Submitted by aarAdmin on Wed, 05/03/2023 - 11:14
It was no surprise to auction goers that a Demetrie Chiparus (1886-1947) circa 1930 dancing female figure (lot 257) topped the billing at Leski Auctions Melbourne art deco sale on April 30 – going under the hammer for $16,000, above its catalogue estimate.
Romanian-born, Chiparus lived, studied and worked Paris and is famous for his dance figures of the Russian ballet and French theatre.
The collection, which contained some of the most beautiful pieces ever made, belonged to a passionate art deco devotee who passed away unexpectedly.
Almost all the 315 items on offer were sold either within or above catalogue estimates with French sculptor Lucien Alliot (1877-1967) circa 1930 cast bronze statue of a nude female on a marble base filling second spot in the top 10 items at $3800.
Austrian sculptor Josef Lorenzel (1892-1950) featured amongst the leading with two art deco nude female dancing bronze statues – Lot 247 at $3200 and lot 248 at $3000, both above their catalogue estimates.
Two other lots reached the $3000 figure. One was a pair of late 20th century art deco style floor lamps (lot 207) and the other an assortment of 19th/20th century Austro-Hungarian silver cutlery and tableware (lot 5).
A pair of late 20th century art deco style macassar ebony console tables (lot 219) went under the hammer for $2800, while Italian sculptor Amedeo Gennarelli’s (1881-1943) circa 1925 “The Carrier Pigeon” silvered bronze (lot 251) sold for $2600 – the same price as French sculptor Dominique Alonzo’s art deco statue of a maiden carrying a sword (lot 258) and a 20th century French art deco style wrought iron and marble console (lot 201).
