Design Auction #17: Rare Books and French Design
Plus an Issey Miyake auction, a Candida Höfer print, and some archaeology.
*all auctions are available to international bidders.
“A man who wishes to participate at an auction must pay equal attention to the book and to his competitors, in addition to keeping a cool enough head to avoid being carried away in the competition.”
— Walter Benjamin
Some bookstores bring out the same hunting instinct I have at flea markets. For moments like these, I keep a mental list of books I’d like to own in their first-edition format, hoping to find a bargain on the shelves. It’s never a quick find, it can take years even, but there’s something about the unexpected moment when it happens that surpasses the feeling of buying it any other way. Mind you, it’s as rare for me to covet a first edition as it is for me to want a table or a chair, I’m an extremely cautious buyer. I like to buy things once, own things that will last me a lifetime. For the last sixteen years I’ve been looking for a coffee table. I still haven’t found one, I still don’t own one. All this is to say that books on auction are now joining the round-up.
Auction Highlights
First Edition Books: An auction of rare books and first editions that includes The Apocrypha, Samuel Beckett, William Faulkner, Harper Lee, and Joan Didion. In New York at Doyle Auctioneers on November 25, 2025 at 4:00pm.
The Round-Up
Arne Vodder Table
Estimate: 400 € - 600 €
Monday, November 24 at Maurice Auction (Paris)
Jasper Morrison Chair
Estimate: 800 € - 1 200 €
Monday, November 24 at Maurice Auction (Paris)
Sculpted Wood Armchair
Estimate: 400 € - 600 €
Monday, November 24 at Daguerre (Paris)
Borge Mogensen Shelves
Current Bid at $100
Tuesday, November 25 at Wright Auction (Chicago)
Sculpted Wood Chest
Estimate: 200 € - 300 €
Tuesday, November 25 at Lynda Trouvé (Paris)
Claudius Linossier Copper Cup
Estimate: 150 € - 250 €
Tuesday, November 25 at Gros & Delettrez (Paris)
xx Aldo Rossi Marble Table
Estimate: 6 000 € - 9 000 €
Tuesday, November 25 at Piasa (Paris)
Oinochoe Trilobata Terracotta ca. 350-300 BC
Estimate: 1 500 € - 1 600 €
Wednesday, November 26 at Setdart.com (Barcelona)
Claudius Linossier Vase
Estimate: 4 000 € - 5 000 €
Wednesday, November 26 at Artcurial (Paris)
Carl Auböck Brass Objects
Estimate: 50 € - 100 € (left) and 200 € - 400 € (right)
Thursday, November 27 at Tiberius Auctions (Vienna)
Antique Wood Cabinet
Estimate: 180 € - 360 €
Thursday, November 27 at Bid by Bid (Porto)
Pierre Chapo Bench
Estimate: 2 000 € - 3 000 €
Saturday, November 29 at Hôtel des Ventes Montpellier (Montpellier)
English Hardwood Chairs
Estimate: 20 € - 30 €
Saturday, November 29 at Salorges Enchères (Nantes)
Papua New Guinea Wooden Object
Estimate: 250 € - 300 €
Saturday, November 29 at Varenne Enchères (Paris)
Candida Höfer 1991 Print (30/30 edition)
Estimate: 2 200 €
Saturday, November 29 at Bassenge (Berlin)
Pierre Chareau Exotic Wood Stool
Estimate: 8 000 € - 10 000 €
Monday, December 1 at Wannenes (Milan)
Jules Leleu Desk and Chair
Estimate: 4 000 € - 6 000 €
Monday, December 1 at Wannenes (Milan)
Final Recommendation
Issey Miyake: An Issey Miyake wardrobe auction by Saint Auction in Paris on Sunday, November 30 at 18:00.
Additional Listings
Pre-Columbian Michoacan Bowl, Herbert List Poseidon Print, Frank Lloyd Wright Table, Jorge Luis Borges Draft, Philippe Anthonioz Lamp, Antique Wooden Table, Pablo Picasso Bowl, English Style Sofa, Edward Weston Illustrates Whitman’s Leaves of Grass, Tina Barney’s The Europeans, Thomas Struth Print.