#MiddleburyCT #Sculptures #Antiques #LesLalanne
In 1966, Claude and Francois-Xavier Lalanne became known as the co-creating duo “Les Lalanne” (The Lalannes). The husband-and-wife team made surrealist dreamlike sculpture, bridging the real and the unreal to create unique hybrid sculpture.
Francois-Xavier is best known as a creator of sculptural animals that were not only pieces of art but also were furniture. Claude’s inspiration is drawn from vegetation and body parts, often combining the two to produce original surrealist forms.
This set of three copper fingers sold for $3,770 at a recent Palm Beach auction. (Kovels.com)
Claude created cast body parts in the 1970s including the “Doigt” sculptures. “Doigt,” which means “finger” in French, are realistic copper caps that can be slipped on the tips of fingers. They are each about 1 inch high. Some of the Doigt sculptures included parts of plants, flowers or insects to construct a new dreamlike being. Les Lalanne sculptures are well known and widely collected.
Q: I heard old Fisher-Price toys are collectible. We have a Fisher-Price School Days desk with a green magnetic chalkboard top and a pullout tray filled with magnetic plastic letters. A compartment with a sliding lid holds extra letters and numbers, and an open section above it holds 16 word or number stencil cards. You put the card on top of the chalkboard and fill in the spaces to make a word. The number “176” is on the side and there’s a red carrying handle on the bottom. What is this worth?
A: Fisher-Price was founded by Herman Fisher, Irving Price and Helen Schelle in East Aurora, New York, in 1930. The company was bought by Quaker Oats in 1969. It was spun off in 1991 and operated as an independent company until 1993, when it was bought by Mattel. Fisher-Price made the No. 176 School Days desk beginning in 1972. It came with chalk and an eraser. Sets that are missing some of the letters or cards sell today for only a few dollars. A complete set in good condition sells for about $25 to $30.
TIP: If possible, remove silverware from the dishwasher before the drying cycle begins.
Current Prices
Phonograph, Emerson, Big-Big, portable, blue and white, tone and volume knobs, folding case, latch closure, top handle, electric, 10 x 12 inches, $24.
Video-game system, Atari 5200 Supersystem, console, controllers, switchbox, box, 16 x 25 inches, $113.
Decoy, Canada goose, hand-carved, tack eyes, working repainted finish, early 20th century, 10 x 25 1/2 x 7 1/2 inches, $410.
Top hat, beaver, leather box, tan calfskin, wide lid, top handle, clasp, printed fabric lining, marked, c. 1820, 11 x 15 x 9 inches, $450.
Silver gilt candlestick, George II style, knopped stem, masks, acanthus leaves, four-lobed base, stepped, mask corners, hallmarks, Royal Irish Silver Ltd., Dublin, 1969, 6 1/4 inches, pair, $968.
Looking to declutter, downsize or settle an estate? Kovels’ Antiques & Collectibles Price Guide 2023 by Terry and Kim Kovel has the resources you’re looking for.
© 2023 King Features Synd., Inc.
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