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Lot 40: LOUIS KAHN (AMERICAN, 1901-1974), DESK FOR THE MORTON AND LENORE WEISS HOUSE,

Est: $10,000 USD - $15,000 USDSold:
Freeman'sPhiladelphia, PA, USOctober 08, 2017

Item Overview

Description

LOUIS KAHN (AMERICAN, 1901-1974)

DESK FOR THE MORTON AND LENORE WEISS HOUSE,

EAST NORRITON TOWNSHIP, PENNSYLVANIA, 1947-1950
THE DESK DESIGNED 1949 AND FABRICATED BY THE ALEXANDER WOODWORK CO., PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, 1950

Walnut veneer, birch, brass.

H: 27 3/4, W: 78, D: 36 in.



PROVENANCE:

Morton (Bubby) and Lenore Weiss, East Norritown Township, Pennsylvania
Thence by descent to Private Collection, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Artist or Maker

Condition Report

Good overall original condition. Joints tight and free of breaks or repairs. Older, short and tight split to one leg along wide face about halfway down leg. Top showing heavy use including unevenness to finish, various ring stains, shallow indentations, stains, and areas of finish loss. One corner with abrasions and small chip, another with small area of veneer loss to top. Desk has three drawers, one long and deep opening only on one side, and two short drawers each opening on opposite sides. Drawer interiors clean, one with a few small stains.


Descriptions provided in both printed and on-line catalogue formats do not include condition reports. The absence of a condition statement does not imply that the lot is in perfect condition or completely free from wear and tear, imperfections or the effects of aging. Interested bidders are strongly encouraged to request a condition report on any lots upon which they intend to bid, prior to placing a bid. All transactions are governed by Freeman's Conditions of Sale.

Notes

PUBLISHED:

George H. Marcus and William Whitaker, The Houses of Louis Kahn, pp. 85-86, 124

Yutaka Saito, Louis I. Kahn Houses 1940-1974, p. 265

LOT ESSAY:

Designed by Louis Kahn (1901-1974) in partnership with Anne Tyng (1920-2011), the Morton and Lenore Weiss House (1947-1950) was one of Kahn''s first residential projects. Begun in 1947 and completed in 1950, the house was set upon a hill in East Norriton Township, just north of Norristown where Morton "Bubby" Weiss worked as the proprietor of Gilbert''s, a prominent haberdashery. Bubby and his wife Lenore were said to have found Louis Kahn an exciting and pleasing partner in the design of their new home, despite his infamous, sometimes prickly demeanor. The Weiss House was awarded a Gold Medal by the Philadelphia Chapter of the American Institute of Architects in 1950. The Weisses were great lovers of architecture and the arts, collecting sculpture, ceramics, prints and textiles on their many travels. They lived in the home up until their deaths in 2004, after which time their collection was bequeathed to museums, family members, and friends.
A large desk, or living room table, was one of three tables Kahn designed for the home, although only two (including the desk) were built. The desk was bequeathed to Bubby''s first cousin once-removed, David Wenger and his wife Joan, who have lived with the desk since. The Weiss House and its furnishings are extensively documented by George H. Marcus and William Whitaker in their landmark 2013 publication, The Houses of Louis Kahn (Yale University Press). Their survey notes other furniture purchased for the Weiss House, including Eero Saarinen''s Grasshopper Chair and a sofa by Florence Knoll, both designs that were exhibited and seen by Kahn in Marcel Breuer''s House in the Museum Garden at the Museum of Modern Art in 1949. Sitting opposite the Knoll sofa was a television stand with an X-shaped base, quite possibility the design inspiration for the legs of the Weiss House desk, although reminiscent of other designs Kahn would have encountered by prominent architect-designers of the period, such as Jean Prouve (1901-1984). Kahn designed built-in and freestanding furniture for several commissions, beginning with the Oser House in 1940 for which he designed and built a free-standing bedroom suite in oak, and later, furniture for the Weiss and Genel houses. None of the furniture from the Genel house is known to have survived.

NOTE:

We would like to thank William Whitaker and the University of Pennsylvania Architectural Archives for their assistance in the cataloguing of this lot.

Payment & Shipping

Accepted forms of payment: Money Order / Cashiers Check, Paypal, Personal Check, Wire Transfer

Shipping

Freeman's does not offer packing, shipping or freighting service. ALL shipping is the sole responsibility of the buyer. Upon completion of the transaction, please call or email a shipper of your choice; you may call one shipper to do the job but are also welcome to call several in order to get quotes (please make sure this is clear to those you are calling)

Auction Details

Design

by
Freeman's
October 08, 2017, 12:00 PM EST

2400 Market Street, Philadelphia, PA, 19103, US

Terms

Live bidding may start higher or lower

Buyer's Premium

$0 - 200,000:30.0%
$200,001 - 3,000,000:25.0%
$3,000,001+:17.0%

Bidding Increments

From:To:Increment:
$0$199$10
$200$499$25
$500$999$50
$1,000$2,999$100
$3,000$4,999$250
$5,000$9,999$500
$10,000$29,999$1,000
$30,000$49,999$2,500
$50,000$99,999$5,000
$100,000+$10,000

Terms & Conditions

All property offered and sold through Freeman's, ("Auctioneer", or "Broker", or the "Company") shall be offered and sold on the terms and conditions set forth in these Conditions of Sale. By participating in any sale, you acknowledge that you are bound by these terms and conditions.

Freeman's has made every effort to catalogue and describe accurately property to be sold. The Company, however, assumes no risk, liability or responsibility for the identification or authenticity or authorship, or weight, count, or measure of any property identified in its catalogue or lists of sale. This shall include, among others, the identity of the creator, the period, culture, source of origin, as the case may be, with which the creation of any property is identified in any publication.

ALL PROPERTY IS SOLD "AS IS". THE CONSIGNOR MAKES NO WARRANTIES OR REPRESENTATIONS OF ANY KIND WITH RESPECT TO ANY PROPERTY OFFERED FOR SALE, SINCE THE AUCTIONEER IS ACTING SOLELY AS AN AUCTION BROKER, AND, UNLESS OTHERWISE STATED, DOES NOT OWN THE PROPERTY OFFERED FOR SALE. THEREFORE, THE AUCTIONEER MAKES NO WARRANTY OF TITLE, WARRANTY OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, OR ANY OTHER WARRANTY OR REPRESENTATION OF ANY KIND OR NATURE WITH RESPECT TO THE PROPERTY.

In no event shall it be responsible for the correctness, nor deemed to have made any representation or warranty of description, genuineness, attribution, provenance or condition of the property and no statement by anyone or in the catalogue, in any advertisement, or which is made at the sale, in the bill of sale or invoice, or elsewhere, shall be deemed such a warranty or representation or an assumption of liability. Without in any way waiving the foregoing, any complaint regarding authenticity, genuineness, attribution or provenance shall be made within twenty-five (25) days of the day of sale or such complaint shall be waived. All bidders acknowledge their right to have made or requested full inspection of any and all properties prior to sale and agree to be charged with all matters such inspection may have disclosed or indicated. Inspection on the day of sale will be permitted only upon prearrangement with the COMPANY.

Freeman's reserves the right to withdraw any property at any time before the fall of the hammer in its sole and exclusive discretion.

Unless otherwise announced by the auctioneer at the time of sale, all bids are per lot as numbered in the printed catalog. Freeman's reserves the right to determine any and all matters regarding the order, precedence or appropriate increment of bids or the constitution of lots.

The highest bidder acknowledged by the auctioneer shall be the purchaser. In the event of any dispute between bidders, the auctioneer shall have the sole and final discretion either to determine the successful bidder or to re-offer and resell the article in dispute. If any dispute arises after sale, the Company's sale record shall be conclusive in all respects.

If the auctioneer determines that any opening or later bid or any advance of bidding is not commensurate with the value of the article offered, the auctioneer may reject the same and withdraw the article from sale.

Upon the fall of the hammer, title to any offered lot or article will immediately pass to the highest bidder as determined in the exclusive discretion of the auctioneer. Such bidder thereupon assumes full risk and responsibility for the property sold, agrees to sign any requested confirmation of purchase, and agrees to pay the full purchase price therefore or such part upon such terms as the Company may require. All property shall be paid for and removed by the purchaser at his/her expense within ten (10) days of sale and, if not so removed, may be sold by the Company, or sent by the Company to a public warehouse, at the sole risk and charge of the purchaser(s), and the Company may prohibit the purchaser from participating, directly or indirectly, as a bidder or purchaser in any future sale or sales. The Company will not be responsible for any loss, damage, theft, or otherwise responsible for any goods left in the Company's possession after ten (10) days. If the foregoing conditions or any applicable provisions of law are not complied with, in addition to other remedies available to the Company and the Consignor (including without limitation the right to hold the purchaser(s) liable for the bid price) the Company, at its option, may either cancel the sale, retaining as liquidated damages all payments made by the purchaser(s), or resell the property. In such event, the purchaser(s) shall remain liable for any deficiency in the original purchase price and will also be responsible for all costs, including warehousing, the expense of the ultimate sale, and the Company's commission at its regular rates together with all related and incidental charges, including legal fees. Payment is a precondition to removal. Payment shall be by cash, certified check or similar bank draft, or any other method approved by the Company. Checks will not be deemed to constitute payment until cleared. The Company will charge interest of one and one-half percent (1 1/2%) per month on any balance remaining thirty (30) days after the day of sale. Any exceptions must be made upon the Company's written approval of credit prior to sale.

Unless the sale is advertised and announced as "without reserve", each lot is offered subject to a reserve and the Company may implement such reserves by bidding through its representatives on behalf of the Consignors. In certain instances, the Consignor may pay less than the standard commission rate where the Company or its representative is a successful bidder on behalf of the Consignor. Where the Consignor is indebted to the Company, the Company may have an interest in the offered lots and the proceeds there from other than the broker's Commissions, and all sales are subject to any such interest.

No "buy" bids shall be accepted at any time for any purpose.

Any pre-sale bids must be left in writing with the Company prior to commencement of offer of the first lot of any sale. The Company's copy of any such bid shall conclusively be deemed to be the sole evidence of same, and the Company shall not be held responsible for any failure to execute any pre-sale bid.

A buyer's premium will be added to the successful bid price and is payable by the purchaser as part of the total purchase price. The buyer's premium is 25% of the successful bid price up to and including $200,000, 20% between $200,001 and $3,000,000, and 12% on any amount in excess of $3,000,001. Please note that Invaluable charges an additional 5% to the Buyer's Premium for their services

Unless exempted by law from the payment thereof, the purchaser will be required to pay any and all applicable state and/or local sales taxes. Deliveries to be made outside the state where a sale is conducted may therefore be subject to a corresponding or compensating tax in another state.

Contract Information

All property offered and sold through Samuel T. Freeman & Co., ("Auctioneer", or "Broker", or the "Company") shall be offered and sold on the terms and conditions set forth in these Conditions of Sale. By participating in any sale, you acknowledge that you are bound by these terms and conditions.

Payment Information

An invoice representing the total due of hammer + buyer's premium + sales tax (if applicable) will be issued and is due within 10 days of the sale. Acceptable forms of payment include cash, checks payable in US dollars, and bank transfers. Freeman's does not accept credit cards. Lots purchased will not be released until funds have cleared the bank.

Shipping Information

Freeman's does not offer packing, shipping or freighting service. ALL shipping is the sole responsibility of the buyer. Upon completion of the transaction, please call or email a shipper of your choice; you may call one shipper to do the job but are also welcome to call several in order to get quotes (please make sure this is clear to those you are calling)

Buyer's Premium

A buyer's premium will be added to your successful bid at the rate of 25% on the first 200,000, 20% between 200,001 and 3,000,000, and 12% thereafter. Be sure to factor in the buyer's premium when determining your maximum bid. Invaluable/eBay charges an additional 5% fee that will be added to your buyer's premium.

Taxes on your purchase

Unless exempted by law, from the payment thereof, the purchaser will be required to pay any and all applicable state and/or local sales taxes. Deliveries to be made outside the state where a sale is conducted may therefore be subject to a corresponding or compensating tax in another state.

Condition Statement

Descriptions provided in both printed and on-line catalogue formats do not include condition reports. The absence of a condition statement does not imply that the lot is in perfect condition or completely free from wear and tear, imperfections or the effects of aging. Interested bidders are strongly encouraged to request a condition report on any lots upon which they intend to bid, prior to placing a bid. All transactions are governed by Freeman's Conditions of Sale. Samuel T. Freeman & Co. has made every effort to catalogue and describe accurately property to be sold. The Company, however, assumes no risk, liability or responsibility for the identification or authenticity or authorship, or weight, count, or measure of any property identified in its catalogue or lists of sale. This shall include, among others, the identity of the creator, the period, culture, source of origin, as the case may be, with which the creation of any property is identified in any publication.

Viewing Notes

Wednesday, October 4 10am-5pm
Thursday, October 5 10am-5pm
Friday, October 6 10am-5pm
Saturday, October 7 12pm-5pm


Please note that clients who bid online will not be able to pay and pick-up won lots until after the sale has ended and invoices have been emailed from Freeman's. Thank you.