Strauss & co - Review 2021

In November, all 51 lots from a single-owner collection of ceramic sculpture by Hylton Nel and Nico Masemola found buyers. Vanessa Phillips secured this important collection. Sphinx , a sardonic interpretation of the winged monster of Thebes by Nel, earned the top price when it sold for R125 180. Two ceramic sculptures by Nel depicting cats attracted enthusiastic bids. Made in 2013, Male and Female Green Cats sold for R96 730. Produced four years earlier, Resting Cat went to an online bidder for R68 280. Two bovine works by Masemola, a student of Nel, sold for over R50 000 each. Also in November, the Juanita Bird Collection of Linn Ware and 20th Century Ceramics affirmed the collectability of Linn Ware and earned a creditable R301 860 from 102 of the 122 lots sold. The result further underlines Strauss & Co’s emergent position as the premier reseller of South African ceramics, an objective announced in 2020. Hylton Nel Sphinx Sold R125 180 Hylton Nel Male and Female Green Cats Sold R96 730 Nico Masemola White Cow Sold R54 624 Hylton Nel Resting Cat Sold R68 280 55