The Home & Interiors auction on 9 February in Paris offers more than 200 works ranging from 19th century paintings to 20th century furniture, including creations by important designers such as Ettore Sottsass, Hans Agne Jakobsson and Pol Quadens.
Our specialist Stefania Lumetta highlights five lots under €5,000 in this eclectic sale, inviting emerging and established collectors to redefine their interiors by mixing styles and periods.
Lot 57 Ettore Sottsass, Cabinet “Foresta”
The “Foresta” cabinet is one of the last creations of Italian architect and furniture designer Ettore Sotssass—proving, once again, his incredible creativity before he passed away in 2007.
This desk-box invites introspection and reflects on the increasingly individualistic world around us. The mirrors refer to the image of oneself, the intertwining suspensions recall the chance of life and the flashy colours animate the landscape, closed but surprising.
Lot 36 Paul Sieffert, Nu sur le canapé
Paul Sieffert was a pupil of the renowned painters and sculptors Jean-Léon Gérôme, Gabriel Guay and Maurice Maignan. Sieffert started exhibiting his work at the Paris Salon from 1894, later winning the Prix de Rome in 1902 with a painting representing the Resurrection of Jairus’ Daughter, now in the École nationale supérieure des Beaux-Arts in Paris. He later abandoned historical subjects and, subsequently, based his artistic career on a large production of silent female nudes, mainly seen from the back. This painting is a perfect example.
Lot 172 Kovsh
The kovsh is a traditional Russian shuttle-shaped drinking vessel with a small push handle. By the start of the 20th century, it had become a classic for Russian goldsmithing and the star goldsmith, Carl Fabergé, made many versions.
This kovsh offered in our auction is purely decorative. Indeed, at 44cm wide, it is far too large to be used! Its rich cut crystal bowl, mounted with silver, shows the influence of Art Nouveau from the West to Eastern Europe: the floral repertoire and the large arabesque embellished with a green cabochon evoke the naturalistic and medieval inspirations of this artistic movement. In addition to this kovsh, our auction also offers a swan centrepiece and other European silver.
Lot 61 Hans Agne Jakobsson, set of lamps
Hans Agne Jakobsson started his career as an industrial designer at General Motors, then became assistant to Carl Malmsten—one of the most important Swedish designers of his time—before deciding to set up his own company, Jakobsson AB, to create original and inventive lighting.
As we can see with this pair of lamps, Jakobsson sought to camouflage the bulbs, which were always too visible, using creative reflectors with shutters to create a subdued and warm light.
Lot 164 Auguste Moreau, a pair of bronze baluster vases
This pair of bronze baluster vases by French sculptor Auguste Moreau is characteristic of the taste of the mid-to-late 19th century. Baroque cherubs in high relief—a popular motif in Moreau’s work—seem to cling to this Japanese-style vase. Japan gradually opened up to the rest of the world around 1850 and became a major source of influence for Western artists, both in the graphic and decorative arts, such as Édouard Lièvre and Gabriel Viardot. If you look closely at these vases, you can see two charming patinaed cherry blossoms, with insects landing delicately on their branches.
