PARIS.- The sale of the collection of Eleanor Post Close (1909-2006) and her son Antal Post de Bekessy (1943-2015) concluded tonight with an outstanding total of €7,139,047 ($8,466,553), well above pre-sale expectations (est. €3.9 – 5.9 million). Over the course of two days, over 1,000 collectors, dealers and art institutions from across the globe participated in a sale which reflected the great eye and exquisite taste of this dynasty of collectors. Together, the participants drove the percentage of lots sold to 94%, with 60 % of them achieving prices well in excess of their pre-sale estimates.
Prior to the sale, 1,500 people had visited the four-day exhibition, captivated both by the story of this formidable American dynasty and the breath and quality of the collection. The 700 lots were highlighted by an impressive ensemble of 18th century furniture and paintings, decorative arts as well as modern, impressionist and contemporary works, each piece shedding light on the family’s passion for French history and aesthetics.
Pierre Mothes, Deputy Chairman of Sotheby’s France said: “The results achieved over the last two days are a brilliant tribute to Eleanor Post Close and Antal Post de Bekessy’s exquisite taste, and to the dedication and passion with which they continued the collection of their mother and grandmother, the extraordinary Marjorie Merriweather Post.”
Among highlights were:
• Two terracota reliefs, circa 1773 by Claude Michel dit Clodion originally in the prestigious collection of the Prince de Conti. The first, The Merchant of Love, soared to €447,000 ($530,120) – an auction record for a relief by the French sculptor and the second highest price for the artist at auction (est. €100,000-150,000). The second, The Sacrifice of love, achieved €243,000 ($288,186), again well above the high estimate (est. €80,000-120,000).
• A magnificent portrait of Jacques-François de Chastenet, Marquis of Puysegur (1656-1743) by the court painter Nicolas de Largillierre soared to €345,000 ($409,153), five times above the estimate of €60,000-80,000.
• A tondo attributed to the French genre painter Carle van Loo, Apollo seated holding a lyre in front of an Athenian and a snake sparked a strong bidding battle and eventually sold for €175,000 ($207,541), over three times the pre-sale estimate (est. €40,000-60,000).
• Eugène Delacroix was a great animal painter and his fascination for wild beasts was reflected in the sale by a superb watercolour depicting a Lying lion in a landscape which achieved €175,000 ($207,541), considerably higher than the pre-sale expectation of €60,000-80,000.
• Testament to Antal Post de Bekessy’s Austro-Hungarian roots, the sale included a number of works by Austrian artists, including one of Ferdinand Georg Waldmüller's earliest paintings of figures in a landscape, for which he later became so renowned. Painted in 1830, the Diligence Rewarded sold for €150,000 ($177,892) (est. €80,000-120,000).
• An Art Deco agate, enamel, sapphire and diamond frame by Cartier with a miniature portrait of Marjorie Merriweather Post sold for €106,250 ($126,007) (est. €20,000-30,000).
