SPECIAL COLLECTIONS THE MAISON JANSEN DESIGNED HOME OF WALTER AND JANICE MANLEY | AUCTION SEPT 24
JANICE WALTER and
Manley lived a life straight off the big screen, reminiscent of the classic films they produced. Together they toured the world as true “jet setters”, traveling to exotic destinations and rubbing shoulders with the great names of Hollywood’s Post-War boom. Film, theater, music and dance were passions of this vibrant couple. Indeed, they hosted many receptions at their beautiful and stylish apartment on West 57th Street across from Carnegie Hall, not least of which were the opening night parties for films including Federico Fellini’s Academy Award winning “Amarcord” and Gabriel Axel’s “Babette’s Feast”.
Pedro Friedeberg's (b.1936) Hand chair is an example of a case when a joke becomes much more than just funny. When the artist's mentor Mathias Goeritz asked the young artist to do him a favor and give a local woodworker some work, Friedeberg asked him to make him a hand - and better yet, one you could sit in, because he thought it would be funny. The result is a classic work of 20th century Surrealist art, and the artist's most iconic work. Lot 4 Pedro Friedeberg, Mahogany Hand Chair. $6,000-8,000 Â Â Â
To decorate their home, the Manley’s chose legendary French firm Maison Jansen, which was the most well-known decorating firm in the world at that time and remains a byword of elegance and refined style. Maison Jansen was founded in 1880 and quickly gained a following including European Royalty and American titans of industry. For over 100 years the firm dictated and established the tastes of the haute monde, eventually becoming the first international design firm. In the 1960s Maison Jansen received its greatest Post-War commission when Francophile Jacqueline Kennedy chose the firm to redecorate the White House. The brilliant designer Stephane Boudin was the perfect choice because of his meticulous devotion to historical accuracy coupled with his classic French aesthetic and attention to the smallest detail.
Lot 9 Louis XVI Mahogany Bureau Plat Est $4,000 - $6,000.
Lot 10 Royal Interest: Set of Six Empire Upholstered Mahogany Side Chairs from the Chateau D’Eu Est $2,000 - $3,000. Lot 22 Group of Twelve Alfredo Barbini Murano Glass Ornaments
Est $300 - $500. Lot 23, Five Donald Fletcher Glazed Ceramic
Covered Jars Est $300 - $500. Lot 37, Irving Marantz, American,
1912-1972, A Young Girl Est. $1,000-1,500. Lot 11, William Morris Glass Sculpture Aquamarine Form Est. $4,000-6,000
The Manley apartment was tastefully decorated with French antiques mixed with modern notes to create a sophisticated environment for the couple’s lifestyle. It was designed with special attention to proportion, placement of furniture and art and quality of materials and finishes. Indeed, the decoration was so perfect that after over fifty years, the apartment generally remained just as the talented designers at Maison Jansen had intended. Stephane Boudin’s legacy can be seen in the fine French 18th century furniture used in the Manley’s home. Mrs. Manley added other pieces including studio glass and ceramics to give layers and depth to the space. The Manley apartment remains a testament to Maison Jansen and to the fact that fine design remains timeless. Lot 16 Upholstered Club Chair Est $300 - $500
Toshiko Takaezu (1922-2011) was a Japanese-American ceramicist best known for the closed form vessels with bold organic glazes. She studied at Cranbrook Academy of Art in Michigan and later trained new generations of students there as well. Her work combines a mid century aesthetic with traditional Japanese ethos. Lot 55 Toshiko Takaezu, Glazed Ceramic Moon Vessel Est $300 - $500
The Chateau D'Eu was built in 1578 in Eu, Normandy. The Orleans family owned the estate from at least the 1650s and King Louis-Philippe used the house as a Royal summer residence during his reign from 1830 to 1848 twice entertaining England's Queen Victoria on her visits to the Continent. The chateau was also home of the exiled Brazilian Royal family, Princess Isabel having married Prince Gaston, Count of Eu who was a grandson of Louis-Philippe. These chairs are printed with inventory numbers and stamped with EU surmounted by a crown as inventoried by the French Royal palaces. Lot 10 Royal Interest: Set of Six Empire Upholstered Mahogany Side Chairs from the Chateau D’Eu, Est $2,000 - $3,000
Lot 32 Two Venini Green Inciso Glass Bottles with Stoppers Est $600 - $800, Lot 33 Two Venini Green Inciso Glass Bottles with Stoppers Est $600 - $800, Lot 34 Three Venini Green Inciso Glass Bottles with Stoppers
Est $600 - $800, Lot 31 Pair of Chinese Yellow Glazed Porcelain Lamps Est $300 - $500 Lot 41 Robert Graham
MOCA Torso Est $2,000 - $4,000, Lot 42 Robert Graham MOCA Torso Est $2,000 - $4,000, Lot 45 Chinese Celadon Glazed Carved Porcelain “Lotus” Dish Est $800 - $1,200, Lot 15 Upholstered Loose Cushion Sofa Est $800 -
$1,200, Lot 36 Six Silk Damask Panel Draperies Est $600 - $800, Lot 17 Two Apricot Colored Silk Taffeta Fabric Draped Tables Est $200 - $300, Lot 19 Pair of Louis XVI Style Upholstered Painted Wood Fauteuils Est $500
- $700, Lot 27 Howard Ben Tré Cast Glass and Gold Leaf Sculpture Urn 1 Est $4,000 - $6,000, Lot 35 Amritsar Carpet Est $700 - $900
MAISON
The storied Maison Jansen name still conjures images of refined interiors impeccably decorated in an elegant and timeless style. Their clientele included European Royalty, American business magnates and later a glittering array of jet setters and tastemakers. With an international footprint that extended from their headquarters on the Rue Royale in Paris to London, New York, Havana, Buenos Aires, Alexandria and Cairo, Maison Jansen’s talented designers worked to bring French style to all corners of the globe. Over a century in business, the famous 20th century decorators put their stamp on nearly every fashionable address in the world.
JANSEN Founded in 1880 by Dutch-born Jean-Henri Jansen when he was just 25, Maison Jansen was an instant success -garnering early awards and a multitude of praise for their sophisticated work. The French 18th-century style that became their trademark evoked a world their patrons longed to emulate. Though Maison Jansen certainly embraced contemporary trends, the firm used this aristocratic style to appeal to their late 19th century clientele, where changes in industry, society and the political landscape could be kept at bay if one was surrounded by furniture and decorative arts reminiscent of a more genteel era. The firm drew on France’s rich artistic past to create rooms that incorporated the finest Louis XV, Louis XVI, and Empire styles and sprinkled in references to Art Nouveau, and later Art Deco and Art Moderne. It was a well-known mantra of the firm that Maison Jansen only “guided and assisted” their clients in decorating their homes, which allowed one’s personal style to shine through their creative mix of antiques and modern accents. The end results were theatrical yet tasteful rooms set for modern life.
THE DINING ROOM LEEDS CASTLE
Over the course of their history, Maison Jansen worked with some of the most important families in the world. Royal patrons included two kings of Spain, the Belgian Royal family (who had the honor of being their longest commission -- lasting from 1890 through to the 1960s), and Edward VII of England. Maison Jansen was tasked with renovations of Buckingham Palace for Edward VIII, but his abdication put an end to the plans; no matter, as his sister-in-law Elizabeth, the Queen Mother was also a client of the firm. Maison Jansen’s work for the Duke and Duchess of Windsor developed into a chic style known as the “Windsor” look. Across the Atlantic, Rockefellers, Vanderbilts, Goulds and Hearsts all called upon the firm to decorate their homes in New York, Newport, Palm Beach and everywhere the haute mode gathered. To achieve their trademark look, Maison Jansen had showrooms filled with antique furniture. As such, when a set of 18th century Louis XV dining chairs needed to be filled out from twelve to twenty-four, or a Louis XVI mahogany commode looked better positioned as a pair, they could turn to their army of trained craftsmen to complete their vision. At the height of their fame they employed up to 700 craftsmen in a 40,000 square foot space outside of Paris, restoring antiques and making special commission pieces for their projects. Amongst their best known pieces are gilt-bronze glass-topped tables created in a variety of sizes that are still coveted by decorators and collectors today. The 1960s saw Maison Jansen reach the pinnacle of their fame in America with their most important Post-War commission. Jayne and Charles Wrightsman were the society couple and helped to champion and promote Maison Jansen and 18th century French furniture and decorative arts amongst American society.
1935
1961-1967 It was through Jayne Wrightsman that Jackie Kennedy was first introduced to the firm. A Francophile herself, Kennedy employed them to help her decorate the Georgetown townhouse she lived in while her husband was a Senator. This project led to perhaps Maison Jansen’s greatest American work, the redecoration of the Kennedy White House from 1961-1967. While the choice of a French firm to decorate America’s most public of homes seemed a controversial one, Maison Jansen was actually following a long line of French-influenced spaces in the White House that could be traced back to other great Francophile Presidents Thomas Jefferson and James Monroe. With the collaboration of Henry Francis Dupont (founder of Winterthur museum), who was in charge of restoration on the project, Maison Jansen created grand public and private spaces that echoed the spirit of democracy. It was at this same time that Janice and Walter Manley engaged Maison Jansen to decorate their apartment in New York City. The Manley’s envisioned a home that they could use to entertain Hollywood, and they were not to be disappointed. Still maintained in almost its original state, the apartment is as elegant today as it was when designed in the late 1960s. Maison Jansen created the perfect mix of traditional French 18th style and modern luxury: here carved and giltwood paneling is replaced with textured walls complemented with luxurious fabrics. Fine 18th century original furniture sits comfortably with modern pieces designed by Maison Jansen for the apartment, including three of their much sought-after gilt-bronze tables. The Manley’s love of contemporary glass looks right at home, as the space truly reflects their style and personality. It is a fitting testament to the great 20th century design firm that guided them.
THE RED ROOM THE WHITE HOUSE
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Todd Sell, SVP Appraiser, Silver, Furniture & Decorations 212-427-4141, ext 269 Todd.Sell@Doyle.com
(right) Lot 7, Zao Wou-Ki (1920-2013), PAYSAGE AU SOLEIL (AGERUP 39) Est $2,000 - $3,000 (back cover) Lot 27, Howard Ben TrĂŠ Cast Glass and Gold Leaf Sculpture Urn 1 Est $4,000 - $6,000