Zeeuws Veilinghuis

About Zeeuws Veilinghuis

Zeeuws Veilinghuis, also known as Zeeland Auctioneers, is an art and antiques auction house in Middelburg in the south-west of the Netherlands, with an additional office in Amsterdam. It is best known for paintings from the former Dutch East Indies and for Asian art, and it also has specialist sales for M.C. Escher, silver and jewellery.

The house says it favours quality over quantity, with a limited number of lots per auction, and sells to an international audience through online bidding. On 17 May 2022 it achieved what it describes as the highest auction result ever for an art or antique object at a Dutch auction.

History

For many years the house was based in a 1907 canal house in the centre of Middelburg. In February 2020 it opened a new headquarters at Kleverskerkseweg 53, in a renovated 1948 brick fertiliser warehouse of about 1,250 square metres on the water in Middelburg's old harbour area. The opening was performed by the mayor of Middelburg, Harald Bergmann.

• 2013: Veilinghuis Korendijk is set up as a second, online-only auction house
• February 2020: new headquarters opens at Kleverskerkseweg 53 in Middelburg
• June 2020: Veilinghuis Korendijk moves into the same building
• May 2022: a painting by W.G. Hofker sells for a hammer price of 1,600,000 euros

What they sell

The house lists five main specialisms. Its flagship sales of Exclusive Items, Asian Art and Indonesian Art are each held twice a year.

• Indonesian art: paintings from the former Dutch East Indies, including works by Willem Gerard Hofker
• Asian art: including Chinese porcelain and works of art
• M.C. Escher: prints and related works
• Silver and jewellery
• Zeeland: art and antiques related to the province

The record 2022 lot was Hofker's Balische zusjes op 't tempelfeest (Balinese sisters at the temple festival), painted on Bali in December 1940. The house had hoped for around half a million euros, and the buyer came from South-East Asia.

Selling

Consignors can bring objects to the Middelburg headquarters or to the intake office in Amsterdam for a valuation by the house's specialists. Lots with international appeal go into the main Zeeuws Veilinghuis sales, while objects with less international demand are offered through Veilinghuis Korendijk. The house's full general terms set out the seller conditions.

Buying and bidding

Lots can be viewed on viewing days before each sale, and bidding is possible online through the house's catalogue platform on Invaluable. Korendijk sales are timed online auctions that run for about a week with fixed closing times.

• Buyer's premium (opgeld): 28% of the hammer price
• Artist's resale right applies to qualifying works from 3,000 euros, on a sliding scale from 4% down to 0.25%, capped at 12,500 euros
• Buyer costs consist of the hammer price, the auction costs and, where relevant, the resale right

Location

The headquarters is at Kleverskerkseweg 53 in Middelburg, in the former harbour area. The Amsterdam intake office is in the Wittenberg building, home of the Luther Museum Amsterdam, at Nieuwe Keizersgracht 570.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Zeeuws Veilinghuis known for?

It is known for paintings from the former Dutch East Indies, Asian art and M.C. Escher, and in May 2022 it sold a W.G. Hofker painting for a hammer price of 1.6 million euros.

What is the buyer's premium at Zeeuws Veilinghuis?

The buyer's premium is 28% of the hammer price, and artist's resale right may be added for qualifying works.

What is Veilinghuis Korendijk?

It is the online-only sister auction house set up by Zeeuws Veilinghuis in 2013 for objects with less international appeal, run as timed online sales from the same Middelburg building.