Eliel Saarinen

Acquired by a private collector, circa 1950
Thence by descent to the present owner

The Architect and the Industrial Arts:  An Exhibition of Contemporary American Design, New York, 1929, p. 61 and pl. 8 (for the larger model)
House & Garden, December 1931, p. 67 (for the larger model)
J. Stewart Johnson, American Modern 1925-1940:  Design for a New Age, New York, 2000, p. 45 (for the larger model)
Jewel Stern, Modernism in American Silver, New Haven, 2005, pp. 105 and 353, cat. no. 87 (for the larger model)

Overall in excellent original condition. This work displays beautifully when viewed first hand. The decorative scheme is nicely rendered throughout. The centerpiece has been polished for the exhibition and the minor discolorations that are visible in the catalogue illustration have been removed. A wonderful example of Saarinen's work in silver. This is only known example of the model in the scale. The small scale of this example makes for a wonderful jewel-like sculpture executed in sterling silver.
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.

For the eleventh installation of The Metropolitan Museum of Art exhibition series entitled The Architect and the Industrial Arts in 1929, Eliel Saarinen designed a dining room, the focal point of which was a large prototype silver bowl surrounded by four place settings. The present lot was part of a limited commercial design based on that bowl. The model was offered in four sizes of seven, eleven, thirteen and fifteen inch diameters. Only five other examples of this bowl are presently known to exist, including a thirteen-inch example in the Cranbrook Museum of Art and a fifteen-inch example formerly in the collection of John C. Waddell and now in collection of the Yale University Art Gallery.  The present lot is the only known example of the smallest diameter variant.