The Prussian Sale and Berlin Salon Auction - Imperial Objects

The Prussian Sale on 22 April at Lempertz in Berlin comprises 280 lots.

Historical porcelain from the era of Emperor Friedrich II to the imperial period have been consigned from two German private collections, whilst Prussian cast iron works of art come from a further collection.

The porcelains feature numerous examples from the sumptuously designed Prussian wedding services which had been traditionally commissioned from the KPM for the weddings of Prussian princesses since the time of King Friedrich Wilhelm II. One of the highlights is a lidded vase with a portrait of King Friedrich II from the property of the House of Hannover, Berlin, KPM, around 1779-1785 (lot 81, € 8,000–12,000).

Lovers of Prussian Late Classicism will find a number of highlights to admire: A ‘Munich’ vase type 1, finely decorated with flowers and fruits, documents the imperial gifts from the reign of Friedrich Wilhelm IV (lot 202, € 12,000–15,000), whilst a pair of vases with circumferential cupids and lapis lazuli painting are from the same era (lot 201, € 18,000-20,000).

After the ‘biscuit box’ from the Twinight Collection (auctioned with great success by Lempertz in Berlin in 2018 and 2019), the auction house is now able to offer the only known second example, formerly in the Weick Collection. The biscuit box by KPM, designed by Emil Rutte and with elaborate decoration by Flad, has an estimate of € 15,000–20,000 (lot 276).

The chapter of silver also offers the Prussian Sale several interesting and important objects: Between coin cups of the early 18th century, sugar bowls of the Frederician Rococo and imposing pairs of girandoles of Berlin Classicism, there are once again several pieces related to the Prussian imperial family to discover, including a magnificent centrepiece with cloche for Crown Prince Friedrich Wilhelm of Prussia - the later King Friedrich III - and Princess Victoria, as the eldest daughter of Queen Victoria, a British Princess Royal from the House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (lot 283, € 12,000–15,000).

In 1757, Prince August Wilhelm of Prussia - the eldest brother of Friedrich the Great and father of the later Prussian King Friedrich Wilhelm II - commissioned the Berlin painter Bernhard Rohde (1725v1797) to create a series of 14 paintings illustrating the history of Brandenburg. Three examples from this important ‘Brandenburgiana’ cycle are offered in this auction (lots 61–63), including ‘The Anointing of King Frederick I in Prussia on 18th January 1701 in the Palace Church of Königsberg’ (lot 61, € 30,000–40,000).

Franz Skarbina (1859–1910) painted the enchanting summer picture ‘Blonde Girl in a Sunflower Bed’ in the late imperial period, which was presented in 1893 in the exhibition ‘Vereinigung der XI’. It has an attractive estimate of € 5,000–6,000 (lot 275).

For the Berlin Salon auction of 35 lots, Lempertz offers a selection of modern furniture from an important private collection, presented in a separate catalogue, with a particular focus on seating produced in, amongst others, Germany, France and the Netherlands. Highlights include a cupboard from a music room by Joseph Maria Olbrich (1867-1908) for € 8,000–12,000 (lot 312), and a set of four upholstered chairs from France of the 1930s. The chairs reference a model originally produced by Jacques Emile Ruhlmann in 1924 for the Parisian restaurant Drouant and then the ocean steamer Île de France, and finally modified by numerous French designs (lot 315, € 8,000–10,000).

Also worth noting is a private collection of ceramics by Otto Lindig (1895-1966; lots 324-333, up to € 3,000), and a collection of cases by the Paris manufacturers Louis Vuitton and Edmond Goyard (lots 317–323, up to € 5,000).

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, April 2023