Decorative Arts - Retour d’Egypte
Jewellery
The Jewellery auction, one of the best of the last few years, performed brilliantly and achieved a result by value of well over 100% of the total estimate.
As well as antique jewellery pieces, works in archaeological-historical style, and historical jewellery, the auction also featured high-quality English portrait miniatures and fine stone jewellery from the Belle Epoque and Art Deco periods. The greatest success was won by a platinum Art Deco brooch, “Retour d’Egypte”, by Janesisch, Paris, worked in around 1925 and set with numerous cut, coloured stones. With at least eleven telephone bidders alone, the estimate of € 8,000 was surpassed to sell for € 40,00 (lot 82). The collection of 70 jewellery pieces from the estate of Günter Kauth (1946-2016), Frankfurt am Main, was entirely sold with results clearly above the estimates – including for example a seal ring modelled after the antique, probably 19th century, which catapulted from € 800 to € 21,000 (lot 23).
The artist jewellery was once again a focus of the auction and prominently represented. The greatest result here was registered by a pair of earrings by Hammerle with aquamarines and lace agate beads which sold for € 27,500 (lot 145, € 8/10,000). The modern jewellery also offered high-carat examples: one particular highlight was taken by the platinum American Cartier ring featuring a bright blue natural Ceylon 14 ct. sapphire which moved to the European trade for € 45,000 (lot 188, € 25,000).
Highly Important Mortars from the Schwarzach Collection III
The third part of probably the largest and most important mortar collection in Europe, the Schwarzach Collection, followed the success of the first two parts with a pleasing result for the 152 lots.
From a total of 19 Persian mortars, an important Islamic bronze mortar with silver inlays, attributed to the historical region of Khorasan and dating from the 12th-13th century, stood out at € 13,000 (lot 505, € 3/4,000). As well as French Renaissance mortars, examples from the Netherlands and Lower Rhineland were offered, with the focus here on the productions of the Hachmann foundry family from Kleve (lots 536, 542, 550, 555, 589). In addition, primarily southern German Gothic mortars from Nuremberg and the surrounding area were auctioned (up to € 10,000). 37 single-handled mortars from the 15th century came mostly from Nuremberg and the surrounding area; one particularly impressive representative of this chapter was a large Nuremberg mortar with acanthus leaf relief which sold to the English trade for € 19,000 (lot 606, € 8,000). An important and museum-quality mortar by Albert Hachmann from around 1548 from private ownership went to a Dutch collection for € 24,000 (lot 647, € 15/20,000).
Silver
The top lot was undoubtedly the museum-quality drinking vessel in the shape of a mortar worked by Johann Eissler in Nuremberg in around 1665-80. A collector from Portugal managed to fight off the competition with a result of € 42,500 (lot 1012, € 30,000).
Out of the 17 lots of exquisite Strasbourg silver from a North German collection, a magistrate’s cup of the city of Hagenau stood out. Made by Jean-Louis I Imlin in Strasbourg in around 1698, it sold for € 24,000 (lot 1143).
Porcelain
In a separate chapter, around 109 Meissen porcelains with decorations after Asian models and with the finest floral painting were offered as the third part of the Renate and Tono Dreßen collection (Münster), the first two parts of which saw great success at Lempertz. This time too, the collection exceeded its estimates quite considerably: at the top, with € 10,000, were two plates with hunting scenes, Meissen mid-18th century, the decoration attributed to Franz Ferdinand Mayer in Pressnitz / Prísecnice (lot 1313). The private Palatine collection of 45 important early Meissen armorial porcelains and significant Kaendler figures also sold excellently.
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me at 0221/92 57 29–30.
Edgar Abs Press and public relations Cologne, June 2021