Rarity To Be Challenged By Condition in Next Auction

From the pages of a Gustav Stickley coffee table book to a national Arts & Crafts exhibition to the Arts & Crafts auction block, some of the rarest examples of Gustav Stickley furniture to appear on the market in several years will be making the next step in their personal evolution at the December 4th Toomey-Treadway auction in Oak Park, Illinois.

Readers familiar with David Cathers and Alexander Vertikoff's 1999 book Stickley Style: Arts and Crafts Homes in the Craftsman Tradition will recall the collection of Dr. Edgar G. McKee, several pieces of which were loaned to the recently concluded traveling exhibition Gustav Stickley and the American Arts & Crafts Movement. The exhibition was organized and curated by Kevin Tucker of the Dallas Museum of Art, to which the McKees had long been generous benefactors.

Headlining the sale will be two pieces of Gustav Stickley 1903-1904 furniture featuring inlaid designs by Harvey Ellis: dropfront desk model #706 (pictured, est. $8,000-$12,000) and a rush seat side chair (est. $10,000-$15,000) that was featured in the Dallas exhibition. Both pieces, however, along with an even earlier rare Stickley table inset with twelve Grueby tiles, have been refinished.

Which poses a provocative question: will rarity and provenance outweigh the lack of an original finish?

What may well be the most charming piece of furniture in the sale, a 14" Gustav Stickley mantle clock with a leaded glass panel and thru-tenons (est. $5,500-$7,500), was featured in both the Stickley book and the Dallas exhibition. It has retained its original finish, which may set the stage for an even more prolonged bidding battle for the rights to display it over a fresh fireplace.

The McKee collection, nearly fifty examples of which will be opening this sale, also featured two outstanding lamps. A large Roycroft hammered copper lamp model #907, with a flairing green stained glass shade, designed by Dard Hunter is estimated at $10,000-$15,000, while a Dirk Van Erp three-panel mica shade copper lamp standing 21" tall is expected to sell in the $15,000-$18,000 range.

Stickley collectors will stick around, however, for another Harvey Ellis designed desk, this one without any inlay. Standing 56" high and equally as wide with a dramatic arched toeboard, this classic version features glass doors above and on either side of the dropfront lid with iron strap hinges. Considered one of their finest collaborations, this example, which has its original finish and early red decal, comes in with a conservative estimate of $20,000-$30,000.

Pottery collectors should not feel left out, as this sale will also include several large examples of Teco, a Wheatley lamp base with its original Tiffany shade, some exceptional Rookwood, and some fine Pewabic, Marblehead, Roseville and Grueby pottery.

For a complete list and descriptions of the items in the Toomey-Treadway December 4th sale, please go to http://www.TreadwayGallery.com.

An auction report will appear here at ArtsAndCraftsCollector.com immediately following the sale, along with the answer to today's question: will rarity prevail over condition?

- Bruce Johnson