USA: Rare imperial diamond necklace and a five million U.S. dollar table are highlights of two upcoming Sotheby's auctions

Record ID: 585609

  • Title: USA: Rare imperial diamond necklace and a five million U.S. dollar table are highlights of two upcoming Sotheby's auctions
  • Date: 5th November 2005
  • Summary: THE CARTONNIER DECORATION OF CHERUB ON THE CARTONNIER HILL OPENING ONE OF THE CABINETS ON THE CARTONNIER A LETTER BELONGING TO A PREVIOUS OWNER INSIDE THE CABINET
  • Embargoed: 20th November 2005 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Usa
  • Country: USA
  • Topics: Arts / Culture / Entertainment / Showbiz,History
  • Reuters ID: LVA9UOSGLQUP4EMF4HLA2UP59R8J
  • Story Text: Sotheby's New York is flaunting some very rare collectibles of imperial significance these days, including a diamond necklace believed to have been made for Catherine the Great and a Louis XVI ebony bureau plat and cartonnier. The necklace is expected to fetch between between 1.5 and 2.5 million U.S. dollars at auction. It was housed in the Imperial diamond state fund from 1760 - 1917 and Sotheby's says it is considered one of the most historically important jewels to come onto the market in recent years.
    Head of Jewellery for Sotheby's in Geneva, Brett O'Connor, explained why the necklace's survival in it's original state, is so significant.
    "This jewel is important and exceptional because it is an eighteenth century jewel first of all and most eighteenth century jewels did not make it, for the first hundred years. They would have been broken up and distributed among many family members as many families' fortunes come and go," he said.
    The necklace consists of 27 large diamonds and is fitted with a detachable diamond bow clasp. It was most likely a part of a lavish group of jewels that Catherine the Great added to the Imperial Collection. O'Connor attributes the piece's tremendous value to its regal history.
    "It is, it has direct, royal provenance, it has impeccable provenance in the fact that it belonged to the Russian imperial family. It's an incredibly rare piece, it is in its entire form, it's in pristine condition, and a very, very, rare opportunity even if you are not in the market for a Russian imperial jewel," he explained. The necklace has been in private ownership since 1927 and will be auctioned by Sotheby's on November 17 in Geneva. Diamonds are not the only things sparkling away in Sotheby's showrooms though these days. Exclusive furniture and decorative works of art are staking their claim for the spotlight too. They are part of an upcoming sale of pieces from a private collection assembled in the 20th century by Lily and Edmond J. Safra.
    Edmond J. Safra is one of the most well known bankers of the 20th Century, who passed away in 1999. His wife, Lily Safra, is a distinguished philanthropist, patron of the arts and advocate for the socially disadvantaged. Pieces from the Safra's collection include French, Continental and English furniture, as well as decorative works of art like clocks, porcelain, paintings, carpets and Faberge, collected from Safra residences in London, Geneva, Paris and New York. The collection is expected to sell for 25 million U.S. dollars.
    The highlight of the sales is a Louis XVI Ebony Bureau Plat and Cartonnier, circa 1770 and attributed to Joseph Baumhauer, which is expected to sell for 5-7 million U.S. dollars. Baumhauer died in 1772 which makes such bureau plats by him exceptionally rare.
    "We currently hold in Sotheby's in New York, the world record for a French bureau plat of this date, around 1770, having sold one for over three and a half million dollars last year. This piece is estimated at five to seven million dollars and we are hoping that we will break the current record, and that this will make an excess of that price," said Sotheby's spokesperson, Gerard Hill.
    The plat and cartonnier were formerly in the collection of the First Lord of Malmesbury and hold delightful personal detail from that period. The fact that the two separate pieces have remained together is what makes the set so incredibly rare.
    "What's rare about this bureau is that it retains its original cartonnier, a cartonnier is an eighteenth, it's basically an eighteenth century filing cabinet. It's very rare that bureau like this still keep their cartonnier. Now this is a form which we know of only one other, of exactly the same model, which doesn't have its filing cabinet. What makes this one particularly rare is the combination of ebony, the ebony inlay and the fantastically high quality of the guild bronze manse," Hill explained.
    The Safra's collection features important works by Faberge, including a rare combination clock and photograph frame, circa 1890 that has an estimated sale price of between 175 and 225 thousand U.S. dollars. Apart from 18 other clocks, also in the auction will be cigarette and fan cases, cane and parasol handles, candle sticks and an array of other decorative objects.
    Of particular interest to fans of imperial Russia will be the seven portrait miniatures of Tsar Alexander II's children depicted on sculptural stands. Dating to the nineteenth century the set is estimated at between 150 and 200 thousand U.S. dollars.
    In all, there will be about eight hundred items in the Safra auction, to be held on November 3rd and 4th.
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