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Murano Glass - African Tribal Art: Auction 071 - 12.02.2008

Auction No 71, 12 February 2008
Murano Glass - Tribal Art
 

Post auction report

Quittenbaum gladly reports a sales quote of 70% in the section of Murano Glass.
The total sale sums up to over half a million Euros.

Murano Glass
Two record prices were realized: Carlo Scarpa's 'inciso' vase attained a spectacular € 54.000 (c. US$ 78,000) after being hotly contested between two bidders on the telephone. Fulvio Bianconi's one-off window 'pezzato' fetched € 36.000 (c. US$ 52,000). These are the two highest hammer prices in the section of Murano glass at Quittenbaum.
The auction started with 20 Millefiori vases by Fratelli Toso fetching, in part five times their estimates. Two elegant vases in coral red by Archimede Seguso brought ten and five times their estimates - the hammer fell at € 4.000 and 3.900 (c. US$ 5,800). High prices were also realized for Anzolo Fuga's tall vases. The relatively high estimates of € 4.500 (c. US$ 6,500) for each vase are a result of the great demand from American collectors. Now they were knocked down between € 5.500 and 6.500 (c. US$ 8,000 - 9,500) - two of them, though, go to a European private collection.
Ermanno Toso's Murrine vases went for little below their estimates between € 6.500 and 9.000 (c. US$ 9,500 - 13,000). Vases by Ercole Barovier also had some success. Two of them went for € 7.000 (c. US$ 10,000): an untitled Murrine vase dating from 1962 rose from € 3.500 to 7.000 and a rare 'diamantati' from 1968 went for little below the estimate.
Also contemporary glass from Murano was highly demanded. Two vases by Peter Pelzel go to an American collector for € 1.500 and 2.100 (c. US$ 2,200 / 3,000).

 

Tribal Art
The total hammer sum tripled in comparison to last year's Tribal Art auction. The highest increase was achieved by a memorial effigies from Kenia which rose from 300 to 3.600 (c. US$ 5,200).
A bifurcate shaped post by the Dogon went for little below its estimate at € 6.000 (c. US$ 8,700) to a German collector taking part via telephone. A bidder in the well attended auction room bought both Bamana figures for € 4.500 and 5.000 (c. US$ 6,500 / 7,200).
A chimpanzee mask by the same ethnic group was knocked down after a bidding contest at € 2.100 (c US$ 3,000). Also a Baule ancestral figure was well received and the hammer fell at € 3.300 (US$ 4,800). A miniature Fon bronze figurine showing a man with a mouse went from € 380 to 1.500 (c. US$ 2,200). A Kuba Palm wine jug doubled its starting price and sold for € 1.800 (c. US$ 2,600). A caryatid stool in classical Hemba style went from 6.000 to 8.500 (c. US$ 12,000) and will be part of a Munich private collection. Another bidder in the audience bought a Vili male magic nail fetish 'nkisi' with mirrors for € 12.000 (c. US$ 17,500).