French flea market lamp bought for €20 sells for €251,000

A chance buy at a flea market (brocante) in northern France resulted in the discovery of a masterwork by one of the leading figures in post-war French ceramics, and a huge windfall for the family who found it.  

The work in question was a black ceramic lamp made by Georges Jouve (1910–1964). 

It was bought last year for just €20 by an unidentified woman browsing a flea market, going on to fetch 12,000 times that price at auction last week. 

Paris auction house NEO Enchères sold the lamp for a final price of €251,000, a world auction record for a lamp by Jouve.

"We always hope to achieve records, but we weren't expecting such a high price,” Quentin Charraudeau, president of NEO Enchères, told The Connexion. “It's something exceptional."

The lamp was left in a cupboard in the buyer’s home, before it was discovered by her daughter during a clear-out.

After noticing Jouve’s signature engraved underneath the base, the daughter carried out some research and found that NEO Enchères was familiar with the artist's work. She also discovered that the auction house had previously sold a similar lamp.

The family then contacted the auctioneers and travelled to Paris to have the piece examined.

"We were able to confirm that it was authentic and, above all, that it was in very good condition," said Mr Charraudeau.

He said that the condition was very important because ceramic lamps can easily be damaged over the years, reducing their value.

The auction house estimated the lamp at between €80,000 and €120,000 ahead of its sale on October 29.

"We don't know exactly how many lamps of this model Georges Jouve produced, but what is certain is that it is rare. We don't see it very often," he said.

It was only the second example of the model that NEO Enchères had been able to offer for sale in two years. The previous one sold for €104,000.

The auctioneer said he expected strong interest from collectors, but was still surprised by the final result.

During the sale, around 10 potential buyers competed for the lamp, including people bidding in the room and others on the telephone.

"There were about six people on the telephone, people in the room, and so on, who wanted to bid," he said.

The competition eventually came down to two European buyers, who continued bidding against each other until one dropped out.

The final price rose to €251,000 once buyer's fees were included, setting a world auction record for a lamp by Jouve.

"We knew we had an object that our collectors were looking for. I was very excited because I knew several collectors would compete for it, and that is exactly what happened," Mr Charaudeau said.

NEO Enchères is now looking for other ceramics and lighting pieces by Jouve, as well as works by French post-war ceramicists and designers. If you think you might own something valuable, the auction house offers free and confidential valuations based on photographs.