A Postal Auction of Medals of the Twentieth Century
SIMMONS GALLERY
PO
French Art Nouveau and Art Deco bronze and silver plaques and medals
A collection of French and German medals
Bronzes by Fritz Nuss, Siegmund Schutz, Hans Schwegerle and others
Meissen portrait medals
A selection of medals on the theme of War and Peace
Welcome to an auction that celebrates the art medal in the twentieth century, a period in which it became more sculptural, experimental and technically advanced. Cataloguing by country, styles change from Belle Epoque to Art Nouveau, propaganda to Art Deco, from neo-classical figurative to abstract expression.
Our last medals auction was very successful and as a result we have further consignments for auction. Instead of limiting the selection to post 1945 we've extended backwards in time to encompass the twentieth century as a whole. In little space this catalogue plots the evolution of the medal from Art Nouveau and Art Deco through the rise of the cast bronze, the series medal and the studio medals of the last few years. Some medals are from the three French series (SAMF, SFAM and Club de la Medaille), others from the VPK (Dutch collectors society) and BAMS (British Art Medal Society).
Of particular note is the highly decorative series of medallic table medals by German sculptor Fritz Nuss. His early work post-war in the 1940s is rarely seen and we have several pieces here including his Apollon, Leda and the Swan, Europa and the Bull, the superb Zodiac bowl and his Adam and Eve. Similarly we have a series of art medals in bronze and porcelain by Siegmund Schutz as well as his striking Stalingrad medal in the war and peace section.
We have ordered the selection by country and then by date. We finish with a small selection on the theme of war and peace - ending with the reunification of Germany. If you are collecting by style please look right through the catalogue!
Pricing is always difficult in a young market - and the contemporary/modern medal is certainly that. Many medals have very modest reserves (the first price) to get you bidding but the estimates (second price) are what I think the medal’s worth at present, bearing in mind historical auction records and achieved retail prices. So I urge you not to be too timid if you want a particular medal - we reduce bids either to 10% over your nearest rival’s bid or to the reserve if you’re the only person interested. Unlike most auction houses we do not charge a buyer’s commission - please look at the terms and conditions by clicking on the link and use the bidding sheet for sending in your bids. We photograph everything and publish online here on our website. Other viewing is by arrangement - contact us
I hope you enjoy browsing and look forward to receiving your bids early - remember if two bids are the same the first one received wins!.
Frances
Simmons
Click on the underlined links to direct your search:
| Netherlands art medals | ||
| War and Peace XX century medals | ||