Post-sale report for Decorative Arts

The Decorative Arts and Jewellery Auctions were successful and the performance curve for the jewellery sales at Lempertz is showing a steady and continuous trend upwards.

A steep ascent for jewellery

The performance curve for the jewellery sales at Lempertz is showing a steady and continuous trend upwards. With over one million euro turnover and one of the highest sales quotas, the auction last Thursday was by far the most successful yet. The catalogue contained 299 lots of Roman cut stones, historical jwellery including rare Belle Epoque and Art Déco diamond jewels from a North German private collection, and contemporary artist’s jewellery.

A Parisian époque Louis XVI ormolu pendulum clock from around 1770 saw a great increase reaching 39,700 after a long bidding war which started at 10/15,000 (lot 1356). A selection of Meissen porcelain pieces from Henry van de Velde from 1903/04 were also very successful: 14 soup plates, four dinner plates and an ashtray rose quickly from 5,5/16,000 to 58,300 (lots 1500 - 1502), whilst an Augsburg figural clock, Urania, made of gilt copper and bronze by Hans Buschman in the second quarter of the 17th century went to a German collector for 54,500 (lot 1608, 40/60,000).

The modern porcelain with works by Taxile Doat for Sèvres from a Westphalian collection and from the Jedding Collection were all sold; the excellent overall result amounted to over 171,000 euro.

A silver and gilt 6 cm high pomander achieved a fantastic result. Made in Southern Germany or Holland at the beginning of the 17th century, a number of bidders pushed the 15/17,000 estimate up to 67,000 (lot 1617). An important pair of Augsburg wall appliques by the master Johann Valentin Gevers in around 1709 - 1712 reached an impressive 74,400 (lot 1634, 40/45,000). The earliest silver object for sale was consigned from a private collection from Lower Saxony: a gilt Renaissance lidded tankard with relief plaques of the seven virtues after Peter Flötner and with the marks of the Nuremberg master Jobst Heberlein around 1575 - 1580, selling to a German museum for 55,800 (lot 1603, 35/40,000).