If you remember the
Dargate sale of one of these pedestals in March, you may remember that it went for $2,500. I'm surprised the seller hasn't broken this trio up to maximize the revenue, but thankfully we have a set here. I don't expect to see $7,500 out of them for the same reason "sets" get broken up - hammer prices aren't linear. You can't sell 30 Belter Rosalie with Grapes slipper chairs in one lot and expect to get 30x the going rate. However, how often do you get a matching set of upper-end pedestals? They could exceed the straight-line math in this case. All you need is two frenzied bidders. I don't think they'll even crack $5k and neither does Neal from their expected range estimates.
These pedestals would be impressive in a large parlor with other ebonized furniture. Even though my house is a typical sizable Victorian, I couldn't pull off decorating with three of these in the same room. Not enough parlor space. You need a capacious room for these to get lost in.
I have not found a comparable pedestal that has been securely associated with a particular maker to attribute these to, but they appear to be New York and could be Kilian Brothers, or more likely, Kimbel & Cabus. Neal Auction hasn't attributed them to anyone as well, though they have associated them to the style of the Aesthetic Movement, though I feel that they are more accurately categorized as Neo-Grec.
This lot will sell on May 3rd and the starting price will be $1,000 with expected range of $1,500 to $2,500. I would have expected that they would have cranked that price up a bit considering the $2,500 Dargate sale for one. More details on the pedestals at their
listing.
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