PARIS.- Christie’s presents the sale Madame Simone Steinitz, The Legacy of Taste, on the 19th of June in Paris, which will be dedicated to the role and influence – still too little acknowledged - of Simone Steinitz, wife of the renowned antiquaire Bernard Steinitz, founder of the eponymous gallery. The sale offers Benjamin Steinitz, now at the head of the gallery, a precious opportunity to pay tribute to his mother, who throughout her life was much appreciated by leading art historians, collectors, and decorators, such as François-Joseph Graf, Jacques Grange, Peter Marino, Daniel Alcouffe and Juan Pablo Molyneux. Having known her for many years, sometimes decades, they valued her refinement, her eye, and her decisive role in the mis-en-scene, in the selection and dialogue between the works of art and they touchingly pay tribute to her in the auction catalogue. The 130 pieces of furniture and works of art, part of her world and carefully chosen for this auction, are a testament to her unique and elegant taste, as well as well as her discerning eye. They also reflect the talent and refinement with which Simone and Bernard brilliantly combined the expert’s eye with irresistible flair, in the purest tradition of the greatest 18th-century Parisian marchands-merciers.

Since its foundation, the quality and rarity of the pieces presented by the Steinitz gallery in Paris, now on the Rue Royale, have internationally earned a reputation among major art collectors as well as the most prestigious museums. United under one roof, the talents, skills and expertise of the antiquaire, the art historian, and the master craftsmen have been composing, reinventing, and renewing, since 1968, what is now referred to as the magical ‘goût Steinitz’.

The total pre-sale estimate of the Madame Simone Steinitz, The legacy of taste sale is 3,3 - 5,2M€.

At the source of the “gout Steinitz” lies the relation with works of art nurtured by Simone Steinitz, which enabled her to develop and cultivate an aesthetic and an innate sense of refinement. She appreciated the materials, the colours, the memories and souvenirs evoked by these objects, making their spirit tangible, evoking a home, more than a gallery.

An exceptional residence, the hôtel on the Rue Royale offers the ideal setting to pay tribute to this elegant taste and sense of décor, both intimate and magnificent. The mise-en-scene of the items in the sale, arranged specially at this hôtel for this occasion, is an invitation to engage with the essence of classical beauty and art-de-vivre.

It is a celebration of Decorative Arts from the 17th to the late 19th Century, with special focus on the 18th Century, the true golden age of French savoir-faire. The result of unwavering rigour, the quality of the pieces echoes the words of Hubert de Givenchy: "Fashion changes, but 18th-Century style will endure."

As with this great collector, the selection of furniture and works of art in this collection reflects a fascination with highly architectural pieces, with a perfect sense of balance, harmony, and a certain nobility. The chosen works convey simplicity and elegance directly derived from the façades of the most beautiful hôtels particuliers.

The beauty and richness of the materials, the refinement of the execution, reflect the talent and skills of the greatest French artists of the 18th Century — such as Jean-Henri Riesener, Pierre-Philippe Thomire, Jean-François Leleu, and Georges Jacob, to name just a few. Superb examples of seat-furniture are also represented in the collection; herein the 18th century expresses all its refinement and creativity, illustrating the unparalleled talent of great chair-makers.

Numerous Royal and other prestigious provenances can be discovered, such as three vases made by King Louis XV himself and his relatives, after a model by his intendant, Pierre-Elisabeth de Fontanieu, as well as a collection of porcelain objects mounted with gilt bronze mounts, reunited by the marchand-mercier Claude-François Julliot for King Louis XVI. Not to forget the extraordinary vase mounted by the bronzier Pajot, from the fabled Rothschild collections.

In the Age of Enlightenment, the marchand-mercier also became an important innovator in the development of taste. By coordinating the creation of hybrid, sometimes exotic, pieces of furniture and works of art, these pioneering dealers were at the heart of a new dialogue between crafts and creative processes, as well as between East and West.