A superior Turtleback tile lamp made by Tiffany Studios, circa 1910, brought $118,750 to lead Heritage Auctions’ $1+ million Tiffany, Lalique & Art Glass Signature Auction Dec. 4 in New York. The auction’s 95 percent sell through fell within estimates with strong interest in works by René Lalique, Italian studio glass, and French ‘pate-de-verre’.
“Important private collections highlighted by quality and diversity generated strong interest from buyers worldwide,” said Nick Dawes, Vice President of Special Collections at Heritage Auctions. “It’s unusual to see so many large collections offered in one auction and our clients were keenly aware of the opportunity.”
The auction began with a fine selection of Tiffany Studios desk ware, mostly from one private collection, which took a total of $46,556. The group was led by items in the Grapevine pattern, including a fine, 16-piece bronze desk set, circa 1915, at $5,625, a rare adjustable lamp in remarkable original finish ended at $5,312, and a lot of four Grapevine pattern boxes of hit $4,687.
Additional Tiffany works recorded strong prices as a Leaded Glass and Bronze Apple Blossom Lamp was purchased by a buyer in Europe for $32,500 and a Favrile Paperweight Morning Glory Vase ended at $30,000.
Other private collections offered in the auction included an impressive group of Italian studio glass, which sold for a total of $107,125, highlighted by a Dino Martens Eldorado Osellaria Trombone vase, which sold for $17,500 against a $5,000 estimate. A fine private collection of Daum ‘pate-de-verre’ comprising 23 vases and sculpture was 100 percent sold for a total of $64,593, including a Cactus vase, which brought $8,125.
Work by Lalique generated intense bidder interest as a pair of Opalescent Suzanne and Thais Statuettes on bronze illuminating bases hit $50,000 and a clear Tourbillons Vase with Black Enamel Detail, brought $43,750.
A Loetz Iridescent Phaenomen Genre 358 Inverted Tapering Vase was one of the auctions’ most desirable lots. Crafted around 1900, the 7″ vase sold to a buyer in Austria for $13,750 following interest by a dozen bidders.
