Beschreibung:

Property from a Distinguished West Coast CollectionTiffany StudiosA Rare Seven-Piece “Pond Lily” Desk Set
circa 1905comprising an inkstand with interior period clear glass liner, letter rack, calendar frame, pen tray, rocker blotter, and a pair of blotter endspatinated bronzeblotter ends, inkstand, calendar frame, pen tray and rocker blotter each impressed TIFFANY STUDIOS/NEW YORK; the inkstand, pen tray, rocker blotter and blotter ends further impressed with firm's respective model numbersblotter ends: 20⅝ x 5¼ in. (52.4 x 13.3 cm) eachCondition reportOverall very good condition. This rare desk set displays an exceptionally rich, deep brown and green patina. Dragonflies, moths, scarabs and lily pads are masterfully cast and chased, showcasing the incredible skill of Tiffany’s craftsmen. The bronze surfaces present with some faint scattered surface scratches, minor abrasions and light surface soiling concentrated to the recessed portions of the design, consistent with age and gentle use. Each piece has been applied with either cork or felt protective pads to the undersides. The pen tray presents with a very small surface irregularity and discoloration adjacent to the moth’s left antenna, not visually distracting. The pad of the rocker blotter is possibly original and presents with a few discolorations consistent with gentle use. The calendar sheets of the frame appear original and present with scattered minor wear, creasing, and discoloration consistent with age and gentle use. The inkstand with a period clear glass liner with expected ink stains and minor flea bites to the interior edge of the aperture. A superb example of this rare desk set model showcasing Tiffany’s mastery in sculpting and casting.
The lot is sold in the condition it is in at the time of sale. The condition report is provided to assist you with assessing the condition of the lot and is for guidance only. Any reference to condition in the condition report for the lot does not amount to a full description of condition. The images of the lot form part of the condition report for the lot. Certain images of the lot provided online may not accurately reflect the actual condition of the lot. In particular, the online images may represent colors and shades which are different to the lot's actual color and shades. The condition report for the lot may make reference to particular imperfections of the lot but you should note that the lot may have other faults not expressly referred to in the condition report for the lot or shown in the online images of the lot. The condition report may not refer to all faults, restoration, alteration or adaptation. The condition report is a statement of opinion only. For that reason, the condition report is not an alternative to taking your own professional advice regarding the condition of the lot. NOTWITHSTANDING THIS ONLINE CONDITION REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE/BUSINESS APPLICABLE TO THE RESPECTIVE SALE.ProvenanceBrunk Auctions, Asheville, North Carolina, November 4, 2006, lot 165
The Geyer Collection
Sotheby's New York, The Geyer Collection: Masterworks of Tiffany and Prewar Design, December 11, 2018, lot 4
Acquired from the above by the present ownerLiteratureMartin Eidelberg, Nina Gray and Margaret K. Hofer, A New Light on Tiffany: Clara Driscoll and the Tiffany Girls, exh. cat., New York Historical Society, New York, 2007, p. 80
William R. Holland, Tiffany Desk Sets, Atglen, PA, 2008, pp. 224-226 (for the present lot illustrated)
Alastair Duncan, Tiffany Lamps and Metalware, Woodbridge, Suffolk, 2019, p. 533, nos. 2133-2136Catalogue noteThe Pond Lily desk set, with its remarkable vocabulary of natural forms, is one of the most striking designs from Tiffany Studios. Lily pads, flower buds, dragonflies, and moths are gathered here to create a distinctive aquatic habitat depicted across a range of bronze desk objects. Unlike most of Tiffany Studios’ designs which are to some degree conventionalized, here the elements are fully modeled in low and high relief. One wonders who should be credited with these designs. It would be reasonable to speculate that it might have been Tiffany himself who made a preliminary suggestion or, more likely, one of the craftsmen from the metals department in Corona. It could also have been the creation of one of the workers in Clara Driscoll’s glass cutting department in Manhattan, for although the women were primarily involved with glass-related objects, they too created bronze objects: there is a telling passage in one of Driscoll’s letters in which she refers to carving a plaster model that she had brought with her to a seaside cottage, so as to work on it while away from the New York studio.
The financial success of Tiffany Studios was dependent on the sale of luxury goods such as this set at Christmas and Easter. These gifts were both functional and beautiful, fulfilling William Morris’ dictum, “Have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful.” Yet, as stunning as this desk set may be, only three extant sets are known. Two, including this one, have a rich brown and green patina, and the third has a gold doré finish. The rarity of the Pond Lily set stands in stark contrast to the boundless number of other, more popular desk sets such as Pine Needles (Etched Metal), Grapevine, Zodiac, and Bookmark.
It is likely that the Pond Lily desk set was designed in the first years of the 20th Century and only remained in production for a few years. The richness of its naturalistic design and the choice of its principal botanical reference recall the two bronze lamp bases, one with fully modeled lily pads and the other with crabs, that the firm introduced by 1898. This desk set was probably introduced a few years later. The model numbers stamped under each of the pieces—a series going from 2080 on the blotter ends to 2089 for the rocker blotter—suggest that it was created a year or two after 1900 when standardized model numbers were introduced. The Pond Lily set appears on the 1906 Price List, but there is no mention of it on the 1910 list, not even as a discontinued design. The model is a tour de force within the firm’s fancy goods line, demonstrating their early mastery of sculpting and casting.
—Martin Eidelberg