Estimate: $300 - $500
Price Realized: $256 Includes buyer's premium
oil on canvas
24 x 20 inches
artist's monogram lower left, signed verso
The Estate of Peter Sichel
overall good condition, with some losses
If you are interested in bidding, please contact us to request more photos, or make an appointment for in-person inspection. To ensure prompt assistance, we recommend reaching out at least 24 hours before the auction by calling 212-353-2277 or emailing us at admin@capsuleauctions.com.
Condition reports are based on visual inspection by the Capsule team under typical office lighting. Unless otherwise noted, items are not examined under UV light in advance of sale. We do not guarantee the content of written or verbal condition reports. Remember, all lots are previously owned and all sales are final. The absence of a condition report does not imply that there are no condition issues with the lot.
Art has not been examined out of the frame unless otherwise stated. Frames, lampshades, or items described as “supplementary” are not considered integral to the value of the lot and are excluded from condition assessments. This includes any mat, mounting, glazing, hanging apparatus, case, box, or stand. Timepiece movements, lighting elements and items with mechanical or electrical components have not been thoroughly tested and are not covered under warranty by Capsule.
overall dimensions: 32 1/4 x 28 1/4 x 1 1/2 inches, wood frame
Peter Sichel led one of the most extraordinary lives of the 20th century. Born in 1922 in Mainz, Germany, to a prominent Jewish wine family, Peter Sichel escaped Nazi persecution and emigrated to the United States in 1941. During World War II, he joined the Office of Strategic Services (O.S.S.), later becoming one of the C.I.A.’s leading operatives in postwar Berlin and Hong Kong. In 1959, disillusioned by covert operations that he believed disregarded intelligence findings, he left the agency to reinvent himself in the world of wine.
Taking over the American branch of his family’s firm, H. Sichel Söhne, Sichel transformed Blue Nun into a global brand through savvy marketing and strategic partnerships. Mr. Sichel recounted his espionage exploits in his 2016 memoir, The Secrets of My Life: Vintner, Prisoner, Soldier, Spy. He is the subject of the documentary film The Last Spy set to release this year. Now passed at the age of 102, the items from his estate offer a rare glimpse into the life of a man who moved with ease between the worlds of espionage, international business, and cultivated living.
Photo Courtesy of New York Times
