Property of a Private European Collector
215
Jean-Michel Frank
Table lamp
- Estimate
- $150,000 - 200,000
$200,000
Lot Details
Obsidian, leather, brass, paper shade.
circa 1925
14 5/8 in. (37.1 cm) high, 11 3/4 in. (29.8 cm) diameter including shade
Produced by Chanaux & Pelletier, Paris, France. Underside impressed twice with manufacturer's mark CP, twice with J.M. FRANK, with MADE IN FRANCE and 4029. Together with a certificate of authenticity from the Comité Jean-Michel Frank.
Specialist
Full-Cataloguing
Catalogue Essay
Obsidian
Obsidian is natural glass formed by the rapid cooling of lava. Like mica, since ancient times humans have admired and adapted this shiny black material for artistic purposes: it was used for tool making during the Stone Age, for seal stones in the Ancient near East, inlaid into the eyes of mummies in ancient Egypt, and as a gemstone by the ancient Greeks and Romans. The Aztecs believed it to be sacred and used it for mirrors. Jean-Michel Frank placed his obsidian lamps in the music room he designed for Cole Porter (1928), in Templeton Crocker’s penthouse (1929), and in Claire Artaud’s apartment (1936).
Obsidian is natural glass formed by the rapid cooling of lava. Like mica, since ancient times humans have admired and adapted this shiny black material for artistic purposes: it was used for tool making during the Stone Age, for seal stones in the Ancient near East, inlaid into the eyes of mummies in ancient Egypt, and as a gemstone by the ancient Greeks and Romans. The Aztecs believed it to be sacred and used it for mirrors. Jean-Michel Frank placed his obsidian lamps in the music room he designed for Cole Porter (1928), in Templeton Crocker’s penthouse (1929), and in Claire Artaud’s apartment (1936).
Provenance
Literature
Jean-Michel Frank
French | B. 1895 D. 1941Working in Paris, New York and Argentina, Jean-Michel Frank designed subtle, exquisitely proportioned furniture and lighting for sophisticated interiors. His elite roster of patrons included the vicomte Charles de Noailles, the businessman and politician Nelson A. Rockefeller, the couturier Elsa Schiaparelli and the perfumer Guerlain, among many others. Against the backdrop of the interwar period, Frank designed calm, subdued interiors that offered refuge from the chaotic world. His furniture, which was often clad in vellum, bleached leather or shagreen, featured clean lines and served to complement the art collections of his clients, which included works by Picasso, Léger and Matisse.
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