Found an error?
Report now
Andreas and his father brought a souvenir to Cologne that turned out to be a stone mosaic of the highest quality.
Bild: ZDF
A stone mosaic technique that had already enchanted the princes of Tuscany amazed first Horst Lichter and then the dealers in Tuesday's episode of "Bares für Rares". Only one thing was even more astonishing: the sale price.
Andreas and his father Gerd brought a souvenir with them to Cologne for the cult flea market show "Bares für Rares", which was rather mediocre for their son. His sober conclusion: look, smile, sell. In the dealer's room, however, it soon became clear that this object could do much more than gather dust.
Horst Lichter first saw "a picture". Expert Colmar Schulte-Goltz disagreed in a friendly but firm manner: not a painting, but a stone mosaic - and a very fine one at that. The artist Giovanni Montelatici revived the pietra dura technique around 1900 and painted with hard stones as others do with brushes. The result: deceptively realistic scenes that caused amazement and won prizes at the World Exhibition of the time.
Lichter remained stunned: even wool threads, faces and fabrics were made of tiny, perfectly selected stones - including lapis lazuli. The mosaic looked as good as new, only the transport crate had seen better days. The estimated price climbed from 2000 to 3000 euros, but that was just the beginning.
Around 1900, the artist Giovanni Montelatici revived the truly ancient pietra dura technique of Florentine craftsmen.
Bild: ZDF
A vacation mood broke out among the traders. "We crawled in with a magnifying glass, it almost leaves you speechless," reported Liza Kielon. "This is amazing!" Elke Velten was also euphoric. Everyone wanted a go, everyone was amazed, and the bids shot up. From 800 euros, it rapidly went beyond the estimate until Fabian Kahl won the bid at 5000 euros. "It will remain in private ownership," he promised - and was therefore a whopping 2,000 euros above the estimate.
The sale came at just the right time: Gerd and his wife were planning their diamond wedding anniversary. And thanks to a stone that looked like a picture, the celebration should now be particularly glamorous.
