RARE ROYCROFT "ARTS AND CRAFTS" STYLE
BOOKCASE SOLD FOR $83,600


Boothwyn, PA (November 5, 2001)... Briggs Auction, Inc., at a special public auction this week of estates from Chester County, PA, Philadelphia, PA and Newtown Square, PA, was pleased to offer for auction a singular item: a rare Roycroft bookcase in the Arts and Crafts style. Roycroft furniture is typical of styles found at the turn of the century, and large bookcases like this one are among the rarest of Roycroft pieces.

The bookcase was found in a basement in Philadelphia, where it had been used to store canned goods for 50 years, according to the family. The bookcase sold for $ 83,600 (including buyer's premium), and was purchased by a New York City dealer who was representing a private client. Bidders included dealers from as far away as Seattle, Washington, bidding on five different telephone lines, as well as
a sizeable crowd of nearly 450 people at the auction house.

The Roycroft Shops (workshops and salesrooms) operated in East Aurora, New York from 1895 to 1938, and was founded by Elbert Hubbard, a pioneer in the Arts and Crafts movement. Arts and Crafts style furniture is noted for its simple, elegant, functional, yet uniquely American design.

The name "Arts and Crafts" to describe this style originated from the desire of the designers to raise the level of craftsman to that of the artist. Roycroft furniture exemplifies this movement, and is characterized by massive lines, thicker woods, bulbous feet, and coppered glass doors. The Roycroft mark, or on special commissions, the entire word in a Gothic-style script was boldly imprinted across the front of each piece in letters large enough to be read from across the room. Each Roycroft piece was literally an advertisement for the company.


Other highlights of the evening include:

Pair of O/B portraits of children by Robert Stewart $ 2,200.00
Framed needlework on silk with watercolor 1,430.00
Pair of Tiffany studio candlesticks 2,750.00
Sapphire and diamond link bracelet 1,980.00
4-strand Torsade seed pearl necklace 1,760.00
Emerald and diamond ring 2,860.00
O/C of landscape by Thomas Craig 3,190.00
Regina music box with matching stand 4,400.00
Cowden and Wilcox batter jug 2,200.00
Seth Thomas oak case regulator clock 1,127.00
2-piece corner cupboard with cathedral doors 3,850.00
Banded and inlaid banquet size dining room table 3,410.00
Sheraton 4-drawer chest with turret corners 2,420.00
O/C "Summer Landscape" by David Walkey 3,740.00
Lot of matching sterling flatware in fitted case 2,530.00

(all prices include 10% buyer's premium)


Briggs Auction, Inc. holds public, absolute auctions every Friday evening, beginning at 6:00pm. Special antique estate auctions are held periodically throughout the year, the next is scheduled for Monday, December 3rd at 5:30pm. Briggs Auction was established in 1932, and has been family owned and operated for more than 70 years. Briggs Auction is located in Boothwyn, across from the Boothwyn Farmers' Market. Visit www.briggsauction.com for more information, or e-mail us at info@briggsauction.com

Briggs Auction, Inc. 1347 Naamans Creek Road, Garnet Valley, PA 19061
Tel: 610 566 3138 * Fax: 610 558 8955
eMail: info@briggsauction.com * Web: www.briggsauction.com

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W.J.Briggs/J.H.Turner, Auctioneers • AU00098-L

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1347 Naamans Creek Road
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