December Highlights

The Fine and Rare Wine sale held on Monday 5 December presented the perfect opportunity to stock up before Christmas. With around a quarter of a million dollars in turnover, the department celebrated its strongest sale of the year. Highlights of the night include a single bottle of 1959 Chateau Lafite Rothschild, which sold for $4,510, and a collection of twelve bottles of Chateau Mouton Rothschild, which achieved $6,570.

With final election results still pending and concerns around the European debt crisis on the rise, an air of uncertainty hung about last Tuesday’s sale of Important Paintings and Contemporary Art. Pleasingly, however, demand for major modern pieces new to the secondary market remained high, with the majority of such works meeting or exceeding their estimates. Pat Hanly’s striking and exuberant “Golden Age” 3 with White Butterfly, purchased directly from the artist by the vendors in 1978 and held in their care since then, sold under the hammer for an impressive $137,300. Don Binney’s evocative and elegant Two Aspects of Tokatoka, acquired by the vendor from Barry Lett Galleries in 1979, realised $134,400 against an estimate of $60,000 - $80,000, setting a record for a bird-less landscape by this iconic artist. Other significant sales include Peter Siddell’s masterpiece Western Balcony, which achieved $100,100, and Colin McCahon’s Kaipara Flat with Blue Sky, which sold for $91,500. It was especially pleasing to see appreciation for Toss Woollaston’s grand and passionate Devil’s Thumb landscape, which sold for $91,500. With over $1.1 million in sales, the art market performed well, despite many collectors taking a conservative stance.

The afternoon session of Wednesday’s Fine Jewellery and Watches sale was remarkably buoyant, while the evening session – comprising watches, heavy gold items, antique pieces, and a wide range of diamond and precious stone jewellery – generated strong demand. The Affordable and Estate Jewellery session saw a 90% clearance rate and a record total of over $100,000, with prices for many items exceeding vendors’ expectations by up to 40%. Sales at the uppermost end in the evening session were not as strong as in previous sales throughout the year, however overall performance was well ahead of target, with a clearance rate just shy of 75% for the day. Highlights include a Patek Philippe wristwatch, which achieved $10,290, a 3.08ct loose old mine cut diamond, which sold for $17,590, and an estate ring set with a 3.27ct emerald-cut diamond, which realised $17,160.

Thursday’s sale of Antiques and Modern Design ended the week on a high note, results indicating that New Zealand is following international trends for confident if selective spending in this diverse market. Spirited bidding from an eager pre-Christmas crowd saw the Decorative Arts department attain its strongest sales result for 2011. The Asian antiques market, though difficult to predict, is booming, as is demonstrated by our recent results. An exquisite 19th century Chinese Mandarin costume attracted a phenomenal price of over $15,000, a well-carved pair of Chinese ivory Buddhist monks sold for $4,810, and an extraordinary pair of antique Japanese dolls fetched $6,680 under the hammer – all three lots blowing their estimates out of the water. Silver has sold consistently well throughout the year, and all but two lots of it sold last week. An impressive Victorian sterling silver tray sold for $7,040, and a beautiful Victorian Queen’s pattern cutlery set achieved $6,100. Quality New Zealand ceramics sold well, with a Mirek Smisek exhibition vase fetching $1,410, and a Crown Lynn ‘Faces of Eve’ lamp achieving $1,230. Other highlights of the evening include a carriage clock, which realised $3,050, an impressive James Nowak millefiori glass clamshell, which was snapped up for $5,510, a 19th century sailor’s shell valentine, which made $3,170, and a stylish pair of vintage Milo Baughman armchairs, which sold for $3,750. Overall, the auction achieved a clearance rate of 85% as collectors sought to secure the beautiful and rare this Christmas.