- 197
A silver-gilt and painted enamel nef, Leopold Weininger, Vienna, circa 1890
Estimate
18,000 - 22,000 GBP
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Description
- A silver-gilt and painted enamel nef, Leopold Weininger, Vienna, circa 1890
- silver-gilt, enamel
- 56cm., 22in. high
the cup and cover formed as a three-masted galleon, the hull, base and sails painted with Neptune and sea nymphs enclosed within arabesques, the deck inhabited with enamel sailors and hippocamps, surmounted by armorial pennants and supported by a handsome melusine, maker's mark and Austrian control mark
Condition
Some restoration
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."
Catalogue Note
Leopold Weininger (1854-1922) was a goldsmith, silversmith and jeweller in Vienna. In 1909, he was listed in the Branchenverzeichnis der Meisterlisten als Spezialist, as a specialist for enamelled pieces imitating the Antique. The Austrian writer Emil Lucka wrote his obituary in the newspaper Neue Freie Presse:
'He [Weininger] is the last of the family of great goldsmiths descended from Benvenuto Cellini. His work has been sought out and appreciated in England, France, Italy, Russia and America and much is now in museums, or in the mansions of the rich. The substance of his art, made from gold, platinum, lapis lazuli, rock crystal, brilliant gemstones of all kinds, enamel, and other rich and rare materials, is 'unmodern' and deliberately intended to be so. Only once did he show me the statue of a seated Circe - in ivory and topaz - a work of art which he himself described as 'modern'. Everything else, cups, ornate clocks decorated with the signs of the zodiac on rock crystal surrounds, caskets and boxes, and whatever else he created, avoided any style after the Renaissance up to and including Louis XVI'.
'He [Weininger] is the last of the family of great goldsmiths descended from Benvenuto Cellini. His work has been sought out and appreciated in England, France, Italy, Russia and America and much is now in museums, or in the mansions of the rich. The substance of his art, made from gold, platinum, lapis lazuli, rock crystal, brilliant gemstones of all kinds, enamel, and other rich and rare materials, is 'unmodern' and deliberately intended to be so. Only once did he show me the statue of a seated Circe - in ivory and topaz - a work of art which he himself described as 'modern'. Everything else, cups, ornate clocks decorated with the signs of the zodiac on rock crystal surrounds, caskets and boxes, and whatever else he created, avoided any style after the Renaissance up to and including Louis XVI'.