two did not disappoint. The first was lot #151, a brooding bird, 10½” tall. Collectors pay the most for the best personality and this bird was good. The pre-sale estimate was $12-18,000. It brought an astounding $82,950, including buyer’s premium.

Martin Brothers bird, Skinner lot #152

The next lot was larger and in my opinion, more interesting, but the buying public disagreed. It still sold very well, but not quite as well as #151. The final price was $59,250, against a pre-sale estimate of $12-18,000.

The fireworks continued with very strong results for vases, face jugs, and an unusual Eskimo jug. Only the most determined of collectors went home with any of the Martin Brothers items — it was quite a showing.

Please send me your suggestions or questions about art glass, lamps, Louis Icart, shows, auctions, etc. If it’s interesting, I’ll answer your question in a future blog entry.

Call or write and let me know what you would like to buy, sell, or trade. philchasen@gmail.com or 516-922-2090. And please visit my website. chasenantiques.com

Tiffany Studios lamps soar at Skinner’s sale of the Richard Wright Collection

Philip Chasen — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 10:00:48 +0000

On October 24, 2009, Skinner, Inc. sold part II of the Richard Wright Collection. Overall, the sale was a barnburner, but today I’ll only discuss the Tiffany Studios lamps and glass. Yesterday, I reviewed a few of the results and tomorrow, I’ll discuss the Martin Brother ceramics and Zsolnay pottery results.

Tiffany Elaborate Peony table lamp, Skinner lot #305

Richard didn’t collect too many Tiffany lamps, but the ones he did were special. The most important lamp of his collection was a 22″ elaborate Peony. It was estimated at $300-500,000, one of the more aggressive estimates in the sale. The lamp sold within the estimate, for $435,000, including the buyer’s premium. The photos in the catalog and on their website do not do the lamp justice, as it was more colorful and beautiful in person.

A Tiffany 20\

A 20″ Dragonfly lamp on a mock Turtleback base was estimated for $25-35,000 and quadrupled the high estimate for a final price of $148,125, including the buyer’s premium. Lot #291 was a rare Daffodil Jonquil table lamp. It sold to a dealer for $112,575, against a pre-sale estimate of $30-50,000. A Tiffany 10-light lily did not fare quite as well, as it was sold with one reproduction shade and one cracked shade. It was estimated for $7-9,000 and sold for $22,515.

A rare Tiffany Favrile orange vase, Skinner lot #583

A small, but rare and interesting Tiffany Favrile vase, deep orange with a zipper decoration, was estimated for a silly low price of $4-600. It sold for $10,665, in the range one would expect for a vase of this quality.

It was a good day for Tiffany Studios items at auction, but that was to be expected. The items were high quality, fresh-to-the-market, estimated low, and sold into a market where superior Tiffany items have been strong for quite some time.

Please send me your suggestions or questions about art glass, lamps, Louis Icart, shows, auctions, etc. If it’s interesting, I’ll answer your question in a future blog entry.

Call or write and let me know what you would like to buy, sell, or trade. philchasen@gmail.com or 516-922-2090. And please visit my website. chasenantiques.com