Hoffmann casket – €210,000 (£181,100) at Kinsky.
One of just two examples ever produced was one of the highlights of the auction at Kinsky (28/20% buyer’s premium) in Vienna on December 3-4.
The 7in (19cm) wide hammered silver box, which was executed by the silversmith Josef Wagner, bears a far from coincidental resemblance to a house with a domed roof and fluted walls: Hoffmann trained as an architect and often incorporated architectural elements in his works of art.
In contrast to many of his designs, this box was apparently not one of the particularly successful models marketed by the Wiener Werkstätte.
Kinsky had been expecting at least €110,000 for the box which belonged to an Austrian collector. It went to an unnamed international bidder for €210,000 (£181,100).
