Set of Three Panels from the ‘Birth of Aphrodite’ Mural from the Grand Salon of The S.S. Normandie, circa 1934
The iconic ‘Birth of Aphrodite’ panels created by Jean Dupas for the Grand Salon of the famed liner S.S. Normandie made $378,000 at Christie’s two day series of Design sales in New York. The results were exceptional. The first sale featured a group of works by leading artists and designers from 1900 through to the present and achieved $11,408,670. The second was a showcase of works by glassmaker Louis Comfort Tiffany and the Tiffany Studio and it brought in $3,676,050. The highest prices were achieved by Les Lalannes, the iconic 20th century artist couple. François-Xavier Lalanne bronzes ‘Singe Alternatif IV’ made $945,000 and a black Bélier made $882,000. The third highest price was made by a ‘Singerie’ armchair by Claude Lalanne. The top lot of the Tiffany sale was a window – ‘Landscape with Magnolias and Irises’ – which made $705,600, three and a half times its low estimate.
‘LANDSCAPE WITH MAGNOLIAS AND IRISES’ WINDOW, CIRCA 1910
There was a new world auction record to Tiffany Studios at Christie’s Design auction in New York when a rare Pond Lily lamp made $3.3 million. The lamp dates to c1903. The sale totalled $8.4 million and was sold 84% by lot and 96% by value.