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Lot 224
Sam Spade's chair from The Maltese Falcon
25 November 2013, 13:00 EST
Los AngelesUS$150,000 - US$200,000
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Sam Spade's chair from The Maltese Falcon
Warner Bros., 1941. Burgundy button tufted leather chair with nailhead detail, mounted on a wooden platform rocker with carved feet. Inscribed on the underside in white paint, "WB 84892" Accompanied by a copy of the film.
Provenance: Hollywood Studio Auction to benefit People For The American Way, 1982; Christie's, Hollywood Memorabilia, June 7, 1997, lot 215.
This distinctive chair is one of the few pieces of furniture in in Sam Spade's small studio apartment in The Maltese Falcon, where much of the film's action takes place. Many of the main characters, including those played by Mary Astor and Sidney Greenstreet, sit in it during the course of the film and the climactic final scene featuring the titular bird unfolds around it. Film fans are always surprised to learn that Sam's large, imposing "bachelor's chair" is upholstered in burgundy leather rather than black, but using bright colors to create greater contrast in black and white was a standard practice during the Golden Age of Cinema.
32 x 49 x 28 in.
Provenance: Hollywood Studio Auction to benefit People For The American Way, 1982; Christie's, Hollywood Memorabilia, June 7, 1997, lot 215.
This distinctive chair is one of the few pieces of furniture in in Sam Spade's small studio apartment in The Maltese Falcon, where much of the film's action takes place. Many of the main characters, including those played by Mary Astor and Sidney Greenstreet, sit in it during the course of the film and the climactic final scene featuring the titular bird unfolds around it. Film fans are always surprised to learn that Sam's large, imposing "bachelor's chair" is upholstered in burgundy leather rather than black, but using bright colors to create greater contrast in black and white was a standard practice during the Golden Age of Cinema.
32 x 49 x 28 in.
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