Lot 587
Pair of Carved Walnut Angelic Musicians, Josef 'Peppi' Rifesser (Italian, 1921-2020), mid 20th century
Note:
A scandal that rocked the art world in December 1958 propelled 'Peppi' Rifesser into the spotlight. Rifesser learned by chance that one of his sculptures, a Madonna with Child Holding Grapes, was being offered for sale as a 14th-century French Gothic original at the Dorotheum, the most prestigious auction house in Vienna. Another one of his works, a Foolish Virgin, had already been sold. He informed the auction house that the work was his, but nobody believed him; numerous art experts pronounced the work genuine. He offered to sculpt a second Madonna to prove his claim; before it was completed, the experts had conceded, and his career took off.