50 Lots – My Choice

Henrik Hanstein took over the management of Lempertz auction house, which is now in its fifth generation of family ownership, 50 years ago. To mark this anniversary, the curated special auction ‘50 Lots – My Choice’ will take place on 4th December.

Fifty years ago, Henrik Hanstein became the fifth generation to take over the management of the long-established Cologne auction house Lempertz, the oldest family-owned auction house in the world. Lempertz will mark this extraordinary anniversary on 4th December 2025 at 6 p.m. with a curated special auction: ‘50 Lots – My Choice’.
With this selection, spanning five decades of the art trade, the auctioneer not only looks back on his own career and the development of the company, but also brings together masterpieces from a wide variety of eras in one catalogue – from antiquity and the Old Masters to classical modernism and contemporary art. 

Selected pieces of jewellery bring the splendour of the finest jeweller’s craftsmanship to the auction, foremost among them a ring with a natural Kashmir sapphire weighing 11.51 carats in an antique cushion cut (estimated price €800,000 - 1,000,000). The rarity of these gemstones, which could only be mined in the Himalayas for seven years starting in 1880, combined with their intense colour, makes Kashmir sapphires so sought-after on the world market. The quality of the specimen offered in this auction has been verified by the leading testing institutes: In a gemmological report by Gübelin Gem Lab dated 23rd March 2022 as well as gemstone report no. 121197 by the SSEF (Swiss Gemmological Institute) dated 10th March 2022. The ring with this outstanding stone will be offered in the anniversary auction with an estimate of €800,000 to €1,000,000. The piece will be accompanied in the auction by a ring with a 16.27 ct solitaire diamond (estimated price €200,000 - 300,000) and a pendant with a Colombian emerald of approx. 22.60 ct (estimated price €300,000 - 400,000).

Henrik Hanstein shaped Lempertz over decades as a leading auction house for modern and contemporary art. Outstanding works document this focus in the anniversary auction.
One highlight is Alfred Sisley's light-flooded painting ‘Le Chantier de Matrat, Moret-sur-Loing’ from 1888, which has an estimated price of €300,000–400,000.

Josef Albers' ‘Study to homage to the square: Victorian’ from 1955 is an iconic example of this series, which ranks among the key works of modern colour field painting. Lempertz has repeatedly achieved outstanding results for works by Josef Albers.

The same applies to Günther Uecker, who provides an example of more recent contemporary art in the auction with his characteristic and original work ‘Sturz’ (Fall) from 1988. In this piece, Uecker combines his typical nail technique with black varnish on the substrate. Originally purchased directly from the artist, it has now been consigned to the auction from a private collection in northern Germany with an estimated value of €200,000 to €300,000. 

Lempertz has been the German market leader in Old Master paintings for decades. A spectacular piece in this anniversary auction is the painting ‘Let the Children Come to Me’, a major work by Caravaggist artist Theodor van Loon. In 2019, this work was on display in the exhibition ‘Théodore van Loon. Un caravagesque entre Rome et Bruxelles’ at the Palais des Beaux Arts in Brussels and the Musée national d'histoire et d'art in Luxembourg. Van Loon lived and worked in Rome at the same time as Caravaggio. The compositional influence of the master is unmistakable in the impressive painting ‘Let the Children Come to Me’. A workshop copy of this painting is now housed in the Alte Pinakothek in Munich, and the prime work in the Cologne auction is being offered at an estimated price of €300,000 to €350,000.

Another Flemish master is represented in the auction by a small, exquisite painting. In his composition “Fruit Still Life with Wine Glass”, Cornelis de Heem presents what made still lifes so precious at that time in the play of light on a peeled lemon placed on a velvety cloth against a background of other fruits painted in rich detail. He had learned this style of painting from his father, Jan Davidsz. de Heem, and incorporated it into his own works with the utmost artistry. The panel, measuring 33.3 by 25.1 centimetres, has an estimated value of €200,000 to €250,000.

These and other significant works of painting from the Baroque period to the present day are combined in ‘50 Lots – My Choice’ with exceptional examples from other eras and artistic techniques, including a 16th-century tapestry telling the Old Testament story of Tobit measuring an impressive 420 by 580 cm. The design is attributed to Bernard van Orley and the work carries an estimated price of €90,000 to €100,000. 

The earliest item in the anniversary auction is a spectacular marble relief, a fragment of the tympanum of a Roman temple. Created around 200 AD, this depiction of two winged figures of Nike on chariots is the oldest of the 50 lots.

Henrik Hanstein has been at the helm of Lempertz since 1975 and has led the company to become one of the top names in the international art market. With his scholarly expertise, keen eye for quality and extensive network, he has succeeded in establishing Lempertz as an important platform for Old Masters, modern art and contemporary art alike.

With the anniversary auction ‘50 Lots – My Choice’, he now invites us to take a personal look back – and at the same time to look ahead to the future of a company that has been committed to beauty and value for six generations.

Jan Bykowski
Press and Public Relations
info@lempertz.com
Tel. 0221 925729 -57