Auction of Fine Judaica: Printed Books, Manuscripts, Autograph Letters, Antiquities, Ceremonial Objects & Graphic Art

AUCTION 75 - MARCH 8TH 2018

Two particulaly historic items in Thursday's auction performed strikingly well: The first edition of R. Yom Tov Lipmann-Heller’s ground-breaking commentary to the Mishnah (Prague, 1614-17) brought a hammer-price of $160,000 against a pre-sale estimate of $50,000-70,000 (Lot 160); and Solomon Alexander Hart’s magnificent panoramic painting: ‘The Proposal of the Jews to Ferdinand and Isabella’ (1870) achieved $190,000 against an estimate of $70,000-90,000 (Lot 24).

Almost all highlights of this auction did well: Josef von Gillern’s purported portrait of the Chasam Sofer (1835) fetched $37,500 (Lot 23) and Yaacov Agam’s multigraph polymorph 'Mazor' was hammered at $15,000 (Lot 4).

Other notable auction mentions: An exceedingly rare letter of protection issued by the Portugal's Consul in Budapest (1944) sold for $13,000 (Lot 170). An autograph letter written by R. Yoel Teitelbaum, the Grand Rabbi of Satmar expressing his concern for the Jews living behind the Iron Curtain sold for $10,000 (Lot 287). The Steipler Gaon’s autographed notes to a draft of his Talmudic novellae Kehilloth Ya’akov achieved $5,000 (Lot 273). The Gaon of Vilna’s Tzurath Ha’aretz LeGevulotheha with important marginal notes accomplished $5,000 (Lot 260) while an autographed letter by R. Itzikel Przeworsk reached $4,500 (Lot 263).

Among Printed Books, the first edition of R. Ya'acov Yosef of Polonoye’s Ben Porath Yoseph (1781) attained $19,000 (Lot 131); while Constantine Lascaris’ influential grammar De Octo Partibus Orationis printed by Aldus (1512), earned $5,000 (Lot 213).

A number of Ceremonial Objects appeared in the auction, notably a fine 18th-century Dutch silver binding that was hammered at $10,000 (Lot 342). A large, brass Bezalel Hanukah lamp fetched $10,000 (Lot 314) and an Hungarian silver-plated brass charity container was sold for $7,500 (Lot 339).

The auction included an unusually wide variety of subject matter. Although the more experimental fields made for somewhat patchy performance, nonetheless we look forward to the continued broadening of varied areas of expertise.

Kestenbaum & Company’s next auction of Fine Judaica will be held mid-June, 2018.

For further information or for any related queries, please contact Zushye Kestenbaum at [email protected]