Veilinghuis Onder de Boompjes

About Veilinghuis Onder de Boompjes

Veilinghuis Onder de Boompjes is an auction house in Leiden that sells art, antiques, design and the contents of homes and estates. It holds four timed online auctions a year, each preceded by viewing days at the auction house. It is a certified member of the Federatie TMV, the Dutch trade association for auctioneers and appraisers.

The house is run by its founder Pieter-Gerrit Binkhorst and his partner Gijs Essink, with a small team of specialists and staff. It also offers valuations for insurance, inheritance tax and the division of estates.

History

According to the Leiden broadcaster Sleutelstad, the auction house had been operating for about thirty years by the end of 2025. For most of that time it was based in a former distillery called Onder de Boompjes at Nieuwstraat 38/40 in Leiden's historic centre, which gave the business its name.

Lack of space and reduced access caused by the city centre's zero-emission zone led the house to move. Since 1 January 2026 it has been located at Willem Barentszstraat 1 on the De Waard business park on the edge of Leiden.

What Onder de Boompjes sells

The house handles a broad mix of material, much of it coming from private homes and estates. Its sales cover:

• Paintings, drawings and other works of art
• Antiques, including furniture and decorative objects
• Design objects and furniture
• Gold and silver objects
• Complete or partial household contents

Its best-known result came in March 2022, when an oil painting by the Austrian artist Alfons Walde, a view of the Kitzbüheler Horn, sold for more than 586,000 euros against an estimate of 80,000 to 120,000 euros. The painting had been found during a home valuation in nearby Leiderdorp, and the buyer was an Austrian art dealer.

Selling at Onder de Boompjes

Sellers can email or WhatsApp photographs for a free, non-binding first estimate, bring items to the auction house by appointment, or ask for a valuation at home for larger collections and complete estates. A final estimate is only given once a specialist has seen the objects.

The published seller's commission is 20% of the hammer price, and a different rate can be agreed for valuable items or collections. A photography fee of 5 euros per lot applies, plus 5 euros per object when gold or silver must be assayed. The house has its own transport service and works with partner firms for estate settlement and house clearances.

Buying and bidding

All sales are timed online auctions. Bidders enter a maximum bid and the system bids for them until they are outbid. Lots close in stages, with 25 lots closing every five minutes, and a bid in the final five minutes extends that lot by five minutes. All bids are binding.

Buyers pay 30% premium on top of the hammer price plus 1 euro table fee per lot. Artist's resale right may apply to qualifying works with a transaction value of 3,000 euros or more. Payment can be made at the auction house by cash or debit card, or by bank transfer; credit cards are not accepted.

Location and viewing

The auction house is at Willem Barentszstraat 1, 2315 TZ Leiden, and is open on weekdays from 10.00 to 17.00 by appointment. The auction calendar runs in March, June, September and December, with four viewing days before each sale and collection by appointment in the two weeks afterwards. Small items can be posted, and larger shipments are handled by a specialist courier.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the buyer's premium at Onder de Boompjes?

Buyers pay 30% on top of the hammer price plus a table fee of 1 euro per lot. Artist's resale right can be added for qualifying works.

When does Onder de Boompjes hold its auctions?

It holds four timed online auctions a year, in March, June, September and December. Each sale has four viewing days at the auction house in Leiden.

Where is Veilinghuis Onder de Boompjes located?

Since January 2026 it has been at Willem Barentszstraat 1 on the De Waard business park in Leiden. It previously occupied a former distillery in the city centre.