A pair of Ib Kofod-Larsen “Elizabeth” chairs brought a record $39,360 at Clarke Auction’s July 14th, 2014 sale.

Each rosewood chair was marked with the Christiansen & Larsen company branding under the front seat rails. The upholstery was original but in very worn or absent condition, and the frames were in marvelous and complete original condition.

A quick and competitive bout of bidding took place between the phones, the internet, the house, and several generous absentee bids. An internet bidder finally prevailed after raising the bids to over 25 times the high estimate.  

The previous record was set in 2010 with a single chair that sold for $18,000 at Wright. The highest recorded price for a pair of the"Elizabeth" chairs was also set by Wright in 2011 with a hammer price of $9,500. 

The estate-fresh chairs were brought in and identified by Clarke’s 20th Century Specialist, Keane Ryan, who stated after the sale, “We were all very surprised and excited, as was the consignor ten-fold. The buzz around these chairs was great, and I think that [the chairs], being some of the most beautiful design pieces we’ve brought to market, deserve every cent of the record price that they brought.”

The chairs came from a local estate and were accompanied at the top of the highlights by a Paul Evans wall-mounted cabinet. The Paul Evans cabinet realized a respectable $30,500. 

For information about upcoming sales and Mid 20th Century consignments contact Clarke Auction at (914) 833-8336, or email the specialist directly at Keane@clarkeny.com