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This intricately carved oak bed by Charles Rohlfs (American, 1853-1936), 1901, 7 feet 7 inches high by 4 feet 11½ inches wide by 6 feet 9¾ inches long, was paired with a similarly carved two-tier step and earned the top price of the sale — $46,125 ($30/50,000).
Review by Carly Timpson
BEACHWOOD, OHIO — Neue Auctions’ September 7 Fine Art, Antiques & Jewelry auction was filled with 347 lots and included a selection of automotive posters, ceramics, glass and furniture, among fine art and jewelry. The sale realized $470,598, and Neue Auctions managing partner Cynthia Maciejewski commented, “We had 1,160 bidders on auction day; this includes both platforms, absentee and telephone. It was an interesting mix of dealers, collectors and big-name galleries.”
Early Twentieth Century carved oak furniture by Charles Rohlfs led the sale, with a canopy bed and a dresser, both exhibited in the 1901 Pan-American Exposition claiming the top two spots. The bed, measuring 7 feet 7 inches high by 4 feet 11½ inches wide by 6 feet 9¾ inches long, was paired with a 20¼-inch tall step. With its poppy-carved panels and harp-form pierced canopy, the impressive bed earned the sale-high price of $46,125. Maciejewski noted, “The oak bed is going to be restored, purchased by a collector. The bidding agent for the buyer could not reveal his client, but he is known to bid for the Hollywood elite.” The fumed oak three-drawer dresser more than doubled its estimated $12,000 to achieve $39,975. While the two pieces of furniture were not a matching set, the dresser was similarly carved with swirling motifs. The piece was topped with a mirror that was flanked by two carved panels which once supported now-missing shelves. The auction catalog noted that this dresser was from the designer’s Buffalo, N.Y., home and Maciejewski said it was sold to a collector in Pennsylvania. Both pieces were marked with Rohlfs’ “sign of the saw” cypher and dated “1901.”
Leading in the art category was a terracotta bust of a young woman. Made during the Eighteenth or Nineteenth Century, this French bust depicted a girl looking side-eyed with her hair tied up by a bow. The figure was positioned atop a brèche d’alep marble socle. With a high estimate of just $800, the bust was bid well beyond that, ultimately selling to an online bidder for $19,680.
Surpassing its $500/800 estimate to achieve $19,680 was this French terracotta bust of a young woman, Eighteenth/Nineteenth Century, on a brèche d’alep plinth, 21 by 11 inches.
Also originating from France, a Louis XV ebonized commode brought $17,220 against a high estimate of $5,000. The commode was illustrated with Chinese lacquer images of a pagoda, bridge and trees on the front and mountain scenes on the sides. Further accenting the piece were gilt bronze mounts and a veined marble surface that topped the two drawers. Maciejewski said that both of these French pieces will be heading to Paris, though to different buyers.
A 1953 Pablo Picasso earthenware vase titled “Vase au Décor Pastel,” or “Vase Decorated in Pastel,” had colorful face and sun illustrations with stripes and various other details. The baluster form piece, which was pictured in Alain Ramié’s Picasso: Catalogue of the Edited Ceramic Works, 1947-1971 (Paris: Madoura, 1988), had two round handles and was marked on the bottom “22/200” and stamped “Edition Picasso” and “Madoura Plein Feu.” It was won within its estimate range, selling to an Ohio dealer for $10,455.
Earning the same price was a closed form stoneware piece by Toshiko Takaezu. With yellow, ochre and brown glaze, the anagama fired form had free-rattling clay beads inside. On the bottom, the circa 1980s ceramic was signed with the artist’s monogram, “TT.” According to Maciejewski, “The Takaezu sold to a New York City gallery. [It] came from a local collector and was purchased from a gallery in Hawaii almost 25 years ago.”
Prices quoted include the buyer’s premium as quoted by the auction house. For information, www.neueauctions.com or 216-245-6707.
