Koller View 1/20 English

1| 20
Golden
Middle Ages
PAGES 4/5
Astronomical
Precision
PAGES 12/13
Corot and
Liebermann
PAGES 16/17

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Ladies and gentlemen,
Dear clients and friends,
In our spring auctions we are pleased to offer a selection of works of art that have been in private collections
for decades – some even for centuries. Important objects that have long been out of public view will now
be auctioned, some for the first time. These exquisite collections are the expression of a pronounced will
to discover and preserve the extraordinary, to assemble rarities and to initiate dialogues between works of
art and periods. Many of these objects tell stories and have histories that retain their fascination, even in the
21st
century.
Today we can admire the timeless elegance of an 18th
-century Lieutaud chest of drawers as well as the tech-
nical sophistication of a marquetry “table mécanique” from the Roentgen workshop (pp. 8/9). Other works
bear witness to the deeply religious practices prevalent in the Middle Ages (pp. 3/4), to the enlightened striv-
ing for knowledge of nature (p. 13) or to the adventurous and successful life of a Bernese patrician in the
Piedmont-Sardinian army (p. 14).
Inacatalogueofitsownwepresentafinecollectionof19th
and20th
centuryworksofart–fromCorot,Boudin,
and Fantin-Latour to Liebermann, Corinth and Purrmann.
I would be delighted to welcome you personally to our premises in the Hardturmstrasse. And I invite you to
make a virtual visit via our website, where you can view all the works that we will auction from 23 to 27 March.
Yours,
Cyril Koller
OURview. P. 2
Editorial
PREview. P. 3– 17
Preview of the March 2020 Auctions
REview. P. 18 / 19
Review of the December 2019 Auctions
OVERview. P. 19
Contacts
CALENDARview. P. 20
A Bohemian pietra dura plaque. 17th
century. Attributable to the workshop of
Giovanni Castrucci. 40 × 52 cm. Estimate: CHF 15 000/25 000
KOLLERview is published four times annually, in English and in German.
Edition: 16 000 copies. Next issue: June 2020.
All auction results include buyer’s premium.
1 CHF = € 0.94 (as of 7 February 2020)
Cover: Fede Galizia (see p. 15)
Texts: Dr Tilo Richter
Layout: Laura Koller
Translations: Karl Green
Photography: Koller Auctions Ltd

3
Furniture & Decorative Arts Auction on 26 March 2020
Treasure from Limoges
The old bishopric of Limoges became the undisputed
centre of the elaborate craft of “Limousine enamel” as
early as the 12th
century. The exquisite small-format
reliquary shrines and boxes made there were among
the best and most valuable that goldsmiths and enam-
ellers could produce. Reliquaries from Limoges such
as the one shown here, to be sold on 26 March (ill. 1)
remained influential for centuries: as late as the 19th
century, replicas were still being made in the style of
the 13th
century.
Christian religious worship is based on belief in the im-
perishability of the Holy Body of Christ as well as in the
special powers of the remains of martyrs and saints,
handed down in so-called miracle reports, which con-
veymuchofthereligiosityandideasofsalvationoftheir
time. Since the 8th
century, the Church has endeav-
oured to endow every altar with a relic. Reliquaries were
used for the storage of venerable sanctuaries, such as
the bones or bone splinters of a saint or textile frag-
ments that were said to have a religious context.
Reliquaries from the first half of the 13th
century, such
as the one offered here, could have served to store the
remainsofasaint'sbonesorwoodensplintersfromthe
cross. After the conquest of Constantinople during the
Fourth Crusade in 1204, tiny splinters of the cross were
distributed throughout Europe as venerable relics, of-
ten in cross-shaped reliquaries. In addition, “speaking”
reliquaries were created, in which the outer form of the
reliquarywasdeterminedbythebodypartwithin.Other
formsincludedphilatories,andlatermonstrances,which
were glass-framed cases through which the relic or
consecrated host was visible. Special forms of reliquary
worship exist to this day during processions honouring
patron saints, or pilgrimages, in which relics are the fo-
cus of often elaborately staged ceremonies.
The gable-roofed lid of the reliquary in the 26 March
auction depicts scenes from the Marian legend: the
Annunciation, the birth of Christ and the flight to Egypt.
The hinged lid is surmounted by five small spheres; two
are made of rock crystal, and the middle one is com-
pleted by a cross. The sides of the box are adorned
with busts of angels in circular medallions, surrounded
by stylised vines. This highly decorative object is exe-
cuted in coloured champlevé enamel. In this process,
liquid enamel – here in lapis-lazuli blue, white and red –
fills cavities that have previously been made in the fire-
gilt copper base material. In this way, the enamel and
metal fuse to form the surface. Enamel colours consist
ofthefondant,acolourlessmassofglasswhichgetsits
colouring by adding various metal oxides; for example,
opaque white enamel is created by adding tin oxide.
This reliquary was once part of the extensive art col-
lection of Ole Olsen (1863–1943), who founded Nor-
disk Film A/S in 1906, the oldest extant film production
company in the world.
1 A Gothic enamel reliquary. Limoges, 2nd half
13th
century. 20.5 × 8 × 15.5 cm.
Estimate: CHF 70 000/120 000
2 Third Bessarion Master. Leaf from a gradual with
an historiated initial B. Bologna, Ferrara 1455–60.
Estimate: CHF 25 000/35 000
(Manuscripts, Auction 23 March 2020)
1
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION
FURNITURE
Stephan Koller
skoller@kollerauctions.com
ONLINE CATALOGUES
www.kollerauctions.com
2

4
1 Maestro della Misericordia (active 1370–1400). Cru-
cifixion. Tempera on gold ground panel. 48 × 23 cm.
2 Workshop of Pieter Coecke van Aelst (1502–1550).
Two wings from an altarpiece: Joseph and Balthasar.
Oil on panel. 70.5 × 24.5 cm each.
3 Bicci di Lorenzo (1373‒1452). Mystic marriage of
Saint Catherine. Oil on gold ground panel.
162 × 81 cm. Estimate: CHF 250 000/350 000
Old Master Paintings Auction on 27 March 2020
Tales on gold ground
The panel with the Crucifixion of Christ (ill. 1) of-
fered in our 27 March auction may have served as the
centre of a winged altarpiece of private devotion. The
figures depicted – Mary, Mary Magdalene and Saint
John – show their stunned emotions at the moment
of Christ's death. With this panel (most likely published
for the first time here), the Maestro della Misericor-
dia succeeds in sensitively rendering the Florentine
artistic achievements of the period following Giotto;
and likely reflects the master's intensive study of
works by Taddeo Gaddi and Bernardo Daddi.
Bicci di Lorenzo's Mystic Marriage of Saint Catherine
(ill. 3) treats a motif of a highly symbolic nature. Saint
Catherine of Alexandria was venerated as a martyr
and is considered to be one of the four virgines capital-
es, the capital virgins. Many surviving depictions show
the Christ Child, Mary and Catherine, accompanied by
John the Baptist and Alexander the Great acting as
witnesses to the marriage. Di Lorenzo's iconography
concentrates on the main characters. As a sign of her
martyrdom, Catherine wears a red robe that stands
out sharply against the gold ground and connects
her visually with Mary. The monumental format of the
panel offered here suggests that it formed the cen-
tre of a large altarpiece and was probably flanked by
representations of standing saints. This motif, on the
threshold between late Gothic and early Renaissance,
refers to the legend according to which Catherine had
a vision of a mystical engagement to Christ. St. Cath-
erine was venerated especially in the nunneries that
were emerging at the time, and it is possible that the
panel was originally made for such a place.
Bicci di Lorenzo was born into an artistic dynasty and
was a highly successful painter. As the son of Loren-
zo di Bicci (circa 1350–1427), he took over his father's
flourishing workshop, which received numerous com-
missions in and around Florence during the early 15th
century. In 1452, after Bicci di Lorenzo's death, it would
be continued in the third generation by his son, the
busy Neri di Bicci (1418–1492). Bicci learned his craft
first from his father, and later in the workshops of
Spinello Aretino and Agnolo Gaddi. Bicci's works on
panel, most of them on splendid gilded backgrounds,
take part in a tradition that dates back to the 14th
cen-
tury and may even be specifically Sienese. More than
the numerous frescoes with which he was commis-
sioned,theyreflecttheartofthegreatestmasterswho
worked in the Tuscan triangle between Lucca, Arezzo
and Grosseto. Today, some of his works on panel can
still be found in their traditional religious contexts, and
others are in the collections of important museums,
such as the Vatican Picture Gallery and the Metropoli-
tan Museum in New York.
Two narrow wings of a triptych depicting Joseph and
Balthasar (ill. 2) are evidence of the outstanding paint-
erly quality and high standard of the workshop of Peter
Coecke van Aelst (1502–1550). Van Aelst was a pupil of
Bernard van Orley, and worked in Antwerp from around
1522 onwards. Only five years later he was master of
the St Luke's Guild there, and was later the teacher of
his son-in-law, Pieter Brueghel the Elder.
2
1
OLD MASTER PAINTINGS
Karoline Weser
weser@kollerauctions.com
ONLINE CATALOGUES

7
Auction of the Dr Paul and UrsulaMüller-Frei Collection on 24 March 2020
Meissen figurines have for centuries been among the
ne plus ultra of European ceramic art. In 1702 Augustus
the Strong, Elector of Saxony, who by his own admis-
sion suffered from the maladie de porcelaine, hired
the young alchemist Johann Friedrich Böttger to make
gold from metal so that the regent could continue to
buy expensive Chinese porcelain. Although Böttger
wasboundtofailatthattask,in1707,insteadofmaking
gold he succeeded in producing red porcelain stone-
ware, called jasper porcelain, and a year later, created
the first white hard-paste porcelain in Europe. Thus be-
gan the now 300-year history of the Royal Polish and
Electoral Saxon Porcelain Manufactory in the town of
Meissen. Since 1722, Meissen porcelain has been rec-
ognizedaroundtheworldbyitsfamouscrossedswords
mark.
The blossoming of Rococo coincided with the phe-
nomenal rise of the Meissen Porcelain Manufactory.
Works by the legendary designer and modeler Johann
Joachim Kändler (1706–1775) belong to this early
phase of Meissen production. Augustus the Strong
recognized Kändler's talent early on and appointed
him court sculptor. Meissen's success was inseparably
linked with Kändler's skill. His naturalistic depictions of
animals and especially his elegant figures and figural
groups are the embodiment of perfect craftsmanship
and aesthetic perfection.
TwoingeniousgroupsbasedonKändler'sdesigns,from
the private collection of Dr Paul and Ursula Müller-Frei,
will be offered on 24 March (ill. 1). Kändler was inspired
by “The Rake’s Progress”, a series of
paintings by the satirical English artist
William Hogarth, illustrating the dec-
adent lifestyle of a rich heir. Kändler
used porcelain to recreate individual events from
this story, removing them from their original con-
text and thus transforming them into true-to-life
genre scenes. The Harlequin with Jug figurine
(ill. 4) is light and carefree, modelled on Venetian
comedians who performed at the Dresden Opera
House near the Zwinger Palace in Kändler's day.
Today, Kändler's works are found in important mu-
seums, notably the Historical Museum in Basel,
where the highly significant porcelain collection of
the Pauls-Eisenbeiss Foundation includes one of the
most extensive Kändler collections in the world. The
two groups of figures in the March auction once be-
longed to Baron Maurice de Rothschild (1881–1957),
who founded the Swiss branch of the famous French
aristocratic family in Geneva.
The single-owner auction of the Müller-Frei Collection
comprises some 300 lots, including important English
silver, Old Master paintings, 18th
century furniture and
porcelain.
1 An important Meissen group of lovers with a bird
cage. Circa 1736. The model by Johann Joachim
Kändler. H 12.7 cm. Estimate: CHF 40 000/60 000
2 An Elizabeth I silver-gilt cup. London, 1576.
Maker’s mark A?. H 21.5 cm. 480 g.
3 A Charles II silver chocolate cup. London, circa 1680.
Maker’s mark Ralph Leake. H 11.8 cm. 300 g.
4 A Meissen figure of Harlequin with a jug. Circa 1740.
The model by Johann Joachim Kändler, 1738.
H 16.3 cm. Estimate: CHF 20 000/30 000
5 A fine Doucai vase. China, Yongzheng Mark and
of the period (1723–1735). H 13 cm.
6 A Louis XV “table à combinaisons”. France circa
1760. Stamped by Denis Genty. 70 × 55 × 41 cm.
White gold from Meissen
2
6
2
5
3
4

8
Furniture Decorative Arts Auction on 26 March 2020
Two exceptional pieces of furniture are highlights of the
Decorative Arts auction on 26 March: a chest of draw-
ers by the ébéniste François Lieutaud (ca. 1665–1748),
which was originally owned by the Ansbach court, and
a “table mécanique” with magnificent marquetry, from
the workshop of the virtuoso furniture designer Abra-
ham Roentgen (1711–1793).
The Baroque chest of drawers (ill. 1), created around
1728/30, was probably commissioned by the
Margrave of Brandenburg-Ansbach, Carl-Friedrich-
Wilhelm (1712–1757), who later gave the valuable
commode to one of his ministers, Count Christoph
Friedrich von Seckendorff-Aberdar (1679–1759). This
stately piece of furniture is a product of the mature
aesthetic movement in French furniture design short-
ly after the reign of Louis XIV, and can be dated to the
Régence period, around 1730. Although not signed,
the Seckendorff chest of drawers can be attributed
with certainty to François Lieutaud. The bronze es-
cutcheons and sabots cast for the Seckendorff chest
of drawers are outstanding decorative elements that
point towards their creator: they can be found in vari-
ous works by Lieutaud, for example on a bureau plat in
the Ansbach Residence stamped by him. This chest of
drawers is thus part of a larger set commissioned from
the ébéniste. François Lieutaud came from a family of
sculptors. After training as a master carpenter in Mar-
seille, he developed his skills as a cabinetmaker in early
18th
-century Paris, and was strongly influenced by the
master furniture artist André-Charles Boulle. Later,
Lieutaud himself was an important inspiration for the
generations that followed him, especially for furniture
makers in Germany, such as the Ansbach court cabi-
netmaker Martin Schuhmacher.
The second work appears at first glance to be a simple
table with sweeping curves, but on closer inspection it
turns out to be a mechanical piece of furniture, a “table
mécanique”(ill.2).Whentherichlyinlaidtopisopened,a
small secretary, which had previously been completely
concealed,canbeliftedoutoftheinterioratthepushof
a button. The mechanism of the furniture as well as the
marquetry are both characteristic of a central figure of
mid-18th century furniture craftsmanship. The ingen-
ious inventor Abraham Roentgen, who learned his craft
during years of travel in the Netherlands and England,
developed ever new combinations of sophisticated
mechanisms that astonished the public. At the same
time, his virtuoso use of exquisite materials enabled
him to create marquetry work in a particularly artistic
manner. In this table, the panel depicts an imaginative
plantarrangement,withexoticflowers,fruitsandsong-
birds as well as all kinds of colourful insects. Roentgen
used various precious woods for these inlays, including
rosewood and tulipwood. For a varied appearance, he
fire-shaded the wood or tinted it in colour.
Over time, the Roentgen studio developed its own
technique, the so-called marquetry à la mosaïque. In
this method, and as seen in the present table, instead
of engraving and colouring larger areas as is usually the
case, the smallest wooden parts are sawn out and re-
assembled into a mosaic. The much finer shadow and
lighteffectsachievedinthiswayinRoentgen'smarque-
try were described as painting in wood.
1 The Seckendorff commode by Francois Lieutaud.
France, Paris circa 1728/30. 80 × 130 × 65 cm.
Estimate: CHF 150 000/250 000
2 A Rococo finely inlaid “table mécanique”. Neuwied
circa 1760/65. Workshop of Abraham and David
Roentgen. 87 × 88 × 99 cm (open).
Design in the 18th
century
1
FURNITURE
Stephan Koller
ONLINE CATALOGUES

10
Charles François Lacroix de Marseille (circa 1700-1782).
A pair of Mediterranean harbour views. 1776. Oil on canvas.
106.7 × 146.5 cm and 108.3 × 149.3 cm.
Estimate: CHF 200 000/300 000
While Charles François Laçroix de Marseille is known for his
numerous marine and idealised landscapes which he of-
ten made in pairs and in smaller formats, ambitious com-
positions of the size of the port views offered here are also
characteristic of his oeuvre. Very little is known about his
early artistic work. Because of striking stylistic parallels to
works by Claude-Joseph Vernet (1714–1789), it is gener-
ally accepted that Lacroix was Vernet’s student. Lacroix
de Marseille enjoyed great popularity during his lifetime
among both Italian and French collectors. These two at-
mospheric and detailed Mediterranean harbour views
were in an important Swiss private collection for over two
decades and are excellent examples of Lacroix de Mar-
seille’s masterly late work.
Jan van Goyen (1596–1656). River landscape with castle ruins. Oil on panel. 41 × 61 cm. Estimate: CHF 60 000/80 000
TypicalofvanGoyen'spaintingsarethereducedpaletteandthestaggereddepthsofthemotifs.Hismonochromywasastyle-formingelement
for realist Dutch landscape painting and greatly influenced his contemporaries such as Salomon van Ruysdael (around 1600–1670) and Aelbert
Cuyp (1620–1691).
Silver from the Müller-Frei Collection,
auction on 24 March 2020
Important European silver is among the highlights
of the Müller-Frei collection, which comprises
some 300 lots offered in a single-owner auction.

13
Furniture Decorative Arts auction on 26 March 2020
Symbol of an entire era
Copernicus, Galileo, Keppler, Newton – some of the
most important European scholars devoted them-
selves over centuries to the study of astronomical re-
lationships and the laws of our solar system. An impor-
tantpartoftheirresearchwasaimedatprovingthatthe
Earth is part of a heliocentric solar system and that the
Church's geocentric world view was outdated. There is
no question that such considerations shook the foun-
dations of their time. In the Inquisition proceedings
against Galileo Galilei, this conflict between science
and the Church reached its most extreme point. In light
of this historical background it is all the more interest-
ing to consider the material evidence of this revolution.
The astronomical clock by François Ducommun to be
offered on 26 March is an eloquent example of the em-
bodiment of Enlightenment theories in everyday life
and interiors.
This clock, elaborately crafted around 1820, served
above all to impressively visualise the very slow move-
ments of celestial bodies in the firmament. The sun is
at the centre of the precisely coordinated construction
that surmounts the clock. An enamelled globe repre-
senting the earth slowly moves around the sun over
the course of a year. The globe also rotates once on
its own axis every 24 hours, and is in turn orbited every
29.5 days by an enamelled moon sphere. Thus the as-
tronomical interplay of a star, a planet and its moon are
demonstrated precisely and vividly. The chronometer
that strikes the hour is located in close and evident
connection with the superordinate system responsi-
ble for the course of the day, month and year. Last but
not least, the dial contains twelve enamel cartouches
decorated with the signs of the zodiac, referring to still
other complex astronomical relationships.
AN ESTEEMED MASTER
The Swiss watchmaker François Ducommun-dit-
Boudry (1763–1839) was part of an internationally re-
nowned family of watchmakers in La Chaux-de-Fonds:
his father, Abram Ducommun (1723–1797), was a mas-
ter watchmaker and specialized in the manufacture of
planetariums, and François’s maternal grandfather,
Josué Robert (1691–1771), was the royal court watch-
maker to King Frederick William I of Prussia.
François Ducommun's creations enjoyed great pop-
ularity because of their aesthetic elegance combined
with the finest technical complexity. A talented crafts-
man, he made precision tools for watchmakers as well
as creating barometers, compasses, metric scales,
graphometers, spirit levels, pantographs, sextants,
thermometers and other scientific instruments. His
most impressive achievement is certainly the large
planetary clock completed in 1817 and now on dis-
play in the International Watchmaking Museum in
La Chaux-de-Fonds, which presents a perpetual cal-
endar and our planetary system as it was known at the
beginning of the 19th
century. In addition, he created
a series of Copernican clocks, from which the one
shown here also originates. A similar model of this as-
tronomical clock, but with a brass case, is in the Beyer
Clock and Watch Museum in Zurich. Three of the nine
table clocks of this series known today are in the col-
lection of the International Watchmaking Museum, and
one with an alabaster case is nearly identical to the one
being offered on 26 March.
A particularly rare and at the same time revealing his-
torical document is the portrait of François Ducommun
(ill. 2), which shows him with one of his creations. This
portrait, in the collection of the International Watch-
making Museum, was painted around 1820/30 and not
only testifies to Ducommun's status but also to the
social position of the entire watchmaking guild at that
time. These extraordinary timepieces were not the
work of anonymous craftsmen, but of highly esteemed
masters, both in Switzerland and abroad, who were
able to combine complex engineering technology with
excellent design at the highest level in their renowned
manufactories. The legendary reputation of the Swiss
watch industry exists in part thanks to craftsmen from
the period around 1800, such as the Ducommuns.
1 A Swiss astronomical “Copernicus” clock.
Circa 1820. F. Ducommun à La Chaux-de-Fonds.
H 42 cm. Estimate: CHF 120 000/200 000
2 Anonymous. Portrait of François Ducommun with an
astronomical clock. Oil on canvas. © Musée interna-
tional d'horlogerie (MIH), La Chaux-de-Fonds
1
2
FURNITURE
Stephan Koller
ONLINE CATALOGUES

14
A splendid Neoclassical gueridon table.
Paris, 1st
quarter 19th
century. In the style
of Adam Weisweiler, the porcelain top
with the Sèvres mark and the painter's
mark of Jacques-François Micaud.
81.6 × 49 cm.
Micaud was one of the most important
European porcelain painters of his time.
He worked for the renowned manufac-
tory in Sèvres for more than four dec-
ades.
A large tapestry from an eight-part series, the History of
Marcus Aurelius. Studio of Michiel Wauters or one of his
successors. 405 × 546 cm.
The series of eight tapestries recounts the life of Marcus
Aurelius and includes The Coronation of the Emperor,
The Procession, The Plague, The Emperor Leading His
Son to the Philosophers, The Triumph of Marcus Aure-
lius and the battle scene offered here. The emperor’s
successful campaign in Syria and Egypt was celebrated in
Rome as a great triumph. Most likely the present scene
refers to this campaign. Tapestries with identical battle
scenes but with a different border of rich floral and foli-
ate patterns are exhibited in the Museu de Arte Antiga,
Lisbon, the Reiss Museum in Mannheim and the Palazzo
Venezia in Rome.
Eugene von Blaas (1843–1931). Young girl with flower basket.
1898. Oil on panel. 81.6 × 49 cm.
The artist had a sensitive eye for random scenes of everyday
life in his adopted home of Venice, which he staged as a si-
lent observer.

15
A pair of important covered silver tureens with original cases. Turin, 2nd
half 18th
century. Maker’s mark of Christ giving benediction and the
initials I.P. 45 × 28.5 cm. Weight approx. 11,110 g. Made for Samuel von Tscharner (1716–1800). Estimate: CHF 20 000/40 000
Samuel von Tscharner was obviously an enthusiastic hunter. An officer in the Sardinian-Piedmontese army, he cultivated a courtly
lifestyle. On 14 April 1760, Colonel von Tscharner assumed command of the Royal Bernese Regiment, which ensured him not only a
good reputation but also a high income. As early as 1756 he had already rendered outstanding services as a representative of Bernese
interests by initiating the renewal of important salt supply contracts between Bern and the Kingdom of Sardinia-Piedmont. His activ-
ities were probably rewarded by both parties, which together with his income as a regimental commander enabled him, among other
things, to purchase this extraordinary pair of tureens with hunting motifs. A recently discovered cutlery set with the same maker’s
mark has provided another clue to this unknown master’s identity.
Marten Van Cleve the Elder (1527–1581) (and workshop?). Country outdoor wedding.
Oil on panel. 77 × 107.5 cm. Estimate: CHF 150 000/250 000
The rural genre scenes of van Cleve thrive on strong colour contrasts. Typical of his
style are the voluminous figures whose garments are shown almost wrinkle-free.
In 1551 the artist, whose ancestors and descendants also devoted themselves to
painting, became a member of the St. Luke's Guild in Antwerp.
Balthasar van der Ast (circa 1593–1657). Still life with tulips,
roses and carnations in a Wan Li porcelain vase with a
butterfly and insects. Oil on panel. 30.9 × 26.1 cm.
Estimate: CHF 200 000/300 000
Van der Ast's flower still lifes are outstanding examples
of 17th
-century Dutch painting. He became famous for
his ability to depict insects and other small creatures in a
hyper-realistic manner.
Corrado Giaquinto (1699–circa 1765). Christ hands the keys of heaven to St. Peter.
Oil on canvas. 136 × 100 cm. Estimate: CHF 100 000/150 000
Giaquinto left his mark not only with his frescoes, but also with a masterly body
of religious paintings on canvas. After some successful years in Rome, he en-
tered the service of the Spanish king Ferdinand VI in 1753, before returning to
Naples near the end of his life.
Fede Galizia (1578–1630). Still life. Oil on panel. 28 × 38.3 cm.
Estimate: CHF 150 000/200 000
With her naturalistic, simplified compositions, Fede Galizia contributed significantly to the
establishment of the still life genre in Italy at the beginning of the 17th
century. Only about
twenty still lifes by her are known today; her fruit and flower pieces are rarities and important
milestones in the history of art.
FURNITURE
Stephan Koller
SILVER
Corinne Koller
ckoller@kollerauctions.com
OLD MASTER PAINTINGS
Karoline Weser
ONLINE CATALOGUES

17
Auction on 27 March 2020
From Corot to Liebermann
The painters of the Barbizon School, including
Jean-Baptiste Camille Corot, freed early 19th
century
academic landscape painting from formal constraints.
They painted their works en plein air, close to the actual
subjects and marked by their sensory impressions of
nature.Withsmall-formatpaysagesintimes(ill.4),Corot
and others depicted the incidental, showed excerpts
from nature and emphasized the atmospheric quality
of their works, thereby paving the way for the later Im-
pressionists.
Max Liebermann's studies and paintings of the Wann-
see Garden have a firm place in the history of early 20th
century German painting. In 1909, the artist, who was
already well-established in Berlin, acquired an exten-
sive plot of land on the Wannsee where he built a dis-
tinguished country house. From then on, the house
and its garden became recurrent motifs for Lieber-
mann's paintings (ill. 2). The play of light and colours of
the green paradise, which changes over the seasons,
were a welcome contrast to the big city life around his
town house on the Pariser Platz, next to the Branden-
burg Gate. Another fine testimony to Liebermann's
affection for Berlin is the depiction of skaters in the
Tiergarten (ill. 3). Liebermann's German Impression-
ism was ignited by the hustle and bustle on the ice
during the extremely cold winter of 1921: with his typ-
ical restless style, he captured the moving figures as if
they were alive.
Lovis Corinth was not only Liebermann's contempo-
rary, but also his companion. Not only in the Berlin years
from 1901, but already earlier during the Secession
exhibitions, the two were very close, which is reflected
in several portraits. Corinth's genre portrait Mask with
White Dress (ill. 1) is also part of this creative phase, in
which he captures the relaxed mood at a masked ball
with loose brushstrokes. The person depicted is Char-
lotte Berend, whom the artist had met at the time and
married in 1904. The motif of the black mask appears
several times in Corinth's œuvre, certainly influenced
by the artist's proximity to the theatre. The legendary
director and theatre impresario Max Reinhardt was
among his Berlin circle of friends and Corinth created
stage sets and costumes for his productions.
1 Lovis Corinth. Mask with white dress. 1902. Oil on
canvas. 78.5 × 63.5 cm.
Estimate: CHF 100 000/150 000
2 Max Liebermann. Flowered terrace in the Wannsee
garden facing north. 1918. Oil on board. 50 × 75 cm.
Estimate: CHF 250 000/350 000
3 Max Liebermann. Skaters in the Tiergarten. 1921.
Oil on canvas. 49 × 53 cm.
Estimate: CHF 150 000/200 000
4 Jean-Baptiste Camille Corot. Passiance. 1872. Oil
on canvas. 51 × 61.5 cm.
19TH
CENTURY PAINTINGS
Karoline Weser
IMPRESSIONIST MODERN ART
Fabio Sidler
sidler@kollerauctions.com
ONLINE CATALOGUES
2
3
4

18
Henri Matisse. Nymphes. 1945. Charcoal on paper. 48 × 37.4 cm.
Sold for CHF 230 000
Drawings became increasingly important in Matisse's late work. In these
sweeping, almost abstract nymphs his final creative phase of cut-outs is
already apparent.
Albert Anker. The town clerk. 1899. Oil on canvas.
62.5 × 49 cm. Sold for CHF 720 000
“The town clerk is one of Anker's most popular motifs, com-
bining a haunting genre portrait with a detailed still life.
Paul Cézanne. Bol, boîte à lait et bouteille. 1879–80. Oil on canvas. 15.7 × 20 cm.
Still lifes by Cézanne like this one seldom appear on the art market; most of these
small-format treasures are now in museums. He used the household objects shown
here for an entire series to experiment with shifted perspectives.
©2020,ProLitteris,Zurich
FOR CONSIGNMENTS AND
ESTIMATES
SWISS ART
Cyril Koller
koller@kollerauctions.com
IMPRESSIONIST MODERN
ART
Fabio Sidler
POSTWAR CONTEMPORARY
Silke Stahlschmidt
stahlschmidt@kollerauctions.com
Gottardo Segantini. Maloja Paesaggio paradisiaco. 1920. Oil on
canvas. 120 × 100 cm. Sold for CHF 146 000
Segantini's pointillist style dominates the entire picture surface.
With this technique he masterfully captures the light and col-
ours of the glorious mountain landscape around Maloja.
Pierre-Auguste Renoir. Paysage, vallée village sur la hauteur et fond de montagnes. 1900.
Oil on canvas. 26 × 36 cm. Sold for CHF 280 000
Exquisite colours and enchanting light – with these ingredients Renoir created almost all
his landscape paintings. With his early works, he gave Impressionism an essential stimu-
lus, and he retained his lively style well into advanced age.

19
Victor Vasarely. Kezdi-RSZ. 1966–1974. Acrylic on canvas. 160 × 160 cm.
Vasarely's geometric-abstract forms draw on the expressive means of
Suprematism, the De Stijl movement and the Constructivists. After a brief
black-and-white period, colour returned to his work.
Mark Tobey. Multi-Movements in Time. 1958. Tempera and ink on wove paper. 16 × 25 cm.
Sold for CHF 80 000
This composition, with its shimmering coloured surface, was created shortly before
Tobey’s move to Basel. A characteristic work, it sold for five times its estimate.
Varlin. Juan quizzing Franca before the driver's license exam. 1961. Oil over charcoal on
canvas. 61 × 175 cm. Sold for CHF 83 000
This oil painting by Varlin (actually Wilhelm Guggenheim), a close friend of the writer
Friedrich Dürrenmatt, doubled its pre-sale estimate.
BranchofficesrepresentativesSpecialists
SWISS ART
Cyril Koller
koller@kollerauctions.com
IMPRESSIONIST
MODERN ART
Fabio Sidler
POSTWAR CONTEMPORARY
PRINTS MULTIPLES
Silke Stahlschmidt
stahlschmidt@kollerauctions.com
PHOTOGRAPHY
Gabriel Müller
mueller@kollerauctions.com
FINE FURNITURE
Stephan Koller
MEDIEVAL SCULPTURE
Stephan Koller
ASIAN ART
Regi Preiswerk
asianart@kollerauctions.com
OLD MASTER
19TH
CENTURY PAINTINGS
Karoline Weser
OLD MASTER PRINTS
DRAWINGS
Franz-Carl Diegelmann
diegelmann@kollerauctions.com
PORCELAIN, FAIENCE GLASS
Sabine Neumaier
neumaier@kollerauctions.com
SILVER
Corinne Koller
ckoller@kollerauctions.com
DESIGN
Cyril Himmer
himmer@kollerauctions.com
FASHION VINTAGE
Jara Koller
jara.koller@kollerauctions.com
BOOKS, MANUSCRIPTS
AUTOGRAPHS
Dr Andreas Terwey
terwey@kollerauctions.com
ART DECO, ART NOUVEAU
CARPETS
Jean-Pierre Dalla Vedova
dallavedova@kollerauctions.com
JEWELLERY
Carla Süssli
suessli@kollerauctions.com
WATCHES
Uwe Vischer
vischer@kollerauctions.com
WINE
Koller Geneva
geneva@kollerauctions.com
KOLLER ZURICH
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8031 Zurich
Switzerland
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duesseldorf@kollerauctions.com
KOLLER GENEVA
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1205 Geneva
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80333 Munich
Germany
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M +49 177 257 63 98
muenchen@kollerauctions.com
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BEIJING
Jing Li
Chedaogou 10# 6/4-307
Haidian Qu
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T +86 135 2039 8057
beijing@kollerauctions.com

Auktionen im März 2020
23 March Books, Manuscripts Autographs
24 March The Dr Paul and Ursula Müller-Frei Collection
25 March Jewellery
26 March Furniture, Sculpture, Silver, Porcelain Carpets
27 March Old Master Drawings Prints,
From Corot to Purrmann: Paintings from a
Swiss Private Collection,
Old Master 19th
Century Paintings
online only
31 March Old Master 19th
Century Paintings, Drawings
Prints, Books Autographs
bid from 17 March
1 April Furniture, Clocks, Sculpture, Porcelain
bid from 17 March
Previews
Zurich
18–22 March, 10am–6pm
Hardturmstrasse 102 + 121, 8005 Zurich
Geneva (highlights):
2, rue de l‘Athénée, 1205 Geneva
Opening cocktail: 3 March, 6pm–8pm
Talk at 6pm: Mr Jean-Michel Piguet, Presentation
of the Astronomical “Copernicus” clock
Munich (highlights):
Maximiliansplatz 20, 80333 Munich
Opening cocktail: 10 March, 6pm–9pm
Talk at 7pm: Dr Daniela Antonin, Director of the Hetjens Museum,
German Museum of Ceramics
Valuation events
Old Master 19th
Century Paintings
Stuttgart: 14 April
Munich: 6–7 May
Düsseldorf: 13–14 May
Belgium The Netherlands: 17–18 June
Jewellery Watches
Hamburg: 5 March
Munich: 11 March
Appointments for estimates and consignments can be made
at any time.
Consignments 2020
June Asian Art: China, Himalaya, Japan,
Southeast Asia, Persia
Consignment deadline: mid-March
June Modern Contemporary Art, Swiss Art,
Watches, Jewellery, Photography, Design,
Art Nouveau Art Deco, Fashion Vintage
Consignment deadline: mid-April
September Old Master 19th
Century Paintings, Drawings
Prints, Jewellery, Fine Furniture, Porcelain,
Silver, Books, Manuscripts Autographs,
Carpets
Consignment deadline: mid-July
Please contact us at least a week before the deadlines.
We look forward to hearing from you.
Armand Guillaumin. Woman knitting in a flower garden. 1888. Oil on canvas.
72 × 92 cm. Estimate: CHF 40 000/60 000
(The Dr Paul and Ursula Müller-Frei Collection, Auction 24 March 2020)
Maurice Utrillo. La Porte Saint-Martin à Paris. Circa 1930. Oil on board, on canvas. 62.5 × 76.5 cm.
(From Corot to Purrmann: Paintings from a Swiss Private Collection, Auction 27 March 2020)
Hans Purrmann. Anemones in a glass vase. 1938–59. Oil on
canvas. 100 × 80 cm. Estimate: CHF 70 000/90 000
(From Corot to Purrmann: Paintings from a Swiss Private
Collection, Auction 27 March 2020)
©2020,ProLitteris,Zurich©2020,ProLitteris,Zurich
Above right:
Diamond ring. Harry Winston. Circa
1968. Oval diamond 5.42 ct, E/VS2,
flanked by two pear-shaped
diamonds totalling ca. 0.68 ct.
Signed Winston.
Estimate: CHF 90 000/150 000
(Jewellery, Auction 25 March 2020)

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