AMSTERDAM.- In the wake of successful sales of Garden Statuary from the Collection of Piet Jonker in 2003 and 2005, Sotheby’s is delighted to announce that it will once again this year be presenting further sculpture and architectural ornaments from this exceptional garden collection in a third single-owner sale at its Amsterdam saleroom. The sale – which will take place on Wednesday 30 May 2007 - will offer an abundance of sculpture, ornaments, fountains, finials, vases, planters, urns, basins, sundials, keystones and garden seats in stone, bronze and cast iron.

Notable highlights will include two impressive representations of the Four Seasons, which both consist of a series of four white marble figures (€40.000 – 60.000), and a fine assortment of carved limestone animals featuring a winged lion (€5.000 – 7.000), a boar (€6.000 – 8000) and a striking pair of reclining greyhounds (€2.500 – 3.500). An attractive carved limestone jardinière in the form of three frolicking putti supporting a shallow bowl (€15.000-20.000) is also sure to attract a great deal of interest.

Among the fountains on offer will be a carved stone fountain figure of a fish (€800 – 1.200), a composition stone fountain figure in the form of a little boy carrying a goose (€1.000 – 1.500) and a Belgian bronze sculpture of a boy riding a turtle. The latter of these is the work of Eugène Caneel (1882 – 1966) and dates from circa 1910 (€8.000 – 12.000).

One of the more unusual and valuable items in the sale will be an ornate and spectacular Pleasure Garden which is expected to fetch upwards of €150.000. This impressive work features two galleries of twelve loggia-covered columns each with a pair of reclining sphinxes with putti on their backs, a sculpture of Pan playing the flute with a putto on his back begging us to be silent and a sculpture of Venus, kissed by a young Amor and these feature alongside a large stone bench with jardinières. The monumental piece – which covers an area of 20metres by 20metres - is set in composite stone and dates from circa 1840.

Decorative sculpture and ornaments for the garden are increasingly popular today, not only with garden designers but private collectors too. The combination of nature and man-made artefacts results in surprising and exciting pieces, which look impressive in both a summer and winter garden.

The Piet Jonker Collection
From his beautiful estate at Lindenhoff in Baambrugge near Abcoude (Netherlands), Piet Jonker runs a renowned international enterprise that specialises in historic building materials like flag stones, wooden floors, chimneys and wall tiles. In the early 1990s he first visited and became aware of Sotheby’s Garden Statuary sales at Billingshurst in the Sussex countryside (UK) and this trip opened his eyes to the beauty of garden sculpture when set in the right environment. Since that visit he has expanded his interests to include stone sculpture and ornaments and today displays his collection in a Renaissance garden that has been especially designed for the purpose.

Piet Jonker relishes his challenge of compiling a sale of garden ornaments every two years, particularly given the strength of the market in the UK and Southern Europe. He comments: “The garden has never been out of fashion but today it appears more popular than ever before. A great deal of enthusiasm is being expressed for garden ornaments and decoration in the form of marble sculptures, cast iron urns and wrought iron garden seats. For gardeners looking for something light-hearted, the forthcoming sale offers a delightful array of items - a white marble fountain water spitting Bacchus herme and a small bronze boy who laughingly opens the tap to spray water on the old Bacchus. This fountain of Carrara marble and patinated bronze on a square base in a low basin is 160cm high could be obtained for €20.000 – 25.000.”

Viewing on location: 25 to 28 May at Piet Jonker, Rijksstraatweg 23, Baambrugge (near Abcoude), daily from 10am to 5pm. Sale at Sotheby’s Amsterdam: Wednesday 30 May 2007.