Strauss & co - Review 2020

Irma Stern Still Life with Basket of Flowers Sold R3 983 000 The format of the May sale adhered to Strauss & Co conventions, with the individual lots grouped by category and sold in two discrete decorative arts sessions. One of the innovations of the November sale was Interiors, a sale within a sale that integrated art, furniture and decorative arts. The lot selection included Cape, English and European furniture and collectable silverware interspersed with fine examples of 20th-century South African painting. Conceived by Vanessa Phillips, Strauss & Co’s joint managing director, the intention of this session was to emphasize the total experience of collecting, as well as the integration of collectables in various media and from various ages into a domestic setting. The Interiors session earned R17 million. The turnover was lifted by the presences of prominent flower paintings, notably Stern’s Still Life with Basket (sold for R4 million) and Pierneef’s Still Life with Pelargoniums (sold for R796 600). Noteworthy furniture pieces sold in this session included the Dunhill walnut pipe cabinet mentioned above and an 18th-century Cape stinkwood and satinwood armoire formerly owned by collectors Punch and Cynthia Barlow, which sold for R600 000. Interiors also included a gorgeous Qing Dynasty turquoise-glazed crackleware vase (sold for R36 416) and pair of mid- century Tiffany & Co silver water pitchers (sold for R125 180), affirming the DNA of luxury in this sale. Two René Lalique Source de la Fontaine moulded glass figures sold for R341 400 each. As market leader we have a responsibility to constantly innovate. One of the innovations of the November sale was Interiors, a sale within a sale that integrated art, furniture and decorative arts. 44