Morphy’s unveils elegant holiday selection for Dec. 17-19 Fine & Decorative Arts Auction
Featured: 195 art-glass lamps, including very rare Tiffany ‘Venetian’ with Macklowe Gallery provenance; platinum & diamond jewelry, gold watches, art pottery & glass, Black Forest clock
DENVER, Pa. – Morphy’s most-loved sale from its always-busy calendar of events, the annual pre-Christmas Fine & Decorative Arts Auction, consistently delivers luxury, rarity and peerless quality to discerning collectors and holiday gift-givers. This year’s edition, which will be held on December 17-19, is brimming with superior jewels and watches, art pottery, silver, coins and dazzling Tiffany Studios lamps.
“In our Fine & Decorative sales, we always make an extra effort to include lamps that are genuinely exceptional,” said Dan Morphy, founder and president of Morphy Auctions. “In the December sale, there are more than 40 Tiffany productions, as well as designs by Handel, Duffner & Kimberley, Pairpoint, Wilkinson and many other sought-after brands.”
No one has ever understood how to fuse color and light quite like Louis Comfort Tiffany, and today, more than 140 years after the introduction of his first Tiffany Studios lamp, collectors remain mesmerized by his designs. Unquestionably, one of the most desirable Tiffany masterworks is the “Venetian” lamp, an example of which will be auctioned on December 18.
A rare and extraordinarily beautiful Venetian table lamp is diminutive (19 inches tall) by comparison to other Tiffany lighting, yet it was one of the New York firm’s most expensive lamps in the early 20th century. This was due to the time and painstaking effort it took to create the breathtaking Venetian pattern from a profusion of small, very delicate pieces of glass. Both the shade, which retains its attractive original gold “heat cap,” and its correct filigreed and jeweled “gold” base are signed. The lamp is in excellent condition, and its provenance includes a 2003 purchase from the famed Macklowe Gallery. Estimate: $60,000-$80,000
At Morphy’s pre-Christmas auction, good things have always come in small packages. This year’s ultimate stocking stuffer is a ladies’ platinum and diamond line necklace consisting of 66 natural, near-colorless emerald-cut diamonds with a total weight of 21.50cts. The gems are graded H color, VS clarity, and the gross weight of the 16-inch necklace is 56.0 grams. The piece I marked MIR-PLT under the clasp on the safety lock. New and in unworn condition, it is estimated at $25,000-$40,000.
Another jewelry highlight that won’t go unnoticed is an 18K gold Rolex Daytona Ref 116528 wristwatch. Made in Switzerland circa 2011-2013, it has a white MOP dial with diamonds. Accompanied by its original Rolex box and papers, it is offered with an $18,000-$28,000 estimate.
A Reed & Barton (American) 7-piece tea and coffee service retailed by Cartier is the embodiment of gracious living. Comprised of a water kettle on stand, coffee pot, teapot, cream jug, covered sugar bowl, and waste bowl, the set has a distinctive design. Each component has an octagonal baluster body, with a matching handled tray. The approximate total weight is 288ozt, and the lot carries an estimate of $10,000-$25,000.
Highland Park, Michigan, was a village of barely 4,000 residents in 1910, but with the rise of the automobile industry and establishment of Chrysler Corporation locally, the Detroit suburb’s population grew tenfold in less than two decades. Along with that growth came many lovely mansions with attractive exterior appointments, like the pair of massive bronze exterior lanterns entered in Morphy’s December sale. Each measuring 6ft high with an unusual fantasy motif, these fixtures would have made quite an architectural statement in their day, as they would now. In excellent condition, they will cross the auction block with a $10,000-$30,000 estimate.
European highlights include a monumental circa-1925 Hans Winterhalder (Neustadt, Germany) Black Forest two-panel tall-case clock masterfully carved with three bears and grape vines. The interior of the 78½-inch-tall clock is fitted with mirrors, with the movement striking on eight rods. In excellent condition, this impressive timekeeper is estimated at $10,000-$30,000.
The best of Continental artistry is seen in a monumental Villeroy & Boch “Mettlach” jardiniere created circa 1885. Etched and glazed in relief, the stoneware vessel is adorned with handles formed as two nymphs. One side of the jardiniere depicts a former 10th-century Benedictine Abbey in Mettlach, while the other side displays a Saar River scene. It is sized 12 inches by 12 inches by 16 inches and is impressed Villeroy & Boch, Patent, and Mettlach, along with the numbers 1128 and 8. It is like an example held in the collection of the American Museum of Ceramic Art. Estimate: $6,000-$8,000
Morphy’s December 17-19, 2024 Fine & Decorative Arts Auction will be held at the company’s Denver, Pennsylvania gallery, starting each day at 9 a.m. Eastern Time. All forms of bidding will be available, including live via the Internet through Morphy Live. For questions about any item in the auction, please call 877-968-8880 or email [email protected]. Online: www.morphyauctions.com.
