Digging for Quality

In a series of interviews, we talk with our employees about their daily work at the auction house. This time we meet up with valuation expert in antiques Alexandra Nilsson.

Since 2007 Alexandra has been part of the jewellery and book departments at Bruun Rasmussen, before she settled into her current position as a member of the department for antiques.

Chinese porcelain plate, decorated with rice grain patter on border. Kangxi mark. 20th century. Diam. 26 cm. Estimate: DKK 1,500.

Alexandra Nilsson: "There is something very unique about working with antiques, which up until recently have been in people's homes instead of in a display case. The fact that these older items are still being traded means that their history is still being told, with new chapters being added to it."

A pair of almost identical Baroque silvergilt mounted engraved gold ruby glass beakers with covers. Maker presumably Hans II Claus, Nuremberg c. 1700. Estimate: DKK 360,000.

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With a degree in classic archaeology Alexandra Nilsson does not find it difficult to draw a parallel between the valuation work at Bruun Rasmussen and the excavation projects that go along with the job as an archaeologist. "When, for instance, we receive a large consignment at Bruun Rasmussen, then we do approach it as a major excavation project of the history of the items. It is this exploration, coupled with the personal stories the families have about the items that makes it exciting to greet and meet the customers on behalf of Bruun Rasmussen."

 

All the Little Things That Can Break

Alexandra Nilsson became aware of the auction business, while she was looking for a way to combine her academic interest in historical objects with a workday that included activities like customer contact. "There is something very unique about working with antiques, which have been in people's homes instead of in a display case. The fact that these older items are still being traded means that their history is still being told, with new chapters being added to it."

Since 2007 Alexandra has been part of the jewellery and book departments at Bruun Rasmussen, before she settled into her current position as a member of the department for antiques, where the variation of the submitted items is enormous, covering a period from thousands of years B.C. up to and including the 20th century. "It is probably the department here at Bruun Rasmussen which has the broadest range historically speaking," says Alexandra and describes her own specialty as "all the little things that can break."

In addition to porcelain and glass Alexandra focuses a lot of her time on items from Asia, bronze figures for instance. "It is a challenging field, because there are many modern day copies of these types of items in circulation. However, there is always great help to be found in the department, where we are good at pooling our resources or using our external network of museum consultants."

 

The Role of Mythbuster

The work at the consignment desk is also an important part of Alexandra's daily routine: "There are rarely two consigned items that are alike, and it is always exciting to see what people have brought with them, and not least to hear the stories of these items. Unfortunately, it also sometimes means being a mythbuster regarding fantastic tales about the items that have been passed down over the generations in the family. It might be that the provenance includes an owner of royal lineage or great expectations regarding the economic value of the items. But whatever we find out here at Bruun Rasmussen, the stories are still good."

Alexandra, however, stresses that you as an expert can also surprise the customers positively with the valuation. "A client once came in with a number of Russian items, including a diamond brooch, which she did not expect to be anything special. However, the approximately 100-year-old piece of jewellery proved to be extremely popular at the auction and gave the seller enough money for a new thatched roof."

A family tale about an item can also create some significant personal considerations for the sellers. "There can be many emotions involved for the seller and a sale at auction of course requires that the owner is ready to sell the item. We take great care to discuss this with them before we get started on the auction process."

 

A Growing Market in Asia

The most popular items in the department for antiques often come from Danish collections of Chinese items – brought to Denmark by Danish expatriates stationed in China. The bidding rounds for these items are very exciting, where the buyers can sometimes become "hooked on the hammer price," as Alexandra describes it. "It can get very competitive among bidders, and therefore we sometimes see some really big surprises in relation to the estimated prices on Chinese items."

Alexandra hopes that the interest in Chinese items will spread to items from other Asian countries. "We often have very nice Japanese bronzes and lacquer boxes, which we see go for low prices, and Japanese kimonos of really good quality. But that is part of the auction business. You cannot always be sure of what will sell on the current market. It is therefore always a good idea for the buyer to invest in something that they will be happy to simply have on display."

The work with antiques is highly varied, and at the latest international auction in Bredgade it was the sale of two gold ruby ​​glasses from the Baroque period that was interesting to follow for Alexandra; from the consignment at the counter, over the valuation work in the department, to the sale at auction – which exceeded all expectations with a hammer price of DKK 360,000. Asia is still at the forefront for the department. The planning of the Oriental spring auction has already begun in the department, and valuation events in Copenhagen, Aarhus and Odense have been marked in the calendar. "We look forward to meeting even more customers around the country and get the good stories unearthed," says Alexandra.

 

For further information, please contact:

Alexandra Nilsson: +45 8818 1166 · ani@bruun-rasmussen.dk