slip-cast ceramic with eosin glazes
height: 21 inches
diameter: 13 inches
stamped factory mark ZSOLNAY PÈCS. and impressed ZSOLNAY 5938
Estimate: $20,000 - $30,000
Price Realized:
$38,400
Includes buyer's premium
Produced by Zsolnay Porcelain Manufactory, Hungary
The Estate of Ilon Specht
overall very good condition, with minor firing crack near base along seam, a few small blemishes to glaze
Ilon Specht was a pioneering advertising copywriter and creative director who first carved a place for herself in the heady "Mad Men" era of New York advertising. While still in her twenties, she created the iconic "Because I'm Worth It" campaign for L'Oreal Paris. A subject of author Malcom Gladwell and Oscar-winning documentarian Ben Proudfoot, her campaign would change beauty advertising forever, catalyzing a pivot from an emphasis on pleasing men to promoting women's self-confidence and empowerment. Ilon also did groundbreaking work for the Peace Corps, Oxy 5, Underalls, and Life cereal. She was an avid collector, especially of Deco and American country, with an eye that transcended eras and fads. Unlikely collections adorned all corners of her dazzling apartment in the Dakota. After retiring from advertising, she moved to California and devoted herself full-time to making and dealing in beautiful things. As a mother, a stepmother, a friend, and a boss, Ilon Specht was caring, generous, courageous and brilliant. She changed many lives.
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