RESULTS: CLASSIC WEEK, DAY 2 | The Desmarais Collection and European Art
The Desmarais Collection: A pied-à-terre in New York
10am | New York
Sale Total: $5,400,250
Sold by lot: 92% | Sold by value: 98%
The top lot of the sale was A Louis XVI Ormolu-Mounted Bois Satine, Amaranth, Sycamore And Marquetry Commode, which realized $1,115,000. Other top lots include A Sèvres Porcelain Bleu Celeste ‘Oeil de Perdrix’ Ornithological Part Dessert Service which achieved $399,000 and François Boucher’s Vénus et les Amours that sold for a total of $399,000.
“The outstanding success of today’s sale was testament not only to the remarkably discerning taste of Paul and Jacqueline Desmarais but also to the visionary partnership they formed with Juan Pablo Molyneux, who magically recreated the interiors of their apartment at the Pierre in Christie’s Rockefeller Center galleries. The fantastic results today have reaffirmed the strength of the market for French furniture and works of art when the pieces are carefully chosen and sensibly estimated,” comments Will Strafford, Senior International Specialist, European Furniture & Decorative Arts. We are thrilled that the magnificent marquetry commode by Riesener, one of the most important pieces of 18th century French furniture to appear on the market in recent years, achieved over $1 million (lot 51), while the sublime Machault d’Arnouville ormolu and Vincennes clock (lot 46) soared above its estimate to sell for $218,750. The deluxe custom furnishings and accessories supplied by JP Molyneux Studio also created great excitement, with lot 62, a pair of cut-velvet sofas with fabric by Sabina Fay Braxton selling for $32,500, more than ten times the low estimate.”
Carleigh Queenth, Specialist Head of Sale, remarks, “The elegant interiors of the Desmarais family’s New York pied-à-terre, styled by the renowned interior designer Juan Pablo Molyneux, captivated the imaginations of today’s bidders. Mixing masterworks of French fine and decorative art with comfortable and chic modern furnishings, the collection provided diverse buying opportunities for domestic and international clients. A Sèvres dinner service painted with birds that had graced the walls of their dining room soared to $399,000, and a pair of Sèvres vases bouc à raisins more than doubled their pre-sale estimate. Eighteenth century French paintings by François Boucher, Élisabeth-Louise Vigée le Brun and Hubert Robert brought strong prices, proving that the French are always in vogue.”
2pm | New York
Sale Total: $6,292,875
Sold by lot: 74% | Sold by value: 79%
The top lot of the European Art sale was Gustave Courbet’s Le chasseur d'eau which realized $615,000. Other top lots include Holiday Time by Sir George Clausen, R.A., R.W.S. which achieved $531,000 against an estimate of $250,000-350,000, and Marchand de fleurs, la rue du Havre, Paris by Louis Marie De Schryver which totaled $519,000.
