Possible German Attribution for Tiffany Studios Chair Model

Hello Dear Readers.  It has been far too long since I have last written.  The New York 20th century design sales are happening this week and between Sotheby's, Christie's and Bonham's it will prove to be a stellar showing.  Christie's in particular is offering many exceedingly rare works by my perennial favorite Armand-Albert Rateau.  Besides offering an iconic low table and ashtray they have this exquisite perpetual calendar model that I had never seen in the flesh.

Armand Albert Rateau, Perpetual Calendar, Christie's New York, 17 December 2015, lot 213, Estimate $150,000-$250,000 (Image:AestheticusRex)

But I digress...  When Christie's published their design catalogues just prior to the Thanksgiving holiday lot 336 stopped me in my tracks.

"Tiffany Studios" Armchair, Christie's New York, 18 December 2015, lot 336, Estimate $50,000-70,000
(Image: Christies.com)

In a previous post regarding viking revival furniture I wrote about another example of this chair model that was then a recent acquisition of the Musee d'Orsay in Paris.  At that point the model was attributed to Tiffany Studios due to the fact that very closely related examples were part of the interior decoration of the Rembrandt Room within the Havemeyer Mansion, a celebrated Tiffany Studios commission. (The Havemeyer examples are of slightly grander proportion and have variations in the carving notably to the highly realized orbs on the arm posts).

Rembrandt Room within the Havemeyer Mansion, Fifth Avenue, New York
(Image via Metmuseum.org)

Some time after I published that post a follower contacted me to assert that the chair from Musee d'Orsay had received an updated attribution.  The shift is due to the uncovering of a period Art Journal article reviewing the 1900 Paris Exposition Universelle.  It would appear that a German leather craftsman and furniture maker Georg Hulbe exhibited chairs of the same design.

The Art Journal, 1901, p. 132

Georg Hulbe Armchair Detail (note the flatter orbs)

The Christie's and Orsay examples visually relate to others offered at auction in the past decade (here, here, here, and here) and appear to be in-line with the period photograph attributing the model to Hulbe.  The Musee d'Orsay has updated their online catalogue to vaguely note Georg Hulbe as the author (designer?) and Tiffany Studios as the maker of their chair.  It is clear that more research needs to be done as countless scenarios are possible.  The Havemeyer examples could be the work of Georg Hulbe sub-contracting for Tiffany Studios or they could merely be Tiffany Studios executing Hulbe's design (or vice-versa).  It is also a reasonable hypothesis that examples of this armchair coming from old European collections may have precious little to do with Tiffany Studios whatsoever.  Until then the jury is out.  At the time of this posting Christie's has withdrawn the lot from their upcoming sale pending research.

Another Jacques Doucet Treasure Surfaces at Auction

Hello Dear readers I have taken far to long to start posting once again but life does tend to get in the way.  In preparation for the unfolding fall auction season I took time to look back at the spring season to take stock.  A reader tipped me off a few months ago that another rarity from Jacques Doucet's Studio St. James residence emerged at Christie's Paris May 20th, 2014 in the form of a rather smart silver and rock crystal desk set.

Rock Crystal and Silver Desk Set, Christie's Paris, 20 May 2014, Lot 4 (€37,500)

The lot comprises an inkwell, pin tray, stamp box and paper clip pot.  The winning bid of €37,500 is rather astonishing given that the set is not attributed to a known designer/maker and was offered on a pre-sale estimate of €10,000-12,000.  The result shows the importance of a Doucet provenance.  If you are not familiar with Jacques Doucet or his fabled collection see my previous posts here.  Christie's placed the date of the set to around 1929, the year Doucet died and when period images of his modernist studio home were published widely.  Looking at a period image of the studio the set indeed can be seen resting on the Pierre Legrain desk just outside of the "Oriental Cabinet".

The set seen in-situ within Jacques Doucet's Studio   Image: L'Illustration, 30 Mai 1930.

Detail of above

I would not date these items so late as they were present in the apartment Doucet acquired in 1912 on the avenue Bois de Boulogne.  The image below from the early 1920s shows the desk set in the Bois de Boulogne residence placed on the same Pierre Legrain desk which itself was designed in 1920 and executed shortly thereafter.  

The desk set present at Jacques Doucet's Bois de Boulogne apartment circa early 1920s   Image via Sotheby's

The desk set was one of a number of pieces that was not disbursed in the subsequent years immediately following Doucet's death.  According to the Christie's catalogue the set was offered as lot 13 in his groundbreaking 1972 sale.  The desk articles sold for a tidy 4500 francs where they were purchased by a Madame M., the present consignor to Christie's, which means they have had only two owners in nearly 100 years which only adds to their allure.

Vente Audap, Ancienne collection Jacques Doucet, 8 novembre 1972   Image: Aestheticusrex

In putting together this post it came to my attention that Architectural Digest September 2014 issue published a short article about Doucet as a collector.  It seems that the venerable Cheska Vallois dedicated her booth to Doucet's collecting genius at the 2014 Paris Biennale which closed today. Reports point out that it is a mix of Doucet items and period works in the spirit of his collection.

Galerie Vallois booth, 2014 Paris Bienalle    Image courtesy Galerie Vallois

I am loving the printed scrim at the end of the installation showing the entry stairs to Doucet's Studio. Connaissance des art Decortatifs produced the following interview which highlights a few of the works presented.

I must get my hands on Vallois' Biennale publication tout de suite.  I will undoubtedly travel to Paris for the fall 2015 Jacques Doucet exhibition at the Fondation Pierre Berge-Yves Saint Laurent. Much to do and see....until next time.  -AR

Tiffany Wisteria Lamp sets Record at Sotheby's

Just a quick note in the new year dear readers.  The design auctions concluded just before the holidays and Sotheby's set a new world record for the Wisteria lamp model by Tiffany Studios.  For an in-depth discussion of this design and its market, see my previous post here.  Sotheby's distinctive example reached a staggering $1,565,000 against an estimate of  $600,000-800,000.

Tiffany Studios Wisteria Lamp, Sotheby's New York 18 December 2013, lot 330

The lamp had many things going for it.  It was slightly deeper in tone in person and had a range of mottled turquoise glass along the lower border which gave an added sense of depth.  The lamp also had the added benefit of an impeccable provenance.  The lamp descended in the family of Baron Heinrich Thyssen-Bornemisza of Madrid who acquired the work around 1975.  I have known dealers to ask this price range for the Wisteria model in a retail setting so it seems clear to me that lamp was very likely purchased by a private buyer, pushing the bidding into the retail realm.  No details have surfaced yet, but I have a few ideas.

The previous record was also set by Sotheby's for a Wisteria from the collection of John M. Fowler.

Tiffany Studios Wisteria Lamp, Sotheby's New York 14 December 2007, lot 208

This example was similarly saturated in tones and also had a range of deeply mottled glass.  At the height of the pre-crash market it reached $881,000 against and estimate of $450,000-600,000.  While the Wisteria is not the rarest of examples it is infinitely desirable to collectors and nuanced, saturated examples have always been the largest movers in the market.  Throughout the 1970s auction records for the Wisteria climbed steadily from $16,250 for an example at Sotheby's London in 1971 to an example at Christie's in the fall of 1978 that moved the record to $52,800.  However, before the close of the decade the example would be one of the very first tiffany lamps ever to exceed $100,000 at auction.

Tiffany Studios Wisteria Lamp, Christie's New York 17 February 1979, lot 53 ($132,000)

The Wisteria in question came from the collection of Florida real estate magnates Eugene and Eleanor Gluck offered at Christie's in February of 1979.  For insight on the Gluck sale see my previous post here.  The period press described the Gluck's Wisteria as the best that had been seen at market achieving $132,000.  The catalogue image above seem's a bit dark but it appears to be a mottled example with greenish turquoise glass used in the lower register to articulate the blooms.  If this example were to hit the market today it would very likely exceed the newly established world record.  We shall wait and see what the future auction seasons bring us.  Until next time--AR.

Pierre Legrain Stool with Jacques Doucet Provenance at the Brooklyn Museum?

Hello Dear Readers.  Just another quick post.  The other week I found myself attending an event at the Brooklyn Museum for the first time in many years I hate to admit.  Just beyond the lobby is a grand installation entitled "Connecting Cultures: A World in Brooklyn".  The concept is part of a sweeping trend among Museums to get more artworks out of the storerooms and display them en mass not only to show off their holdings but also to make cross cultural connections.  It was a display case of African and African inspired furniture that stopped me in my tracks.

"Connecting Cultures: A World in Brooklyn" installation    Image: Brooklyn Museum

As I rounded the case I knew at once I was seeing an art deco masterwork by the French designer Pierre Legrain.

Pierre Legrain Stool, Ca. 1923   Image: Brooklyn Museum

The form is African in origin but is rendered in the materials of art deco luxury, namely lacquer and galuchat.  Legrain works are exceeding rare as he died in 1929.  It was for this reason I was keen to read the gallery text to find its provenance.  Unfortunately there was no listed provenance beyond the credit line "Purchased with funds given by an anonymous donor".  Fortunately the accession number "73.142" may provide some insight.  You see, accession numbers are typically a combination of the year that the object is acquired and the number of the bequest/object donated in that year.  The stool's number would suggest that it was acquired in 1973 which was was in close proximity to a major event in the nascent art deco market...that would be the groundbreaking sale of the collection of Jacques Doucet.  For background on Doucet and his awe inspiring collection see my previous post here.

Collection Jacques Doucet, Hotel Drouot, Paris 8 November 1972    Image via diktats.com

The couturier Jacques Doucet died in 1929 and eventually the contents of his studio in Neuilly Sur Seine were placed in storage only to be rediscovered by his descendants decades later when the storage facility was closing down.  The subsequent sale in November of 1972 is a subject of legend in the decorative arts community and pieces ended up in the best collections and museums across the globe.  Unfortunately, I do not have a copy of the sale catalogue at my fingertips or else I would settle this mystery in mere moments...therefore, we are left to consult the period images of the studio.

View of Doucet's Studio at Neuilly-sur-Seine, circa 1930     Image: L'Illustration, No.  4845

In the image above a very similar stool to the one at the Brooklyn museum can be seen just to the left of the monumental Lalique door.

Detail of stool in Doucet's Studio    Image: L'Illustration, No. 4845

The seat is of the same shape and proportion as is the rectangular stepped base, but the legs appear to be comprised of four posts and not faceted columns.  Its also hard to tell if there is a cream central support.  This lack of detail may be due to the period method of tinting these images or it may in-fact not be the same Legrain stool.  Thankfully, the Centre Pompidou's catalogue for their recent Eileen Gray exhibition published another view of the Studio that I had never seen before.

Studio Jacques Doucet Neuilly-sur-Seine    Image: Institut national d'histoire de l'art

Detail of Legrain Stool in Doucet's Studio     Image: Institut national d'histoire de l'art

If the Brooklyn Museum's stool is from Doucet's fabled studio, this appears to be an image of it in-situ.  It is of the same overall shape, possesses the central cream support, and you can make out the collars on the four faceted legs as they catch the light.  I need to consult a copy of Doucet's sale to be sure, but if I were a gambling man I would suspect that this is indeed the example now in the collection of the Brooklyn Museum....I will provide updates as the truth emerges.

On a side note, the Metropolitan Museum of Art has an African inspired Legrain stool that was purchased from the 1972 Doucet sale.  It was on view a few years back, but alas is now safely in storage.

Pierre Legrain carved rosewood stool for Jacques Doucet, ca. 1925   Image: Metmuseum.org

This stool borrows its form from an African headrest but is of the proportion of a low stool.  The sister to this stool was sold from the outstanding Dray Collection presented at Christie's Paris in 2006.  It achieved the tidy sum of $660,066.

Pierre Legrain carved hardwood stool for Jeanne Tachard, Circa 1925.   Image: Christie's

The Christie's catalogue notes that while Legrain's works for his top clients were generally unique pieces it is believed that since Jacques Doucet and Jeanne Tachard were close friends some exceptions could be made.  The Yves Saint Laurent sale at Christie's in 2009 yielded yet another rare stool by Legrain.  This stool can be traced directly to Jacques Doucet as it was lot 43 in the 1972 sale of his collection.

Legrain carved hardwood stool for Jacques Doucet, ca. 1925   Image: Christie's

I have always loved this particular example.  It is overtly African in inspiration but the supports to me also skew into the arena of the machine age becoming stylized gears.  Christie's sold this work for $589,130.

As a final aside, I am pleased that more period images of Doucet's collection are coming to light.  As reader's of this blog know I love seeing works as they were presented in their original context.  This recently published image is no exception as it clearly shows two "old friends" that I have marveled at for years.

Studio Jacques Doucet Neuilly-sur-Seine    Image: Institut national d'histoire de l'art

At the immediate left you can see two figures from Eileen Gray's screen "Le Destin".  The work dates to 1914 and was one of the first Gray pieces that Doucet acquired.  It resurfaced in his 1972 sale where it achieved $36,000.  It presently resides in a private collection.

Doucet's Studio detail showing Gray's "Le Destin"   Image: Institut national d'histoire de l'art

Eileen Gray's "Le Destin" lacquered wood screen, ca. 1914    Image via marcbongaerts.nl

Another work visible in the image of the studio is a bit hard to make-out but is well know today as it resides in the Musee des Arts Decoratifs, Paris.

Detail of Doucet's Studio showing the Legrain side cabinet at the Musee des Arts Decoratifs  
Image: Institut national d'histoire de l'art

It is a bit hazy but if you know the work it becomes clear.  I shot a few images of this piece when I was last in Paris.

Pierre Legrain & Gustave Miklos side cabinet, ca. 1923   Image: Aestheticus Rex

Detail of the Gustav Miklos silvered and enameled panel.  Image: Aestheticus Rex

In the period photo you can just pick out the graphic nature of the stylized African panel by Gustave Miklos.  It is all very exciting.  I am trying to get my hands of a copy of the 1972 Doucet sale as we speak.  Updates to follow.  Until next time...--AR.

UPDATE:
Well in the days since penning this post I have discovered that a stool of the same exact model as the one at the Brooklyn Museum is in the possession of the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts.

Pierre Legrain Stool, ca. 1923       Image: © Virginia Museum of Fine Arts

It is part of the Sidney and Frances Lewis bequest and the listed provenance is none other than Jacques Doucet.  I am very curious to know if there was a pair made for Doucet, or if the example at the Brooklyn Museum was made for another client.  I should have my hands on a copy of the Doucet sale in a few days...details to follow.

UPDATE II:
Well the mystery has been solved on two fronts.  I was able to find a copy of the Doucet auction and there was only one stool of this design offered, lot 33.  This would mean that Doucet's Legrain stool is definitely the example in the collection of the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts.

Jacques Doucet's Legrain stool, Hotel Drouot, Paris, 8 November 1972, lot 33 ($4300)

The Brooklyn Museum also confirmed that theirs was indeed not from the Doucet sale but was actually acquired from an Italian collection and it was originally made for the de Crespi family with whom Legrain designed textiles.  Examples of this collaboration were evidently shown at the 1925 Exposition in Paris and recall his work in luxury bookbinding.

Pierre Legrain textile designs for Benigno Crespi, ca. 1925   Image via Flickr

Until next time.--AR

Eileen Gray at Auction: Follow the Lady Where Does She Go...

Eileen Gray from the Centre Pompidou Exhibition   Photo: Aestheticus Rex

Dear readers, I know I owe you a re-cap of the Eileen Gray exhibition at the Centre Pompidou which closed last month.  I was able to attend and shot a slew of images, rest assured.  Today I was settling into a peaceful Sunday afternoon thumbing through the upcoming Christie's 13 June 2013 Design Sale and was pleased to find lot 142.

Eileen Gray set of ten lacquered plates     Image via Christie's

They are a lustrous set of Eileen Gray aubergine lacquered wood plates with provenance back to the legendary Sotheby's sale of The Collection of Eileen Gray held in Monaco in 1980.  The plates are being offered at an estimate of $5000-8000.

Cover of the seminal Eileen Gray Collection Sale, Sotheby's Monaco, 1980    Image Via 1stDibs

Christie's present offering lists the plates provenance as being from a larger set offered as successive lots in the 1980 sale, lots 245a, b, or c.  But there is a bit more to the story as the tagline of this blog isn't "the incestuous world of design" for nothing.  As I have stated before, things tend to pop-up here, disappear for a while and re-emerge over there...but the internet has made the world a much smaller place.  The set of plates at Christie's quietly sold at Stair Galleries in Hudson, NY in December 2011 for $2000 on an estimate of $800-1200.  I only heard about the sale after the fact much to my chagrin...the winning bidder was a lucky person indeed.

Eileen Gray Lacquered Plates, Stair Galleries, Hudson, NY, 3 December 2011, lot 368      Image via Artfact

The Stair Galleries cataloging acknowledges that the plates indeed were part of lot 245 in the the 1980 Gray sale but goes further noting that the plates were also later sold at Sotheby's New York, 5 June 2001, lot 469.  How they emerged at a small Stair Galleries sale a decade later is anyone's guess.  With the buzz of the Yves Saint Laurent Sale and the recent retrospective at the Centre Pompidou in Paris I expect them to do much better.  We will have to wait until the hammer falls later this month.  As an FYI, another set of twelve plates was offered in the same December 2011 Stair Galleries sale but they have yet to resurface...

Set of Twelve Eilenn Gray Lacquered plates, Stair Galleries, Hudson NY, lot 367, sold $1200      Image via Artfact

UPDATE:  Well the auction took place a few hours ago and the plates sold for a whopping $43,750!  That is an amazing return on a $2000 investment.  I am sure we will see the other set in due course.  Happy hunting...--AR

UPDATE II:
I have been adding catalogues to my collection and unrelated research led me to additional provenance for these well traveled plates.  They were of course a set of 23 that were broken-up across four lots in the 1980 Sotheby's "Collection Eileen Gray" sale.  Lots 245, 245a, 245b, and 245c to be exact.

Collection Eileen Gray, Sotheby's Monaco25 May 1980, Lots 245 & 245a-c   Image via Sotheby's

Lot text for the above image.        Image via Sotheby's

They next surface in the collection of antiquities dealer Robin Symes in the guise of the "Philip Johnson Townhouse" sale at Sotheby's New York, 6 May 1989, lots 97-99 where they were now reduced to 22 plates split over three lots.

Philip Johnson Townhouse, Sotheby's New York, 6 May 1989, lots 97-99     Image via Sotheby's

Lot text for the above image.    Image via Sotheby's

Take note that the provenance is slightly incorrect as they include lot 244 from the Eileen Gray Collection which was actually a lacquer box.  Anyway, I have always thought it was a disservice to refer to the Symes sale in reference to the townhouse that was its final lot.  The sale was largely comprised of a cache of masterworks by Eileen Gray and Pierre Legrain including a slew of rare archival materials.  If you don not have a copy....find it!  It is a treasure trove of information.  As I stated previously, the plates next resurfaced at Sotheby's New York, 5 June 2001, lot 469.  I am assuming that all 22 plates were in that lot (I am tracking down a copy of this sale as Sothebys.com is spotty with sales results beyond a decade).  From here they disappeared into the ether before they emerged in two successive lots at Stair Galleries in Hudson, New York, 3 December 2011.  The 22 being split over two lots (367 & 368).  As we now know they have been split-up, ten being sold at Christie's New York, 13 June 2013, lot 142.  I am waiting to see how long it will take for the other 12 surface.

Rateau's Commission For the Duchess de Alba to be Sold at Christie's Paris: Part III (Results)

Christie's Paris grand staircase with the Alba/Rateau banner    Image: Aestheticus Rex

Hello dear readers, I am still in Paris finishing-up taking in the design auctions but had to post on this long awaited topic.  For those who are not up to speed on the Armand Albert Rateau furniture that sold last week at Christie's Paris please see my posts here and here.  Christie's Paris office did an incomparable job displaying the group of works that were originally commissioned for the Duchess de Alba's bathroom in the Liria Palace, Madrid.  Jacques Grange designed the installation which was an inspired attempt to capture the spirit of this room known only from a few period images.

Jacques Grange installation of the Alba Rateau consignment at Christie's Paris    Image: Aestheticus Rex

Jacques Grange installation of the Alba Rateau consignment at Christie's Paris    Image: Aestheticus Rex

Jacques Grange installation of the Alba Rateau consignment at Christie's Paris    Image: Aestheticus Rex

Duchess de Alba's Bathroom, Liria Palace, Madrid circa 1922  Image via Musee Des Arts Decoratifs, Paris

I have taken a few days since the sale on May 23rd to digest what happened.  Once again I was ever the enthusiast in my posts and while six of the seven masterworks sold they did so at the low end of their estimates, seemingly at their reserves.  Here is the rundown:

Rateau Torcheres lots 119 & 120    Image via Christie's

The majestic torcheres each sold for a hammer price of €1.4 million (€1,665,000 with premium) against their estimates of €1,500,000-2,000,000 each.

Rateau Daybed lot 118     Image via Christie's

The daybed was the essence of chic in person and sold for a hammer price of €350,000 (€421,500 with premium) against an estimate of €400,000-600,000.  Evidently the bronze tassel mounts were recent replacements to the original specifications.

Rateau Dressing Table lot 123    Image via Christie's

The dressing table was one of my favorite pieces in person.  The proportions were sheer perfection.  It ultimately realized a hammer price of €550,000 (€661,500 with premium) on an estimate of €600,000-800,000.  As I discussed previously the mirror superstructure is now lacking, but the top appears to be original (a rather sparkly granite) as it still retains its drill holes for the mirror mount.

Detail of dressing table top, showing the mounting holes for the former mirror     Image: Aestheticus Rex

Rateau Low Table lot 122    Image via Christie's

What can I say, the low table "aux oiseau" is one of Rateau's most iconic designs and it was a visual feast to see it up-close and personal.  It achieved €1.4 million (€1,665,000 with premium) against its estimate of €1,500,000-2,000,000.  If I were in the running, this would have been where I spent my money.

Rateau Marble Sunken Bathtub lot 124    Image via Christie's

The bathtub while a consummate object was a big gamble.  As I stated previously it takes the right client with a vision to take on something that in itself becomes a huge project.  That said, it sold at a conservative €50,000 hammer price (€61,500 with premium) against a pre-sale estimate of €150,000-200,000.  This was a smart strategy because if this lot failed to sell it would have been pretty difficult to re-offer in a later sale stripped of the context and buzz of this exciting consignment.

Rateau Canape "Aux Cols de Cygnes" lot 121     Image via Christie's

The casualty of the evening was this graceful sofa with scrolled swan arms.  I knew from the period images that there was something slightly amiss with the seatrail as it originally had a central cartouche and a lattice pattern of stars/rosettes (which are seen in repeated motifs on all the other pieces).

Period detail image of the Canape "Aux Cols de Cygnes" in situ, lot 121  Image via Musee des Arts Decoratifs, Paris

The catalogue disclosed that the legs were replaced and the condition report disclosed that the rosettes to either end of the seatrail were also replaced to the original design as well.  I heard from a few people at the exhibition that the sofa had later been re-upholstered covering the seatrail entirely.  If you are lucky the upholsterer will just pad over any carvings and then place the fabric over.  In this case it seems that the carvings were scraped away when the canape was later updated.  With all of this in mind the canape ultimately failed to sell at its estimate of €200,000-300,000.  I am sure we will see this work again very soon.  

All of the lots sold were purchased in the room by Galerie Vallois with the venerable Cheska Vallois doing the bidding.  She famously purchased Eileen Gray's "Dragon" armchair from the Yves Saint Laurent sale for the stratospheric sum of $28,238,277.  She along with her husband Bob were critical in rediscovering the importance of art deco in the late 1960s and rightfully hold the keys to the Rateau and Eileen Gray markets.  I expect to see the Alba suite again, perhaps at the next Paris Biennale, that is of course unless Vallois was bidding on behalf of a private client, then dear readers....all bets are off.    As before, these works may not be seen for a few generations.  Until next time I leave you with a video of Cheska Vallois discussing her passion for art deco produced for the 2012 Biennale--AR