The Onzea-Govaerts Collection - curated by Axel Vervoordt totals $10.8m

29 mars 2025

The Onzea-Govaerts Collection - curated by Axel Vervoordt totals $10.8m

PARIS.- Christie’s presented the sale of The Onzea-Govaerts Collection curated by Axel Vervoordt. This collection of objects and works of art was as exceptional as it was varied, having been assembled from the 1970s onwards by Joris Onzea and Suzanne Govaerts, attracted numerous collectors, including 21% new buyers, and achieved a total of €10M | $10.8M, surpassing the high estimate.

A remarkable set of paintings and works on paper by Rik Wouters, combining a total of €4.2M. A portrait of his wife and muse Nel, Reflets, painted in 1912 from the Collection Lambert was acquired for €2,460,000 (pre-sale estimate: €650,000 – €850,000), establishing the new world record for the artist.

Lot 7. Rik Wouters (1882-1916), Reflets, oil on canvas, 21 5⁄8 x 18 in. Painted in Boitsfort in Summer 1912. Price realised EUR 2,460,000 (Estimation 500 000-700 000 €). © Christie's Images Ltd 2025

The Onzea-Govaerts collection is deeply marked by the meeting of cultures and eras influenced by the encounter of cultures and eras under the keen eye of interior designer Axel Vervoordt. The results achieved in each category illustrate the couple's keen ability to bring together works from the most diverse traditions, including a Concetto Spaziale, Attese by Lucio Fontana, which was sold for €1,068,500, and an Egyptian granite head of Sekhmet was acquired for €819,000. A Roman marble torso of Venus, dated to the 1st century, exceeded its estimate by ten times, achieving €315,000.

Lot 15. Lucio Fontana, Concetto Spaziale, Attese. Peinture à l'eau sur toile, 100,4 x 80,4 cm. Réalisé en 1960. Price realised EUR 1,068,500 (Estimate 700 000-1 000 000 €). © Christie's Images Ltd 2025

Lot 6. An Egyptian granite head of Sekhmet, New Kingdom, 18th dynasty, reign of Amenhotep III, circa 1390-1352 BC: 31.8 cm. Price realised EUR 819,000 (Estimate 600 000-800 000 €). © Christie's Images Ltd 2025

Lot 67. A Roman marble torso of Venus, circa 1st century AD; 58.5 cm high. Price realised EUR 819,000 (Estimate 600 000-800 000 €). © Christie's Images Ltd 2025

In the field of Decorative Arts, the collection also stood out with several notable pieces of silverware, including a set of four Dutch silver candlesticks, by Cornelis de Haan, Rotterdam, 1687, which realized €201,600, far surpassing its estimate of €50,000-80,000, setting a world record for a set of 17th-century Rotterdam silver torches.

Lot 80. A set of four Dutch silver candlesticks, mark of Cornelis De Haan, Rotterdam; each on plain circular domed base, the quatrefoil section stem resting on fluted calyx and with matching nozzles, marked underside of rims; assay marks under base, on nozzle sleeves and drip-pans. H. 31.5 cm; 2211 gr. Price realised EUR 201,600 (Estimate EUR 50,000 – EUR 80,000). © Christie's Images Ltd 2025

The Old Master paintings section also achieved strong results, including Le printemps by Abel Grimmer, which was sold for €504,000, doubling its estimate, and a Vierge à l’Enfant attributed to the master of the Mansi Magdalen, which realized €103,320, against an estimate of €30,000-50,000.

Lot 3. Abel Grimmer (Anvers, 1570-1619), The Spring. Oil on panel, 31 x 43 cm. Price realised EUR 504,000 (Estimate EUR 250,000 – EUR 350,000). © Christie's Images Ltd 2025

Lot 21. Attributed to the master of the Mansi Magdalen (Active circa 1520-1530), Virgin and Child. Oil on gold ground, shaped to the top panel, 40.3 x 28.33 cm. Price realised EUR 103,320 (Estimate EUR 30,000 – EUR 50,000). © Christie's Images Ltd 2025

Furthermore, 13 African sculptures were also featured in the sale, including a Baulé statue from Côte d'Ivoire, which reached €107,100, well above the high estimate.

Lot 8. Baule Figure attributed to The "Essankro Master", Ivory Coast, 41.5 cm high. Price realised EUR 107,100 (Estimate EUR 60,000 – EUR 80,000). © Christie's Images Ltd 2025

Finally, the Louvre Museum preempted part of the dinner service of King George III of the United Kingdom (lot 17), considered one of the largest and most important services made at the end of the 18th century.

Lot 17. A Louis XVI silver Royal part table service of King George III of the United Kingdom, Mark of Claude-Auguste Aubry, Paris, 1783. Preempted by the Louvre Museum for EUR 107,100 (Estimate EUR 60,000 – EUR 80,000). © Christie's Images Ltd 2025

THE TABLE SERVICE OF KING GEORGE III
The table service of King George III is considered one of the greatest and most significant services produced in the late 18th century.
King George III succeeded his grandfather, George I, as Elector of Hanover and was the first Hanoverian monarch to be born and educated in England. Upon his accession, he declared, "I glory in the name of Briton." Although he never visited Hanover, George took an interest in its prosperity and decided in 1770 to commission a service consisting of the Hanoverian Service for 60 to 72 people and the Hildesheim Service for 30 to 32 people.

Robert-Joseph Auguste was chosen in 1772 to create the Hanoverian Service, later referred to in the inventories as "Service A." As soon as the first pieces were delivered, the king, seeking to save costs, had them copied by the Hanoverian court goldsmith, Frantz Peter Bunsen, who used high-quality silver of 15 lots to match the Parisian standard.

The flatware was part of the fourth and by far the most significant delivery, made in September 1784, which included 216 plates, various serving dishes, and 144 sets of flatware. As was customary for such large services, Robert-Joseph Auguste subcontracted the flatware production to Claude-Auguste Aubry. Aubry, who became a master in 1758 after an apprenticeship under Jacques Duguay and Simon Gallien, specialised in flatware, working regularly for Auguste and supplying, among other commissions, a dessert service for Empress Catherine II.

The service was widely used for court entertainments and by the three younger sons of King George III, who attended the University of Göttingen and spent a great deal of time in Hanover. However, after Napoleon's invasion in 1803, the service was sent to Windsor Castle. In 1805, it was used during a grand German-themed celebration described by Miss Lucy Kennedy, lady-in-waiting to Queen Charlotte: "great preparations have been making for a month past, new furniture, pictures removed and a great collection of very fine new ones…there is also the magnificent plate which was brought over from Hanover" (Kennedy Diary, The MS Diary of Miss Lucy Kennedy, Royal Library Windsor, cited in Olwen Hedley, Queen Charlotte, 1975, pp. 221-222).

The service remained in Windsor until 1814, when it was finally sent back to Hanover, which had by then been elevated to the status of a Kingdom under Ernest Augustus of Hanover (1771–1851), Duke of Cumberland, who was crowned in 1837. Additional plates, serving dishes, and flatware were made by Franz Anton Nübell and Johann Christian Peter Neuthard, with some aesthetic modifications introduced to accommodate the new Russian-style service. However, Ernest Augustus only had his father’s coat of arms added to 2,226 pieces in 1841.

During the Austro-Prussian War of 1866, Hanover was invaded and absorbed into the new German state. The service was transported to Austria, and in 1924, a large portion was sold to the dealer J. Glückselig und Sohn, who resold it that same year to the English merchants Crichton Brothers.
Part of the service was then acquired by Louis Cartier, including these lots, which was later sold at Sotheby’s Monaco on November 25–27, 1979, while another portion was purchased by the French branch of the Rothschild family.

Posté par Alain Truong à 13:06 - Commentaires […] - Permalien [#]

Tags: Auctions, egyptian, New Kingdom, Sekhmet, Amenhotep III, Onzea-Govaerts Collection, Roman, Venus, Dutch silver, candlestick, Cornelis De Haan, Abel Grimmer, master of the Mansi Magdalen, Virgin and Child, Baule Figure, The "Essankro Master", Ivory Coast, Louis XVI, George III, Claude-Auguste Aubry