Leading the sale was this polished and acid-etched steel coffee table by Heinz Lilienthal (German, 1927-2006), signed and dated 1970, which measured 18½ by 69 by 27½ inches and shone at $5,313 ($1/2,000).
Review by Kiersten Busch
ALEXANDRIA, VA. — The Potomack Company started off October with its Midcentury to Twenty-First Century Modern Furniture & Decorative Arts auction, which took place on October 7. Various furniture, ceramics and pottery, glass and porcelain and china were offered in the sale, from artists and designers such as Max Laeuger, Charles Catteau, Eero Saarinen, Gary Beecham and Jose Zanine Caldas. Bolstering a 99 percent sell-through rate, the sale totaled $66,248.
“We were very pleased with the interest in designers from the 1970s-80s,” said Kira Greene, head of press relations and special consignments at Potomack. “We were also very pleased to see young adults in the Washington, DC area purchasing for their homes.”
Leading the sale was a polished and acid-etched stainless steel coffee table by German glass painter, furniture designer and decorator Heinz Lilienthal, who was also well-known for creating ship designs for Aristotle Onassis, reported the auction catalog. The rectangular table was signed and dated to the year 1970 and contained a paper label underneath. The catalog marked it as in “overall very good condition,” but the table contained some surface scratches. Despite the small imperfections, bidders raised the table to $5,313, surpassing its $1/2,000 estimate.
Designed by José Zanine Caldas (Brazilian, 1919-2001) and earning $4,063 was this side table made from pequi wood circa 1960; it was 17¾ inches tall and 17¼ inches in diameter ($1,5/2,500).
Another table, this one made from pequi wood was sold for $4,063, the third-highest price of the sale. Designed by Brazilian artist, designer and architect Jose Zanine Caldas, the side table was completed circa 1980 and its circular top measured 17¼ inches in diameter.
There was no lack of chairs offered in the sale. In fact, a handful of the top-selling lots came in pairs, for double the fun. A pair of ash armchairs designed by Jindřich Halabala around 1960 earned $4,375; they had rectangular backs and were upholstered in beige velour. Finishing for more than two times their $1/1,500 estimate, the pair earned the second highest price in the sale.
Slicing their way to a $3,438 finish was a pair of teak scissor chairs designed by Folke Ohlsson for Swedish furniture design company DUX circa 1960. The pair had cushioned backs and seats upholstered with woven green fabric and they rested on X-form trestle legs.
Crossing the block for more than two times their $400/800 estimate was a pair of club chairs from Taylorsville, N.C., furniture manufacturing company Mitchell Gold + Bob Williams. Upholstered in light blue velour, the pair had tub-shaped padded backs and sat on swiveled bases; they realized $1,750.
Sofas of all shapes and sizes were well represented, with a pair of Midcentury walnut sofas sitting at a $2,250 finish, the highest price achieved for their category. Both sofas were upholstered in a celadon silk brocade with a branch-like pattern, which incorporated various silvers, golds and browns.
Flying past their $400/800 estimate were a pair of light blue velour upholstered club chairs from Mitchell Gold + Bob Williams, which went out for $1,750.
While not what one might call a traditional sofa, the tête-à-tête — originating from a French phrase meaning “a private conversation between two people,” according to Oxford Languages — is an S-shaped sofa; this example, upholstered in ice blue chenille fabric, was custom-made by John Rosselli & Associates and earned $1,500, landing comfortably within estimate.
“The prices in this sale were good,” shared Pamela Cole, decorative arts specialist at Potomack, in a phone conversation post-sale. “I think we do as well for our consignors as we can do.”
Leading the decorative arts category was a Zsolnay Porcelain figure of a skull and rosary on top of a bible, which was colored with a yellow and green eosin glaze. The figure, numbered “5783,” was designed circa 1900 by Hungarian artist László Mattyasovszky Zsolnay, great-grandson of Miklós, the founder of Zsolnay Porcelain. It surpassed its $1/1,500 estimate to achieve $2,125. “This figure made a fair amount of money because it had a mark for the decorator,” said Cole. “It was really unusual, and it was in perfect condition. To be able to look and find out who manufactured it and find out who the carver was made it an important piece in the auction.” Cole went on to explain the significance of the eosin glaze: “[Mattyasovszky] invented a glaze called eosin, it was meant to symbolize, I think, sunrise, so it had this iridescent quality to it. It was honestly just darling.”
Designed by László Mattyasovszky Zsolnay (Hungarian, 1885-1935) for Zsolnay Porcelain, this eosin-glazed figure of a skull and rosary on top of a bible was completed circa 1900 and earned $2,125 ($1/1,500).
Other decorative arts highlights included a glazed earthenware globular vase by Belgian ceramic company Boch Frères Keramis, which poured out at $1,625, surpassing its high estimate more than three times. The narrow-based vase was decorated with a band of leaves and stylized flowers overtop of an aqua background; it was made after a design by Charles Gatteau. “We have been selling small parts of a collection that a local collector is deaccessioning,” explained Cole, “this was one of those pieces, from a special line from Boch Frères. I think it is very attractive! It was one of the nicer pieces of Boch Frères in the sale, and again, it was fully marked, which is helpful.”
A Caronia mirrored floor lamp by Maryland-based custom furniture manufacturer Niermann Weeks illuminated a $1,500 finish. The lamp contained inset oxidized mirrored panels and stood on a spreading square foot. Of the lamp, Cole expressed, “These Midcentury Modern sales seem to capitalize on designer names like this, and I think it’s one of the reasons why the pieces sell so well. If you look at the retail prices of these items, they’re so high! I think this is such a bargain; I believe it’s why we have so many younger buyers looking into our things lately. It’s kind of like recycling furniture!”
The Potomack Company will conduct their next sale over the course of three days, from November 20-23.
Prices quoted include buyer’s premium as reported by the auction house. For information, www.potomackcompany.com and 703-684-4550.
