LONDON.- The sales of European Noble and Private Collections at Christie’s King Street and South Kensington salerooms on 30 September and 1 October 2014 bring together a remarkable variety of continental works of art with an emphasis on noble and private provenance. The selection of over 700 lots, including paintings, furniture, clocks, sculpture, tapestries, glass, arms and armour, carpets, silver and European and Asian porcelain and works of art, date from the medieval period to the 20th century and reflect the broad and cosmopolitan collecting of Europe’s aristocracy, offering a fascinating voyage through their changing tastes across generations. Among the many highlights, the most valuable lot is a magnificent monogrammed French flintlock sporting rifle which belonged to Jerome-Napoleon Bonaparte (1784-1860), King of Westphalia and the youngest brother of Emperor Napoleon, by Nicolas Noël Boutet, Directeur Artiste, Versailles, circa 1799- 1803 (estimate: £250,000-350,000).With estimates ranging from £400 to £350,000, these sales provide a wealth of opportunities for new and established collectors, interior designers and enthusiasts around the world.

The auctions comprise property from Royal, Princely, Noble and Private European Families, including Property from descendants of the Barons Nathaniel and Albert von Rothschild; Property from the descendants of Daniel Grand d’ Hauteville (1761-181), from Château d’Hauteville, Vevey, Switzerland; Property of a descendant of Emperor Wilhelm II (1859-1941) of Germany, King of Prussia; Property from the Royal House of Saxe - Coburg - Gotha: the Empire ormolu table service from King Louis Philippe of France; Property of the Earl of Radnor, Longford Castle, Wiltshire; and Property of a descendant of Ernst Ludwig Graf zu Rantzau (1869-1930). Works from two properties are to be sold for charity: The Barbara Piasecka Johnson Collection, proceeds to benefit the Barbara Johnson Foundation and a Dutch Collection to benefit the Hartstichting and the Dutch Cancer Society.

European Noble and Private Collections Part I
30 September 2014
Arms and Amour
Leading the array of fine arms and armour being offered from private collections is The Flintlock Sporting Rife of Jerome-Napoleon, King of Westphalia (estimate: £250,000-350,000). Bearing the monogram of the King, this magnificent French Flintlock sporting rifle by Nicolas Noël Boutet, Directeur Artiste, Versailles, circa 1799-1803, is offered from the Property of a German Collector. Emperor Napoleon created the Kingdom of Westphalia in 1807 from former Prussian and Hanoverian possessions between the rivers Weser and Elbe, and the greater part of electoral Hesse with the capital established at Kassel, and placed his brother Jerome on the throne. Examples of Boutet’s work for Napoleon and his brothers survive in national collections around the world with the largest concentration at the Musée de l’Armée in Paris.

Furniture & Works of Art
A Louis XV ormolu-mounted kingwood and parquetry bombé commode by Mathieu Criaerd, from the mid-18th century, is among the Property from the descendants of Daniel Grand d’Hauteville (1761-181), from Château d’Hauteville, Vevey, Switzerland (estimate: £80,000-120,000). With its sophisticated diamond pattern parquetry and jewel-like scrolled mounts, this commode is a beautiful example of the work of the celebrated ébéniste Mathieu Criaerd. Almost exclusively supplied through the marchand-mercier Thomas-Joachim Hébert, Criaerd delivered a number of masterpieces to the French Royal family. He is probably most famous for the lacquered commode executed in blue and white vernis Martin and mounted in silvered bronze, which Hébert delivered in 1742 for the bedroom of Louis XV’s mistress, Madame de Mailly, at the château of Choisy, now in the Louvre.

Property from the Royal House of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha [lots 183-200] presents the opportunity to acquire the Empire ormolu five- section table service from King Louis Philippe of France, which is attributed to Pierre-Philippe Thomire, Paris, circa 1810-1815 (estimate: £15,000-25,000). A comparable smaller surtout-de-table was previously in the collection of Lucien Bonaparte, and is now in the collection of the Musée Marmottan, Paris. A charming silver-mounted enamelled Humpen and a contemporary cover, 1654, possibly Franconia, which depicts the Treaty of Westphalia that in 1648 brought an end to the Thirty Years’ War, is offered from the Property of a descendant of Ernst Ludwig Graf zu Rantzau (1869-1930) (estimate: £5,000-8,000).

Ceramics
The rich offering of ceramics is led by a Louis XV ormolu-mounted Meissen model of a Jay, circa 1740, naturalistically rendered by J.J. Kändler and among the Property from descendants of the Barons Nathaniel and Albert von Rothschild [lots 113-139, 376-377 + 488-519] (estimate: £30,000-50,000). Examples of Chinese export from European collections include a near pair of Chinese famille verte trumpet-necked massive vases, Kangxi Period, which is among Property from a Private Belgium Collection (estimate: £15,000-25,000) and a Chinese famille verte armorial ‘province’ dish, Kangxi Period, circa 1720 (estimate: £3,000-4,000) which is among Property from a Dutch Collection to benefit the Hartstichting and the Dutch Cancer Society (lots 57, 140-154, 366- 374, 550-622).

Silver
A German silver soup-tureen and cover, mark of Gottfried Bartermann, Augsburg, 1761-1763, is offered among the Property from descendants of the Barons Nathaniel and Albert von Rothschild (estimate: £30,000-50,000). It is part of the ‘Jagdservice’ or Hunting Service, the centrepiece of which is thought to have been presented by Kurfurst Karl Theodors von Pfalz (1724- 1799) to the Bishop of Lille. A tureen, cover and stand from the service are in the collection of the Baerisches Nationalmuseum, Munich. In a study on Augsburg goldsmiths, by Helmut Seling, the Jagdservice is noted to be a masterpiece due to its superior design and execution; its charming design emblematic of the playful character of the Rococo. From the Property of a Descendant of Emperor Wilhelm II (1859-1941) of Germany, King of Prussia comes a set of twenty-four German silver dinner-plates with the mark of Gebrüder Friedländer, Berlin, 800 standard (estimate: £15,000-25,000).

Musical Instruments
The Viola da Gamba from The Earl of Radnor, Longford Castle, Wiltshire provides a very rare opportunity to acquire an important English Bass Viol, circa 1691, by Barak Norman who is widely recognised to be one of the best known makers of Viols in England during the seventeenth and eighteenth century. It is thought to have been commissioned by Sir Edward Bouverie, in 1691, and thence by descent to The Earl of Radnor (estimate: £15,000-25,000).

Paintings and Drawings
Continuing Christie’s offering from The Barbara Piasecka Johnson Collection, Proceeds to Benefit the Barbara Johnson Foundation, further works include a painting of Saint Francis in Ecstasy by Sebastiano Ricci (1659-1734) £25,000-35,000) and a drawing of The Madonna and Child Adored By Saints Jerome and Catherine of Alexandria by Giovanni Battista Tiepolo (1696-1770) (estimate: £20,000- 30,000).

Tapestries
Fine tapestries from the 16th century to the 18th century range from a Louis XV biblical tapestry, Gobelins, dated 1759, after the design by Jean- François de Troy, by Pierre-François Cozette which is offered from The Property of a Lady (estimate: £20,000-30,000), to a Flemish Armorial tapestry after David Teniers the Younger, probably by Jacques (or Jacob I) van der Borcht, Brussels, late 17th century (estimate: £15,000-25,000).