Stories & Videos
French & Continental Furniture

Incredible European Family Heirlooms from Sotheby's Royal & Noble Sale

Launch Slideshow

This year's highly anticipated Royal & Noble sale will once again present fascinating heirlooms from important European families, such as Oldenburg, Hohenzollern, Paternó- Castello, Sayn-Wittgenstein, Dukes of Hamilton and the Imperial Habsburg and Bonaparte families. Leading the sale is property from the Bourbon-Parma Family, intrinsically linked to several European Royal Families.

Past Auction
Royal & Noble
17 January 2019 | 10:30 AM GMT | London

Incredible European Family Heirlooms from Sotheby's Royal & Noble Sale

  • Property from the Bourbon Parma family. An important pair of Royal portrait gold-ground porcelain armorial vases, the porcelain Paris, the decoration Naples, attributed to Raffaele Giovine, circa 1827
    Estimate £50,000–70,000
    This rare pair of Royal portrait vases were almost certainly made by Nast of Paris and decorated in Naples by Raffaele Giovine, whose workshop had produced several miniatures with similar portraits of Royal sitters. The vases, which were without doubt imbued with symbolic meanings, depict King Francesco I of Bourbon and his second wife, Marie Isabella, Infanta of Spain, surrounded by portraits of ten of their children.
    View Lot View Auction
    Share
  • A French silver surtout de table, Froment-Meurice, Paris, circa 1906
    Estimate £30,000–50,000
    This impressive surtout de table was commissioned to the prestigious French firm, Froment-Meurice, for the wedding of Prince Ferdinand of Bavaria (1884-1958) and Maria Teresa de Borbon, Infanta of Spain (1882-1912). Their union was solemnised on January 12th 1906 in the Chapel of the Palace, in the presence of King Alfonso, Queen Christina, princely relatives of the bride and bridegroom, and the chief dignitaries of Spain.
    View Lot View Auction
    Share
  • Property From a European Noble Family. A rare jeweled gold pectoral cross, Georgian, 17th century
    Estimate £40,000–60,000
    Since artists in Georgia were among the first in the ancient world to process metals, this chain and cross is an important example of Georgia’s rich tradition of metalwork and jewelry making. The chain and cross combining elaborately chased gold pins, the use of enamel and the setting of stones were initially owned by the rich Armenian merchant, banker, and jeweller Lazar (Eleazar) Lazarovitch Lazareff (1700 Isfahan, Persia, d.1782, Moscow).
    View Lot View Auction
    Share
  • Property From The Late Ludwig Theodor Von Rautenstrauch Collection. A Portuguese silver-gilt drinking bowl or salver, circa 1500, with later cold painted coats-of-arms and foot, circa 1600.
    Estimate £60,000–90,000
    The series of coats-of-arms on the disc at the centre of this bowl represent the armorial achievement of Ernst of Bavaria, the son of Albert V, Duke of Bavaria and Anna of Austria. Ernst was made Bishop of Munster in 1585, making that date the earliest possible year for the addition of the armorial disc to the bowl, most likely originally used as a stand and as a recipient for the ritual of assay or saving, where a drink was tested for poison before being offered to the prince.
    View Lot View Auction
    Share
  • Property Of A European Gentleman. 'April', A Flemish medallion months tapestry, Brussels, early 16th century, unidentified designer, from the circle of Bernard van Orley (c. 1488–1541), circa 1525.
    Estimate £30,000–50,000
    This tapestry is presumably one of the seven surviving from the Medallion Month series that once belonged to the collection of Admiral Andrea Doria Pamphilij of Genoa, who would have ordered these for his palace. All seven of these tapestries have the distinctive round bands with cherub head on a pale blue ground.
    View Lot View Auction
    Share
  • Property of a Member of The Oldenburg Family. A Louis XVI Transitional gilt-bronze mounted tulipwood and amaranth marquetry commode by Mathieu-Guillaume Cramer, circa 1780.
    Estimate £25,000–40,000
    This commode is an impressive example of the geometrical marquetry offset by husk swag mounts produced circa 1780 by Mathieu-Guillaume Cramer (?-1804, reçu Maître 1771), originating from Grevenbroich, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. His reputation for his choice of marquetry geometrical decorations composed of floral, rosette and quatrefoil motifs, and overall originality, is identified through this splendid commode.
    View Lot View Auction
    Share
  • Property of the Late Baron Georg Von Freyberg-Eisenberg. A pair of Italian silver table figures of river gods, Eugenio Avolio, Naples, 20th century
    Estimate £5,000–8,000
    The sculptor Eugenio Avolio (1876-1929) and his successor Luigi Avolio produced many silver sculptures in the 20th century, inspired by 17th century Italian examples. These revivalist creations are usually finely cast and of excellent quality, and in this case depict Tiberius, the Roman god of the Tiber River.
    View Lot View Auction
    Share
  • A pair of large scale Swedish gilt-bronze mounted Blyberg porphyry vases, by the Elfdahls Porfyrwerk, the mounts, Paris, circa 1830
    Estimate £150,000–250,000
    These remarkable vases, inspired by the classical Medici vase, are amongst the largest vases known made in Swedish porphyry, and probably the most impressive to ever appear on the market. With their rich gilt-bronze mounts and imposing scale, they might have been a royal commission with a view to gift them to a diplomatic counterpart.
    View Lot View Auction
    Share
  • Napoléon I, Emperor Of The French. A gold and enamel Imperial presentation portrait snuff box, Gabriel-Raoul Morel, Paris, 1812-1815.
    Estimate £40,000–60,000
    This miniature is after Robert Lefèvre’s full-length portrait of the emperor painted in 1812 from the Apsley House Collection. Napoleon is here depicted as world-weary figure of authority.
    View Lot View Auction
    Share
  • Property of The Ducal Family of Paternò-castello. A group of Restauration gilt-bronze and cut-glass objects including salt cellars, wine coasters, tazze, centerpieces and candelabra, circa 1820, attributed or by Thomire.
    Estimates from £2,000 to £18,000
    Pierre-Phillipe Thomire (1751-1843) was one of the most important bronziers of the ancient régime and the post-revolutionary period. Studying under the 18th century well-known sculptors Pajou and Houdon and the bronzier Gouthière, he quickly became famous for his exquisite and quality gilt-bronze centerpieces, tazze, candelabra and other table decorations such as offered in this sale.
    View Lot View Auction
    Share
  • Property of a Gentleman. A pair of George II carved walnut library open armchairs, mid-18th century, in the manner of William Bradshaw.
    Estimate £120,000–180,000
    The overall design of this pair of carved walnut library armchairs, with their luxuriant foliate detailing, recall the work of the Soho Square cabinet-maker William Bradshaw (1700-1775) whose designs were notable for their proximity to French chairs.
    View Lot View Auction
    Share
  • Property Formerly Of The Habsburg Imperial Family. An early Mamluk silver-inlaid brass bowl, Egypt, 14th century.
    Estimate £12,000–18,000
    Metalwork from the Mamluk period (1250-1517), as well as other types of decorative art, is renowned for its high calibre workmanship and recognisable motifs. The base of this inlaid brass dish is particularly noteworthy as it depicts a sun surrounded by six roundels containing figures; each most likely personifying one of the known celestial bodies of the time.
    View Lot View Auction
    Share
/
Close

Featured Stories & Videos

Type: video
Category: Buy Now
Attention, Fragile! At Sotheby's Salon in Paris
Type: video
Category: Old Masters London
The Original Bidding Battle From Over a Century Ago: Botticelli Rediscovered
Type: video
Category: Frank's Files
Frank’s Files: Inside the World of Jewels with Carol Woolton
Type: video
Category: Watches
What’s in a Name? Discover the Centennial Legacy of CITIZEN Watches
Type: video
Category: Watches
A ‘Presidential’ Rolex | Gamal Abdel Nasser’s Historic Timepiece at Sotheby’s
Type: video
Category: Old Masters London
Going Under the Surface of Artemisia Gentileschi's Mary Magdalen in Meditation