Heritage’s relaunched Design department saw record contemporary-glass results and a 100% sell-through Early 20th Century session during its late-spring events.
By Intelligent Collector Staff | May 7, 2026
Heritage Auctions’ spring Design events—the April 30 Early 20th Century Design Signature® Auction and the May 1 Modern Design Signature® Auction—finished at more than $2 million combined, signaling a strong restart for the newly relaunched department and highlighting continued collector appetite for glass across eras.
The Modern Design session produced the week’s headline results in contemporary glass. Lino Tagliapietra’s Dinosaur (2017) achieved $60,000, which Heritage described as an auction record for the form. The top lot of the Modern Design sale was a Dale Chihuly Chandelier (2001), which realized $106,250. Heritage noted that both works were acquired by bidders who were new to Heritage, a useful indicator that Design is pulling in fresh demand alongside established category collectors.
In total, Heritage reported the May 1 Modern Design auction realized $1,058,430 (including buyer’s premium), with contemporary glass accounting for an outsized share of the total value. The sale’s supporting results reinforced breadth beyond glass, including George Nakashima’s Frenchman’s Cove II Dining Table (1967–1968) at $35,000 and a set of six Nakashima chairs (including two armchairs), 1967–1968 at $23,750. Mid-century material also drew attention, including Evelyn Ackerman’s Hot Bird Mosaic (Model 201, designed 1957) at $13,750, Philip and Kelvin LaVerne’s Tao Game Table (circa 1960) at $17,500, and Norman Bel Geddes’ Ten-Piece Manhattan Cocktail Set (circa 1935) at $15,000, per Heritage.
The April 30 Early 20th Century Design sale realized $962,928 and posted a 100% sell-through, with French glass at the center of the strongest results. René Lalique claimed the top two lots, led by the cire perdue Quatre Guirlandes de Roses Entrelacs Quatre Pieds Vase (circa 1921) at $62,500, followed by the Papillons Coffret (circa 1914) at $40,000. Other highlighted results included Gallé’s Rare & Monumental Lac de Côme Vase (circa 1925) at $17,500, a Zsolnay Vase with Snail Motif (circa 1900) at $37,500, Tiffany Studios’ Early Apple Blossom Table Lamp (circa 1910) at $30,000, and Tiffany Studios’ Cypriote Vase (circa 1897) at $13,750.
Across both days, the unifying theme wasn’t a single designer or decade—it was material fluency and execution. From Lalique’s early 20th-century technical virtuosity to contemporary studio-glass ambition at scale, bidders rewarded works that read as definitive examples within a maker’s practice.
Source: Heritage Auctions press release (May 7, 2026).