High quality and market freshness once again ensure auction successes

Numerous top pieces sparked the aspiration of the bidders in the auctions of Old Master and 19th century art, furniture and decorative arts, as well as silver, porcelain and faience, which were held from 17th to 20th May.

In the Old Master auction, the ‘Penitent Magdalena’ (lot 2020) by Guido Reni – a top lot which featured on the cover of the catalogue - went far above the estimate to sell to a German collection for 730,000 euro. ‘The Lamentation of Christ’ by Lucas Cranach and workshop (lot 2005) was also secured by a private collector for 453,600 euro. The same collection also acquired the small portraits of the Saxon Electors Friedrich the Wise and Johann the Steadfast, also by Lucas Cranach (lot 2006), for 252,000 euro. Here, the collector prevailed against a bid from the international trade.

‘Flowers in a Vase’ by Johannes Bosschaert (lot 2027) had been in a German private collection for almost half a century. Its quality convinced the bidders, and the estimate of 90,000 to 100,000 euro was surpassed to finally sell to a Belgian collection for 226,800 euro.

A small format painting by David Teniers the Younger lured buyers with its market freshness. The newly discovered painting, ‘A Man and a Woman in an Inn’ (lot 2068) on an octagonal canvas, rose during the bidding battle from the estimate of 15,000 - 20,000 euro up to 105,840 euro.

Museums were particularly interested in 19th century art. An overseas print collection was able to secure the prints ‘Landscape near San Lorenzo’ by Jacob Philipp Hackert (lot 2215) for 20,160 euro as well as two nude studies by Johan Gottfried Schadow for 5040 euro and 6300 euro.

‘View of Heidelberg Castle’ by Carl Philipp Fohr (lot 2223), on the other hand, has now passed on to a German private collector for 32,760 euro, whilst ‘Eruption of Vesuvius’ by Jacob Philipp Hackert has moved to a Belgian collection for 176,400 euro. Selling for 504,000 euro, ‘Istanbul: The Golden Horn in the Moonlight’ by Ivan KonstantinovichAivazovsky (lot 2273) has gone to the South of France.

Bidding battles were also seen in the auction of furniture and decorative arts on the Wednesday of the auction week. The ‘Cologne Susanna Cabinet’ (Auction 1220, lot 353), for example, had recently been exhibited in the Wallraf Richartz Museum, and now changes hands for 126,000 euro. A classical commode (lot 422) achieved a result of 18,900 against the estimated 4-6,000 euro, whilst a pair of reclining lions as column bases (lot 350) reached 18,900 euro.

The second part of the collection of East Frisian silver was completely sold in the auction of silver, porcelain and faience on the Friday (lots 611 – 620), after the first part had also entirely sold in an earlier sale. A large Emden brandy bowl (lot 611) also sold well with the estimate of 1500-1800 euro left behind at 5040 euro.

The question of egg or chicken was answered in the auction: a chicken by Fabergé (lot 520) achieved a price of 75,600 (estimate 12,000 – 15,000 euro).

Amongst the porcelain offered, a pair of medium size parrots (lot 817) attracted attention. Estimated at 8 – 10,000 euro, the successful bidder had to go to 22,680 euro to win the pair of birds created after models by Johann Joachim Kaendler in around 1724. A pair of dishes from the dinner service for Count Salkowski rose from the 6 – 8,000 euro estimate up to 40,320 euro, whilst a museum-quality Abstbessingen model oven left its estimate of 10,090 – 15,000 euro well behind, finishing at 47,880 euro.

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Jan Bykowski
Press and public relations
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