An Impressive Van Briggle Collection, Furniture, Lighting and More Up For Bid at Toomey & Co.’s Interiors Auction

by Kate Nixon

 

An oaken Charles P. Limbert library table with original finish, tacks and copper hardware estimated at $200-$300, an oaken refinished and signed Gustav Stickley library table estimated at $300-$500, 45 different affordable Van Briggle Pottery lots, several Lalique glass items with estimates in the low hundreds, a portfolio from legendary architect Frank Lloyd Wright with a high estimate of $700, and an expensive Tiffany Studios Pine Needle picture frame with a high estimate of $2,000. What do all these lots have in common? They are all up for bid at Toomey & Co. this weekend.

On Sunday, October 6, Toomey & Co. Auctioneers will hold its fall Interiors auction with just over 700 lots of fine and decorative artworks, sculpture, early 20th century and modern furniture, art pottery, lighting, and more. What makes the Interiors auction special is the generally lower estimate ranges, giving collectors greater access to desirable works.

Featured items in the American Arts & Crafts pottery include lots by the following makers: Teco, Grueby, Paul Revere, Saturday Evening Girls, Hampshire, Newcomb, Rookwood, Van Briggle and others with all estimates under $1,000. Highlights in furniture include a Gustav Stickley library table ($300-500), set of four ladder back chairs ($700-900), and desk ($300-500); an L. & J.G. Stickley rocker ($600-800) and bookcase ($300-500); a Charles P. Limbert Co. magazine stand ($300-500) and a Little Journey stand by The Roycrofters ($400-600). Glass works include a Tiffany Studios picture frame ($1,000-2,000); Lalique glass items (all estimates under $500), and a Daum table lamp ($800-1,200). Rounding out the Arts and Crafts offerings is a Frank Lloyd Wright Wasmuth Portfolio ($500-700) as well as a number of books featuring Frank Lloyd Wright’s works.

Later this fall, Toomey & Co. Auctioneers will hold a Silver, Jewelry & Objects of Vertu auction on Sunday, November 17. This sale will consist of American Arts & Crafts metalwork and jewelry as well as Modernist examples and assorted objects of vertu. Material will be drawn from various sources, including The Paul and Terry Somerson Collection of 20th & 21st Century Metalwork & Jewelry and The Collection of Governor Jim Thompson.

The Interiors auction scheduled for October 6 will be open to the public and held at Toomey & Co. Auctioneers, 818 North Boulevard, Oak Park, Illinois. Preview will take place from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. CDT starting September 30 through October 5, with extended hours on October 3 (10 a.m. to 7 p.m.).

Consignments are currently invited for upcoming auctions. Photos of items may be sent to [email protected]. For more information on past and upcoming auctions or to request an estimate, please visit www.toomeyco.com.

 

What did we choose for our picks? We chose from the impressive number of Hampshire and Van Briggle Pottery, choosing excellent examples from each. We also wanted to compare and contrast library tables up for bid: one refinished from Gustav Stickley, signed and with red decal and one with original finish, tacks and copper hardware from Charles P. Limbert. Which one will sell for more? Rounding out our choices are a lovely Heintz Art Metal vase with original patina and the Tiffany Studios favrile slag glass picture frame. Come back next week to see who the big sellers were.

Lot 251

Hampshire Pottery
vases, two
Keene, New Hampshire
green matte glazed ceramic
impressed marks
taller: 3 1/2″dia x 5″h

Estimate: $100-200

Condition Report:
No chips, cracks or repairs. Incised Hampshire Pottery.

 

Lot 271

Gustav Stickley (1858-1942)
library table
Eastwood, New York
oak, iron
signed with red decal
48″w x 30″d x 30″h

Estimate: $300-500

Condition Report:
Structurally sound. Refinished. Overall roughness including chips to legs and three small holes to top.

 

Lot 289

Charles P. Limbert Co.
library table, #1129
Grand Rapids, Michigan
oak, copper, brass
branded signature
48″w x 28″d x 28″h

Estimate: $200-300

Condition Report:
Worn original finish. Leather missing. Original tacks retained. Original copper hardware. Some stains and edge chips.

 

Lot 333

Heintz Art Metal Shop
Poppy vase, #3622A
Buffalo, New York
bronze, sterling silver
stamped marks and number
5 1/2″dia x 11″h

Provenance:
Treadway Toomey Auctions, Oak Park, Illinois, 06 June, 2015, Lot 034

Estimate: $150-250

Condition Report:
Two shallow, unobtrusive dents. Original patina.

 

Lot 365

Van Briggle Pottery
Lorelei vase
Colorado Springs, Colorado
blue matte glazed ceramic
marked
4″dia x 11″h

Estimate: $200-300

Condition Report:
No chips, cracks or repairs. Van Briggle / Colo Spgs Co. / V3 G.P.

 

Lot 487

Tiffany Studios
Pine Needle picture frame, #917
New York, New York
dore bronze, caramel Favrile slag glass, glass
stamped mark, numbered
12″w x 14″h; opening: 8 1/4″w x 10 1/4″h

Provenance:
Christie’s East, New York, 08 December 1998, Sale 8183, Lot 370
Acquired from the above by the present owner

Estimate: $1,000-2,000

Condition Report:
No cracks. Cleaned patina.

 

To close out the year, Toomey & Co. will present two auctions on Sunday, December 8: (1) Tradition & Innovation, showcasing a limited offering of important works from the 19th century through the present; and (2) Art & Design, featuring a diverse selection of fine art and design by influential artists and makers. Last year’s inaugural Tradition & Innovation sale had a 94% sell-through rate and fewer than 70 lots brought a combined $1.3 million.

About Toomey & Co. Auctioneers

Toomey & Co. Auctioneers holds several carefully curated auctions each year. Departments include: Fine Art, Early 20th Century Design, Modern Design, Fine Furniture & Decorative Arts, Silver & Objects of Vertu, and Fine Jewelry & Timepieces. 2019 collections have included a single-owner auction dedicated to The Paul and Terry Somerson Collection of 20th & 21st Century Metalwork & Jewelry. Located on the western border of Chicago in Oak Park, Illinois, Toomey & Co. is surrounded by a vibrant arts community as well as Prairie School architecture by Frank Lloyd Wright, William Eugene Drummond, George Washington Maher, and Marion Mahony Griffin.