NEW YORK, NY.- In another strong showing for decorative arts and Old Masters, Christies Two American Collections: The Estates of Adolphus and Emily Andrews, San Francisco and Donald Bruce Wilson, Memphis totaled $2,157,624. This single online sale, comprising more than 200 lots mostly of 18th- and 19th-century European decorative arts from the estates of two passionate collectors, was almost 90 percent sold by lot; there was energetic participation by bidders and buyers from 33 nations worldwide, with more than seven percent of bidders and buyers new to the category at Christies. The top lot of the sale came from the Andrews collection, a rare pair of marquetry table screens made for Joachim Murat, King of Naples, which made $378,000, more than seven times its low estimate. The top lot of the Wilson collection was a SEVRES ormolu-mounted powdered lavender and gold-ground vase circa 1805-1806, which made $94,500. The Deputy Chairman, European Furniture and Decorative Arts, William Strafford and the Head of European Ceramics, Carleigh Queenth said: We were thrilled with the results of todays sale which paid tribute to two passionate connoisseurs. The rich variety of their works attracted buyers from all over the world and the sales success demonstrated the strength of traditional decorative arts and the power of collections, building on Christies continued success in this field.
Other top lots from the Andrews Collection include: A French diamond, tsavorite, and tourmaline-set gold and silver-mounted thulite box, bearing the mark of JAR, which made $81,900; a pair of Louis XV giltwood chaises possibly by Nicolas Heurtaut, circa 1740, which realized $75,600; a continental enameled gold snuff box Austria or Germany, circa 1709, which brought $50,400. Other top lots from the Wilson Collection include: Heinrich Friedrich Fügers painting of Poseidon enthroned, which made $37,800; a Regence ormolu-mounted brass, mother-of-pearl and pewter-inlaid red tortoiseshell and ebony Boulle marquetry commode attributed to Nicolas Sageot, circa 1710, which realized $40,320; a painting of Bacchus resting by Jean-Baptiste Marie Pierre (Paris 1714-1789), which brought almost six times its low estimate, $47,880.