FRANCES ELKINS (1887-1953) AND FORTUNY
FRANCES ELKINS (1887-1953) AND FORTUNY
FRANCES ELKINS (1887-1953) AND FORTUNY
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FRANCES ELKINS (1887-1953) AND FORTUNY
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FRANCES ELKINS (1887-1953) AND FORTUNY

Three Valences with accompanying ‘Spagnolo’ Curtains, the valences 1937, the textile circa 1951

Details
FRANCES ELKINS (1887-1953) AND FORTUNY
Three Valences with accompanying ‘Spagnolo’ Curtains, the valences 1937, the textile circa 1951
painted wood, printed cotton
109 ½ x 79 x 4 ½ in. (278 x 200.7 x 11.5 cm) (each set, overall)
Provenance
Mr. and Mrs. James D. Zellerbach, Pacific Heights, San Francisco, the valences circa 1937, the textile circa 1951, commissioned from Frances Elkins (Gallery)
Norah and Norman Stone, Pacific Heights, San Francisco, 1994
Acquired from the above by the present owner, Pacific Heights, San Francisco, 2022
Literature
J. Chatfield-Taylor, “An Elkins Revival: Classic Lines and Contemporary Art in San Francisco,” Architectural Digest, New York, special issue, vol. 53, no. 2, February 1996, pp. 144-151 (for a discussion of the interior)
S. M. Salny, Frances Elkins: Interior Design, New York, 2005, pp. 112-113 (present lot illustrated), 108-123 (for a discussion of the commission)
P.-E. Martin-Vivier, Jean-Michel Frank, l'étrange luxe du rien, Paris, 2006, p. 254 (for a discussion of the commission)
P. E. Meza, Inventing the California Look, New York, 2022, pp. 227 (present lot illustrated), 226-229 (for a discussion of the commission)
S. Powell, Frances Elkins: Visionary American Designer, New York, 2023, pp. 174 (present lot illustrated), 175-179 (for a discussion of the commission)

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Victoria Allerton Tudor
Victoria Allerton Tudor Vice President, Specialist, Head of Sale

Lot Essay

Mrs. Elkins frequently revisited her clients after the initial completion of their residences. Her business model and her penchant for maintaining longstanding relationships allowed her to further develop her clients’ homes as their lives and needs changed. As such, she updated the Zellerbach’s original light blue Gallery curtains to this favored Fortuny ‘Spagnolo’ fabric in 1951.

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