Christie's unveils new rostrum as auction house celebrates 260 years

Record ID: 2361105

  • Title: Christie's unveils new rostrum as auction house celebrates 260 years
  • Date: 5th March 2026
  • Summary: LONDON, ENGLAND, UNITED KINGDOM (MARCH 5, 2026) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF NEW CHRISTIE’S ROSTRUM AT CHRISTIE’S LONDON HEADQUARTERS VARIOUS OF CHRISTIE’S CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER, BONNIE BRENNAN POSING BY ROSTRUM CHRISTIE’S SIGNAGE ON ROSTRUM (SOUNDBITE) (English) CHRISTIE’S CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER, BONNIE BRENNAN, SAYING: "The rostrum, is the heart of our business, the heart of
  • Embargoed:
  • Keywords: AUCTION AUCTION HOUSE CHRISTIES ROSTRUM
  • Location: VARIOUS
  • City: VARIOUS
  • Country: UK
  • Topics: Arts/Culture/Entertainment,Europe
  • Reuters ID: LVA001121505032026RP1
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: Christie’s unveiled its new redesigned rostrum on Thursday (March 5) as the auction house this year celebrates 260 years since it was founded in 1766.
        The rostrum has been central to Christie’s live auctions throughout the company’s history. It was originally  made in the 1700s for auctioneer James Christie by woodworker Thomas Chippendale
        Christie’s teamed up with designer Jony Ive and his LoveFrom collective for the project. They worked with  Benchmark, a UK-based team of craftsmen to make the rostrum which Christie's described as being built from sustainably sourced oak and with stainless steel elements.
         "The heart… of Christie's business is live auction. And this is really our tool of the trade. Our auctioneer stands in this rostrum. It's been the centrepiece for every major sale since we were founded in 1766,” Christie’s Chief Executive Officer Bonnie Brennan told Reuters.
        "Our very first sale had very modest contents, sheets, chamber pots, dishes. That rostrum has also seen the most valuable collection ever sold. The Paul Allen collection, which sold for over $1.6 billion. It's also been the rostrum when we sold the most expensive object ever sold, the Leonardo da Vinci (’Salvator Mundi’), which sold for $450 million," she added. 
    (Production: Ben Makori, Marie-Louise Gumuchian)
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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