He often pays top prices for 19th century neoclassical porcelain, in particular for KPM Berlin, Sèvres and Vienna.
Cohen has amassed a remarkable collection, which from 2007 onwards he sent on a tour of prestigious museums in Berlin, Vienna and New York under the title Twinight Collection.
Recently, he has consigned various pieces for auction (a single-owner sale in Paris in 2014, for example) and, on November 7, Lempertz (24/20% buyer’s premium) offered another slice of the collection in Berlin.
Bidders from Germany, Russia, Paris, Vienna, Japan and Taiwan took part. One of Cohen’s early acquisitions was a KPM vase with eight views of Berlin (above), which was manufactured in 1838 as a present for the Bavarian Crown Prince Maximilian. It sold to a German collector for a mid-estimate €220,000 (£194,690), the top price of the sale.
Considerable interest emerged for a 2ft 5in (71cm) high, two-handled campana vase, decorated with a scene of the Battle of Vitoria in 1813. The Duke of Wellington commanded the army that defeated the French forces in northern Spain, an event marked by this commemorative vase from c.1817.
It was last sold at Christie’s in London in July 2014 for £146,500 (including premium). This time around, a London collector bid €170,000 (£150,440) to claim his victory.
Equally sought after was a tea service with tray from c.1815, with each piece decorated in faux pietra dura and micro-mosaic décor, which was knocked down to a German collector for €100,000 (£88,495).
