ZURICH.- A sumptuous floral still life from a pioneer of 17th-century floral still life painting and one of the most talented painters in this genre, was recently rediscovered in a private collection and will be offered in the 28 March auction at Koller. Ambrosius Bosschaert the Elder was so precise in rendering the naturalistic details that all species of flower and fauna in the work can be clearly identified (lot 3019, CHF 250 000 / 350 000).
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Other highlights of the Old Masters auction include a fish still life by Clara Peeters, one of the earliest of this genre (lot 3022, CHF 70 000 / 100 000). Peeters’ works are highly sought after at the moment, as evidenced by the CHF 622 000 that a still life with falcon by her fetched in Koller’s September 2024 auction. A 1547 work by Lucas Cranach the Younger depicting the Apostle Paul is estimated at CHF 170 000 / 250 000 (lot 3008). Another rediscovery, a still life by Pieter Claesz. in his classic monochrome and realistic style looks almost good enough to eat (lot 3031, CHF 40 000 / 60 000).
In the 19th Century Paintings sale, also on 28 March, a private collection assembled by a connoisseur over decades features no less than eight works by the Munich painter Carl Spitzweg, including ‘Der Scharwache’ (The night watch), an expressive and anecdotal period piece (lot 3223, CHF 150 000 / 250 000), as well as masterly depictions of nature and animals, for example ‘Sixteen ducks in the evening light’ by Alexander Koester (lot 3232, CHF 60 000 / 80 000).
A highlight of the Decorative Arts auction on 27 March is an unusually large Cycladic idol from circa 2500 B.C. (lot 1003, CHF 350 000 / 600 000). Created by a lost culture in the Cycladic islands off the coast of Greece, the origins and meaning of these works has confounded researchers for the nearly two centuries since they were rediscovered. Their denuded abstraction seems strikingly modern to our eyes, and they have inspired artists including Modigliani, Picasso, Brancusi and Alberto Giacometti.
The Books & Autographs auction on 26 March presents an important selection of illuminated manuscripts and early printed books, as well as a large collection of private correspondence by the artist Oskar Kokoschka (lot 4519, CHF 120 000 / 160 000).
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