NEW YORK.- On November 3rd and 4th, 2005, Sotheby’s New York will offer for sale works from one of the greatest private collections assembled in the 20th century, Property from the Collections of Lily and Edmond J. Safra. Comprising magnificent French, Continental and English Furniture, Decorative Works of Art, Clocks, Porcelain, Paintings, Carpets, Fabergé and Russian Works of Art, more than 800 items from the Safra residences in London, Geneva, Paris and New York will be offered in an auction which is expected to bring in excess of $25 million. The two-day sale will be preceded by an extensive exhibition in Sotheby’s York Avenue headquarters alongside Sotheby’s November exhibition of Impressionist and Modern Art.

Robin Woodhead, Sotheby’s Chief Executive Officer for Europe and Asia, said: “This exceptional private collection reveals a connoisseur’s discernment and the deepest appreciation and understanding of the arts. It is one of the finest of the period, with many of the works representing outstanding examples of style, period and maker. It will be Sotheby’s great privilege to bring it to auction.”

Mario Tavella, Deputy Chairman and Head of the Furniture Division for Sotheby’s Europe, noted, “Each object from this esteemed collection has a distinct personality – a strong pattern and design, luxurious materials, impeccable provenance and outstanding condition. The marriage of French, English and Anglo-Indian Furniture alongside paintings and exquisite examples of Fabergé and Tula all combine to create magnificent, luxurious and distinctively stylish and memorable interiors.”

“Since the age of 17, when I bought my first piece of art, collecting has been one of the great passions of my life” said Mrs. Edmond Safra. “With my late husband, Edmond, my original collection of Fabergé and Tula grew to include furniture and paintings, filling our homes in Europe and North America. It brought immense pleasure to us, our family and our friends over almost thirty years.

“Since Edmond’s passing, I have devoted much of my time to developing the work of his Philanthropic Foundation. My life and interests have changed a great deal in consequence, and I no longer have the time nor the scale of residences to enjoy our Collection as I once did. I have therefore made a difficult decision: it is time to pass onto others the joy of owning these treasures.

“Collecting was one of our great loves, and each one of these pieces was purchased with care and respect. They all had special places in our homes around the world, and I hope their new owners will treasure them as much as we did.”

About the Collection

“Many of the great names of 18th century French furniture, such as André-Charles Boulle, Joseph, Weisweiler, Cressent, Duboi and Leleu, are represented in this wonderful collection, and the English furniture includes pieces by Langlois, Chippendale and Matthew Boulton,” said Alistair Clarke, Worldwide Head of French, Continental and English Furniture for Sotheby’s. “This sale promises to be a truly memorable event and offers a splendid opportunity for new and established collectors to acquire exceptional pieces.”

Highlighting the November offering is a Louis XVI Ebony Bureau Plat and Cartonnier, circa 1770, attributed to Joseph Baumhauer, which Mr. Clarke and Mr. Tavella have referred to as, “one of the most important works of its kind to ever appear at auction.” Boasting a distinguished provenance, the present work was formerly in the collection of The 1st Lord of Malmesbury and the iconic collection of Lady Baillie at Leeds Castle before being acquired by Mr. and Mrs. Safra at Sotheby’s Monaco in 1981. Joseph Baumhauer, known to his contemporaries as Joseph, was the premier cabinet maker for the King in the mid and late 1770s, and as very few stock pieces were left in his studio at the time of his death, it is assumed that he worked largely on specific commissions which he received from the marchands merciers who supplied his furniture to a distinguished and highly discriminating clientele. Joseph was unique among his peers in that he was equally adept in the Rococo and Neoclassical idioms. In both styles he created extremely luxurious and exquisitely executed pieces of furniture and he was the only ébéniste of his generation to work with Chinese and Japanese lacquers, pietra dura, porcelain and even metal marquetry. Joseph died in 1772 and therefore neoclassical bureaux plats by him are exceedingly rare. The present work is estimated to sell for $5/7 million.

Also among the outstanding examples of French Furniture to be offered is a Louis XIV Ormolu-Mounted Pewter, Brass, Tortoiseshell and Ebony Boulle Marquetry Coffer (pictured left), circa 1685, and attributed to the most important of all early 18th century cabinet makers, André-Charles Boulle. The sarcophagus-shaped casket with a stepped rectangular hinged lid is fitted at each corner with an ormolu lion’s mask. The slight flared rectangular base is raised on paw feet and the entire interior and exterior of the object is veneered in Boulle marquetry in brass and tortoiseshell forming arabesques and flowerheads. Known in the 18th century as coffres de toilette, these innovative pieces were highly prized and sought-after, confirmed by the fact that Boulle and his sons produced them over a period of four decades, although very few survive today. The present work is the only one of its form and size to have appeared on the international market in recent years. Formerly in the renowned collections of Arturo Lopez-Willshaw and Roberto Polo, the casket is estimated to sell for $700,000/1 million.

Among the highly important English Furniture to be offered is a Pair of George III Gilt-Metal- Mounted Coromandel Lacquer Veneered and Japanned Commodes, attributed to Pierre Langlois, and dating to circa 1765. Langlois was one of the most prolific and well-known émigré French cabinet-makers working in London in the latter part of the 18th century. Probably commissioned by the Earl of Hertford, during his decoration of Ragley Hall in Warwickshire, the fronts of the commodes are exquisitely veneered with coromandel panels decorated in polychrome with incised oriental scenes depicting various figures of ladies and children within the courtyards of large pavilions. The sides are similarly veneered with pavilion scenes with flowering trees and birds. Coromandel lacquer is one of the rarest forms of decoration to be found on 18th Century English furniture, possibly because of the difficulties in applying its brittle form to the subtle curves of the French-inspired rococo serpentine sides and fronts. The pair of commodes is estimated to sell for $600/800,000.

An Important Pair of George III Ormolu-Mounted Blue John Wing-Figured Candle Vases, attributed to Matthew Boulton, circa 1772, is also among the highlights. Boulton was born in 1738 and he joined his father’s business, one of the most important metal-working shops in Birmingham, at the age of fourteen. Each with a richly-colored blue john ovoid body, the candle vases are surmounted with a pineapple finial and the sides are mounted with winged females, their heads supporting curved, fluted candle-arms. Each vase rests on a blue john veneered plinth. The present pair, which is estimated to sell for $500/600,000, is notable for the rich color and striations of the body, and the unusual use of blue john on the bases. The ormolu retains its original gilding and is finely cast and chiseled.

Anglo-Indian Furniture

The sale will include several spectacular examples of 18th Century Anglo-Indian furniture. In this period, British residents of India typically commissioned furniture from native Indian craftsmen, who worked with rare materials at special workshops and produced pieces of a high degree of sophistication. While the forms were in the Western style, the pieces were decorated according to Indian techniques of inlay with