Eldred’s auction house held its Modern Art + Design sale on May 7, featuring 245 lots of art, furniture, decorative arts, rugs and collectibles. The sale achieved a total of $221,740 with an 81% sell-through rate, driven by active phone, online, and absentee bidding. Top lots included a Tiffany Studios Nautilus table lamp that sold for $23,040 (more than three times its estimate), a Handel reverse-painted glass table lamp that reached $10,880 against a $800–$1,200 estimate, and Frank Stella’s “Aiolio” from his “Imaginary Places III” series, which fetched $17,920. An abstract oil on canvas by Manabu Mabe also performed strongly, selling for $14,080.
The sale underscores the continued strength of the market for high-quality decorative arts and modern works, particularly when estimates are conservative. The strong bidding activity—especially for lamps and artwork—reflects sustained collector demand for the “right material,” as noted by owner Josh Eldred. The results also highlight the effectiveness of online-only auctions in attracting a broad pool of bidders, with 149 buyers and over 250 registered participants, signaling a healthy and competitive marketplace for niche segments of the art and design market.