PARIS.- Christie’s presented the sale of The Onzea-Govaerts Collection curated by Axel Vervoordt. This collection of objects and works of art was as exceptional as it was varied, having been assembled from the 1970s onwards by Joris Onzea and Suzanne Govaerts, attracted numerous collectors, including 21% new buyers, and achieved a total of €10M | $10.8M, surpassing the high estimate.

A remarkable set of paintings and works on paper by Rik Wouters, combining a total of €4.2M. A portrait of his wife and muse Nel, Reflets, painted in 1912 from the Collection Lambert was acquired for €2,460,000 (pre-sale estimate: €650,000 – €850,000), establishing the new world record for the artist.

The Onzea-Govaerts collection is deeply marked by the meeting of cultures and eras influenced by the encounter of cultures and eras under the keen eye of interior designer Axel Vervoordt. The results achieved in each category illustrate the couple's keen ability to bring together works from the most diverse traditions, including a Concetto Spaziale, Attese by Lucio Fontana, which was sold for €1,068,500, and an Egyptian granite head of Sekhmet was acquired for €819,000. A Roman marble torso of Venus, dated to the 1st century, exceeded its estimate by ten times, achieving €315,000.

In the field of Decorative Arts, the collection also stood out with several notable pieces of silverware, including a set of four Dutch silver candlesticks, by Cornelis de Haan, Rotterdam, 1687, which realized €201,600, far surpassing its estimate of €50,000-80,000, setting a world record for a set of 17th-century Rotterdam silver torches.

The Old Master paintings section also achieved strong results, including Le printemps by Abel Grimmer, which was sold for €504,000, doubling its estimate, and a Vierge à l’Enfant attributed to the master of the Mansi Magdalen, which realized €103,320, against an estimate of €30,000-50,000.

Furthermore, 13 African sculptures were also featured in the sale, including a Baulé statue from Côte d'Ivoire, which reached €107,100, well above the high estimate.

Finally, the Louvre Museum preempted part of the dinner service of King George III of the United Kingdom (lot 17), considered one of the largest and most important services made at the end of the 18th century.