Decorative Art/Jewellery - Four Silver Candlesticks for Prince Elector Friedrich August II of Saxony

This season, Lempertz published a special catalogue of porcelain and ceramics due to several important private collections – in particular the Hiemisch Collection and the porcelains from Renate and Tono Dreßen, three parts of which have already been sold in previous auctions to great success. The Hiemisch Collection and Dreßen Part 4 were outstanding because of the abundance of superbly painted Meissen porcelain objects from the post-Seven-Years’-War period, i.e., after 1763. From the Hiemisch Collection, for example, came two plates made in Sèvres in 1821 featuring cameo portraits of Julius Caesar and Trajan; they climbed from €12,000 to € 22,500 (lot 1224). A Meissen cup with a view of Meissen and a saucer with a view of Dresden from around 1800 and from the same collection attracted much attention, and also rose significantly from € 2,000 to € 23,000 (lot 1185). An early Meissen lidded teapot by Johann Gregorius Hoeroldt from 1723 was acquired from the Dreßen Collection for € 19,000 (lot 1033, € 15/20,000).

Standing out amongst almost 200 silver objects with a result of € 100,000 were four silver table candlesticks made for Prince Elector Friedrich August II of Saxony, which have now moved to a German private collection (lot 515, € 80/100,000).

An imposing large pair of wall sconces attributed to Jean Claude Duplessis in Paris around 1750-60 were sold to a French bidder for € 63,000 (lot 819, € 60/80,000). A pair of Etruscan-style panels of porphyry-like cast stone, inlaid with scagliola fields, featuring red figures on a black ground and measuring 4.7 x 130 x 70 cm were made in Northern Italy/Piedmont in around 1790. They were bought by an English collector for € 22,500 (lot 850, € 18/25,000).

The Jewellery offer with 271 lots was sold with an excellent knockdown rate by value of 113%. Highlights included a high-carat bangle with Columbian emeralds and diamonds in its original etui, from the Cologne family property of François Kramer who made a career as court jeweller to the French Empress Eugenie in the mid-19th century in Paris. A German bidder won the lot for € 29,000 (lot 77, € 20/25,000).

One particular focus of the auction was on the rich selection of artist’s jewellery. A necklace with granulation and richly coloured stones, made by the famous Cologne goldsmith Elisabeth Treskow for her sister in 1971, was highly sought after. In the family’s possession until today, the jewel was pushed up to € 20,000 by a German bidder (lot 110, € 8/10,000).

Post-1945 jewellery also attracted much interest. An old-cut diamond solitaire of 5.34 ct required an investment of € 36,000 (lot 215, € 25/30,000), whilst a Frankfurt clip brooch, sumptuously set wit diamond baguettes and three natural Burma rubies, required a stake of € 28,000 (lot 220, € 10/15,000).

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, November 2021