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Lot 111 PROPERTY FROM THE PRIVATE COLLECTION OF ROBERT KAPLAN, MAPLEWOOD, NEW JERSEY
Dispelling the Myth of Brown Furniture
As American arts-and-crafts furniture is lived with over time, colors fade from sunlight, works get refinished and heavy wear obscures the original surfaces of the works. What is compelling, is the discovery of “time capsule” works by Gustav Stickley that convey the original vision of the designer. To the uninitiated eye, Craftsman furniture can be imagined as uniformly brown; however the collection of works presented here illustrate clearly the painterly palette and range of natural tones of Stickley and his workshop produced. Ebonized surfaces, rich honey tones and foliate greens complement clear stained white oak that are miraculously preserved. The rarity and connoisseurship associated with works in original condition is justified, as these works are rare to the point of being unique.
The following four works display honest construction methods: a flush tenon on the Magazine cabinet, through tenons as a decorative element on the Smoker’s cabinet and a series of butterfly joints on both sides of the folding screen. Decoration, achieved through construction and the designs, is ultimately Minimalist in their envisioned concept. The works are differentiated by color, proportion and grain structure in the wood. A simultaneity of complexity and simplicity are achieved and preserved through time.
Dispelling the Myth of Brown Furniture
As American arts-and-crafts furniture is lived with over time, colors fade from sunlight, works get refinished and heavy wear obscures the original surfaces of the works. What is compelling, is the discovery of “time capsule” works by Gustav Stickley that convey the original vision of the designer. To the uninitiated eye, Craftsman furniture can be imagined as uniformly brown; however the collection of works presented here illustrate clearly the painterly palette and range of natural tones of Stickley and his workshop produced. Ebonized surfaces, rich honey tones and foliate greens complement clear stained white oak that are miraculously preserved. The rarity and connoisseurship associated with works in original condition is justified, as these works are rare to the point of being unique.
The following four works display honest construction methods: a flush tenon on the Magazine cabinet, through tenons as a decorative element on the Smoker’s cabinet and a series of butterfly joints on both sides of the folding screen. Decoration, achieved through construction and the designs, is ultimately Minimalist in their envisioned concept. The works are differentiated by color, proportion and grain structure in the wood. A simultaneity of complexity and simplicity are achieved and preserved through time.
GUSTAV STICKLEY (1858-1942)
Magazine Stand, model no. 548, circa 1902
Closed13 December 2019
Price Realised
USD 8,750