antiquesandartireland.com

This ring belonged to Jane Austen. (Click on image to enlarge).

A gold and gem set ring belonging to Jane Austen made £152,450 at Sotheby’s English Literature sale in London on July 10.  It has been handed down by female descendants of the author  for nearly 200 years.  The price was more than five times the high estimate of £30,000.  No less than eight bidders battled for the turquoise ring, eventually bought by an anonymous private collector on the telephone.  It was on the market for the first time.

At the Mount Congreve sale in Co. Waterford on the following day an 1833 edition of five volumes of Jane Austen made 2,800 over a top estimate of 800.

The scene at Christie’s during the auction.

There was a world record price for the Leinster dinner service at Christie’s Exceptional Sale in London on July 6.  The grandest and most complete surviving aristocratic dinner service made  £1,721,250, the highest price at auction for any antique English silver dinner service. The Rococo style service was the top lot in a sale of 48 lots which brought in a total of £18,065,650.

The Brand Cabinet, a George II ivory-mounted padouk medal-cabinet, circa 1743 made £1,217,250.

The Brand Cabinet, a c1743 George II ivory-mounted padouk medal-cabinet with ivory plaques purchased in Rome by Robert Brand while on the Grand Tour, sold for £1,217,250. The plaques depict figures from Classical mythology like Leda and the Swan. A Louis XV ormolu-mounted Chinese clair-de-lune celadon porcelain vase, the porcelain Qianlong (1736-95), the Ormolu mid-18th century, realised £1,161,250.

The fourth lot in the sale to sell for over £1 million was the Ogden Mills ‘Armoires à Six Medailles’ which made £1,049,250. They are lavishly decorated with gilt-bronze mounts and scrolling foliate pattern with brass and tortoiseshell ground of première and contre-partie marquetry. The Louis XIV armoire in contre-partie is attributed to André-Charles Boulle, while the late Louis XV in première partie is by Delorme.

(See post on antiquesandartireland.com for July 2, 2012).

The 18th-century gilded elephant automaton clock (click on image to enlarge).

This extraordinary 18th century gilded elephant automaton clock sold for £1.6 million at Sotheby’s in London on July 4. Made for the Asian market by the celebrated English clockmaker Peter Torckler, it was previously owned by the Shah of Persia Naser al-Din (1831–96). The Shah bought it after seeing the remarkable collection of performing clocks owned by Ferdinand de Rothschild at Waddesdon Manor.
The automaton springs to life every third hour, playing music, waving its tail and trunk and flapping its ears. It was bought by an Asian collector. The c1780 clock had been on display at Sotheby’s, New Bond St., for the past month where it became a popular attraction.

This pair of gilt-bronze-mounted Sèvres vases made £1,777,250 (click on image to enlarge).

A pair of gilt bronze mounted Sèvres vases (c1788-1790) was the top lot at Sotheby’s evening sale entitled Treasures, Princely Taste.  They realised £1,777,250.  The 39 lots in the auction brought in £9,507,800.

The Leinster dinner service, a George II silver service with the mark of George Wickes, London 1745-1756. Courtesy Christie’s Images Ltd. 2012. (Click on image to enlarge).  UPDATE: IT SOLD FOR £1.7 MILLION.

The Leinster Dinner-Service comes under the hammer at The Exceptional Sale at Christie’s in London on July 5. Made for James FitzGerald, 20th Duke of Kildare and later 1st Duke of Leinster (1722-1773) it is the grandest and most complete surviving aristocratic dinner service. It comprises 70 dinner plates, 18 soup plates, 29 dishes, 22 dish covers, 4 candlesticks, 11 salvers, 8 sauceboats and many other pieces
In the 17th century the buffet at the side of the dining room was used to show the host’s wealth through the arrangement of flagons, flasks, cups and dishes. In the 18th century display moved to the dining table itself. The linen covered table was centered on the great epergne or surtout-de-table. The fashion for dining à la Française also called for soup tureens for the first course and a plethora of dishes and covers for the following courses. The French style of dining further created the need for casters, cruets, sauceboats and condiment vases.

The service passed by descent to Edward, 7th Duke of Leinster (1892-1976). It was sold in January 1918 as part of his inheritance to the property magnate Sir Harry Mallaby-Deeley, who died in 1937. It was acquired by Walter Chrysler jnr. (1909-1988) and sold at Parke Bernet Galleries, New York in 1960. The Leinster Dinner Service is rare, not only because of its survival but also because its commission is fully listed in the Gentleman’s Ledgers of its maker, the Royal goldsmith George Wickes. It is expected to realise between £1.5 million and £2 million. It is one of 48 lots in a sale with fine examples of furniture, silver, sculpture, clocks and porcelain. The auction is expected to realise more than £13 million

UPDATE: SOLD FOR £1.7 MILLION THE LEINSTER DINNER SERVICE SET A RECORD PRICE FOR ANY ENGLISH SILVER DINNER SERVICE SOLD AT AUCTION.  OVERALL THE SALE BROUGHT IN OVER £18 MILLION.

This ivory silk gown with bodice embellished with silverpaste and glass beads, The Girl who lived in the Tree by Alexander McQueen, Autumn/Winter 2008-9 and a photograph by Mat Collishaw for Harper’s Bazaar, UK 2012, made £85,250, a world record price for the designer at auction.

The auction of the Daphne Guinness Collection made £476,800 at Christie’s, South Kensington, on June 27.  This was four times the pre-sale estimate. Sold to benefit the Isabella Blow Foundation the auction offered 102 lots, including a selection of dresses, coats, skirts, tops and jackets belonging to Daphne Guinness, as well as selected photographs and her signature shoes.  The top lot was a photograph by Mario Testino for British Vogue.  It made £133,250, a new world record price for the photographer at auction.

This Spanish-style white lace dress with black matador jacket by Christian Lacroix made £16,250, a world record price for the designer at auction.

The top dress was an ivory silk tulle empire line gown, The Girl Who Lived In The Tree by Alexander McQueen, Autumn/Winter 2008-9. Sold with a photograph by Mat Collishaw for Harper’s Bazaar UK, May 2012, it made a world record price for the designer at auction of £85,250. There was a record at auction for designer Christian Lacroix whose Spanish style white lace dress with black matador jacket made £16,250.  Images courtesy Christie’s Images Ltd., 2012.  Click on either one to enlarge it.

(See post on antiquesandartireland.com for June 11, 2012).

THERE was a world record for a Picasso ceramic at the sale of the Madoura Collection at Christie’s, South Kensington.  Grand vase aux femmes voilées made £735,650.  Conceived by Pablo Picasso (1881-1973) in 1950 it was executed in an edition of 25. The vase sold more than ten times the estimate.  The previous record for a Picasso ceramic edition at auction was €312,750.

The sale of 543 lots realised £8,082,300, more than four times pre-sale expectations.  Nearly 500 clients registered to bid and buyers came from 43 different countries.  The auction was 100 per cent sold and four works exceeded the previous record set in December 2010.

(See post on antiquesandartireland.com for April 1, 2012).

Pablo Picasso (1881-1973)
Gros oiseau visage noir made £289,250. Image courtesy Christie’s Images Ltd., 2012. (Click to enlarge).

Pablo Picasso (1881-1973) Grand vase aux femmes voilées made £735,650. Image courtesy Christie’s Images Ltd., 2012. (Click to enlarge).

Pablo Picasso (1881-1973)
Grand vase aux danseurs made £265,250. Image courtesy Christie’s Images Ltd., 2012. (Click to enlarge).