Do yourself a favor and visit the Tiffany Studios collection of the Charles Hosmer Morse Museum of American Art in Winter Park, Florida

Posted on February 27, 2012 by Philip Chasen

Thursday’s blog will be posted by 1 PM.

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. This Thursday’s post will be about the auction of the superb Milhous collection of musical orchestrions, rare cars and even Icart etchings (with very surprising results). It will be a good one!

That's me sitting in the rebuilt Daffodil Terrace

We were quite busy in Florida with four shows, but luckily we had a week off after the third show. On one of those days, we visited the Morse Museum in Winter Park, Florida. It had been about ten years since we last visited, and I just couldn’t believe how much I had forgotten. For me it was the highlight of our week off. Not only were there fantastic items on display, but the museum completed construction of a new wing that houses the reconstruction of the original Daffodil Terrace from Louis Comfort Tiffany’s Long Island estate, Laurelton Hall.

An incredible padded and wheel-carved Tiffany Favrile floral vase

Two rare Tiffany Favrile Aquamarine vases

Knock-your-socks-off Tiffany Favrile Lava and windowpane vases

There is an astonishing selection of very rare and very beautiful Tiffany Favrile vases in the museum that ranges from padded and wheel-carved to Lava to Aquamarine to red decorated to window vases. They’re breathtaking!

These incredible fruit doors led outside to the gardens of a Long Island mansion

The glass in this Tiffany Studios window is even more gorgeous in person

Then there are some truly exceptional windows and doors that will take your breath away.

You won't have any doubts about Tiffany's ability as an artist after you see this painting in person

Some remarkable examples of Tiffany Favrile enamel on copper vases

One of the rarest of all Tiffany Studios lamps -- Spider in the web, with mosaic base

I can’t show you every item in the museum, but use these photos to get a taste of what’s in store for you if you make the trip. The museum is located in a very upscale section of Winter Park. Take your time and eat a block away in an outdoor cafe and enjoy the town too. Winter Park is a suburb of Orlando, so it’s just a hop and a skip from all the big amusement parks. You’ll thank me.

Our next show is the Pier Show in New York City on the weekend of March 17th and 18th. It’s always fun, so start planning your trip to the Big Apple!

In the meantime, we’re still in business, so don’t be bashful. Call or write!
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Very fine Daum blownout scenic vase with wheel-carved detail

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 Louis Icart etchings. Here’s the link. chasenantiques.com

Some smoking results for Tiffany Studios and French cameo glass at Doyle’s Belle Epoque auction, February 8, 2012

Posted on February 13, 2012 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. Setup for the important Palm Beach Jewelry, Art and Antique Show starts on Thursday, February 16th, so I can’t guarantee I’ll be able to post this Thursday, but I’ll try.

Doyle New York held their Belle Epoque sale on Wednesday, February 8th, 2012. There were some fine items in the sale, including Daum vases, a Gallé lamp, Tiffany vases and a rare Tiffany Studios settee. They all did well, but the settee was on fire (well, not literally). The sale totaled $1,775,439, against a pre-sale estimate of $964,100 – $1,456,900, with 86% sold by lot and 95% sold by value.

Rare Tiffany Studios settee, Doyle lot #439

Top lot of the sale was #439, a Tiffany Studios settee, circa 1890-91, from the music room of the Louisine and Henry Osborne Havemeyer mansion in New York. Estimated to sell for $125,000 – $175,000, it soared to $422,500, including buyer’s premium. All you need to get similar results is to consign your rare Tiffany Studios objects that descended in your family from the 19th century. (Good luck with that!)

Tiffany paperweight vase, Doyle lot #437

The most important Tiffany Favrile vase in the auction, lot #437, was a calla lily paperweight vase, 16½” tall, that sold for $40,625, four times its $10,000-15,000 low estimate.

Rare wheel-carved Daum vase with silver mounts, Doyle lot #391

A fine Daum vase, lot #391, also had a great day. The vase was decorated with vivid blue cornflowers, wheel-carved and with an elaborate silver floral foot (probably original). Against a conservative estimate of $3,500 – $4,500, it shot to $22,500, including buyer’s premium.

Fine Gallé table lamp, Doyle lot #413

Gallé was well represented with a gorgeous purple and yellow clematis lamp, lot #413. It more than doubled its pre-sale estimate of $12,000 – $18,000, to sell for $37,500.

For the complete results of the sale, click on the following link. Doyle’s Belle Epoque results.
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There’s only one more show for us in Florida and that’s the important Palm Beach Jewelry, Art & Antique Show this coming weekend. It opens to the public this Saturday, February 18th, at 11 AM and continues until Tuesday, February 21st at 6 PM. It has some of the best dealers in the world exhibiting.

In the meantime, we’re still in business, so don’t be bashful. Call or write!
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Incredible Daum egg with swan decoration, 5½ inches long

The Palm Beach Winter Antiques Show, January 20 – 22, 2012

Posted on January 23, 2012 by Philip Chasen

Friday afternoon, 2:15 PM, in the ballroom where my booth is located

I thought it might be interesting if I gave you a contemporaneous blow by blow description of the Palm Beach Winter Antiques Show as it progresses. Here goes.

Friday, 1:00 PM. The show opened at 11 AM and I’m already crawling out of my skin. The show is off to a slow start, with very light attendance. Those few people who came to the booth never even asked to see a single item in the showcases.

Sold one good item at the preview party last night, but to the dealer in the next booth. There were very few people at the party and not one serious buyer among them.

Friday, 3:05 PM. Attendance is still very light. No serious questions. One small sale to another dealer on the floor. Played 4 games of Spider Solitaire and 10 games of Words with Friends (I’m winning many of them). Now I’m off for a walk because my rear end is flat.

Friday, 5:20 PM. There are very few buyers walking around and no questions about anything. Just doing busywork (like writing my blog). Luckily, I have a free wifi connection from the hotel.

Friday, 6:45 PM. The ballroom is almost empty, so we’ll leave five minutes early. I need a drink!

Saturday afternoon, 4 PM

Saturday, 1:00 PM. The show started off very slowly today, but the attendance has picked up a bit. I actually showed a few items to different people. They seemed more than a little reluctant, but definitely interested.

Saturday, 1:40 PM. Finally broke the ice to the public — made a small sale to a lovely older couple.

Saturday, 3:55 PM. Busy for a while. A few bona fide customers inquired about various vases, but no dice. A gentleman brought in some French cameo glass vases that I wound up buying. Made another sale to a dealer on the floor. Three of my four sales have been to dealers at the show.

Saturday 6:20 PM. There isn’t a single client walking around, so we’ll leave a little early. The show never should run to 7 PM on a Saturday night. It should have ended at 6 PM.

Sunday, 1:15 PM. I dropped Lia off at the show earlier and left to buy lunch and find a portable TV to watch the NY Giants defeat the 49ers. Did you know they’re nearly impossible to buy in a store? First I went to Walmart, then Brandsmart, then Best Buy. Finally the Best Buy salesman said he had a couple for sale in the trunk of his car. So I bought one — I hope it didn’t fall off the back of a truck. He assured me it hadn’t.

Attendance is still slow, but there have been a few questions. We’ll see if any of them turn into sales.

Another section of the show on Sunday, 4:15 PM

Sunday, 4:10 PM. One of our clients showed up — a lovely lady. She purchased several of the rarer Tiffany Studios desk pieces, so we are ending the show on a positive note. In 50 minutes, we’ll start packing up and get ready for the next one.

After all the bother with the portable TV, it didn’t work in the building. The signal was too weak and only worked outside. I called the salesman who sold it to me and he agreed to take it back.

Sunday, 8:05 PM. ESPN.com showed the results in a timely fashion, but no voice or video. The NY Giants finished the first half ahead 10-7 (Go Giants!). We finished packing and now I can go to the hotel bar and watch the second half. Did I say Go Giants?

The show was disappointing, but far from a disaster. Attendance was much lighter than I had hoped, as was interest and sales. I didn’t add everything up, but either we broke even or made a ham sandwich. That’s a lot of work for a ham sandwich. Will we do the show again? Doubtful. There’s a Pier Show in New York at the same time, with significantly lower costs for us. We could stay home in New York for an extra week and then travel to Florida for three shows, instead of four. That’s probably what we’ll wind up doing next year, but that could change.

The second show of our Florida circuit starts this Friday, January 27th, with the Miami National Antiques Show (aka The Airport Show), at the Doubletree Expo Centre, Miami Merchandise Mart, in Miami. Make your plans to visit us at any of our Florida shows. They’re filled with the best dealers and a fabulous array of merchandise that you won’t find anywhere else. The big bonus is the weather. The temperature has been in the 70s and 80s every day (while it’s 10 degrees in Chicago, as I write this). No more excuses! Make your plans now.

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A really gorgeous scenic blue Gallé vase, just in

You have to visit the Musée D’Orsay when in Paris

Posted on January 17, 2012 by Philip Chasen

The Musée D'Orsay, situated on the left bank of the Seine, near the Eiffel Tower

The view on entering the museum

We just returned from a brief business trip to Paris and luckily had time to visit our favorite museum in the world (at least as of today). The Musée D’Orsay is located in what used to be a railway station, the Gare D’Orsay. The beautiful Beaux-Arts building was transformed over a nine year period from 1977 to 1986, after being saved from the wrecking ball by receiving landmark status. The result is a spectacular museum, both from the perspective of its architecture and its collections.

Hand-carved Art Nouveau library by François-Rupert Carabin

The Art Nouveau collection includes furniture, glass and ceramics, with some truly incredible objects. One of my favorites is a wonderful hand-carved wood library by the great French sculptor, François-Rupert Carabin.

Woman with Umbrella, one of the many Claude Monet paintings in the museum

The museum has a vast collection of French Impressionist paintings by Monet, Manet, Renoir, Pissarro, Degas and others. If you love Impressionism, as I do, you have to visit just to see the art. And don’t miss the breathtaking paintings by James Tissot — wow!

An amazing Tiffany Studios window of a Toulouse Lautrec painting

Convinced yet to visit Paris and the Musée D’Orsay? It’s closed on Mondays, otherwise open every day, including late on Thursday. Spend several hours and have a really great time!
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The first show of our Florida show circuit starts this Friday, January 20th, with the Palm Beach Winter Antiques Show, at the Embassy Suites (formerly Crowne Plaza), 1601 Belvedere Road in West Palm Beach. Make your plans to visit us at this show or one of our other Florida shows. They’re filled with the best dealers and a fabulous array of merchandise that you won’t find anywhere else. The big bonus is the weather. The temperature has been in the 70s every day.

A really gorgeous scenic blue Gallé vase, just in

The results of the Birchwood Manor Antiques Show, January 7-8, 2012

Posted on January 9, 2012 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. There will not be a Thursday post this week because I’ll be traveling to Europe on a quick buying trip. I hope to return with a few choice items, which I’ll display at my upcoming Florida shows.

Saturday afternoon at the show

The Birchwood Manor Antiques Show was held in Whippany, NJ, this past weekend, January 7-8, 2012. The show was shortened from a three-day show to a two-day show, based on my suggestion last year to the show promoter, Allison Kohler. Two-day shows have worked great for Stella’s Pier Show in Manhattan, so why not for Birchwood Manor in New Jersey? Here’s the way I see it. When a show is only two days long, more people attend per day. That makes for more energy — like critical mass in a nuclear reaction. Another big plus is that the time commitment for dealers (and the promoter and the rest of the staff) is one day shorter, and that’s a big deal. Everyone wins — the public gets to see the same show; the promoter sells the same number of tickets to the public; the dealers sell the same (or more) with one fewer day. How can you beat that?

Sunday afternoon in my booth

So now that you know the theory, how did it work in practice? Very well, thank you. Attendance was fairly good both days, although a little slower on Sunday, perhaps because of the Giants playoff game. (Go Giants!) Because the show was more crowded, there was more interest, more questions, and thank goodness, more business.

A fine Tiffany Studios fleur-de-lys double candlestick, sold at the show

I spoke to quite a few dealers. Most said they had good shows or at least passable. One dealer said she had a better show than she did in Miami Beach last year (wow!) — and that’s with only 14 total hours of selling. I’d say that was a successful show. The show is smaller than it used to be, so I think some of the dealers who dropped out should reconsider and exhibit again. Personally my show went well, with the most interest in French glass, Tiffany lamps and bronze, Fulper pottery and French bronze.

We’re looking forward to our Florida show circuit, which starts with the Palm Beach Winter Antiques Show at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in West Palm Beach on January 20th. You’ve got to admit that antique dealers are not stupid — all of the action moves to Florida in the middle of the winter. By the time we get back to New York, the winter will almost be over. In the meantime, I suggest you make your plans to visit some of the Florida shows. They’re filled with the best dealers and a fabulous array of merchandise that you won’t find anyplace else.

Fabulous A. Walter pate-de-verre vase with lizard

Original artwork by Louis Comfort Tiffany on display at the Nassau County Museum of Art

Posted on January 3, 2012 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. There will not be a Thursday post this week because we’ll be in Whippany, New Jersey setting up the Birchwood Manor Antiques Show. (Hope you can visit us this coming weekend, Saturday, January 7 – Sunday, January 8. Which reminds me to wish all of you a Happy, Healthy, and Prosperous New Year!

Part of the Tiffany exhibition at the Nassau County Museum of Art

The current exhibition at the Nassau County Museum of Art is entitled The Paintings of Louis Comfort Tiffany: Works from a Long Island Collection. To the best of my knowledge, no other museum has ever displayed such a comprehensive collection. The exhibition will end on March 18, 2012, so there’s still plenty of time to visit. Make your plans to see this superb collection before it’s too late!

Louis Comfort Tiffany oil on canvas painting of a North African scene

Starting in his twenties, Tiffany traveled extensively in the Middle East and Europe. His paintings illuminate his travels and serve as a wonderful record.

Oil on canvas painting Pushing Off the Boat at Sea Bright

Tiffany painted Pushing Off the Boat at Sea Bright on his visit to Sea Bright, NJ in 1887.

A rare tropical scenic Tiffany Studios window, on display at the exhibition

In addition to the 125 paintings and watercolors, the exhibition contains a few fine examples of windows and lamps from Tiffany Studios. Photos do not do justice to the exhibition, so run, don’t walk, to the Nassau County Museum of Art in Roslyn, Long Island, New York! Here’s the link to the Museum’s website, Tiffany exhibition.

One of the many new superb Daum Nancy vases I will be exhibiting at my upcoming shows

Superb results at Sotheby’s Important Tiffany sale, December 15, 2011

Posted on December 26, 2011 by Philip Chasen

Sotheby’s New York held its Important Tiffany sale on December 15, 2011, a day after Bonham’s New York held its 20th Century Decorative Arts sale. Sotheby’s separated its 53 Tiffany Studios’s items into one catalog and its Important 20th Century Design items into another. Continuing the excellent results for Tiffany Studios items, the sale totaled $4,597,875, with 83.0% of the offerings sold by lot and 78.2% by value. That worked out to an impressive average price of $104,497 per sold lot. The Important 20th Century Design portion of the sale grossed $5,106,251, for a combined total of $9,704,126.

Tiffany Studios Wisteria table lamp, Sotheby's lot #238

Top lot of the sale was #238, a beautiful Tiffany Studios Wisteria table lamp, which sold for $842,500, including buyer’s premium — well above the pre-sale estimate of $400,000 – $600,000.

Three Tiffany Studios wall sconces, Sotheby's lot #231

The most mystifying result of the sale was lot #231, a set of three relatively simple (except for the bronze balls) Tiffany Studios wall sconces. Estimated to sell for $25,000 – $35,000, they sold for an astonishing $182,500. Bidding slowed and almost finished near $45,000, when two determined phone bidders continued to duke it out to $182,500. Another happy consignor hit the jackpot! There’s no other way to describe it. If I had displayed these sconces at a show and asked $182,500, I would have been laughed out of the show.

Original oil painting on panel by Louis Comfort Tiffany, Sotheby's lot #201

Prices and interest have been steadily rising on original artworks by Tiffany. The current exhibition at the Nassau County Museum of Art in Roslyn, Long Island, NY, displays a vast collection of Tiffany artwork. (More on that in a subsequent blog.) Perhaps that had some influence on the sale of lot #201, a small, original oil painting on panel by Louis Comfort Tiffany, of a Mediterranean seascape. Estimated to sell for $15,000 – $20,000, it realized $53,125.

For the complete results of the Tiffany sale, click on the following link. Sotheby’s Tiffany results.

Very rare R. Lalique red vase, Ronces

I’d like to show you some of the new items I recently acquired

Posted on December 19, 2011 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. This Thursday’s blog will be a review of the results of one of December’s 20th Century Decorative Arts auctions. (There have been many.)

Rare Le Verre Francais vases - Poissons and Palmiers Bleus

December is always a very busy month for antiques, mostly for buying, and not as much for selling. People get busy with their Christmas shopping and that doesn’t usually include a valuable antique. But sometimes it does, so I’m always ready to provide emergency service. If you still need a fine antique gift, I can work very quickly and so can UPS or FedEx.

Two of three Tiffany Favrile red vases available for sale

I’ve been buying out of control, and that’s good. Business is usually best in winter, especially at the Florida shows, so I’m loaded for bear. I was lucky enough to be able to buy some incredible items by Tiffany Studios, Daum Nancy, Emile Gallé, R. Lalique, Le Verre Francais and others. I’ll illustrate a few of them in this blog. Please check my site for new items, because I’ll be adding them as fast as I can. Here’s the link. chasenantiques.com

Fantastic Tiffany Studios Art Nouveau smoker stand with original enameling

Among the many Tiffany Studios items I bought are vases — red, red decorated, Cypriote, millifiori, etc. For lamps, I purchased a 20″ Arrowroot, a 10-light lily and a 7-light lily. For miscellaneous, I have a Tiffany Studios pottery vase, lots of desk items, and an incredible Art Nouveau smoker stand with original enameling, unlike any I’ve owned before.

One of the best Daum Nancy vases I've acquired in years

The French cameo glass market, especially Daum Nancy, has been solid for years, and shows no signs of slowing. I recently acquired some fabulous items, including a very rare and beautiful farm scene, two rain scenes and an unbelievable collection of about 25 miniature vases.

You can see everything I have for sale if you visit me at one of my winter shows. The first will be at Birchwood Manor in Whippany, NJ, the weekend of January 7-8, 2012. Then a week’s break and off to Florida for the start of our Florida circuit, first in Palm Beach (Jan. 20-22), then two in Miami (Jan. 27-29 and Feb. 2-6), and then back to W. Palm Beach (Feb. 18-21). If you can’t visit me at one of my shows, I’m always available by email, philchasen@aol.com, or phone, 516-922-2090. We can ship to anywhere from anywhere.

Very rare R. Lalique red vase, Ronces

Rare Tiffany Studios andirons sell at South Bay Auctions on Long Island, December 10, 2011

Posted on December 12, 2011 by Philip Chasen

Pair of andirons, South Bay Auctions lot #263

South Bay Auctions of East Moriches, Long Island held a Fine Art, Antiques & Sporting auction on Saturday, December 10, 2011. Included in the sale were a pair of andirons that were sold as lot #263, with the following description: Pair of Art Nouveau nickel plated bronze torchieres with iridescent stained glass tops, 23-1/2″h; one misshapen, loss to plating. No estimate was listed for them. It’s likely they were sold without reserve.

Detail photo showing where the cast iron was originally inserted

Torchieres they weren’t, as there was no way they could provide light. Rather, they were nickel-plated bronze andirons. A detail photo of the back shows where the cast iron portion was originally inserted. It had been cut off somewhere in its history.

Superb leaded glass turtleback tiles inset into the top of each andiron

The proof that they were Tiffany Studios was in the top — leaded turtleback tiles. Fabulous! The quality, materials and workmanship all screamed Tiffany Studios. The andirons were unsigned, but Tiffany didn’t sign everything. Every once in a while, something got out unsigned.

The bidding started at a few hundred dollars and continued in hundreds until about $2,000. Then a phone bidder jumped the bid to $5,000 (a failed attempt to scare off the other bidders). After a few thousand more dollars, the live audience dropped out and left the bidding to two determined phone bidders. Again the bidders jumped a few bids, until the final price of $28,000, for a total of $33,040, including the buyer’s premium. I’ve got a pretty good idea of who the bidders were, but that’s not for publication. In my opinion, if the pair were signed and in better condition, they could have brought double or more at a major auction house in New York City. In the meantime, I’m sure the consignor was thrilled with the result.

Knowledge is power, and this item was another example.

A killer Daum Nancy vase, just acquired

Julia’s Important Lamp & Glass Auction grossed $1.5 million, December 1-2, 2011

Posted on December 8, 2011 by Philip Chasen

Every major and not so major auction house holds a 20th Century decorative arts sale in November or December. I’ll cover many of them this month. Today’s post will be about the results at Julia’s. 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.

James D. Julia, Inc. held its semi-annual Important Lamp & Glass Auction on December 1 and 2, 2011, in Fairfield, Maine. The sale totaled $1.5 million, at the high range of expectations for the head of the department, Dudley Browne. As has been the case of recent, some categories performed better than expected and others faltered. There’s no clear pattern, so it’s difficult to extrapolate forward. Victorian glass, which had not done well recently, did well at this auction. Wedgwood Fairyland Lustre did poorly after doing well in the last sale.

Cut glass decanters, Julia lot #2136

A pair of cut glass decanters, one of which was pale amber, sold for $22,425, against a pre-sale estimate of $200 – $400, over 100 times the low estimate. Apparently the amber one was quite rare. Nice home run for the consignor.

Eugene Michel French cameo glass vase, Julia's lot #3204

The cover lot, a spectacular wheel-carved Eugene Michel French cameo glass vase, took off. Estimated properly at $10,000 – $15,000, it quadrupled its low estimate to sell for $47,150, including buyer’s premium. Michel vases can command high prices when the workmanship is super, and this one was super.

Daum Nancy vase with roses, insects and cabochons, Julia lot #3215

At this sale, Daum did marginally better than Galle. The top lot of the Daum glass was a 25″ tube vase, decorated with roses, insects and applied cabochons. It sold for $13,800, including buyer’s premium, slightly below its low estimate. Much of the French glass in the sale was fresh, from a private Long Island consignor.

Tiffany Studios watercolor sketch, Julia's lot #3300

Tiffany Studios watercolor sketches of stained glass windows did extremely sell, selling for 6 to 15 times their estimates. The highest price was paid for lot #3300, a watercolor sketch of a Tiffany window. It brought $18,400, against a pre-sale estimate of $2,000 – $3,000.

Tiffany lamps that were in the sale with aggressive estimates and reserves failed to sell, whereas most of the lamps with conservative estimates sold.

For the complete results of the sale, click on the following link. You will have to sign in (free) to see the prices. Julia’s Important Lamp & Glass Auction results.

A killer 6½" Daum Nancy vase, just acquired

Philip Chasen Antiques

The blog for chasenantiques.com

Tag Archives: Tiffany Studios