Press | Phillips

PHILLIPS’ LONDON DESIGN SALE ACHIEVES £3.6 MILLION

Strong International Demand for 20th Century French and Italian Designers, Such As Line Vautrin, Charlotte Perriand, Osvaldo Borsani and Lucio Fontana

Four World Auction Records Set, Including for Seizô Sugawara

London, 13 November 2024

Sale Total: £3,663,569 / $4,668,486 / €4,400,679

Lots Sold: 127 | Lots Offered: 140

Sold by Lot: 91% | Sold by Value: 91%

Domenico Raimondo, Phillips’ Head of Department, Design, Europe and Senior International Specialist, said, “We are thrilled with today’s result of £3.6 million. 20th century French design led the sale, highlighted by a world auction record for Seizô Sugawara’s rare armchair. Line Vautrin’s rare ‘Monaco’ mirror achieved £228,600, nearly four times the estimate, André Dubreuil’s ‘Perles’ candleholders soared to £152,400, over eight times the pre-sale estimate, and Charlotte Perriand’s ‘Tunisie’ bookcase sold for £139,700. Works by Katsu Hamanaka, a student of Sugawara, and Jean Prouvé also performed strongly. Italian 20th century design continued its momentum, with Osvaldo Borsani and Lucio Fontana’s wall-mounted console and rare coffee table selling for twice and four times their estimates, respectively, and Gio Ponti’s rare wall lights selling for £91,440, far surpassing the pre-sale estimate. These results underscore the strength of the market for significant works of 20th and 21st century design. Our global team is dedicated to presenting thoughtfully curated sales that celebrate design’s unique forms, and we look forward to building on this success with our upcoming Design auction in New York this December."

Top Ten Lots

Lot	Description	Estimate	Price Achieved
38	Seizô Sugawara, Rare armchair, circa 1915 WORLD AUCTION RECORD	£220,000 - 280,000	£247,650 $315,580/€297,477
1	Line Vautrin, Rare 'Monaco' mirror, circa 1960	£60,000 - 80,000	£228,600 $291,305/€274,594
51	André Dubreuil, Pair of 'Perles' candleholders, 1990s	£18,000 - 24,000	£152,400 $194,203/€183,063
55	Charlotte Perriand, 'Tunisie' bookcase, designed for the student rooms of La Maison de la Tunisie, Cité Internationale Universitaire, Paris, circa 1952	£100,000 - 150,000	£139,700 $178,020/€167,808
35	Katsu Hamanaka, Rare three-panel screen, circa 1931	£80,000 - 120,000	£139,700 $178,020/€167,808
14	Osvaldo Borsani and Lucio Fontana, Rare wall-mounted console, from Casa Kramer, Milan, circa 1950	£50,000 - 70,000	£114,300 $145,652/€137,297
44	Eugène Printz, Desk, circa 1934	£25,000 - 35,000	£114,300 $145,652/€137,297
56	Jean Prouvé, Set of six 'Semi-metal' chairs, model no. 305, designed 1950, produced 1950-1969	£40,000 - 60,000	£101,600 $129,469/€122,042
13	Osvaldo Borsani and Lucio Fontana, Rare coffee table, from Casa Kramer, Milan, circa 1950	£30,000 - 50,000	£95,250 $121,377/€114,414
5	Gio Ponti, Pair of rare wall lights, circa 1964	£22,000 - 28,000	£91,440 $116,522/€109,838

New Auction Records

Lot	Description	Estimate	Price Achieved
21	Vittorio Donà, Large 'Mugnoni' vase, circa 1934	£15,000 - 20,000	£19,050 $24,275/€22,883
	*previous record price: 13,000 EUR set in 2022
38	Seizô Sugawara, Rare armchair, circa 1915	£220,000 - 280,000	£247,650 $315,580/€297,477
	*previous record price: 72,000 EUR set in 2021
39	Margaretha Dubach, Necklace with detachable brooch, 1971	£3,500 - 5,500	£6,350 $8,092/€7,628
	*previous record price: 4,830 CHF set in 2000
134	Paolo Venini and Enrico Capuzzo, 'Barchetta' ceiling light, circa 1958	£10,000 - 15,000	£12,700 $16,184/€15,255
	*previous record price: 950 EUR set in 2019

*Lot 23 was sold after the lot closed, whilst the sale was ongoing, and is therefore included in the total sale result.

Exchange Rate on 13 November 2024: £1 = US$1.2743, €1.2012