The auction Lempertz in Cologne closes on May 21 with 250 lots, between Nordic Rinascimento and Italian 19th century.
What does the Lempertz auction in Cologne offer?
The sale is divided into two sessions and brings together paintings and drawings from different schools. The catalog spans Flemish Mannerism, Italian views, history painting, and still life.
However, the most anticipated core remains that of Italian and Nordic masterpieces. The selection puts different genres in dialogue and provides a broad overview of European painting.
What are the most significant Italian lots?
Among the most notable pieces is Francesco Hayez with Portrait of Count Francesco Borgia, estimated between 30,000 and 40,000 euros. Commissioned by Borgia himself, the portrait shows the count in half-figure, facing the viewer frontally.
In this case, the composure of the image combines with a strong psychological intensity. Hayez, described by Stendhal as “premier peintre vivant”, confirms here the importance of portraiture in his production.
Moreover, the climate of the Risorgimento emerges in Dario Querci with Cola di Rienzo Delivers a Speech to the Roman People in Front of the Church of San Giorgio in Velabro, estimated between 25,000 and 30,000 euros. The painting won an award at the Vienna World’s Fair of 1873.
The work reflects the artist’s political commitment, who participated in the uprisings of 1848 and joined Garibaldi in 1860. Cola di Rienzo is thus reinterpreted as a symbol of 19th-century liberal nationalism.
How is the Nordic and Dutch front presented?
The Dutch section of the 17th century is represented by Pieter de Hooch with Woman Sewing by a Window with a Maid and a Child, estimated between 120,000 and 140,000 euros. The work highlights domestic interiors and the intimate relationship between mother and child.
That said, this attention to daily life is one of the artist’s most recognizable traits. Compared to other schools of the time, de Hooch favors the quiet of the home and the precision of affections.
Among the still lifes stands out Jan Davidszoon de Heem with A Sumptuous Still Life with Silverware, a Wanli bowl of fruit, oysters on a silver plate, and a lute in the foreground, estimated between 300,000 and 400,000 euros. The canvas recalls the prosperity of Antwerp and intertwines symbolic and material elements.
The reference to vanitas is not limited to the transience of life. Here it also becomes a conscious celebration of its richness, in a composition of great visual density.
Additionally, the sale includes a double-sided sheet by Jan Brueghel the Elder: Winter Landscape with Frozen Canal and Ice Skaters on the recto and The Bird Trap on the verso, estimated between 40,000 and 60,000 euros. The drawing, painted on both sides, shows one of the most typical Flemish winter scenes.
What space do the Italian masters of the 16th and 17th centuries occupy?
Among the Italian lots stands out Jacopo Palma il Giovane with Adam and Eve, estimated between 50,000 and 70,000 euros. Trained between Urbino and Rome, the artist became central in Venetian painting after returning to the city in 1570.
In the work, Adam occupies the foreground and Eve dominates the center of the composition. The female figure, nude and with long blonde hair, closely recalls the Venuses of Tiziano.
Moreover, the painting might have been created as part of a religious cycle or as an independent work intended for a private collector. The dual hypothesis adds interest to a work already central in the catalog.
In the 17th-century section also appears Domenico Fetti with Melancolia, estimated between 150,000 and 200,000 euros. The painting fits into the iconographic tradition of melancholy, rediscovered in the Renaissance.
The reading of the work intertwines Christological elements and complex symbols. It has also been interpreted as a possible homage to Ferdinando Gonzaga, Duke of Mantua, known for his melancholic temperament and role as a patron.
Among the still lifes is also Fede Galizia with Bowl of Peaches and Pears, estimated between 80,000 and 100,000 euros. Active between the late 16th and early 17th centuries, she was soon known internationally.
Her painting combines the Lombard naturalistic tradition with the use of light by Caravaggio. In this case, the simplicity of the composition enhances the luminous rendering of the fruit in the metallic bowl.
Overall, the auction catalog closes with Giovanni Battista Tiepolo and Head of a Man in Three-Quarter Profile, estimated between 100,000 and 120,000 euros. The study has been recognized as autograph by George Knox, who linked it to an engraving of the same subject made by his son Domenico.
The fact strengthens the historical interest of the work and places it more precisely in the portrait production of the Venetian master. The Lempertz auction confirms a dense catalog, built on comparisons between schools, genres, and centuries of ancient art.
As expert in digital marketing, Amelia began working in the fintech sector in 2014 after writing her thesis on Bitcoin technology. Previously author for several international crypto-related magazines and CMO at Eidoo. She is now the co-founder and editor-in-chief of The Cryptonomist and Econique.
She is also a marketing teacher at Digital Coach in Milan and she published a book about NFTs for the Italian publishing house Mondadori, while she is also helping artists and company to entering in the sector. As advisor, Amelia is also involved in metaverse-related project such as The Nemesis and OVER.
