Excellent results for Tiffany Studios and French cameo glass at Cottone Auctions, March 23, 2013

Posted on April 1, 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.

Cottone Auctions held a big, diverse, 861-lot sale March 22-23, 2013, with very successful results. Included in the sale were some excellent, fresh-to-the-market lamps and art glass.

Fine Tiffany Studios Pomegranate table lamp, Cottone lot #496

Lot #496 was a Tiffany Studios Pomegranate table lamp, which usually makes everyone yawn. This example, however, was special, with great glass — heavily mottled and dichroic (color-changing from unlit to lit). It easily exceeded its pre-sale estimate of $8,000 – $12,000, to sell for $20,125, including buyer’s premium.

Tiffany Favrile paperweight vase, Cottone lot #500

The best Tiffany Favrile vase in the sale was a vivid paperweight, 11½” tall. It handily exceeded its estimate of $5,000 – $8,000, to sell for $11,960.

Gallé fire-polished vase, Cottone lot #501

The best French cameo glass vase in the sale was an unusual fire-polished, footed Gallé vase, with an interesting bulbous knop above the foot. It sold for $8,510, toward the high end of the pre-sale estimate of $5,000 – $8,000.

As any good auction house should, Cottone estimated most lots very conservatively. That should be the golden rule for auction houses, as it creates a virtuous circle. 1. The public know the items are there to be sold. 2. Everyone thinks they’re in the game, so they participate. 3. The results are strong, so the high estimate is often exceeded. 4. Everyone is happy, including the buyer, the seller and the auction house. How can you beat that?

For the complete results of the Saturday portion of the sale, click here.

Our show schedule in April 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

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

One result a stunner, at McInnis auction of John F. Kennedy memorabilia, February 17, 2013

Posted on February 28, 2013 by Philip Chasen

John McInnis Auctioneers held an auction of John F. Kennedy memorabilia on February 17, 2013, with some great results and one stunner. The collection was from the estate of David F. Powers, a friend, aide and advisor to the president.

JFK’s personal leather bomber jacket, McInnis lot #327

JFK’s personal leather bomber jacket, with the Presidential seal, sold for an incredible $655,550, against a pre-sale estimate of $20,000 – $40,000. The bidding opened at $40,000, then flew past an Internet bid of $300,000 to finally end at $570,000 (excluding the buyer’s premium).

Because of the extreme interest in all of the items, the auction plodded along, lasting 18 hours, 31 minutes, finally ending at 5:31 AM, the next day. That’s approximately 1½ minutes for each of the 723 lots — too many lots for a one-day auction. It should have been a two-day auction, but that’s water under the bridge.

David Powers itinerary, page 1, McInnis lot #483

Lot #483 was an important, historical, 4-page, typewritten itinerary of the two days leading up to the assassination of President Kennedy. It flew past the pre-sale estimate of $2,500 – $5,000, to realize $76,050, including buyer’s premium.

For the complete results of the sale, click on the following link. McInnis JFK memorabilia results.

Incredible Tiffany Favrile Cypriote vase, for sale at the show

Click this link to view some of the new objects I recently purchased and listed. Tiffany 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

Christie’s South Kensington Interiors sale breathes new life into works by Louis Icart, February 19, 2013

Posted on February 25, 2013 by Philip Chasen

Christie’s South Kensington held an Interiors sale on February 19, 2013, with good results for works by Louis Icart. The auction house sold a diverse group of 33 items, including original works on canvas and paper, as well as etchings.

Louis Icart oil painting of Fanny, Christie’s lot #465

Top lot of the group was #465, an original 1919 oil painting on canvas of Icart’s wife, Fanny. Even though the canvas was unstretched and in fairly poor condition, it tripled its pre-sale estimate of £3,000 – £5,000, to sell for £15,000 ($23,205) — an impressive result.

This Icart drawing was one of two in Christie’s lot #479

Original, one-of-a-kind, works by Icart, including quick charcoal sketches, did very well at the sale. Three separate lots, that each included 2-3 drawings, all sold for the identical price of £6,875 ($10,636), for a range of $3,500 – $4,000 each. In each case, the result was many times the pre-sale estimate of £700 – £900.

Icart Femme Voilée, Christie’s lot #473

One of the most interesting lots of the sale was a signed, 17″ x 12″, pastel, charcoal and pencil drawing on paper, entitled Femme Voilée (Veiled Woman). The model is Icart’s wife, Fanny. To the best of my knowledge, this image was never made into an etching or a painting. Selling as lot #473, it realized £2,375 ($3,674), against a pre-sale estimate of £500 – £700.

Icart oil painting of the Flatiron Building in New York, Christie’s lot #464

Another fascinating lot was #464, a Red Period, oil on canvas from 1923, depicting the famous Flatiron Building in New York. This would have been a great lot for any New Yorker who collected Icart. The canvas was unstretched and in only fair condition, but it still did OK, selling within the estimate of £3,000 – £5,000, realizing a final price of £3,250 ($5,028). It’s likely the painting would have fared much better if it had a pretty woman in the foreground.

For the complete results of the sale, click on the following link. Christie’s Interiors results.

Incredible Tiffany Favrile Cypriote vase, for sale at the show

Click this link to view some of the new objects I recently purchased and listed. Tiffany 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

Doyle’s Belle Epoque auction exceeds $2 million, February 6, 2013

Posted on February 11, 2013 by Philip Chasen

Doyle New York held a Belle Epoque sale on February 6, 2013, with generally excellent results. Total sales of $2,036,819 surpassed the pre-sale high estimate of $1,870,750, with 84% sold by lot and 93% sold by value.

Rembrandt Bugatti Petit Elephant au Repos, Doyle lot #450

Top lot of the sale was a Rembrandt Bugatti bronze cire perdue sculpture entitled Petit Elephant au Repos. It soared past its pre-sale estimate of $40,000 – $60,000, to sell for $218,500, including buyer’s premium. The bronze was fresh to the market, having descended in the Vanderbilt family. The result surely benefitted from its illustrious provenance.

Roycroft copper-mounted bedroom suite, Doyle lot #133

A Roycroft Arts and Crafts copper-mounted oak bedroom suite, from the estate of C.W. and Marjorie Merriweather Post, sold for $68,500, approximately double the high estimate of $30,000. The suite was an important commission by Elbert Hubbard for C.W. Post, whom he knew personally.

Newcomb College vase, Doyle lot #483

A huge (11¾”), early (1902), high-glaze Newcomb College vase shot past its pre-sale estimate of $5,000 – $7,000, to achieve $37,500, including buyer’s premium. It was consigned from The Spanierman Gallery, LLC Collection of American Art.

For the complete results of the sale, click on the following link. Doyle Belle Epoque results.

The Palm Springs Modernism Show will run from February 16-18, 2013

The Palm Springs Modernism Show opens to the public this Saturday, February 16th, at 10 AM and ends on Monday at 4 PM. It will be our first time at the show. We haven’t had good luck in California in recent years, so we’re hoping the show will be good. If it isn’t, we’ll give up the entire state. That would be a shame, but we can’t afford to exhibit at shows where the buyers don’t show up. If you’d like us to continue to exhibit in the state of California, please visit the show and consider making a purchase.

I will be posting videos on YouTube of my lecture on French Cameo Glass to the Metropolitan Glass Club. I need some time to edit the videos. When they’re ready, I’ll put the link on my website and here in my blog.

Incredible Tiffany Favrile Cypriote vase, for sale at the show

Click this link to view some of the new objects I recently purchased and listed. Tiffany 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

You could have bought the original piano from the 1942 classic film Casablanca

Posted on January 17, 2013 by Philip Chasen

Sam plays As Time Goes By to Rick and Ilsa

The two weeks from the end of November to the middle of December were good for fans of the classic 1942 film, Casablanca, starring Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman. First Heritage Auctions sold a 1942 Casablanca poster for $191,200 on November 29, 2012 and then Sotheby’s offered the famous original piano from the movie on December 14, 2012. You remember the flashback scene in the French café La Belle Aurore, where Sam (Dooley Wilson) serenaded Rick (Humphrey Bogart) and Ilsa (Ingrid Bergman) with “As Time Goes By”? It doesn’t get more romantic than that.

The piano and bench on display at Sotheby’s

The piano came to the auction block with a pre-sale estimate of $800,000 – $1,200,000. Apparently there weren’t that many multi-millionaires willing to pay the big bucks, so the piano sold for only $602,500 — probably disappointing to the consignor, but maybe not. He (a Japanese man) paid $154,000 for it at auction in 1988 and brought it to Japan. Now it’s back (but the buyer has not been named). I’d like to think it was Steven Spielberg, but that’s wild speculation on my part.

The Miami shows are almost upon us. The first one, the Miami National Antiques Show (The Airport Show), begins in one week, on Friday, January 25, 2013, at noon and ends on Sunday, January 27, at 5 PM. It’s a very fine quality show with top exhibitors. If you come just a little early to Miami, you can visit the Airport Show and get first crack at the very same antiques that will be exhibited the following week at the huge, important, eagerly awaited Original Miami Beach Antiques Show. You can see two shows for the travel price of one, in warm, sunny Miami and legitimately write the whole thing off as a business expense (well, only if you’re a dealer).

Incredible Tiffany Favrile red decorated paperweight vase, just in

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

Fine Gallé clematis blownout vase, recently acquired

Stellar sale at Heritage’s Vintage Movie Poster Signature Auction, November 29, 2012

Posted on January 14, 2013 by Philip Chasen

Heritage Auctions held a successful Vintage Movie Poster Signature Auction on November 29, 2012, with total sales of $2.21 million — 94% sold by value and 80% sold by lot. Genres such as horror, science fiction, film noir, Western, musical, and comedy were represented in the huge, 1300+ lot sale, with many of the lots from the collection of film critic Leonard Maltin.

1933 King Kong poster, Heritage lot #83252

The top lot of the sale was #83252, a rare, large (40″ X 79″), three-sheet poster of the 1933 RKO classic film, King Kong, starring Fay Wray. In very fine condition, backed on linen, it soared past its pre-sale estimate of $80,000 – $100,000 to sell for $388,375, including buyer’s premium.

Casablanca movie poster insert, Heritage lot #83063

Casablanca, the 1942 Warner Brothers classic film, starring Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman, is considered by many to be one of the best and most romantic movies of all time. Admirers of the film pushed the final price of a poster insert, lot #83063, to $191,200, against a pre-sale estimate of $18,000 – $28,000, even though it wasn’t in the finest condition, having been folded and with additional minor damage.

Other superb results included a rare Mickey Mouse poster from 1928 ($101,575), a Three Stooges Tassels in the Air poster from 1938, ($56,762.50), and a wonderful Dracula poster from 1931 ($41,825). For the complete results of the sale, click on the following link. You will have to sign in for prices. Heritage’s Vintage Poster auction results.

The Miami shows are almost upon us. First up is the Miami National Antiques Show (The Airport Show), January 25-27, 2013. It’s a very fine quality show with top exhibitors. If you come just a little early to Miami, you can visit the Airport Show and get first crack at the very same antiques that will be exhibited the following week at the huge, important, eagerly awaited Original Miami Beach Antiques Show. You can see two shows for the price of one, in warm, sunny Miami and legitimately write the whole thing off as a business expense (well, only if you’re a dealer).

Incredible Tiffany Favrile red decorated paperweight vase, just in

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

Fine Gallé clematis blownout vase, recently acquired

Some good results at Skinner’s 20th Century Design auction, December 15, 2012

Posted on December 31, 2012 by Philip Chasen

First things first. Happy New Year! May the coming year be a good one, with the new Congress having more sense than the last one. (What are the odds?)

Skinner Boston was the last of the auction houses to hold a December 20th Century sale. Its 20th Century Design auction was held on December 15, 2012, with a few good results. The sale wasn’t terribly exciting, with only a few lots that could be called interesting or selling for $10,000 or more.

Tiffany Studios 17-inch diameter Poppy table lamp, Skinner lot #143

The top lot of the sale was a Tiffany Studios 17″ diameter Poppy table lamp, with decent color, but not in A-1 condition. Estimated fairly at $30,000 – $40,000, it realized $51,000, including buyer’s premium.

Fine Tiffany Favrile floriform vase sold for $9,000, Skinner lot #148

This fine Tiffany Favrile floriform vase sold for $9,000 as Skinner lot #148

Two nice Tiffany Favrile floriform vases easily exceeded their estimates of $800 – $1,200 each, with one selling for $7,200 and the other for $9,000, including buyer’s premiums.

Alphonse Mucha Les Saisons screen, Skinner lot #110

The second highest price paid went to a Les Saisons (The Seasons) screen decorated by the celebrated Austrian Art Nouveau artist, Alphonse Mucha. It went on the auction block with an estimate of $20,000 – $25,000. The final price of $39,000 handily exceeded the high estimate.

For the complete results of the sale, click on the following link. Skinner’s 20th Century Design results.

This weekend we will be exhibiting at our first show of 2013, at the Birchwood Manor, in Whippany, NJ, Saturday and Sunday, January 5-6. We will be bringing all of our new and exciting purchases. We’ll have them all on display. Then on to the all-important Miami shows at the end of the month. If you can’t see us in New Jersey, don’t miss us in Miami.

Incredible Tiffany Favrile red decorated paperweight vase, just in

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

Fine Gallé clematis blownout vase, recently acquired

Philip Chasen Antiques

The blog for chasenantiques.com

Category Archives: Auctions

Excellent results for Tiffany Studios and French cameo glass at Cottone Auctions, March 23, 2013

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

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

One result a stunner, at McInnis auction of John F. Kennedy memorabilia, February 17, 2013

Christie’s South Kensington Interiors sale breathes new life into works by Louis Icart, February 19, 2013

Doyle’s Belle Epoque auction exceeds $2 million, February 6, 2013

You could have bought the original piano from the 1942 classic film Casablanca

Stellar sale at Heritage’s Vintage Movie Poster Signature Auction, November 29, 2012

Some good results at Skinner’s 20th Century Design auction, December 15, 2012