Sotheby's, Easton Neston, May 17-19 2005 2 Volumes, 1st Ed

Sotheby's Ariane Dandois, October 2007, Volumes I and II. Pair of 1st Ed softcover auction catalogs with slipcase. Sotheby’s New York presented a sale o...

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 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...

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...

Impressionism and Post-impressionism: The Hermitage, Leningrad, the Pushkin Museum of Fine Arts, Moscow, and the National Gallery of Art, Washington. Vintage 1986...

19th Century copy of 18th century portrait of Robert Harley, 1st Earl of Oxford, (born 1661, London, died 1724, London). He was a British statesman who headed the Tory ministry from ...

Muhammad Ali by Sheed, Wilfrid Book 1975 1st Ed. Vintage beautiful collectible hardcover book on Muhammad Ali: A Portrait in Words and Photographs by Wilfrid Sheed Author: Wilfrid...

Louis Aime Japy, "Springtime", Oil on Canvas, Gilt Frame, Prov: Sotheby's NYC, Signed and Dated '78 A Large and Impressive work by Louis Japy with provenance from Sothebys NYC. This stunning piece is one of the largest and finest pieces done by this fine world renowned artist having set an auction record in Sotheby's in 2006, documented below. The whole set in a wonderfully finely conditioned gilt gold wooden frame. Louis-Aimé Japy was a French 19th Century painter...