Seizô Sugawara Rare Armchair

SEIZÔ SUGAWARA A DISCOVERY

SEIZÔ SUGAWARA A DISCOVERY DESIGN LONDON 13 NOVEMBER 2024 To be offered for Sale as Lot 38

Auction & Viewing Location

Design Department

Interim Cataloguer

30 Berkeley Square London, W1J 6EX

Head of Department, Europe

Stephanie Magnuson smagnuson@phillips.com

Auction

Domenico Raimondo draimondo@phillips.com

Wednesday, 13 November at 2pm Please register to bid online, absentee or by phone.

Viewing 6–12 November Monday–Saturday, 10am–6pm Sunday, 12pm–6pm Please note that the viewing will be closed to the public from 2pm on 12 November For latest viewing information, please visit phillips.com, contact clientserviceslondon@phillips.com or call +44 20 7318 4010.

Head of Department, London Sofia Sayn-Wittgenstein ssayn-wittgenstein@phillips.com

Administrator and Sale Administration Project Coordinator Sophia Garbagnati sgarbagnati@phillips.com

Head of Design, France Elie Massaoutis emassaoutis@phillips.com Specialist Madalena Horta e Costa mhortaecosta@phillips.com Head of Sale Antonia King antonia.king@phillips.com

Sale Designation When sending in written bids or making enquiries please refer to this sale as UK050224 or Design Absentee and Telephone Bids

Cataloguer and Assistant to Head of Department, Europe Carlotta Pintucci cpintucci@phillips.com

tel +44 20 7318 4045 fax +44 20 7318 4035 bidslondon@phillips.com

Sale Info This is not a catalogue.

Please refer to Phillips’ website www.phillips.com for the Conditions of Sale applicable to the auction.

Phillips’ Conditions of Sale

EASTERN LACQUER: A PARISIAN OBSESSION

LA LAQUE ORIENTALE: UNE OBSESSION SI PARISIENNE

Alexandra Jaffré Art Historian, Author of the biography Seizô Sugawara, Master Lacquerer of Eileen Gray, Brussels, 2018

Alexandra Jaffré Auteur de la biographie « Seizô Sougawara, maître-laqueur d’Eileen Gray », Bruxelles, 2018

Catalysed by the showcase of Japanese and Chinese decorative arts at the Exposition Universelle held in Paris in 1900, the Parisian elite developed a pronounced interest in the arts of the East and Far East.

This taste found its way not only into collections but also onto the stages of avant-garde theatres and into the art of domestic living.

In classical interiors, 18th-century French furniture and art objects coexisted with lacquered screens and Chinese porcelain with gilt bronze mounts, while less conventional collectors commissioned furniture inspired by Asia. These patrons sought both unprecedented forms and functional pieces that carried authentic traditional values.

It was at the end of this Belle Époque, full of new fascination with the East, that this armchair inspired by Far Eastern seating was conceived. However, the lasting influence of Parisian guilds made unprecedented creative and artistic collaborations challenging, thus hindering pathways to such novel expressions. Was there, at that time, a French carpenter willing to collaborate and who would have accepted the task of executing such a sculptural chair, whose techniques, forms, and style departed so definitively from traditional craftsmanship?

Depuis l’Exposition Universelle de Paris en 1900, durant laquelle le Japon et la Chine avaient exposé leurs arts décoratifs, une élite parisienne développe un intérêt affirmé pour les arts d’Orient et d’Extrême-Orient. Ce goût s’exprime au travers des collections, mais aussi sur la scène des théâtres d’avant-garde jusqu’à l’art de vivre chez soi. Si dans les intérieurs classiques, les meubles et objets d’art du XVIIIe siècle français côtoient les paravents en coromandel et les porcelaines de Chine aux montures de bronze doré, des amateurs moins conventionnels passent commande d’un mobilier inspiré de l’Asie. Ces commanditaires souhaitaient tout autant des lignes nouvelles que des meubles fonctionnels, porteurs d’authentiques valeurs traditionnelles.

C’est à la fin de cette Belle Époque férue d’Orient qu’a été conçu ce fauteuil inspiré des sièges extrême-orientaux. Le poids, encore lourd, des corporations parisiennes, qui figeait et rendait difficile les collaborations créatives et artistiques, ne favorisait pas les expressions « hors-normes ». Existait-il à l’époque dans la capitale, un menuisier et un sculpteur français susceptibles de collaborer et qui auraient accepté d’exécuter un tel fauteuil dont les techniques, les formes et le style sortent du champ traditionnel de la façon?

Jacques Doucet’s studio, Neuilly-sur-Seine, Paris, 1930. © CCI / Bridgeman Images.

Seizô Sugawara and his dog in a Parisian photographer's studio, circa 1906. © Archives Sougawara.

‘ In Paris, lacquerwork is not a fashion but a passion (…)

Years of decorative art exhibitions have fostered the cult of beauty, and even when the home is limited to a small Parisian apartment, each object is the result of a long search. The influence of Eastern art and artists is very apparent in the products of modern Parisianism. Finely crafted lacquer transforms armchairs and other seating.’

DAILY MAIL, JUNE 1922

Huali wood armchair with carved Lingzhi design, Qing Dynasty.

Image: The Ming and Qing Furniture Collected in the Summer Palace, exh. cat., Cultural Relics Press. Beijing, 2013, p.058.

The mesh-like sculpture of the backrest, with its powerful, dimensional moulding, and its lacquer applied with silver leaf testifies to great inspiration only attainable by a creator confident in complete mastery of his craft. The over-century-old lacquer, within which the silver leaf has oxidised, was applied using ancient Japanese techniques to which French artisans were not familiarised[1].

La sculpture en résille du dossier, sa mouluration puissante jusqu’à en être rocailleuse, et sa laque appliquée de feuilles d’argent témoignent d’une grande inspiration et d’une maîtrise totale des savoir-faire. La laque, plus que centenaire, dont la feuille d’argent s’est oxydée, a été appliquée suivant des techniques ancestrales japonaises auxquelles les artisans français n’étaient pas initiés[1].

“You don’t improvise a lacquered piece of furniture like theatre props or card castles. Patient labour and finishing touches are required; artisans must understand and respect the laws of the material,” remarks critic Louis Vauxcelles[2]. Time and dexterity are essential factors in the delicate creation of a lacquered object and its ornamentation: knowledge of colourations and the inclusion of precious materials. Who better could fulfill this desire for the East than the few Asian expatriates residing in Paris at the beginning of the century?

« On n’improvise pas un meuble laqué comme des accessoires de théâtre ou des châteaux de cartes. Le labeur patient, le fini d’exécution sont ici exigés, l’artisan devant connaître les lois de la matière et les respecter » remarque le critique Louis Vauxcelles[2].

Temps et dextérité sont des facteurs essentiels dans la délicate réalisation d’un objet laqué et de son ornementation : savoir-faire des colorations, inclusion de matières précieuses. Qui pouvait mieux répondre à ce désir d’Orient, que les rares ressortissants asiatiques installés à Paris en ce début de siècle?

Trained at the École des Beaux-Arts in Tokyo, Seizô Sugawara arrived in Paris in 1905 to teach the art of lacquer to jeweller Lucien Gaillard and became one of these Japanese expatriates in France. He later collaborated with and worked for Eileen Gray. Thanks to a small Japanese diaspora and his connections in artistic circles, he forged friendships with carpenter Kichizô Inagaki and other compatriots.

They would come to anonymously share their expertise in the creations that emerged from the workshop on Rue Guénégaud, a small collective where East met West.

Formé à l’École des Beaux-Arts de Tokyo, puis venu à Paris en 1905 pour enseigner l’art de la laque à l’orfèvre Lucien Gaillard, Seizô Sougawara fait partie de ces Japonais expatriés en France. Par la suite, il travaille avec et pour Eileen Gray. À la faveur d’une diaspora japonaise peu importante et de ses contacts dans les milieux artistiques, il tisse des liens d’amitié avec le menuisier Kichizô Inagaki et d’autres compatriotes. Ils viendront apporter anonymement leurs savoir-faire aux créations sorties de l’atelier de la rue Guénégaud, petit phalanstère où se rencontrent l’Orient et l’Occident.

At the 1913 Salon of Decorative Artists, the collaboration between Sugawara, sculptor-lacquerer, and Eileen Gray achieved remarkable success that exceeded their expectations. “Twenty-three new clients have placed orders with us,” he enthusiastically wrote in a letter to his father[3]. He would also express concern about a lacquer order that had not yet arrived, potentially hindering the workshop’s creations and deliveries. The amounts at stake were significant, and Sugawara was determined not to tarnish his reputation, which would earn him recognition much later as the “true initiator of Japanese lacquer in Paris”.[4]

À l’exposition du salon des artistes décorateurs de 1913, la collaboration de Sougawara, sculpteur-laqueur, et Eileen Gray remporte un succès tel qu’il dépasse leurs espérances. « Vingt-trois nouveaux clients nous ont passé commande » s’enthousiasmet-il dans une lettre à son père[3]. Il s’inquiétera également d’une commande de laque qui, ne venant pas, pourrait contrarier la réalisation et la livraison des créations de l’atelier. Les sommes en jeu étaient importantes et Sougawara ne voulait pas entacher sa réputation qui lui valut d’être reconnu, bien plus tard, comme le « véritable initiateur de la laque japonaise à Paris ».[4]

The few works he left behind all fall into a category of unplaceable art, far removed from Western aesthetic canons. With forms never before seen and never again revisited, the masterful artistic legacy of Seizô Sugawara is infused in this magnificent armchair.

Les quelques oeuvres qu’il a laissées relevaient toutes d’un art « étrange », très éloigné des canons esthétiques occidentaux.

L’esprit de Sougawara plane sur ce fauteuil aux formes jamais vues jusqu’alors et jamais revues depuis.

In 1913, a salon critic regretted that this technique was not more in favour among decorators. M.P. Verneuil, « Le Salon des artistes décorateurs en 1913 », Art et Décoration, 1913, p.96.

[2] Louis Vauxcelles, « Laques et tapis de Chine », Excelsior, 31/05/1922, p.4.

[3] Mitsuyoshi Atsuta, Pari no urushi shokunin Sugawara Seizô, Chiyoda-ku, Hakusuisha, Tôkyô, 2016, pp.203 à 205. Quoted by Alexandra Jaffré, Seizô Sougawara laqueur d’Eileen Gray, Éditions Mérode, Paris, 2018, p.77.

[4] « Le baron et son laqueur », L’Œil de Paris, 2/01/1932, p.8.

[1]

[1]

En 1913, un critique de salon regrette que cette technique ne soit pas plus en faveur parmi les décorateurs. M.P. Verneuil, « Le Salon des artistes décorateurs en 1913 », Art et Décoration, 1913, p.96.

[2] Louis Vauxcelles, « Laques et tapis de Chine », Excelsior, 31/05/1922, p.4.

[3] Mitsuyoshi Atsuta, Pari no urushi shokunin Sugawara Seizô, Chiyoda-ku, Hakusuisha, Tôkyô, 2016, pp.203 à 205. Cité par Alexandra Jaffré, Seizô Sougawara laqueur d’Eileen Gray, Éditions Mérode, Paris, 2018, p.77.

[4] « Le baron et son laqueur », L’Œil de Paris, 2/01/1932, p.8.

Letter written by Eileen Gray to support Sugawara’s request for naturalisation, 21 November 1926. © Archives de la préfecture de police de Paris.

‘ This furniture is the result of a dream (…) It has not been created in the mind, but the hand has kneaded it as the soul directed at the moment of creation.

This is why one piece is sober and streamlined while another, in sudden joy, became a complicated composition of line and form verging on exuberance.’

JAN WILS, IN WENDIGEN, 1924

Self-portrait of Seizô Sugawara, 1911. © Archives Sougawara.

LACQUERED ARMCHAIR BY SUGAWARA

FAUTEUIL LAQUÉ PAR SOUGAWARA

Yves Badetz Honorary General Heritage Curator

Yves Badetz Conservateur général du patrimoine, honoraire

Emerging for the first time on the art market, this previously unknown seat caught attention due to the remarkable quality of its lacquer. Technical and scientific analyses were necessary for initial verification and confirmation of the age of this exceptional armchair; the report and analysis of the wood conducted by the laboratory specialising in dendrochronology (CIRAM), unequivocally established that the wood of this seat predates the 1940s. Aesthetically, the armchair’s design and style situate its creation between the years 1910 and 1920. Subsequently, it was important to confirm the exceptional quality of the lacquer and its components; the report provided by Madame Anne Jacquin, restauratrice du patrimoine, emphasised a craftsmanship that was as demanding as it was mastered. These findings established an undeniable, direct lineage with the techniques of the master lacquerer Seizô Sugawara, who was then employed by Eileen Gray1. In light of these qualities, a further, stylistic study was warranted.

Surgi des méandres et aléas du marché de l’art, ce siège inconnu jusqu’à présent interpellait par l’extrême qualité de sa laque. Il convenait de confirmer dans un premier temps l’ancienneté de ce fauteuil d’exception. Pour ce faire, il fallut s’appuyer sur des analyses techniques et scientifiques. Le rapport et l’analyse des bois menés par le laboratoire spécialisé en dendrochronologie (CIRAM) établissaient sans ambages que le bois de ce siège était antérieur aux années 1940. Sa conception et son style en situaient donc la genèse entre les années 1910 et 1920. Il convenait par la suite de confirmer la qualité exceptionnelle de la laque et de ses composantes, le rapport qu’en fit Madame Anne Jacquin, restauratrice du patrimoine, soulignait un savoir-faire aussi exigeant que maitrisé et établissait sans ambiguïté une filiation directe avec les techniques du maître laqueur Sougawara alors employé par Eileen Gray 1. Aux vues de ces qualités, une étude stylistique s’imposait.

This seat has lost its original webbed frame, which has since been replaced. However, its original cushion made of high-quality horsehair has been preserved. Viewed from the front, this work impresses the observer through the grandeur of the pierced backrest in a gondola shape, inspired by ancient Chinese chairs made from roots, such as the one preserved in the collections of the Museum of Asian Arts in Nice2. The originality of this pierced backrest, sculpted with sinuous waves in silver Maki-e lacquer, directly transports us into the ornamental repertoire of Eileen Gray.

The wavy ornamental principle can be found in the back contour of the famous ‘snake’ armchair from around 1920, as well as in the outlines of the three ‘canoe’ sofas from 1919-1924, and on the edge of Madame Lévy’s console plate, around 1920. This seat bears design similarities with two armchairs by Eileen Gray.

Ce siège a perdu son châssis originel à sangles, remplacé à ce jour. Toutefois sa galette d’époque en crin d’une grande qualité d’exécution a été conservée. Vu de face cette œuvre marque l’observateur par l ‘ampleur du dossier ajouré de forme gondole qui pourrait puiser son architecture aux anciens sièges chinois faits en racines, comme celui conservé dans les collections du Musée des Arts asiatiques de Nice2. L’originalité de ce dossier ajouré, sculpté d’ondes sinueuses en laque Maki-e argent nous entraine directement dans le répertoire ornemental d’Eileen Gray. Le principe ornemental ondé se retrouve tant dans le pourtour arrière du célèbre fauteuil « aux serpents », vers 1920 que dans les contours des trois canapés « pirogue », 1919-1924, ou encore sur le champ du plateau de la console de Madame Lévy, vers 1920. Ce siège présente des similitudes de conception avec « deux » fauteuils d’Eileen Gray.

The first is the armchair with an ash backrest and mahogany belt that appeared at the Salon des Artistes Décorateurs (SAD) in 1923 in ‘The boudoir bedroom for Monte Carlo’ 3. This armchair appears as a refined and synthetic version of the lacquered seat presented here, while drawing from the same language: a certain grandeur, the gondola shape of the backrest, and a cushion seat. The other armchair, with a pierced backrest of ellipses, is reputed to be the result of a transformation of the one from the SAD of 1923 designed

by Eileen Gray 4. During the sale of the designer’s belongings, it still had its original cushion, which has unfortunately since disappeared.

The intervention intended by Eileen Gray (on the seat of the Monte Carlo Boudoir) would suggest a kinship and a common evolution of thought, undeniably linking these two versions with the present chair, lacquered by Sugawara. Other similarities are perceptible upon examining the structure of the seats. The legs and backrest are constructed independently before assembly to one another with screws. This unusual type of assembly allows for the expansive overflow of the seat compared to the legs.

Chinese root armchair from the Qianlong period (1736–1795) in the collection of the Asian Arts Museum in Nice. © Musée départemental des arts asiatiques / Marlène Poppi, 2020.

Le premier est le siège au dossier en frêne et ceinture d’acajou qui apparaît lors du Salon des Artistes Décorateur (SAD) de 1923 dans « La chambre à coucher boudoir pour Monte-Carlo»3. Celui-ci apparaît comme une version épurée et synthétique du siège de laque, ici présenté, tout en puisant au même langage : une certaine ampleur, la forme gondole du dossier et une assise à coussin.

L’autre siège, au dossier ajouré d’ellipses a la réputation d’être le résultat de la transformation de celui du SAD de 1923 voulue par Eileen Gray4. Lors de la vente des effets de la créatrice il possédait encore son coussin très original qui a malencontreusement disparu. L’ intervention voulue par Eileen Gray (sur le siège du Boudoir de Monte Carlo) suggérerait une parenté et une pensée évolutive commune reliant indéniablement ces deux versions avec celui laqué par Sougawara ici présent. D’autres similitudes sont perceptibles à l’examen de la structure des sièges. Le piétement et le dossier sont construits indépendamment avant d’être assemblés au niveau de la ceinture par vis. Ce type d’assemblage inhabituel autorise l’ampleur de l’assise débordante par rapport au piétement.

This same principle can be observed at the back of the seat of Gray’s ‘Sirène’ armchair that belonged to the French singer, Damia. Aside from the strong similarities of the lacquers that Sugawara executed for Eileen Gray, Madame Jacquin emphasises in her report the quality of the backrest’s construction, which has not shifted. Despite a manifestly regular use, the overall state of preservation remains exceptional for a piece that has not undergone any restoration. Only a design of the highest calibre can indeed guarantee the desired longevity of the lacquer and the absence of deformation during the drying stages of the lacquer in a humid environment. The quality of the support is an integral part of the lacquerer’s art. The virtuoso woodworking of this asymmetrical backrest, with its sculpted mouldings, could suggest a work of Inagaki, known for his great skill as a carpenter. As revealed by a letter from Mrs. Inagaki to Eileen Gray preserved in the Victoria & Albert Museum archives, he only worked with solid wood. This master, recognised by Rodin for his expertise in bases and plinths, already expressed his art of construction in this repertoire.

Eileen Gray's drawing for Boudoir de Monte Carlo, shown at the 14th Salon des Artistes Décorateurs, 1923. © Archives Galerie Gilles Peyroulet, Paris.

Ce même principe peut être observé à l’arrière de l’assise du fauteuil sirène qui appartenait à Damia. Hormis les fortes similitudes des laques que Sougawara exécutait pour Eileen Gray, Madame Jacquin souligne dans son rapport la qualité des assemblages du dossier qui n’ont pas bougé. En dépit d’un usage manifestement régulier, l’état de conservation général reste exceptionnel pour une pièce qui n’a fait l’objet d’aucune restauration. Seule une conception de très haut niveau du support peut garantir à la laque la longévité souhaitée et l’absence de déformation du support dans les étapes de séchage en milieu humide. La qualité du support fait partie intégrante de l’art du laqueur. La menuiserie virtuose de ce dossier asymétrique dans ses ajours sculptés de moulures pourrait suggérer une œuvre d’Inagaki dont nous savons qu’il était menuisier d’une grande habileté. Comme révélé par un courrier de Mme Inagaki à Eileen Gray conservé dans les archives du Victoria & Albert Museum, il ne travaillait que le bois massif. Ce maître reconnu par Rodin pour sa science des socles exprimait déjà dans ce répertoire son art des assemblages.

Left: Front cover of the exhibition catalogue by Gabriel René Société des Artistes Décorateurs, Catalogue du XIVeme Salon, Grand Palais des Champs-Elysées, Paris, 1923.

Right: A reference of the armchair with an ash backrest and mahogany belt that appeared at the Salon des Artistes Décorateurs (SAD) in 1923 in The boudoir bedroom for Monte Carlo.

Image: Gabriel René, Société des Artistes Décorateurs, Catalogue du XIVeme Salon, exh. cat., Grand Palais des Champs-Elysées, Paris, 1923, p. 79.

The examination of the reverse of the backrest reveals the modernity of this work through the stylisation of the pierced ‘cage’, which suddenly appears more architectural and cubic, thus contradicting the curves of the gondola backrest. The legs of the chair, remarkably radical, almost ‘cubist’, adorned only with wave-like ribs, reveal a very defined outer edge. Each rear leg subtly transitions from a square section to a rounded form that extends into the backrest posts. The subtleties of the curves paradoxically affirm the cube shape of the backrest. As in the ‘Sirène’ armchair, the base, independent from the cage forming the backrest, highlights a ‘stylistic fracture’ shaped by talent, thought, and analysis. The termination of the irregularly shaped seat pad attests to the certainty of a design without randomness, unknown in Sugawara’s referenced works. It is precisely this understanding of an innovative, highly personal, and sculptural design that might suggest an attribution to Eileen Gray.

L’examen du revers du dossier accuse soudainement toute la modernité de cette œuvre par la stylisation de la « cage » ajourée qui apparait soudain plus architecturale et cubique, contredisant ainsi les courbes du dossier en gondole. Le piètement du fauteuil, remarquablement radical, presque « cubiste », seulement orné de nervures en vagues, révèle une arrête extérieure très dessinée.

Le piétement postérieur passe subtilement d’une section carrée à l’arrondi qui se prolonge dans les montants du dossier. Les subtilités des courbes affirment paradoxalement le cube du dossier. Comme dans le fauteuil sirène, le piètement, indépendant de la cage formant dossier, souligne une « fracture stylistique» pétrie de talent, de réflexion et d’analyse. La buttée de la galette du siège de plan irrégulier atteste de la sureté d’un dessin sans hasard, inconnu dans les pièces référencées de Sougawara. C’est précisément cette compréhension d’un dessin novateur très personnel et sculptural qui suggère ici une attribution à Eileen Gray.

Merci l’Afrique, exhibition at gallery Marc Lamouric, circa 1982. © Archives Galerie Gilles Peyroulet, Paris.

In Eileen Gray’s early furniture, innovative details always appear, hinting at a subtle modernity disguised beneath scholarly classicism.

For Gray, and according to specialists of her work, every work of art is symbolic, and beyond that, each reveals a specific poetic and emotional language that it is up to us to decipher. During the exhibition dedicated to Eileen Gray at the Centre Georges Pompidou, Cloé Pitiot aptly summarised the paradoxes of her work in her talk titled ‘Eileen Gray, la poésie de l’énigme’ 5. It is indeed clear, through the body of studies devoted to her, that there are still opaque areas regarding her creations from 1908 to 1922 (1908 being the date of her first meeting with Sugawara, who worked with her starting in 1910, and 1922 being the opening of the Galerie Jean Désert). The known destruction of part of her archives certainly does not make it easier to reference a complete corpus for this period6. Now, only chance can reveal the lost pieces, the unknown fruits of the early years of commissions and collaboration between lacquer artist Seizô Sugawara and Eileen Gray.

Dans les premiers meubles d’Eileen Gray apparaissent toujours des détails innovants, voire les prémices d’une modernité dissimulée derrière un classicisme érudit. Pour Gray, et de l’avis des spécialistes de son œuvre, toute œuvre d’art est symbolique, et au-delà chacune d’elle révèle un langage poétique spécifique et émotionnel qu’il nous appartient de déchiffrer. Lors de l’exposition consacrée à Eileen Gray au Centre Georges Pompidou, Cloé Pitiot résumait bien les paradoxes de son œuvre dans sa communication intitulée « Eileen Gray, la poésie de l’énigme »5. Force est en effet de constater au travers de la somme des études qui lui sont consacrées, que subsistent des zones d’ombres sur ses créations des années 1908 à 1922 (1908, date de sa première rencontre avec Sougawara qui travaille avec elle dès 1910, et 1922 ouverture de la Galerie Jean Désert). La destruction connue d’une partie de ses archives ne facilite pas en effet la référence d’un corpus complet pour cette période6. Seul désormais le hasard peut révéler les pièces égarées, fruits inconnus des premières années de commandes et collaboration entre le laqueur Sougawara et Eileen Gray.

[1]

The analysis reports can be consulted upon request.

Musée des arts asiatiques et espace culturel Lympia [3] Société des Artistes décorateurs, Catalogue du XIVeme Salon, Grand Palais des Champs Elysées, 4 May-1 July 1923, p. 79, n. 308 mentioning an ash and mahogany armchair [4] Sale Sotheby’s Parke Bernet Monaco, Collection Eileen Gray, mobilier, objets et projets de sa création, 25 May 1980, lot 253 mentioning « Fauteuil en bois peint, transformé par Eileen Gray (…) C. 1925 » (Painted armchair transformed by Eileen Gray… Circa 1925) [5] (Eileen Gray, the Poetry of the Enigma) in Eileen Gray, exh. cat. Centre Pompidou, Paris, 20 February - 20 May 2013, p. 15 [6] Op. cit. p. 114

[1]

[2]

[2]

Les rapports d’analyses peuvent être transmis sur demande.

Musée des arts asiatiques et espace culturel Lympia, [3] Société des Artistes décorateurs, Catalogue du XIVeme Salon, Grand Paris des Champs Elysées du 4 mai au 1er juillet 1923, p. 79, n. 308 faisant la mention d’un fauteuil en frêne et acajou [4] Vente Sotheby’s Parke Bernet Monaco, Collection Eileen Gray, mobilier, objets et projets de sa création, 25 mai 1980, lot 253 faisant la mention « Fauteuil en bois peint, transformé par Eileen Gray (…) C. 1925 » [5] Exposition Eileen Gray, Centre Pompidou, Paris, 20 février au 20 mai 2013, p. 15 [6] Op. cit. p. 114

‘ (…) a sojourn into the never before seen, never before heard (…)

There are chairs oddly shaped for sitting, tables of fantastic attitudes, divans, lamps and screens in forms hitherto unguessed.’

CHICAGO TRIBUNE, JULY 1922

SEIZÔ SUGAWARA 1884-1937 Rare armchair circa 1915 Lacquered wood, sculpted and lacquered wood with gold and silver leaf, fabric.

93 x 73 x 62 cm (36 5/8 x 28 3/4 x 24 3/8 in.)

Likely sculpted by cabinetmaker Kichizô Inagaki, Paris, France.

Estimate £220,000 - 280,000 ‡ Provenance Private Collection, France Goxe Belaisch Hôtel des Ventes D'Enghien, Enghien-les-Bains, 29 October 2017, lot 174 Acquired from the above by the present owner

* The amount of Buyer’s Premium, VAT and, if applicable, Artist’s Resale Royalty and import VAT payable is dependent on the sale outcome. For full details, please see ‘Calculating the Purchase Price’ in the Buyer’s Guide available on our website. Buyer’s Premium is payable at a maximum of 27%. VAT, where applicable, is payable at 20% on the Buyer’s Premium. For full details, please see the VAT Guide available on our website.

PHILLIPS WOULD LIKE TO THANK Yves Badetz Anne Jacquin Alexandra Jaffré Galerie Gilles Peyroulet

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Private Purchases: Proof of identity in the form of government-issued identification and recent proof of address will be required.

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Company Purchases: If you are buying under a business entity, we require a copy of government-issued identification (such as the certificate of incorporation) as well as proof of owners (including ultimate beneficial owners) and directors to verify the status of the company. This should be accompanied by an official document confirming the company’s EU VAT registration number, if applicable, which we are now required by HMRC to hold.

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Please indicate in what capacity you will be bidding (please select one):

As a private individual On behalf of a company

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Sale Title

Sale Number

Title

Surname

First Name

Company (if applicable)

Sale Date

Conditions of Sale: All bids are placed and executed, and all lots are sold and purchased, subject to the Conditions of Sale available online at phillips.com. Please read them carefully before placing a bid. Your attention is drawn to Paragraph 4 of the Conditions of Sale.

If you cannot attend the sale, we can execute bids confidentially on your behalf.

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Phillips charges the successful bidder a commission, or Buyer’s Premium, on the hammer price of each lot sold. The Buyer’s Premium is payable by the buyer as part of the total purchase price at the following rates: 27% of the hammer price up to and including £800,000, 21% of the portion of the hammer price above £800,000 up to and including £4,500,000 and 14.5% of the portion of the hammer price above £4,500,000.

Account Number

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VAT number (if applicable) Address

“Buy” or unlimited bids will not be accepted. Alternative bids can be placed by using the word “OR” between lot numbers.

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City

State/Country

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Post Code Phone

Mobile

Email

Fax

For absentee bids, indicate your maximum limit for each lot, excluding the Buyer’s Premium and any applicable VAT. Your bid will be executed at the lowest price taking into account the reserve and other bidders. On no reserve lots, in the absence of other bids, your bid will be executed at approximately 50% of the low pre-sale estimate or at the amount specified, if less than 50% of the low estimate.

Your bid must be submitted in the currency of the sale and may be rounded down to the nearest amount consistent with the auctioneer’s bidding increments.

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Phone number to call at the time of sale (for Phone Bidding only)

If we receive identical bids, the first bid received will take precedence.

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1.

2.

Arranging absentee and telephone bids is a free service provided by us to prospective buyers. While we will exercise reasonable care in undertaking such activity, we cannot accept liability for errors relating to execution of your bids except in cases of wilful misconduct. Agreement to bid by telephone must be confirmed by you promptly in writing or by fax. Telephone bid lines may be recorded.

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Preferred Bidding Language (for Phone Bidding only) Please complete the following section for telephone and absentee bids only Lot number

Brief description

In Consecutive Order

Maximum pound sterling price* Absentee Bids Only

Please submit your bids to the Bid Department by email to: bidslondon@phillips.com or by fax at +44 20 7318 4035 at least 24 hours before the sale. You will receive confirmation by email within one business day. To reach the Bid Department by phone please call +44 20 7318 4045.

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Absent prior payment arrangements, please provide a bank reference. Payment for lots can be made by wire transfer, credit card (up to £30,000 per auction) using Visa, American Express, Mastercard or Union Pay (for in person transactions only) and UK debit cards.

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Lots cannot be collected until payment has cleared and all charges have been paid.

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You will not have the right to cancel the sale of any lot purchased by you under the Consumer Contracts (Information, Cancellation and Additional Charges) Regulations 2013.

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By signing this Bid Form, you acknowledge and understand that we may process your personal data (including potentially special category data) in accordance with Phillips’s Privacy Policy as published at www.phillips.com or available by emailing dataprotection@phillips.com.

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Phillip’s premises and sale and exhibition venues may be subject to video surveillance and recording. Telephone calls (e.g. telephone bidding) may also be recorded. We may process that information in accordance with our Privacy Policy.

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* Excluding Buyer’s Premium and VAT

Signature

Date

By submitting this form you confirm your registration/bid(s) as above and accept the Conditions of Sale of Phillips as stated in the catalogues and on our website.

Please tick this box to receive emails about upcoming sales, exhibitions, and special events offered by members of the Phillips group, as referenced in our Privacy Policy available on our website at www.phillips.com, where you may also update your email preferences or unsubscribe at any time.

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