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Auction No. 089 - 20/21.04.2010

Auction No. 089, 20 and 21 April 2010
Art Nouveau - Art Déco
Hagenauer - Private Collection

 

 

Post auction report

On 20 April it started with items of the Art Nouveau-Art Déco eras from France, Germany, Austria and other neighbouring countries as well as the US. One day later, the Swiss private collection of sculptures and small bronzes of the Hagenauer workshop followed.

Art Nouveau - Art Déco
French glass was most coveted-70% of the range got sold. Of the vases and items of pâte de verre, designed and partially made by artists like Gabriel Argy-Rousseau and Amalric Walter even 90% were purchased. Numerous telephone bidders, mostly from France and Japan, raised prices for vases by Emile Gallé many times higher than their estimates. A so-called ‚Soufflé’ vase was called up at € 1,000 and hammered down only when it had reached € 3,800.

Ceramics from France were very popular, too: two items by Gallé missed their estimates at hair’s breadth and went for € 6,500 resp. € 7,500. Whereas a flower pot in the shape of a grasshopper by Jérôme Massier climbed from € 3,000 up to € 8,200. Also German ceramic was sought after. Besides some good prices for works by Max Laeuger, the two sculptures from Bernhard Hoetger’s ‚Light and shadow’ series went up to a total of € 13,800.

A large part of the bronzes section sold very well. The highest hammer price was reached by the ‚Danseuse de Palmyra’ by Demètre H. Chiparus at € 20,000. Collectors from all over the world showed great interest in the pieces of furniture on offer. A rare etagere by Emile Gallé with a carved plastic dragonfly went up from € 18,000 to € 34,000.

95% of a peerless private collection of eggshell porcelain made by the Rozenburg manufacture in Den Haag found new owners. Numerous telephone bidders increased the price for a vase with handles decorated by Samuel Schellink up to € 7,000. Another vase with handles decorated by J. L. Verhoog received the highest price of € 10,000.

 

Hagenauer Private Collection
Circa 75% of the private collection could be sold and especially the wooden sculptures received striking prices. The most important works of metal confirmed their estimates.

Already in the beginning several bidders augmented a side table with sculptural base designed in the 1920s from € 4,000 up to € 9,300. A pair of female heads, designed circa 1930, went to Austria for € 10,000, a little lower than their estimate. An early head of brass, inspired by the works of the Wiener Werkstätte found a new home at € 7,000.

Most intriguing to see were the bidding combats that took place over the wooden items. Having been en vogue during the last years, an exotic dancer on a triangular base received a record price of € 14,000 after it had been called up at a moderate € 1,500. The price for a seated ‚Ashanti’ woman increased from € 600 to € 11,000, and a crouching warrior went from € 500 up to € 6,200.