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Lot 251: First ever surfaced lampshade by Jan Wolkers

Est: €2,500 EUR - €4,500 EURSold:
Adams Amsterdam AuctionsAmsterdam, NetherlandsMay 27, 2019

Item Overview

Description

- WOLKERS, Jan (Dutch 1925 - 2007). Gezicht op de Academie te Leiden [A view of the Leiden University], 1943 - 1944. Lampshade: pen, ink and oil on thick paper, inscribed 'Academia Leidensis' (upper left). The shade folded and flattened, damaged at the folds, with several smaller tears (incl. one closed vertical tear), with intentional yellowing and craquelure (original condition). No other copies traced.

Dimensions

30.5 x 66 cm.

Artist or Maker

Provenance

Family of the first owner, P.J. Idenburg, Leiden

Notes

After 75 years, a lampshade painted by Jan Wolkers has surfaced for the first time. Prominently present in his first novel 'Kort Amerikaans' (1962), it was mentioned several times in interviews, but has never been found before in real life. Did they exist, the lampshades that Wolkers claimed to have painted during the war? The answer is yes. From the estate of the first owner, P.J. Idenburg, finally one shows up. Not with a battle scene as in the book, but with the Academy Building in Leiden, seen from the other side of the Rapenburg. The image is based on a well-known 18th century copper engraving after J.J. Bijlaert (cf. image). In 1943 Wolkers started working at the studio of Jonkheer de Milly, d’Ailleurs in the novel. He painted lampshades there in the morning, and went to the Academy in the afternoon. 'Kort Amerikaans' describes in detail how the lampshades were made and how they were "made old". Old engravings were traced with the help of a light box. The tracing paper was painted with dark colours and then treated with "craqueleervernis" (crackling varnish): “wat doet die Rembrandt van het schemeruur. Hij bekliedert onze tekeningen met de meest afschuwelijke kleuren. Gewoon goor tabakssap” [what does this Rembrandt of dusk. He molds our drawings with the most horrible colours. Just filthy tobacco juice]. The lampshade offered here exactly meets this description. It looks like it has been in a ‘brown café (bruin café) all the time. The paint layer is completely intact under a completely cracked varnish layer that nevertheless never peels off. The lamp was discarded long ago, the lampshade has been stored flat in a folder ever since. Onno Blom, the biographer of Jan Wolkers, dates his first work of art to 26 August 1944. Although not an original work of art, the lampshade is now his oldest. Given his relationship with the university, it is likely that Idenburg himself chose the print, assuming he did not receive the shade as a gift. The lampshade with this deviating picture gets another dimension when we realize that it was ordered after Idenburg's resignation from the Senate Committee. In 1942 he was forced to leave after he had refused to dismiss non-Aryan employees. Immediately after the liberation of Holland in 1945 he returned - with or without the lampshade - and in 1978 he published his book about the period: De Leidse Universiteit 1928-1946: vernieuwing en verzet, 's-Gravenhage, Universitaire Pers Leiden, 1978. 'Jan Wolkers' lampshade', as it was referred to in the family, was handed down to Idenburg’s brother, the grandfather of the current owner.

Payment & Shipping

Payment

Accepted forms of payment: MasterCard, Visa, Wire Transfer

Shipping

The auction house will ship, at the expense and risk of the buyer.

Auction Details

NRC 11 - Fine Art

by
Adams Amsterdam Auctions
May 27, 2019, 06:30 PM CET

Herengracht 458, Amsterdam, Noord-Holland, 1017 CA, NL

Terms

Live bidding may start higher or lower

Buyer's Premium

€0 - 100,000:27.2%
€100,001+:13.0%

Bidding Increments

From:To:Increment:
€0€99€5
€100€199€10
€200€299€20
€300€499€25
€500€999€50
€1,000€1,999€100
€2,000€4,999€200
€5,000€9,999€500
€10,000+€1,000

Extended Bidding

5 minutes/bid

Conditions of Sale

1. All items are assumed to be in good condition, unless otherwise stated. They may be returned - in the same condition - if any serious defect not mentioned in the catalogue is found. Notice must be given promptly, and the item returned within 8 days of receipt. Excepted are lots comprising 3 or more works, works not mentioned in the description ("others"), or items marked "w.a.f." ("with all faults") or "n.s.t.r." ("not subject to return").

2. Prices are in Euros. Bids are raised by fixed increments. Up to €100 the increment is €5, from €100 to €200 the increment is €10, from €200 to €300 the increment is €20, from €300 to €500 the increment is €25, from €500 to €1.000 the increment is €50, from €1.000 to €2.000 the increment is €100, from €2.000 to €5.000 the increment is €200, from €5.000 to €10.000 the increment is €500, and from €10.000 upwards the increment is €1.000.

3. The highest bidder shall be the purchaser of the lot. In case of dispute, the auctioneer alone is entitled to decide on price and/or purchaser. The auctioneer has the right to refuse any bid without stating his reason.

4. Each buyer is held to buy for his own account and cannot claim any commission.

5. Winning bidders pay a buyer's premium over the hammer price plus the 3% online transaction fee charged by Invaluable. The buyer's premium is 24.2% including all taxes up to and including € 100,000; and 10% including tax of the portion of the hammer price above € 100,000.

6. The winning bidder is responsible for paying the resale royalty (droit de suite) if applicable. Droit de suite is payable to living artists or their heirs within 70 years following the death of the artist on resold artworks with a resale price [hammer price + total premium excl. VAT] of at least €3.000. The artist must be an EU national, or a national of Iceland, Liechtenstein or Norway, or must be a permanent resident of the Netherlands. The royalty of 4% is to be paid on resale prices from €3.000 to €50.000; on the prices from € 50,000.01 to € 200,000 3% of royalties is to be paid, from € 200,000.01 to € 350,000 droit de suite is 1%, from € 350,000.01 to € 500,000 - 0.5%; above € 500,000.01 - 0.25%. Resale royalties are not subject to VAT.

7. All purchases must be paid for within two weeks of the receipt of the invoice. Property of the goods does not pass to the purchaser until the invoice has been paid in full. Any costs caused by buyers not complying with these conditions (e.g. collecting fees) will be chargeable to them. Payments are accepted by bank transfer, debit card (if paying in the office), Visa and Mastercard. All bank charges are to be paid by the buyer. Payments by credit card are subject to a 4% surcharge on the total invoice amount up to €1.000; on invoices from €1.000 to €2.000 the surcharge is 3%, and on amounts exceeding €2.000 a surcharge of 2,5% is applicable.

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11. On every purchase Dutch law only is applicable. In case of disputes in first instance the judge of the appropriate chamber in Amsterdam is exclusively competent to decide in first instance.

12. By bidding at the auction, the bidder accepts these terms and conditions of sale in full.

Premium & Taxes

Winning bidders pay a buyer's premium over the hammer price plus the 3% online transaction fee charged by Invaluable. The buyer's premium is 24.2% including all taxes up to and including € 100,000; and 10% including tax of the portion of the hammer price above € 100,000.

Payment

Payments are accepted by bank transfer, Maestro, VP, Visa, Mastercard and cash.

Shipping Terms

The auction house will ship, at the expense and risk of the buyer.