A desk from the early 18th century attributed to André Charles Boulle. UPDATE: THIS SOLD FOR €486,400
More than 300 years old this remarkable desk dates to the end of the reign of the Sun King, Louis XIV and is attributed to André-Charles Boulle (1642-1732). It bears all the hallmarks of his work. The projecting frieze drawer and emblematic masks resemble a famous series of drawings attributed to Boulle at the Musée des Art Décoratifs in Paris. The desk is one of a very small number of known examples to retain its original cartonnier, a small ornamental box for documents. Estimated by Christie’s at €400,000-€600,000 it is from the fabulous collection of Graziella Patino de Ortiz Linares (1900-1980) to be auctioned in Paris on September 23.
Masterpieces by Watteau and Fragonard stand alongside classical furniture and a magnificent collection of silver in an auction of 60 lots with an overall estimate of €23 million – €33 million. Among numerous highlights is Jean-Honoré Fragonard’s The Longed for Moment, or Happy Lovers, a composition characteristic of his lively and spontaneous style painted with great freedom. The estimate is around €2.5 million. A glittering figure in Paris in the 1920’s Graziella was daughter of the Bolivian business magnate Don Simon Iturri Patino (1860-1947) known as the Tin King. With refined taste and great erudition she built a collection over four decades in one of the most beautiful private mansions on the widest and one of the most expensive streets in Paris, Avenue Foch.
UPDATE: THE AUCTION REALISED €38,736,120
Jean-Honoré Fragonard (1732-1806) – The Longed for Moment or Happy Lovers. UPDATE: THIS SOLD FOR €10.6 MILLION