Marblehead Vase Sells In the Hundred of Thousands PLUS Stickley Furniture and Antique Lighting Sell Big

by Kate Nixon

 

June has seen some incredibly busy weekends in the world of auctions with two auctions happening last weekend and double auction action on Saturday the 20th. Furniture and antique lighting did exceptionally well this past weekend, however the power of American Art Pottery was on full display two weekends ago when an exceptional and rare Marblehead vase sold at Rago’s American Art Pottery auction for more than four times its high estimate, selling for $150,000! One of only four known examples of this particular vase, the vase featuring carved conventionalized flowers, similar to the Mackintosh rose, had been featured in several publications including At Home with Gustav Stickley: Arts & Crafts from the Stephen Gray Collection and The Arts and Crafts Movement in America.

Pottery vases from the eccentric George Ohr also sold very well – the high seller vase went for $62,500 after a $15,000 high estimate – as did a gourd vase from Taxile Doat for University City, which sold for $81,250. Additionally, Treadway’s Decorative Arts Auction on June 14th saw amazing numbers in enamels, especially the final price of a hand-hammered and enamel-topped Gertrude Twichell-signed Fish box: $21,500! A Rokesley Shop necklace from the Robin Greenwald collection with a high estimate of $700 sold in the same auction for a realized price of $8,125 and a Holy Grail pendant attributed to Phoebe Anna Traquair sold for $5,000!

But back to the results of last weekend…

Several lots of furniture by Gustav Stickley and antique lighting sold well over their estimates during Sunday’s Art & Design auction, the latest online offering from Oak Park’s Toomey & Co Auctioneers.

The quarterly Art & Design auction offered a variety of art, furniture, pottery, metalwork and more in several styles from several different collections, including the estate of Michael Rabkin, the Paul & Terry Somerson Collection of 20th and 21st Century Metalwork and Jewelry, the Collection of Rich and Patty Thumann, and others.

Auction highlights:

Lot 101: A Gustav Stickley oaken chest of drawers, complete with copper pulls and an early red decal, sold for $9,375, past the high estimate of $6,000.

Lot 102 : An oak and cedar bridal chest by Gustav Stickley sold for $15,000, past the high estimate of $12,000.

Lot 123: A Stickley Morris Chair with a branded mark sold for $11,250, past the high estimate of $7,000.

Lot 128: An oaken early chest of drawers from Gustav Stickley, marked with large red decal, sold for $13,750, past the high estimate of $9,000.

Lot 133: An unmarked early Gustav Stickley China Cabinet sold for $13,750, past the high estimate of $9,000.

Lot 144: An early Gustav Stickley strap-hinge desk marked with a decal sold for $10,625, past the high estimate of $5,000.

Lot 261: A table lamp from The Handel Lamp Company with a signed shade and base sold for $16,250, more than 3 times the high estimate of $5,000!

Lot 272: A table lamp from Tiffany Studios with a dichroic mottled glass Acorn shade on a bronze Night Blooming Cereus base sold for $25,000, more than twice the high estimate of $12,000.

Lot 276: A pair of unmarked Tiffany Studios Moorish prism pendant lights made with Favrile glass and bronze sold for $25,000, nearly three times the high estimate of $9,000.

 

How did our picks do? To see the entire catalog, please visit Toomey & Co’s website at https://toomeyco.com/

Lot 87: Gustave Baumann (American, 1881-1971) color woodcut
Woodland Meadows, 1917
swan monogram lower right margin; inscribed in graphite Bau 20 lower center edge and 25 lower right edge
9 1/2″ x 11 1/4″

Estimate $3,000-5,000

Sold for $4,062

Condition Report:
Unframed.
Sheet: 12 1/2″ x 16 1/2″
Overall toning. Slight curling upper right edge. Slight accretion lower left edge. Good condition.

 

Lot 91: Gustav Stickley (1858-1942) early two-door bookcase, #544
Eastwood, New York
oak, glass, iron
marked with early red decal
62″w x 12 1/2″d x 56″h

Literature:
Gray, Stephen, The Early Work of Gustav Stickley, Turn of the Century Editions, 1987, p. 97 (1902 Retail Plates)

Estimate: $4,000-6,000

Sold for $7,500

Condition Report:
Mitered mullion bookcase with lightly coated original finish. Minor surface wear to top. Original glass. Structurally sound. A very nice example of this early bookcase.

 

Lot 105: Van Briggle Pottery tile with schooner / sailboat motif
Colorado Springs, Colorado, circa 1920
matte glazed ceramic
unmarked
rare example
6″sq

Estimate: $1,000-2,000

Sold for $1,625

Condition Report:
No chips, cracks or repairs.

 

 

Lot 126: Arthur Wesley Dow (1857-1922) & Everett Stanley Hubbard
By Salt Marshes: Pictures and Poems of Old Ipswich, First Edition, 1908
Ipswich, Massachusetts
bound hardcover book with eight woodblock prints in colors
This rare book is “No. Four” from an edition of 200 (approximately).
7 3/8″w x 9 1/2″

Provenance: The Estate of Ralph Johonnot
Acquired from the above by the present owner

Estimate: $1,000-2,000

Sold for $2,375

Condition Report:
Paper loss to cover. Some stains and residue to cover and spine. Some toning to pages.

 

Lot 151: Stickley Brothers coal bucket, similar to #115
Grand Rapids, Michigan
brass, copper
unmarked
15 1/4″dia x 13 3/8″h

Literature:
For a similar example, see: Marek, Don, Grand Rapids Art Metalwork 1902-1918, Heartwood, 1999, p. 121

Estimate: $300-500

Sold for $1,500

Condition Report:
Original patina. Bends to foot rim. Light dents in areas.

 

The above condition reports are courtesy of Toomey & Co Auctioneers. Please contact them directly if you’d like to view the items.

 

20th Century Design Online

Skinner Auctioneers
Click on this link to visit the Skinner online auction: https://www.skinnerinc.com/auctions/3400T

This sale offered over 700 lots for the discerning collector, dealer and home owner seeking furniture, art work and decorative objects spanning the 20^th and early 21^st centuries. Art Nouveau objects included lots from Tiffany Studios, Imperial Art Glass, and Galle. The Arts & Crafts Movement was represented by Greuby Faience, a collection of Hugh c. Robertson experimental glaze vases, a hammered copper bowl by Dirk Van Erp, furniture by Stickley and Limbert, and a fine fire screen in the manner of Samuel Yellin.

How did our picks fare? Read on to find out.

 

Lot 1050: Two Imperial Art Glass “Lead Lustre” Vases

Bellaire, Ohio
early 20th century, form 413-12 and 418-12, both with white on blue drag loop decoration, both with polished pontil
both unmarked,
ht. 10 3/4, 11 1/4 in.
Provenance: From the collection of Ronald L. Casebier.

Estimate: $500-700

Sold for $594

 

 

Lot 1143: Gustav Stickley “Model #367” Spindle Morris Chair

Eastwood, New York
c.1904-1912
quartersawn oak, with corbel supports under each arm, thru-tenon construction, replaced sling seat with recovered leather seat and back cushion
original finish, marked with red decal
ht. 38 1/2, wd. 30 1/2, between arms 19, dp. 40 in.

Estimate $2,000-3,000

Sold for $2,625

Condition Report: Chair is solid with little to no play in the joints. Wear consistent with use and age. Missing one wood washer for backrest. No breaks or losses. Some scratches/scuffs to leather.

 

 

Lot 1142: Harvey Ellis for Stickley Craftsman Workshops “Model #913” Nine-drawer Chest and a Stickley Hall Mirror

Syracuse, New York
c.1912-1916
quartersawn oak, hammered brass fittings, mirror with iron hooks, both with branded joiner’s compass and “Stickley” script mark
ht. 47 1/2, wd. 36, dp. 20, mirror ht. 25 1/2, wd. 29, dp. 1 1/4 in.

Estimate $1,000-1,500

Sold for: $1,750

Condition Report: Chest has been cut down 3 in. Veneer lift and loss bottom of both sides of chest. Loss top right corner or top right drawer facing. Some hazing in mirror.

 

Lot 1134: Dirk Van Erp (American/Dutch, 1862-1933) Copper and Brass Bowl

San Francisco
early 20th century
hand-hammered bowl with segmented rim, set on a foot formed by joined brass rings, stamped windmill mark with closed box and “handwrought”
ht. 5, dia. 10 1/2 in.

Estimate: $400-600

Sold for: $375

Condition Report: Polished surface. A few small surface scratches.

 

 

Lot 1096: Grueby Faience Company Garlic-mouth Vase

Boston, Massachusetts
c. 1900
carved stylized leaf decoration, bronze green matte glaze, impressed mark “Grueby Faience Co Boston USA 133”
ht. 18 1/4 in.

Estimate $5,000-7,000

Sold for: $8,125!

Condition Report: No visible damage or repairs. Some minor areas of roughness/imperfection in the glaze. Small glaze skip at the mouth. All appear to have been in the making.

 

To see the rest of the catalog, please visit the auction page on Skinner auctions: https://www.skinnerinc.com/auctions/3400T

All condition reports above are courtesy of Skinner auctions.