Grueby Tiles Steal The Show At Rago Auction

Start with a classic Arts & Crafts pottery, add a complete eight-tile frieze that over the years has been featured in numerous publications and reproductions, then toss in the fact that it was fresh out of an Arts & Crafts home and you'll understand why a set of eight six-inch Grueby tiles sold on Saturday at David Rago's Arts & Crafts auction for $38,440 (all prices include a buyer's premium).

While three heavy-hitting lamps performed just as expected and furniture remained strong, art pottery collectors kept prices above expectations for the finest in every category.

The sale started strong and fast with two Charles Binns' vases with pre-sale estimates of $3,000-$4,000 that sold for $10,540 each. Marblehead pottery started slow, then exploded when two collectors pushed the price on a small, five-inch decorated vase (est. $3,500-$4,500) to $17,360. The next three pieces of Marblehead broke past their estimates, leading up to an eight-inch Walrath matte glazed vase decorated with lilies (est. $9,000-$12,000) that required $21,080 to take it home.

As expected, the best of the rest also did well. Newcomb pottery, in particular, realized some exceptional prices, followed by Teco and George Ohr.

Gustave Baumann prints continues to soar, even though (or because?) his large prints have appeared in every major Arts & Crafts auction in recent years. Number 14 of 75 prints made of "Processional" in 1936 sold for $13,640 (pictured), and a print entitled "A Lilac Year" went to $14,880. In comparison, four linoleum block prints by Frances Gearhart remained in the $1,054 to $3,100 range.

While observers were thinking one of the three major lamps offered in this sale would blow past their pre-sale estimates in the $20,000-$35,000 range, each settled in where expected. Fred Robertson's ceramic lamp finished at $28,520; Karl Kipp's hammered copper and stained glass table lamp brought $26,040; and an early Dirk Van Erp copper and mica table lamp went for slightly less than expected at $23,560.

For those of you who were keeping score, the polished and damaged Dirk Van Erp lamp with a pre-sale estimate of $1,000-$1,500 that I predicted would sell for $4,500 stopped halfway between at $3,224.

For complete auction results, please go to www.RagoArts.com.

- Bruce Johnson