Tiffany Studios Reigns At Red Baron November Sale

ATLANTA - An original stained and layered figural window by Tiffany Studios sold for $166,750 while a Tiffany Studios bronze chandelier in the Egyptian Revival style changed hands for $103,500 at the November 5-6 sale held by Red Baron's Antiques. It was the last sale of the year for the 30-year-old auction house. Red Baron's next sale will take place March 4-5.

The figural window, titled "The Sower," had been commissioned in 1923 by Melville Dewey, the originator of the Dewey Decimal System. Dewey was also the founder of the Lake Placid Club in New York and he had the window installed at the Annie Dewey Memorial Chapel off the main hall of the club. It measures 61 by 30 inches and was probably painted by Mary Tillinghast, a rumored paramour of Tiffany.

The chandelier was made circa 1904 and is believed to have been exhibited at the St Louis World's Fair that year. Each arm has crescent gas keys and original Hubbell fixtures. The upper shades are early Tiffany crackle glass with applied art glass salamanders. The lower shades are Favrile glass, bearing the Louis Comfort Tiffany signature.

Also, an original Norman Rockwell oil painting on canvas titled "Young Couple Looking at Catalogue" rose to $86,250. The painting was used as cover art for the 1927 edition of the Sears & Roebuck catalog. It depicts what was for decades a uniquely American pastime - flipping through the pages of the newly arrived Sears catalog. The 16-by-20-inch work was sold in a walnut exposition frame.

Vintage and unique automobiles, always a staple at Red Baron's sales, were not in short supply. The keys to a fully restored 1959 Ford Thunderbird convertible were handed to the bidder whose paddle wagged at $31,625. A 1999 Volkswagen Beetle, looking groovy with a psychedelic paint job and driven in the Austin Powers movie The Spy Who Shagged Me, rolled off for $18,975.

Two unique motorcars crossed the block. The first was a car retrofitted to look like the Trojan Horse. It even breathes fire and steam (but comes equipped with air conditioning). It rolled away for $21,850. The other was also a madeover car, this one to look like a screaming cartoon character. It took first place at the Houston Art Car Parade in 2004 and found a new owner for $20,125.

Art highlights included an original oil on canvas by the American painter Albert Bierstadt (1830-1902), titled "Burro and Goat Beneath a Hayloft," gaveled for $36,800. An oil work by Darrell Downs, titled "He Ain't Heavy" circa 1970, appeared on a record album cover of the era and sold for $8,625. And a life-size Eighteenth Century figure, carved in wood and used as an artist's model, went for $13,800.

A mythological bronze statue crafted by Emmanuel Fremiet (1824-1910) and titled "Chariot of the Minerva" drew attention, in part to its provenance. The 36-inch-tall piece was purchased in 1921 by publishing magnate William Randolph Hearst for his Hearst Castle. It sold for $43,125. Fremiet was considered the finest French sculptor of the day and taught up to 20 pupils at a time at the Louvre in Paris, where he was director of sculpture.

A one-of-a-kind lot was the group of scale model World War II warships that had to be displayed outdoors owing to their size. The models were originally made for the movie Tora! Tora! Tora! and some fierce bidding ensued. In the end, a persistent collector claimed his prizes for $86,250.

An actual US Navy periscope, World War II vintage, fully restored and mounted on an oak exhibition stand, will be an endless source of conversation for the bidder who paid $16,100 for it. The periscope was built to exact Navy specifications by the Spencer Lens Company and, mounted on its stand, is 103 inches high with a diameter of 39 inches.

All prices include the 15 percent buyer's premium. Red Baron's is at 6450 Roswell Road. For more information, 404-252-3770 or www.rbantiques.com