This circa 1910 bronze and leaded glass chandelier by Tiffany Studios, in the Nasturtium Trellis pattern, had previously been handled by the Minna Rosenblatt Gallery in New York City. It rose to the apex of the sale at $75,600 ($50/70,000).
NEW YORK CITY — One of the last auctions in Doyle’s 2023 sales calendar was its December 6-7 Doyle+Design auction, where 461 lots were marched across the auction block. The first day showcased modern and contemporary art and silver by makers of the Twentieth and Twenty-First Centuries, while modern and contemporary furniture and design was the focus of the second day. A feature of both sections — about 50 lots in total — was property from the estate of Hedda Kleinfeld Schachter, founder of Kleinfeld’s bridal salon. The combined total for the sale rang in at $1,328,797.
Todd Sell, Doyle’s senior vice president and appraiser of silver, furniture and decorative arts, reflected on the sale. “The Doyle+Design sale saw competitive bidding with almost 90 percent of furniture, silver and decorative arts finding buyers. A private collection of pewter and silver by Archibald Knox for Liberty & Co saw every lot sell. Furniture was driven by the great names of mid-Twentieth Century design, including Charles & Ray Eames, Hans Wegner, George Nelson and Philip and Kelvin Laverne. A set of four Jean Michel Frank side chairs sold for $34,650. A collection of British ceramics by Hans Coper and Lucie Rie sold from the Hedda Kleinfeld Schachter closed the sale.”
Highlighting the first day was a sculpture by Swiss artist Antoine Poncet (1928-2022) that achieved $37,800, far surpassing its $15/25,000 estimate. Executed in pink marble, the untitled work was acquired directly from the artist by Jack and Hedda Kleinfeld Schachter. The sculpture was a centerpiece in the newly created garden behind the Kleinfeld Bridal store in Brooklyn. When the business was sold five years later, the sculpture was moved to the foyer of the Schachter’s Fifth Avenue apartment designed by Peter Marino. An eminent postwar sculptor, Poncet was highly influenced by the work of Constantin Brâncusi and Jean Arp. His sculptures showcase a balance of form and volume. Critical to each of his pieces is movement and a sense of lightness, which can be found across his work in different media and in varying scale.
The highest selling of about 50 lots from the estate of Hedda Kleinfeld Schachter was this untitled pink marble sculpture by Antoine Poncet, which stood 48¼ inches tall and brought $37,800 to lead the first session of the two-day sale ($15/25,000).
The same session saw the exceptional result of two works in gouache on paper from 1983 by the Turkish-born artist Burhan Dogançay (1929-2013). The works sold for $25,200 and $23,940, each more than doubling its $7/9,000 estimate. Although Dogançay had artistic training from his parents, the artist pursued degrees in law and economics before his work eventually brought him to New York. It was there that Dogançay found his calling as an artist. He was engrossed by urban walls, filled with ripped or peeling posters and the remains of adverts, and their ability to convey the passage of people in time.
Highlighting the sale’s second session was a group of lamps by Tiffany Studios that surpassed expectations. A rare circa 1910 Nasturtium Trellis chandelier realized the sale’s top price of $75,600, exceeding its $50/70,000; a circa 1910 Black-Eyed Susan table lamp estimated at $20/30,000 performed exceptionally well at $40,950; and a circa 1910-20 Linenfold table lamp estimated at $12/18,000 achieved $22,680.
Also surpassing expectations at the sale was a group of art pottery by the Austrian-born British ceramicist Lucie Rie (1902-1995). Rie studied pottery at the Vienna Kunstgewerbeschule, an arts and crafts school associated with the Wiener Werkstatte. Fleeing Germany in 1938, she settled in London, where she lived and maintained a studio producing ceramics for the next 50 years. In 1946, she hired fellow emigree Hans Coper (1920-1981) as a studio assistant, and later as a partner in her studio.
Selling within estimate at $28,350 was this stoneware vase by Hans Coper, circa 1960, which measured 8-5/8 inches tall and had been purchased at Peter Marino, Ltd in 1996 ($25/35,000).
The group of ceramics by Lucie Rie was highlighted by a brown-glazed porcelain vase that achieved $20,160, far over its estimate of $8/12,000. Pottery by Hans Coper featured a circa 1960 stoneware vase that realized $28,350.
Doyle will sell Fabergé, Vertu, English and Continental Silver on January 24.
Prices quoted include the buyer’s premium as reported by the auction house. For additional information, 212-427-2730 or www.doyle.com.
