George Ohr, Anna Frances Simpson, Duffner & Kimberly and Frank Lloyd Wright Works Sell at Skinner Auction
by Kate Nixon
In an auction that featured furniture and decorative objects spanning the 20th century, Skinner’s 20th Century Design auction – held December 13th – sold the works originated from several important collections, particularly that of Corey Warn and Mark Feldman, the late proprietors of Antiquers III in Brookline, Massachusetts which specialized in Art Deco furniture and decorative arts. The auction additionally included offerings from the collections of Charles Schneider Le Verre Francais cameo art glass and furniture with provenance from John Lennon & Yoko Ono and Walter P. Chrysler. While Art Deco works, a rare Rene Lalique vase and art pieces by glass blower Dale Chihuly were highlighted, works eminating from the Arts and Crafts era also got plenty of attention, notably: George Ohr art pottery bowls from the collection of Andy Warhol and a Bigelow & Kennard table lamp.
Art Glass works were popular in Friday’s auction with notable works by Tiffany Studios, Dale Chihuly, Bigelow & Kennard, Duffner & Kimberly, Rene Lalique, Loetz, Handel and others, while ceramic arts received attention in the highlights of two George Ohr art pottery bowls from the collection of Andy Warhol, a Roseville Futura Tank Vase, and a few Newcomb College vases. Highlights of the furniture selections in the auction included Arts & Crafts style furniture, including a Limbert bookcase, Art Deco and Art Nouveau sideboards, cabinets, tables, sets of chairs – many of them fetching affordable selling prices. Additionally, a Frank Lloyd Wright-designed 58-piece dinner service from Noritake, Japan and with “Heintz and Co” marks sold within the estimates.
Items that did well:
Lot 30: Tiffany Studios Bronze Table Lamp with Daffodil Shade. SOLD FOR $22,140 (est. $20,000 – 30,000) Circa New York, early 20th century, mottled green tiles to white with yellow and caramel daffodil blossoms and a geometric decorated border, shade marked “Tiffany Studios New York,” dia. 20 3/8; patinated bronze base with stylized leaves, set on four feet, stamped maker’s mark and “Tiffany Studios New York 363,” three sockets, ht. 24 in.
Lot 36 Daum Nancy Monumental Art Glass Scenic Vase SOLD FOR $19,680 (est. $5,000-7,000. Created in France, 1895-1920, cylindrical form, depicting a woodland during an early spring storm, enameled mark “Daum Nancy” with the Cross of Lorraine, ht. 22 in.Good condition with no chips, cracks or visible repairs/restoration.
Lot 146: Two George Ohr art pottery bowls from the collection of Andy Warhol. SOLD FOR $5,535 (est. $400-600) Mad in Biloxi, Mississippi, c. 1900, bowl with inverted mouth in mottled green glaze, ht. 2 1/2, dia. 4, the other in mottled browns, ht. 2, dia. 4 in. Note: Sotheby’s, The Warhol Collection, April-May 1988, Lot 1156. No visible damage or repairs.
Lot 159: Bigelow & Kennard Rose Blossom Table Lamp. SOLD FOR $24,600! (est. $3,000-5,000) Made in,Boston, Massachusetts, c. 1915, leaded stained glass and bronze, three originakl sockets and pulls, acorns at end of pulkls, shade marked “Bigelow, Kennard & Co., Boston, Bigelow Studios,” base marked with “B&K” and “5,” ht. 27 1/4, shade dia. 21 1/2 in. Shade is tight with a few heat cracks. No visible repairs. Cord frayed and in need of replacement. Slight separation at the ring.
Lot 169A) Roseville Futura Tank Vase. SOLD FOR $10,455 (est. $6,000-8,000) Made in Zanesville, Ohio, c. 1934, geometric shape on two-tier base, blue to ivory matte glazes, shape 412, paper label “Roseville Pottery,” ht. 9 1/2 in. Vase is in good condition with no chips, cracks or visible signs of repair/restoration. The base is “cupped” a bit and it does not sit completely flush. There are two glaze bursts where the tank joins the base. The is also an area with glaze skips. Minor glaze drips in the making.
Lot 164: Limbert Model No. 358 Oak Arts and Crafts Two-door Bookcase. SOLD FOR $1,230. (est. $400-600) Made in Grand Rapids and Holland, Michigan, overhanging splined jointed top with backsplash, curved corbels, splayed legs, arched stretcher and two doors with single center mullions, branded mark ‘Limbert’s Arts & Crafts Furniture, Grand Rapids and Holland, Mich.,” ht. 57, wd. 48, dp. 14 in. Provenance: The property of Carolyn and Tom Porter. Original finish. Comes with five shelves. Veneer on the back of the pieces is cracked and loose with some loss.
Items of note:
Lot 147: Newcomb College Landscape Vase by Anna Frances Simpson. SOLD FOR $3,444 (est. $2,000-3,000) Made in New Orleans, Louisiana, 1918, depiction of moss draped oaks under a full moon, impressed NC cipher, “JM” (Joseph Meyer), and “CY 76,” incised “AFS,” ht. 5 3/4 in.
Lot 157: Dirk Van Erp (American, 1860-1933) Hammered Copper Lamp with Mica Shade SOLD FOR $7,995. (est. $5,000-7,000) Made in San Francisco, California, conical shade with rolled rim, riveted ribs holding three sections of patinated mica, shade rests on three arms attached to a conical body, stamped windmill mark with “Dirk Van Erp” in a box with one open edge, stamped “San Francisco,” three sockets, ht. 19, shade dia. 18 1/4 in. Re-wired, probably new sockets.
Lot 161 – Duffner & Kimberly Table Lamp SOLD FOR $5,228 (est. $3,000-5,000) Originating from New York, c. 1915, mosaic leaded glass shade with orchid blossom and stem design in purple, green, and yellow on a cast white metal with bronze patination thistle-pattern base, three sockets, shade and base unmarked, ht. 24 1/4, shade dia. 18 in. Missing heat cap. Sockets and cord replaced. Three cracked tiles.
Lot 177 – Frank Lloyd Wright-designed “Imperial Hotel” Fifty-eight-piece Dinner Service SOLD FOR $2,583. (est. $2,000-3,000) From Noritake, Japan, all marked “Heinz and Co. 1984, Noritake,” eight each: luncheon plates, rimmed soup plates, cereal bowls, teacups, saucers, and bread and butter plates; ten dinner plates, dia. 5 1/2 to 10 1/2 in. No visible damage or repairs.
How did our picks do? See the results below…
Biloxi, Mississippi, c. 1900, bowl with inverted mouth in mottled green glaze, ht. 2 1/2, dia. 4, the other in mottled browns
ht. 2, dia. 4 in.
Note: Sotheby’s, The Warhol Collection, April-May, 1988, Lot 1156.
Estimate $400-600
SOLD FOR $5,535!
No visible damage or repairs.
Lot 147: Anna Frances Simpson (1880-1930) Newcomb College Landscape Vase
New Orleans, Louisiana, 1918, depiction of moss draped oaks under a full moon, impressed NC cipher, “JM” (Joseph Meyer), and “CY 76,” incised “AFS,”
ht. 5 3/4 in.
Estimate $2,000-3,000
SOLD FOR $3,444
No visible damage or repairs.
Lot 157: Dirk Van Erp (American, 1860-1933) Hammered Copper Lamp with Mica Shade
Out of San Francisco, California
conical shade with rolled rim, riveted ribs holding three sections of patinated mica, shade rests on three arms attached to a conical body, stamped windmill mark with “Dirk Van Erp” in a box with one open edge, stamped “San Francisco,” three sockets
ht. 19, shade dia. 18 1/4 in.
Estimate $5,000-7,000
SOLD FOR $7,995
Limbert Model No. 358 Oak Arts and Crafts Two-door Bookcase, Grand Rapids and Holland, Michigan.
overhanging splined jointed top with backsplash, curved corbels, splayed legs, arched stretcher and two doors with single center mullions, branded mark ‘Limbert’s Arts & Crafts Furniture, Grand Rapids and Holland, Mich.,” ht. 57, wd. 48, dp. 14 in.
Provenance: The property of Carolyn and Tom Porter.
Estimate $400-600
Original finish. Comes with five shelves. Veneer on the back of the pieces is cracked and loose with some loss.
SOLD FOR $1,230
To see the selling price from other lots from this auction, please visit Skinner Auctions’ website at https://www.skinnerinc.com/auctions/3325B
All images courtesy of Skinner Auctions.