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Of the three major works on offer, two were withdrawn after falling well short of the estimate. This may be understandable for the intensely patriotic Church of the Vow, Pietermaritzburg, which is totally out of tune with post-1994 SA and was bid up to only R1.6m, against the R2.5m - R3m estimate, but was more surprising for the attractive Orange Free State Landscape, which attracted only R950 000 against the estimate of R1.4m - R1.8m.
A third lot, a Lowveld Landscape, just reached the R1.8m - R2.4m estimate, at R1.87m, though this - like all prices for sold items - includes the 10% buyer's premium.
Stern and Laubscher
However, the other two of SA art's Holy Trinity, Irma Stern and Maggie Laubser, fared better. Stern's Pondo Woman (estimate R1.5m - R2.5m) fetched R2.86m.
Laubser was the star, though. Woman with Headscarf (estimate R1m - R1.5m) got R2.42m, and a small Goose & Arum Lilies, estimated at just R300 000 - R400 000, was bid up to R1.43m.
It seems that the differential between the two doyennes is narrowing, which some will feel is long overdue, on artistic grounds.
In other items of interest, Adriaan Boshoff's Fishermen's Wives (estimate R700 000 - R900 000) broke through the R1m mark to R1.045m, and a Gwelo Goodman landscape, estimated at R80 000 - R120 000, reached R297 000. Two Walter Battiss watercolours went for R60 000 each.
New auction records included R176 000 for Fred Page's Hairdo (estimate R80 000 - R120 000), R1.32m for a Boonzaaier landscape (estimate R1m - R1.5m) and R462 000 for George Pemba's The Aspiring Soccer Players (estimate R180 000 - R240 000).
Jewellery and cars
In the jewellery section, only 17 of 187 lots were unsold, many going close to or over their top estimates. Watches, clocks and furniture were also well received, the only disappointing section being the classic cars and motor cycles.
Top price here was a post-auction R724 100 for a 1972 E type Jaguar (estimate R700 000 - R750 000). A 1970 Chevrolet Camaro RS reached R228 800 (estimate R220 000-R240 000).
The overall gross was about R39m, of which SA art accounted for R30m.
- Fin24.com
