On 5 October 2010 Sotheby’s will stage their first Paris sale devoted to Natural History, comprising 86 lots selected for their quality and rarity, consigned from private collections in Europe and the United States.
Sotheby’s were one of the first firms to stage auctions in this field and, in 1997, obtained an as yet unsurpassed record price of $8.4m for Sue, a complete Tyrannosaurus Rex, 13ft tall and 42ft long, with all her teeth and vertebrae, now in The Field Museum, Chicago. These quasi-mythical creatures have fascinated mankind since the 16th …

On 5 October 2010 Sotheby’s will stage their first Paris sale devoted to Natural History, comprising 86 lots selected for their quality and rarity, consigned from private collections in Europe and the United States.
Sotheby’s were one of the first firms to stage auctions in this field and, in 1997, obtained an as yet unsurpassed record price of $8.4m for Sue, a complete Tyrannosaurus Rex, 13ft tall and 42ft long, with all her teeth and vertebrae, now in The Field Museum, Chicago. These quasi-mythical creatures have fascinated mankind since the 16th …

Sotheby’s Paris will bring to a conclusion the story of the legendary collection begun by Antenor Patiño (1894-1982) and continued with supreme elegance and refinement by his widow Beatriz Patiño until her death in 2009. The collection – divided between Madame Patiño’s principal residence La Quinta in Portugal and her Paris flat – gives Sotheby’s another opportunity to pay tribute to the exquisite taste and style which fashioned the Patiño legend.
The catalogue devoted to the collection reveals the contents of the last two residences on which Madame Patiño lavished her …

An exceptional 19-strong motor car collection which belonged to the late Swiss gentleman driver and car collector, Peter F Baumberger (1925-2009), is to be sold by Bonhams at the Gstaad Palace Hotel, Switzerland on 20 August 2010. All motor cars will be sold without reserve to the highest bidder.
Headlining the sale is a 1962 Mercedes Benz 300SL Roadster, one of the final 209 cars built which featured the ultra-desirable aluminium engine. Fascinatingly, this example was dispatched new to Kuwait painted in blue-grey with a cream trim. It has a keen …

Sotheby’s sales of Asian Art in Paris totalled €13.2m ($15.9m), well ahead of pre-sale total estimate of €3.9-5.5m and a 106% increase on the corresponding sale in June 2009. The sale was 93.8% sold by value and 71% of lots cleared their high estimate.
The auction’s star lot was a magnificent gilt-bronze figure of Amitayus that brought €1,016,750 ($1,216,694) against an estimate of €200,000-300,000. This Qing Dynasty sculpture, portraying the Buddha of Eternal Life thought to preside over the Western Paradise, was published in Ulrich von Shroeder’s reference work on Indo-Tibetan …

On 14 June 2010 Sotheby’s Amsterdam will offer both 19th Century European Paintings and Modern & Contemporary Art. Sotheby’s has combined these two collecting fields into one sale since there is a demonstrable overlap in interest in Hague School and early 20th century art. From 11 till 13 June, more than 150 works will be on display during the viewing days at Sotheby’s Amsterdam. The works to be offered are estimated to realize in excess of €2 – 3 million.
Cornelis Springer, The fishmarket and bridge in Oudewater. Estimate: €150.000 – …

Ritchie Bros. Auctioneers (NYSE and TSX: RBA), the world’s largest industrial auctioneer, sold more than 2, 200 equipment items, including 70 cranes, during a two-day multi-million euro Grand Opening unreserved public auction held last week (June 3 – 4) in Ocana, Spain. The auction attracted thousands of people, including more than 1,100 on-site and online registered bidders from 55 countries. The Company currently has 82 upcoming unreserved public auctions being held worldwide on its auction calendar at http://www.rbauction.com.
Guylain Turgeon, Senior VP & Managing Director, Ritchie Bros. Auctioneers, was pleased with …

Sotheby’s Paris Summer Evening Sale of Contemporary Art achieved a successful total of €9,517,050 / $11,679,324 / £7,932,168, a figure well above the pre-sale expectations of €5.1-7.0 million / $6.3-8.6 million / £4.2-5.8 million. The sale achieved exemplary sell through rates of 93% by lot and almost 100% by value and these rank as some of the highest sell through rates ever seen in a Contemporary Art sale at Sotheby’s Paris. In addition, the sale saw two works sell for more than €1 million and a remarkable 74% of the …

Sotheby’s Paris will offer one of the most carefully curated ensembles of African & Oceanic Art to be offered on the market in recent years, on June 16.
The works come from a number of esteemed private collections, including the famous Friede collection, and the sale is divided equally between Oceania and Africa. The objects have been selected based on their quality and rarity, reflecting the talent of the great artists of these two continents.
Oceanic Art
Following the tremendous success of the Rosenthal Collection in March 2010 in Paris, and the sales …

Sotheby’s Paris will offer Furniture, Silver and Old Master Paintings formerly from the collection of Madame Antenor Patiño, on 22 September 2010.
The collection – divided between La Quinta, her principal residence in Portugal, and her Paris flat – affords Sotheby’s the opportunity to once again pay tribute to the renowned Patiño taste and style, in particular to that of Beatriz Patiño (Madame Antenor Patiño), the guardian of this legacy until her death in 2009.
Lounge at La Quinta, Madame Patiño’s principal residence in Portugal. Photo: Sotheby’s
The story begins with the mythical …