March 22nd’s Design Since 1860 auction was wonderfully received, with many positive comments received by the department about the range and quality of the objects in the sale. Aesthetic Movement and Arts & Crafts were particularly well-represented and a beautiful 1860 ebonised parcel gilt mirror started off the auction with a bang, exceeding its £600 high estimate by leaps and bounds and realising £4,420 including premium.
Lot 179:J ennifer Lee (b.1956) 'RCA-136' Asymmetric banded olive speckled, dark rim vessel
The standout highlight from the sale was lot 179, an ‘RCA-136’ asymmetric banded olive stoneware vase by the artist Jennifer Lee (b.1956). Made in January 1983, during the Spring Term of Lee’s final year at the Royal College of Art, the vase was exchanged with a work by the potter - and later RCA lecturer - Grahame Clarke which had been especially designed for Lee. Over 40 museums worldwide hold works by Lee in their collection including the Victoria and Albert Museum and New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art. The 12 cm vessel was typical of the artist’s supremely serene style and garnered strong interest (assisted by its strong provenance) and reached an excellent result at auction - realising £22,100 (against a £18,000 high estimate). Roseberys would like to thank Jennifer Lee for her assistance in cataloguing lot 179.
Lot 60: Galle Plafonnier moulded with lemons and foliage in green and yellow
So rarely do Gallé plafonniers come up at auction, but Roseberys were lucky enough this March to have two on offer. Both lot 60 and lot 61 captured the interest of Gallé collectors and achieved well over (more than triple and double) their high estimates, realising £7,800 and £5,720 respectively - including premium. Lot 60 (made circa 1925 - 1936) featured lemons and foliage in green and yellow and measured 50 cm in diameter. Lot 61’s design (made circa 1928 - 1936) was of red fruits and foliage and was the smaller of the two plafonniers at auction, measuring 49 cm diameter. Both were signed in cameo. Plafonniers - hanging wall ceiling lights - were particularly popular within the Art Deco movement and the Edwardian era, and the invention of electricity made it easy to illuminate their often intricately etched designs.
Lot 278: Jules Leleu (1883-1961)Pair of lounge chairs, circa 1960
Two was a magic number in the March 22nd sale and a rare pair of armchairs designed by the French decorator-turned- furniture designer Jules Leleu reached an impressive £9,100 including premium (well over double its high estimate). The pair of lounge chairs (measuring 74 cm high 70 cm wide) made around 1960 by the designer known for his post-war designs, were made from steel and brass with fabric upholstery and one chair was stamped ‘31 973’ to its underside. Scarce designs of Leleu’s always prove popular at auction, and the quality of his designs (the artist won a grand prize at the 1925 Exposition Industrielle et Arts Decoratifs) make them very coveted.
Lot 162: Lucie Rie (1902-1995) Two coffee mugs, circa 1955
Another duo at auction was a pair of Dame Lucie Rie mugs (lot 162) which despite minor damage and restoration made a huge £1820 including premium, demonstrating how strong the market is for the right name. The pair of 11 cm, 1955 stoneware coffee mugs - one with matte manganese glaze and the other in white glaze with a manganese rim - with impressed artist seals to their underside flew past their high estimate of £250.
Lot 45: Delphin Massier (1836-1907), depicting a design by Alphonse Mucha
Lot 45 also surpassed its high estimate. The Delphin Massier plaque from the turn of the 20th Century features an AlphonSe Mucha design - his famous ‘Byzantine Head’ bordered by scattered flowers. Mucha is perhaps the most famous Art Nouveau artist and his theatrical posters have come to define the period. This RED LUSTRE glazed earthenware wall charger featuring a typical Mucha Art Nouveau maiden was always sure to attract collectors of Mucha, Massier, and early 20th century design. Signed on the reverse 'DELPHIN MASSIER / VALLAURIS (A.M.)’ and measuring 39 cm in diameter, lot 45 achieved £1,820 hammer including premium against an £800 to £1,200 estimate.
Lot 229: Hermès Gold Epsom leather Birkin 35 handbag, 2008
Not all items in the Design Since 1860 auction were distinctly vintage, and lot 229’s design is as popular and a-la-mode as ever - a Hermès Birkin handbag. The Gold Epsom leather Birkin 35 handbag (measuring 35 x 29 x 18 cm) was made in 2008 with palladium hardware, zip pocket, one slip pocket, lock, keys, clochette, dust bag, and raincoat. Birkin tote bags were introduced by Hermès in 1984, named after the singer and actress Jane Birkin, who has been sat next to the company’s chief executive during a flight from Paris to London when the contents of her bag spilled out, inspiring Jean-Louis Dumas to create a leather bag which was both practical and beautiful. The bag’s classic design and its adoption as a status-symbol with enduring appeal helped it to surpass its high estimate and achieve £9,100 including premium.
Lot 277: Jean Lurçat (1892-1966) for Tabard Frères & Sœurs
'Le Bouc Ocre' very large Aubusson tapestry, 'No. 2631', circa 1950
Roseberys are privileged to always present artists and makers at the top of their field at auction, and this Design Since 1860 sale was no exception. Lot 277 was made by one of the most renowned tapestry designers of the 20th Century - Jean Lurçat. Lurçat has been credited with reviving the art of weaving in the 20th century, and in the late 1930s his artistic practice turned from painting to tapestry-making permanently. As well as tapestries, Lurçat was a poet, ceramicist, and illustrator, but it is his woven work which has earned him global recognition. This ‘Le Bouc Ocre’ tapestry saw competitive bidding selling at £6,500 including premium, almost doubling its £3,500 high estimate. The very large (240 x 296 cm) Aubusson woollen tapestry was made in 1950 for Tabard Frères & Sœurs, is signed ‘Lurçat’ and ‘Tabard’ within the weave, and numbered ‘2631’ on the reverse.
Lot 305: Adrian Pearsall (1925-2011)'Wave Rocker' chaise, circa 1960
By far the most comfortable piece of furniture available on sale day was lot 305, a 78 cm x 77 cm rocking chaise by the American ‘Atomic Age’ architect and furniture designer Adrian Pearsall. There is always a keen market for high-quality and usable furniture, and this was no exception with the chaise exceeding its £2,000 high estimate and flying up to £5,720 hammer including premium. Known as the ‘Wave Rocker’, made around 1960 using walnut and fabric upholstery, is heavily cushioned, making it an interior-design favourite since its mid-century debut. Pearsall’s background as an architect helped him to create designs with lasting appeal and practicality, and his objects in walnut are notably popular.
A final, estimate-smashing, highlight from the recent Design Since 1860 auction was lot 103, a Sevres polar bear made after the famous design by Francois Pompon. Pompon was classically trained in Paris, assisting the French artist Auguste Rodin during the 1890s and was a regular exhibitor at the French Salons. Pompon’s Art Deco design of the striding polar bear was first shown at the 1922 Salon d’automne and its popularity led the artist to produce several other versions in various sizes. A life-sized sculpture of the model in marble is held at New York’s Met Museum, and a huge stone version is kept at the Musee D’Orsay. Polar bear designs retained their popularity (animalier sculpture reaching its peak in the mid-nineteenth century in France) well into the 20th century. This 21 cm high version was made from glazed ceramic bearing the impressed stamp ‘S / SEVRES / MADE IN / FRANCE’ and inscribed ‘Rb’ on its underside. Lot 103 realised £18,200 hammer including premium, a huge success against its £200 to £300 estimate.
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