Daum Nancy scenic table lamp, Euvrard & Fabre lot #766
On doing some research, I located a beautiful, rare Daum Nancy scenic table which was to come up for auction in France. I did all my homework, including getting a condition report and made arrangements to bid. The auction house called me the week before to verify that they had my correct phone number. Everything was all set, except for one thing. THEY NEVER CALLED. So they sold the lamp to another bidder for less than I would have paid.
Needless to say, I was very upset. I really wanted this lamp, which I know I could have sold for a good profit. So I wrote to the auction house and asked them to explain. You know what? THEY NEVER ANSWERED.
These kind of things don’t happen at professional auction houses. If they do, at least they apologize. So here’s their information. Euvrard & Fabre, www.euvrard-fabre.com. Write to them and ask them what happened. And certainly don’t ever bid there.
No shows until October 20, 2022, when we’ll exhibit at the Baltimore Art, Antique & Jewelry Show. Two weeks later we’ll exhibit at the Antiques + Modernism Show in Winnetka, IL, starting on November 4, 2022.
Sorry, but just got too busy this week, so no new post.
I search online from time to time to see what’s being offered for sale, including French cameo glass. Somewhat unsurprisingly, a large percentage of it is either authentic, but low quality, or authentic and cut down, or reproduction. How is a novice supposed to tell? The simple answer is that a novice cannot tell.
Reproduction Gallé lamp, Grogan lot #274
Here are a few examples from this week’s listings.
Grogan & Co. is a reputable auction house from Boston, Mass. They listed two lamps for their May 5th sale, lots 274 and 275, as authentic Gallé, when in fact they were modern reproductions. As of this writing, they were still listed for sale on liveauctioneers, but not on their own website. They found out the items were reproductions and they removed them from the sale. That’s what a reputable auction house is supposed to do.
Reproduction Gallé vase
How about the vase pictured above? It’s on liveauctioneers advertised as SIGNED EMILLE GALLE FLORAL DESIGN BOWL by Redlands Antique Auction of Redlands, CA. Technically they’re correct. It is a floral design bowl and it is signed Gallé (not counting the misspelling of Emile), but it isn’t old. I don’t know the auctioneers from a hole in the wall, so I have no idea if they’re uninformed or sinister. A novice would have no idea about the authenticity or age of this bowl. It’s actually a pretty good repro.
Reproduction Daum Nancy vase
It’s painful for me to look at the reproduction Daum Nancy vase pictured above. It’s soooo bad. But Washington Crossing Fine Arts and Antiques, Washington Crossing, PA, think enough of it to offer it for sale on liveauctioneers with an estimate of $1,800 – $2,000.
There’s a sucker born every minute (possibly said by P.T. Barnum). Even if he didn’t say it, it’s true. Make sure you’re not one of them. Buy only from reputable dealers and auction houses, even if it costs a few bucks more. At least you’ll be able to sleep well at night.
No shows until October 20, 2022, when we’ll exhibit at the Baltimore Art, Antique & Jewelry Show. Two weeks later we’ll exhibit at the Antiques + Modernism Show in Winnetka, IL, starting on November 4, 2022.
Treadway Gallery, Cincinnati, Ohio, held a Spring 2019 Art+Design auction yesterday, April 7, 2019. Included in the sale was a collection of French cameo glass, as well as a number of Tiffany Studios’ items — the subject of today’s post.
Tiffany Studios 20″ diameter Daffodil table lamp, Treadway lot #4
The top Tiffany Studios item of the sale, lot #4, a 20″ diameter Daffodil table lamp, sold for $43,750, including buyer’s premium. The result was below the estimated price of $40,000 – $60,000.
Tiffany Studios 6-light floor candelabrum, Treadway lot #31
The second-best performing Tiffany Studios lot in the sale was #31, a rare 6-light floor candelabrum. It too sold below its estimate, realizing $26,250, including buyer’s premium. Its estimate was $30,000-$40,000.
Gallé Marine scenic vase, Treadway lot #37
The French cameo glass, mostly from a single Los Angeles collection, fared better. I tried to buy lot #37, a beautiful Gallé wheel-carved Marine vase. Estimated to sell for $7,500 – $9,500, it realized $17,500, including buyer’s premium. I was the underbidder.
No shows until October 20, 2022, when we’ll exhibit at the Baltimore Art, Antique & Jewelry Show. Two weeks later we’ll exhibit at the Antiques + Modernism Show in Winnetka, IL, starting on November 4, 2022.
I’m frequently too busy to list new items on my website. It’s poor business on my part because I make more sales when I do. But there’s only one of me, so there isn’t much I can do about it. There are only so many hours in a day and I try to strike a balance in my life. This week I’m making an intense effort to list some of the great new items I’ve recently acquired. Following are a few.
Daum Nancy 11″ Daisy vase
Daum is always high on my list of new items. The quality is outstanding and the market is strong. The Daisy vase pictured above is a truly outstanding example of Daum’s best work. Imagine applying molten glass to a vase while it’s being formed. It has to be carefully planned so the flowers come out in the right places. First a gob of white glass was applied, followed by a gob of yellow glass on top of that. After cooling, the gobs of applied glass didn’t look much like flowers, but the carver took care of that. He used a spinning, engraving tool to carve away the excess glass to make beautiful, realistic, 3-dimensional flowers. The resulting Daum vase is outstanding.
Tiffany Studios 10-light lily table lamp
I usually have at least one Tiffany lily lamp for sale at any given time, but I had none for a few months as I sold all that I had. I recently was able to purchase a very fine 10-light lily. What makes one example better than another? Two answers — the quality of the shades and the finish on the base. This lamp excels on both counts. The lily shades are beautiful and extremely well-matched. The original patina on the base is stunning — rich chocolate brown with green highlights. Patina doesn’t get much better than this. Of course all the shades are signed, as well as the base. The porcelain sockets are all original and the lamp has been professionally rewired. It’s one of the finest examples I’ve ever had for sale.
Gallé blownout Rowanberry vase
Recently I had as many as a dozen different Gallé blownout vases for sale, but slowly but surely that number is dwindling. I now have about six different examples for sale. The example above is the latest, called Rowanberry, part of the rose family. I think Gallé took artistic license with this vase as all the photos I’ve been able to find show the berries as orange or red. Regardless, it’s rare and beautiful, with no grinding (as found on too many examples).
I’ll keep working this week to add more items. Keep tuned to my website and don’t forget to email me with any questions.
No shows until October 20, 2022, when we’ll exhibit at the Baltimore Art, Antique & Jewelry Show. Two weeks later we’ll exhibit at the Antiques + Modernism Show in Winnetka, IL, starting on November 4, 2022.
