138th Auction

More than 3,000 national and international bidders, including nearly 300 in-person attendees, helped make the Historia auction house's 138th auction another success at its Mühlenbeck location on the outskirts of Berlin. With an offering of more than 4,000 lots, it was necessary to once again use the large halls of Flanerie Mühlenbeck. The extensive selection of 400 pieces of furniture attracted many new customers from the surrounding area, and as expected, some of the highest bids were achieved on Saturday afternoon in front of a packed hall.

A grand Gründerzeit dining room set (Lot 5395) saw its price rise from €6,500 to €55,000, thanks to several phone and online bidders. Two other complete room ensembles (Lots 5399 and 5396) climbed to €15,000 and €14,000, respectively. Also noteworthy was a figurative chair in the shape of a fully carved Phoenix (Lot 5271), which, starting at €2,000, eventually sold to a phone bidder for €9,000.

There were also some surprises on the other days of the five-day auction marathon. Among the paintings, a monumental work by the early-deceased artist Erwin Küsthardt stood out. The multi-figure scene depicting Bismarck reading the French declaration of war was fiercely contested by two museums until a Berlin dealer finally secured it for €16,000.

Two portraits by the Bulgarian portrait artist Nikola Michailow fetched a total of €11,000 and went to the Bulgarian art market (Lots 1100 and 1101). Numerous collectors of East German art were drawn to a small collection of graphics and paintings. For example, a small oil painting by Konrad Knebel, with a starting bid of €600, was raised to €4,500, and another from €400 to €3,000. Among the nearly 600 jewelry lots, a men's Santos Galbee 100 wristwatch stood out, for which a collector paid €10,000.

A Japanese katana also attracted much interest, despite its modest estimate of €250 due to its signature and impeccable, albeit newly mounted, condition. In the end, a Berlin collector was willing to pay more than ten times that amount. While the auction in Mühlenbeck is still being wrapped up, preparations are already underway in Berlin for the upcoming auction in March, which promises to feature some exceptional pieces.

Submissions are requested by mid-February at the premises in Kalckreuthstraße 4-5.