GREENE & GREENE | Pair of Andirons from the Laurabelle Arms Robinson House, Pasadena, California

Laurabelle Arms Robinson House, Pasadena, California, 1906 
David Rago Auctions, Lambertville, New Jersey, 26 September 1999, lot 644 
Collection of Dorrance H. Hamilton
Freeman's, Philadelphia, April 29, 2018, lot 183
Acquired from the above by the present owner

Randell L. Makinson, Greene & Greene: Furniture and Related Designs, Salt Lake City, 1979, p. 42 (for the present lot illustrated)
Edward R. Bosley, Greene & Greene, London, 2000, p. 84 (for a sketch of the design)

Overall very good condition. The bronze throughout with scattered surface scratches, abrasions, wear, and surface soiling consistent with age and use. The reverse of the andirons with darkening to the bronze and some oxidation, as well as a few minor casting flaws inherent in the making and not at all visually detractive. The iron supports are in very good condition and have been shortened at some point in the history of the piece. A highly sculptural and architectural pair of andirons.
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.

In their design for the Pasadena residence of Henry M. and Laurabelle A. Robinson, Charles Sumner Greene and Henry Mather Greene drew on diverse aesthetics for inspiration.  Laurabelle, the heiress to a Midwest iron fortune, actively participated in the project while her husband travelled for business, approving design plans but still giving full creative license to Greene & Greene to design the house and all of its furnishings.  The complex architecture shows the influence of the Spanish mission style, British Arts & Crafts movement, and Germanic, Japanese, and Native American aesthetics, and was executed on a stately, impressive scale that contrasted Greene & Greene’s popular bungalow structures.  The furniture reflects many of the same influences with slightly greater emphasis on Asian themes.  The present andirons designed for the living room fireplace are austere yet dynamic, balancing positive and negative space to create a harmonious composition.  The half-tsuba shapes that decorate the sides and top of each andiron are an abstract reference to Japanese sword-guards, which Charles collected, and are a form that the architects utilized elsewhere in the Robinson house and in many of their most iconic works.  The present andirons are visible in a period photograph of the Robinson house in the collection of the Environmental Design Archives at the University of California at Berkeley.