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20th-century jewelry

Quittenbaum devotes auction to 20th-century jewelry Dec. 12

20th-century jewelry
Othmar Zschaler, necklace, 1969. Estimate: €20,000–€24,000. Quittenbaum image

MUNICH – Quittenbaum Kunstauktionen will hold its first auction dedicated exclusively to jewelry of the 20th century on Wednesday, Dec. 12. Absentee and Internet live bidding is available through LiveAuctioneers.

The works of Dusseldorf-based goldsmith Friedrich Becker, from the collection of the late Ellen Sauter, had met with huge interest last year and received record prices. The offer, comprising 155 lots unites many important names and excellent works of art. Not only one, but two private collections were offered to us, thus presenting a cross-section of 100 years of jewelry.

20th-century jewelry
Nanna Ditzel, brooch, made by Georg Jensen, Copenhagen. Estimate: €800–€1,000. Quittenbaum image

Humanity has adorned itself for centuries, but it was the 20th century when jewelry design gained a lot in importance. It is a point of intersection between fine art and applied art, uniting design, architecture, painting, sculpture and conceptual art. The goldsmith acts as a crafter and an artist. They use gold, silver, other precious metals and many other materials freely, experimenting with concepts and shapes. Brooches look like tiny sculptures, the kinetic art of the 1960s shows clearly in some of the works, painterly effects or minimalistic tendencies, belong into the broad range of the design of the last century. The auction offers the high-quality results of this high-contrast and exciting development.

20th-century jewelry
Arnaldo Pomodoro, kinetic pendant, 1967. Estimate: €4,000–€6,000. Quittenbaum image

A German private collection in the auction consists of 42 objects by award-winning gold- and silversmiths. They are of great importance for the development of the modern-day jewelry design and artist jewelry in Germany. The collector, who chose the works with the utmost care, acquired all but a few pieces directly from the artists themselves. Among the highlights of the offer are works by Hermann Jünger and Klaus Ullrich. Othmar Zschaler, Ebbe Weiss-Weingart and Jens Rüdiger Lorenzen.

20th-century jewelry
Hermann Juenger, altar crucifix, 1967. Estimate: €10,000–€15,000. Quittenbaum image

The second private collection is from Belgium and is composed of 84 lots and includes diverse works by international designers and artists such as Arnaldo Pomodoro, Line Vautrin and Swedish designer Vivianna Torun Bülow-Hübe, whose designs were made by the Georg Jensen firm. The auction catalog reflects the broad aesthetic sense of the two collectors. Next to elegant necklaces, bracelets and rings that adorn their wearer on an everyday basis, unusual, extremely artistic works of art with a more object-like character can be found as well.

The two collections are completed with 29 other high-quality works from different provenances.

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20th-century jewelry