16th-century style helmet, estimated at €3,500-€7,000. Images courtesy of Hermann Historica and LiveAuctioneers
MUNICH, Germany – Once again, Hermann Historica is opening its virtual doors for an online-only auction from Monday, June 26 to Friday, June 30. Comprising almost 3,000 objects, the five sales cover antiquities, art and antiques, firearms and armor, with numerous rarities from near and far thrown in for good measure that are guaranteed to spark fierce bidding wars. Absentee and Internet live bidding will be available through LiveAuctioneers.
Works of Art, Antiques, Ancient and Asian Art, June 26
This sale opens the highly anticipated series of June auctions with a lineup of nearly 650 lots. Among the antiquities, a slew of intaglios from Greece deserve a special mention (lots 5034 – 5038). Their intricate motifs skillfully wrought, these showpieces are sure to meet with collectors’ approval. Worthy of singling out is an example that shows Helios surrounded by signs of the zodiac, which has an estimate of €1,600-€3,200.
From ancient Italy comes a Sardinian bronze votive offering that is shaped like a bull. The early Iron Age animal sculpture, probably dating from the 8th to the 7th century B.C., is particularly expressive and unusually awe-inspiring in style and carries an estimate of €5,000-€10,000.
Dating from the 18th or 19th century, a bronze-mounted box in rock crystal made in Tibet or Nepal is sure to attract attention. The sumptuously embellished rounded container, studded with turquoises, corals and polished gemstones, has an estimate of €2,000-€4,000.
Another compelling piece is a pocket watch by the prestigious Swiss brand Longines. Offered in its original presentation case with a velvet insert and having mechanical movement with manual winding, this 18K gold timepiece is estimated at €3,200-€6,400.
Also featured in the June 26 sale is a small yet fine collection of cameras and accessories. Among the nearly 30 lots, most of which were developed or produced by the legendary Zeiss company, is an ultra-wide angle camera from the early 1970s. The Hologon construction with a gradient filter is modestly estimated at €500-€1,000.
Antique Arms and Armor, June 27
Collectors will be glued to their screens, enticed by the wealth of pieces among the almost 175 lots of the June arms and armor sale. Sure to cause a flurry of excitement is a 1923 silver-mounted kindjal that is truly a sight to behold. Its silver hilt is embellished with engraved, delicately wrought nielloed ornaments, and it is estimated at €500-€1,000.
Equally alluring is a 16th-century style helmet, estimated at €3,500-€7,000. The closed eye area gives the consummate collector’s reproduction a truly formidable aspect. The tour-de-force would strike terror into the heart of the enemy on the battlefield.
A skillful replica of a Milton shield is particularly striking, as it is lavishly adorned with scenes from John Milton’s famous epic poem Paradise Lost. The original was presented at the 1867 Paris World Exposition by goldsmith Leonard Morel-Ladeuil. At Hermann Historica, this reproduction boasts an estimate of €1,500-€3,000.
Fine Antique and Modern Firearms, June 28
Fans of antique and modern firearms are in for a real treat with this auction, which has an astounding 985 lots to choose from. It begins with civil firearms, led by a Teschen flintlock rifle. Composed of old parts, this splendid flintlock with its intricate tendril and grotesque decoration has an estimate of €4,500-€9,000.
Lot number 7042 is a magnum opus, wrought with the greatest craftsmanship. The deluxe pair of chiseled miquelet pistols comes all the way from the tiny Spanish town of Eibar. Adorned with finely chased, partially gold-inlaid decorative tendrils, the pair is estimated at €6,500-€13,000.
The Korth revolver, a triple-lock test version of which just 25 were produced, has an extremely rare triple locking action on the cylinder. One appears in the June 28 auction with an estimate of €2,500-€5,000.
Another standout is a Finnish standard pistol Lahti L-35, type I, including the original detachable stock, which is seldom found on the market. Just 50 such stocks were built in 1937, yet the firearm was never established for military use. The one on offer is estimated at €5,000-€10,000.
The most expensive lot in the auction is an experimental pistol VKT. A mere 26 of these Finnish test weapons were manufactured in the 1944 series; this one has an estimate of €12,000-€24,000.
Orders and Military Collectibles Until 1918, June 29
Just under 500 lots will change hands in this fourth sale of the June Hermann Historica series. Among the insignia, the Military Order of Merit is one spectacular highlight. Produced by Hemmerle between 1905 and 1918, the Officer’s Cross with Crown and Swords carries an estimate of €1,000-€2,000.
A bust of Napoleon I, cast between 1830 and 1840, is a highly imposing portrait. Acclaimed Parisian sculptor and medalist David d’Angers designed the bronze statue while Napoleon was Consul of France. The eminent likeness has an estimate of €800-€1,600.
Coming from the Prussian Royal House of Frederick I or Frederick III, Elector of Brandenburg, is an expressive hunting hanger dating from his reign (1688 – 1713) and estimated at €1,500-€3,000. It is distinguished and enhanced by its ornamental etchings, crowned eagle and three-dimensional lion’s head pommel.
Orders and Military Collectibles From 1919 Onwards, June 30
A slate of 615 lots will be offered in this fifth and final auction in the group, which will include figurines made by the Allach porcelain factory. The first is a Frisian peasant woman, the second a Hessian farmer, both based on designs by sculptor and modeler Richard Forster. The undamaged colored porcelain figurines each have individual estimates of €2,500-€5,000.
Lot number 9319, a full parade dress for a Hauptfeldwebel or sergeant major in Ludwigsburg Infantry Regiment No. 13, is guaranteed to ensure plenty of bidding skirmishes. The tunic was made to measure in fine gabardine, and the matching stone-gray trousers sport white piping. The ensemble is estimated at €600-€1,200.
Rounding out the offerings is an exceedingly rare steel helmet, dating from 1944 or 1945, worn by a crew member on a Shinyo kamikaze boat. These helmets were designed to protect the Shinyo crew from enemy fire on their boats directly before carrying out their suicide mission. The example in the June 30 sale carries an estimate of €4,500-€9,000.
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The current rate of exchange is €1 = $1.08.
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