NEW YORK CITY – A Tiffany Studios reticulated bronze and leaded glass turtleback table lamp with pineapple base sold for $81,900 at Doyle’s Dolye+Design sale June 16. The example had once been in the collection of Lee B. Anderson, who gifted it to the consignor. Anderson was a noted collector of American paintings and Gothic Revival furniture. Doyle sold much of his collection in 2012, when it grossed more than $870,000 on the furniture and decorative arts alone. Added to that figure was another sale of American paintings.

At the time, the auction house wrote of the collector: “Mr Anderson’s love for the Gothic style began after serving in World War II when he visited Strawberry Hill, Horace Walpole’s Eighteenth Century Gothic villa in England. Upon his return to the States, Mr Anderson, an art education teacher, began collecting American school paintings and eventually, Gothic Revival furniture. Over the years, his passion for the style led him to become a prolific collector, amassing hundreds of highly romantic and elaborate pieces. His opulently decorated rooms became the mise-en-scène for memorable parties, which drew such friends as Halston and Lee Radziwill.

“Mr Anderson’s collection has been featured in numerous publications, including The New York Times, House & Garden, The World of Interiors, Art in America, Art & Antiques and The New York Observer, among others. He also shared his knowledge with other collectors, including Cher, who visited Mr Anderson and toured his home, drawing inspiration for her own collection of Gothic furniture.”

The Tiffany Studios lamp, circa 1910, was priced at $80 in the 1906 price list for the firm. Adjusted for inflation, it would have been retailed at $2,393 today.

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