PARIS.- This week Christie's presented the Paris Classic Week, beginning with the 38 lot Exceptional sale. An annual rendezvous for connoisseurs in search of masterpieces in all categories, the sale exceeded its high estimate, bringing in a total of €7,660,060. The top lot was a rare pair of consoles stamped René Dubois coming from the collection of Count Alexander Stroganoff, which fetched €2,581,000, more than four times its estimate, setting a new record for a 18th century piece of furniture in France in 2024. A pair of Louis XIV-period pedestals attributed to André-Charles Boulle tripled their estimate and achieved €655,200, while a fireplace screen most likely commissioned for the Marquise de Pompadour was sold for €226,800 against an estimate of €40,000-60,000. Another highlight of the week was a remarkably well-preserved carpet from the Manufacture Royale de la Savonnerie, pre-empted by the Mobilier National for €441,000.

The sale also featured Haute Couture, setting two new world records, one for a pre-war piece, the other for an outfit by Paul Poiret. Dated 1913, the “Minaret” outfit was acquired by the Chile's Museo de la Moda for €352,800, almost ten times its estimate.

Today’ sale Maîtres-Anciens : Peintures – Dessins – Sculptures, which included 43 lots, realized a total of €3,042,270. Highlights included the iconic Portrait de femme by Nicolas de Largillierre. Looted during the Second World War and found in the castle of Neuschwanstein by the Monuments Men in May 1945 before being returned to the Rothschild family in 1946, this highly symbolic lot attracted numerous bidders for a very active bidding battle. It was finally acquired for €529,200, against an estimate of €50,000-80,000.

Another notable sale was that of the sumptuous Portrait of Elisabeth de Valois (1545-1568) by Jooris van der Straeten, which fetched €264,600, more than three times its estimate.

Coming from the prestigious Quentin collection, the bronze figure of a standing youth, possibly Narcissus, dated to the first half of the 16th century, was acquired for €88,200 against an estimate of €20,000-30,000.

The Maîtres Anciens : Peintures – Dessins – Sculptures online sale is ongoing, finishing at 14 :00 tomorrow.