An ivory ewer and charger with silver-gilt mounts, Otto Glenz, German, late 19th century

each elaborately carved with bacchanalians scenes including fauns, maidens and putti, interspersed with silver-gilt rings, the ivory section of the handle of the ewer carved with a naked maiden and a putto holding a beaker of wine and bunch of grapes, the circular charger applied with silver-gilt heads among lambrequins, wood back, unmarked

Hans Werner Hegemann, Elfenbein, Germany, 1965, figs. 46 & 47.

Ewer: overall good condition. putto's hands below the spout have been broken and restored, cupid's wing on handle have broken off. Charger: cracks throughout which now retained dirt and have been partially filled. Both would need professional cleaning, especially for the mounts, impressive sizes, very decorative.
"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. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

These carved ivory pieces are a few highlights of the collection formed by Friedrich Kolletzky, himself an ivory carver who worked in Erbach, Germany, the main German centre of ivory carving in the 19th and 20th centuries. Kolletzky was a founder of the Deutsches Elfenbeinmuseum in Erbach, opened in 1966, to which he lent his entire collection of ivories. The museum closed in 2015 and reopened in Schloss Erbach in 2016, showing more than 2,000 items of European, African, Asian, and Greenlandic ivory carving art from the Middle Ages to the present day.

Otto Glenz (1865-1948) was one of the most important German ivory carvers of the 19th century, whose works raised interest in ivory again. From 1884 to 1885, Glenz attended the 'Kunstgewerbeschule‘ (School of Arts and Crafts) in Munich, followed by an apprenticeship in the studio of Konrad Ehrhardt. He preferred to work in the traditional manner rather than following modern tendencies, and presented his works in International Exhibitions such as the Salons of Paris in 1881 and 1882, and the Kunstgewerbemuseum in Dresden in 1892. Today, Otto Glenz is perhaps most famous for his relief carvings in ivory, although he worked in combinations of materials as well, as a wood and ivory figure in the church in Erbach demonstrates (see W. H. Hegemann, 'Elfenbein‘, Hans Peters Verlag, Frankfurt am Main, 1966, p. 28-34).