LOS ANGELES.- By the close of the auction in Los Angeles, Bonhams & Butterfields clients - private and institutional collectors and members of the trade - had spent more than $1.76-million for fine art and furniture from the Beverly Hills Estate of conductor/composer José Iturbi and Marion Seabury, proceeds benefiting the José Iturbi Foundation.

"Bonhams & Butterfields was pleased to offer property from the Estate of José Iturbi and Marion Seabury to the public today. It was an attractive assemblage of art and furnishings that brought together three facets of Hollywood history -- featuring legendary entertainment greats, high society icons and masterworks of 20th century design, with items commissioned by the infamous Countess Dorothy di Frasso from the famed decorator and tastemaker to society Elsie de Wolfe, all owned and maintained by pianist, conductor, composer and actor José Iturbi," said Elizabeth Conlan, Specialist with Bonhams & Butterfields.

The marquee lot of the sale was a cubist masterwork by Georges Braque titled Nature Morte, 1929, which sold for $276,000. Although dark in coloring and tone, the composition is alive with contrasting shapes and counterpoint rhythms. "Braque is a major figure in the Cubist movement," said Scot Levitt, Vice President and Director of Fine Arts for Bonhams & Butterfields. "We saw competitive bidding for this high-caliber, fresh-to-market work. Nature Morte commanded energetic bidding and ultimately a competitive price."

Additional works of fine art from the Estate included Bronco Buster, a classic bronze sculpture by Frederic Remington (est. $150/200,000, sold for $156,000) and a desirable bronze sculpture titled Prowling Panther by Alexander Phimister Proctor (est. $10/15,000, sold for $57,000).

Works in oil included A view of the Grand Canal, Venice, Italy after il Canaletto (est. $30/50,000, sold for $138,000), The Madonna and child with the rosary from Studio of Spanish artist Bartolomé Esteban Murillo (est. $35/55,000, sold for $84,000), Russian artist Léopold Survage's La Ville (est. $35/55,000, sold for $84,000), and Rufino Tamayo's gouache and pencil on paper Mujer (est. $30/50,000) which sold for $57,000.

Highlights from the furniture and decorative arts section of the sale included a striking 18th century South American Colonial shell and tortoiseshell mounted ebonized cabinet. The ornate rectangular top sat above a conforming case, which was centered by an arched panel molded door depicting Saint Anthony of Padua holding the Christ child. Overall the handsome piece was inlaid with scrolling foliage and paterae within ebonized bandings. After several rounds of highly competitive bidding, the lot sold for $87,000, far surpassing the initial estimate of $7,000-9,000. The cabinet was sold ensuite with a similar example also featuring South American Colonial shell and tortoiseshell mounted ebonized cabinetry with four centered short drawers divided and flanked by elliptical columns which brought $45,000, well above its estimate of $5,000-$8,000.

Highlights from the Beverly Hills mansion also included a set of eight Art Deco cream leather upholstered ebonized wood armchairs customized by Elsie de Wolfe (est. $5/8,000, sold for $10,800), a unique mirrored backgammon table adroitly selected for this home by de Wolfe (est. $3/4,000, sold for $6,600), a pair of early 20th century Chinoiserie pagoda form two light mirrored sconces (est. $2/3,000, sold for $16,800), a Sèvres style porcelain gilt bronze mounted covered urn (est. $4/6,000, sold for $22,800), a pair of fine Chinese gilt and polychrome lacquered wood two-door cabinets (est. $6/9,000, sold for $18,000) and a Portuguese Baroque style ivory mirror (est. $6/8,000, sold for $16,800). The de Wolfe suite of chairs from the dining room featured 14 Baroque style high-backed beechwood leather chairs and sold for $22,800, nearly tripling the estimate.

The proceeds from the auction will benefit the José Iturbi Foundation. The organization pays tribute to Iturbi's dream and lifelong ambition to make classical music accessible to all as part of our daily framework. Each year, the Foundation sponsors an international music competition in June, hosting 48 of the world's most gifted young classical pianists and singers, and offering the largest cash prizes of any competition to assist them in their career ambitions.

About José Iturbi - More than 60 years ago, José Iturbi first entered the Beverly Hills, CA mansion of the Countess Dorothy di Frasso. He was reportedly awestruck by the scene which epitomized Hollywood chic of the 1940s. Beguiled over the course of many visits, Iturbi dreamt of owning the mansion someday. His collector's instincts made its contents desirable as well -- the custom Art Deco vanilla leather box sofa where Cary Grant once sat (sold for $9,000), the Steinway baby grand piano where Iturbi played Chopin and the 'boogie-woogie' (sold for $16,800), the green painted enamel top Rococo Revival dining table where Charlie Chaplin once shared plans for his next film with the Countess, Iturbi and their mutual friends (sold for $3,300).

In 1947, Iturbi purchased the home complete with the Countess' furnishings, the fine art and even the silver place settings. Thus began a lifetime of collecting, enhanced by preservation of and admiration for his new home and its environment. Iturbi's mansion was his haven from a hectic career which at its peak included more than 250 concerts each year - performances scheduled to enable his appearances in seven feature films for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, including: Two Girls and a Sailor (1944), Holiday in Mexico (1946), Anchors Aweigh (1945) and That Midnight Kiss (1949).

Until his death in 1980, José Iturbi lived with Marion Seabury in the Countess' former home, preserved as a time capsule of Hollywood's Golden Age.