Early 20th Century Design 
19 January 2023
Early 20th Century Design 
261

Samuel Yellin

Chandelier from the Walter Mellor House, Mount Airy, PA

USA, c. 1925
wrought iron 16¼ h × 21¼ dia in (41 × 54 cm)
estimate: $5,000–7,000
result: $12,600
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We are grateful to Clare Yellin for authenticating this work.
provenance: Walter Mellor House, "Woods Edge," Mount Airy, PA | Acquired from the previous by the present owner

This work will ship from Rago in Lambertville, New Jersey.

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Woods Edge

Samuel Yellin and Mellor Meigs & Howe

Woods Edge, Mt. Airy, PA

Lots 256–261 once decorated the halls and rooms of Woods Edge, the private Mt. Airy manor of noted Philadelphia architect Walter Mellor (1880-1940). Mellor, along with fellow architects Arthur Meigs and George Howe, founded their firm Mellor Meigs & Howe in 1916. They designed Samuel Yellin’s Philadelphia workshop and would go on to use his creations in many of their other architectural projects. When Mellor embarked on building Woods Edge in 1925 he commissioned Yellin to design a host of furnishings and other elements for the property, from doors and chandeliers to accents for the turrets and stone walls. Yellin’s exquisitely crafted metalwork was a perfect aesthetic and qualitative fit at the medieval-style Woods Edge, a project for which Mellor spared seemingly no expense and included six bedrooms, six and a half baths, vaulted ceilings, and extensive masonry.

Samuel Yellin 1884–1940

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Samuel Yellin was born in 1884 into a Jewish family in Mohyliv-Podilskyi, Ukraine, then part of the Russian Empire. He apprenticed as an ironsmith from age eleven to sixteen before immigrating to America, where he settled in Philadelphia with his family. In 1906, Yellin began studying at the Philadelphia Museum School of Industrial Art. So adept was Yellin that he would progress to teaching classes at the school months later. In 1909, Yellin opened a metalsmith shop, which went from a fledgling enterprise to highly successful in no time. When Philadelphia experienced a building boom in the 1920s, Yellin had well over 200 skilled workers, including many European artisans, available to take on projects.

Yellin had a unique ability to respect tradition and encourage innovation while fulfilling his commissions. During his life, he was honored by the Art Institute of Chicago, the American Institute of Architects, the Architectural League of New York, The Philadelphia Award, and other notable entities for his excellence in design and forging. Examples of Yellin's work are today preserved in many esteemed private collections and estates, and on the campuses of Harvard University, Columbia University, Princeton University, Yale University, the University of Chicago, Cal Tech, and elsewhere. Yellin's business is still in operation to this day.

Auction Results Samuel Yellin

Samuel Yellin

Bird-form sconce from the Abraham T. Malmed Residence, Germantown, Philadelphia

estimate: $3,000–5,000

result: $24,890

Samuel Yellin

Gothic style sconce from the Abraham T. Malmed Residence, Germantown, Philadelphia

estimate: $2,000–3,000

result: $17,030

Samuel Yellin

Window grille from the Walter Mellor House, Mount Airy, PA

estimate: $5,000–7,000

result: $11,340

Samuel Yellin

Portrait medallion (Study for the Frick Residence)

estimate: $1,500–2,500

result: $10,710

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