Our recent Stephan Welz & Co.'s Decorative and Fine Art Auction in Cape Town recorded a couple of record sales. Herewith a few that I thought may be of interest for possible use, namely:

1. Capetonian Peter Clarke, who is considered one of South Africa’s most important living South African artists, two paintings fetched double their estimates. ‘Ruined Houses at Simon’s Town’, which depicts Clarke’s childhood home after his family was forcibly moved to Ocean View as a result of the Group Areas Act, was estimated at R180 000 to R200 000, but sold for R504 000, while ‘Netball Players’, estimated at R100 000 to R 120 000, went for R268 800.

2. A collection of Dutch engraved VOC glasses and decanter was estimated at R27 000 to R35 000 and sold for R212 800.

3. A cabinet from legendary pop artist Andy Warhol was estimated at R15 000 to R18 000 and sold for R134 400.

I have attached a full press release below outlining these and other highlights for consideration below. I've also attached pics of the items mentioned - I have more on file and at higher res should you require. If you wish to chat to Anton Welz for further comment, please let me know and I will assist accordingly.

Best wishes

Natalie

October 2012

Press Release

From Cape to China: Stephan Welz Auction ‘Sales’ from One Empire to the Next

Based on the big sellers at the recent Stephan Welz & Co. Decorative and Fine Art Auction in Cape Town, buyers couldn’t decide which era and locale they loved more: the historic Cape of Good Hope or the exotic, far away land of China.

A collection of Dutch engraved VOC glasses and decanter evoked more than just thoughts of the early days of the Spice Route and its resultant Cape settlement. The glassware, which was previously on loan as part of the Vergelegen Collection on the Vergelegen Wine Estate, was estimated at R27 000 to R35 000, but sold for R212 800. Underscoring the value of these early Cape goods was the R89 600 sale of a fine Cape yellowwood and stinkwood inlaid kist from the 19th century, with an original estimate of R22 000 to R25 000.

The works of Capetonian Peter Clarke, who is considered one of South Africa’s most important living South African artists, were also a popular draw, with two of his paintings fetching double their estimates. ‘Ruined Houses at Simon’s Town’, which depicts Clarke’s childhood home after his family was forcibly moved to Ocean View as a result of the Group Areas Act, was estimated at R180 000 to R200 000, but sold for R504 000, while ‘Netball Players’, estimated at R100 000 to R 120 000, went for R268 800.

Changing its course from Cape to China, the Stephan Welz & Co. auction impressed all with the sale of an 18th Century Northern Chinese red lacquered cupboard from the Qing Dynasty, which garnered R112 000, nearly tripling its estimate of R30 000 to R 40 000. “The collectors’ market at the moment is hot for pieces from China’s past,” says Shona Robie, Director and Ceramics Specialist of Stephan Welz & Co.’s Cape Town office. “Their value to collectors is derived as much from their symbolic meaning and traditional beauty as it is from their actual worth, for the finest of these pieces tells us priceless stories about the way the Chinese people have lived over the past two millennia.”

Exemplifying this trend is the much talked about 1900-year-old Han Dynasty Chinese grey pottery Ox, which sold for R784 000. Estimated at R400 000 – R600 000, the ox is a superb example of a ‘spirit good’ from the Western Han Dynasty, and is possibly the first in this style to be auctioned in South Africa, said Robie.

A far cry from the meticulous craftsmanship of Chinese artisans was the funky six-door cabinet decorated with dollar signs, created by legendary pop artist Andy Warhol in 1982. The cabinet was estimated at R15 000 to R18 000, but sold for R134 400. “It’s a work that epitomizes Warhol’s take on the era of decadence and consumerism, made by the icon himself,” says Anton Welz, Director of Stephan Welz & Co. “And after all, who wouldn’t want to join the club of legendary celebrities like Mick Jagger and Liza Minnelli, and own an original Warhol?”

ENDS