Dana Sconces and Auldbrass Chair at Auction

Frankie-Oh · Post by **Frankie-Oh** » Mon Nov 30, 2009 1:53 pm

Sotheby's is offering for sale two sconces from the Dana Thomas House. I don't recall noticing any missing scones on my tours of the house. Does anyone know where they came from?

Also up for auction is a chair from the Auldbrass Plantation and a Wasmuth Portfolio, if you have an extra $30,00 to $50,000 lying around.

Here's a link. http://catalogue.sothebys.com/auctions/ ... ction.html

The item numbers are 238, 239, and 245.

Roderick Grant · Post by **Roderick Grant** » Mon Nov 30, 2009 4:36 pm

The provenance, "private collection," doesn't seem convincing. It's possible that extras were made for the house. But it's Don Hallmark who should evaluate and verify their bona fides.

SDR · Post by **SDR** » Mon Nov 30, 2009 7:34 pm

The copy says that the same sconce is (was ?) found at the Dana, Little (1903 ?), Heath, and Barton residences. There is also a photo showing one mounted horizontally at Taliesin. . .

Barton: http://www.buffalo.edu/news/hires/BartonHouse.jpg

SDR

[The Sotheby's page is cranky. Look for "view all" tab at top to return to page.]

Paul Ringstrom · Post by **Paul Ringstrom** » Tue Dec 01, 2009 10:59 am

From what I have heard over the years, those sconces were designed by Walter Burley Griffin while working for Wright.

outside in · Post by **outside in** » Tue Dec 01, 2009 1:37 pm

The sconces first appeared in the Emory House in Elmhurst in 1902 by Griffin. These two could come from a variety of sources.

SDR · Post by **SDR** » Tue Dec 01, 2009 6:04 pm

This is pretty clearly a cast piece, so once the pattern had been made it would be an economical use of that labor to deploy it for as many copies as
might be needed -- by more than one architect ? If Wright accepted the design work of G M Niedecken in his work, I suppose it would make sense
for him to utilize work by others within his own studio -- M Mahony being the first and most obvious example. . .

SDR

SDR · Post by **SDR** » Tue Dec 01, 2009 6:14 pm

This photo was published with other Taliesin views by Yukio Futagawa in 1975. Someone who reads Japanese might tell us what the caption says --
there is no other indication of the location of the shot. Note that the end(s) of the lantern have been capped, presumably to control the nature of light emission. . .

Were the Emory house lanterns mounted vertically or horizontally ?

outside in · Post by **outside in** » Tue Dec 01, 2009 6:24 pm

This is the only time I've seen the lamp mounted horizontally - at the Emery House, Dana and others I believe it was mounted vertically so that the light would be directed up and down with the open ends.

SDR · Post by **SDR** » Tue Dec 01, 2009 6:39 pm

Right. Note that the "standard" cast base is perfectly related to the little boxed-beam that has been contrived to mount it. . .appearing at first glance
to have been there as part of the architecture all along. The additional piece of molding behind perhaps conceals the necessary wiring as well as uniting
this mounting visually to the existing structure. . .

[My sense of Taliesin is that it was the place where Wright felt most comfortable creating and enhancing a virtually Medieval/timeless
(European and Asian) architectural environment. Parts of the compound -- the upper motor courts, for instance -- remind me of movie sets intended to
evoke Old Europe in movies from the 'twenties and 'thirties. As has been stated, Wright had only recently returned from Italy when he began building
this little universe. . .]

SDR

Healeyjet · Post by **Healeyjet** » Thu Dec 03, 2009 12:42 am

SDR, I don't speak Japanese but I am a member of a Japanese Garden forum. I asked the question and one of the members from Japan had the following response.

Hi
Read as " sho mei ki gu. "Shomei" means light and kigu means device.

I was hoping it meant something exotic but it looks like it means light fixture.
Ward

SDR · Post by **SDR** » Thu Dec 03, 2009 12:58 am

Thanks, Ward, I appreciate it. I was hoping that we might learn where in the residence that photo was taken. . .

I haven't yet found other images of this fixture besides the one linked above of the Barton interior. Anyone else ? Dana ?

As for the plywood chair said to be from Auldbrass, that's the model also seen at Pope and Sondern, and perhaps elsewhere. Then there's this
strange variant with arms, at Brandes. . .

Pat Mahoney · Post by **Pat Mahoney** » Thu Dec 03, 2009 4:26 pm

The sconces of this type at Taliesin were installed after Wright's death at the time the Heath house was being sold. The sconces and many art glass panels were removed after the current owner had signed the purchase contract which made no provision for them to be removed. The archives have acknowledged that the terms of their acquisition was less than perfect.

Wright Chat

Dana Sconces and Auldbrass Chair at Auction

Dana Sconces and Auldbrass Chair at Auction

Taliesin Sconces