NEW YORK, NY.- Evocative treasures from notable private collections spanning the 16th to 20th centuries will be presented this season in Christie's online sales series Collections, New York, London and Paris. Comprising a veritable trove of European, English and 19th century furniture and works of art, silver, ceramics, glass, clocks and gold boxes, the sales will collectively celebrate the inspiring craftsmanship and beauty of important decorative arts. The auctions will open for browsing on 3, 8 and 15 October respectively (New York, London and Paris) and open for bidding from 7, 15 and 22 October to 21 and 29 October (New York and London) and 4 November (Paris). Estimates range from works offered with no reserve up to $200,000 / £150,000 / 170,000.
NEW YORK
Collections: Featuring Property from the Estate of Stephen Newman, The Collection of the Peter Van Slyke Part II and the final installment of the Orange Blossom Collection
The New York Collections sale will present an exceptional array of European decorative arts, spanning from the grandeur of the Baroque to the elegance of the Gilded Age. This carefully curated sale unites important works from three distinguished collections: The Estate of Stephen Newman, celebrated for its refined selection of eighteenth- and nineteenth-century gilt bronze objects; The Collection of the Peter Van Slyke Part II; and the final installment of the Orange Blossom Collection of sculptural silver and vertu.
Leading highlights include A Pair of North Italian Ormolu-mounted Kingwood Commodes (estimate: $30,00050,000), An Early Aubusson Pile Carpet (estimate: $30,00050,000), A Pair of George II Mahogany and Needlework Upholstered Side Chairs (estimate: $8,00012,000), and A Pair of Louis XVIII Ormolu Five-light Candelabra (estimate: $15,00020,000). These works are complemented by an exceptional group of Dutch Delftware from the Van Slyke Collection and a wide-ranging selection of silver and vertu, including gold boxes, Russian enamels, and modern masterpieces by Buccellati and Jensen. Additional highlights include A Louis XV Gold Snuff-box (estimate: $15,00020,000) and a Late Louis XV Ormolu Cartel Clock (estimate: $5,0008,000), further underscoring the breadth and depth of this diverse offering.
LONDON
Collections: Including Property from Tapeley Park, Devon and The Zuzāns Collection of Avant-Garde Soviet Porcelain
This season's London Collections sale includes a number of works from Tapeley Park, North Devon. Tapeley Park, with its Neo-Classical style and Italianate gardens, was fashioned into its present form by the architect John Belcher (d. 1913) during the tenure of Lady Rosamund Christie (d. 1935) in the late 19th and early 20th century. Lady Rosamund was a close friend of William Morris and she purchased an eclectic mix of furniture and artworks, including French, Italian and English pieces of the highest quality and craftsmanship. The auction also presents a selection of avant-garde porcelain works from The Zuzāns Collection, produced at the State Porcelain Factory. The collection features works by some of the most influential designers of the time, including Sergei Chekhonin, Mikhail Adamovich, Zinaida Kobyletskaya, Alexandra Shchekotikhina-Pototskaya, and Natalia Danko.
Works with notable provenance are further exemplified by an important Imperial wedding icon presented to Nicholas II and his wife (estimate: £50,000-70,000); a pair of Régence Ormolu-Mounted Amaranth and Tulipwood armoires acquired by William, 2nd Earl of Lonsdale (d.1872) (estimate: £100,000-150,000); and a monumental pair of Chinese Famille-Rose Powder-Blue-Ground Baluster vases and covers, from Inwood House in Somerset (estimate: £80,000-120,000). These works all highlight the enduring artistry and beauty of exceptional works of art and present the market with the opportunity to acquire works from these rare and important commissions.
PARIS
Collections: provenant des familles Cossé-Brissac, d'Ormesson, La Bédoyère et divers amateurs
Distinguished provenances highlight the Paris Collections sale, exemplified by a group of 10 pieces of 18th-century French furniture from the renowned aristocratic French family Comte et Comtesse d'Ormesson. Highlights include a pair of Louis XVI console tables (estimate: 25,00040,000), a late Empire ormolu-mounted and rock crystal sixteen-light chandelier, circa 1815 (estimate: 30,000-40,000). The sale features works by renowned cabinetmakers such as Gourdin, Cresson, Delanois, and Riesener, including some pieces that were delivered to royal residences, such as a bergère made for the Château de Bellevue, a small château where Louis XV's daughters lived (estimate: 4,0006,000). 19th-century lots include a copy of the commode delivered by André-Charles Boulle for Louis XIV at the Grand Trianon in 1708, made by Joseph-Emmanuel Zwiener (estimate: 50,00080,000). Additional highlights include a pair of Louis XVI painted wood bergères, stamped by Jean-Baptiste Lelarge, circa 1785 (estimate: 25,000-35,000), formerly part of the Hubert de Givenchy collection sold at Christie's London in 1993.
Lovers of fine objects will be drawn to the luxury section of the sale, notably by a private European collection of snuffboxes and objets de vertu which offers a vibrant display of color, emblematic of the craftsmanship and artistic flair of Geneva's goldsmiths and watchmakers between 1790 and 1880. The group features several boxes delicately enamelled with historical scenes, including an example by Guidon, Gide and Blondel depicting the siege of Seringapatam after Henry Singleton in 1799 (estimate: 15,000-20,000), as well as an elegant selection of zarfs. One of the highlights is a very fine Swiss jewelled, enamelled gold and gem-set zarf (estimate: 30,000-50,000)