Modernist 20th Century 
7 December 2003
Modernist 20th Century 
227

Walter Dorwin Teague

Nocturne radio, model #1186

Sparton Corporation
USA, 1936
mirrored cobalt glass, satin chrome steel, wood 46 h × 43¼ w × 14 d in (117 × 110 × 36 cm)
estimate: $50,000–70,000
result: $103,840
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Teague's Nocturne was the most daring of the four radios he designed for the Sparton Corporation. Standing nearly four feet high, the radio was meant to be the focal point of a hotel lobby or other public space. The high price of the radio, $350 in 1936, combined with the economic depression of time resulted in very few models being sold. The Nocturne radio is an outstanding icon of American art deco. This example is in excellent, original condition. Literature: The Machine Age in America 1918-1941, Brooklyn Museum of Art, pg. 26 Modernism: Modernist Design 1880-1940, Duncan, pg. 216
provenance: Michael Lawlor, Santa Barbara Private collection, Massachusetts

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