Important Design
Important Design
Property from the Collection of Daniel Wolf
Greene & Greene
Rocking Chair from the Charles Millard Pratt House, Ojai, California
Auction Closed
December 6, 05:52 PM GMT
Estimate
40,000 - 60,000 USD
Lot Details
Description
Property from the Collection of Daniel Wolf
Greene & Greene
Rocking Chair from the Charles Millard Pratt House, Ojai, California
circa 1912
executed in the workshop of Peter Hall, Pasadena, California
mahogany, ebony, assorted burled hardwood inlays, original leather seat
branded Sumner/Greene/His/True/Mark
40½ x 22¾ x 32¼ in. (102.9 x 57.8 x 81.9 cm)
Charles Millard Pratt and Mary Seamoor Morris Pratt, Ojai, California, 1912-1947
Eleanor I. Palmer, by acquisition of the house and contents, 1948
Harley and Jennie Culbert, by acquisition of the house and contents, 1954
Christie's New York, Important American Architectural Designs & Commissions, June 14, 1985, lot 142
Acquired from the above by the present owner
Eleanor I. Palmer, by acquisition of the house and contents, 1948
Harley and Jennie Culbert, by acquisition of the house and contents, 1954
Christie's New York, Important American Architectural Designs & Commissions, June 14, 1985, lot 142
Acquired from the above by the present owner
Randell L. Makinson, Greene & Greene: Architecture as a Fine Art, Salt Lake City, UT, 1977, p. 173 (for a period photo of the model in situ)
Randell L. Makinson, Greene & Greene: Furniture and Related Designs, Salt Lake City, UT, 1979, p. 96
Edward R. Bosley, Greene & Greene, London, 2000, p. 130
Randell L. Makinson, Greene & Greene: Furniture and Related Designs, Salt Lake City, UT, 1979, p. 96
Edward R. Bosley, Greene & Greene, London, 2000, p. 130
Brothers Charles Sumner Greene (1886-1957) and Henry Mather Greene (1870-1954), who founded the architecture firm Greene & Greene in 1894, rank among the most important American architects of the 20th century. Inspired by their training in woodwork, metalwork and architecture, as well as their passion for Chinese and Japanese design, the Greenes’ bungalow-style houses stand as icons of the Arts & Crafts Movement, marrying livability and fine design in their unparalleled constructions.
The Greenes designed and built five “Ultimate Bungalows” at the pinnacle of their careers; large-scale residences such as the Gamble, Blacker and Thorsen Houses showcased their mature style. The Pratt House, otherwise known as Casa Barranca, was one of the last of the Greenes’ Ultimate Bungalows. It was commissioned in 1908 as a winter home for Charles M. Pratt, son of the co-founder of Standard Oil, and his wife Mary Seamoor Morris, daughter of the governor of Connecticut and a college acquaintance of Mrs. Blacker and Mrs. Thorsen.
As in the other Ultimate Bungalows, the furniture for the Pratt House was custom designed, site-specific and superbly constructed by Greene & Greene’s master cabinetmaker, Peter Hall. The rocking chair and dining suite offered here, with their exquisite detailing, high-quality materials, and esteemed provenance from the collection of Daniel Wolf, are exemplary of the brothers’ contributions to the American Arts and Crafts movement.
The construction of these works is meticulous and the selection of materials the finest, starting with the exceptional mahogany composing the table and chairs. The inlay work is distinctly original and of the highest order. A wide range of burled hardwoods were hand-selected to vary grain orientations and color to express the anthropomorphic movement of the tree. These pieces were hand shaped and sculpted to fit into carved recesses in the mahogany grounds on the tabletop, then further smoothed to harmonize the raised profiles of the inlay, the end result producing an effect of bas relief. These inlaid compositions were further accented with irregular dots of ebony. The rocking chair and dining chairs are further embellished with carved “cloud-lift” motifs along their rails — a signature motif of the Greenes adopted from Japanese tsuba (sword guards). The edges of each object are softly rounded throughout, imparting a further level of refinement to the bold forms.
Taken together, the appearance of this dining suite and rocking chair at auction presents a singular opportunity for collectors to unite three masterpieces of American design from the legendary Charles M. Pratt House.
The Greenes designed and built five “Ultimate Bungalows” at the pinnacle of their careers; large-scale residences such as the Gamble, Blacker and Thorsen Houses showcased their mature style. The Pratt House, otherwise known as Casa Barranca, was one of the last of the Greenes’ Ultimate Bungalows. It was commissioned in 1908 as a winter home for Charles M. Pratt, son of the co-founder of Standard Oil, and his wife Mary Seamoor Morris, daughter of the governor of Connecticut and a college acquaintance of Mrs. Blacker and Mrs. Thorsen.
As in the other Ultimate Bungalows, the furniture for the Pratt House was custom designed, site-specific and superbly constructed by Greene & Greene’s master cabinetmaker, Peter Hall. The rocking chair and dining suite offered here, with their exquisite detailing, high-quality materials, and esteemed provenance from the collection of Daniel Wolf, are exemplary of the brothers’ contributions to the American Arts and Crafts movement.
The construction of these works is meticulous and the selection of materials the finest, starting with the exceptional mahogany composing the table and chairs. The inlay work is distinctly original and of the highest order. A wide range of burled hardwoods were hand-selected to vary grain orientations and color to express the anthropomorphic movement of the tree. These pieces were hand shaped and sculpted to fit into carved recesses in the mahogany grounds on the tabletop, then further smoothed to harmonize the raised profiles of the inlay, the end result producing an effect of bas relief. These inlaid compositions were further accented with irregular dots of ebony. The rocking chair and dining chairs are further embellished with carved “cloud-lift” motifs along their rails — a signature motif of the Greenes adopted from Japanese tsuba (sword guards). The edges of each object are softly rounded throughout, imparting a further level of refinement to the bold forms.
Taken together, the appearance of this dining suite and rocking chair at auction presents a singular opportunity for collectors to unite three masterpieces of American design from the legendary Charles M. Pratt House.