Early on in his career, Charles Rohlfs had ambitions to be an actor. And, while it is never tasteful to bask in the failures of others, it can be said, from all of us in the arts community, that we were lucky he was never any good. It provided opportunity to follow other passions, namely furniture making. The progenitor of the art-as-furniture movement in America, Rohlfs developed a freewheeling style that earned him international acclaim. The Rohlfs Style, as he called it, produced sinuous curves and original carvings, leading the way for other furniture artists to develop throughout the Twentieth Century. A fabulous Charles Rohlfs chair edges towards the block at Rago’s upcoming auction, joining other top lots from around the United States in this week’s picks.
RAGO
Sale Date: Sept 22–24, 2017
Lot 387
Charles Rohlfs (1853-1936) Tall-Back Hall Chair
Rare and exceptional carved and cutout, tall back hall chair, Buffalo, N.Y., 1900. Oak, red enamel. Carved R 1900; 56½ inches high.
Estimate:$20/30,000
BONHAMS
Sale Date: September 19, 2017
Lot 150W
A Pair Of Napoleon III Meubles D’Appui
Gilt-bronze-mounted, cut brass and pewter inlaid, ebonized, third-quarter Nineteenth Century, each surmounted by a black slate top; 42¾ inches high.
Estimate: $12/18,000
CHRISTIE’S
Sale Date: September 20, 2017
Lot 63
A Carved Pine Ship’s Figurehead Of A Young Woman
Attributed to William Rush (1756–1833), Philadelphia, circa 1809; 46½ inches high.
Estimate: $30/50,000
COTTONE
Sale Date: September 22–23, 2017
Lot 445
Albert Paley (American, b 1944) Central Lighting Fixture
Commissioned by Haffner Associates for the Columbia Bank, Rochester, N.Y., 1974. Pictured in The Art of Albert Paley: Iron & Bronze & Steel by Edward Lucie-Smith. Forged and fabricated mild steel with a chemically blackened patina.
Estimate: $25/35,000
SUMMER’S PLACE
Sale Date: September 19–20, 2017
Lot 7
A Carved White Marble Figure Of Venus
Italian, late Nineteenth Century, signed “L. Palla” on green serpentine marble pedestal; 96½ inches high overall.
Estimate: $19,500/26,000
PBA GALLERIES
Sale Date: September 21, 2017
Lot 232
Lewis & Clarke, First English Edition
Travels to the Source of the Missouri River and Across the American Continent to the Pacific Ocean. Performed by Order of the Government of the United States, in the Years 1804, 1805, and 1806 by Captains Lewis and Clarke. First English edition of the official account of the most famous and most important expedition of exploration in US history. Derived from the journals of Lewis and Clark and other members of the expedition.
Estimate: $25/30,000
MAIN AUCTION GALLERIES
Sale Date: September 24, 2017
Lot 139
Jacques Adnet Lounge Chairs
Lounge chairs, pair. Hemes, France, 1950. Leather over steel, brass.
Estimate: $2/3,000
SWANN
Sale Date: September 19, 2017
Lot 161
Martin Lewis, “Bedford Street Gang”
Drypoint and sand ground printed in black, 1935; 8-7/8 by 14¼ inches, full margins. Edition of approximately 25. Signed in pencil, lower right.
Estimate: $20/30,000
SKINNER
Sale Date: September 19, 2017
Lot 127
Arts And Crafts 10K Gold And Blue Zircon Bracelet
Designed as a flower basket with hinged panels, each set with fancy and circular-cut blue zircons, 38.9 dwt, 7-inch interior circumference.
Estimate $6/8,000
