The Facts
On October 26, 2026, Lempertz announced its decorative arts auction in Cologne, to be held on November 20, 2026. The sale spans five centuries, with silver, modern decorative arts, sculpture, Kunstkammer objects, furniture, tapestries, ceramics and porcelain, including the Dessing Dröge collection of Delftware. Among the top-estimated lots are a 17th-century prayer nut with micro-carved Seven Works of Mercy (€80,000–100,000), a Brussels tapestry from the 'New Art of War' series (€60,000–100,000) and a Henry van de Velde secretaire with bookcase from the exiled Berlin collector Margarete Mauthner (€60,000–90,000). Dresden court silver by Carl David Schrödel and Josef Hoffmann's 1905 Wiener Werkstätte box are also featured.
The Signal
The auction's emphasis on provenance-rich decorative arts—court silver, refugee-owned furniture and a Belgian private collection—reflects the market's growing appetite for objects with documented histories over generic antiques. For collectors, the estimates remain accessible relative to fine art, offering entry points into historical craftsmanship while the Mauthner and Osthaus stories add museum-level narratives that can sustain long-term value.
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- Artists: Carl David Schrödel, Friedrich Reinhard Schrödel, Abraham IV Drentwett, Josef Hoffmann, Emil Lettré, Emmy Roth, Henry van de Velde, Ignaz Elhafen, Albert Jansz. Vinckenbrinck, Jan Rombouts the Elder, Pierre Reymond, Ulrich Schniep, Judocus de Vos, Lambert de Hondt II, Joseph Nigg
- People: Frederick Augustus III, Catherine the Great, Karl Ernst Osthaus, Margarete Mauthner, Edmund Mauthner, Bruno Cassirer
- Auction Houses: Lempertz
- Museums: Folkwang Museum, Städtisches Kunstgewerbemuseum Leipzig
- Locations: Cologne, Brussels
- Prices: €25,000–30,000, €30,000–35,000, €30,000–36,000, €15,000–20,000, €40,000–60,000, €25,000–28,000, €4,000–5,000, €2,000–2,400, €30,000–40,000, €60,000–90,000, €8,000–12,000, €20,000–30,000, €80,000–100,000, €10,000–15,000, €60,000–100,000, €12,000–15,000
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