LONDON.- Lalique, a name that symbolizes the epitome of 20th-century glamour, is at the forefront of
Chiswick Auctions’ Design & Modern Contemporary sale slated for January 10. The West London event features one of Rene Lalique’s most famous designs from 1927: an Alicante vase.
The popular form modeled in low relief with parrot heads (Model No. 98 in Félix Marcilhac’s Lalique catalogue raisonné) was made in a number of different colorways. The auction example is double-cased with an opalescent glass core and frosted and polished exterior, highlighted with a blue-grey stain. Signed R Lalique France, it is guided at £5,500-£7,500 ($7,000-$9,545).
“Rennes,” a similarly Art Deco vase decorated with stylized rams (Model No. 10-875, first designed in 1933) is in opalescent and clear glass with blue stain. It has an estimate of £1,200-£1,800 ($1,525-$2,290).
In the wake of an auction record for an “aquarium” lighter at Chiswick Auctions, set in December 2022, another of the classic 1950s Dunhill accessories has now been consigned. It’s not difficult to see how these highly-collectible lighters got their name. Not only do they resemble miniature fish tanks, but also, most were decorated with aquatic subjects. The thick layer of Lucite, a material developed by the US Air Force during the Second World War, provides an illusion of movement.
The lighter entered in the January 10 auction is engraved to the front panel with three grey fish, and to the reverse, with a pair of black Betta fish. It is expected to bring £2,000-£4,000 ($2,545-$5,090). Twelve months ago, a lighter depicting a pair of water birds to one side and a snowy heron to the other few to a winning bid of £13,000 ($16,545).
Classic post-war designs from Scandinavia include a Model 3300 “Airport” four-seater sofa designed by Arne Jacobsen (Danish, 1902-1971) for Fritz Hansen. The Series 3300 suite of furniture – characterized by straight lines and oblique angles – was first created by Jacobsen in 1956 for the Rødovre (Denmark) Town Hall, but it became famous when it was used from 1959 in SAS’s new air terminal hotel in Copenhagen. The auction example is upholstered in tan leather with a wraparound tubular chromed frame. It is estimated at £3,000-£5,000 ($3,815-$6,365).
Among the best-known designs of Italian Gabriella Crespi (1922-2017) is the Kaleidoscope series of circa-1970 table lamps with elongated octahedron shaped shades. Chiswick offers one of these lamps with a £2,000-£4,000 ($2,545-$5,090) estimate. A patinated bronze “Hydra” side table, a 2009 design by the Paris-based artist and designer Mattia Bonetti (b. 1952-), has expectations of reaching £4,000-£6,000 ($5,090-$7,630)
The British-made pieces in the sale are led by a classic of Yorkshire Arts & Crafts: an oak sideboard bearing the carved mouse signature of Robert Thompson (1876-1955). One of nine Mouseman pieces in the auction, the sideboard carries an estimate of £3,000-£5,000/$3,815-$6,365).
