NEW YORK.- On December 17, 2004 Sotheby's will present a thematic auction celebrating the spirit of American design at the dawn of the 20th century, entitled American Renaissance. The heart of the sale is a landmark collection of important and rare works by California architects Charles Sumner Greene and Henry Mather Greene, the largest offering of its type to appear at auction. The work of other American pioneers such as Frank Lloyd Wright, Louis Sullivan and George Washington Maher, among others, will also be offered. Complementing these architects will be a select group of lamps, favrile glass, ceramics and jewelry by Louis Comfort Tiffany. Prior to the December 17th auction, the entire offering of approximately 150 lots will be on exhibition in Sotheby's 10th floor galleries from December 12th to 16th.

James Zemaitis, Senior Vice President and Director of Sotheby's 20th Century Design Department, said, "This is the first time that such a comprehensive offering of Greene & Greene furnishings has appeared on the market. It is a unique opportunity for collectors as the present offering has been assembled over many decades with a curatorial eye. It gives us a rare opportunity to juxtapose the California Arts & Crafts aesthetic with the Prairie School, the Beaux Arts Revival and the American Art Nouveau."

An Important Private Collection of Greene & Greene - The December 17th sale will present the largest offering of Greene & Greene material to ever come up for auction. The collection features nearly 50 lots of furniture, lighting, windows and objects from numerous Green & Greene commissions and represents a wide survey of the architects' repertoire, from their early work influenced by the British and American Arts & Crafts movements to their distinct, mature style inspired by Japonisme.

One of the most spectacular pieces of furniture is a Desk from the Adelaide Tichenor House in Long Beach, California. The Tichenor House is one of only three homes designed and built by the Greene brothers in Long Beach, California, and the first house for which they designed all of the interior furnishings, creating a totally integrated environment. The present desk from 1904, which has been extensively published and exhibited, is estimated to sell for $120/180,000.

Also on offer is an exquisite Lantern from the James A. Culbertson House in Pasadena, California which embodies many of the Greene's singular trademarks, from the architectonic, mahogany frame accented with ebony pegs to the sinuous, naturalistic design of the leaded glass panels. Completed in 1908, the lantern is estimated to sell for $100/150,000.

Another example of the collection's historicism and aesthetic is a Curio Cabinet made for Mrs. Belle Barlow Bush while she was renting the Dr. William T. Bolton House in Pasadena, California. Dr. Bolton was a former client for whom the Greenes had designed two earlier houses. Dr. Bolton died before the third house could be occupied. His widow rented the house, partly furnished, to Mrs. Belle Barlow Bush, who continued as the Greenes' client, commissioning the remaining furniture and making alterations to the house in 1907. The Curio Cabinet, executed in 1908, is fitted with exquisite leaded glass windows and is estimated to sell for $60/80,000.

The earliest piece in the collection is in fact the first piece of furniture Charles Sumner Greene ever designed and executed - a Breakfast Table for Alice Gordon White, his fiancé, circa 1899. The table is estimated to sell for $15/20,000.

Other interesting objects designed by Greene & Greene that will be offered include a Three-Panel Window from The John Whitworth House, Altadena, California, 1918 (est. $15/20,000); a Pair of Andirons from The Charles M. Pratt House, Ojai, California, 1910, (est. $6/8,000) and a Jardinière From The Gardens of the Cordelia A. Culbertson House, Pasadena, California, circa 1912 (est. $8/12,000). Works from other commissions such as The Jennie A. Reeve House, The Josephine Van Rossem House and additional items from The Adelaide Tichenor House, The James A. Culbertson House and The Dr. William T. Bolton House will also be offered.

The sale will also include items that offer a rare personal view of the Greenes, among which is a painting by Charles Sumner Greene from 1897 entitled The Flying Dutchman which is in the original oak frame, also executed by Greene (est. $5/8,000); a beautiful watercolor by Charles Greene depicting a landscape showing Carmel Mission (est. $5/8,000) and a Mahogany and Ebony Frame from 1906 by Henry Mather Greene which also includes a sepia photograph, taken by Greene, of sailboats off the Los Angeles coastline (est. $2,500/3,500).

Property from Various Owners - Among the additional Arts & Crafts highlights to be offered is an Important and Monumental Copper Urn designed by Frank Lloyd Wright around 1900, one of less than twelve known examples of its type. The architect incorporated these monumental urns into the interiors of several important early commissions, including the Edward C. Waller House, the Susan Lawrence Dana House and Wright's own home and studio. Executed in repoussé copper, and measuring 17 ¾ inches in height, the present urn is estimated to sell for $500/700,000.

The sale will also include works by John Bradstreet, Louis Sullivan, Byrdcliffe Arts & Crafts Colony, Charles Frederick Eaton, Grueby Faience Company, George Washington Maher, Bernard Maybeck, Charles Rohlfs, Gustav Stickley and Teco Art Pottery.

Important Works by Louis Comfort Tiffany - The December sale will feature a carefully assembled group of lamps, favrile glass and pottery by Tiffany Studios. Highlighting the offering is an important and rare "Maple-Leaf" Table Lamp on a unique bronze pottery base, which is estimated to sell for $500/800,000. Dating to circa 1910 this superb lamp is one of only a few known examples of this rare shade model. The lamp's extraordinary selection of glass distinguishes it as one of the finest examples, and the bronze pottery base decorated with a similar "maple leaf" motif is the only known example of this design. Also on offer is a superb "Laburnum" Floor Lamp, circa 1910, displaying an exquisite amethyst ground, which is estimated to sell for $400/600,000.