To have your property evaluated for possible consignment in the next auction, please contact:
Mark Moehrke
212-427-4141, ext 272
Mark.Moehrke@Doyle.com
MEDIA CONTACT
Louis LeB. Webre
212-427-4141, ext 232
Louis.Webre@Doyle.com
NEW YORK, NY -- Doyle's auction of Fabergé & Vertu on January 24, 2024 saw international competition drive strong prices for a range of exceptional objects spanning the 17th to the 20th century. Bidders on both sides of the Atlantic vied for exquisite objects by Fabergé, vertu, silver and icons from prominent collections and estates.
Highlighting the sale was a masterful bronze figure of Mephistopheles by Mark Antokolsky that achieved $70,400, far surpassing its estimate of $30,000-50,000. The premier Russian sculptor of the late 19th century, Mark Antokolsky (1843-1902) conceived of Mephistopheles in 1874 while working on Christ Before the Judgment of the People, aiming to create a character as strong as Christ but in complete moral opposition to him, with the intention of exhibiting the two works together. In 1882, Antokolsky began to produce clay studies of the full-scale work and continued throughout 1883. The finished work, a thoroughly modern and deeply psychological portrait, was realized in marble and cast in bronze.
“My Mephistopheles,” Antokolsky wrote in a letter to E.G. Mamontov in May 1883, “is the product of all ages, especially our age. My Mephistopheles is mystery, plague, decay, which is carried in the air; it infects and kills people. Mephistopheles is evil, fathomless evil, evil without mercy. He is helpless in his spirit, but his jealousy, his self-love is strong. He is irritated by everything: joy, laughter, young kisses. He wants everything around him to be gloomy, dead, empty and lifeless as he is himself.”
Mark Moehrke examines the bronze figure of Mephistopheles by Russian sculptor Mark Antokolsky. View the Video
Consignments are currently being accepted for future auctions. We invite you to contact us for a complimentary auction evaluation. Our Specialists are always available to discuss the sale of a single item or an entire collection.
For information, please contact:
Mark Moehrke: 212-427-4141, ext 272, Mark.Moehrke@Doyle.com
