RECORD PRICES AT ETHNOGRAPHIC AUCTIONS

Since its foundation, Nagyházi Gallery and Auction House has been the only auction house in Hungary to organise ethnographic auctions, which are special events of our gallery, eagerly awaited by collectors. The gallery’s founder, Csaba Nagyházi, has passionately travelled to sites in Hungary and Transylvania in search of relics of folk artifact culture. In recent years, the art trade has played a more important role than collecting on the spot and in the countryside. In many cases, the only way for collectors to acquire a beloved object is through serious bidding at auction. Over the past decades, the gallery has auctioned off the collections of many renowned ethnographic collectors. These always capture the imagination of new buyers, sometimes after decades of ‘waiting’ for an object that a collector has missed out on. The old, important collectors have been joined by a new generation of buyers and collectors, many of whom are showing their collections in exhibitions that can be visited. This trend, and the outstanding interest in the Ethnographic Museum’s spectacular new permanent exhibition, which now represents a larger proportion of the museum’s collection than ever before, shows that younger people are interested in preserving our cultural heritage and are not afraid to pay large sums for the occasional ethnographic object. In many cases, this has led to record prices, which have overtaken the auction prices of fine and applied arts. A Spanish-made razor from Somogy County sold for HUF 800 000 from a starting price of HUF 28 000 and went to a private collection abroad. A rare Miskakancsó, a favourite of private and public collections and one of the most popular pottery pieces, sells for millions of euros every time it is sold at auction. With a wide variety of genres on offer, there is something for everyone, whether you are looking for a collector’s item or a truly lovable object.

We are looking for more record-breaking objects at our next ethnographic auctions!

Our next ethnographic auction: 22-23 September 2025
Object deadline: 13 June 2025