Audrey Hepburn – Christie’s

Personal Collection of Audrey Hepburn, Christie’s King Street, London SW1, 27^th September 2017

Part II – Online Auction, 19^th September – 3^rd October 2017

Lot 127
BREAKFAST AT TIFFANY’S, 1961
Audrey Hepburn as Holly Golightly on the set of the 1961 Paramount production Breakfast At Tiffany’s three gelatin silver production stills
largest sheet: 14 x 11 in. (35.6 x 27.9 cm.)
Estimate: £1,000-1,500 / $1,300-1,900 / €1,100-1,600
CHRISTIE’S IMAGES LTD. 2017

September is proving quite a month for sales by legendary actresses as following on the heels of the Vivien Leigh sale at Sotheby’s we also have a sale of the possessions of Audrey Hepburn at Christie’s in London. How does the song go ‘anything you can do I can do better’?

Lot 144
CHARADE, 1963
A COCKTAIL GOWN OF BLACK SATIN
GIVENCHY COUTURE
The two piece ensemble comprising a ftted bodice and skirt, each with a hem of semi-tubular black paillettes,
set on edge, with multiple canvas tags to the interior, as well as black woven label with canvas tag inscribed 23174,
designed for Audrey Hepburn as Regina “Reggie” Lampert in the 1963 Universal production Charade
Estimate: £50,000-80,000 / $64,000-100,000 / €55,000-86,000
CHRISTIE’S IMAGES LTD. 2017

Audrey was more than just a beautiful film star and wonderful actress. Due to her association with Givenchy she became almost accidentally a fashion icon and is indeed regarded as one of the most iconic figures of the last century and in her last years became a goodwill ambassador for UNICEF. One of the fund raising events she was involved in for UNICEF was a concert at the Barbican by Michael Tilson Thomas entitled From The Diary Of Anne Frank and Audrey was the narrator reading excerpts from the diary. It was extremely moving as Audrey had experienced similar wartime distress and hardship living in Holland like Anne Frank and one could feel that she found the reliving of this time somewhat painful and that the words could indeed have been her own. Afterwards in the green room she confessed that she had been shaking before she went onstage.

Lot 178
MY FAIR LADY, 1964/REX HARRISON
A CONTINENTAL GOLD SNUFF BOX, CIRCA 1965
Rectangular box, the cover and sides set with panels of sablé engine-turning with flared thumbpiece, the base of polished gold and engraved with the inscription To / Eliza Doolittle / from / Henry Higgins
2 3/8 in. (60 mm.) wide
2 oz. (60 gr.)
Estimate £5,000-8,000 / $6,400-10,000 / €5,500-8,600
CHRISTIE’S IMAGES LTD. 2017

How well I remember sitting in the Regal Cinema in Sauchiehall Street in Glasgow in 1961 watching and loving Breakfast At Tiffany’s and now 56 years later it is regarded as one of the most-loved films of all time, even having been shown at the Royal Albert Hall with live orchestral accompaniment.

Lot 119
BREAKFAST AT TIFFANY’S, 1961
Audrey Hepburn’s working script for the 1961 Paramount production Breakfast at Tiffany’s, dated 3 August, 1960, the script bound with two brass brads and comprising 140 pages of mimeographed typescript including deleted scenes, with 53 pages printed on yellow and 28 on blue paper representing changes to the script with varying dates through to 21 September 1960, the majority of pages with upper right corner either snipped, torn or folded down when completed, the parts for the character of Holly Golightly marked in Hepburn’s signature turquoise ink, with words underlined in blue ballpoint pen and pencil for emphasis, passages or directions crossed out, and approximately 20 pages annotated in Hepburn’s hand with copied out lines, minor amendments and notes including:
– p.15-16: where Holly asks Paul to help find her shoes for her visit to Sing Sing, Hepburn has amended Brown alligator [shoes] to Black, and deleted the lines And if you come across a black brassiere I can use that too… and garter-belt, garter-belt, garter-belt, garter-belt… I think maybe it’s hanging in the bathroom…would you mind…
– p.114: where the directions require Holly to rattle of sentences in Portugese, Hepburn has twice added the line Eu acho che voce esta gostando do acouqueiro
– p.119: next to …but I do love Jose Hepburn has suggested the revision I am mad about Jose – blank end page: Hepburn has jotted a brief scene list… intro, H-P-Sing Sing, P’s apt. bathrobe, cocktail, Sing Sing, Doc., drunk, scene in room, day on the town, library, chicken saffron, pickup… and scrawled the details of a fight f. 274 U. airl, 11.35 A.M.
11 x 8¾ in. (27.9 x 22.2 cm.)
Estimate: £60,000-90,000 / $77,000-110,000 / €65,000-97,000
CHRISTIE’S IMAGES LTD. 2017

The sale is in two parts with Part 1 being offered at Christie’s London and Part ll in an online-only sale. The auctions feature annotated film scripts, including Breakfast At Tiffany’s, original portraits from photographers such as Cecil Beaton and Philippe Halsman, her personal wardrobe and many costumes from her films including a black Givenchy cocktail dress from Charade although not the Breakfast At Tiffany’s dress which was sold previously.

Lot 109
THE NUN’S STORY, 1959
TWO FOR THE ROAD, 1967
A COLOURESS PASTE TIARA
composed of a continuous series of graduated navette and circular shaped paste, to close-back settings on a sprung frame; worn by Audrey Hepburn to the London premiere of The Nun’s Story, July 1959 and as Joanna Wallace in the 1967 20th Century Fox production Two For The Road 11¼ in. (29 cm.) inner circumference
Estimate: £7,000-10,000 / $9,000-13,000 / €7,600-11,000
CHRISTIE’S IMAGES LTD. 2017

This is the first time these items, which until now have remained with her family, have been offered for sale and they give us a rare glimpse into the very private world of a remarkable woman.

Lot 132
A SLEEP MASK SLEEP SHADE CO., CIRCA 1960
The blue satin shade applied with pink and blue lace-trimmed fowers, marked SLEEP SHADE CO., 282 MISSION ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CAL 8 in. (20 cm.) long
Estimate: £100-150 / $130-190 / €110-160
CHRISTIE’S IMAGES LTD. 2017

http://www.christies.com/audreyhepburn

Lot 219
A RED DRESS COAT
VALENTINO COUTURE, SPRING/SUMMER 1971
Of red silk gazar; together with a pair of Andrea Carrano scarlet pumps
Estimate: £1,000-1,500 / $1,300-1,900 / €1,100-1,600
CHRISTIE’S IMAGES LTD. 2017

I am grateful to John Kirkwood for writing about this sale

The Collection of Raine, Countess Spencer

Jun30

The Collection of Raine, Countess Spencer (1929-2016), Christie’s King Street, London SW1, Old Masters Evening Sale (6^th July 2017) and The Collection of Raine, Countess Spencer (13^thJuly 2017)

Interior
From the property of Lady Spencer © Christie’s Images Limited 2017

I count myself fortunate in having encountered Raine, Countess Spencer several times over the years and she was always the epitome of elegance and charm. That sense of style is very much reflected in her home, the contents of which are to be found in these sales. While the paintings, furniture and objects contributed to the glamour of the rooms they were not mere ‘background’ objects but were bought because Lady Spencer liked them and wanted to live with and use them.

Interior
From the property of Lady Spencer © Christie’s Images Limited 2017

She was very much drawn to the arts of 18^th century France and numbered works by Boucher, Fragonard and Greuze among the pictures she collected. On some purchases she was advised by Sir Francis Watson (former Director of the Wallace Collection) who also advised the Wrightsmans with their legendary collection. Regency furniture was another love and it blended well with her French pieces. Her last dining room recalled the Art Deco period and there was also a collection of French Art Nouveau lithographs.

Interior
From the property of Lady Spencer © Christie’s Images Limited 2017

From her birth – she was the daughter of the novelist Dame Barbara Cartland – onwards Lady Spencer was the focus of media interest whether through her marriages or her work as a Westminster City Councillor and in the conservationist campaigns she supported. In later years she was a director of Harrods and had a hands-on approach. The thread of perfectionism that runs through her life is also reflected in her clothes, jewellery and other accessories in the 13^th July auction. This is very much an opportunity to appreciate, enjoy or even acquire a piece of the elegant perfection that was Lady Spencer’s way of life.

Claude Joseph Vernet (Avignon 1714-1789 Paris)
A Mediterranean sea-port with fishermen unloading cargo
oil on canvas
Estimate: £300,000-500,000
© Christie’s Images Limited 2017

A LOUIS XVI COMMODE
CIRCA 1770-75, ATTRIBUTED TO ANTOINE-PIERRE FOULLET
Estimate: £60,000-90,000
© Christie’s Images Limited 2017

Interior
From the property of Lady Spencer © Christie’s Images Limited 2017

AN 18 CARAT GOLD, RUBY AND DIAMOND PARURE, BY VAN CLEEF & ARPELS
Comprising a necklace, designed as a graduated series of ruby cabochon and brilliant-cut diamond clusters
Estimate: £100,000-150,000
© Christie’s Images Limited 2017

One of several ‘Lady Dior’ handbags, this one of black leather with studwork decoration.
Estimate: £1,000-1,500
© Christie’s Images Limited 2017

http://www.christies.com

Lord Weidenfeld

May11

The Collection of The late Lord Weidenfeld GBE: A Life of Ideals and Ideas, Christie’s, 8 King Street, St James’s, London SW1, 18^th May 2017

Lot 509
Bernardo Cavallino (Naples 1616–?1656)
Saint Dorothy
oil on canvas
27.7/8 x 22.7/8 in. (72 x 58 cm.)
Estimate: £150,000-200,000
© Christie’s Images Limited 2017

This is a very rare and final chance to see the private world of the publisher and philanthropist George Weidenfeld (1919-2016). He was created Baron Weidenfeld of Chelsea in 1976. He had co-founded the famous publishing firm Weidenfeld and Nicolson in 1948. It was after the War too that he started collecting and this auction reveals his many interests – Old Master paintings, 20^th century works on paper, furniture, sculpture and the decorative arts. His collection of books is left to the National Library of Israel in Jerusalem.

The dining room of Lord Weidenfeld’s Bennison decorated Chelsea apartment
© Christie’s Images Limited 2017

The setting for this very personal collection was Lord Weidenfeld’s Chelsea Embankment apartment which had been wonderfully decorated for him by the famous antique dealer and decorator Geoffrey Bennison and which remained virtually unchanged for over forty years!

Lot 569
A REPOUSSÉ PARCEL-GILT COPPER BUST OF POPE URBAN VIII
WORKSHOP OF GIAN LORENZO BERNINI, ROME, MID-17TH CENTURY
30 in. high, 24 in. wide, the bust and socle
Estimate: £30,000-50,000
© Christie’s Images Limited 2017

Lot 577
A REGENCY BRASS-INLAID INDIAN ROSEWOOD LIBRARY TABLE
CIRCA 1810-20, ATTRIBUTED TO GILLOWS
31.1/4 in. (79 cm.) high; 76.1/2 in. (194.5 cm.) wide; 48.1/2 in. (123.5 cm.) deep
Estimate: £40,000-60,000
© Christie’s Images Limited 2017

Lot 582
A LARGE CHINESE BLUE AND WHITE BALUSTER VASE FITTED AS A TABLE LAMP
19TH CENTURY
The porcelain, 17.1/4 in. (44 cm.) high
Estimate: £2,000-4,000
© Christie’s Images Limited 2017

http://www.christies.com

A Surreal Legacy

Dec7

Sale 13765

A Surreal Legacy – Selected works of art from The Edward James Foundation, Christie’s London, King Street, London SW1, 15 December 2016,

Lot 10
Salvador Dalí (1904-1989) and Edward James (1907-1984)
Lobster Telephone (white aphrodisiac)
white Bakelite telephone and white plaster lobster
Length: 12 ½ in. (31.7 cm.)
Conceived by Salvador Dalí in 1936; commissioned by Edward James from Green & Abbott in 1938 in an edition of eleven, four red and seven white.
Estimate GBP 150,000 – GBP 250,000 (USD 186,450 – USD 310,750)
© Christie’s Images Limited 2016

Edward James (1907-1984) was a notable patron and art collector and one who particularly embraced Surrealism and indeed transformed Monkton House on the West Dean estate into a Surrealist-inspired home. It was an interest that first started when he lived in Paris as a young man and he became a patron and close friend of artists and writers such as Paul Éluard, André Breton René Magritte and Salvador Dalí. The latter said of him “Edward is as insanely relentless as myself”. He was also a patron of the Russian Neo-Romanticist Pavel Tchelitchew and James built up a large collection of his works and some of these are in this sale.

Edward James, circa late 1920s
© Christie’s Images Limited 2016

As well as the Surrealist works there is a mixture of pieces from West Dean House that reflects the taste and lifestyle of its various owners, including James’s father. They are being sold to continue the work of the Edward James Foundation which is based at West Dean.

Lot 20
Pavel Tchelitchew (1898-1957)
The Concert
signed and dated ‘P Tchelitchew 33’ (lower left)
oil on canvas
35 x 45¾ in. (89.5 x 116. 3 cm.)
Painted in 1933
Estimate GBP 250,000 – GBP 350,000 (USD 310,750 – USD 435,050)
© Christie’s Images Limited 2016

Christie’s UK Chairman, Orlando Rock says: “Edward James was touched by genius – and the inspirational Surrealist fantasies that he created at Monkton and elsewhere are testimony to his visionary patronage. This eclectic auction embraces the contrasting and pioneering tastes of several generations of this Anglo-American family and will raise funds to safeguard the future of the educational Foundation at West Dean, through which Edward James sought to secure future generations of artistic creativity.”

Lot 30
Salvador Dalí (1904-1989) and Edward James (1907-1984)
Mae West Lips Sofa
wood carcass upholstered in red and green Melton wool fabric with green appliqué and black wool fringing
Length: 81 in. (205.7 cm.)
Height: 30 ¼ in. (77 cm.)
Depth: 37 ¾ in. (96 cm.)
Conceived by Salvador Dalí and Edward James in 1936, and executed by Green & Abbott in 1938 as one of a pair for the dining room at Monkton House.
Estimate GBP 250,000 – GBP 400,000 (USD 310,750 – USD 497,200)
© Christie’s Images Limited 2016

www.christies.com

BOOK REVIEW: Going Once

Oct19

Going Once: 250 Years of Culture, Taste and Collecting at Christie’s

ISBN: 978 0 7148 7202 5

Phaidon

£39.95

What better way to celebrate two hundred and fifty years as a leading art business than through the two hundred and fifty objects selected for this book. It is a wonderful survey of these remarkable sales and the high prices achieved whether for a 3,000-year-old Assyrian frieze or Dorothy’s ruby slippers from The Wizard of Oz. Paintings, furniture, gold and silver, sculpture, wine, even a London Routemaster bus are included. One feature I like is that as well as giving the original sale price they also give today’s equivalent value.

This is a great book to dip into time and time again as there is much to learn and enjoy from it.

phaidon.com

Brian Sewell

Sep23

Brian Sewell: Critic & Collector, Christie’s London King Street, 27 September 2016

Matthias Stomer (Amersfoort c. 1600-after 1652 ?Sicily or northern Italy)
Blowing Hot, Blowing Cold
oil on canvas
46 ¾ x 54 in. (118.8 x 137.1 cm.)
Estimate: £400,000-600,000
CHRISTIE’S IMAGES LTD. 2016

It can really come as no surprise that the taste and connoisseurship of the legendary art critic, author and award-winning journalist, Brian Sewell (1931-2015) should be commemorated in this special sale at Christie’s next week. The two hundred and forty-eight lots range from Old Master paintings and drawings to 19^th and 20^th century British Art and reflect many years of collecting. Estimates range from £600 to £600,000 and I feel sure that some estimates will be well exceeded.

John Craxton, R.A. (London 1922-2009)
Lucian Freud
signed ‘Craxton’ (lower left), dated ‘26.10.46.’ (lower right), inscribed ‘Lucian’ (upper right) and inscribed again and dated again ‘Lucian Freud/poros 1946’ (on the backboard)
pencil
22 x 17 in. (55.8 x 43.2 cm.)
Estimate: £50,000 – 80,000
CHRISTIE’S IMAGES LTD. 2016

Following his studies in Art History at the Courtauld Institute he went on to work at Christie’s in the picture department between 1958 and 1967. His colleague Noël Annesley (Honorary Chairman, Christie’s UK) recalled: “Brian was a young man of 27 when he joined Christie’s. As his assistant, I got to admire him and to like him enormously. He evolved from a rather shy, cerebral art historian turned auction house expert into one of the most famous and widely read British art critics of our time. Brian was a man whose opinions were sought not just on art but on a wide variety of topics, reflecting the exceptional range of his interests. He could be relied upon to provide witty and often devastating judgements. A wonderful instructor, serious but humorous too, he set a standard for us all.”

The current UK Chairman Orlando Rock said: “Brian Sewell was, undoubtedly, one of Christie’s most colourful and learned former colleagues. What always motivated him was his love of great art and its power to move and inspire, combined with his characteristic and acerbic wit.”

Eliot Hodgkin (1905-1987)
Twelve Pheasant Eggs
signed, inscribed and dated ‘Twelve Pheasant Eggs/by Eliot Hodgkin/2 VII 59’ (lower right)
tempera on board
10½ x 16 in. (26.5 x 40.8 cm.)
Estimate: £20,000 – 30,000
CHRISTIE’S IMAGES LTD. 2016

I was fortunate to meet him on many occasions through colleagues and always found him to be a very approachable man who had a great sense of what is right and was not afraid to speak out when things were not. Our world is in need of such voices today but sadly they appear to be becoming fewer.

Daniele Ricciarelli, called Daniele da Volterra (Volterra 1509-1566)
Dido reclining, asleep
black chalk, watermark crossbow in a circle (Briquet 749, Lucca, 1548), unframed
13 x 18 1/8 in. (33.2 x 45.9 cm.)
Estimate: £100,000 – 150,000
CHRISTIE’S IMAGES LTD. 2016

http://www.christies.com

London Art Week starts in four days time

Jun27

London Art Week, Mayfair and St James’s, London, 1^st – 8^th July 2016

MAURIZIO NOBILE
Jacopo Amigoni (1682-1752)
Jupiter and Callisto

This is a really special gallery-led festival of art dating from antiquity to the 20^th century. There is a combination of nearly fifty dealers and three major auction houses who are bringing a tempting mix of subjects ranging from Greek coins, arms and armour, stained glass, sculpture and fine art in all its disciplines.

Specialist exhibitions include:

Vanitas / Memento Mori and The Crucifixion by Paolo Uccello at Agnew’s

Art & Adornment: Treasures of Combat at Ariadne Galleries

Early European Sculpture at Arcadia Cerri Fine Art

ARCADIA CERRI
Exhibition: Early European Sculpture
Head of a man frowning
Champagne, Reims
Second third 13th century
fossiliferous limestone
13 x 13 x 13 cm

Inter-War Paris: Works on Paper at Aktis Gallery

AKTIS GALLERY
Exhibition: Inter-War Paris: Works on Paper
Leonard Tsuguharu Foujita (1886-1968)
Tulips, 1920
Watercolour and ink on paper
Signed and dated lower left
Countersigned in Japanese lower left

European Master Drawings (1545-2015) at Didier Aaron Ltd.

Deities & Daily Life at Charles Ede

Gilded Light; 16th-century stained glass roundels from the collection of Sir Thomas Neave and other private collections at Sam Fogg

SAM FOGG
Exhibition: Gilded Light: 16th Century Stained Glass Roundels from the collection of Sir Thomas Neave and other private collections
Circle of Lambert Van Noort (c.1520-1571)
Nebuchadnezzar dreams of a tree that must be felled

Flint Marble Bronze from the Mediterranean and Beyond at Oliver Forge & Brendan Lynch Ltd.

Dutch Flower Pieces 1607-1814 and Aspects of British Impressionism at Richard Green Fine Paintings

RICHARD GREEN GALLERY
Exhibition: Aspects of British Impressionism
Sir Alfred Munnings (1878-1959)
September Afternoon
Oil on canvas
Signed lower left: AJ. Munnings

17th Century Still Life and Song Yu at Johnny Van Haeften Ltd.

Horses, Rulers, and Victory in the Art of Ancient Greek Coinage at Kallos Gallery

KALLOS GALLERY
Exhibition: Horses, Rulers and Victory in the Art of Ancient Greek Coinage
Gold Drachm of Syracuse (Sicily), c.317-310BC
Minted under Agathocles (317-289BC)

Of Gods and Men at Daniel Katz Gallery

Antonio Joli (1700 – 1777): Views of Italy at Lampronti Gallery

Classicism Reimagined: Master Paintings and Sculpture 1700-1900 at Lullo•Pampoulides

LULLO∙PAMPOULIDES
Exhibition: Classicism Reimagined: Master paintings & sculpture 1700-1900
Camille Claudel (1864 –1943)
Torso of a Crouching Woman,1887
Bronze, 35 cm. high

Material X at M&L Fine Art

Traveller-artists in the Far East: Views in India, China and Indonesia at Martyn Gregory

Bronze Animal Sculptures by Rembrandt Bugatti at The Sladmore Gallery

Drawing Inspiration: Sketches and Sketchbook Pages from the 19th and 20th Century at Stephen Ongpin Fine Art

STEPHEN ONGPIN FINE ART
Exhibition: Drawing Inspiration: Sketches and Sketchbooks from the 19th and 20th Centuries
Eugene Delacroix (1798-1863)
A Standing Moroccan Man
Watercolour and pencil

Antique Inspiration at Tomasso Brothers Fine Art

From Wax to Bronze – Themes and Materials in Sculpture at Trinity Fine Art Ltd.

TRINITY FINE ART
Exhibition: From Wax to Bronze – Themes and Materials of Sculpture
Attributed to the Master of the Unruly Children (16th century Florence)
Bacchus
Terracotta
95/8 x 111/4 x 8 ¼ in. (24.5 x28.5 x 21cm)

Object in Focus: An Archaic Greek Bronze Griffin Protome at Rupert Wace Ancient Art

Cornelius Johnson: Painter to King and Country at The Weiss Gallery

THE WEISS GALLERY
Exhibition: Cornelius Johnson
Cornelius Johnson (1593 – 1661)
Sir William Campion of Combwell (1585–1640)
Oil on panel
Indistinctly signed, centre right: ‘C.J….’

OPENING TIMES:

Galleries:

Preview -Thursday: 3pm to 8pm
Friday 1st July – Friday 8th July: 10am to 6pm
Weekends: 12 noon to 5pm

STOPPENBACH & DELESTRE
Henry Moret (1856-1913)
La baie de Lampaul, Île de Ouessant
Oil on canvas

Auction houses:

Friday 1st July – Friday 8th July: 9am to 5pm
Saturday 2nd July: 12 noon to 5pm
Sunday 3rd July: 11 noon to 5pm

http://www.londonartweek.co.uk.

Fit for a Queen

Jun7

The Private Collection of Joan Rivers, Christie’s New York, 22^nd June 2016; Online Auction 16^th – 23^rd June 2016

Joan_Rivers_03

‘Joan’s apartment was a reflection of the true Joan: warm, elegant and truly inviting’ is how the celebrity event designer Preston Bailey described this private world of a much-loved entertainer.

Lot 15
PRIVATE & ICONIC
New York, Rockefeller Plaza
Jun 22, 2016
A FRENCH TERRACOTTA BUST OF A WOMAN
Price Estimate: 2,000 – 3,000 U.S. dollars

Now the contents are being auctioned off with a portion of the proceeds going to the HIV/Aids charity God’s Love We Deliver and to Guide Dogs For The Blind. The latter reflecting her great love of dogs. Some two hundred lots will be in the June 22^nd auction with many items from her home eloquently reflecting her connoisseurship, wit and elegance. The latter being especially obvious in her costumes – some by Bob Mackie – and in her jewellery by celebrated makers including Cartier, Van Cleef & Arpels and Harry Winston, some of which are being sold in the online auction 16^th – 23^rd June.

She was, as many of you may know, a collector of Fabergé and in the words of Geoffrey Munn, Wartski’s director and author of the recent volume on the firm’s history ‘Joan’s connoisseurship was informed and intuitive’. ‘She was conscious of the importance of provenance.’

Lot 156
PRIVATE & ICONIC
New York, Rockefeller Plaza
Jun 22, 2016
A SET OF ELEVEN ITALIAN PORCELAIN DINNER PLATES AND A SET OF TWELVE DRESDEN PORCELAIN PLATES
Price Estimate: 600 – 800 U.S. dollars

I will leave the last word on her home to the great lady herself who once said that it was ‘where Marie Antoinette would have lived if she had money’.

Joan_Rivers_01

I think she got that right!

Lot 134
PRIVATE & ICONIC
New York, Rockefeller Plaza
Jun 22, 2016
AN ASSORTED GROUP OF JOAN RIVERS’ TABLE LINENS
Price Estimate: 500 – 800 U.S. dollars

http://www.christies.com/joanrivers

A Mistress’s Taste

Jul4

I thought that I would share these wonderful fusions of eastern and western decorative arts that almost certainly belonged to Madame de Pompadour who was Louis XV’s mistress and which will be auctioned next week

Treasures Sale
Sotheby’s London, 8 July 2015
A pair of gilt-bronze-mounted Chinese export porcelain cockerel candelabra, the porcelain Qianlong (1736-1795), the mounts Louis XV, with the crown c poinçon, circa 1745-49, attributed to Jacques Caffiéri (1678-1755), almost certainly acquired by Madame de Pompadour from Lazare–Duvaux on 4th August 1755 for l’Hôtel d’Évreux in Paris
each 63cm. high; 2ft. 1in
Estimate: £500,000 — 1,000,000

The Exceptional Sale – 2015
Christie’s London, King Street, Jul 09, 2015
Lot Number 0129
PROPERTY FROM A DISTINGUISHED EUROPEAN PRIVATE COLLECTION (lots 118-131)
A PAIR OF LOUIS XV ORMOLU AND GILT-COPPER-MOUNTED CHINESE BLANC DE CHINE THREE-BRANCH CANDELABRA
CIRCA 1750, THE PORCELAIN EARLY 18TH CENTURY
Each with a figure of a stork wearing a stylised necklace, standing before a tree trunk on a naturalistic base, mounted with twisting grape vine branches entwined around the trunk and terminating in foliate drip pans and nozzles, on a rocaille and foliate decorated base, restorations to the storks legs and the tree stumps
17 ¼ in. (44 cm.) high
Estimate 300,000 – 500,000 British pounds
Provenance Possibly supplied by the marchand-mercier, Lazare Duvaux, on 14 February 1752 to Jeanne Antoinette Poisson, Marquise de Pompadour (1764) and possibly the pair listed in the 1764 inventory following her death as no. 2312.
Possibly, M. l’Abbe Le Blanc, Historiographe des Batiments du Roi, sold, 14 February 1781, lot 128 and acquired by Jean-Baptiste-Pierre Lebrun, or sold anonymously (actually the properties of La Reynière, Donjeu, the marquis de Chevigné), 10 February 1773, lot 66.
In the collection of Madame and Colonel Balsan in 1936, photographed in the ‘salle à manger’ of their Parisian hôtel overlooking the Champ-de-Mars.
Thence by descent to the end of the 1950’s.
Sold, Sotheby’s, Monaco, 11 December 1999, lot 88, where acquired by the present owner.
© Christie’s Images Limited 2015

http://www.sothebys.com

http://www.christies.com

A European Private Collection

May15

From Roentgen to Fabergé: A European Private Collection, Christie’s, King Street, London, 20th May 2015