MUNICH.- With the result of more than € 2,9 million in the auction Old Masters & Art of the 19th Century with the Collection Harry Beyer, the figures could have hardly been better. Last year’s result for the same period was topped by more than € 2 million. A total of 80% of all lots were sold, realizing an average increase of 265% per sold object.

The auction’s most expensive work was the “Porträt einer eleganten Dame mit Fächer” by Konstantin Egorovic Makovskij (lot 724), which was particular popular with the artist’s fellow Russian countrymen. In the end a bidding skirmish broke out between international phone bidders and two Russian art lovers in the auction room, of which one eventually won the attractive oil painting for a result of € 155.000.

“Almost every second buyer bought for the first time, and every third bidder was a new customer”, says Robert Ketterer. “I am glad to see an ever increasing interest in Old Masters & Art of the 19th Century and that this particular section attracts so many new customers, both national and international. The run from Russia and the Czech Republic was especially high.”

Second place goes to “Anbetung Mariens mit zwei Engeln“ (lot 6), ascribed to Francesco Botticini from the Collection Harry Beyer, one of the few works that was not so much sought-after in Russia, but rather among art lovers in German-speaking countries, France and Italy. An Italian collector honored the masterpiece with € 122.000*after it had been called up at € 7.500.

Prague will be the new home of the oil painting “Reiter und Flaneuer im Park“ by Georges Kars (lot 29), the work was not only desired by art traders, collectors and experts from the Czech Republic, Russia and basically from all over Europe, but even from Indonesia. With a result of € 98.000 the work was able to realize a twelve-fold its starting price of € 8.000.

Yet another top rank is occupied by two works from Peder Mørk Mønsted, both achieving results of € 85.000. While his “Sommerlandschaft mit Flussaue“ (lot 727) was fought hard for among competitors from Great Britain, the U.S.A., Sweden and Switzerland, it eventually went to Russia for a five-fold its starting price of € 17.000. The large-size “Verschneiter Waldweg bei Sonnenlicht“ (lot 668) from a Luxembourg private collection, however, went to England, and that against the will of numerous art lovers from mainly Russia and Scandinavia. The other two works by the same artist in the auction, which will both remain in Germany, also realized fine increases.

Half a dozen of works by Alexander Koester were almost entirely sold, led by the oil painting “Enten (Seelandschaft)“ (lot 714), which an Austrian art dealer honored with a result of € 54.000, while a German collector won “Enten am See“ (lot 715) for € 14.000.

More than a five-fold its starting price of € 8.000 was realized by Paul von Franken‘s “Der Jungfrauenturm (Quiz Qalasi) in Baku am Kaspischen Meer“ (lot 695), which went also – against strong competition from mainly Russia – to the buyer of the auction’s number one lot. He paid € 43.000 for the 1880 oil painting.

The title “highest increase of the day“ went to Januarius Zick‘s sympathic work “Amor auf einem Hund reitend“ (lot 536), which is no surprise considering the interest it caused with almost a dozen phones from mainly German speaking countries and half a dozen written bids. The hammer went to a bidder in the auction room from Germany’s south, who only put his hand down at a result of € 19.000 after it had been called up at € 1.500.

In the section of works on paper it is quality and a big names that count. While Albrecht Dürer scored with his engraving “Adam und Eva“ (lot 569), which, called up at € 16.000, in the end went to a German bidder for a result of € 31.000, Harmensz. Rembrand van Rijn impressed with seven lots at once (587-593), which were all sold with excellent increases.

While the section of sculptures was led by Ernesto de Fiori‘s bronze “Stehender Jüngling“ (lot 66, starting price: 5.000) and Franz von Stuck‘s “Phryne“ (lot 90, starting price: € 3.000) each achieving results of € 51.000, the manufactories Meißen, Sèvres, Gardner and KPM Berlin were popular with bidders in the section of porcelain. A southern German bidder let a floor vase by KPM soar from € 1.000 to a final € 12.500.

Among objects of Russian silverware it was a “Großer Löffel“ from Moscow (lot 258), which, as expected, returned to his home country Russia. The large number of bids came mainly from Moscow, St. Petersburg and New York, but also from Florida, Berlin, Vienna and Bratislava. Called up at an inexpensive € 400, the hot bidding skirmish halted only at a result of € 34.000.

A similar effect had the Fabergé-Service in its original case (lot 226), which was also sold to Russia for a price of € 32.000 (starting price: € 7.500). A German museum and half a dozen potential buyers were relegated to places second and beyond.

The varia section was dominated by a pocket watch by Jean Pierre and Ami Houaud as well as Jean de Choudens, for which a southern German collector afforded the result of € 73.000 (starting price 23.000), winning over bidders from Italy, Great Britain, France and Switzerland.