LONDON.- The sale of Works of Art from The Collection of S.A.R. La Principessa Reale Maria Gabriella di Savoia realised £1,839,376 and was 99% sold by lot and 99% sold by value. The star lot was an important Royal Piedmontese engraved ivory, mother-of-pearl, tortoiseshell inlaid and japanned box, by Pietro Piffetti, Turin, circa 1740, which realised £344,800.

A Russian silver cigar lighter in the form of a chimpanzee, marked Fabergé with the Imperial warrant, St. Petersburg, 1896-1908 sold for £168,000, $334,992, €249,144 £20,000 - 30,000 to a Private European. A Royal Chinese-export carved ivory chess set and box, Canton, mid-19th century sold for £72,000, $143,568, €106,776 to a Private European.

“The outstanding results of today’s sale highlight Christie’s exceptional ability in presenting Royal collections to the market. Competitive bidding in the room and on the phones created an exciting atmosphere, with fantastic results for works of exceptional craftsmanship such as Pietro Piffetti’s Piedmontese box. The demand for pieces of fascinating provenance resulted in the majority of works being bought by private buyers.” said Andrew McVinish, Head of sale.