Delaware Valley Modernists, Arts & Crafts Furniture, Early 20th c. and Post-war Ceramics Among Highlights of Rago’s Jan 19-20 Au

Lambertville, NJ - Saturday, January 19 and Sunday, January 20 Rago Auctions will hold its first 2019 sale of Early 20th Century and Modern Design.

David Rago, Partner + Co-Director 20th-21st C. Design Dept: “Our best auctions usually have a large component of fresh material from private collections, and the January sale is exceptional in that regard. A group from the famed Harriman-Judd collection of European ceramics will start off the weekend, followed by a large collection of early 20th century American art pottery. Finally, there are two more collections of post-war ceramics, one from New York and the other from California. In all, these represent one of the most important and diverse groupings of decorative ceramics ever brought to auction.”

Early 20th C. Design - Saturday, January 19th at 10AM (EST), 430 lots

Property from four private collections of early 20th c. pottery including over thirty lots of pottery from the Harriman Judd Collection, featuring works by the Martin Brothers including three bird tobacco jars and a large creature sculpture. Ceramics by George Ohr, Newcomb College, Rookwood, Marblehead, Adelaide Robineau, Grueby, Tiffany Studios, Teco, Van Briggle, Arequipa, and more. European pottery by Zsolnay, Wedgwood, Raoul Lachenal, Moorcroft, Royal Doulton, Jean Mayodon, and more. A fifty-eight-lot single-owner collection of Amphora by Riessner, Stellmacher & Kessel and Paul Dachsel. Furniture by Charles Rohlfs, Gustav Stickley, Limbert, and L. & J.G. Stickley. Lighting by Tiffany Studios, Fulper, Dirk Van Erp, Lillian Palmer, and Roycroft. An exceptional forty-five-lot single-owner collection of Loetz glass. Art glass by Tiffany Studios, Gallé, Daum, Quezal, Amalric Walter, and Lalique. Silver and metalwork by Gustav Stickley, Marie Zimmermann, Dirk Van Erp, Liberty & Co., Tiffany Studios, Karl Kipp, Roycroft, and more. Fine art by Margaret Patterson.

Sarah Cutler, Specialist: “This is one of our biggest and best early 20th C. design sessions in years. We are delighted to offer pieces from the Harriman Judd Collection, among them many pieces of superb Martin Brothers ware, as well as outstanding single-owner collections of Loetz glass and Amphora pottery. All this, plus exceptional examples of design by Tiffany Studios, Gustav Stickley, Adelaide Robineau, Teco, and Charles Rohlfs, should make for an exciting day.”

Mid-Mod – Saturday, January 19th at 3:30PM (EST), 140 lots

Mid-priced 20th C. furniture, lighting, and decorative objects by George Nakashima, Phil Powell, Paul Evans, Tommi Parzinger, Pablo Picasso for Madoura, Piero Fornasetti, Georg Jensen, Harry Bertoia, Klaus Ihlenfeld, Rolph Scarlett, Ruth Roach, Tommy Simpson, Edward Wormley, Karl Springer, Eero Saarinen, Charles & Ray Eames, Le Corbusier, and more.

Modern Design - Sunday, January 20th at 10AM (EST), 261 lots

Featuring over thirty lots of George Nakashima and Mira Nakashima furniture. Over twenty lots of works by Harry Bertoia, including Sonambients, Bushes, Welded Forms, and many rare monographics. Many works by Paul Evans, including a large disc bar, a vertical Argente cabinet, and a rare early sculpture. Furniture by Sam Maloof, Wharton Esherick, Phil Powell, Albert Paley, Philip & Kelvin LaVerne, Michael Coffey, Wendell Castle, Tommy Simpson, Dean Santner, Tommi Parzinger, Vladimir Kagan and more. European furniture by Pierre Jeanneret, Jean Prouve, Gio Ponti, Paolo Buffa, Osvaldo Borsani, Pierre Guariche, and more. Scandinavian wares by Hans Wegner, Finn Juhl, Kaare Klint, and Svend Aage Larsen. Lighting by George Nakashima, Max Ingrand, Angelo Lelii, Donald Deskey, Jean Besnard, and more. Ceramics by Pablo Picasso for Madoura and Gio Ponti for Ginori. Silver, jewelry, metalwork, and decorative objects by William Hunt Diederich, Georg Jensen, D’Lisa Creager, Russel Wright, Gio Ponti, and the Moulthrops. Tapestries by Alexander Calder for Bon Art.

Jad Attal, Modern Design Specialist: “This January we’re excited to feature great European design from Italy, France, and Scandinavia, as well as a number of superb American Craft pieces. Amongst my favorites are a Sam Maloof rocking chair, a George Nakashima Conoid desk, and a fantastic sculptural Michael Coffey desk and chair suite.”

Lost City Arts: 36 Years of Collecting - Sunday, January 20th at 2PM (EST), 106 lots

Featuring 106 lots of mid-century and contemporary design and sculpture from the collection of James Elkind, proprietor of Lost City Arts in New York City. Includes fine and rare works by George Nakashima, Harry Bertoia, Paul Evans, Phil Powell, Angelo Lelii, Serge Mouille, Pedro Friedeberg, Charles & Ray Eames, Duayne Hatchett, Beverly Pepper, Ruth Duckworth, and more. 

Jad Attal: “Jim’s genius is bringing together works from obscure yet extremely talented artists and presenting them alongside iconic classics and unique architectural and decorative objects. A stroll through his gallery is a glimpse into a mind that balances eclectic art and furniture in a manner reflecting what it is to be a New Yorker. We’re proud to present this curated selection of works from his collection.”

Modern Ceramics & Glass - Sunday, January 20th at 3:30PM (EST), 225 lots

Featuring over eighty lots of ceramics from a private California collection, including exceptional works by Harrison McIntosh, Marguerite Wildenhain for Pond Farm, Hans Coper, James Lovera, Gertrud and Otto Natzler, Laura Andreson, Betty Davenport Ford, Glen Lukens, Laura Andreson, Rupert Deese, and more. Other works include those by Betty Woodman, Beatrice Wood, Cliff Lee, Jack Earl, and Paul Soldner. Exceptional glass by Yoichi Ohira, Preston Singletary, Dale Chihuly, William Morris, Libenský and Brychtová, Toots Zynsky, Laura de Santillana, Dante Marioni, Pohlman & Knowles, Richard Marquis, Stephen Rolfe Powell, Dan Dailey, Frantisek Vizner, Christopher Ries, Hiroshi Yamano, Kyohei Fujita, Ross Richmond, Therman Statom, and more.

Suzanne Perrault, Partner + Co-Director 20th-21st C. Design Dept “Such loveliness in glass this time around! From the sleek and abstract forms by Czech masters Frantisek Vizner, Libenský and Brychtová and Libenský student Ivana Houserova, to meticulously-crafted figural sculptures by Pohlman and Knowles, Preston Singletary, Bill Morris, and by his pupil, Ross Richmond. By Dale Chihuly, a prototypical vessel, the first such piece we’ve seen, along with a large Soft Cylinder with blanket, and a nineteen-piece Seaform group. To top it all off, five tactile vessels by Yoichi Ohira.”

Click here to view all of Rago's upcoming Janurary 2019 auction catalogs.