Fascinating acquisitions made by two generations of antiques dealers will come up at Sotheby’s in London on March 8. An exceptional sale of furniture form the public and private collections of Alan Rubin of Pelham Galleries will come under the hammer For almost 90 years, Pelham Galleries has been a mecca for international collectors, dealers and museums curators. The galleries in London and Paris have been instrumental in helping form some of today’s greatest collections. Treasures discovered by Alan Rubin, his father and uncle can be found in many of the world’s greatest museums including the Victoria and Albert Museum, The Metropolitan Museum, New York and the Louvre.
The sale will offer 180 lots with outstanding examples of English and European furniture, an exceptionally rich group of Italian decorative arts, chinoiserie masterpieces and a number of items reflecting Alan Rubin’s passion for early music. Alan Rubin said: “This sale marks a new chapter for Pelham Galleries which will now be run from our Paris gallery. The sale includes a number of pieces never previously offered to the public, some acquired by my family over sixty years ago. I hope they will give as much pleasure to their new owners as they have given to me.”
The flight en montgolfiere of Pilatre de Rozier and the Marquis d’Arlandes over Paris November 1783 (£12,000-18,000).
Early George III mahogany hall bench, c1760, attributed to William and John Linnell.
A consulat armchair c1796-1803 similar to the one in the Chateau de Malmaison where Napolean lived with Josephine(£30,000-50,000).
A pair of George III painted and parcel gilt satinwood pier tables c1795 which adorned the Blue Room of the White House between 1972 and 2002 (£100,000-150,000).
One of a pair of micro mosaics by Giacomo Raffaelli (1753-1856) from the Hamilton Palace Collection (£50,000-100,000).