Prussian-Auction

Following ten successful Berlin Auctions, Lempertz has rechristened its traditional spring action as the Prussian-Auction. Opening the season on 21 April, the Prussian-Auction encompasses 320 positions of porcelain, silver, cast iron and painting.

Following ten successful Berlin-Auctions, Lempertz has rechristened its traditional spring auction as the Prussian-Auction. Opening the season on 21 April, the Prussian-Auction encompasses 320 positions of porcelain, silver, cast iron and painting.

This year also sees a noteworthy selection of impressive porcelain from the Königlichen Porzellan Manufaktur (KPM), illustrating its high artistic and technical niveau at the beginning of the 19th century. The highest valued porcelain object of the auction is a KPM krater vase with a panorama of Unter den Linden from 1830, with an estimate of 60,000 - 80,000 euro. At almost 50 cm high, the gilt vase is adorned with a wide, very finely painted circumferential panorama of Berlin’s grand boulevard by the manufacture painter Eduard Wilhelm Forst. A further highlight is an imperial KPM platter dated to 1832 - 1837. The 38.5 cm high tazza has a diameter of circa 60 cm and is finely painted with radially arranged carnations and lilies surrounded by a crown of realistic and exotic fruits (estimate 30,000 - 40,000 euro). Also with an estimate of 30,000 - 40,000 euro, a KPM eagle-handled vase with views of Berlin and Potsdam (1825 - 1832) can be assumed to have been a gift of diplomacy or friendship from Friedrich Wilhelm III, due to two further, similarly decorated eagle-handled vases which are listed in the manufacturer’s ledgers as royal gifts.

The extremely high-value silver offering is led by a pair of candlesticks from the dinner service of Friedrich the Great. The two candlesticks on an octagonal foot are from 1746 – 1747, around 15 cm high, and belong to the “New Silver Service” that Friedrich II commissioned by Lieberkühn after the end of the Second Silesian War. The service, which later received many changes, originally included 50 to 60 settings with each place at the table allocated a small, single-armed candlestick, (estimate 40,000 - 60,000 euro). A lidded terrine for the Second Earl of Warrington by the same master has an estimate of 5,000 - 6,000 euro. Following his marriage to the daughter of a rich London merchant in 1702, the Earl of Warrington started a collection of silver which would become one of the most comprehensive and high-quality English collections of the 18th century.

Of particular interest amongst the paintings is a portrait of Emperor Friedrich II of Prussia by the French painter Charles-Amédée-Philippe van Loo from 1766. Friedrich the Great was reluctant to be painted, but van Loo, who remained at the Berlin court for nearly 20 years after his appointment in 1748, managed to complete a likeness of the emperor which he approved of. It was this portrait that Theodor Fontane mentioned in his publication “Wanderungen durch die Mark Brandenburg” in 1862 (estimate 80,000 - 100,000). Also worth noting are three larger works by Heinrich Zille, impressive for their high-quality execution and size. Born in 1858, Zille favoured themes from the lives of the Berlin people and was a protégé and close friend of Max Liebermann.

Two private collections also feature this year: 85 lots from the Cologne professor Dr. Gisela Zick will be offered for auction and include a variety of classicist plates from imperial services, in particular Friedrich II and Prince Heinrich. A further 37 lots are from the Giese family collection, primarily Art Nouveau vases and figures.

Online Catalogue

https://www.lempertz.com/en/catalogues/detail/1105-1-prussia.html

Preview and auction in Berlin

Kunsthaus Lempertz - Poststraße 22 - 10178 Berlin (Mitte)

Preview 13 to 20 April 2018, 11 am - 5pm.

Auction 21 April 2018, 11.30 am.