Tiffany Peony Lamp Outshines Lighting Offerings at Fontaine's

The table lamp had a 22-inch-diameter shade and reached $149,500.

PITTSFIELD, MASS. - Fontaine's Auction Gallery conducted its spring 2003 auction on May 16-18, featuring more than 600 items gathered from estates across New England. Included in the sale, which totaled $2.3 million, was furniture from well-known makers such as Belter, J&JW Meeks, Herter Brothers, Charles Boudine and others; Twentieth Century lighting; and early American antiques, including furniture and early American portrait paintings.

Topping the sale was a Tiffany peony table lamp, which brought $149,500. The lamp featured a 22-inch-diameter brilliantly colored leaded shade depicting flowers and foliage throughout and a double geometric border on the bottom of the shade, signed "Tiffany Studios, NY," and a decorative Tiffany-style base.

Also sold was an important pair of bronze torchieres by Edward F. Caldwell & Co., circa 1905. Caldwell was one of the preeminent American designers of lighting, fixtures and metalwork of the Twentieth Century. Realizing $92,000, the torchieres had been made as a special commission for the Mellon estate in Pennsylvania. When the mansion was razed, they were donated to a Pittsburgh hall of worship.

A third highlight of the sale was a painting by Robert Bateman, an acrylic titled "Bald Eagle with Salmon," circa 1972, signed lower right corner and measuring 32 by 471/2 inches. The painting brought $66,500.

All prices reflect a 15 percent buyer's premium.