HERMITAGE FINE ART EMBRACES THE CONSTANT CHANGES OF THE ART MARKET

The February sales experienced a rise in worldwide online presence

* All prices include buyer’s premium


Hermitage Fine Art held its first online auctions of this year on 25th and 26th of February. The sales ranged from Russian Art & Books to Decorative objects, Jewellery, Manusctipts and Fine Art. Bidders were numerous and combative on the online platforms.


Below a selection of the highlights:

PAINTINGS – RUSSIAN ART

The Russian sale opened with two paintings by the leading Russian impressionist painter Konstantin Korovin (1861-1939), both sold above estimate.
1: KONSTANTIN KOROVIN (1861-1939)
A Sleigh Ride Through the Village
Sold: 16,542 €
3: KONSTANTIN KOROVIN (1861-1939)
Village
Sold: 37,500 €
Two paintings from the collection of the famous French pilot Roland de la Poype (1920-2012) also sold very well. These 2-meter-long paintings depict the great maritime power of the Russian Imperial Navy at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries. Roland de la Poype fought as volunteer in the Second World War in the 'Normandie-Neman' squadron, on the Soviet front. He was awarded the title Hero of the Soviet Union, the Order of Lenin and the "Gold Star" medal for courage, heroism and military valour shown in the battles. He founded the Marine Centre in Antibes, near Nice.
19: KONSTANTIN YAKOVLEVICH KRYZHITSKY (1858-1911),
Imperial yacht ‘POLAR STAR’ of Nicholas II of Russia.
Sold: 29,900 €
20: KRYZHITSKY KONSTANTIN YAKOVLEVICH (1858-1911),
The battleship of the Imperial Russian Navy.
Sold: 36,400 €
Other stars of the Russian sale were Notre Dame de Paris by Issachar Ber Ryback (1897-1935), sold for 7,800€, a painting by Tatyana Nazarenko, a trend in our sales, and one by the Russian Non-conformist artist Vadim Sidur whose works were very much influenced by his British contemporary Henry Moore. We also introduced a new artist to the international market, Vladimir Lyubarov (b. 1944) whose 3 amusing paintings were all sold for: Ballet Dancer 3,700€, Banana Republic 5,500€ and Running on the Spot 4,000€.
Vladimir Lyubarov (b. 1944)
Ballet Dancer.
Sold: 3,700 €
Vladimir Lyubarov (b. 1944)
Banana Republic.
Sold: 5,500 €
Vladimir Lyubarov (b. 1944)
Running on the Spot.
Sold: 4,000 €
PAINTINGS – INTERNATIONAL ART

Various were the artists presented in the international painting session of the Fine Art sale on Friday 26. A Windmill near Rotterdam by the French painter Albert Marie Lebourg (lot 506) made nearly 10,000€, Elie Anatole Pavil’s At the park in the rain (lot 513) made 1,100€ and the more modern Jan Balet’s In a Bus (lot 536) was sold for 6,800€.
506: ALBERT MARIE LEBOURG (1849-1928)
A windmill near Rotterdam.
Sold: 10,000 €
513: ELIE ANATOLE PAVIL (1873-1948)
At the park in the rain.
Sold: 1,100 €
536: JAN BALET (1913-2009)
In a bus.
Sold: 6,800 €
RELIGIOUS ART AND ICONS

In the painting section, this Bolognese School Holy Family with the Infant Saint John the Baptist fetched 5,400€.
Between the 16th and 17th centuries, Italy witnessed the flourishing painting art of the School of Bologna. Pioneered by the Carracci family, this school merged together the solidity of High Renaissance painting and the rich colours of the Venetian school. This painting shows a grouping of four figures, the Virgin Mary with the Christ child, the infant John the Baptist on their right and Joseph on the left. Mary holds the child while the infant Joseph, wrapped in animal skin, gazes at her holding a wooden cross. It was not uncommon to see John as a small boy depicted in adoration of the Christ child during the Holy Family’s journey back from Egypt.

BOLOGNESE SCHOOL, 17TH CENTURY
The Holy Family with the Infant Saint John the Baptist.
Sold: 5,400 €
The highlights of the Russian icons collection are the following:
101: «SAINT ALEXIS METROPOLITAN WITH SAINTS LEONTIUS AND ANTONY AND THE APOSTLES IN THE MARGINS», Russia, late XVIII century.
Sold: 2,394 € ABOVE ESTIMATE
105: «OUR LADY OF VLADIMIR», Central Russia, XIX century.
Sold: 780 € ABOVE ESTIMAT
103: «THE SELECTED SAINTS» - ZOSIMA AND SAVVATIY SOLOVETSKY, ALEXEY - MAN OF GOD AND JOHN THE WARRIOR AND A SAINT ANASTASIY, Russia, XIX century.
Sold: 598 € ABOVE ESTIMATE
106: ICON IN A SILVER OKLAD «OUR LADY OF TIKHVIN».
Sold: 1,202 € ABOVE ESTIMATE
113: ICON IN BRASS OKLAD «OUR LADY OF KAZAN», Russia, mid-XIX century.
Sold: 493 € ABOVE ESTIMATE
114: ICON IN SILVER OKLAD «THE LORD ALMIGHTY», Russia, end of the XIX century
Sold: 1,068 € ABOVE ESTIMATE
SILVER, DECORATIVE OBJECTS & JEWELLERY

Among silver and decorative objects of the Russian sale on Thursday 25th, worth mentioning are this outstanding empire style bronze and malachite mantel clock from the Imperial Lapidary factory of Peterhof, early XIX century (lot 159) sold for 9,100€, a silver chocolate pot from the XVIII century (lot 117) sold for 2,300€ and silver tureen from XVIII century sold also above estimate for 3,774€. Among highlights of the second day of the auction was an exceptional XX century sterling silver Hanukkah lamp (lot 608) which made a total of 9,350€!
Decorative Objects of the second-day auction did not deceive either, seeing a lovely Tiffany music snow globe (lot 622) sold for 400€, above estimate, and some incredible glass sculptures like a Lalique crystal vase (lot 625) or a Murano glass sculpture (lot 621) sold for 860€ and 460€ respectively.
Two beautiful Cartier diamond rings made a total of 8,400€ in the Jewellery sale, and the silk Hermes scarf (631) was sold for 300€. The design of this scarf is based on the famous chromolithography of Konstantin Apollonovich Savitsky “The ceremonial entrance to Moscow of Tsar Emperor Alexander III on the day of his coronation on May 27, 1883”, illustration 5 from the album “Description of the coronation of Their Imperial Majesties Sovereign Emperor Alexander III and the Empress Maria Feodorovna of All Russia” (SPb.: Expedition of Procurement of State Papers, 1883).
MANUSCRIPTS & RARE BOOKS

The results of the manuscripts sale were outstanding. In the era of digitalization, it seems that printed publications and manuscripts are becoming more appealing to our buyers! Here is a selection of the rarest artefacts sold:
Lot 857: A handwritten letter by Gandhi in the 1920s addressed to Mrs Khambata – sold above estimate for 16,200€
Lot 913: The Equilibriad by Sansom William and illustrations by Lucian Freud, 1948 – 9,100€.
Lot 850: An autograph letter signed by the famous writer Arthur Conan Doyle – sold above estimate for 3,100€
Lot 867: A portrait photograph signed by Carl Gustav Jung – 3,800€
Lot 876: An autographed photograph of Benito Mussolini, taken by the famous photographer Ghitta Carell – 5,900€
Lot 904: «Dalí al desnudo» by Manuel del Arco, edit. José Janés: Barcelona, 1952. – 3,200€
Lots 918 and 919: Two 2-dollars bills signed by Andy Warhol – total 2,100€ above estimate

The Russian books auction witnessed a bidding battle for lot 226, the archive of the Russian Imperial Army Officer N.N. Khaletsky, which raised the estimate from 100€ up to a selling price of 3,200€!