Sotheby’s New York held a Dreaming in Glass sale on December 12, 2019, devoted to the lamps and glass of Tiffany Studios. 43 of the 49 lots offered for sale sold, for a total of $5,292,500, including buyer’s premium. That averaged $123,081 per sold lot. Of the 6 lots that did not sell, most were chandeliers. Following are some of the more interesting results.
The top lot of the sale was #411, a fabulous, 22″ diameter, blue-purple, heavily mottled, Drop Head Dragonfly table lamp. It sold just above its high estimate of $700,000, realizing $884,000, including buyer’s premium.
The top lot of the Tiffany Favrile selection of glass was #406, a rare and very desirable Lava vase that was exhibited at the Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition world’s fair, held on the grounds of the University of Washington in Seattle in 1909. It sold for $162,500, including buyer’s premium, against a pre-sale estimate of $80,000 – $120,000.
I’ve always loved the Tiffany Favrile rotating inkstand that was sold as lot #423. The same model has occasionally come up for sale at various auction houses over the years. The model has a band of iridescent turtleback tiles around its circumference and three wells at the top, with turtleback lids, in green, blue and red. It sold very well, achieving $60,000, including buyer’s premium, against a pre-sale estimate of $25,000 – $35,000.
For the complete results of the sale, click here.