Adolph Menzel Leads Grisebach $1.3m '19th Century Art' Auction in Berlin
3 min read · 04 Jun 2024
”Wallenstein's Lager by Adolph Menzel sold for $357,900. Image courtesy of Grisebach
A work by Adolph Menzel was the headline sale at Grisebach '19th Century Art' auction on May 30 in Berlin.
- The sale totaled $1.3m, exceeding the pre-sale high estimate.
Snapshot of the sale
- 52 works sold totaling $1.3m.
- Estimates totaled: $1.22m (low) and $1.22m (high), excluding premiums.
- The sell-through rate was 71% of the original 73 lots announced.
The star lot was: Adolph Menzel, ”Wallenstein's Lager (Undated), which sold for $357,900, 1500% above its $21,500 low estimate. It has not been traded before.
The outperformer sold for 14500% above its low estimate. German School, Two oil studies: carnation and leaf twig (1820), sold for $158,300 ($1,080 low estimate). It has not been traded before.
Breakdown of results against auction house estimates that are disclosed
- 51 works, or 98%, sold above their high estimate.
- 0 works, or 0%, sold within their low and high estimate.
- 1 works, or 2%, sold below their low estimate.
- 0 sold with undisclosed estimates.
Guaranteed sales
No sales had a guarantee.
Works that did not sell
21 works were bought-in, including: Caspar David Friedrich, ”Feuer in einer Kirchenruine (1800), estimated at $215,000 (low) to $215,000 (high). It has not been traded before.
Withdrawn before the sale
0 works were withdrawn
Terms and definitions
All results include the fees and premiums added to the price of a work of art when the auctioneer's hammer falls. Sale prices are compared to the auction house’s low estimate, which do not include premiums.
Guarantees: Sometimes an auction house guarantees to pay a seller for a work, regardless of whether the bidding reaches the reserve price, a figure that is typically confidential.
Bought-in: If there are no bids for a work, or if bidding falls short of the reserve price, the lot is unsold or “bought-in”.
Withdrawn: This happens when a seller decides, for whatever reason, to withdraw a work before the bidding begins.
Premiums: Typically a sliding-scale of charges paid in addition to the hammer price by the buyer, plus any other fees.