PARIS, FRANCE.- The two day auction organized by Sotheby's closes the chapter on a wondrous period in the history of Paris and the life of Alexis de Redé. As resident of the first floor Hôtel Lambert, located on the Ile Saint Louis, he lived in what has been revered as the most beautiful private mansion in all of Paris; decorated by such greats as Le Vau, Le Brun and Le Sueur during the 17th century. Upon his arrival in 1949 he began restoring and assembling creating the most luxurious of settings and harmoniously incorporating different genres. The public came in astounding numbers to pay homage to Alex de Redé and his exquisite taste (7000 visitors during the five day exposition, 1200 collectors biding during the two day auction).

The sale totalled €7.126.864 against an estimate of €3.5 to 5 million (72% of the lots exceeded their high estimate. And at the end of the sale; Philipp de Württemberg and Alain Renner, vice-président of Sotheby's France who shared the hammer throughout the auction consisting of 3 Sessions, received the white glove.

Laure de Beauvau Craon, vice-president of Sotheby's Europe and honorary president of Sotheby's France: "The result of the sale, the first taken in Paris by Philipp de Württemberg, President-Directeur Général of Sotheby's France, was a fitting tribute to the exceptional taste of the man behind the collection, Baron de Redé. There was high demand in a busy saleroom for rare and precious objects synonymous with one of Paris's most eminent interior decorators. The end of the sale offered souvenirs of parties and balls and paid tribute to Alexis' image of elegance and charm lay an incredibly kind and generous nature'.

The record prices set by his most prized ornaments and works of art reaffirms Alexis de Redé's revered taste. The top lot in the first session was the monumental Louis XV chandelier consisting of 32 lights, in ormolu and rock crystal and stamped with a crowned C, sold for €1.3 million (lot 134).The flat Louis XV desk stamped by Dubois, in rose and violet wood veneer, from the collection of Sir Richard Wallace and Arturo Lopez-Willshaw, was the second highest price of the day (lot 128), achieving €684.000.

A private collector paid €162.000, more than 30 times the estimate, for a pair of silvered bronze firedogs in the taste of the late 17th century that once adorned the chimney of the Grand Salon (lot 115, estimate €3.000/5.000)

Alexis de Redé surrounded himself with beautiful items. A large silver-gilt box shaped in the form of a heart with the engraving of the coat of arms under a duke coronet and made in Frankfurt during the 1800's once belonging to the Lameth family, sold for €67.200, more than 40 times its estimate (lot 365, estimate/ €1.000/1.500). The semi-precious stone snuff boxes carved in the form of animals and probably executed in Germany around the 18th century also attracted great bids. The most coveted being the gold-mounted blood jasper snuff box which sold for €54.000 against an estimate of €5.000 to 8.000 (lot37).

The precious travelling knives from the 18th century were greatly sought-after. A gold and steel blade travelling knife bearing the French coat-of-arms from 1720 rose from an estimate of € 6.000/8.000 to achieve € 69.600. While a gold-handled knife with a steel blade in its fitted case from 1764-1765 formerly in the collection of David-Weill sold for €16.800 against an estimate of € 1.500 to 2.500 (lot 375).

The second session opened with the 11 lots of canes, in which the most sought-after was by Lalique in the form of a snake, which sold for €62.400 (lot 31, estimate: € 2.000 to 3.000).

A rare pair of gold opera glasses, cloisonné enamelled by Etienne Tourette was preempted by the Petit Palais Museum. €28.000 (lot 430, estimate € 10.000/15.000). During the Art Nouveau period, French Etienne Tourette worked for the top jewellers, including Vever. He was also the enameller for Georges Fouquet.

The souvenir albums illustrating the most prestigious and mythical rooms within the Hôtel Lambert found great success amongst the worldwide collectors. The first session concluded with Alexis de Redé's collection of original works by Jean Vincent, illustrating the most remarkable and embellished rooms by such famed decorators as George Geffroy. One copy, consisting of 30 photograph albums bound with the Baron de Redé coat-of-arms, exceeded its estimate to fetch €19.200 (lot 296). Dispersed during the third session was the watercolour entitled Vue de la Bibliothèque by Alexandre Serebriakoff inspired by a 1949 Georges Geffroy sketch, which surpassed its estimate of € 8.000 to € 12.000 selling for €26.400.

The albums des fêtes depicting the Balls at the Hôtel Lambert were strongly contested. The most spectacular being that of the Bal Oriental illustrated by 47 watercolours by Alexandre

Serebriakoff which sold for €168.000 (lot 829). The photo album for the Oriental ball tripled its high estimate coming to €15.600 (lot 832, estimate € 2.000/3.000).

Among the table arrangement sketches the one which brought in the highest price consisted of two watercolours representing the Galerie d'Hercule and the sketch painted by Serebriakoff for the May 31, 1951 dinner (lot 834, €14.400 against an estimate of €3.000/4.000).

The sale concluded with Alexis de Redé's personal objects such as his collection of Louis Vuitton luggage, all surpassing their high estimates. One trunk sold for €4.200 against an estimate of €1.000 to 1.5000 (lot 894). The souvenirs which best reflected the legend that was the Baron de Redé are perhaps the photographs taken by Cecil Beaton and André Ostier documenting the nostalgia for the sumptuous balls held at the Hôtel Lambert. The one which sold for €7.200 depicts a moment at the dîner de têtes June 23, 1957 as Charles de Beistegui converses with the Vicomtesse de Ribes and Raymond Larrain (lot 846, estimate €1.000/1.500). Of the most celebrated photographs depicting Alexis de Redé is of him in a Chinese costume at the Palais Labia Ball, organized by Charles de Beistegui in Venice during 1951 (lot 850, €4.320, estimate €1.000/1.5000).