Auction Report: January 2022

November witnessed a return to quasi-normality in London, with dual public viewings by Ingles & Hayday (I&H) and Brompton’s at the Royal Over-Seas League, and Amati back at the Langham. As happy as everyone was to see each other, there was a noted reduction from normal footfall, undoubtedly due to lingering pandemic worries about international travel.

There can be little doubt that I&H came out on top once more, with an impressive brace of six-figure lots and overall sales totalling £2,957,000. Brompton’s also had outstanding results, their best sale yet in the online era, with a total of £2,200,000. However, Tarisio’s shift to Berlin (with an additional, small, twenty lot London auction) does not yet appear to have bedded in. One might surmise that their shift to the continent had something to do with the sourcing of lots and better access to the post-Brexit European market. Yet there were relatively few major lots and the centrepiece of the sale (a seven-figure Milan-period violin by G.B. Guadagnini), itself submitted from outside of Europe, was withdrawn for unknown reasons mid-sale. Despite these setbacks the usually outstanding Tarisio sales rate (over 85 per cent) was on par, with the top Berlin lot, a pristine 1945 Ansaldo Poggi violin, selling well over estimate for €264,000. Also sold by Tarisio Berlin was a rare Vuillaume cello with Vatelot certificate for €212,400. For the spring season Tarisio will be reversing their European auctions, with a London sale in March and a Berlin sale in April…