LONDON.- On 24th and 25th November 2015, Sotheby’s London will host a major two-day sale of art and antiques from the collection of the Bernheimers, one of Europe’s greatest art dealer dynasties.

The incredible story of the Bernheimer family is a tale of resilience and constant reinvention. Covering four generations of art dealers, it is permeated with the vicissitudes of 20th century history and, in many ways, charts the evolution of the dealer ‘trade’ over for the last 150 years. The Bernheimer business started with a tiny market stall in Munich in the mid-19th century and swiftly grew into the most illustrious antique and interior decoration emporium in the world, renowned for supplying royalty (e.g. King Ludwig II) and the elites of the time. Following their deportation to Dachau and the expropriation of the business by the Nazis, part of the family emigrated to Venezuela. They returned after the war to reinvent the business which soon became famous as the “Bloomingdales for Antiques”. Today the family tradition continues in the wake of Konrad Bernheimer, the celebrated Old Masters dealer who played a key role in preserving the legacy of his ancestors.

The 539 lots to be offered comprise both treasures from the Bernheimer personal collection and stock from the family business, including numerous objects from the famous Bernheimer Palais, a six-storey high palace on Munich’s Lenbachplatz built by the family’s patriarch Lehmann Bernheimer in 1889. Spanning various collecting categories, including furniture, painting, sculpture, porcelain, and wine, these artworks have been housed mainly in Burg Marquartstein, an 11th-century castle in Bavaria that Konrad Bernheimer especially bought in 1987. Today, as he is about to hand over to the next Bernheimer generation, Konrad Berheimer has decided to sell Burg Marquartstein and part with the collection.

Many items in the sale still bear the original labels of the store's 19th-century heyday and come with a personal, amusing, or poignant anecdote. Among them are the “Holbein Chair” which served as the throne for Pope John Paul II during his 1980 visit in Munich, a 1900 lamp, counting as one of the first electrified art objects and the Bernheimer Lions, which once flanked the doors of the great Bernheimer Palais.

Commenting on the forthcoming sale, Mario Tavella, Deputy Chairman, Sotheby’s Europe and Head of House Sales and Single Owner Collections, said: “It is the dream of any art connoisseur to have had the chance to wander through the Bernheimer Palais’ majestic halls in its days of glory. This collection reflects the erudite quest of four generations of art dealers for discovering the best art. It is a huge honour to have been entrusted with this sale which also pays tribute the key role of Konrad Bernheimer in preserving the legacy of this great dynasty.”

Konrad Bernheimer: “During the 30 years we spent at Burg Marquartstein, my family and I have lived surrounded by works of art and objects that tell the tale of the Bernheimers and reminded us of the extraordinary journey of my ancestors. While it was not an easy decision to part with this collection which includes so many treasures and memories, I know it is now time to move on and explore new exciting avenues. This sale is a way to hand over the Bernheimer legacy to the next generation.”

HIGHLIGHTS OF THE BERNHEIMER COLLECTION
Many highlights in the sale reflect the Antiques and Decorative Arts arm of the business, whilst others, such as British and Old Master paintings are more recent additions, following the diversification of the family’s activities.

DECORATIVE ARTS
Holbein' carpet fragment upholstered walnut chair, the rare carpet fragments 16th century, the chair 19th century Est. £50,000-100,000 / €68,500-137,000
Thought to have been purchased by Lehmann Bernheimer in the 1880s, this historic chair was selected as the throne for Pope John Paul II, by his trusted advisor Archbishop Marcinkus, when His Holiness visited Munich for the Eucharistic World Congress in 1980.

A large Italian Renaissance voided, pile on pile silk velvet, 16th century Est. £120,000-180,000 / €164,000-245,000
Acquired by Otto Bernheimer, this velvet is identical in design to that used in a set of ecclesiastical Mass vestments, now divided between the Victoria and Albert Museum and Keir Collection.

An exquisite Louis XV/XVI gilt-bronze-mounted tulipwood, harewood, stained sycamore and marquetry commode by Roger Vandercruse, known as Lacroix (1727-99), Louis XV/XVI transitional, circa 1770 Est. £100,000-150,000 / €137,000-205,000

French gilt bronze onyx electrified standard lamp "La Nature" (Torchère lumineuse), by Frédéric-Eugène Piat (1827-1903) , manufactured by Mottheau, 1900 (est. £60,000-80,000 / €82,000-109,000)
This magnificent lamp was one of the first electrified art objects, and was acquired by Lehmann Bernheimer at the 1900 L'art à l'exposition universelle in Paris. This acquisition confirms Lehmann’s pioneering vision in purchasing an object at the forefront of innovation, and the lamp took pride of place in the entrance hall at of the Bernheimer Palais on Lenbachplatz. Discovered hidden away in a corner of the basement of the Palais in 1977, when Konrad Bernheimer took over the family business, it is not short of a miracle that ‘La Nature’, a fragile triumph of new technology and design, has survived two world wars.

OLD MASTER PAINTINGS
JAN BRUEGHEL THE ELDER Panoramic landscape with travellers with horses carts and cattle on a Sandy road Oil on copper, 22.2 by 33 cm.; 8. by 13 in. Est. £800,000-1,200,000 / €1,090,000-1,640,000
This work on copper is an archetypal example of Jan Brueghel’s small landscape paintings, characterised by a variety of motifs and intense colours, creating the jewel-like effect so prized in his oeuvre.

JAN BRUEGHEL THE ELDER AND JAN BRUEGHEL THE YOUNGER Still life of tulips, roses, narcissi, forget-me-nots, a carnation and other flowers in a glass vase, resting on a table with a sprig of rosemary and an insect Oil on copper, 30.5 by 20.7 cm.; 12 by 8. in. Est. £200,000-300,000 / € 273,000-409,000
Painted in the early 1620s, this meticulously detailed painting is a fascinating example of the collaboration of Jan Brueghel the Younger and his father.

CLAUDE-JOSEPH VERNET A Moonlit Seascape Oil on canvas, 101 by 138 cm.; 39. by 54 in. Est. £400,000-600,000 / €545,000-820,000
This magnificent Moonlit seascape by Claude Joseph-Vernet (1714-1798) was executed in 1754, a year after the artist’s return to France from his 19 year sojourn in Italy. It was during this period that Vernet is considered to have produced some of his very best works, ensuring the artist’s reputation as a towering figure of French 18th-century landscape painting.

THE BERNHEIMER LAPIDARIUM
The Bernheimer lapidarium contains a wealth of European stone objects spanning centuries, from Antiquities to Neoclassical sculpture and architectural pieces, many of which were bought by Lehmann Bernheimer and displayed in the Italian courtyard of the Bernheimer Palais on Lenbachplatz.

Italian Portal in late 15th-century Style surround with a tympanum 384 by 241 by 37cm., 151. by 94⅞ by 14⅝in Est. £50,000-70,000 / €68,500-95,500
This spectacular portal is the largest architectural piece from the Bernheimer lapidarium that remains in the possession of the family. Carved in limestone in the style of Florentine Renaissance architecture, the portal was bought by Lehmann Bernheimer and his sons for the Italian Courtyard at the Bernheimer Palais. Until recently, it was the centrepiece of the Great Gallery at Burg Marquartstein.

The Bernheimer Lions, South German or Italian, 19th century Est. £50,000-100,000 / €68,500-137,000
These impressive bronze lions once flanked the doors of the great Bernheimer Palais on Munich’s Lenbachplatz. It is thought that they were inspired by the iconic bronze lions outside the Bavarian royal residence.

A marble garland sarcophagus and lid of Publius Palaus Primitivus, Roman Imperial, circa A.D. 170 Est. £50,000-70,000 / €68,500-95,500
Formerly in the collection of Cardinal Bartolomeo Pacca (1756-1844), this Roman sarcophagus was acquired by Otto Bernheimer in 1930.

THE ATTICS OF BURG MARQUARTSTEIN
The attics of Burg Marquartstein encapsulate a significant part of Bernheimer’s history, storing hundreds of wooden furniture fragments and architectural elements which were used as models by their talented workshops in the great emporium at Lenbachplatz in the first half of the 20th century. The models were utilised to create decorative settings and pieces of furniture in a multitude of historical styles. The Attics also comprise collections of locks and furniture bronze mounts revealing the quality and expertise of these workshops.