LONDON.- Welcoming the start of Spring, Christie’s online sales series Collections, New York, London and Paris, will present a tantalising array of European, English and 19th century furniture and works of art, silver, ceramics, glass, clocks and gold boxes, from notable private collections spanning the 16th to 20th centuries. Collectively celebrating the enduring craftsmanship and beauty of important decorative arts, the auctions will open for browsing on 18, 19 and 26 March respectively (New York, London and Paris) and open for bidding accordingly from 25 and 26 March to 8 and 9 April (New York and London) and from 2 to 15 April (Paris). Estimates range from works offered with no reserve up to $320,000 / £250,000 / €300,000.

LONDON
Collections: From The Wernher Collection of Fabergé, the Viscount Wimborne and the Earl of Suffolk and Berkshire

The London Collections sale presents works of art from some of Britain’s most distinguished residences, including Luton Hoo (Bedfordshire), Canford Manor (Dorset), Wimborne House (London) and Ashby St. Ledgers Manor (Northamptonshire), with many lots never before on the market and others at auction for the first time in over a century. Fabergé from The Wernher Collection is one of the most significant and exuberant collections to appear on the market in recent decades. It was assembled by Lady Zia, Countess Anastasia Mikhailovna de Torby, and her husband Sir Harold Wernher Bt., who exhibited their outstanding collection of European art and Fabergé at their Luton Hoo Estate for nearly half a century. Most of the Fabergé objects have imperial provenance and came directly from Lady Zia’s parents, Grand Duke Michael Mikhailovich of Russia and Countess Sophie Merenberg, Countess de Torby, who were among the principle clients of Fabergé in both London and St Petersburg. Some are recorded as purchases by Emperor Nicholas II as well as his mother Empress Maria Feodorovna and it is possible that they were gifts to Grand Duke Michael from his family. The group is led by rare hardstone flower studies of forget-me-nots (estimate: £150,000-250,000) and wild strawberries (estimate: £120,000-180,000), which are among the most delicate objects by Fabergé, creating the illusion of fresh flowers picked and placed in a rock crystal vase. It also showcases Countess Torby’s fascination with elephants, representing a variety of models in different sizes and various hardstones (estimates from £6,000 to £35,000). A collection of Fabergé of this significance, variety and with direct imperial provenance has not appeared on the auction market in decades, providing collectors with a rare opportunity to acquire some of the last hidden treasures by Fabergé still in private hands. 

The second group of property is from the collection of the Viscount Wimborne, which tells the story of one of Britain’s most successful industrial and cultural families. As ironmasters of the largest ironworks in the world, the Barons and later Viscounts Wimborne played a crucial role in the global industrial revolution and were prominent political and society figures. This collection of property was acquired for the famed residences of the family at Canford Manor, Wimborne House and Ashby St Ledgers Manor and reflects the breadth and quality of aristocratic collecting from the early 19th century into the first half of the 20th century. Comprising French, Italian and English furniture, silver, porcelain and English and Italian old master paintings and drawings, the Viscount Wimborne’s property evokes the glamour and romance of a lost world of celebrated residences in both town and country furnished with works of art of the highest calibre. The core collections of the sale are completed by a group of silver from the Earl of Suffolk and Berkshire which tells a fascinating narrative of the family history, reflecting various marriages, appointments to public office and personal achievements. The collection also reflects the evolution in dining habits of a noble English family from the Georgian to Victorian eras, all brought to life by the most renowned goldsmiths, including the Huguenot David Willaume, royal goldsmith Paul Storr, and the Barnard Brothers. Further beautiful and important works of art from noble and private collections are offered in the sale, including pieces formerly in the collections of Rudolf Nureyev and Baron Edmond de Rothschild.

NEW YORK
Collections: Including the Orange Blossom Collection and Works from ‘Centuries of Taste’

The New York Collections sale offers a selection of outstanding furniture and decorative arts from Britain and continental Europe, many with excellent provenance. The sale is especially strong in fine English furniture, with works that span the great ages of British cabinetmaking from the Georgian era into the middle of the 19th century. The furniture features works from Centuries of Taste: Legacy of a Private Collection, such as a pair of mid-Georgian mahogany armchairs in the French Rococo taste, commissioned for the Marble Hall at Powderham Castle (Devon) in 1755 (estimate: $50,000 – 80,000). Property from a Distinguished East Coast Collection includes English satinwood furniture of exceptional quality such as a pair of George III polychrome-painted satinwood, tulipwood, sycamore and mahogany pedestals and fixed silver-plate urns, the urns attributed to Matthew Boulton and John Fothergill, circa 1780 (estimate: $30,000 – 50,000). This sale also features many objects for collectors of silver, porcelain, clocks and decorative arts, including a single-owner group of Austrian kunstkammer enamel and rock crystal wares, French objects including clocks, porcelain and 19th century decorative arts from The Estates of The Hon. Horst Denk and The Hon. Ruth Denk, New York, as well as works from The Orange Blossom Collection, which was amassed over decades, and includes German, Austrian, English, Italian and further continental Silver.

PARIS
Collections: Entre Orient et Occident au XVIIIe siècle, regard d’un amateur éclairé & Souvenirs des princes Murat

The Paris Collections sale presents three groups of property including an exceptional array of chinoiserie works of art that embody the elegance and exoticism that captivated 18th-century Europe, coming from a private European collection. The collector was fascinated by chinoiserie, lacquered furniture and objets montés. The group is led by a Louis XVI ormolu-mounted green European lacquer secretaire, stamped by Jean-Louis-François Legry, dated last quarter of 18th century (estimate: €40,000-60,000). Not only is the green colour distinctive and rare, this secretaire has prestigious provenance having belonged to Elsie de Wolfe (1865-1950), better known as Lady Mendl, a famous interior decorator active in the United States from 1907. Additional highlights are a Louis XV ormolu-mounted Chinese and European lacquered-commode (estimate: €30,000-50,000), a refined pagoda clock, incorporating Chinese porcelain figures dated circa 1740 (estimate: €12,000-18,000).

The sale also unveils a set of six military decorations and one of Napoleon’s bonbonnieres coming from the Murat family, one of the most important families of 19th-century France under Napoleon. The collection highlights an important set of orders of chivalry from Joachim Murat, Marshal of the Empire, King of Naples, and his son Lucien, being offered on the market for the first time. The main military decorations include orders of chivalry of the German kingdoms, voluntary or forced allies of the Emperor, which were awarded to Joachim Murat, who was renowned for his legendary bravery : Order of the Black eagle (Prussia) worn by Murat in his portrait by Baron Gérard (estimate: €20,000-30,000), Order of the Crown of Saxony (estimate: €20,000-30,000), and Royal Order of Saint Huber of Bavaria (estimate: €30,000-40,000). Additional highlights also include the plaque of the Crown of Westphalia, an order founded by Jérôme Bonaparte, made entirely in silver, gold and enamel by Biennais. (estimate: €15,000-20,000). A tortoise-shell bonbonniere that belonged to Napoleon is estimated at €5,000-6,000. Only three boxes of this type, were listed in the inventory of the Emperor’s wardrobe; one was taken from his sedan during the Battle of Waterloo. The present example was passed on to Caroline Murat, Napoleon’s sister, and has remained in her family to this day.

The third group of property consists of a set of richly decorated gold boxes illustrating the elegance and refinement of the 18th century including ​a delicate German enameled gold lady’s snuff-box executed by the Souchay brothers at Hanau, circa 1780-1785 (€10,000-15,000). Another example of exceptional engraving and enameling is by Cartier: a French Art Deco gold, lapis lazuli, and laque-burgautée cigarette box, dated 1925 (estimate: €25,000-35,000). It beautifully illustrates the centenary of Art Deco which will be celebrated in France this year. The images, inspired by Asian nature, blend with the purer, geometric shapes of the box, typical of the Art Deco. By mastering Art Deco and rare and precious materials such as lacquer and lapis lazuli, Cartier proved its ability to combine innovation, elegance and craftsmanship to offer its customers unique creations.