: A massive George Nakashima table became the top lot at Skinner
this past Saturday, June 24, during its Twentieth Century
Furniture and Decorative Arts sale. It sold to an unidentified
collector bidding on the phone for a record price paid at auction
for the craftsman, bringing $204,000.
The free-edge table was constructed with an English oak burl top
that measured 87 by 54 inches; the base was walnut. The table was
made for the Reverend Thomas W. Phelan, from whose estate it
came. Phelan was a chaplain and teacher at Rensselaer Polytechnic
Institute and friend of Nakashima. The table was completed in
1976 and was accompanied by a copy of the original receipt from
1973.
Other Nakashima items to do well included two small walnut
shelved stands with free-form tops that each sold at $17,625,
each accompanied by an original sketch. A walnut Conoid chair
also saw active bidding with it selling at $11,163. A complete
review of the sale will appear in a future issue.
