Good results for Tiffany Studios objects at Sotheby’s New York, December 17, 2009

Posted on December 22, 2009 by Philip Chasen

Sotheby’s New York held their “Important Tiffany” auction on December 17, 2009, with good results. 30 of the 39 lots sold, for total sales of $3,038,250.

Tiffany Studios Laburnum table lamp, Sotheby's lot 434

The top lot of the sale was #434, a Tiffany Studios Laburnum table lamp with a fantastic organic root base. It carried a pre-sale estimate of $350-500,000 and realized $422,500, including buyer’s premium.

Tiffany Studios Salamander lamp, Sotheby's lot #428

Lot #428 was a rare Tiffany Studios Salamander table lamp that realized the second highest price of the sale. It sold for $362,500, including buyer’s premium, against a pre-sale estimate of $3-500,000. It’s a stylized geometric decoration that is not my taste, but all that was needed was one buyer and the reserve, and that appeared to be the case.

Tiffany Studios rare blue Jack-in-the-Pulpit vase, Sotheby's lot #418

A wonderful and rare Tiffany Studios blue Jack-in-the-Pulpit vase sold for $86,500, including buyer’s premium, near the high end of the $50-80,000 pre-sale estimate. I bought almost this exact vase about 30 years ago in a home for about $5,000. Wish I had that one back. It would have looked nice on my shelf all these years.

Tiffany Studios Ninth Century desk set, Sotheby's lot #409

The Ninth Century pattern in Tiffany Studios desk sets is quite attractive with blue and green jewels. A large set with a few rare items, including a thermometer and a scale, was sold as lot #409. It doubled its pre-sale estimate of $10-15,000, selling for $37,500, including buyer’s premium. Excuse me, Mister Buyer (or anyone else), I’ve got lots of additional items in the Ninth Century pattern for sale. Please contact me.

For complete results, click this link. Sotheby’s Important Tiffany results.

Please send me your suggestions or questions about art glass, lamps, Louis Icart, shows, auctions, etc. If it’s interesting, I’ll answer your question in a future blog entry.

Call or write and let me know what you would like to buy, sell, or trade. philchasen@gmail.com or 516-922-2090. And please visit my website. chasenantiques.com

Some treasures I’ve owned, part V, Gallé blownout vases

Posted on December 1, 2009 by Philip Chasen

Gallé blownout elephant vase

Emile Gallé died in 1904, but the company he founded continued in business until the Great Depression. Production stopped during WWI, but then continued after the war. It was during that time that blownout vases were created. Sometimes they are referred to as mold-blown or soufflé, in France. The technique is first to create a mold and blow the glass into the mold. That creates the identical shape for successive examples, but not identical colors. The artist is still free to change the colors for each example. The colored layers are applied to the vase and then etched with acid. There are roughly 30 different models, from simple models with berries to exotic ones with elephants. What makes one better than another is the design, the color and the size.

Elephants are amongst the best Gallé blownout vases. The usual coloration is brown elephants on an opalescent or yellow background. There is also a rarer example with white elephants. Gallé elephant vases are large and impressive. The example above was a beauty.

Gallé blownout calla lily vase

The largest Gallé blownout vase is the calla lily. It’s huge, heavy, and spectacular. This particular example had great color with red lilies on a yellow-amber background. This model also exists with blue calla lilies and is exceptionally beautiful.

Gallé blownout clematis vase

Sometimes an additional layer of color (usually white) is added to give the flowers even more of a three-dimensional and realistic look. These examples are quite rare and usually gorgeous. The example below has a layer of white glass beneath the red and makes the clematis flowers appear dramatic.

I’m taking a lot of time to add new items to my website. I’ve already listed new items under Gallé glass (including a blownout vase), Daum Nancy glass and Tiffany Studios glass. Soon I’ll be adding many Tiffany Studios desk pieces. Many are priced right for great holiday gift-giving. Who wouldn’t like to receive a genuine Tiffany desk set accessory as a Christmas or Chanukah gift? I’ll soon be starting a big sale on Icart etchings. Please take a look, as every day I’m adding more.chasenantiques.com.

Please send me your suggestions or questions about art glass, lamps, Louis Icart, shows, auctions, etc. If it’s interesting, I’ll answer your question in a future blog entry.

Call or write and let me know what you would like to buy, sell, or trade. philchasen@gmail.com or 516-922-2090. And please visit my website. chasenantiques.com

Some treasures I’ve owned, part IV, Tiffany Studios desk items

Posted on November 4, 2009 by Philip Chasen

Tiffany Studios Pine Needle clock

Tiffany Studios desk sets have become quite popular in the last few years. I think publication of the Kemeny book on Tiffany desk sets galvanized public interest. Since the publication of the book, prices have gone up 10-fold on many items. Some of the items show up repeatedly, so it’s a kick for me when I find a rarity. Even the rarities are still priced within many collector’s budgets, with a high of about $10,000 for most, except the nearly impossible-to-find Pond Lily pattern. Some of you may remember that a set of six Pond Lily desk items sold for over $200,000 at an auction in North Carolina about 2 years ago.

The Pine Needle pattern has become more popular in the last year or so. A clock is one of the items that’s quite rare in any Tiffany desk set. The pictured example had a beautiful patina.

Tiffany Studios Grapevine set

I never knew a combination tray, inkwell, wax seal, matchbox holder, and pen existed, until I was offered this one. This particular example was complete and had one of the best original patinas one could ask for. I wish I had 10 more, but then it wouldn’t be quite as rare.

Tiffany Studios clock with signs of the Zodiac

This clock is not part of the Zodiac pattern but it does have the signs of the Zodiac. It’s quite rare and in stupendous condition with colorful original enameling. Some Tiffany desk set items come with or without enameling. The rarer ones are enameled and those where the enameling is in great original condition are the rarest of all.

Please send me your suggestions or questions about art glass, lamps, Louis Icart, shows, auctions, etc. If it’s interesting, I’ll answer your question in a future blog entry.

Call or write and let me know what you would like to buy, sell, or trade. philchasen@gmail or 516-922-2090. And please visit my website. chasenantiques.com

Tiffany desk set items sell very well at Stefek’s Auction

Posted on September 25, 2009 by Philip Chasen

Stefek’s Auctioneers of Grosse Pointe Farms, Michigan, held an auction tonight. It was a well-rounded sale with furniture, lighting, paintings, etc. I only had interest in two lots in the sale, #257, a Tiffany Studios Byzantine perpetual calendar frame and #258, a Tiffany Studios Abalone desk set.

Tiffany Studios Byzantine calendar frame, lot #257

Original perpetual calendars come with a set of month and date cards that allow for every possibility, so they can be rotated monthly to make the date come out on the correct day of the week. Nowadays, they’re more useful as photo frames. Byzantine is a rare pattern, probably because it was quite expensive when new. It comes with many jewels inset in the design, but not always the same colors from set to set. Coral, white and dark blue are some of the other colors I’m familiar with. Stefek’s lot #257 came with turquoise round jewels and deep green, diamond-shaped jewels. This example seemed to be in especially fine condition. The pre-sale estimate was $2-3000 + 15% buyer’s premium. I was prepared to bid to about $2500 as perpetual calendar frames are small and Byzantine collectors are few and far between. To my pleasant surprise, the frame sold for $7475 — quite a sparkling result. If I’m not the buyer, I like strong prices. They show me that the market is alive and well.

Tiffany Studios Abalone desk set, lot #258

The next lot in the sale, #258, was a Tiffany Studios Abalone desk set with some very nice items, including the best item, a frame, and the second best item, a scale. Some of the items showed considerable wear but the better items seemed to be in good condition. The pre-sale estimate was $12/14000 — quite aggressive in my opinion. I was prepared to bid $7-7500. The lot sold for $9775, including the buyer’s premium — a fair price. If I had been the successful buyer, I would have sold all of the items individually, giving different collectors the chance to buy an item or two.

Please send me your suggestions or questions about art glass, lamps, Louis Icart, shows, auctions, etc. If it’s interesting, I’ll answer your question in a future blog entry.

Call or write and let me know what you would like to buy, sell, or trade. philchasen@gmail or 516-922-2090. And please visit my website. chasenantiques.com

Thank you, Chicago

Posted on August 31, 2009 by Philip Chasen

The Chicago Summer Antiques Show venue

I really had no idea what to expect from this show. The promoter, Rosemary Krieger, decided that the summer antiques show needed a radical change. Attendance at O’Hare the past few years has been steadily declining. So she moved the show to a new venue in downtown Chicago to a building in the Sono section. She’s used this building before for her Modernism show, so she was familiar with it and the neighborhood.

A view of the Sono neighborhood, looking south at downtown Chicago

Personally, the show went well for me, with Tiffany Studios items, including glass, lamps and desk items garnering the most interest. However, every single sale was to an existing client of mine and that was disappointing. Part of doing a show, especially in a new venue, is to meet new clients. I do wish to thank my loyal clients for their business.

Sunday afternoon at 4:00 PM

In speaking personally to a handful of dealers at the show I heard the following comments. One dealer complained that it was one of the worst shows he had ever done. Another dealer did moderately well and told me that he thought the show had very good potential. A third dealer told me he did fairly well and a fourth dealer complained about the light attendance at the show, especially on Sunday. She thought the show promoter had done a poor job of advertising. In her view, the promoter should have advertised aggressively, as this was the first time in a new location. She also complained that there weren’t enough signs in the neighborhood pointing to the location of the show.

Show promoters have a tough job. They have to satisfy both the dealers and the public, so it’s a balancing act for them. What the promoters have to realize is that the dealers are their clients, not the public. Promoters need to make life easier for their dealers. That means that the hours of the show should be consistent with giving the buying public enough hours to shop the show but not making the hours so long that it becomes a burden on the dealers. Shows don’t need to open early on Sunday because no one comes early on Sunday. Shows don’t have to be open late on Saturday because the public leaves early to go to dinner or the theater. Irene Stella has it right with the Pier shows in New York City. They’re open to the public only on Saturday and Sunday. Everyone makes it their business to get there during show hours. Part of the reason that dealers do well is because there’s action and electricity at her shows because things happen fast. Make up your mind soon or that item you’re admiring will be gone. It’s good for everybody — fewer days, shorter hours and the same amount of business.

Please send me your suggestions or questions about art glass, lamps, Louis Icart, shows, auctions, etc. If it’s interesting, I’ll answer your question in a future blog entry.

Call or write and let me know what you would like to buy, sell, or trade. philchasen@gmail or 516-922-2090. And please visit my website. chasenantiques.com

So-so results at the Pasadena Antiques Show

Posted on August 10, 2009 by Philip Chasen

The Pasadena Antiques Show, August 9, 2009

It’s really tough work sitting at a show when there’s very little to do. Kinda like Chinese torture. The show opened on Friday. I wish I knew why. There were very few people and of those who showed, there seemed to be even fewer buyers. 8 hours of sitting. It’s easy when people are asking questions and making purchases, but not this Friday.

Irene Stella seems to have it right. She’s the promoter of the Pier Show in NYC. It’s a 2-day show. The public comes en masse and everyone makes their decisions quickly whether to purchase or not. It’s good for the public and good for the dealers. I would like to see the Pasadena show shortened to 2 days, but it’ll never happen.

Saturday was much more lively. Attendance was good, interest was good, especially in Tiffany Studios desk set items, and sales were decent. Now if only Sunday would be like Saturday, the show would have been good, but alas, no dice. Attendance wasn’t very good and interest was poor.

In my opinion, the main problem is that there isn’t just one important show in the LA area that everyone MUST attend. There’s one little show here and one little show there and as a result, LA is a difficult city in which to do well. It doesn’t matter how wealthy the residents are if they don’t show up. I say that because I’m always amused by show promoters when they try to convince me that I should do a new show in some city. “Do you know what the average income is within a 50-mile radius of the show?” I couldn’t care less, because that’s not what’s most important. It’s getting those people to attend the show that’s most important and that’s way tougher than it sounds.

On to Chicago in a couple of weeks and then Baltimore over the Labor Day weekend. That’s the one I’m looking most forward to. It’s big and important, so everyone shows up. It doesn’t guarantee I’ll do well, but at least I’ll have a fighting chance.

Please send me your suggestions or questions about art glass, lamps, Louis Icart, shows, auctions, etc. If it’s interesting, I’ll answer your question in a future blog entry.

Call or write and let me know what you would like to buy, sell, or trade. philchasen@gmail or 516-922-2090.

Philip Chasen Antiques

The blog for chasenantiques.com

Tag Archives: tiffany studios desk sets

Good results for Tiffany Studios objects at Sotheby’s New York, December 17, 2009

Some treasures I’ve owned, part V, Gallé blownout vases

Some treasures I’ve owned, part IV, Tiffany Studios desk items

Tiffany desk set items sell very well at Stefek’s Auction

Thank you, Chicago

So-so results at the Pasadena Antiques Show