Big goings-on at the greater Chicago antiques shows

Posted on March 25, 2013 by Philip Chasen

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.

I completed all my plans for three back-to-back greater Chicago area antique shows in April, which included non-refundable airline, hotel and car reservations. Serendipitously, I found out that the first show, the Arlington Park Racetrack Antiques Show, had been cancelled. I really don’t know what I would have done if I had shown up to Arlington Racetrack and found out there was no show. Mixed emotions — sorry the show was cancelled, but relieved I had enough time to change my plans.

Next, I found out that the long-time director of the Chicago Merchandise Mart Antiques Show, Laurette Lutiger, left the Mart to work for another show promoter, the Palm Beach Show Group, promoters of the Palm Beach Jewelry, Art & Antique Show and the Baltimore Summer Antiques Show. I wish her the best of luck in her new job.

So now our show schedule in Chicago begins with the Chicago Antiques & Garden Fair at the Chicago Botanic Garden, 1000 Lake Cook Road, Glencoe, IL. It will be our first time there. Hopefully the show will be good for us, so we can make it a regular show on our schedule. We have many clients in the greater Chicago area, so if a show fails, we need a replacement. We’re bringing an impressive group of items that will be shown for the first time in Chicago, including Tiffany lamps and glass and French cameo glass by Gallé and Daum. Please visit us at the show. It opens to the public on Friday, April 19th, at 10 AM, and continues until Sunday, April 21st, at 5 PM. Click here for more information about the show.

Wonderful Tiffany Favrile red Tel-El-Amarna vase

I recently listed over 15 new items, including several Tiffany lamps and vases, as well as two fine Grueby vases. Click here to view the Tiffany lamps for sale. We always strive to offer the finest objects for sale on our website and at every show.

Fine Galle Plum blownout vase, recently purchased

Click here to view French cameo glass for sale. We always strive to offer the finest objects for sale on our website and at every show.

This superb Galle fuchsia blownout vase has great color and just arrived

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 etchings by Louis Icart. Here’s the link. Philip Chasen Antiques.

James D. Julia, Inc. sells a Korean screen for $603,750 at their Annual Winter Antique, Asian & Fine Art Auction, January 30 – February 1, 2013

Posted on March 21, 2013 by Philip Chasen

James D. Julia, Inc. held an important Annual Winter Antique, Asian & Fine Art Auction with excellent results. Over 1800 lots crossed the block from January 30 – February 1, 2013, grossing over $4 million.

Important Korean longevity screen, Julia’s lot #3355

It wasn’t unexpected that the highlight of the sale was an Asian object, as the market has been hot for some time now. What was surprising was that the object was Korean, not Chinese. Lot #3355 was a Korean 10-panel screen depicting animals and trees, with an inscription on the back that read “Ten Panels for Long Life”. Julia’s experts didn’t realize the importance of the screen, as it went to the auction block with a pre-sale estimate of only $3,000 – $5,000. To the delight of the consignor and the auction house, it soared to $603,750, including buyer’s premium — a hit-the-jackpot moment.

Frederick Mulhaupt painting Gloucester Gill Netters, Julia’s lot #1010

Over 400 paintings were sold on the first day, with lot #1010, selling for the highest price. Against a pre-sale estimate of $50,000 – $80,000, a Frederick Mulhaupt painting entitled Gloucester Gill Netters, sold at the low estimate. It was one of several Mulhaupt paintings consigned from the collection of John Gale.

For the highlights of the sale, click here.

Wonderful Tiffany Favrile red Tel-El-Amarna vase

Fine Galle Plum blownout vase, recently purchased

Click here to view French cameo glass for sale. We always strive to offer the finest objects for sale on our website and at every show.

This superb Galle fuchsia blownout vase has great color and just arrived

The results of the NYC Pier Antiques Show, March 16-17, 2013

Posted on March 18, 2013 by Philip Chasen

The lines went out the door 10 minutes before opening on Saturday morning

The NYC Pier Antique Show ended yesterday, March 17, 2013, after running for the weekend. Attendance was noticeably lighter than in November, at least partially due to the St. Patrick’s Day parade on Saturday and a mini-marathon on Sunday morning. Parking was limited and difficult. One client told me he circled around for an hour before he could find a garage.

There were a few people by my booth on Saturday afternoon

Personally, my show went poorly. Many of my good clients either didn’t attend or didn’t buy much or anything. Sometimes you’re the dog and sometimes you’re the hydrant. In asking around to more than a handful of dealers, the best I heard was “almost as good as November’s Pier”. Most of the responses were “fair” to “decent” to “OK”. No one I spoke to was enthusiastic about his or her results. It’s hard to predict. My last several shows at the Pier were good to excellent. This comes after a wonderful show in Miami Beach, to which one dealer told me “we’re not in Miami anymore”.

My booth looked great, but it didn’t help this time

Now about the rumors wildly circulating on the show floor. It appears that the Pier Show will probably be sold to US Antique Shows, the promoters of the Original Miami Beach Antique Show. They recently purchased the Miami National Antiques Show and Sale and appear to be shopping for other good shows. My guess is that it’s a done deal and the official announcement will come soon. There’s other important show news from elsewhere in the country that I’ll let you know as soon as it’s official.

Now we’re looking forward to our shows in April in Chicago, one of our favorite cities. Business in Chicago is consistently good. We have very loyal clients there, many of whom are now personal friends.

Wonderful Tiffany Favrile red Tel-El-Amarna vase

Fine Galle Plum blownout vase, recently purchased

Click here to view French cameo glass for sale. We always strive to offer the finest objects for sale on our website and at every show.

This superb Galle fuchsia blownout vase has great color and just arrived

The NYC Pier Antiques Show opens to the public this Saturday, March 15, 2013

Posted on March 14, 2013 by Philip Chasen

The fantastic NYC Pier Antiques Show opens to the public this coming Saturday, March 16th, at 10 AM and continues until Sunday, March 17th, at 6 PM. This is an exciting show, with an incredibly diverse group of dealers. There will be $25 items, as well as $100,000 items, from vintage clothing, jewelry, collectibles, silver, Asian, and of course, the best French and American art glass and lamps.

The line was long before the start of a previous Pier show

The show is only two days long, so it’s more action-packed than most longer shows. People have to make up their minds quickly or risk losing the items they were considering. I’m always surprised (and pleased) with the distance attendees travel to visit the show. Japanese buyers attend regularly, as well as Europeans, Canadians, and of course, Americans from many states. Not many shows are worth the trip from almost anywhere, but this one is. My booth is near the entrance, so you can’t miss me. Please stop in and introduce yourself.

I’ll have this great Gallé blownout vase for sale at the show, one of several

I’m bringing an incredible selection of fresh merchandise, including wonderful French cameo glass, Tiffany glass and lamps and much more. You will enjoy the show, so make your plans, even if they’re last minute. Come early and stay late, because the Big Apple is a great playground!

Tune in Monday for the results of the show!

This wonderful Tiffany Favrile red Tel-El-Amarna vase will be for sale at the show

Click this link to view some of the new objects I recently purchased. I recently listed over 25 new items. French glass for sale. We always strive to offer the finest objects for sale on our website and at every show.

Fine Galle Plum blownout vase, just in

Click here to view French cameo glass for sale. We always strive to offer the finest objects for sale on our website and at every show.

This superb Galle fuchsia blownout vase has great color and just arrived

Martin Brothers and Teco ceramics led the Rago 20th/21st Century Design Auction March 2, 2013

Posted on March 11, 2013 by Philip Chasen

David Rago held a very successful 20th/21st Century Design Auction on March 2, 2013. The sale grossed $5.25 million, exceeding the high estimate, with a sell-through rate of 85%. 308 phone bidders competed with the live audience and 1500 Internet bidders. Absentee bids totaled over $3 million.

David had the following to say about his sale. “The sale was interesting not because of the total dollar amount or the sell through rate (we’ve had higher numbers in both cases), but for the strength of the middle market. We had only 4 lots over $50k hammer for the entire weekend. What was most pleasing was how well the $2,500 – $5,000 lots performed. Lots always sold at that level, of course, but not with such consistency and so much competition. At first I thought it was for maybe just Arts and Crafts or some of the Modern but, as the sale progressed, it was clear that it was going to happen through the day. This means that the normal collector base was joined by designers, decorators, and dealers looking for material.”

Monumental Teco vase, Rago lot #21

The 20th Century section of the sale was led by a rare, monumental (22½”), Teco vase with iris flowers. Estimated to sell for $35,000 – $45,000, it blew past the estimate to sell for an astounding $212,500.

Fine Martin Brothers bird, Rago lot #150

The results for the sale of seven Martin Brothers birds confirmed the strength of the market, which has been hot for decades. The group was led by lot #150, a large bird with a bald head, at one time in the famous Harriman & Judd collection. It more than doubled its low estimate of $35,000, to sell for $93,750, including buyer’s premium. The average selling price for the seven birds was an impressive $44,643.

For the complete results of the sale, click here.

Remember the fantastic NYC Pier Antiques Show opens to the public this coming Saturday, March 16th, at 10 AM. Make sure you attend this exciting show.

Fine Galle Plum blownout vase, just in

Click here to view French cameo glass for sale. We always strive to offer the finest objects for sale on our website and at every show.

This superb Galle fuchsia blownout vase has great color and just arrived

Solid results for Tiffany Studios items at Sotheby’s 20th Century Design sale, March 6, 2013

Posted on March 7, 2013 by Philip Chasen

Sotheby’s held a 20th Century Design sale on March 6, 2013, with very good results for Tiffany Studios lamps, glass and desk sets. The sale totaled over $3.6 million, led by a strange Ron Arad experimental “Rietveld Chair” from 1996, which sold for $194,500. Since I don’t know understand why, I’ll stick to a subject I do know about, namely Tiffany Studios.

Fine Tiffany Studios Dragonfly table lamp, Sotheby’s lot #28

Top lot of the Tiffany Studios section of the sale went to #28, a fine 20″ diameter Dragonfly table lamp, with red jeweled eyes and beautiful wings, in excellent condition. Estimated to sell for $50,000 – $70,000, it realized $98,500, including buyer’s premium. I had a lovely spot in my home for the lamp, but it wasn’t meant to be.

Original set of four Tiffany Studios door knobs, Sotheby’s lot #1

It’s not every day one gets to bid on a rare and unusual item, like a set of four original Tiffany Studios door knobs. I can count on one hand the number of times I’ve ever seen them for sale. The bidders agreed, sending the final price to $8,125, against a pre-sale estimate of $1,000 – $1,500. That’s over $2,000 per knob. Not bad.

Daum Nancy Dragon vase, Sotheby’s lot #101

There were very few French cameo glass lots in the sale, and they all did very well. Lot #101 was a rare, large (12″) vase with a stylized dragon, in the German manner. Crossing the block with an estimate of $6,000 – $8,000, it soared to $28,125. It wasn’t for me, as it appeared that the dragon had been repainted at a later date.

For the complete results of the sale, click here.

Fine Galle Plum blownout vase, just in

Click here to view French cameo glass for sale. We always strive to offer the finest objects for sale on our website and at every show.

This superb Galle fuchsia blownout vase has great color and just arrived yesterday

Galle used mold-blowing to produce some great vases

Posted on March 4, 2013 by Philip Chasen

It’s time for a change of pace from the usual posts about shows and auctions. Today’s post is informational on the topic of mold-blowing of French cameo glass. Blowing out the flower or animal makes the decoration three-dimensional and therefore more realistic. The technique raises the level of sophistication, making blownout vases much more desirable and valuable than those that are not mold-blown.

Mold-blown vases are sometimes called blownout vases or soufflé vases, all interchangeable terms. Gallé produced most of the known examples, while Daum produced a few. It’s possible other companies used the technique, but I’m not aware of any examples. My guess is that Gallé produced about 40-50 different models.

Two variations of Gallé’s clematis blownout vase

The shape doesn’t change with different examples of the same model, but the colors can be quite variable. For instance, the clematis blownout vase may have blue flowers or red flowers (or other colors). After the vase was formed in a mold, it was covered with different layers of colored glass, at the discretion of the glassblower. Then when it was cold, hydroflouric acid was used to etch the final design.

Galle white and brown Elephant mold-blown vases

Elephant blownout vases are rare and valuable. They come in two different models — the brown elephant with trees and the white elephant without.

Very rare Gallé mold-blown chandelier with fruit decoration

The rarest example I’ve ever seen wasn’t even a vase, but a chandelier with fruit decoration. I once saw one with a blownout squirrel, but I can’t remember if this was the same one. Probably not, as that one would have had acorns or something similar. It would be nice to find one of them today.

If you collect French Cameo Glass, consider adding blownout vases to your collection. Well-chosen examples will benefit every collection. I’ve got a couple for sale at the moment, with three great examples arriving this week. Check with me for specifics.

Fine, rare Galle Water Lily blownout vase, for sale on my website

Click here to view French cameo glass for sale. We always strive to offer the finest objects for sale on our website and at every show.

Fabulous, rare, Tiffany Favrile lamp with intaglio-carved insect

Philip Chasen Antiques

The blog for chasenantiques.com

Monthly Archives: March 2013

Big goings-on at the greater Chicago antiques shows

James D. Julia, Inc. sells a Korean screen for $603,750 at their Annual Winter Antique, Asian & Fine Art Auction, January 30 – February 1, 2013

The results of the NYC Pier Antiques Show, March 16-17, 2013

The NYC Pier Antiques Show opens to the public this Saturday, March 15, 2013

Martin Brothers and Teco ceramics led the Rago 20th/21st Century Design Auction March 2, 2013

Solid results for Tiffany Studios items at Sotheby’s 20th Century Design sale, March 6, 2013

Galle used mold-blowing to produce some great vases