Auction 1266 on Saturday, 17th May 2025

Lempertz confirmed its outstanding position in the field of Old Master paintings with the first spring auctions of this year. The most spectacular hammer prices were achieved by a floral still life by Jan Davidsz. de Heem and a depiction of hell by a follower of Hieronymus Bosch. Once again, works of 19th century Russian painting produced surprising results.

Jan Davidsz. de Heem's floral still life achieved the highest hammer price of the auction and one of the highest results ever achieved worldwide for a painting by the influential Golden Age master. Several international bidders competed fiercely for the painting, which was estimated at between €1,000,000 and €1,500,000. The new owner was not determined until the result of €3,550,000, around 4 million US dollars, was achieved. A European collector prevailed against strong competition from several telephones.

The ‘Vision of Tondalus’ generated the longest bidding battle of the day, with 17 telephone bidders and several online participants. The legend of the knight Tondalus, who is led to hell and back by an angel as a warning, was realised in the pictorial language of Hieronymus Bosch by one of his successors and sparked the interest of bidders from all over the world. It was eventually sold to a Belgian connoisseur for over € 900,000.

The 19th century section of the auction saw successful sales of works by Ferdinand Georg Waldmüller and Alexander Koester. At Lempertz, the offer of paintings by Vladimir Yegorovich Makovsky is traditionally strong. His ‘Easter Prayer’ surpassed expectations many times over with a result of €126,000.

In total, the jewellery, decorative arts and Old Master paintings auctions generated around 11 million euros, exceeding the previous year's sales. With this strong international demand, Lempertz is expanding its market leadership in the area of Old Masters as well as silver and historical furniture.

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