Tiffany Peony Lamp Sells for $435,000 in the Richard Wright Collection Auction of Decorative Arts & Furniture
In October 2009, Skinner auctioned the Richard Wright Collection of Furniture & Decorative Arts. Wright, one of the world’s foremost fine dolls experts, also had a discerning eye for furniture and decoration. The collection was representative of his ability to unearth the rare, the unique and the unusual. The top lot in the auction was a Tiffany Studios leaded glass and bronze “Elaborate Peony” lamp shade and base, c. 1910 which sold for $435,000. The sale was wildly successful overall, surpassing the pre-sale estimate by nearly $1 million. Other top lots in the sale included a Galle mother-of-pearl and fruitwood marquetry-inlaid side table, which soared to $136,275, a record for a piece of Galle furniture, and Bruno Zach’s amusing and provocative The Riding Crop, a large bronze figure of a semi-clad woman holding a riding crop, which realized over $94,000.
According to Stuart Whitehurst, Director of the Wright Collection at Skinner and lead auctioneer for the sale, “This collection told a very personal story about Richard Wright and what kinds of things inspired him. Each piece acquired by Richard was one step in a near lifelong journey of seeking out the fine, the fantastic, the fun, and the funky. That kind of collecting enthusiasm is infectious, and it clearly showed in the results of this auction."
