L’Art du Luxe: Masterpieces of French Furniture Totals: $9.8 Million

NEW YORK— Decorative arts continue to produce superb results with L’Art du Luxe: Masterpieces of French Furniture, totaling $9,762,480, 109 percent hammer and premium above low estimate and 84 percent by lot. This sale took place at an innovative time, during Christie’s Luxury Week, showing the appeal of French design from the court of Versailles to the couturiers of today. Bids came from around the globe including Asia, Europe, North America and the Middle East, and almost 10 percent of bidders and buyers were new to the category.

The top lot was a late Louis XV Ormolu-Mounted Japanese Lacquer and Ebony Commode, almost certainly supplied to the duchesse de Mazarin for the château de Chilly-Mazarin, which made $819,000. Other leading results included: a jewel-like Louis XV Ormolu-Mounted Bois Satine and Chinese Lacquer Bureau Plat by Joseph Baumhauer, one of only two of its type known to exist, which fetched $604,800; a Late Louis XV Ormolu-Mounted Amaranth, Tulipwood and Parquetry Commode supplied to the court banker Micault d’Harvelay in 1774, which made $693,000; and a rare Pair of Late Louis XV Ormolu and ‘Acier Poli’ Consoles, which brought $415,000.  

The Deputy Chairman, European Furniture and Decorative Arts, William Strafford, said: “From the moment this sale was announced, clients from all over the world were captivated by the refinement and rarity of the pieces offered. Including the collection in Christie’s Luxury Week produced a palpable sense of excitement as these exquisite works were showcased alongside jewels from the finest French houses such as Cartier, Van Cleef and Arpels and JAR. The success of the sale reaffirmed  Christie’s New York as a venue for storied collections of decorative arts and follows the landmark sales we have held in recent years from the collections of Jayne Wrightsman, Ann and Gordon Getty and the Rothschilds.”