The single owner collection of hand-crafted vintage prints by Heinrich Kühn performed admirably at Lempertz in Cologne last week. Enticing estimates for these rarities generated plenty of interest and the sale delivered 13 positive surprises in the 60 lots on offer. The overall Buy-In rate came in just above 25% (the passes coming mostly in the lower priced lots), while consistent strength at the top end drove the Total Sale Proceeds meaningfully above the aggregate pre-sale high estimate.
The summary statistics are below (all results include the buyer’s premium):
| Summary Statistics | |
|---|---|
| Total Lots | 60 |
| Aggregate Pre Sale Low Estimate | €240300 |
| Aggregate Pre Sale High Estimate | €310100 |
| Total Lots Sold | 44 |
| Total Lots Bought In | 16 |
| Buy In % | 26.67% |
| Total Sale Proceeds | €419068 |
Here is the breakdown (using the Low, Mid, and High definitions from the preview post):
| Detailed Breakdown | |
|---|---|
| Low Total Lots | 51 |
| Total Low Lots Sold | 35 |
| Total Low Lots Bought In | 16 |
| Low Buy In % | 31.37% |
| Aggregate High Estimate of Low Lots | €215100 |
| Total Proceeds from Low Lots | €239268 |
| Mid Total Lots | 9 |
| Total Mid Lots Sold | 9 |
| Total Mid Lots Bought In | 0 |
| Mid Buy In % | 0.00% |
| Aggregate High Estimate of Mid Lots | €95000 |
| Total Proceeds from Mid Lots | €179800 |
| Total High Lots | 0 |
| Total High Lots Sold | NA |
| Total High Lots Bought In | NA |
| High Buy In % | NA |
| Aggregate High Estimate of High Lots | €0 |
| Total Proceeds from High Lots | NA |
The top lot by High estimate was lot 205, Heinrich Kühn, Alfred Stieglitz, 1905, estimated at €15000-20000. It sold at €22320. The top outcome of the sale was lot 224, Heinrich Kühn, Untitled, 1911, estimated at €6000-8000, sold at €34720 (image above, via Lempertz).
100.00% of the lots that sold had proceeds in or above the estimate range, and there were a total of 13 surprises in the sale (defined as having proceeds of at least double the high estimate) (images above, via Lempertz):
Lot 203, Heinrich Kühn, Untitled (Innsbruck), c1900, estimated at €3000-4000, sold at €9300
Lot 209, Heinrich Kühn, Meadow in Birgitz (Hans and Mary seated), c1908, estimated at €2000-3000, sold at €8060
Lot 215, Heinrich Kühn, Study in Tonal Values III, 1908, estimated at €6000-8000, sold at €22320
Lot 216, Heinrich Kühn, Miss Mary, 1908, estimated at €8000-10000, sold at €31000
Lot 223, Heinrich Kühn, Wine bottle, water glass and apple, c1911, estimated at €6000-8000, sold at €19840
Lot 224, Heinrich Kühn, Untitled, 1911, estimated at €6000-8000, sold at €34720
Lot 231, Heinrich Kühn, Rosenstillleben, 1915, estimated at €5000-6000, sold at €17360
Lot 232, Heinrich Kühn, Rosenstillleben, 1915, estimated at €5000-6000, sold at €18600
Lot 241, Heinrich Kühn, Still-life with Horse and Flowers, c1914, estimated at €2500-3000, sold at €11780
Lot 244, Heinrich Kühn, Frauentorso im Sonnenlicht, c1920, estimated at €4000-5000, sold at €19840
Lot 245, Heinrich Kühn, Frauentorso im Sonnenlicht, c1920, estimated at €4000-5000, sold at €22320
Lot 247, Heinrich Kühn, Nude seen from behind, c1920, estimated at €6000-8000, sold at €21080
Lot 254, Heinrich Kühn, Gum tree, 1929, estimated at €3500-4000, sold at €9300
The complete lot by lot results can be found here.
