After a global tour that saw thousands of people flocking to Christie’s salerooms, a specially designed New York exhibition, and a 12-hour auction presided over by five auctioneers, the Maharajas & Mughal Magnificence collection totalled $109,271,875 / £87,138,656 in New York — the highest for any auction of Indian art and Mughal objects, and the second highest for a private jewellery collection.
Almost 400 lots were offered — ranging from legendary Golconda diamonds to dazzling coloured stones, the finest jewelled objects used in the royal courts of India to swords and daggers once owned by Indian rulers. Bidders came from 45 countries, and included a significant number of institutions.
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