Mark Megahan
What’s being described as “a vast collection of art, furniture, silver, ceramics, and jewelry long held in the private collection of the Rothschild banking dynasty” is about to go on the auction block. Surprisingly, the auction won’t be held in Europe. “The sales will mark the first dedicated auction in North America of works from the French branch of the long-time banking family.”
Baron James Mayer de Rothschild
The descendants of Baron James Mayer de Rothschild, his wife Betty and their son Alphonse decided that they aren’t going to keep living in a museum any longer. They’re hoping to raise a quick $30 million over the course of “several auctions this fall at Christie’s New York.” They can use that for a new jet.
Most of the expensive “junk” cluttering up the place was acquired in the 19th century. There’s even a famous painting of one of it’s rooms, titled: “The Great Hall at the Château de Ferrières.”
According to Christie’s, practically every piece on display in that painting will be up for auction. The Rothschild family of today is remodeling their tiny cottage to bring it into the new millennium.
When Alex Soros drops by, he’s not that impressed by the first-century AD Roman Sardonyx cameo portrait of the Roman emperor Claudius. That could bring a quick $200,000 to $300,000 which can be used to fight climate change.
A seemingly endless stream of “art acquired by the family, particularly work by Old Masters,” will be carried out the door to auction, led by Gerrit Dou’s painting “A young woman holding a hare with a boy at a window,” which “dates back to the 17th century and is estimated to sell for between $3 million and $5 million.”
Baron de Rothschild was quite a hoarder of expensive knickknacks but nobody can sit on the furniture and the stuff costs more to have dusted than it’s worth to keep around.
Hidden for centuries
“These are things that have been kept away since the end of the 19th century. And unless you knew this particular branch of the family, you wouldn’t have seen them,” explains Jonathan Rendell, deputy chairman of Christie’s Americas. He’s thrilled to be handling the collection.
“It’s not the type of thing that, in New York, we normally get to play with. You’re more likely to see a sale like this in Europe.” This particular branch of the Rothschild family “lived in the U.S. during World War II.”
Along with a huge supply of historically significant paintings, the “sale also includes furniture, ceramics (like important Italian Renaissance maiolica), silver, tapestries and jewelry that illustrate the Rothschilds’ distinct taste,” which Rendell described as “an extraordinary combination of sumptuousness and domesticity.” He wishes he could have gotten his hands on it a couple hundred years ago, then he would have really nailed down a commission.
“This is the sort of thing that, 100 years ago, 150 years ago, the market would have gone crazy for. We don’t get a bulk of this type of material coming up for sale anymore.” Nobody wants nautilus shell cups anymore. Even if they were owned by the Rothschild family.
That’s why you’ll be surprised to learn that some of the pieces could be in your budget. “Auctions will take place over several days, starting with an evening sale on October 11, followed by two day sales and a concurrent live auction in which some lots will start at prices as low as $100.”
They’re selling now, Rendell explains, because “Not everybody lives like a 19th-century Rothschild, even the Rothschilds.“
