拍品 1

PROPERTY FROM THE COLLECTION OF THE LATE BERNARD CASTRO, REMOVED FROM HISTORIC PANFIELD, LONG ISLAND (LOTS 1-23) Bernard Castro and 'The American Dream': Bernard Castro, the entrepreneur and philanthropist who pioneered and popularized the iconic Castro Convertible sofa, was born August 11, 1904 in Sicily, Italy. Though arriving virtually penniless at New York's Ellis Island at the age of 15, young Bernard forged a fledgling career as a young impresario of American industry. Having never received a high school diploma, Bernard eventually enrolled in courses for Interior Decoration at The New York Evening School of Industrial Art at the age of 24, which sparked not only his interest in European furniture, sculpture and decorative arts, but also served as the foundation upon which he would ultimately build the Castro Convertibles empire. It was not until 1931, on a modest loan of $400.00, that Bernard opened his first upholstery and interior design shop on Fifth Avenue in New York City. During the infant years of the business the Castro Convertible sofa was finally conceived, borne out of an out-dated design for the 'davenport' sofa, a prototype sleeper-sofa which proved too cumbersome for most customers to operate. During the 1940s and 1950s the Castro name thrived under the close direction of Bernard and his wife, Theresa. The success of Bernard's innovative design afforded the family with the means to amass an impressive collection of furniture and sculpture, which graced the rooms of their ocean-front home in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. A selection of his astutely-compiled collection, including Michelangelo Barberi's 1851 micromosaic masterwork of 'Chonological Rome', is appearing at auction for the first time in over half a century. Historic 'Panfield' and Long Island's 'Gold Coast': Built in 1915 by Albert G. Milbank, corporate attorney for the Rockefeller family, the Tudor style manor house was designed by the esteemed architectural firm of Howells & Stokes. Nestled in the village of Lloyd Harbor with sweeping views of Long Island Sound, Panfield joined a register of homes occupied by New York's 'Gold coast' elite, including William K. Vanderbilt II's 'Eagle's Nest' and Marshall Fields's 'Caumsett', among other 'Gilded Age' estates. In 1948, after serving as Mayor of Lloyd Harbor for over twenty years, Milbank finally sold the 65 acre estate to Salvatore Giordano, founder of Fedders Corporation and father of modern air conditioning. In 1968, Bernard Castro purchased the manor house and remaining six acres of Panfield's grounds and installed his extensive collection of antiques, effectively weaving them with original furnishings and interior fitments left by the Milbank family. A Passion for Historic Preservation: Bernard's philanthropic spirit and fervent admiration for fine art and antiques have lived on through his daughter, Bernadette Castro, who at the age of four famously demonstrated the ease of operating a Castro Convertible in the company's first television commercial in 1948. After her father's death in 1991, Bernadette succeeded her father in business and subsequently forged a United States Senate campaign in 1994. In 1995, Governor George Pataki appointed Bernadette as the New York State Commissioner of Parks, Recreation, and Historic Preservation. Today, she shares Panfield with her husband, Dr. Peter Guida, and her resilient passion for restoring the gracious homes and parks of Long Island is carried on through her constant support of the Society for the Preservation of Long Island Antiquities.

A FRENCH ORMOLU AND JASPERWARE-MOUNTED SATINE, EBONY AND PARQUETRY CONSOLE DESSERTE

BY ZWIENER-JANSEN SUCCESSEUR, PARIS, LATE 19TH/EARLY 20TH CENTURY

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A FRENCH ORMOLU AND JASPERWARE-MOUNTED SATINE, EBONY AND PARQUETRY CONSOLE DESSERTE
BY ZWIENER-JANSEN SUCCESSEUR, PARIS, LATE 19TH/EARLY 20TH CENTURY
The demilune brèche violette marble top above a central spring-activated frieze drawer centered with a jasperware plaque, over a pair of cupboard doors opening to two adjustable shelves, flanked by marble shelves with mirrored backs, the angles with scantily-clad female terms, on toupie feet, the top of the carcass stamped twice MON ZWIENER JANSEN SUC^R, the top inscribed in blue chalk Daniel 13, the lockplate stamped M^O^N THEAU THIEFFINE SUCC^R SERRURIER PARIS
41¼ in. (105 cm.) high, 61¼ in. (155.5 cm.) wide, 21 in. (53.5 cm.) deep

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拍品專文

Jean-Henri Jansen (d. 1928) founded the famous interior-decorating firm of Maison Jansen in 1880. Specializing in revival furnishings of the ancien régime, the firm was awarded a Silver Medal at both the 1883 Amsterdam Exhibition and the Paris 1889 Exposition Universelle. Maison Jansen relocated to 9, rue Royale, Paris, in 1885 and shortly afterward incorporated the established atelier of Joseph-Emmanuel Zwiener, renaming it Zwiener Jansen Successeur.

A presumably unsigned example of a similar commode was sold at Christie's, New York, 24 April 2002, lot 149 ($38,240).