Doyle New York's Belle Epoque Auction On Sept. 23 Tops $1.4 Million

Strong Prices Achieved For Objects Deaccessioned From The Museum Of Fine Arts, Boston

October 25, 2014

Doyle New York's Belle Epoque auction on Sept. 23 showcased fine and decorative arts reflecting the opulence of the Belle Epoque in the late 19th and early 20th century. Elegant furniture and decorations of the Louis XV and XVI Revivals, Victorian, Art Nouveau and Art Deco eras were offered, as well as art glass, porcelain, silver, marble statues, bronzes, clocks, sconces, chandeliers and rugs. Complementing the furniture and decorations were an assortment of fin de siecle paintings. A special section of the sale was devoted to objects by Louis Comfort Tiffany deaccessioned from the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.
With competitive bidding from the salesroom, the telephones and the Internet, the sale totaled $1,485,988 against a pre-sale estimate of $1,077,100 to $1,611,250, with 83 percent sold by lot and 94 percent sold by value.
Property deaccessioned from the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston comprised 35 lots of colorful Tiffany lamps, vases, bowls and other objects that were sold to benefit the museum’s collection. The consignment surpassed its estimate of $168,600-$233,950, achieving a strong $300,219 with all 35 lots sold.
Highlighting the collection was a selection of Tiffany Studios bronze and favrile glass lamps, led by a Dragonfly lamp designed by Clara Driscoll, circa 1906-13, estimated at $50,000-$70,000, which sold for $87,500. A 12-light Pond Lily floor lamp estimated at $35,000-$40,000 and a 12-light Pond Lily table lamp estimated at $20,000-$30,000 each sold for the identical price of $37,500. A lamp in the Pine Needle pattern fetched a surprisingly strong $31,250, many times its estimate of $1,200-$1,800.
Chinese vases performed well in the auction as well. A pair of 20th-century Rose Medallion ceramic palace vases measuring approximately 56 inches in height and estimated at $7,000-$9,000 achieved $31,250. A 20th-century Famille Rose porcelain temple vase, 34.5 inches high, sold for $15,000, far surpassing its estimate of $1,200-$1,800.
The silver section of the auction featured a German silver figure of a stag by Neresheimer of Hanau with an English sponsor's mark for Berthold Muller. Estimated at $3,000-$5,000 and with a height of 19 inches, it fetched $13,750. A pair of circa-1940 Portuguese Art Deco silver five-light candelabra achieved $8,750 against an estimate of $3,000-$5,000. The selection of silver flatware services offered an assembled Tiffany & Co. service in the Audubon pattern, estimated at $5,000-$7,000, that sold for $12,500.
There were 90 lots of fin de siecle paintings and sculpture offered at the sale. A pair of paintings by Hans Zatzka (Austrian 1859-1945) titled “Fluttering Butterflies” and “Return From the Well,” estimated at $6,000-$8,000, achieved $22,500. Louis Valtat’s (French 1869-1952) “1922 Couseuse,” depicting a woman sewing, from the estate of Joseph LaFera Jr., achieved $17,500, well over its estimate of $6,000-$8,000. From Herman Herzog (German/American 1831-1932) was a seascape with boats and figures on a beach, estimated at $4,000-$6,000, that sold for $10,625. The sale also saw strong prices for works by Charles Giron, Eugene Galien-Laloue, Adolphe Alexandre Lesrel, George Cole, Francois Gall, and Emil Barbarini. All prices include the buyer’s premium.
For more information about this sale or the next Belle Epoque auction scheduled for February 2015, call Malcolm MacNeil at 212-427-4141, ext. 218, or email BelleEpoque@DoyleNewYork.com.







 

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