NEW YORK, NY.- A Tiffany Studios Favrile glass and patinated bronze Laburnum table lamp, circa 1910, led the 20th Century Decorative Arts auction at
Bonhams, the third largest international fine art auction house, on June 10 in its Madison Avenue saleroom. The lot was offered on behalf of the estate of renowned San Francisco restaurateur Norman Hobday. The lamp, with its vibrantly-colored floral-patterned shade, ultimately sold to a determined telephone bidder for $425,000 (estimate $250,000-350,000). Another Tiffany Studios work from a West Coast private collection, a Favrile glass and patinated bronze Jonquil Narcissus table lamp reached a final price of $56,250. This stunning work harmoniously depicts two distinct flower designs around the shade and exemplifies Tiffany's love of nature. Property offered on behalf of Henry B. Platt, the great grandson of Louis Comfort Tiffany was enthusiastically received. A Tiffany Studios Banded Turtleback Tile table lamp from the grouping sold for $43,750.
Other highlights included a blown glass sculpture titled "Laibon Man" from the Man Adorned series, 2001, which fetched $100,000 (estimate $60,000-90,000) and a bronze "Canopic Jar: Giant Eland," 2004, which sold for $60,000. Both masterworks were created by the talented American Contemporary Glass artist William Morris, whose hauntingly evocative sculptures capture the imagination by transforming modern glass and bronze into sculptures resembling spiritual objects of past civilizations.
A private collection of 40 American catalin radios was well-received by an international audience. All 40 radios sold for a total of almost $84,000. Produced in the 1930s and 1940s, the streamline design made these radios both functional and aesthetic household purchases of the time. The collection featured colorful and iconic examples by Garod, Emerson, Fada, Sentinel and Motorola, to name a few.
French Art Deco highlights such as Jean Dunand's pair of silver-leaf and lacquered panels entitled "Women of Asia", circa 1931 sold for $56,250. Another chic offering, a pair of black lacquered wood and metal vitrines, circa 1925 by Emile-Jacques Ruhlmann fetched $46,250.