Comment by Madelia Hickman Ring, image courtesy of Hermann Historica
Grasbrunn, Bavaria, Germany-Between November 22 and 26, nearly 3,500 antiques, artworks and Asiatica, antique international weapons and armor, guns and orders, and military collections passed through the Hermann Historica neighborhood. In every auction, works from the royal family, nobles, or other important figures are sold at high prices.
A representative of the company confirmed that the sale was considered a success and pointed out that 90% of the starting price was reached and $6.72 million was obtained from all sessions.
Artwork, Asiatica, Antiquities
This Elamite gold necklace, Second Millennium BCE, started with a strong start of $147,000 on the first day of sales. It is made of gold flakes, has an oval brown and white agate as the center, and is 8.5 inches long.
Nearly 900 lots were offered on November 22, with categories including art, Asia and antiquities. Gold products, especially those produced in the Middle East, are at the top of the rankings. The highest honor of the day was a BCE Elamite gold necklace of the second millennium. This necklace had a large layered brown and white agate, flanked by rows of bosses. The final transaction price was US$147,000. Two matching fragments of the slender gold plate decorated with hunting scenes are of similar age and origin: Iran, in the second millennium BC, and sold for US$56,000.
Classical Roman works are also very popular among bidders, who took out a 1st century Roman iron military mask from a bronze cavalry helmet for $81,200. The catalog description determined the rare survival rate of these fragments, as well as a small group of other masks recorded from the grave. The iron mask mimics the characteristics of the wearer; it takes considerable skill to fix it on a cast brass helmet.
A colored Roman glass ointment bottle with a golden lid appears as a woman and sells for up to US$56,000. The First Century bottle is described as extraordinary in terms of design and condition, measuring only over 4.5 inches and weighing 49 grams.
If there is a connection between the golden Roman pyxis from the 1-3 centuries AD marked as PAVLINA and the wife of Emperor Maximinus Thrax (235-238 AD), Queen Caecilia Paulina, it remains unproven. A round gold box with a round lid has four bas-relief erotic figures with wings, and other attributes suggest a Baccanalian or pastoral background. It attracted enough interest from bidders to increase it to $47,600.
Asiatica's top product at $39,200 is a large Chinese jade axe with a decorative dragon pattern. It is attributed to the Hongshan culture of northeastern China, which is based on undeciphered characters often associated with the Neolithic era.
Antique international weapons and armor
This Perso-Indian shamshir with a blade dedicated to Shah Nadir Afshar, made by Asadullah Isfahani, is studded with jewels and gilded inscriptions. It was sold for US$225,010. This was all meetings. One of the highest prices achieved in China.
On November 23, the smallest meeting of the week provided only 276 pieces of antique art and armor from all over the world. The best meeting is a Perso-Indian shamshir made with blades dedicated to Shah Nadir Afshar (1688-1747), which was promoted as one of the pre-auction sales highlights; it was sold for an astonishing price of $225,010 , Is more than four times its highest estimate. Considering the gold-plated woods Damascus steel curved blade, gold-plated silver handle, colorful enamel, and decorated with diamonds and polished rubies, the result is not surprising. As if this is not enough to attract buyers, the pommel ends at the tiger's head. The sword is an example of where provenance helped drive the results: despite his humble background, historians describe Nadir as the "second Alexander" and "Napoleon of Persia." He ruled as King of Persia from 1736 to 1747 and established the Afshar dynasty.
Sharp weapons shine in the rankings, and two early German examples have achieved commendable results. A "langes messer" or one-handed sword from southern Germany, with a dragon-head pointed ornament between 1530-40, sold for $47,600; a two-handed flaming gun made in Passau around 1580 sold for $42,000.
Other early German formats also attracted bidders. A South German crossbow dating from circa 1560, with a large number of bones inlaid with images of John the Baptist, lansquenet, putti, animals and mythological creatures in prayer, and a woman in modern costumes, sold for $30,800. In similar years, the wrought iron horse muzzle decorated with dragon and flower motifs was considered to be in good condition and sold for $29,400.
This Spanish percussion shotgun was made circa 1840-50 and is an important display example, probably for the 1851 London World's Fair or members of the Spanish royal family. It earned $25,200.
Guns of any year were sold on November 24 for more than 850 pieces. Leading this team is the luxurious wheel-lock rifle made by Matthias Staper of Vienna for Prince Esterhazy's armory around 1730. The exquisitely carved locks, the lock plate featuring the hunting of deer in the landscape, the rooster with Minerva, and the coronation coat of arms of Prince Esterhazi are among the decorative elements. According to the catalog, Prince Esterházy of Galántha is one of the most noble and influential families in Hungary and the Danube monarchy. In 1687, Count Paul VI was promoted to Prince of the Royal Family for his achievements in the Turkish War. One of the family's ancestral homes is the famous Forchtenstein castle in Burgenland. This gun brought an eye-catching price of $58,800.
There is also a wheel lock mechanism in a southern German bone-inlaid pufferfish with a chiseled gilded barrel and lock, which costs US$23,800. The compressed ball head is engraved with the warrior's head, while floral patterns decorate the rest of the gun.
The Spanish percussion shotgun from the mid-nineteenth century is considered an important example of display, probably made for members of the Spanish royal family or the 1851 London World's Fair. It earned $25,200.
Queen Elizabeth of Austria wore this black silk glove with her right hand when she was assassinated on September 10, 1898. The glove is studded with a comb, a bunch of dried flowers she has been holding, and a letter written by her attendant Count von Bergevich, verifying the project. It brought in $92,400.
Orders and military collections are the largest part of the auction and are divided into two parts: goods made before 1918 are on sale on November 25, and goods made after that date cross the block on the last day of sale.
In the auction on November 25, nearly two dozen lots were made by the Queen Elizabeth of Austria, and several of them were sold at the highest price of the day. She was born in the Bavarian royal family in Wittelsbach in 1837 and married Emperor Franz Joseph I in 1854; she was assassinated in Geneva, Switzerland in 1898. The highest item at the auction was a pair of black silk gloves with lace cuffs, worn on the day the queen was assassinated. It is framed with a comb and a bunch of dried flowers and a letter handwritten by her attendant Count von Berzeviczy, in which he confirmed the authenticity of these works. This relic is a descendant of the Albert family of Prince Thun and Taxis (1867-1952). The starting price of US$13,440 was quickly surpassed and finally closed at US$92,400.
The white silk, silk chiffon and woven lace summer dresses worn by Queen Elizabeth have achieved similar effects. It received $89,600 from a starting price of $11,200. Since it was purchased in Hermann Historica in 1991, it has been in private collections in Germany.
At the time of the coronation in 1867, gouache and watercolor miniatures of the queen in Hungary may have been painted. It is set in a double-sided locket with hair braided and decorated with the queen's golden code. It brought in $53,200, which is six times the starting price. The sales marathon ended with nearly 930 post-1919 orders and military collections, many of which were Nazi-related artifacts.
Hermann Historica's next sale will be held in the spring, and the exact date has not yet been announced.
The quotation includes the buyer’s premium, which has been converted into U.S. dollars based on the exchange rate on the day of sale.
For more information, please visit www.hermann-historica.de.
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