Rudolph Lepke

Rudolph Lepke was a German art dealer. In 1869, he founded the Rudolph Lepke’s Kunst-Auctions-Haus, the first art auction house in Berlin. Lepke befriended Wilhelm von Bode who in 1887 had 1062 paintings from the depot of the National Gallery auctioned by Lepke. For many years he was an expert for art matters at the Royal District Court and served as the municipal auction commissioner. In 1900 he gave up the auction house.

The Lepke auction catalogues can be accessed at: https://library.si.edu/digital-library/author/rudolph-lepkes-kunst-auctions-haus. Accessed 1 June 2021. For more information on the auction house, see: https://www.arthistoricum.net/themen/portale/german-sales/auktionshaeuser-a-z/auktionshaeuser-deutschland-a-z/berlin. Accessed 1 June 2021.