Gio Ponti, Una Collezione Sotheby's Sale Catalogue, 2005, 1st Ed

Sotheby's Catalog, An Important Russian Imperial Jewel. Geneva 17 November 2005. 1st Ed hardcover. "An impressive and highly important diamond ornament from the collection of the Russian Imperial Family, Russia, second half of the 18th century. This diamond necklace with bowknot clasp is not only a remarkable jewel in itself, but its Russian royal provenance puts it in a class of its own. It evokes the blinding splendour of Catherine II, Empress of Russia: the magnificence of her court, her parks, her palaces, her art collections, and monuments. The most striking and colourful figure on the stage of European political life, for thirty four years she ruled a mighty empire which stretched from Siberia to Poland and left it stronger, larger and richer than when she came to the throne in 1762. After her death in 1796, her friend the Prince de Ligne, who had named her Catherine the Great, declared that this title- which has never been lost- resumed all her genius, courage, sense of justice, and force of character. Using her court as a stage, she played the part of an autocratic but enlightened ruler to perfection, imposing in her public appearances, kind and charming in private. The French ambassador, the Comte de Ségur who noticed how “her majestic head and brow, proud look and dignified deportment made her seem taller than she was”, was also impressed by her feminine grace “ her aquiline nose, well shaped mouth, Saxe blue eyes beneath dark lashes, gentle glance and seductive smile”. In spite of her success, she once confided to the Prince de Ligne that she could have served Russia better if she had been born a man. Ever the courtier, he assured her that being a woman was a positive advantage. “Believe me, you are so much more impressive in your beautiful embroidered orange red velvet dolman or tunic than a man decked out in boots and shoulder sash can ever be. In addition the five huge diamonds blazing out from your hair are far more effective than a man’s hat which is either ridiculously small or ridiculously big”. He was right. Her diamond jewellery proclaimed her power and her rank as Empress and appealed to the Russian taste for sumptuous goods. It impressed the Rev. William Coxe, visiting St. Petersburg in 1778: “the glory and the splendor of the clothing of the court and abundance of precious stones leave the opulence of other European courts far behind” and his opinion was shared by the acute Madame de Stael...

Sotheby's: The Garbisch Collection, Vol. 2, May 17, 1980, important French furniture, European porcelain Vertu, and rugs. First edition hardcover with dust jacket. 588 lots of import...

Sotheby's: The Garbisch Collection, Volume Three. 1st Ed softcover auction catalog. The 588 item catalog includes color and black & white photographs and description of each item. Wi...

Sotheby's Art at Auction 1990-1991 Sotheby's. Edited by Sally Prideaux. Published by Sotheby Parke Bernet Publications, 1991. 1st Ed hardcover with dust jacket. Numerous color photos...

This is a four volume boxed set of the sales catalogues produced by Sotheby's for the contents of this famed collection. The sale took place over 4 days in June 1999 and realized a total of $26.5 million. Many of the contents on the day of the sale had come from another famous home of this renowned collector Carlos de Beistegui...

Sotheby's New York, catalogue from November 1990. Profusely illustrated throughout, mostly in colour. In a very good dust jacket with a glossy orange slipcase. Hardback catalogue for...

This is the 4 volume set of sales catalogues produced by Sotheby's for the Elton John sale in 1988. The collection is amazing and the stage costumes and glasses are probably as expec...

Sotheby's catalogue produced in 2004. 146 pages with 212 lots, all described and illustrated in color; index of makers. Paperback. It is a very good copy however there a highlighter has been used on the text of one of the articles. A first-rate collection of Austrian, Swedish and French decorative arts and design, including superb examples of furniture & objects by Josef Hoffman and his contemporaries; important pieces of furniture by the masters of prewar Swedish design, including Carl Malmsten, Carl Bergsten, Gustav Bergstrom...