Lot 1
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Four Chinese hardstone carvings
Christie’s charges a premium to the buyer on the H… Read more WEDNESDAY 30 JUNE 2010 MORNING SESSION AT 10.30 A.M. (LOTS 1-174) THE COLLECTION OF THE LATE MR FRITZ LIEFKES AND THE LATE MR COR WEEGENAAR SOLD TO BENEFIT THE RIJKSMUSEUM VOOR VOLKENKUNDE IN LEIDEN (Lots 1-205, 270, 782-786) 'Zoo ik iets ben, ben ik een Hagenaar' The early 19th Century double-fronted facade of Frederikstraat 12 in The Hague revealed very little of the treasures amassed by its owners, the art historian and museum curator Fritz Liefkes and his partner, antique dealer Cor Weegenaar. Their eclectic collections ranged from European furniture and works of art, silver, porcelain, old master drawings to oriental ceramics and objects, including a highly important collection of Indonesian works of art - the great love of Liefkes. Weegenaar and Liefkes clearly complemented each other in many ways. Both were passionate and knowledgeable about the arts and had become - each in their own way - a prominent feature in the Dutch art world in the second half of the 20th Century. Weegenaar was renowned as a distinguished antique dealer who exhibited at the celebrated Delft Antique Fair, Liefkes as the eccentric curator of furniture at the Rijksmuseum Amsterdam, who secured various superb pieces of furniture for the museum, including the magnificent mother-of-pearl inlaid cupboard by Herman Doomer, a tour de force of Dutch 17th Century cabinet-making. In the house Weegenaar and Liefkes shared in the Frederikstraat their living quarters took up most of the available space and every room was filled to the brim with art spanning many centuries and nationalities. A large gallery on the ground floor of the house was used as a showroom - used for the display of mainly Dutch 17th and 18th Century decorative arts and Chinese ceramics. The extraordinary private collection of Indonesian works of art formed by Liefkes was kept in a garden sitting room and in his first floor bedroom and was only shown to a selected few. This collection, containing more than 700 pieces and including many items in gold and silver, was gifted by him on his death to the Rijksmuseum Volkenkunde in Leiden. His friend and trustee, Jan Veenendaal - scholar on Dutch colonial furniture - who shared Liefkes' passion for Indonesian works of art, has been entrusted with the transition of these items to the museum and will continue to act as guardian of the collection which will be published in the next few years. Veenendaal has also coordinated the dispersal of the remainder of the Weegenaar/Liefkes collection, part of which is included in this catalogue. Whilst only a fraction of the original collection, the quality, diversity and charm of these pieces demonstrate the discerning eye of both Fritz Liefkes and Cor Weegenaar and their sale will offer new collectors unique opportunities.
Four Chinese hardstone carvings

19TH 20TH CENTURY

Details
Four Chinese hardstone carvings
19th 20th Century
Comprising a jade carving of a Mandarin duck, 6.5 cm. wide; a jade pendant, 7 cm. high; a hardstone figure of Budai, damages, 6.5 cm. high; a hardstone figure of a dog, damages, 6 cm. wide, with wood stands (4)
Special notice
Christie’s charges a premium to the buyer on the Hammer Price of each lot sold at the following rates: 29.75% of the Hammer Price of each lot up to and including €20,000, plus 23.8% of the Hammer Price between €20,001 and €800.000, plus 14.28% of any amount in excess of €800.000. Buyer’s premium is calculated on the basis of each lot individually.

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Sabine Dalmeijer
Sabine Dalmeijer

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