20 Years of the Berlin Auction - Lempertz celebrates 20 years of successful sales in the capital

“Every visit or preview is […] like a visit to a temporary museum, or rather, like a visit to a cabinet of curiosities.”
Matthias Dotschko, Head of Painting at KPM 

For 20 years now, visitors to the Berlin preview have been able to enjoy a wide range of artworks related to Berlin and Prussia. They cover almost 400 years of artistic creation from the 17th century to the 1950s. Each object has its own story to tell about the place, the challenges of its creation, its special client or famous recipient. 

Lempertz has been present in the German capital for more than two decades, initially with an office on Linienstrasse. In 2006 the auction house took another important step with its move to the Nikolaiviertel, the historic heart of Berlin. The building was constructed in 1870 as a commercial building and later used as the Waterways and Shipping Office. As part of the renovation and modernization according with monument protection standards, a large, bright room was created, providing ample space for live-auctions – and so the Berlin Auction was born. The Cologne-based company held its first Berlin Auction that same year. It quickly became one of the most important events on the capital's art calendar, a fact confirmed by significant collections and museum-quality works. The Medici vase with a battle scene and a view of Breslau's Blücherplatz, which realized around € 125,000 in 2007, demonstrated that Lempertz in Berlin is the place to go for exceptional porcelain pieces with six-figure values. Thus, in 2018, the famous Twinight Collection from New York came to the Nikolaiviertel in Berlin.

In addition to porcelain – which holds particular significance for Berlin, especially through the KPM – the auction, held between 2018 and 2023 under the name “The Prussian Sale”, traditionally covers the entire spectrum of Berlin’s and Prussia’s art history. Historical views on paper and canvas of a city whose appearance has changed over the centuries, or paintings by the Impressionists around Max Liebermann, offer a glimpse into the region’s rich cultural history. They make the catalogs of the Berlin auctions valuable resources for those interested in cultural history.

The highlight of the anniversary auction is a unique monumental vase from KPM, which was produced in 1895 as an imperial gift to the Eulenburg family. Not only is the size of the 116-centimetre-high vase and cover impressive, but above all its extraordinary sculptural decoration with a crowning pineapple and an iguana measuring over 1 metre in length (estimated price €300,000 - 450,000). On 25th April 2026, it will be decided who will be able to call this royal vase their own.

Following on from the extremely successful Twinight Collection auctions in 2018 and 2019, Lempertz presents the Reinhard Schönfisch Collection in the Berlin auction of 2026. With the same focus which the New Yorker Richard Baron Cohen set for his Twinight Collection, Reinhard Schönfisch has assembled a collection of royal porcelain from the eras of Frederick William III and Frederick William IV. The dessert plate with its exquisite cameo painting from the wedding service for Princess Luise, which KPM produced in 1825, is just one of over 150 magnificently painted pieces (estimated price €4,000–6,000).

A significant collection of glass with exquisite cut decorations, rare églomisé and enamel motifs will be offered in over 40 lots. The auction also features a number of unusual sculptures, such as an impressive larger-than-life Prussian eagle with outspread wings. Made from green-patinated copper sheet, it is thought to have come from the workshop of the Berlin manufacturer Rudolf Peters. (estimated price € 15,000 – 20,000).

In 1890, Berlin sculptor Gustav Landgrebe created the most famous of all Beethoven busts. Until now, the only known examples of the long-lost, presumably unique and signed marble version were numerous plaster reproductions, which continue to shape the image of Beethoven to this day. The determined gaze and flowing hair of the musical titan perfectly capture the creative Promethean artist in the eyes of the era (estimated price € 8,000 – 10,000).

A tureen and cover produced in China brings the eventful history of Prussian overseas trade to the Berlin auction. In 1755, the ‘Königlich Preußische Asiatische Compagnie’ brought a special gift for Frederick II from Canton on board its ship the ‘Prinz von Preußen’: A service bearing the Great Prussian Coat of Arms. Shortly before reaching its destination the port of Emden, however, the ship ran aground. The service was partially damaged and could no longer be presented to the Prussian king. Instead, the surviving pieces were auctioned off nine years later, and some of them still made their way to the court in Berlin, while others were purchased by various bidders. This tureen and cover on stand from the service is now being auctioned at Lempertz in Berlin, after having been in the possession of a German noble family for several generations, with an estimated price of € 12,000 to € 15,000.

Berlin painting reached a high point in its history with the Secession. Philipp Franck was one of the artists who, like Max Liebermann, Walter Leistikow and Lovis Corinth, had a significant influence on Impressionism in Germany. Franck's painting ‘Bootssteg am Wannsee’ (Boat Landing Stage on Lake Wannsee) clearly illustrates why he is also known as the ‘chronicler of Lake Wannsee’. He masterfully captures the atmosphere on a cloudy day in south-west Berlin (estimated price €25,000 to €35,000).

Jan Bykowski
Press and PR
bykowski@lempertz.com
Tel. 0049 (0)221 925729 -57