end of the 17th century

Nervousness on the market... again On 24 March, Koller‘s Spring Auctions started with an extraordinary auction for Silver, Porcelain and Faience, reaching a total of CHF 2.1 million for the day. Out of over 200 lots, 150 found a buyer. A packed auction room and approximately 200 international telephone bidders caused quite a stir, with many bidders trying to outbid one another. At CHF 444 000, the silver drinking vessel by the Augsburg master Heinrich Winterstein, designed as a ship, sold for more than 3... [Lire la suite]

Pendant. Gold filigree and pearls; 11 x 11,5 cm. Spain, circa 1670. Photo courtesy Deborah Elvira A two part filigree structure in a bow shape, covered in pearls, with a cluster of bigger gems in the middle. This type of jewel, known in Spanish as corbatas were popular towards the end of the 17th century, set either with pearls or gemstones (see the portrait of María Luisa de Orléans, by Carreño de Miranda, in the Royal Monastery of Guadalupe ). However, examples like this are rare as such delicate work is so fragile that it has... [Lire la suite]