Every appraiser dreams of
discovering a long-lost treasure tucked away in an attic or closet.
And Bonham's celebrated one such find at its June 10 auction with a
highly important violin by G.B. Guadagnini (Piacenza, 1745). Peter Horner
of Bonham's musical instrument department found the violin during a
routine visit to the United States. "The owner had no idea what
he had—and was pleasantly surprised, to say the least, when I told
him how much it might be worth. There has been a lot of interest in
the violin, which is in almost perfect condition and sounds as you would
expect from this superb maker," said Horner prior to the sale.
The violin had been with the American owner since 1925, when it was
brought from Switzerland by relatives. The instrument was estimated
at £100,000–£150,000 ($70,422–$105,633), and sold
for £145,000/$99,315.
Bonham's March 12 sale saw
a good French violin by Jean Baptiste Vuillaume (Paris, c. 1860) sell
for £40,000 ($28,169)—the low end of its estimate. Also notable,
a fine, handsome, and rare viola by Benjamin Banks (Salisbury, c. 1780)
sold with a certificate from Dykes & Sons (London, May 24, 1979). The
instrument was featured in The British Violin (BVMA, Oxford,
2000, pp. 120–129) and brought 10,500 ($7,394) at gavel.
Christies celebrated two
strong sales this spring. The March 13 South Kensington sale presented
one of the top lots for London's spring season: a good Italian violin
by Giovanni Francesco Pressenda (Turin, 1828). The instrument fetched
£102,750 ($72,359) at the auction's close.
Christie's East hosted its
first auction at the new Rockefeller Center location in New York on
May 30, featuring items from the estate of an unnamed private collector
that brought fierce bidding. Says Genevieve Wheeler of Christie's East,
"Having a broad selection of bows in such pristine condition brought
clients in weeks in advance of the public viewing."
A fine silver-mounted violin
bow by Franois Nicolas Voirin was considered a prize lot by collectors.
Estimated at $6,000–$8,000, it took $10,158 at close. Also notable,
a silver-mounted violin bow by Hippolyte Camille Lamy sold for $5,975.
A Nicola Gagliano violin
(Naples, 1734) was well received by attendees, and brought $95,600 at
final bidding. It was especially popular among the players at the auction
as it was a strong example of a "grand pattern model."
Skinner had very good sales
and several high-quality lots in its May 5 auction in Boston. David
Bonsey of the musical instrument department reports, "It was one
of our best sales ever—92 percent of the lots sold. And we had
ten world records." One record-breaker, a violin made by the son
of well-known Dutch maker Johannes Cuypers, Johannes Franciscus Cuypers,
sold for $28,200—a price establishing J.F. Cuypers as a quality
maker in his own rite.
A rare French violin by
Jean Baptiste Vuillaume (Paris, 1874) showcases inlaid ebony fleur-de-lys
designs and is one of the last instruments to come out of Vuillaume's
workshop, made a year before his death. Crafted for the famous violin
dealer David Laurie, it's a copy of a Nicola Amati violin originally
belonging to Prince Youssoupoff (a Russian aristocrat and pupil of Vieuxetemps).
Only six copies were made. Estimated at $50,000–$70,000, the violin
took $38,775 at gavel.
A Nicola Gagliano Neapolitan
violin (Naples, 1759) sold to a musician for $62,275. A silver-mounted
viola by Eric Lane and a violin bow by Francois Malo and Eric Grandchamp
(collaborative work), were also noteworthy. Proceeds of these two sales
were donated to the International Pernambuco Conservation Initiative
(IPCI). Bonsey explains, "We would like to include at least two
bows in each auction to support the IPCI." (Lane's bow sold for
$940 and the Malo-Grandchamp work took in $1,645).
One of Skinner's most significant
lots was an Italian violin catalogued as an instrument from the Mantua
School—estimated at $15,00018,000. It was the object of intense
presale speculation, and musicians bid on its sound quality alone. It
eventually sold with speculation as to its real maker for $154,500over
ten times the low estimate.
Sotheby's March sale saw
an Annibale Fagnola viola (Turin, 1904) sell for £40,750 ($28,697).
Tim Ingles of the musical instrument department reports that this lot
was especially nice to see as "[we are] in a market where violas
are not guaranteed sellers, by any means." Also of note, an "ascribed
to Gennaro Gagliano" violin garnered £35,000 ($24,648) against
an estimate of £8,000–£12,000 ($5,634–8,450).
And an Alfredo Contino violin broke a previous record, selling at £18,900
($13,310).
Ingles notes, "there
were also good results for Giuseppe Pedrazzini (£22,350 [$15,739]),
Johannes Theodorus Cuypers (£23,500 [$16,549]), and Giovanni Floreno
Guidante (£18,900 [$13,310]) violins, and an H.C. Silvestre violoncello
(£25,800 [$18,169]). Amongst the bows, £4,560 ($3,211) for
a W.E. Hill Fleur-de-lys was excellent, and a Dodd violoncello bow also
did well at £7,200 ($5,070)."
