Diamonds and pearls: Tiara of ’19th century Britain’s wealthiest woman’ to go under the hammer for £1.5m at UK auction
Well-to-do fans of Kate Middleton's wedding day tiara will be pleased to discover they can get their hands on a more extravagant version - for a cool £1.5million.
The pearl and diamond tiara, belonging to a 19th century woman once known as Britain's wealthiest, is due to go for auction next month.
The Victorian tiara was among the most important jewels owned by Hannah Primrose, a socially and politically active heiress whose husband Archibald Philip would eventually become prime minister.
Auctioneer Christie's says it is a rare example of 19th century aristocratic splendour
Born into the powerful Rothschild family, Hannah reputedly became the country's richest woman when her father died in 1874, leaving her the then immense sum of £2million, properties including a turreted mansion in Buckinghamshire, and a huge stash of jewels.
Hannah Primrose, nee Rothschild, was a socially and politically active heiress whose husband Archibald Philip became prime minister
She married Archibald four years later, at which point she acquired the title Countess Rosebery, and, Christie's believes, the tiara, along with a matching brooch and bracelet.
Keith Penton, the auctioneer's head of jewels, said that the three-piece set was 'at the heart of Lady Rosebery's vast array of magnificent jewels, which rivaled those of the crowned heads of Europe at the time.
'They are a rare survival of 19th century English aristocratic splendour, as so much ancestral jewellery has been sold anonymously, remounted or broken down.'
The tiara boasts 13 saltwater pearls - six button-shaped ones ringed with diamonds and seven pear-shaped pearls dangling from tear-drop diamond surmounts.
Christie's said that the jewels were handed down through the family and now form part of a private collection, but didn't elaborate on their current ownership.
It hopes the tiara will fetch £1.5million and the whole set up to £1.9million ($2.4 million) in its important jewel sale in London on June 8.
Source:: Daily Mail
£1m vase in a cardboard box
A Chinese vase that was taken to an auction house by a 79-year-old pensioner in a cardboard box has stunned experts when they realised it was from the early Ming period - and worth £1million. The 11.5in-high 'moonflask' dates from between 1403 and 1424 and is a very rare discovery. 'Moonflasks' are so called because their curved shape was likened to that of the moon. Its owner, who prefers to remain anonymous, carried the vase to Duke's auction house in Dorchester, Dorset, in a cardboard box. It is not known what he paid for the vase but prices for artefacts from the Far East have soared in recent years. This latest example was made during the reign of the Emperor Yongle - the third emperor of the Ming period. The name Yongle means 'perpetual happiness' and demonstrates the exceptional level of refinement achieved during the emperor's reign. Europe was unable to turn out porcelain of such quality until the 18th century. The elegant blue and white piece with simple loop handles is thought to have been influenced by Islamic design. It has a flattened globular body with a bold-shaped mouth and simple loop handles, which derive from a near Eastern form. The body is decorated in underglaze blue with Islamic inspired decoration of latticing and shaped panels centred by a six-pointed star containing leafy arabesques and scrolls. Around the neck is a band of clouds and the circular foot has lappets and dots. Because of its Islamic influence, potential buyers are likely to come from the Gulf states as well as China. Last year, a Chinese vase found during a house clearance sold for an astonishing £43million. Guy Schwinge, from Duke's, said: 'When my colleague initially showed me what had arrived in a cardboard box I could not believe my eyes. 'The vase is in perfect condition and it is amazing to think that it has survived unscathed for almost 600 years. 'It is the largest recorded example from a rarefied group of early Ming moonflasks dating from the Yongle period. Giuseppe Eskenazi, one of the world's leading dealers in Chinese art who is based in Mayfair, London, said of the vase: 'It is very fine and should do very well. It is very rare and in 50 years I have only seen three flasks like this. Last year, Duke's sold a Chinese vase from the Qianlong period that had been used as an umbrella stand for £765,000. The sale is on May 12. Source: The Daily Mail
Wallis Simpson Stunning Onyx and Diamond Panther bracelet sold for record breaking £8mil
The Panther bracelet and other incredible lots sold at Sotheby's yesterday
Jewellery that charted the love affair between Wallis Simpson and Edward VIII has been sold for a record-breaking £8million. The star piece of the collection was the striking onyx and diamond panther that curled around the Duchess of Windsor’s wrist. It went for an astonishing £4.5million after a nail-biting battle between two telephone bidders, making it the most expensive bracelet ever sold. The £8million total smashed the auctioneer’s estimate of £3million and also made Wallis’s jewels the most expensive single-owner collection ever Up for grabs were 20 intimate gifts, all made by Cartier, marking the couple’s romance from its earliest days to their 20th wedding anniversary. Many pieces were inscribed with dedications of their love. The collection was sold on behalf of millionaire Wafiq Said, who snapped it up in 1987, when 300 pieces were auctioned a year after Wallis’s death. At the time, film stars, tycoons and even royalty were said to be among the bidders vying for a piece of history. Edward gave Wallis the panther bracelet in 1952 when they were living in exile in Paris as the Duke and Duchess of Windsor. Madonna, who is making a film about the duchess, was said to be among its admirers in the run-up to the sale. Source: The Daily Mail
Rhinos Raise thousands at charity auction
The Rhinos that really blazed a trail at last week's auction
The rhinos really made a stir at Chester Racecourse last week, pictured above are the six rhinos that raised the most cash for charity and have now gone to new homes! Clockwise from top left: Elvis - the rhinestone rhino.£6,200 Regal Rhino – the king of the trail £2,600 Maximus Rhinoceros – A real Roman rhino £4,800 Rhino Romano – the most photographed on the trail £3,500 Hally –the blackest of the rhinos £2,600 Rhino Mosaica – a glimmering head turner £3,200 For full sale results, visit our Sales Results page
Rhinos to Stampede Chester Racecourse in Charity Auction next Tuesday!
Life Size Rhinos take to the Racecourse at Chester's Historic Roodee
After a truly incredible summer, the Rhinos of this year’s public art extravaganza ‘Rhino Mania’ have finally left the historic streets of Chester and are in need of new permanent homes!. Just as Liverpool sold 33 of their iconic SuperLambBananas at a charity auction in September, the Rhinos are now preparing to take to take their place in the limelight for their own special auction taking place on Tuesday October 5th. 53 of the most beautiful rhino works of art will go under the hammer of Liverpool Auctioneer (Cato Crane) and Bargain Hunt regular John Crane at Chester Racecourse to raise invaluable funds for charity. 75% of the proceeds will go to Chester Zoo’s Black Rhino Field Conservation Project in Kenya and Tanzania, the Hospice of the Good Shepherd and a small number of other selected charities. So if you’ve loved the Rhinos as much as they have loved meeting you, why not snap one up at the auction? The catalogue is available to view on UKauctioneers now, but we are not accepting commission bids. Please visit the Rhinomania auction page in order to buy a ticket to bid in person or use the telephone or proxy bidding forms. Please contact Emmeline Goulden from Giraffe Marketing emmelineg@giraffeprmarketing.co.uk or Drew Olin from Wild In Art drewolin@yahoo.com with any enquiries.