Joburg art and antiques auctions don't get more colourful than Russell Kaplan's regular sales that pack in hundreds of wonderful and unique items, ranging from fine art to furniture, collectables, jewellery and vintage accessories, over a week of live online bidding.
The Russell Kaplan Spring Wunderkammer takes place from Thu, Sep 21 to Sun, Oct 1, with pre-bidding open. It's a bumper edition, with close to 6,000 lots on which to bid through the online bidding platform rkauctioneers.co.za
Tying all the items together is the vision of a 'Wunderkammer' – it's the sense of wonder that has inspired adventurers and collectors for centuries and the spirit of admiring and collecting the unusual and the unique.
Visit the Russell Kaplan showroom
If you are in Joburg you can also see the items in person at the Russell Kaplan showroom before the auction. Visiting the showroom is always an extra pleasure for those who love collecting, with Kaplan and his team paying special attention to display the items on sale together so it feels akin to walking around the apartment of some Parisian grande dame with a love of collecting.
The showroom is open for late-night viewing on Tue, Sep 19 and Wed, Sep 20 from 09:30 –19:00. Pop in from 16:30 for bubbly. Or visit Thu, Sep 21 – Sat, Sep 23 from 09:30 – 16:30. The showroom is not affected by load-shedding.
How to explore Russell Kaplan's Spring Wunderkammer auction and place bids online
We recommend registering on the site or downloading the app (head to your app store, Android or iOS) and then set some time aside to see what captures your imagination. Once you have an eye on things you like and have made your list of 'favourites' you can start placing your pre-bids. On the day of the auction when your lot comes up, if somebody bids above your reserve you'll be invited to place another bid online and join in the thrill of the chase!
The different auction sessions are divided by theme and the auction itself will be streamed live via the bidlive.rkauctioneers.co.za website, with approximately 50 to 70 lots going under the hammer each hour. Bidding starts from 09:00 and runs throughout the day.
Thu, Sep 21
09:00 – 20:00, 1st session: Antique Painting and Prints, Maps, Botanical Art, and Traditional European Art.
Fri, Sep 22
09:00 – 19:00, 2nd Session: Township Art, Contemporary Decorative Art.
Sat, Sep 23
09:00 – 18:00, 3rd Session: Objets de Vertu, Silver, Glassware, Porcelain, and Collectables.
Sun, Sep 24
09:00 – 19:30, 4th Session: Objets of Vertu, Silver, Glassware, Porcelain, and Collectables.
Tue, Sep 26
09:00 – 19:00, 5th Session: Collectables, Curiosities, Decor and Design.
Wed, Sep 27
09:00 – 15:00, 6th Session: Collectables and Curiosities.
Thu, Sep 28
12:00 – 18:30, 7th Session: Watches, Pens, Fine Gold, Antique, Silver, Collectable, and Costume Jewellery.
Fri, Sep 29
10:30 – 12:00, 8th Session: Carpets, Tapestries and Textile.
12:00 – 17:00, 9th Session: Watches, Pens, Fine Gold, Antique, Silver, Collectable, and Costume Jewellery.
17:00 – 21:00, 10th Session: Vintage and Designer Shoes, Bags and Accessories.
Sat, Sep 30
09:00 – 15:30, 11th Session: Classical African and Asian Art, Ceramics and Books Art.
15:30 – 19:30, 12th Session: Modern and Postmodern Paintings, Drawings, Prints and Sculpture
Sun, Oct 1
09:00 – 19:30, 13th Session: Antique Furniture, Mid Century Design, Mirrors, Light Fittings & Collectables.