C. Jere'...laughing all the way to the bank

I started this blog September 6, 2010. Some of you have been readers since the beginning. Others have come on board later. From now through the end of the month, I'm going to be on a short blogging break. Not only am I in the middle of a big volunteer project, I'm also trying to help get the new store open, so I've decided share some of my favorite posts from the past four years. I'll throw in a few new photos for you longtime supporters who read the posts when they were first published.


(First posted 3/21/2011)
Every time I say "SEE Zhair-AY," I smile a little. I picture Jerry Fels (1917-2007) and Kurt (aka Curtis) Freiler (1910-2013), close friends who married sisters, sitting around one night, having a drink or two, and figuring out a way to capitalize on the "Paris chic" craze of the 60s. People were in love with Brigitte Bardot, Leslie Caron and poodles, right? So why not a French designer of home furnishings?

And so it was that Artisan House was launched in 1964, and that mysterious designer with the French-sounding name was born...or at least that's the way I like to imagine it. Yes, C. Jere', the designer whose name was combination of Freiler's and Fels's first names. The same designer who never seemed to be available for interviews...or even photos, no matter how badly the public wanted to know who he was. He may have been fictitious, but Fels's talent and Freiler's ingenuity were very real.

Fels and Freiler were jewelry makers who decided to start an interior decor company when a cigarette caused an explosion that destroyed their jewelry factory and all their inventory. Fels supervised the design of their pieces, while Freiler figured out how to mass produce them and still make them look handmade and hired people who could do it. Although best known today for their metal wall sculptures, the company also produced small table sculptures and lamps which were at first distributed by Raymor and sold in high-end department stores like Gump's in San Francisco.

I can't help but think that Fels and Freiler smiled a few times themselves...just a little at the success of their ruse and a whole lot at the success of their business. In fact, wherever they both are today, they're probably still smiling...but this time at the renewed interest in their work and the unbelievably high prices some of the wall sculptures are fetching.

Eyelash mirror
1stdibs.com

Antelope
merrillantiques.com

Flight of Birds
mid2mod.com

Brass lamps
1stdibs.com

Peacock
1stdibs.com

Raindrops
mid2mod.com

Tree of Life
nyshowplace.com

Brass lamp
mid2mod.com

Spray
bondandbowery.com

Skyscraper chrome lamp
fatchancemodern.com

lestrictmaximum.blogspot.com

Pronunciation Guide

In the store: Stiffel and Artisan House lamps

It's been a while since we found any great vintage lamps, but it's been worth the wait. We recently found a pair of brass lamps by Stiffel that are gorgeous, and the large C. Jere' crane lamp by Artisan House is nothing short of spectacular.

Brass lamp by Stiffel (2 available)

C. Jere' crane lamp by Artisan House

In the store: HUGE sale

Now through May 2, we're having the biggest sale we've ever held. Almost all our vintage modern pieces are marked down, many 25-30%, quite a few 50-60% and some as much as 76% off.

If you've always wanted to shop with us but haven't yet, now is the time...even if you're not local. Call Joe and ask about shipping.

Pair of 1959 Lightolier pendants (new old stock) - $400

C. Jere Brass Lamp - $750

8 Moller Chairs - $3400

4 Salterini Chairs - $1200

Florence Knoll Sofa - $2200

Hans Wegner Sideboard -  $3400

Jere'...in a big way

We have long been fans of the C. Jere' pieces by Artisan House that are grand in scale and made of high quality metals. We've sold several in the past, most notably a huge Brooklyn Bridge and an even larger freestanding Birds in Flight sculpture.

Jere' Brooklyn Bridge

Jere' Birds in Flight

With two recent acquisitions, we feel we've reached new heights...and widths. My SIL was the winning bidder on a very rare pair of cast aluminum and chrome crane statues not long ago, and just a few days ago, we were contacted by a local woman whose elderly mother was downsizing and had a Rain Drops wall sculpture for sale. The cranes are 67" (170 cm) tall, and the Rain Drops sculpture is a full 60" (152 cm) wide, making them officially the largest Jere' pieces we've offered to date.

These pieces are all in wonderful condition. The cranes have a glorious patina and exhibit very few other signs of age, other than a missing reflective chrome piece on one base. Personally, I love the mismatched bases, because I think it gives the pair an edgy look. If I bought them, I wouldn't change a thing.The Rain Drops owner bought the sculpture in the 1970s and has taken exceptionally good care of it. I know she hated to part with it, but we'll find a new owner who will treasure it as much as she did.

C. Jere' cast aluminum and chrome cranes...almost 6 feet tall

C. Jere' Rain Drops wall sculpture...a full 5' wide

In the store: Eames, Saarinen and more

The store has so many new and beautiful things that it's hard to know where to start. Wherever you look, there's another iconic shape to amaze and delight...designs by Charles and Ray Eames, George Nelson, Eero Saarinen, Alvar Aalto and Paul McCobb abound. Here's a look.

1957 Eames RAR

Large brutalist wall sculpture

C. Jere' brass lamp

Carrara marble tulip tables by Eero Saarinen for Knoll

Coffee table by Alvar Aalto

Drop-leaf desk by George Nelson for Herman Miller

Slate top La Fonda table by Charles and Ray Eames

Winchendon coffee table by Paul McCobb

Red marble tulip table by Eero Saarinen for Knoll

Long teak credenza attributed to Rosengren Hansen

Shiny objects: C. Jere' lamp and sculpture

A recent addition to our inventory is this impressive C. Jere' lamp that stands 3 1/2 feet tall in all its chrome glory. (That's over one meter tall to you metric folks.) Can you imagine what a statement a piece this big and this shiny would make?

C. Jere' lamp

C. Jere' lamp, signed

Here are some great new photos of the Flight of Birds sculpture that we have in the store. It's almost 6 feet of Jere' goodness.

C. Jere' Flight of Birds

Flight of Birds, alternate view

C. Jere' Flight of Birds, signed

Over the bounding main

For those of you nautically inclined, we have an amazing C. Jere' ship of massive proportions in the store. This chrome schooner is 42" tall and 47" wide and looks spectacular on a credenza or large coffee table.

C. Jere' chrome schooner

C. Jere' schooner, with a light bulb for scale

Schooner base

In the store: McCobb and C. Jere'

New to the store is a perfectly compact Planner Group dropleaf table and four chairs by Paul McCobb, as well as a C. Jere' bird that is too much fun!

The McCobb table measures 57"L x 36"W x 29"H when extended, and the chairs are designed to tuck neatly into the table. The set is of solid maple construction and is in excellent condition.

The C. Jere' bird is a piece I'd never seen before, and it makes me smile every time I look at it. The sculpture is 20"H x 10"W and is made of enamelled copper with applied "dots" in delightful shades of orange, purple and yellow.

Paul McCobb Planner Group table and chairs

C. Jere' enamelled copper bird

In the store: A little old, a little new, a lot fabulous

For the past couple of months, we've been clearing out all our merchandise at the old location and stocking the new store. My SIL has made some stellar purchases, and Hank Tosh and Rene Martinez deserve a huge round of applause for the incredible restoration work they've done on a steady stream of pieces.

I could talk about all the new things for paragraphs on end, but I think I will let them speak for themselves.

Floor piece from the C. Jeré Birds in Flight series...over six feet tall

Need I say more?

Rare John Keal mahogany magazine table for Brown Saltman

Four beautifully reupholstered Saarinen Executive chairs and a black Tulip table

Grete Jalk sofa and coffee table with Raymor and Jens Quistgaard accessories
with a Gus* Modern Timber table and George Nelson cigar  lamp

Vintage cork and teak lamp on a Drexel Declaration table by Kipp Stewart
teamed with a Gus* Modern Atwood chair

Vintage black and white Fisher stereo with Gus* Modern I-Beam acrylic tables

Newly restored Danish credenza with sculpture by Oklahoma artist David Anderson

Gus* Modern Annex cabinet with vintage art glass bowl

Vintage X-base chrome coffee table with Gus* Modern sofa,
Dino Martens bird and vintage Austrian triangular bowl

Artichoke style lamp

Crystal Starlite lamp

Sheaf of Wheat side table with travertine marble top

 Vintage sofa with pristine original upholstery by the Valentine Seaver division of Kroehler
and a newly restored Drexel Precedent desk by Edward Wormley in the background