Date: Mon 01-Feb-1999

Publication: Ant

Author: CAROLL

Quick Words:

Rago-sale-Ohr

Full Text:

Rago Reaches New High

(with cuts)

LAMBERTVILLE, N.J. -- American Arts and Crafts records continued to fall at

David Rago's most recent auction, held on December 12-13. The sale was over 95

percent sold and reached an all-time high for the firm at $1.4 million.

According to the firm, new highs were established for Arts and Crafts

furniture, decorative ceramics and accessories, as more than 600 bidders

nationwide participated.

Particularly noteworthy was a George Ohr pitcher, doubling its previous

auction record at $44,000; a Gustav Stickley sideboard designed by Harvey

Ellis, which sold for $38,500; and a Roycroft single-shade wall sconce

designed by Dard Hunter, which rang up $46,750.

Decorative ceramics included a seven-inch Tiffany pottery vase, which realized

$15,400. This piece was described as having several short hairline cracks.

Grueby pottery, with a selection of over two dozen pieces, was highlighted by

a tall three-color vase selling to a New York collector at $22,000. A small

Newcomb College vase with yellow flowers nearly doubled its high estimate at

$24,750, and an exceptional and early 1912 Van Briggle vase embossed with

poppy pods soared to $12,100.

Mission furniture continued its climb, with virtually any piece in original

condition by any major maker either establishing new highs or challenging

existing records. The high Roycroft lot was a 33-degree, single-door bookcase

(est $8/12,000). The case, from an old private collection and off the market

for nearly 25 years, was in remarkable condition. Several buyers thought so as

well, driving it to nearly double its record high at $19,800. Also setting a

new auction high was a set of seven Roycroft dining chairs with two horizontal

slats, at $5,200.

The Limbert Furniture Company of Holland, Mich., was responsible for some of

the best, and worst, examples of Mission work by any of the important period

makers. Their European styled ware, reflecting the influence of Macintosh and

the Glasgow School are most popular today, while their later, thinner work

continues to languish on the market. An interesting trend in this sale was the

strong pricing for pieces of strong form and new or challenged finishes.

In at least two cases, record prices were approached for Limbert pieces

clearly described in the sales catalogue as having been retouched. Included

was a "turtle top" one-drawer library table, which brought a strong $4,775,

and a handsome cut-out lamp table, which sold for $5,225.

Gustav Stickley's furniture, however, still remains the darling of the market,

as examples of his work performed solidly in nearly any condition. Aside from

the $38,500 Ellis sideboard, other notable pieces included a very clean and

early washstand, setting a new record at $24,200; a refinished mitered-mullion

bookcase, which garnered $8,800; and an unusual, low, double-door bookcase

with gallery top, which fetched $8,250.

Additionally, an L. & J.G. Stickley cube settle (No 281), with quadrilinear

posts, in original finish, soared past its estimate to settle at $11,000.

Period lighting continued to steal the headlines, however. The top lot of the

auction was a fine Dirk Van Erp copper and mica table lamp, fresh from a West

Coast collection and with excellent museum provenance. Estimated for

$45/55,000, the lamp attracted considerable interest from each coast and in

between before settling at $60,500.

Other noteworthy lamp prices included the aforementioned Dard Hunter fixture;

an unusual Troutman copper table lamp with a hammered base and octagonal

parchment shade, which brought $4,400; and a fine Tiffany Favrile glass table

lamp with golden glass base and striated hemispheric shade, which blew past

its high estimate, finally reaching $6,050.

According to the firm, it is harder to establish new records for art pottery

because relatively few great pieces were made by each firm, and fewer still

come to auction during any given cycle. Also, existing records for makers such

as Grueby at $40,800, Tiffany and Rookwood at $201,000 are already so high,

that even though records are not frequently broken, the strength of this vital

aspect of the Arts and Crafts market is best judged by the evenness of pricing

across the board.

Rookwood, for example, may not see a price in excess of the aforementioned

figure established five years ago.

Of the more than 40 such pieces in this sale, most Rookwood items were from

the collection of Esther and the late Dr Myers of Philadelphia. Of particular

interest was a small sea green vase with phlox by Sara Sax, which sold for

$5,225; a clean vellum plaque by E.T. Hurley, featuring an autumnal pond scene

with birch trees, which brought $11,000; an uncrazed iris glaze vase by Sara

Sax, 1906, painted with purple irises, which realized $4,125; and a vellum

vase by Lenore Asbury, 1927, painted with magnolias, which nearly doubled the

high estimate, finally reaching $6,050.

Most of the Newcomb College pottery offered hailed from a single Southern

collection, although key pieces were consigned by people from across the

nation.

A New Hampshire consignor provided early sale fireworks with an unusual

jardiniere showing gently modeled sailboats under a clear high glaze. One of

only a handful of vases with such decoration, the piece exceeded its high

estimate, reaching $13,750.

A California consignor provided two of the auction's more unusual Newcomb

examples. Again, from the early high-glaze period, these had been in his

grandmother's family since the 1920s. Both were particularly early, showing

surface painted, stenciled designs under a clear high glaze. The taller of the

two, with leaves and berries, brought $6,600, and the smaller, suggesting an

opened sunflower blossom, reached $4,950. A rare carved matte plaque by

Henrietta Bailey, with a landscape of a fishing boat on a riverbank, reached

$13,200.

Fulper pottery was bolstered by a single-owner collection from New York state.

Consisting of about 75 pieces, prices included $1,430 for an early bud vase

covered in a leopard skin crystalline glaze. A rare Chinese lantern, with

leaded green slag glass windows embossed with faux rivets, reached $4,400.

The high lot among wrought metal offerings was a Roycroft hammered copper

American Beauty vase with a new dark patina, which brought $2,090. A Boston

Arts and Crafts hammered copper circular covered box by Frank Marshall sold

for $2,090.

Other highlights included a Gustav Bauman 1922 color woodblock print which had

phone lines filled and fierce absentee and in-room bidding and more than

doubled the high estimate at $4,125. An unusual Arts and Crafts room screen,

with three tooled-leather panels, one side with a painted peacock, garnered a

lot of interest, finally reaching $4,675.

Prices quoted include a ten percent buyer's premium. For information,

609/397-9374.