Hidden gems and personal favourites – Auctionet's specialists present a handpicked selection of the most exciting objects right now. ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏

Selected by Our Specialists
Hidden gems and personal favourites – Auctionet's specialists present a handpicked selection of the most exciting objects right now.
Hidden gems and personal favourites – Auctionet's specialists present a handpicked selection of the most exciting objects right now.
All Selected Objects
Andreas Siesing, Author, Design Lover and Specialist at Auctionet
A Deep Dive With Andreas Siesing
3924254. JAMES EDDIE (SOUTH AFRICAN/BRITISH, 1916-2002). THE YOUNG GARDENER.
A Deep Dive With Andreas Siesing
3924254. JAMES EDDIE (SOUTH AFRICAN/BRITISH, 1916-2002). THE YOUNG GARDENER.
"In my painting, I follow a realistic tradition, influenced by the early Netherlands School, Renaissance painters, and contemporary American realists such as Andrew Wyeth. My life is completely dedicated to painting. I am particularly interested in textures and shapes, and everything I paint is a tribute to nature. My portraits are keen observations of the sitter, revealing their underlying character." I find the quote on a website created in the early days of the internet. The site is called eggtempera.free.fr (it’s a real throwback) and it’s hard on the eyes with its purple text against a turquoise background with a paper-like texture. But the content is much better. The artist James Eddie talks about his childhood and, in the lines above, summarizes his artistic practice. His analysis of his own work is crystal clear. As a viewer, it's easy to see influences from the old Dutch Masters, Renaissance attributes, a breath of New Objectivity, and perhaps even touches of Andrew Wyeth, though I think James Eddie is much more generous with warm colors. The blooming flowers are exotic, and I would place them somewhere between Rachel Ruysch and, why not, our own Karl Axel Pehrson?
But the painting in question is primarily a portrait, and when I look through archives of previous sales, I find nothing of similar quality. The young gardener greets the viewer with a smile. However, 1948 is a grim milestone in South African history. It was the year when apartheid was institutionalized through a network of twisted laws benefiting a small white minority. Two years later, James Eddie traveled to Europe to study painting in Greece and Italy. On January 15, his still-life-adorned portrait will be auctioned, and despite a hefty price for a vase of flowers in Cape Town in 2020, I believe there’s a good chance of a record for the artist.
Andreas Siesing, Author, Design Lover and Specialist at Auctionet
Explore the Object
"In my painting, I follow a realistic tradition, influenced by the early Netherlands School, Renaissance painters, and contemporary American realists such as Andrew Wyeth. My life is completely dedicated to painting. I am particularly interested in textures and shapes, and everything I paint is a tribute to nature. My portraits are keen observations of the sitter, revealing their underlying character." I find the quote on a website created in the early days of the internet. The site is called eggtempera.free.fr (it’s a real throwback) and it’s hard on the eyes with its purple text against a turquoise background with a paper-like texture. But the content is much better. The artist James Eddie talks about his childhood and, in the lines above, summarizes his artistic practice. His analysis of his own work is crystal clear. As a viewer, it's easy to see influences from the old Dutch Masters, Renaissance attributes, a breath of New Objectivity, and perhaps even touches of Andrew Wyeth, though I think James Eddie is much more generous with warm colors. The blooming flowers are exotic, and I would place them somewhere between Rachel Ruysch and, why not, our own Karl Axel Pehrson? But the painting in question is primarily a portrait, and when I look through archives of previous sales, I find nothing of similar quality. The young gardener greets the viewer with a smile. However, 1948 is a grim milestone in South African history. It was the year when apartheid was institutionalized through a network of twisted laws benefiting a small white minority. Two years later, James Eddie traveled to Europe to study painting in Greece and Italy. On January 15, his still-life-adorned portrait will be auctioned, and despite a hefty price for a vase of flowers in Cape Town in 2020, I believe there’s a good chance of a record for the artist.
Explore the Object
CC HERMANN Estimate: 5 000 SEK
GEORG EKMAN Estimate: 2 500 SEK
SWEDISH GRACE Estimate: 1 500 SEK
NILS & EVA KOPPEL Estimate: 2 000 DKK
David Brolin
Ceramics Nerd, Star Wars Enthusiast and Specialist at Auctionet
For younger readers, there was once a time when having a mobile phone in your pocket wasn't a given. If you were out and about in town, you'd have to search for a phone booth to make a call, paying for it with coins or, later on, a phone card (which became somewhat of a collectible). I've long had the silly thought of wanting an old phone booth, ideally a beautiful "Pagoda" designed by Hjalmar Celion in 1900, which became Sweden's first mass-produced phone booth. Now, Björnssons Auction House offers a more reasonable alternative in the form of a 40-centimeter-tall model of such a telephone booth.
David Brolin
Ceramics Nerd, Star Wars Enthusiast and Specialist at Auctionet
For younger readers, there was once a time when having a mobile phone in your pocket wasn't a given. If you were out and about in town, you'd have to search for a phone booth to make a call, paying for it with coins or, later on, a phone card (which became somewhat of a collectible). I've long had the silly thought of wanting an old phone booth, ideally a beautiful "Pagoda" designed by Hjalmar Celion in 1900, which became Sweden's first mass-produced phone booth. Now, Björnssons Auction House offers a more reasonable alternative in the form of a 40-centimeter-tall model of such a telephone booth.
TELEPHONE KIOSK Estimate: 500 SEK
EWALDIN PETTERSSON Estimate: 4 000 SEK
RÖRSTRAND Estimate: 8 000 SEK
HUGO GEHLIN Estimate: 8 000 SEK
Tom Österman
Seasoned Auction Veteran and Co-Founder of Auctionet
When I was young, I received a large landscape for my birthday, half-finished, with accompanying tracks, a station, a locomotive, and numerous train carriages. Everything was mounted on a four-legged board, making it resemble a large table. For nearly 10 years, I continued building the landscape, lakes, small houses, and everything else to complete it to perfection. I cut gravel roads out of sandpaper, painted blue underneath daring glass to make it look like rippling water in a lake. I bought tiny figures performing various tasks on roads and in gardens, and installed lighting in all the houses in the village. Even in the alpine cabin atop the high mountain built from papier-mâché. All the while, the trains continuously traveled around the landscape and through the mountain tunnels. Once finished, I had reached my late teens and developed other interests, so the complete train set was given away to a family friend with younger children. Looking at it now, I’m actually tempted to start anew.
Tom Österman
Seasoned Auction Veteran and Co-Founder of Auctionet
When I was young, I received a large landscape for my birthday, half-finished, with accompanying tracks, a station, a locomotive, and numerous train carriages. Everything was mounted on a four-legged board, making it resemble a large table. For nearly 10 years, I continued building the landscape, lakes, small houses, and everything else to complete it to perfection. I cut gravel roads out of sandpaper, painted blue underneath daring glass to make it look like rippling water in a lake. I bought tiny figures performing various tasks on roads and in gardens, and installed lighting in all the houses in the village. Even in the alpine cabin atop the high mountain built from papier-mâché. All the while, the trains continuously traveled around the landscape and through the mountain tunnels. Once finished, I had reached my late teens and developed other interests, so the complete train set was given away to a family friend with younger children. Looking at it now, I’m actually tempted to start anew.
MÄRKLIN Estimate: 5 000 SEK
INKWELL Estimate: 1 000 SEK
SECRETARY Estimate: 20 000 SEK
FRULS TILPO Estimate: 20 000 SEK
All Selected Objects
Value Items Online
Value Items Online