Flower Girls and other Beauties do themselves proud
Friedrich Gauermann, realized price € 306.300
Eugen von Blaas, realized price € 280.830
What appears to be a personification of spring is really the „Girl with lilac dress, bouquet, and basket of flowers“ by Eugen von Blaas, the 'painter of Venetian beauties'. At the Vienna Dorotheum auction of 19th Century Paintings on 12th April 2011, this title lot reached an excellent 280.830 Euro, far exceeding expectations (Cat. No. 10).
Springtime enthusiasm appeared to have its effect even on the bidders. The majority of the lots were only knocked down after prolonged bidding battles and the auction was characterised by these bids climbing to ever higher levels. Pride of place went to two paintings by Friedrich Gauermann, his Alpine Farm at Untersberg Mt., in Salzburg sold at 306.300 Euro (Cat. No. 145) and Herdsmen and cattle by Lake Attersee (€ 278.000, Cat. No. 40). In the Austrian selection, an exotic Still life of fruit with an Amazon parrot by Ferdinand Georg Waldmüller provided another highlight (€ 179.800, Cat. No. 34).
Demonstrating the lively general interest in Russian painting, a British bidder authorised 145.300 Euro for Aleksandre Karlovich Beggrov's View of the Neva River (Cat. No. 127). Italian works and scenes were likewise much sought after, including a Kitchen Maid by the genre-, portrait-, and still life painter Vincenzo Irolli (€ 110.100, Cat. No. 77). Sharing in the success, German Romantic painters like Carl Friedrich Lessing, Johan Christian Clausen Dahl, Franz Ludwig Catel and Johann Peter Hasenclever also brought in striking results.
Investing in art continues to be highly popular. The extent of potential appreciation for 19th century paintings can be illustrated using the example of Friedrich von Amerling's Sleeping fisher-woman. In April 1994 it was bought at auction by Rudolf Leopold for approximately 554.500 Austrian Schilling (ca. 40.300 Euro), in April 2011, it was sold for 145.300 Euro.
Contact in Brussels: Honorine d'Ursel, 13, rue aux Laines, 1000 Brussels
Tel +32-2-514 00 34, honorine.dursel@dorotheum.be
Contact in UK: Pauline Beaufort-Spontin
Mobile 0044 7827 441 386, pauline.beaufort-spontin@dorotheum.com
Download image: (to be used free of charge only for media reports on Dorotheum auctions) Photocredit Dorotheum Vienna
 | Friedrich Gauermann, realized price € 306.300 |
| Eugen von Blaas, realized price € 280.830 |
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