The Luuk Goldhoorn Collection

On November 9th 2018,  Auction Team Breker of Cologne have the honour of disposing of the collection of the late Luuk Goldhoorn.

For those of us lucky enough to have known Luuk, he was a keen academic and historian who studied the early development of mechanical music and was the author of several important essays, articles and books on the subject.

His collection has surprised many of those who knew him, it’s a veritable Aladdin’s cave of rarities that include many a fine object of vertu, the majority of which are from the very beginning of the true golden age. Snuff boxes with cases crafted from materials such as gold, decorated with guilloche enamels, and elaborate engine engine turnings.

Laurencekirk style examples displaying fine burr woods, including birch. Containing Barrilet, Sur-Plateau, and sectional comb, mechanisms. Others in Tortoiseshell such as a Martinet & Benoit tabatiere with an overture mechanism.

Several of the finest Palais Royale musical necessaire I have yet to encounter.

With early musical watches, clocks, and Zig Zag combed music boxes, it’s quite literally a one man museum of the best!

My star pick is lot 114 catalogued as: An Exceptional 18 Carat Curved Musical Gold Snuffbox, containing the most interesting of barrilet mechanisms. . . exceptional indeed.

From a purely academic perspective, it’s worth acquiring a catalogue for future reference.

All I need now is a lottery win, and it’s all mine, mine! MINE!! I tell you.

Seriously though, regarding this genre of mech music, this is the sale of our lifetime. More than worthy of close scrutiny

Visit Breker’s website here:http://www.breker.com/english/index.htm

Or view the items on one of the sales platforms, saleroom.com or invaluable.com.  Many items can be heard playing on Breker’s YouTube channel. eg: https://youtu.be/aAMOR01Fynw

Mark Singleton.