Below is an in-depth look at the highlights of the last auction week of this 2022, whose exhibition open to the public at Palazzo Crivelli is scheduled for 16, 17 and 18 December 2022.
Wristwatches and Pocket Watches
Auction 19 December 2022
With a catalogue aimed at the widest public of enthusiasts, the Wristwatches and Pocket Watches Auction of Monday 19 December 2022 inaugurates the last week of this year's auction sales. Among the collectors's items is the Royal Oak serial A by Audemars Piguet from '73 (lot 97, estimate € 40,000 - 50,000), commissioned by the designer Gerald Genta who, thanks to his daring ingenuity, was able to break with traditional schemes by proposing a still current model, with a versatile steel workmanship and an unusual octagonal ring with visible screws inspired by the porthole of a diver's helmet.
The Rolex model, GMT-Master II "Rootbeer" (lot 96, estimate € 35,000 - 40,000), also speaks of historical innovations, whose "dual time" function derives from the need of of the Pan Am airline's first pilots, who covered the transcontinental flights around the 1950s. The acronym GMT stands for “Greenwich Mean Time” as the model was integrated with the possibility of reading a second time zone, which is presented here in a 2021 everose gold 18K version with the new caliber 3285.
Many other prestigious brands such as Cartier, Jaeger-LeCoultre, Hublot, Zenith, BlancpaiN, IWC, Hamilton, Omega, Longines, Chopard and Vacheron & Constantin do not go unnoticed with diversified proposals on various investment levels.
Lot 97
Audemars Piguet, Royal Oak Jumbo, Serial A, A1554 Ref. 5402ST,
gent's steel wristwatch, year 1973 Cal. 2121 Diam. mm 39. Reversed writing.
Estimate € 40,000 - 50,000
Lot 96
Rolex, GMT-Master II "Rootbeer" Ref. 126715CHNR,
gent's rose gold 18K wristwatch, year 2021 Diam. mm 40 with box and guarantee (NOS).
Estimate € 35,000 - 40,000
Coins
Auction 19 December 2022
Coins and seals are a precious little glimpse of the Coins Auction of 19 December 2022. A section dedicated to the Florentine mint led by the Medici family: “Pezza della Rosa” (lot 103, estimate € 2,000 - 2,500) minted by Ferdinand II in the mid-17th century, to the 80 florins of 1828 (lot 107, estimate € 2,200 - 2,500) of the Grand Duchy of Tuscany reformed by Leopold II of Habsburg-Lorraine.
A singular illustration of a century of papal history are the lead seals ranging from the proclamation of Pope Urban VIII (1623) to that of Pope Clement XII (1723).
Lot 103
Pezza della Rosa 1701.
Estimate € 2,000 - 2,500
Lot 107
80 fiorini Leopoldo II 1828.
Estimate € 2,200 - 2,500
19th and 20th century Paintings and Sculptures
Auction 20 December 2022
The auction of 19th and 20th century Paintings and Sculptures on 20 December 2022 is made up of new and precious proposals. A corpus of works from the 1930s by Gregorio Sciltian of which the Vendemmia (lot 361, € 15,000 - 18,000) is significant evidence of the period spent by the Russian artist in Milan, in which the obvious fascination for the Italian pictorial tradition stands out, in especially for Caravaggio.
An unpublished by Francesco Hayez is the watercolor reinterpretation of the famous Bacio (lot 360, estimate € 12,000 - 14,000). It is an accurate d'après, reproduced on the small dimensions of an oval space probably reserved as a gift to a friend.
The bronze sculpture Cicogna con piccoli (lot 359, estimate € 6,000 - 8,000) whose author, Sirio Tofanari, was a leading figure in Italian animalism at the turn of the century is an image captured by nature in its spontaneity.
Finally, the neoclassical taste, halfway between caprice and philological reconstruction, finds expression in the “Fori Imperiali” (lot 353, estimate € 4,500 - 5,000) by Gaspare Gabrielli, which immortalises the state of the archaeological excavations around the first decades of the 19th century in Rome, one of the main attractions of the Grand Tour intellectual tourism.
Lot 361
Gregorio Sciltian (Rostov 1900 - Rome 1985),
"La vendemmia", 1938, oil on canvas (cm 125x105).
Estimate € 15,000 - 18,000
Lot 360
Francesco Hayez (Venice 1791 - Milan 1882),
"Il bacio", watercolor on paper applied to cardboard (cm 30x24).
Estimate € 12,000 - 14,000
Lot 359
Sirio Tofanari (Florence 1886 - Milan 1969),
"Cicogna con piccoli", bronze on marble base (h cm 55).
Estimate € 6,000 - 8,000
Asian Works of Art
Auction 21 December 2022
It is through an excellent nucleus of unpublished works and an exhaustive look at Asian artistic production that the proposal for Asian Works at auction on 21 December 2022 is presented.
Starting from China, an important private collection offers a Guanyin in "China white" prized for its meticulous workmanship and large dimensions (lot 511, € 15,000 - 20,000), a refined pair of baluster vases decorated with "shou" characters among foliage on a "café au lait" background (lot 561, € 16,000 - 18,000), a gray jade in the shape of a crouched horse unusual for the color of the stone, the size and quality of the carving (lot 464, € 10,000 - 12,000) and an imposing pair of Buddhist lions in “Shivan” ceramic with brilliant colors in shades of blue and green (lot 552, € 12,000 - 15,000).
Other private clients embellish this section with specimens of complex execution such as the large Guanyin in red coral (lot 525, estimate 10,000 - 12,000) and the gilded bronze sculpture depicting a late Ming dynasty dignitary - 17th century (lot 519, estimate 15,000 - 18,000).
Moving towards Southeast Asia we pass by the large Thai bronze buddha in the "Sukhothai" style (lot 543, estimate € 8,000 - 10,000), to reach the Japan narrated by the numerous prints, including a beautiful view by the master Hiroshige (lot 528, estimate €1,100 - 1,200); together with precious ivories and silvers, as well exemplified by the two “Shibayama” silver vases enriched with mother of pearl, coral, ivory and enamel applications (lot 514, estimate € 900 - 1,000).
Lot 511
A large and rare Deha figure of a Guanyin standing on a lotus flower elegantly dressed and bejeweled,
the face with a serene expression with downcast eyes, the head adorned with an elaborate bearing two marks by Xu Yunlin.
China, late Qing dynasty/Republic period.
Estimate € 15,000 - 20,000
Lot 561
A pair of baluster vases each ovoid body rising to a tall trumpet neck,
finely painted around the exterior with shou-characters amidst dense leafy strapwork and Buddhist emblems,
all reserved on a "café au lait " ground. China, Qing dynasty, Guangxu period (1875-1908) (h. 92 cm).
Estimate € 16,000 - 18,000
Lot 552
A pair of large Buddhist lions in glazed Shiwan ceramic in shades of blue and green,
sitting on two large bases also in Shiwan ceramic.
China, Qing dynasty (1644-1912) 18th/19th century (h. tot 105 cm).
Estimate € 12,000 - 15,000
Lot 519
A gilt-bronze figure of a seated dignitary, wearing a hat and holding a double-ground vessel in his left hand,
his robe embellished with a crane badge. China, late Ming dynasty, 17th century (h. 32 cm).
Estimate € 15,000 - 18,000
Lot 528
Hiroshige, "Downpour on Ohashi Bridge" from the Cento Vedute di Edo,
framed Japan, 19th century (32,5x20,5 cm).
Estimate € 1,100 - 1,200