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A special, authenticated collection of 9 interrelated Nakashima ephemera featuring: an early (dated-August 8, 1955), finished, signed, sited, original George Nakashima pencil sketch to scaleby Nakashima, George (1905-90) and Louise Lux Sions (1913-2007)
Book desription: Annotations and comprehensive measurements-including alterations-in his hand, designed specially for the Sions' Philadelphia residence after consultations with them, with small slab bench and 2 chests with sliding doors, the larger with adjustable tray drawers, the smaller with a support system not used prior by Nakashima and annotated, "interesting support". The chests are documented in situ in the 4 accompanying color photograph prints taken by Louise Lux Sions from 3 different perspectives, attribution documented in full on the rear of the prints. Also, with Louise Lux's hand signed copy of her June 1982 letter to Nakashima, describing in detail their Nakashima furniture pieces and requesting assistance selling the dining room table due to her husband's death. (She notes it was the first for which Nakashima said he used piano dowling for the drop leaves.) And Nakashima's dated letter in reply, carefully signed in sumi with a brush, typed, with printed studio address heading, mentions in closing the then upcoming June 21, 1982 TIME article, "Giving a Second Life to Trees" by Wolf von Eckardt that discusses Nakashima's work within the context of the flourishing, artisanal American furniture movement. PROVENANCE: From Louise Lux Sions' estate. Furniture designs in August 1955: Approved after requested alterations in September 1955: Hand crafted and installed later that year. Chests cited in a December 2007 Philadelphia Inquirer article, as authenticated by the Nakashima Studio in preparation for the Stephensons' antiques auction in Southampton, which featured them on January 1, 2008. Auction price for the chests: $8625 + premium. ORIGINAL DRAWING: Done completely by hand by Nakashima on a 10.875 x 8.375 inches sheet of machine made paper oriented lengthwise, printed heading in capitals, George Nakashima-Woodworker-New Hope, Pennsylvania. The drawing is early, for 1955 was within the first decade of the establishment of Nakashima's furniture studio. Top with 3 handwritten lines: "specially designed units for Mr. And Mrs. Harry Sions Geo Nakashima – New Hope" and dated August 8, 1955 in the outer margin. The drawing within pencil border is 7.75 x 5.875 inches and shows sketches in situ for 3 pieces of furniture, a smaller hanging chest with sliding doors, 48 x 16 x 14 inches, it's 2 legs supported by the top of the larger chest, topped with a travertine marble slab for drink mixing, the larger chest, 60 x 20 x 16 inches with sliding doors and adjustable tray drawers in 2 depths, and a small slab bench with foam rubber pillow. Sketched designs with comprehensive measurements including room placement; some measurements in margins, altered measurements in ink: numerous annotations. At the bottom edge in red ink is a handwritten signed notation by Louise Lux Sions, "OK with possible corrections as per letter 9/2/55 Louise Lux Sions". This may refer to the fact that Nakashima has reversed the relative positions of the 2 chests in the drawing. Back of the sheet has short calculation in ink. Drawing sent in the mail, so customary letter folds: some margin soiling and handling marks: Good. PHOTOGRAPHS: As stored by Louise Lux in a plastic sleeve, 4 color prints, 3 with different views, 2 identical. Print 1 is slightly smaller at 5 x 3.4375 inches: prints 2-4 are 5.125 x 3.4375 inches. Rear documentation: Print 1 is stamped on the rear, Photograph by Louise Lux, and date stamped twice, Mar 1983. Print 2 is stamped Lux, with below, the Chinese characters for her name and the number 2 in ink. Prints 3 & 4 show identical views. Print 3 has handwritten on the rear, Nakashima chests, living room; pass-through to kitchen: Print 4 is stamped Photograph by Louise Lux and with sale estimate of $8000. 3 of the prints are About Fine: Print 2 has bleed-through to top right corner from rear inked numeral 2: About Good. LUX LETTER: 21 lines in 5 paragraphs + postscript and salutations, dated June 10, 1982. Copy of her typed letter to Nakashima requesting help in selling the dining room table: hand signed in pencil with later margin annotation in red ink that the table sold for $1100 in 1982. Address documented for apartment. NAKASHIMA LETTER: 10 lines in 2 paragraphs, typed on an 11 x 8.5 inches sheet with printed heading, George Nakashima, Woodworker, New Hope, Pennsylvania 18938, dated June 14, 1982. Notes he doesn't sell used Nakashima furniture and has no connections to those who do. Mentions coming TIME article and states, "resultant publicity may facilitate your disposing of these pieces". Article has Nakashima quote, "An old tree is unpredictable … there are a thousand decisions". Clean, carefully preserved: toning: Better Than Good. PRICE LIST: January 2000, 6 pages, stapled, in 12 parts with an introduction on stocked woods: Fine. Sleeved in original envelope: handwritten Louise Lux address: Near Good. OBIT: By Robert Benineasa in Bucks County, PA Courier Times. Stapled-folded: Very Good. LOUISE LUX: Career journalist: contributed photos to several books: with American Red Cross-China-WWII: enduring interest in things-Chinese: wrote work on the K'ang-hsi Emperor.
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