Partly gilt tankard, 18th century, €80,000 (£68,965) at Dr Fischer.
First up was a partly gilt tankard, the sides of which were covered with a relief of the battle between David and Goliath in front of the Israelite army; the lid was surmounted by a unicorn.
It was created in the Romanian town of Sibiu in the first quarter of the 18th century by the silversmiths Sebastian Hann, one of the most accomplished craftsmen of his time, and Michael Hossmann.
In 1731, the tankard was mentioned in the list of property in the legacy of the scholar Andreas Teutsch; its whereabout since then are not documented. It was knocked down to a dealer for a lower-estimate €80,000 (£68,965).
The maker of a centrepiece in the shape of a deer, Johannes Ong(j) ert, was one of the apprentices of Sebastian Hann. For his leaping deer with coral antlers, he based his work on models from Nuremberg and Augsburg, using over 2.6kg (5.7lbs) of silver in the process.
The guide at the sale on March 9 was €80,000 and the hammer fell at €95,000 (£81,895).
Plenty of interest emerged for a different piece of metalwork. It was a late 16th century mace with cast bronze openwork striking blades. Its purpose was more ceremonial than military. The wooden core of the staff was covered in engraved silver sheaths, some partly gilt.
On account of the similarities with other contemporary pieces, the auction house was certain that the mace came from a workshop in the town of Brasov, a major centre of the German-speaking Transylvanian Saxons.
Bidding started at €40,000, but the collector who saw off his international competitors was taken to €70,000 (£60,345).
