Rago Auctions, Lambertville, NJ, held an Early 20th Century Design auction on September 11, 2020 with mostly good results. Following are three of the more notable ones.
The top lot of the sale was #334, a Tiffany Studios 14″ diameter Tulip table lamp with superb color. It sold well above its high estimate of $30,000, realizing $56,250, including buyer’s premium. Unfortunately the seller took a major loss as she had bought it for considerably more in the shop of a NYC dealer. I tried to buy it for resale, but the price was too high for a dealer.
The second highest glass lot of the sale was #336, a rare Tiffany Favrile Aquamarine vase. Tiffany Aquamarine vases are solid glass with internal decoration of aquatic plants or fish. This example had a cup affixed to the top. What were they thinking when they produced this shape? It was so goofy that I wouldn’t have bid on it at any price. And the result showed. It sold below its estimate of $15,000–20,000, realizing only $12,500, including buyer’s premium. If the shape had been more traditional, it certainly would have sold for more.
The top lot of the French cameo glass went to #361, a small, 8″ Gallé Marquetry vase. Marquetry is the technique of inserting pieces of hot glass into molten glass and then marvering them (pressing them into the surface on a metal table), creating an inlaid effect. The technique is more commonly done with wood. The vase sold slightly below its estimate of $10,000–15,000, realizing $10,400, including buyer’s premium.
For the complete results of the sale, click <a href=”https://www.cottoneauctions.com/prices-realized/auction/fine-art-antiques-5?view=grid&PricesRealizedForm%5Border_field%5D=%60t%60.%60lot_number%60&PricesRealizedForm%5Border_direction%5D=ASC&PricesRealizedForm%5Bnum_per_page%5D=200“>here</a>.