Branching Out
Other components of the Craftsman movement, such as pottery,
metalwork and lighting, were essential to the overall effect of the style, and
their prices are on the rise, albeit usually slowly.
Lytwyn sees particular promise in pottery from the era. Pieces
vary from the very plain to works with luminescent glazes. A Frederick Rhead
vase sold for $516,000 last March at Rago Arts in Lambertville, N.J. (After the
Arts and Crafts movement died out, Rhead designed the iconic Fiesta dinnerware.)
"Furniture had its dips a couple of times, but high-end pottery
continues to go up," Lytwyn says. "A few new collectors have stepped into the
arena, and that drives up prices." And, notes David Rago of the auction house,
pottery is much easier to display than furniture, which adds to its cachet.
The Rhead vase—along with some other decorative arts—transcends
Arts and Crafts, says Jodi Pollack, a vice president and senior specialist in
20th-century decorative art at Sotheby’s. "That vase was always revered as a
museum masterwork," she says. "It even had hairline cracks. It’s just something
you’ll never have another opportunity to acquire. The best of the best is always
going to generate intense competition. People are willing to pay big
premiums."
Lighting, both built-in and lamps, also figured prominently in
the Arts and Crafts home. Designs on built-in light fixtures match those on the
walls or furniture. Tiffany, although not specifically an Arts and Crafts
artist, created complementary pieces. (Dark lampshades were de rigueur because
people in the first decade of the 20th century harbored a bit of fear regarding
the long-term effects on vision of the newly invented light bulb.) Metalwork,
such as hammered-copper bowls and bookends, can also command good prices, says
Lytwyn, who was cocurator of a metalwork display at Craftsman Farms. Last March,
a hammered-copper and wicker table lamp sold for $26,400 at Christie’s; the high
estimate was just $4,000.
However, the fact that most Arts and Crafts pieces remain
bargains is one reason to collect them, Rago says. "The furniture, from a
buyer’s perspective—with the exception of top pieces—is a good place to be
because prices have soft-ened. They are very good and very affordable right
now."
New collectors should consider works by lesser-known artisans,
Sandberg says. "Look outside the biggest designers. There were other people
working who made good pieces as well." In December 2006, Christie’s sold a punch
bowl by Susan Frackelton, a relatively unknown Wisconsin potter, for $33,600.
"There are still good pieces available," Sandberg says, citing John Scott
Bradstreet and George Washington Maher as two other examples of underappreciated
craftsmen.
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