“Oh, that looks interesting”: Horst Lichter immediately recognizes that he is dealing with a special object here: he sees a work of art. “I know the lower part because a good friend is an orthopaedist. And that’s a spare part for the body.”
Tom Pote brought the object with him. The 32-year-old medical student from Halle an der Saale received it as a gift from the chief physician of an orthopedic clinic in the Ore Mountains. His mother was chief secretary there, and he saw the work of art in the office even as a child.
He actually wanted to keep it, but his wife didn’t like it. “Since in marriage you should always make sure that you harmonize well, I decided to give it away,” explains Pote.
Art expert Friederike Werner, on the other hand, is absolutely delighted with the object. The character is a daring gymnast. The bronze was made by the contemporary Swiss artist Luciano Castelli. A hip prosthesis serves as a base here, because it is a promotional gift from a Lucerne prosthesis company. The work was created in 1995 and is limited to 15 pieces.
Despite the euphoric expertise, Pote is conspicuously reticent with his asking price. “The people of the Erzgebirge are said to be modest: I would be happy with 100 euros.”
Friederike Werner has difficulty with the estimated value, since there is no comparison on the art market. Due to other works by the artist, the price ranges from 1000 to 1500 euros. “Modesty without calculation apparently pays off,” Lichter tells the seller.
Pote is already eagerly awaited in the dealer room. “That’s really something crazy,” Fabian Kahl welcomes him. The 31-year-old is engaged in an exciting bidding duel with Elke Velten-Tönnies. In the end, Kahl has the last word: he puts 1050 euros on the table for the unusual work of art.
Tom Pote has thus earned more than ten times his desired price and is going home more than satisfied.
Source: “Bares for Rares” in the ZDF media library
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