I was exploring art galleries in Chelsea in NYC and happened upon a show of American Arts & Crafts pieces, and these sconces grabbed my attention. I can’t say that I possess any scholarly knowledge of the American Arts & Crafts movement, but I love the style and appearance of these wall lamps. I knew that nothing in this particular gallery – all of which were described as “masterworks” – would be in my price range, but I’m not shy, so I went ahead and asked what the price would be for this pair of sconces.
The answer went beyond “out of my price range” into surprise: $300,000 for the pair. My first thought was, I could buy a home for that price. Well, maybe not, unless you’re talking about somewhere other than the East Coast, where prices for homes are much higher than that, but you get the idea.
So, my curiosity kicked in – why are these worth that price? What’s the significance of this particular pair of sconces?
A little online research reveals that they were designed by Dard Hunter, who designed everything from stained-glass windows, furniture, jewelry – and these sconces, among other things – as part of the Roycroft community of craft workers and artists in the early 20th Century. This group, based in the upstate New York area near Buffalo, was organized by Elbert Hubbard, who had been influenced by William Morris.
My first thought when I saw these – and part of the reason I was attracted to them, was they seemed to be in a style that reminded me of Frank Lloyd Wright’s design work. Again, I’d have to do some research and educate myself on whether Frank Lloyd Wright knew Elbert Hubbard or whether there was any overlap or influence between Roycroft and Frank Lloyd Wright. I don’t think I’m prepared to go down that rabbit hole right now for this blog post, but all of it does interest me and makes me want to learn more, as I love the style.