DALLAS, TX.- The philosophical, political, and creative bond between the United States and France has been significant since the 18th century, and later, as we entered the 20th century, the rich cultural exchange between the two countries remained ever-fertile. The two countries' famous architects, designers, artists, writers and more continued their aesthetic conversations (and lively competitive spirit) across the pond and both regions — and collectors — reaped the benefits.
This lively back and forth was evident in the innovative Art Nouveau, Art Deco and art glass offerings around the turn of the last century and stretching into later years: The United States and France were both at the top of their design games and New York's Tiffany Studios found itself at the forefront of breathtaking invention, along with American contemporaries Duffner & Kimberly and, overseas, French powerhouses Daum, R. Lalique and others. The push-and-pull responses between them all made for collector heaven. This month,
Heritage presents its third installment of a category it calls Pursuit of Beauty, and on Oct. 26 the event culminates in the live Pursuit of Beauty: Art Nouveau, Art Deco & Art Glass Signature® Auction, which leads with outstanding creations from those listed above and more.
"I am, along with Nick Dawes, Heritage's Senior Vice President of Special Collections, honored to present our third Pursuit of Beauty auction of 2023 — our most successful year to date," says Samantha Robinson, Heritage's Director of Decorative Arts and Design. "This auction features a wide variety of fresh-to-market treasures drawn primarily from private collections and estates."
The name Tiffany Studios is nearly synonymous with "remarkable lamps" and indeed the lead in this event is an extraordinary Tiffany Studios leaded glass and patinated bronze Jeweled Geometric table lamp, circa 1905. This highly sought-after original pairing boasts both shade and base accented with matching rows of blue Favrile "jewels" — iridescent cabochons that evoke blue, gray and black sea pearls. A complimentary American lead in this event is a Duffner & Kimberly leaded glass and patinated bronze Waterlily Border table lamp, circa 1910. Its glass shade features a border of lilies in pale pink glass surrounded by apple green glass and accents of cobalt blue against fish scale design in mottled green glass, and its three-light base is decorated with detailed lily pads and cat tails with dark brown and green patina. This is American design at its finest.
The glass studios weren't only about lamps, of course, and neither is this event. An early, significant Tiffany Studios decorated Cypriote Favrile Glass vase, circa 1899, was produced immediately before Tiffany Studios' Grand Prix-winning presentation at the 1900 Paris Exposition. Tiffany Studios began producing Cypriote glass, inspired by ancient Cyprian glass artifacts excavated by Luigi Palma di Cesnola in the 1860s, and this exceptional vase demonstrates the firm's virtuosic command of the medium, pushing both its technical and aesthetic boundaries. This large spherical example features the bubbled and pockmarked texture characteristic of Tiffany Studios' Cypriote line and stands as a masterwork of the form during a period of tremendous experimentation, critical acclaim, and commercial success.
Contemporaneous beauties from France, also in the form of vessels, join their American counterparts in the auction. A vase from Daum stands out: The partial-gilt, enameled, needle-and acid-etched glass Algues et Poissons vase was designed by Henri Bergé, circa 1898. It features a placid scene of fish swimming in a gorgeous watery green and is internally decorated. Another Daum standout includes this enameled and acid-etched glass Landscape vase, circa 1900 — a pillow-shaped vessel decorated with autumn birch trees in a dreamy, far-reaching landscape on a striking sky-blue ground.
We can't talk about the importance of French glass of the era without mentioning R. Lalique, and this event includes several dozen R. Lalique pieces, including rare forms such as this electric blue glass Poissons vase, circa 1921, which is a particularly vibrant example of a Poissons vase, and this clear glass prototype vase with black enamel designed by Suzanne Lalique, circa 1926. Suzanne Lalique-Haviland (1892-1989), daughter of René Lalique, created several iconic designs for the Lalique workshop throughout the 1920s, often featuring strong geometric motifs or dynamic depictions of nature executed in black enamel, and their popularity helped solidify Lalique as a leader in the Art Deco movement. This example, encircled by ten overlapping serrated blades in black enamel, came from one of Lalique-Haviland's original design drawings, and is the predecessor to the 1926 Nimroud vase.
This era saw the creation of objects that seduced collectors long after their inception: Over the course of four decades, American medical stenographer Angela Gross Folk and her husband amassed an impressive collection of Modern and Haitian art, Asian art, French bronzes, and art glass. This event offers up selections from the Folk estate, including American lamps, Continental glass and ceramics, and highlights include Tiffany Studios lamps, Favrile glass, Rookwood Pottery, French glass, Art Nouveau and Art Deco sculpture, and rare designs by René and Suzanne Lalique. Some highlights from the Folk estate include rare American lamps like this Handel obverse- and reverse-painted glass and patinated metal Mt. Fuji table lamp, circa 1910, and this Pairpoint reverse-painted glass, wood and metal Lansdowne table lamp, circa 1910. And from France, this large Emile Gallé acid-etched, wheel-carved, fire-polished and applied glass Maple Leaves & Spider covered jar with a Shreve & Co. Silver Mount, circa 1895. In deep ruby red over colorless glass, this fine example features an applied cabochon worked into a spider perched on his engraved web amidst richly detailed falling maple leaves.
This auction features Art Nouveau and Art Deco objects in all media, including works on paper. One highlight this season is this Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec lithograph from 1896 titled La Troupe de Mademoiselle Églantine, on wove, linen backed paper — it is a quintessential subject for the artist; and another French highlight from the era, this one in three-dimensions, is this rare Süe et Mare gilt bronze mantel clock, circa 1923. Its backplate is impressed with the Samuel Marti pastille and numbered 7048.
