Snake AO16, back in New York, many auctions: 10 items on LiveAuctioneers.com ending this week, undervalued and affordable—auctions ending soonest first. Instructions on using LA at end/in older letters. Feedback is welcome—if you’re looking for a certain style or piece, hit me up.
Housekeeping:
Good to be back…
Auctions:
Sergio Asti Airone Knoll lamp, PA: A very Sonneman-looking simple metal lamp, for Knoll, but oversized, 5’ tall and designed by Sergio Asti (best known for his cutlery). Decent/OK price at $275, no past Airones have sold on LA; others on 1stDibs are now going in the four figures. House has some nice Kaj Franck glasses (very Italian villa 1970), lots of nice walnut sideboards and similar furniture, these cool fake Ed Wormley chairs, Wenger storage, Danish lighting, and many, many more good items.
Nakashima Mira high chair, PA: A good idea to have one simple wood piece in your place, no matter what style you prefer for your other items. Not sure how to date Nakashima, it’s mostly based off the underside markings, I believe. This one looks pretty new. The last Mira barstool sold for $13K, but George’s wife signed it. The house selling this isn’t far from his studio, which offers tours. In the PBS documentary about him (from the 80s, deleted I think from online), he is very well dressed, especially when in a buffalo check flannel shirt. $900
Sonneman floor lamp, PA: Always hard to remember who Robert Sonneman makes lamps for, though he might be the CEO of Sonneman records (and signs himself). This one’s louder and less round than most of his lamps. Real great, almost deco but not. Like every Sonneman piece, it’s both cheap and terrific. $190
Gaston Rinaldi steel chair, Fl: Beautiful steel chair designed by Gaston Rinaldi (new to me; his father Mario founded RIMA the steel furniture company, in Italy), produced I believe in the early 70s. Hard to find steel or metal furniture that isn’t super staid/50s (think Bertoia) or which isn’t overcomplicated (think 80s bullshit). Perfect. Very very few Rinaldis on LA history, the only other ones like this went for $550 for a pair on there, three years ago. House also has a lot of Hermes scarves, some OK rugs, and not much else. The Snake Lock of the Week; $50
Shaker basket, MA: I’m not a Shaker expert but I know a couple things (from interviewing Shaker experts for a GQ story I wrote a couple years back); one is provenance is everything, and there are many fakes. So it’s best to buy from a house that specializes in Shaker furniture. If not, buy from somewhere near an old Shaker villages (NY/PA/New England). This house is near there, but frankly I can’t give the cosign as to whether this is Shaker work or something made around then by non-virgins. But it’s cheap and looks old and good enough for a dice roll. House has some similar boxes, but none of which are labeled Shaker; caveat emptor. $150
Agnoli Korium for Grassi leather dining chair, Chicago: Single Tito Agnoli (rattan furniture, a few great leather sofas; Italian, ‘60s-70s) chair out of a fussy auction (grandma furniture, Tiffany jewelry). New to me and to the auctioneer, who thinks Agnoli designed it for Arrben. It was actually for Matteo Grassi, an Italian Roche Bobois type company, made around the late ‘70s. These sell for anywhere between $200 and five times that. It’s a very louche and ‘80s design, ahead of its time, and with the black, it’s refined. $50
Knoll daybed, CT: Not my aesthetic here, but a chance for a deal; the Knoll label on th bottom has the Madison Ave address, which dates it to the ‘40s/50s. And a very old font. At the very least you get excellent construction and a nicely shaped couch. House also has some decent rugs, a HM Time/Life chair, and lots of dogshit. $375
Bruno Mathsson Eva Chairs, NY NY: Another week, another new design discovery (notice a theme?); this one Swedish and is in line with the grand Nordic tradition of simple sober wood and leather/safari aspiration. Though it’s a bit more modern than the classic Swedish hits; it’s from ‘77. Mathsson, its designer, was an architect, which checks out. Almost arts and crafts, or at least Nordic A&C. These sell anywhere between $300 and $2,200. $300
Saporiti Yonkers chairs, NY NY: Huge deal in a way here, six chairs from Saporiti (perfect Italian company), that may be as recent as 1989, and are designed by I’m not sure who. Maybe Alberto Rosselli? Probably not. Very “Thirtysomething” upholstery. Good if you have a big place, or friends. $300
No-name Italian table, NY NY: Perfect table, mid-century, Italian (so angular and organic) with a similar leg shape to Ponti’s tables, and noted as such in the auction. Though this one’s definitely not as luxe as Ponti; the wood is a little downstream. This barely matters: at $100, it’s just about free. House also has a Gilbert Rohde table that’s just as good, looks more expensive, is more expensive, and is bigger.
Giovanni Maur for Treco chest of drawers, CA, IHS: I have this and it’s great. House also has the matching dresser. Probably the best piece of knockoff furniture ever made—the original, of course, is Raymond Loewy’s DF2000 series (have one too). Those Loewys can be found for cheap, but not so much lately; no one seems to be selling them. Haven’t ever seen this Maur auctioned before. $625
Quick hits:
Eames Aluminum group chair, PA $110
Knoll red Model 31 chair (French looking), PA, $250
Sonneman squiggly desk lamp (never seen before), PA, $100
Frank Gehry-style wiggle chair (fun but loops too small), NY, $1,300
Saarinen Knoll tulip tables: Coffee | End | Side $500/500/300, NOLA
Drexel nightstand (nice wood), IHS, CA $100
Roche Bobois black leather sofa AUSTIN $500
Knoll tulip table and chairs (set/50s-ish), Larchmont NY, $400 (possible steal)
Modernica case study storage unit, desk (several) NY NY $150
Baughman Jack Lenor Larsen (need) upholstered sofa NY NY $600 (two auctions)
Cool Kaj Franck vase, Seattle $25
Thanks for reading — bid hard.
Snake
Other work: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1-JLRt0Ec6gZBm50hATYCYmLctnF9GhVijoEbam50JSw/edit?overridemobile=true
How to bid: Sign up for Liveauctioneers with a credit card ahead of the auction, register for that auction on the item page — button/prompt on every auction pg — a couple days in advance.
Bid live in the pop-up window. Prices can jump during auctions. Both app and website have good UX. Sometimes items go for a lot, sometimes they don’t. Sometimes lots of watchers means something; sometimes not. Note buyers’ premiums (~25%) and freight, so expect to pay over listed prices. When you win you have ~a week to get the item. Houses may recommend third party shippers; some ship themselves. If so, In-House Shipping is noted on the page. Pickup is cheapest and some shippers (esp. if in-house) can be very cheap.
Steals are rare, deals are occasional, and fair prices are frequent. But overall, more steals and deals on LA than anywhere else. Respond if more questions.
Gorgeous drawers