GENEVA.- The December sales at Piguet Auction House ended last night with a total result of CHF 7.5 million for 3,500 lots. The auction house records CHF 27 million in 2024 and a world record result in June for a Giacometti floor lamp. We take a closer look at the highlighted collection of these December sales: that of His Excellency Ardeshir Zahedi.

THE PERSONAL, UNSEEN COLLECTION FROM HIS EXCELLENCY ARDESHIR ZAHEDI IS A HUGE SUCCESS!

Son-in-law to the Shah of Iran, H.E. Ardeshir Zahedi was a charismatic figure and a leading politician. A key figure in 20th-century Iranian diplomacy, he served as ambassador to the United States (1959-1962 and 1973-1979), the United Kingdom (1962-1966) and Iran's foreign minister (1966-1973).

He married Princess Shahnaz Pahlavi, daughter of the Shah of Iran and Empress Fawzia Fouad, herself the daughter of the King of Egypt.

Resident in Montreux at the Villa Les Roses, a house acquired by his father in the 1950s, he welcomed to the Vaud Riviera famous men and women from political and cultural circles, including royalty and several US presidents.

His collection of 374 lots included imperial and royal objects from his family, memorabilia from his political career and personal souvenirs... It also included modern Art, such as a 1948 work by Fernand Léger that fetched CHF 45,000 after a bidding war (lot 26), and a painting by Manoucher Yektai that doubled its estimate at CHF 55,000 (lot 38). Among the most important lots in this rich collection was a gold and diamond box which sold for CHF 76,000 (lot 2257).

Some souvenirs sold for exceptional prices thanks solely to their provenance:

A Chaumet set (gold boxes, lighter and watch), a personal gift from H.M. Hassan II, King of Morocco, to Ardeshir Zahedi, fetched CHF 76,000, six times its estimate (lot 3563, est. CHF 12,000-18,000); a Cartier gold and lapis lazuli lighter decorated with the initials and portrait of Empress Farah Pahlavi fetched 40 times its estimate with a result of CHF 23,000 (lot 2271, est. CHF 600-800)!; and a Cartier lighter and Parker pen set in a case bearing the Empress's cypher sold for CHF 55,000, 45 times its estimate (lot 2269, starting price CHF 600), to name but a few...

Any item with a connection to the Shah's reign or Egyptian royalty has fetched record prices!

In the jewellery category, a gold fret work bracelet decorated with highly prized plaited elephant hair, personally presented to A. Zahedi by the Emperor of Ethiopia Haile Selassie I, the King of Kings and God of the Rastafarians of Jamaica, famous the world over for Bob Marley's musical hits, sold for CHF 6,400, 6 times its estimate (lot 3641).

Christina Robinson, specialist in charge of private collections at Piguet, commented: ‘We are really pleased to have created such a buzz around the sale of the personal effects of this exceptional man who fulfilled such an impressive diplomatic role. We had a record number of new buyers from all over the world. The bids were pouring in for these lots, some of which sold for 40 or even 50 times higher than their estimates!

HALF A MILLION FOR A VOYAGE EN SUISSE FROM THE LI AI VEE COLLECTION!

In the 1960s, the internationally acclaimed painter Zhang Daqian travelled to Switzerland and created these leporello albums of travel paintings. Lot 40, entitled Voyage en Suisse, invites us to rediscover Swiss landscapes in a style resolutely inspired by classical China. In 1965, he met Li Ai Vee and forged a relationship with this Sino-German painter, who had lived on the Vaud Riviera since 1958, from where the collection originates.

These two albums signed by the artist saw their estimates soar on Wednesday evening with exclusively Chinese bidders, totalling half a million!

MODERN AND CONTEMPORARY ART IN THE SPOTLIGHT

Swiss Art was represented by the auctioning of a cat by Sandoz from the Ghezzi collection, which also featured on the cover of the catalogue. It changed hands for CHF 89,000 after being sold to a Swiss bidder following strong telephone and live bidding (lot 18).

An ink on paper by Picasso entitled Sur la plage sold for CHF 102,000, twice its estimate (lot 25), and a ‘compression’ piece by César fetched CHF 38,000 (lot 27). The sale also featured the collection of French painter Jean-Pierre Cassigneul, whose figurehead was an impressive 1m36 sculpture entitled Femme dite ‘Les trois plis’ by Julio González, which changed hands for CHF 254,000 (lot 32) and a painting by Jean-Pierre Cassigneul sold for CHF 72,000 (lot 37).

Paintings and sculptures totalled CHF 2.1 million

JEWELLERY, WATCHES AND LUXURY HANDBAGS

Luxury leather goods, jewellery and watches were also in the spotlight last night.

More than 20 Hermès bags in Blue-Jeans, bamboo green, Iris and Garance red were auctioned alongside pieces by Chanel and Dior.

But the stars of last night's auction were undoubtedly the watches. The department presented two highly sought-after Rolex time pieces. The famous Paul Newman, ref. 6262/6239, sold for CHF 178,000 (lot 98); and a Rainbow, ref. 116598RBOW,/2118 set with diamonds and a rainbow of coloured sapphires went for CHF 190,000 (lot 87).

Jewellery and watches totalled CHF 2.9 million.

ANTIQUARIAN AND MODERN BOOKS

Last but by no means least, Piguet's signature bibliophilic auctions, organised by Claire Piguet, are always a great success, such as the sale of a first edition of the Encyclopédie by Diderot and d'Alembert for CHF 33,000, quadrupling its estimate (lot 2651).