The two day auction of Rare Books at Ketterer Kunst in Hamburg achieved great results with proceeds of some € 1,2* millions. The evening auction alone hit the mark with 84 percent of lots sold. “This shows that Rare Books, a section that has been well established for years with solid sales figures, stands the test of even economically challenging times. Consistency and quality are values that are in demand now more than ever“, said Robert Ketterer, auctioneer and owner of Ketterer Kunst.

The Top 5

  € 56.400*   calling price: € 45.000

  No.24: J. W. Weinmann                     

  Phytanthoza-Iconographia. 1737-45.       see image  =>

  € 46.800*  calling price: € 21.000

  No9: Speculum humanae salvationis

  Augsburg. 1489.

  € 33.600* calling price: € 18.000

  No.6: Nonius Marcellus

  De proprietate latini sermonis. Venice 1476.

  € 28.800* calling price: € 20.000

  No.12: Cronica van der hilliger Stat Coellen    

  Cologne 1499.

  € 27.600* calling price: € 14.000

 No.2: (Pseudo-) Johannes Chrysostomus

Opus imperfectum in Matthaeum, around 1475.

The lavishly made Baroque book with more than 1000 color-engraved plates of plants and flowers by the Regensburg apothecarian Johann Wilhelm Weinmann leads the auction with a result of € 56.400* (reserve price € 45.000). A private collector from Germany made sure of the “Phytanthoza-Iconographia“ in four volumes for himself. chronicles, with proceeds of € 28.800*.

Shortly before the “Speculum humanae salvationis“, a rare copy of the Augsburg incunable in an old coloring, also achieved a respectable increase, called up at  € 21.000, it soared to proceeds of € 46.800*. An antiquarian from Saxony stood up to a full auction room and a good number of phone bidders.

By this time a phone bidder from a European country had all reasons to be happy, as he had already received the award  for  “De  proprietate  latini  sermonis“  by   the  late   Latin  grammarian  and   lexicographer  Nonius Marcellus. He acquired the book printed by Nicolas Jenson in his renowned Antiqua type for € 33.600* (calling price: € 18.000) and thus won against strong competitors in the auction room.

A private collector from North Germany rewarded the “Cronica van der hilliger Stat Coellen“, a magnificent document of the Dutch language in its regional Cologne variant and at the same time one of the most relevant 15th century

The Latin manuscript “Opus imperfectum in Matthaeum“ from around 1475 called for great international attention. For € 27.600* (calling price: € 14.000) the rare work formerly ascribed to Johannes Chysostomus went to a French private collector, who sent a fellow countryman off to second place. 

Besides the “Sermones et epistolae“ (lot: 8, calling price: € 7.000, proceeds: € 19.200* by Leo I., which went to an Italian antiquarian, and the celestial atlas “Coelum stellatum christianum“ by Julius Schiller (lot: 283, calling price: € 5.000, proceeds: € 13.200*) it was particularly “Das Alte Testament deudsch“ (lot: 14) which made for a respectable increase. The extremely rare edition of the Old Testament in the translation by Martin Luther climbed from € 2.800 to a final result of € 14.400*, which a German antiquarian allowed.

More lots worth mentioning are:

Lot no.            Author / Publisher   Title                                                       Reserve price         Proceeds

44                    S. Münster                   Cosmographia …                                             € 15.000          € 19.200*

48                    Th. de Bry                   Dritte Buch Americae …                                € 10.000          € 12.600*

248                  G. W. Knorr                Deliciae naturae selectae ...                             €  9.000           € 12.600*

160                  H. Schedel                   Das Buch der Chroniken und Geschichten     €  8.000           € 12.000*

The section of Marine and North German Art, which was included in the auction of Rare Books some time ago, is headed by John Henry Mohrmann‘s oil painting “Norwegische Bark 'Hippalos'“. A Canadian collector paid € 5.520*  for the lot number 1722  which was made around 1900. 

While the ”Hamburger Dampfsegler 'Rhodos'...“ another work by Mohrmann (calling price: € 3.000, proceeds: € 5.160*), just as the painting “Landschaft mit Bauernkate“ by Fritz Overbeck (lot: 1757, calling price: € 1.800, proceeds: € 4.680*) remained in North Germany, Carl Saltzmann‘s ”Bewegte Einschiffung...“ (lot: 1729, v price: € 2.500, proceeds: € 4.320*) as well as “Die HMS 'Victory', Admiral Nelsons Flaggschiff“ by Johannes Holst, went to South German private collections.

Until 16 December 2009 some fascinating objects can still be acquired in the post-auction sale.

                                                                        * Proceeds are the hammer price + 20 percent buyer’s premium.

Press inquiries:                                                          Your contact partners in the department of Rare Books:

Michaela Derra M.A.                                                     Christoph Calaminus / Christian Höflich

phone:+49-(0)89-55244-152 (Fax: -177)                       phone: 040-374961-11 / -20 / Fax: - 66

email: m.derra@kettererkunst.de                                    email: infohamburg@kettererkunst.de

www.kettererkunst.com

Ketterer Kunst                                                                        Ketterer Kunst                                   

Joseph-Wild-Str. 18                                                                 Am Meßberg 1

81829 München                                                                      20095 Hamburg