GENEVA.- The grand winter auction at Hôtel des Ventes of Geneva will be held from 7 to 10 December. As tradition will have it, Russian art holds a place of honour, but also rare books, modern sculpture as well as contemporary Swiss art. Each session will include a distinguished lot meriting very special attention: a pendant by Fabergé, a rare first-edition of Rimbaud's work, a Rodin sculpture, 18th century Swiss silverware from the Couvreu de Deckersberg collection, a magnificent Louis XIV chest of drawers in Boulle marquetry or the emblematic ”panther” jewels by Cartier.

The sales will be preceded by three days of public viewing on 4-6 December, during which a wide variety of more than three thousand lots will be exhibited. While overall sales are estimated in the region of CHF 2.5-3.5 million, Hôtel des Ventes of Geneva is pleased to include close to a thousand lots each having an estimated sales price of less than CHF 300.-, providing an opportunity to offer oneself or a loved one a special present a few days before the festive season.

Bernard Piguet, auctioneer and director of Hôtel des Ventes of Geneva, says: “in the tradition of the château d’Hauteville, the Couvreu de Deckersberg collection gives us an opportunity to come to know old aristocratic Swiss families that have marked the history of the country. In contrast, the works of modern and contemporary art shed light on the present-day creativity of our country and that of our neighbours. In addition, I am proud to be able to propose at this Geneva auction a set of rare books of international quality”.

The Couvreu de Deckersberg collection
After the sale of furniture from the château d’Hauteville, Hôtel des Ventes of Geneva now presents a new collection from an illustrious family of Vevey whose history goes back to the 16th century: the Couvreu de Deckersbergs, who lived predominantly in one of the finest mansions of Vevey until the 1980s: the château de l’Aile. Over several centuries, the family has gathered a remarkable collection of ancient books, silverware, paintings, furniture and objets d’art. Many of these treasures have remained in the family until the present day and now for the first time are being put up for auction by Hôtel des Ventes of Geneva: some 400 lots with an estimated value of CHF 200,000-300,000.

Among the principal lots from this remarkable collection are:

• a 1773 edition of the Œuvres de Molière (lot 75 estimated at CHF 3,000-5,000).

• Le Voyage dans l’hémisphère austral et autour du monde (An Account of the Voyages Undertaken by the Order of His Present Majesty for Making Discoveries in the Southern Hemisphere) (1778) and Le Voyage à l’Océan Pacifique (Voyage to the Pacific Ocean) (1785) by James Cook (lot 222 estimated at CHF 2,000-3,000).

• a large silver coffee pot from the 18th century by the Genevan silversmith Alphonse Dominicé (lot 616 estimated at CHF 4,000-6,000).

• an engraving by Rembrandt (1606-1669), the Descent from the Cross (lot 1172 estimated at CHF 4,000-6,000).

An important place is also given to the grand masters of modern Swiss sculpture and contemporary art
The Wednesday evening session will present a rich selection of modern and contemporary Swiss art: a total of 217 lots with an overall estimated value of CHF 400,000-600,000.

Three important modern sculptures, veritable museum pieces in their own right, merit particular attention:

• the first is a bronze sculpture by Auguste Rodin (1840-1917) representing the Death of Adonis, one of the only three known copies in bronze of this sculpture. Estimated in the range of CHF 60,000-80,000, there is no knowing how much it will fetch (lot 1190).

• the second is a Reclining Nude in bronze signed Antonuicci Volti (1915-1989), estimated at CHF 30,000-50,000 (lot 1261).

• the last is a sculpture in bronze by Carl Milles (1875-1955) entitled Vingarna, representing a man carrying an eagle with outstretched wings over his head (lot 1184 estimated at CHF 15,000-25,000).

A collection of almost fifty works of contemporary Swiss art complete the major offerings of the sale on Wednesday evening, where:

The artist Ben (1935) is well represented thanks to five works among with Je ne suis pas fou (lot 1274 estimated at CHF 4,000-6,000), J’ai peur d’être jaloux (lot 1271 estimated at CHF 3,000-5,000), Le journaliste nous manipule (lot 1273 estimated at CHF 5,000-8,000) and

• Cette toile tourne autour du soleil (lot 1270 estimated at CHF 1,500-2,500).

• Several of Sylvie Fleury's works (1961) also stand out and in particular a canvas in torn denim estimated at CHF 8,000-12,000 (lot 1283).

• Samuel Buri (1935) is present too with a large diptych entitled Rot statt Blau (lot 1275 estimated at CHF 10,000-15,000).

The splendors of imperial Russia in Geneva
The splendors of imperial Russia are presented once again this year in the session devoted to Russian art at Hôtel des Ventes of Geneva.

A pendant in gold, enamel, diamonds and rubies created by Karl Fabergé is a beautiful example of the work of this the greatest Russian silversmith, who in 1884 was granted the privilege of becoming a purveyor to the Imperial Court by Alexander III (lot 365 estimated at CHF 10,000-15,000). The pendant originates from the family of Julija Mikhailovna Rogatkina-Ezhikova, the wife of the important Muscovite merchant Dmitrij M. Rogatkin-Ezhikov who was considered to be the most beautiful woman in Moscow.

In addition to numerous porcelain, silverware and cloisonné enamel pieces, the Russian offerings include a very fine set of 45 Russian icons, 36 of which come from a private Suisse romande collection (lots 259 at 295).

Major sale of ancient and modern books
The sale on Monday 7 December will attract a number of international bibliophiles, above all on account of an exceptional set of ancient books of the 16th , 17th and 18th centuries with 18th and 19th c. bindings of high quality, signed by prestigious workshops.

For poetry lovers, this sale offers two extremely rare works by Arthur Rimbaud in the original edition: Une saison en enfer, published during the author's lifetime in 1873 (lot 123 estimated at CHF 7,000-10,000) and Les Illuminations (lot 122 estimated at CHF 6,000-8,000).

This session will also present atlases by Sanson, one of which contains rare maps of the United States and Japan of the 17th century, twentieth century works illustrated by Dalí, Erni, Maillol or Picasso, and a section devoted to Swiss works.

Furniture
Lovers of ancient furniture will be irresistibly attracted to this magnificent Louis XIV chest of drawers in Boulle marquetry (copper and red tortoise shell) attributed to Nicolas Sageot, having a quality close to that of a model conserved at the Wallace Collection of London. This chest of drawers in particular is of prestigious ancestry, coming as it does from the collection of Henri-Ferdinand Lavanchy, the founder of ADECCO (lot 1014 estimated at CHF 50,000-80,000).

The furniture sale also includes a rare tea table signed Linke (lot 1074 estimated at CHF 15,000-25,000), as well as a fine set of Flemish tapestries dated towards the end of the 16th and early 17th centuries.

A rich selection of the finest jewellery and watches for end of the year gifts
Anyone seeking a very special present will have no problem at Hôtel des Ventes, in view of the remarkable selection of jewellery and watches in our December collection.

Among these major items are:

• the fascinating panthers from Cartier mounted as ear clips and fashioned in gold, diamonds, onyx and emeralds (lot 1877 estimated at CHF 30,000-50,000).

• a set of jewellery by Lombard of Geneva.

• an amazing chess board in a limited edition by Gavignet in collaboration with renowned world champion Kasparov, in its wooden box, with pieces of gold set with diamonds (lot 1856 estimated at CHF 50,000-70,000).

• Emblematic models from the house of Patek Philippe such as Nautilus in white gold (lot 1633 estimated at CHF 15,000-20,000), Twenty 4 in white gold and diamonds (lot 1635 estimation CHF 30,000-50,000) or again Gondolo in white gold and diamonds (lot 1636 estimated at CHF 6,000-8,000).