A model of the motor yacht Nirvana and its silver fittings, circa 1922-29

comprising a silver Humidor etched with flowers, birds and scrolls within bellflower borders, the cover engraved YACHT NIRVANA / HOLGER STRUCKMANN / FROM / FREDERICK C. FLETCHER and applied with two enameled pennants, the two-compartment interior fitted with a removable wood tray and a humidor fitting, by William B. Kerr & Co., Newark, NJ; six silver Napkin Rings engraved NIRVANA III, by Evald Nielsen, Copenhagen; ten glasses enameled with the same pennants and NIRVANA on a ribbon; and a model of the yacht in a wood-mounted glass vitrine, with a silver plaque engraved TW. SC. CRUISER / NIRVANA IV / OWNER / H. STRUCKMANN / NEW YORK. 18 pieces.

glasses with some fading and scratches to painted enamel, the vitrine for the yacht model with a chip in the wood at top and with some minor scratches to wood, the humidor and napkin rings in good condition
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

Holger Struckmann was born in Aalborg, Denmark in 1878 and received his mechanical engineering degree from the Technical School in Copenhagen in 1902. Immediately after graduating, he moved to the United Sates where he began working his way up various cement companies in Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Missouri. By 1917, he was president of the International Cement Company, and within a few years, he expanded and established fifteen factories throughout the southern states, as well as in Cuba, Brazil, Uruguay, and Argentina, with a total production of 25 million tons of cement annually. He married first Ellen Cannon, and secondly Carla Lorenze Clausen on September 21, 1922.

The original Nirvana was an auxiliary schooner intended for deep water cruising designed by Henry J. Gielow for Struckmann in 1922. The Nirvana was 68 feet long with a 16 feet beam and a 35 h.p. engine, and had three staterooms below deck.

Struckmann had Nirvana IV, as represented by the model in the vitrine, designed and built in 1929 by the New York Yacht Launch & Engine Company. It was 100 feet long, 18 feet beam, and, with its two 150 h.p. Winton diesel motors, had a speed of 14 miles per hour. He used indoako wood to plank the vessel, as well as teak and mahogany, supplied by the Indiana Quartered Oak Company. The below deck accommodations consisted of five statesrooms, and the master's stateroom had a porcelain lavatory with both cold and hot running water. The galley and pantry were both equipped with an ice machine.