The 20th century Decorative Arts and Design auction held on the 3rd, 4th, and 5th of July 2024 attracted a large audience of enthusiasts, totalizing over €1.2 million in sales, with 76% of lots sold and a 163% increase of the starting prices.
The four richly curated auction sessions culminated in the top lot "The Annunciation" by Margaret Macdonald Mackintosh, a work from 1896. Its extraordinary historical and artistic significance was underscored by intense bidding, ultimately selling for € 176,400.
Other notable highlights included the three-legged table by Osvaldo Borsani and Lucio Fontana (€ 75,600), the "Head of a Centaur" by Egidio Costantini (a record for the artist) created at the Murano-based Fucina degli Angeli (€ 41,580), and the sculpture "Pious Temple of Wicked Time" by Luigi Ontani (€ 22,680).
Lot 145
Margaret Macdonald,
"The Annunciation", Glasgow, 1896.
Lightly embossed and gilded aluminium plate panel, with insertion of emerald green and ruby red coloured stones.
Mounted on original wooden frame. Signed and dated on the bottom left.
Coeval paper label on the back. (cm 24.5x114.5; frame cm 45x142.5).
Sold € 176,400
Lot 49
Osvaldo Borsani and Lucio Fontana,
Coffee table with hand-decorated top with pictorial composition by Lucio Fontana. Arredamenti Borsani, Varedo, 1953-55.
Solid wood, glass, mixed media on white, yellow and grey glass.
Painterly composition bearing the autographed signature of Lucio Fontana. (99x40x101 cm.).
Sold € 75,600
Lot 110
Egidio Costantini,
"Testa di Centauro" Polychrome blown glass sculpture based on a design by Pablo Picasso.
Execution by Fucina degli Angeli, Murano, 1962. Signed and dated with engraving under the base. (h 35.5 cm.)
Sold € 41,580
The lighting section achieved remarkable results, with the monumental fourteen-arm chandelier by Vittorio Zecchin (€ 25,200) and the "12385 Vela" pendant lamp by Angelo Lelii (€ 12,600). Max Ingrand took the highest spot with his sixteen-arm "Dhalia" chandelier (€ 32,760).
The impressive result for a large Art Nouveau vase by Hungarian artist Mack Lajos (€ 32,760) confirms the public's significant appreciation for decorative arts.
Lot 89
Vittorio Zecchin,
Large fourteen-arm chandelier. Execution by V.S.M. Cappellin Venini & C. Murano, 1921-25ca.
Transparent light green blown glass. (h cm 195; d cm 230).
Sold € 25,200
Lot 87
Max Ingrand,
Sixteen-light chandelier model "1563 A Dahlia".
Produced by Fontana Arte, Milan, 1950s.
Brass frame, metal and aluminium, bevelled transparent amber crystals. (h 50 cm.; d 127 cm.).
Sold € 32,760
Lot 469
Mack Lajos,
Large cast ceramic vase decorated with female figures in high relief picking fruit.
Enamelled surface in a light and dark crème colour with metallic lustres on a green ochre background.
Execution by Zsolnay, Hungary, early 20th century. Marked and numbered under the base. (h 50 cm.)
Sold € 32,760
Gio Ponti remains one of the most esteemed 20th-century designers among collectors: from the model "489" armchair from the 1950s made for Cassina (€ 25,200) to the refined plate "The Treacherous Camilla" from the "Archaeological Walk" series by Richard Ginori (€ 18,900).
The appreciation for high-end Italian furniture is further evidenced by the sales of four 1920s tables by Ettore Zaccari (€ 12,600), a 1940s dressing console by Luigi Zuccoli (€ 10,080), and the 1960s modular bookcase model "LB7" by Franco Albini (€ 16,380).
Lot 142
Gio Ponti,
Armchair model "489". Produced by Cassina, Italy, 1950s. Solid wood, straw sides.
Seat and back upholstered in original beige fabric. (93.5x69x68 cm.)
Sold € 25,200
Lot 44
Luigi Zuccoli,
Tripod toilet with cabinet with one drawer and three door compartments. Como, 1940.
Solid and veneered bleached oak frame, tempered glass top. (100x66x71 cm.).
Sold € 10,080
Lot 69
Franco Albini,
Modular bookcase model "LB7". Produced by Poggi, Italy, 1960s.
Solid and veneered wood with six cabinets and twelve shelves. (350x292x35.5 cm.)
Sold € 16,380
In the architecture drawings category, the standout piece was a drawing by Aldo Rossi (€ 5,670) and the success of the entire collection of sketches by Carlo Scarpa, especially the group of studies dedicated to the Brion Tomb in San Vito D’Altivole (€ 6,300).
Lot 131
Aldo Rossi,
"Senza titolo" Drawing depicting the floating installation "Teatro del mondo". Milan, 1980.
Mixed media on paper. Framed. Signed and dated "AR/80" on the bottom left. (21x27.5 cm.)
Sold € 5,670
Lot 317
Carlo Scarpa,
Lot consisting of five sheets concerning the Brion Tomb project, relating to the study for a variant of the polychrome marble inlay decoration of the chapel doors.
Bearing autograph annotations by the architect. Venice, 1970-78ca. Graphite, pen and coloured pencils on paper.
One paper signed on the bottom right. (max. dimensions cm 28x23)
Sold € 6,300