Jean-Michel Frank
Sofa from the Kersey Coates Reed House, Lake Forest, Illinois
Authenticity guarantee
What is guaranteed?
Jean-Michel Frank
Sofa from the Kersey Coates Reed House, Lake Forest, Illinois
circa 1930
oak, original Hermès leather upholstery
the sofa and each seat cushion embossed JMF/HERMÈS PARIS/24, FG ST HONORÉ
37 1/8 x 85 x 38 1/4 in. (212.5 x 96 x 63.5 cm)
Overall in good condition. The sofa can be configured as a daybed or as a sofa with backrest cushions when positioned against a wall. The original Hermes leather presents with a warm ochre tone which is richer when viewed in person compared to the catalogue illustration, and has acquired a very nice and nuanced aged patina. The leather with craquelure, wear, flaking, discolorations, and instances of water damage throughout consistent with age and use, partially visible in the catalogue illustration. One side of the sofa with a concentrated area of wear to the front of the seat measuring approximately 8 x 8 inches with two areas of loss to the leather each measuring approximately 1 x 2 inches. The wood feet have been replaced and present with scattered surface scratches and abrasions consistent with use. Please contact the department for images of this lot. An iconic design in original condition with important historic provenance from the Kersey Coates Reed House.
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.
Private Collection, Chicago
Collection of Lilian Nassau, New York
Galerie L'Arc en Seine, Paris
Acquired from the above by the present owners, 2007
Pierre-Emmanuel Martin-Vivier, Jean-Michel Frank, Paris, 2006, pp. 26, 94 and 106
Delphine and Reed Krakoff, Houses That We Dreamt Of: The Interiors of Delphine and Reed Krakoff, New York, 2017, pp. 15 and 211 (for the present lot illustrated)
This lot is offered together with a certificate of authenticity from the Comité Jean-Michel Frank.
Interior designer Frances Elkins was one of the great arbiters of taste in America during the Art Deco era. As a young woman she often visited her brother, David Adler, in Paris while he studied architecture at the École des Beaux-Arts. During this formative period she met artists Alberto Giacometti and Jean-Michel Frank, whose elegant modernist creations would later furnish the interior of one of her most important, exquisite commissions: the Kersey Coates Reed House in Lake Forest, Illinois.
The project was a collaboration between brother and sister: Adler designed the house and Elkins designed its interior decoration. Her vision for the home was ambitious, characterized by daring juxtapositions of traditional and modern that seemed effortlessly unified by the incredible quality of the pieces and materials Elkins selected. Giacometti and Frank pieces were highlights within the interior, especially the library, where the present sofa was placed surrounded by walls paneled in matching Hermès leather. The extraordinary luxury and style of this space made it a feature of the home, which is considered an absolute tour de force masterwork by this celebrated designer.