Additional sale highlights sale included: an Important and Rare Desk Chair by Charles Rohlfs and his wife, Anna Katharine Green, that realized $412,500 and established a new auction record for the designer; and Jean Dunand’s "Panthère noire et Jaguar" Two-Panel Screen, executed in collaboration with animalier painter Paul Jouve, and "La Conquête du Cheval" Panel that each achieved $325,000 and $250,000.
THOMAS MOLESWORTH: DESIGNING THE AMERICAN WEST
Auction Total: $1.7 Million

Emerging from a private collection in Jackson, Wyoming, our July sale dedicated to the highly-coveted Western furniture of Thomas Molesworth was 100% sold, exceeding its $1.4 million estimate with an outstanding 73% of all lots achieving prices above their high estimates. Highlights included a Rare Six-Leg Library Table originally executed for the Kalif Shrine Reading Room in Sheridan, Wyoming, which sold for $96,875, as well as a diverse selection of seating, led by a Pair of Club Chairs that brought $93,750, a vibrant Sofa, executed in Molesworth’s signature red hue, which achieved $75,000, and a Set of Eight Keyhole Chairs that exceeded their $30,000 high estimate to realize $70,000.

Exhibiting Molesworth’s characteristic burled wood, colorful rich leathers and dynamic Chimayo weavings, this exceptional group presented a variety of iconic forms, as well as some of the rarest and most important models by Molesworth to ever appear at auction.

Celebrated for establishing an unabashed Western interior design aesthetic in the early 1930s, Thomas Molesworth’s genius was rooted in his exceptional ability to create a rustic-yet-refined style that inspired an entire generation of Western vernacular furniture design. The sophistication and superb craftsmanship of Molesworth’s designs make his furniture timeless and versatile to a wide range of contexts.