SebastianCharles Auctions
Live Auction

Fine Art, Jewelry, Design & Asian Art

Wed, Dec 2, 2026 02:00PM EST
  2026-12-02 14:00:00 2026-12-02 14:00:00 America/New_York SebastianCharles Auctions SebastianCharles Auctions : Fine Art, Jewelry, Design & Asian Art https://bid.sebastiancharles.com/auctions/sebastiancharles-auctions/fine-art-jewelry-design-asian-art-25136
Bidding is now open for our Fine Art, Jewelry, Design & Asian Art auction, Day 2 of our three-day December sale, featuring paintings, prints, sculpture, fine jewelry, watches, porcelain and Asian works of art. Highlights include a George Gardner Symons 'Winter River' oil on canvas, an 18K gold Tiffany & Co. Mark Coupe resonator watch and a Dale Chihuly "Persian Set," alongside works by Bridget Riley, Joan Miró, Rufino Tamayo and Chen Chi-Kwan, and more. Auction is Wednesday, December 2nd at 1 PM CST. Local pickup is December 7th, 8th and 9th from 1 to 5 PM at 5263 Edina Industrial Blvd, Edina, MN. Shipping is available on all lots.
SebastianCharles Auctions bid@sebastiancharles.com
Lot 295

Loet Vanderveen Elephant Bronze Sculpture

Estimate: $600 - $900
Starting Bid
$300

Bid Increments

Price Bid Increment
$0 $5
$50 $10
$250 $25
$1,000 $50
$2,000 $100
$4,000 $250
$10,000 $500
$20,000 $1,000
$50,000 $2,500
$100,000 $5,000
$500,000 $10,000

Signed and numbered on the front feet of the elephant. 

Limited Edition: 413/750

 

Dimensions: 6 1/2" x 9 1/2" x 6 1/2" 

 

Condition: The elephant is in very good condition. Please see images for details. 

 

Artist Bio: Loet Vanderveen (1921-2015) grew up in Rotterdam across the street from the city zoo, where he spent much of his childhood watching the animals. The German bombing of Rotterdam in May 1940 destroyed his home and devastated the zoo, and Vanderveen escaped occupied Holland to England, where he served with the Royal Air Force. After the war he worked in Zurich, London and New York, partly as a fashion designer, and studied ceramics with a master of reduced glazes, knowledge he later carried into the patinas of his bronzes.

Around 1960 he built a home and studio high above the Pacific on the Big Sur coast of California, and the remote setting turned him toward animals as his life's subject. He worked first in ceramic and later concentrated on bronze, producing streamlined, simplified forms with polished surfaces set against rich colored patinas, catching each creature's characteristic stance rather than its anatomical detail. Elephants held a special place for him, since he remembered one wandering the ruined city after the bombing. This elephant, signed and numbered 413 of 750 on the front feet, belongs to that lifelong theme.

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All out-of-state buyers: we will assume your items require shipping and will coordinate it for you unless a lot is specifically marked for local pickup only or other arrangements are made with us in advance. For smaller eligible items, including jewelry, coins, sterling silver, and select small objects, we handle shipping in-house. These shipments are fully insured, require a signature, and include a $10 handling fee added to the final shipping cost. For all other items, we coordinate shipping through a local UPS Store or another appropriate third-party shipper. Once your auction invoice has been paid, the next invoice you receive will be a separate shipping invoice directly from the shipping provider. That invoice must be paid before your items are shipped. If you prefer to use your own shipper or arrange a third-party pickup, you must let us know within 2 days of the auction closing. We will coordinate release of the items once arrangements are confirmed. To help prevent fraud, shipments will only be sent to the billing address tied to the payment method unless payment is made by wire transfer and approved in advance. All items are shipped with full declared value and full insurance. Buyers are responsible for all packing, shipping, insurance, duties, taxes, and any import or export fees. International shipping is handled on a case-by-case basis and must be approved by us before bidding. Questions can be sent to bid@sebastiancharles.com