The first six months of the year saw us protagonists of 24 auctions with new record sales, an average of 87% of lots sold and a 111% revaluation on the starting prices, amounting to a total turnover of over € 19.7 million.
Modern and Contemporary Art is confirmed as the driving force and has further demonstrated its role as centre-forward, registering a total of over € 6.5 million in turnover and staggering digits for names such as Lucio Fontana, Mario Schifano, Igor Mitoraj, Victor Vasarely, Renato Guttuso, Piero Dorazio and many others.
Lucio Fontana,
"Concetto spaziale" 1963-64,
enamelled terracotta, glazed and holes h 29.5 cm; circumference cm 76.5.Signed.
Sold € 453,600
Mario Schifano,
"Cielo per A." 1964,
enamel, graphite, pencil and carryover of trieline print on paper laid down on canvas by the artist cm 62x89.5.
Signed at the bottom.
Sold € 327,600
Equally significant were the performances of the Jewels department which in its appointments obtained its absolute record in sales (over € 6.2 million), thanks to the session dedicated to the Agrati Collection whose precious pieces tripled their starting values. An auction which also stands out for its remarkable international participation, with moments of fierce competition for the creations signed Bulgari and Marina B, and due also to the whole section dedicated to major carat stones, among which the champagne fancy diamond weighing ct. 29.35 (€327,600).
The proposals of Decorative Arts of the 20th century and Design were particularly attractive to the new generation of collectors with an interest for the prominent names in Italian design with countless participants on rare works such as the chairs from the "Monofilo" series by Luciano Grassi, Sergio Conti and Marisa Forlani (€ 107,100) and the two monumental 1930s chandeliers by Pietro Chiesa (€ 41,580) and Carlo Scarpa (€ 35,280).
BULGARI
Diamond, ruby and lapis yellow gold jewelry set comprising two chains and earrings.
Sold € 378,000
Fancy yellow brown ct. 29.35 diamond white gold ring.
Sold € 327,600
Luciano Grassi, Sergio Conti e Marisa Forlani,
six armchairs model "Artigianato" of the series "Monofilo".
Emilio Paoli, Florence, 1953-55.
Sold € 107,100
Illustrious contributions were decisive for departments such as Antiques, which closed the semester with a turnover ecxceeding €3.6 million and an evident appreciation for a catalogue capable of spanning five centuries of art history with items of rare beauty such as the elegant neoclassical planter from the Chiurazzi Foundry (€50,400), the evocative nucleus of ancient garden statuary which included the sale of a pair of large Medici vases (€35,280) and Hubert Robert's “Paesaggio con lavandaie presso un ponte” (€ 37,800).
Great satisfaction also from the proposals of the 19th and 20th century Paintings and Sculptures department, always involved in a scrupulous preparation of catalogues capable of promoting, alongside the traditional most sought-after names, such as the pointillists Emilio Longoni (€ 63,000) and Angelo Morbelli (€ 47,880), authors and works with a great potential of rediscovery such as Silvio Bicchi and Annibale Scaroni.
Chiurazzi Foundry (attr.)
Late 19th-century Neapolitan burnished and gilded bronze flowerpot (h. cm 130; d. cm 105).
Sold € 50,400
Pair of large red marble vases.
Second half of the 18th century (h. cm 260 ca.)
Sold € 35,280
Hubert Robert (Paris, 1733 - Paris, 1808),
"Landscape with Washerwomen at a Bridge", oil on canvas, 51x116 cm. Framed.
Sold € 37,800
Emilio Longoni
“Mattino. Primavera” 1899, oil on canvas glued on cardboard, cm 32x44,5.
Sold € 63,000
No shortage of twists and turns for the niche sectors such as Books and Manuscripts, capable, over time, of carving out an increasingly authoritative role for themselves thus retaining an audience of demanding enthusiasts even across the borders.
An overall more than positive and gratifying balance, which we aim to consolidate in the second half of the year with a varied proposal of items and collections having an excellent curriculum in which high quality specimens will emerge and become a new and alternative form of investment.
Giovanni Battista Piranesi
"Carceri d'invenzione" [Rome: G.B. Piranesi, mid to late 70s XVIII century].
Sold € 42,500