MUNICH.- The auction of 19th Century Art provided a successful start into the autumn auction season at Ketterer Kunst in Munich. The increasing popularity of this segment was underlined by 40% first time buyers. Total proceeds add up to around € 1 million* and even slightly exceled last year's figures. A mysterious work by Franz von Stuck was particularly popular.

Franz von Stuck's “Ödipus löst das Rätsel der Sphinx” (lot 93) used to be on display as a loan at “Villa Shatterhand” of Karl May's widow in Radebeul. Now the painting from 1891 has found a new home in the south of Germany. After it had been called up at € 180.000, a collector from Bavaria was the lucky winner of a fierce bidding battle for the day's top lot. Her bid of € 412,500 did not only stop bidders in the packed salesroom and a large number of written bids, but also a fierce competitor on the phone from abroad.

Works by Leo Putz also occupied top positions in the list of desired objects. Both his oil painting “Tanzende Negerinnen“ (lot 96), called up at € 24,000 and lifted to a result of € 30,000 against, among others, a persistent phone bidder from Hesse, as well as his work “Kampenwand VI“ (lot 145), soaring from a calling price of € 8,000 to a result of € 40,000, will go to Bavarian private collections.

An art lover from Brandenburg was willing to pay more than a three-fold of the calling price of € 8,000 for Karl Hagemeister's decorative oil painting “Wasserrosen“ (lot 85). Her bid of € 27,500 relegated bidders in the salesroom, written bids and half a dozen phone calls from all over Germany to places second and beyond.

A new client from the southern German region made Carl Blechen's contemplative scene of a meditating “Mönch auf der Terrasse“ (lot 64) sure for himself for a result of € 25,000, while the contentedly resting “Alte Näherin“ (lot 20) by Fritz von Uhde was called up at € 19,000 and sold for € 23,750 to an art lover near Berlin.

An excellent increase was realized for Carl von Marr's “Vier weibliche Akte auf einer Wiese mit Schwertlilien” (lot 95, calling price: € 2,600). The gracile ladies were not only popular with German bidders but also with an art dealer from Hong Kong, however, eventually a Bavarian collector carried the trophy home for a result of € 20,000*.

Numerous works on paper were also in quite some demand, first and foremost 13 pencil drawings of a “Reise nach Norwegen“ (lot 33) by Friedrich Preller the Elder, called up at € 4,300 a bidder from New York faced heavy resistance from Germany and Switzerland until he was able to stand his grounds with a result of € 17,500.

Next to seven watercolors and pencil drawings by Anton von Werner (lots 50-57), which were all sold with excellent increases (with prices up to € 2,250), as well as eight drawings (lots 42-49) by Adrian Ludwig Richter (results up to € 750), works by Ludwig von Hofmann were particularly sought-after. Six of his chalk drawings and a woodcut were sold, the most popular lot, however, was the small pastel “Heißer Tag“ (lot 105). A Hessian collector lifted the work from its calling price of € 2,600 to a result of € 6,250.