GERMANY.-Germany, Schloss Marienburg, 15 October 2005: After nine days and eighten sessions, the sale of heirlooms belonging to the Royal House of Hanover realized an unequalled total of € 41,7 million ($50 million, £28.3 million). On the tenth day, one marathon session of additional lots that were not included in the catalogue, added another € 2.2 million ($2.5 million, £1,5 million) to the total, bringing it to an amazing €44 million ($52.5 million, £29.8 million).

The result of this sale, organized by Sotheby's in co-operation with art advisor Dr Christoph Graf Douglas, more than tripled the expected € 12 million and exceeds the results of Sotheby's historic house sales of Thurn und Taxis (€ 16 million in 1993) and Baden (€ 39,7 million in 1995).

The sale offered over 20.000 objects in 4.400 lots. The paintings, porcelain, glass, furniture, clocks, silver, textiles and arms and armour were made for or used by the Dukes of Brunswick, the Electors of Hanover, the Kings of England and Hanover and the Dukes of Cumberland, had been stored unseen at Schloss Marienburg for generations.

The Princes Ernst-August and Christian of Hanover reacted: "We are overjoyed that our foundation has had such a positive start "

Dr. Christoph Graf Douglas, of the Kunstberatung in Frankfurt/Main, who organised this sale in co-operations with Sotheby's said: "Overflowing cellars and attics are usually dead weight. A well funded and well managed foundation will secure the future. I am very pleased that the courageous step of the two princes was so successful and that the cultural heritage of the family in Lower Saxony will now have a future.

Dr. Philipp Herzog von Württemberg, Managing Director of Sotheby's Germany, commented: "The sale was an extraordinary success. We are delighted with the enthusiastic response from all over the world. We are also pleased that most of the buyers come from Germany and over 50% of these come from this region. On behalf of Sotheby's I would like to thank everybody who has participated in this sale".

In only seven months of intensive activity, Sotheby's experienced team succeeded in selecting, cataloguing, photographing the tens of thousands objects. The works were then presented in the most attractive way for the viewing days where more than 130 Sotheby's employees were available for advice, assisted by over 200 students from the Hanover region.

When the catalogue appeared online early September, it greatly augmented the already strong interest. Over 1.500 hits per day were counted. More than 25,000 visitors of Sotheby's website browsed the catalogue online; each visitor looking on average at over 17 lots, resulting in a massive 1.75 million viewings of the lots.

The three volume catalogue (weight: 5 kg), that will be a reference books displaying the history of the House of Hanover after the sale, was accompanied for the first time with a DVD that gave comprehensive information on all the objects. Also after the sale, the catalogue will be a reference book that explains the wonderful history of the House of Hanover

The four day exhibition of the works of art filled 130 rooms in the castle (over 4.000 square meters) and was viewed by over 8.000 visitors. In the following nine days the auction was attended by more than 5.000 people. Every session saw an interested crowd in the saleroom that held 220 seats. People, who couldn't be present in person, left absentee bids or bid by telephone. Over 36 telephone lines were installed. Over 16.000 bidders registered to bid in the room or left an absentee bid. Buyers and bidders came from 39 countries that included not only Europe and the USA, but also Australia, Argentina, Canada, Chile, Hong Kong, Israel, Japan, Macao, Qatar, Russia, Singapore, South Africa and Turkey. Seven auctioneers - male and female - enthralled the public during 100 hours.

The highest price realised during the ten-day sale was for a pair of 19th century Russian vases made in the Imperial Porcelain Factories in St. Petersburg. Both were decorated with old master paintings after Rubens and Honthorst (Lot 2757). After an exciting battle, the vases, estimated € 550.000-750.000, realised a sensational € 1,694,000 ($2,023,822, £1,148,789). The Portrait of Salieh Aga, ambassador of Tripoli to the Court of King George I of Great Britain, painted by Sir Godfrey Keller, catapulted to a second place when it was hammered down at € 653.400 ($780,617, £443,104), more than twenty times the estimate (lot 412, € 30.000-40.000).

The lowest price of the whole sale was paid for a small 19th century jar (lot 907) that sold for € 60.

Not only private buyers were successful but also museums and institutions. An early 19th century child's pram in the shape of a carriage went to a private museum for € 18.150 (lot 3068, € 7.000-9.000).

With the help of the Friends of his Foundation, the curator of the Porcelain Collection "Stiftung Preussischer Schlösser und Gärten" had raised a substantial sum to acquire a porcelain plaque decorated with a view of Schloss Charlottenhof near Potsdam, circa 1830 (lot 2432, € 6.000-8.000) for their collection which already owns its pair. The price of the plaque however, went up to € 58.000, far exceeding the amount raised by the Foundation. The plaque was finally secured by the renowned American collector Richard Baron Cohen, who shortly after the auction made a wonderful and unexpected gift of the plaque to the "Preussischer Schlösser und Gärten "Foundation. Mr Baron Cohen's excellent collection of Berlin porcelain will go on an international travelling exhibition, curated in association with the Foundation, in 2007. The plaque will be included in the exhibition, whereafter it will return to Germany.

The Bomann Museum in Celle also enjoyed an imposing new acquisition. For € 19.360 the museum secured a Berlin woolwork wall hanging with a central representation of Schloss Celle (lot 4022, estimate: € 8.000-12.000). This piece is of historic importance for Celle and will be exhibited in the recently created Schloss museum.

A box containing rare medieval textile fragments from the Guelph treasure dating from the 12th to 15th century (lot 3901) was sold for an impressive € 181.500 to the Swiss Abegg-Stiftung that collects historic textiles up to 1800, mainly from Europe and the Mediterranean countries.

Uri Geller, the magician who is now living in England, secured for € 2.904 a group of silver soup spoons with the cipher of king George III of England and Hanover (lot 1177, estimat € 400-500). Mr Geller is an avid collector of spoons that were owned by famous personalities. With 5000 spoons he has decorated a Cadillac that is exhibited in museums al over the world. The proceeds from these exhibitions benefit his charitable "Uri Geller Charitable Foundation" which helps children in need. One spoon from the group he now acquired will decorate the work of art.

Lively fights between bidders from the full saleroom and on the many telephones resulted in prices that multiplied the estimates. There was much interest in a wonderful School of Cranach triptych, showing on the central panel: the Adoration of the shepherds, on the inner wings: the Annunciation and the Adoration of the Magi, and on outer wings: Saints Jerome and Augustine. After a heated battle between five different bidders the triptych was sold for € 217,800 (lot 27, estimate: € 30.000-40.000), a result that was rewarded with a spontaneous applause. Another battle was fought for a highlight from the exquisite silver selection, a pair of German silver kettle drums for the Life of the Guard of king George III (lot 1171, estimate: € 100.000-200.000) made by Frantz Peter Bunsen, were sold for € 363.000 to a telephone bidder. At the end of the ninth session, a monumental thirteen light candelabra with the arms of King Ernst August of Hanover (circa 1843, lot 2209, €60.000-80.000), was sold for an extr