Viebahn Fine Arts

09/06/2026

A refined example of early 19th-century taste: this elegant white marble tazza, likely Berlin, circa 1800, reflects the enduring fascination with antiquity that shaped the period. Inspired by archaeological discoveries in Pompeii and Herculaneum, such forms became central to the visual language of Neoclassicism. In Berlin, this aesthetic was championed by figures like Karl Friedrich Schinkel, whose influence extended beyond architecture to interior design and the decorative arts. At the same time, skilled stonecutters—including Christian Gottlieb Cantian (1794–1866)—regularly exhibited their work at the Akademie exhibitions, contributing to the city’s vibrant artistic production. This finely carved marble tazza exemplifies the era’s pursuit of clarity, proportion, and historical reference—while remaining an exceptionally decorative object in its own right.
Now available .

29/05/2026

A fascinating example of the enduring European fascination with Asian art: this impressive pair of so-called “pumpkin vases” was created in Berlin around 1840, inspired by Chinese porcelain models.
The faience bodies are richly decorated with red lacquer painting and even bear pseudo Kangxi marks on their bases — a reflection of the great admiration for Chinese ceramics. For many decades, works from this still unidentified Berlin manufactory were believed to date from the 18th century. Only recent research has shown that these vases first appear in inventories of the Prussian royal palaces from around 1840 onwards.
They therefore illustrate how the taste for exotic Asian-inspired decoration, which had fascinated European courts since the Baroque period, continued to flourish well into the 19th century.
Standing at an impressive height of 48 cm, this pair is preserved in a beautiful, authentic and outstanding condition.
Available for sale at Viebahn Fine Arts.

23/05/2026

The book-shaped pocket watch that I sold to a museum last year and wrote about in a previous post has generated so much interest that I would now like to show a photograph of the dial. The watch came from an old private collection in France. On the front, we can see an old paper number 169. This could be a collection or lot number from an auction in Paris in the early 20th or late 19th century. Does anyone know more? Despite extensive research, I have been unable to trace its provenance from that period... I look forward to more comments from you!

20/05/2026

A personal highlight of 2025: placing this extraordinary Augsburg table clock into a major private collection — and a true honour to have been its custodian, if only for a short time. Created circa 1720–1725, this masterpiece unites sculpture, cabinetmaking, horology, and courtly symbolism at the highest European level. Its richly layered case combines tortoiseshell, mother-of-pearl, gilt silver mounts, and Meissen porcelain painted with fashionable chinoiserie scenes. At its summit appears an enamel portrait of Margravine Franziska Sibylla Augusta of Baden-Baden, one of the great female patrons of the German Baroque. The clock’s movement is signed by the Parisian master Melchior Baltazar, reflecting the international journeys of elite objects in the 18th century. During our stewardship, we worked closely with art historians and undertook extensive research that helped reconstruct its early history and identify its original provenance, linking the clock to the court of Baden-Baden and later to the houses of Orléans and Westminster before its re-emergence on the modern art market. Works of this calibre rarely appear: not merely a clock, but a statement of dynastic ambition, technical brilliance, and the global imagination of Baroque Augsburg. For a dealer specialised in historic clocks, opportunities like this are exceptionally rare.

18/05/2026

15/05/2026

Few ceramic traditions capture the global imagination of the Baroque age quite like Japanese Imari porcelain. This monumental covered vase, produced in the Edo period around 1700, combines deep underglaze cobalt blue with brilliant overglaze enamels and gilding — a palette that became immensely sought after at European princely courts in the late 17th and early 18th centuries.
Named after the port of Imari, from which these wares were exported via Nagasaki, such porcelains reached Europe through the Dutch East India Company and quickly became symbols of refinement and prestige in aristocratic interiors.
Standing at an impressive height of almost 70 cm, the present vase is particularly striking for its scale, elegant baluster form, and richly painted decoration of flowering plants, birds and squirrels within a dense ornamental framework.
Now available at

13/05/2026

Objects like this Baroque casket illustrate the extraordinary interplay between painting, illusion, and craftsmanship around 1700. The present Prunkschatulle, created in Southern Germany between circa 1680 and 1720, is decorated with an elaborate tortoiseshell imitation and framed by blackened ripple mouldings — ornamental details highly fashionable in Baroque interior decoration.
Particularly remarkable are the rare verre églomisé panels inset on all sides. The five principal plaques, executed with exceptional refinement and likely dating from around 1600, survive here reused within the later casket. Their delicate gilded and engraved decoration beneath glass creates a luminous effect that changes subtly with the light. Raised on compressed bun feet and fitted with drawers and a central lock, the casket is lined with marbled paper and combines practical function with the theatrical richness characteristic of Baroque decorative arts.
Available for sale at Viebahn Fine Arts

11/05/2026

A rare example of early 18th-century courtly luxury: this Régence travel cutlery set, crafted in Augsburg between 1737–39, embodies the intersection of goldsmithing and porcelain innovation. Comprising 36 pieces—twelve knives, forks, and spoons—the ensemble combines gilded silver with finely worked Meissen porcelain handles.
The conical handles are decorated in underglaze blue with foliate scrolls, enriched by polychrome „Indianische Blume“ in overglaze enamel, with traces of gilding. Such “Japanese taste” imari designs reflect the enduring European fascination with East Asian aesthetics during the 1720s and 1730s. Archival records from Dresden confirm comparable commissions ordered under Augustus the Strong, underscoring the prestige of these hybrid objects. The spoons, with their oval bowls and engraved bandelwerk cartouches, and the distinctive three-tined forks further attest to the refined craftsmanship of Augsburg workshops. Maker’s marks identify Johann Georg Wolhaupter and Johann Jeremias Busch, situating the set firmly within the city’s renowned goldsmithing tradition. Preserved in its original shell-shaped leather case lined with green velvet, this ensemble survives as a testament to the close commercial and artistic exchange between Augsburg and the Meissen manufactory in the 18th century. Now available for acquisition .

08/05/2026

A rare convergence of devotion, craftsmanship, and intellectual culture: this early 18th-century pocket watch, conceived in the form of a miniature book, stands among the most exceptional objects I had the privilege to handle last year. Created in Ehrenbreitstein (close to Koblenz) between 1707 and 1711, it is signed by the court watchmaker Franz Kärler—whose oeuvre is otherwise unknown—making this likely his only surviving work. Commissioned for Johann Hugo von Orsbeck, Archbishop and Elector of Trier, the richly worked silver case—partially gilt—bears his engraved coat of arms and titles. Inside, finely executed devotional imagery reflects the spiritual function of timekeeping: the Crucifixion and the Virgin and Child, each accompanied by Latin inscriptions invoking redemption and protection. Such “book watches” are exceedingly rare; only a small number from the 16th and 17th centuries are documented. Their conceptual lineage reaches back to portable sundials embedded in book bindings, uniting scientific inquiry with private devotion. Its acquisition by a museum, following extensive research, marked a particularly significant and rewarding moment in my work last year.