Lot 105
  • 105

ALBERTO GIACOMETTI | Console

Estimate
700,000 - 1,000,000 USD
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Description

  • Alberto Giacometti
  • Console
  • Gilt plaster over wood
  • 32 1/8  by 51 3/8  by 20 in.
  • 81.6 by 130.5 by 50.8 cm
  • Executed in 1939 for the Rockefeller 810 Fifth Avenue apartment.

Provenance

Commissioned directly from the artist by Jean-Michel Frank for Nelson Rockefeller in 1939

Literature

Van Day Truex, "Jean-Michel-Frank Remembered," in Architectural Digest, September-October 1976, illustrated p. 74 
Malcolm N. Carter, "Nelson Rockefeller: 'I know exactly what I like'," in ARTnews, May 1978, illustrated p. 116 
Léopold Diego Sanchez, Jean-Michel Frank, Paris, 1980, illustrated pp. 45 & 210
Dorothy Canning Miller, ed., The Nelson A. Rockefeller Collection: Masterpieces of Modern Art, New York, 1981, illustrated on the cover
Léopold Diego Sanchez, Jean-Michel Frank, Paris, 1997, illustrated p. 45 & 258
John Loring, "Nelson Rockefeller's Fifth Avenue Apartment: Recalling the Residence of the Notable Politician and Philanthropist," in Architectural Digest, April 2001, illustrated p. 106 
Anne Bony, Furniture & Interiors of the 1940s, Paris, 2002, illustrated n.p.
Pierre-Emmanuel Martin-Vivier, Jean-Michel Frank, Paris, 2006, illustrated pp. 185 & 186
Pierre-Emmanuel Martin-Vivier, Jean-Michel Frank: The Strange and Subtle Luxury of the Parisian Haute-Monde in the Art Deco Period, Paris, 2006, illustrated pp. 185 & 186
Jean-Michel Frank: Un Décorateur dans les Paris des Années 30
 (exhibition catalogue), Fondation Pierre Bergé Yves Saint Laurent, Paris, 2009, illustrated p. 67 

Condition

Overall very good condition. The authenticity of this console has been confirmed by the Comité Giacometti and it is recorded in the Alberto Giacometti database under number AGD4052. This console was used by the Rockefellers in their 810 Fifth Avenue apartment since it was originally commissioned from the artist in 1939. The console is in age appropriate condition, retaining its original gilding, which is bright and luminous. The water gilt surfaces with wear throughout, which is typical for the material, but has overall been beautifully preserved. The surface with scattered surface scratches and abrasions throughout, consistent with age and gentle use by the Rockefeller family. The plaster with some expected hairlines concentrated to the lower joints, the entablature of the table top and foot, and to the sculpted details of the legs, all of which appear stable. The foot with a vertical crack extending upwards from the bottom of the entablature to approximately mid-height which is stable. The plaster with some occasional small losses, some of which have been sensitively filled in and in-painted by a professional conservator under the supervision of the Comité Giacometti. The plaster with some additional small areas which appear to have been filled in and/or in-painted at some point in the history of the piece. The top of the foot with some concentrated wear likely due to the display of an object by the Rockefeller family. Please contact the department for additional images of this lot.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

Catalogue Note

The authenticity of this work has been confirmed by the Comité Giacometti and it is recorded in the Alberto Giacometti database under number AGD4052.