Five years after her death, Brooke Astor’s possessions are finally being auctioned off by Sotheby’s. 
I had a chance to scroll through the items up for auction and picked out some to share with you. One of the great things you can do on the Sotheby’s website is create your own catalogue of items that you choose. Here are some of my selections.
HERBERT HASELTINE 1877 - 1962
MIDDLE-WHITE SOW: WHARFEDALE ROYAL LADY
signed with the initials H.H and dated 1956 on the base bronze with gold patina on a marble base height 4 1/4 in.
ESTIMATE 10,000-15,000 USD
EARLY 20TH CENTURY
The cover mounted in diamonds with initial "A" below a baron's coronet in an oval reserve, also with two diamond-set bands and a diamond-set thumbpiece. interior rims with maker's mark and French guarantee marks. length 3 1/8 in.
ESTIMATE: 700-900 USD
FIRST HALF 20TH CENTURY
marked Silver and Made in China, the movement probably later.
height 8 1/4 in.; width 5 3/4 in.; depth 5 3/4 in.
ESTIMATE 500-700 USD
printed factory marks. diameter 8 1/2 in.
ESTIMATE 1,500-2,500 USD
height 6 ft. 1 in.; width 26 in.; depth 13 in.
ESTIMATE 2,000-3,000 USD
signed Beaton lower right, watercolor over pencil on paper
height: 21 by 16 in.
ESTIMATE 2,000-4,000 USD
Together with a South Staffordshire bird-form bonbonnière and hinged cover and a Herend porcelain sugar bowl and cover. 67 pieces.
ESTIMATE 800-1,200 USD
VAN CLEEF & ARPELS, NEW YORK, CIRCA 1970
ESTIMATE 10,000-15,000 USD
Honestly, some of the prices on these items are pretty reasonable. One lot I saw was 213 travel books, and the estimate was $200-$300. To view the entire catalogue, lot by lot, click here.
What a wonderful woman she was. I would think these things would go for a lot more. She was a NYC treasure.
ReplyDeleteI was a little surprised by the low estimates.
DeleteI think Sotheby's deliberately undervalues them so when they do sell for much more than the projected price, it makes the auction look hot hot hot as well as making Sotheby's look like extremely good auctioneers. In an alternate universe where I'm staggeringly rich, I'd go for the Chinoiserie bookcases and the Haseltine hog.
ReplyDeleteYou might have a point there, Tish. And I'd kill for that Chinoiserie bookcase, too!
DeleteSo much more dignified than poor Albert Hadley's life collections being hawked on One Kings Lane.
ReplyDeleteRaina... i thought that was a little strange.
DeleteI think Tish has it just right.
ReplyDeletePerhaps!
Deletegood designs. web designing bangalore
ReplyDeleteLove the pig!
ReplyDeletehaha! me, too!
DeleteYes, these items are going to sell for MUCH more than the estimated price. That diamond-encrusted case will probably bring at least a thousand, if not more. Love the pagoda book cases. Am rather surprised at the "ordinariness" of the ceramic boxes... they look like things I see every day in the thrift store.
ReplyDeleteThe provenance alone should raise the prices.
DeleteThe printed price points are way too low. I only wish they were realistic and I would be bidding. How sad that these items --so personal--will be auctioned. Brooke Astor will never be equaled. Thanks. Mary
ReplyDeleteI agree. But if the prices were a lot higher, do you think it would prevent a lot of people from bidding?
Deleteam coveting those book cases! xxpeggybraswelldesign.com
ReplyDeletei am, too. i should ask david to whip up a pair of them for me! (just kidding, david!)
DeleteMeg so much I already love, the onyx, gold and diamond jewelry set, the the Pagoda Bookcases, oh and those fabulous Fornasetti plates (not that I need 36! I just know I was Royalty in a former life!
ReplyDeletexoxo
Karena
Art by Karena
there was so much that i loved in this sale that i could only show a small sample of it.
DeleteP.S. You inspired me to create a Pinterest board with all my favorite Astor items... come take a gander if you'd like!
ReplyDeletehttp://pinterest.com/rozrussell/the-astor-collection-my-favorite-pieces/
I love your selections!
Delete
ReplyDeleteMeg, you have made a day for me with your post about the Astor auction. It always makes me sad to see ones possessions auctioned, I would love to go to Sothebys with a bag of money and bid, bid, bid. It was a load of fun to view the items.
Happy I could help make your day. There are some really stunning pieces. be sure to check out Marcheline's pinterest page, above. I saw some things she'd found but I'd missed.
DeleteOMG! I adored her and was sickened at how she was treated in her twilight years! Truly tragic in every sense of the word! I love that sweet Pagoda clock and those twin Chinoiserie bookcases! I agree with everyone that these prices are ridiculous and when the final hammer comes down her pet charities will enjoy a tremendous windfall. That is as it should be! Now I am going to look over the entire catalog and Marcheline's Pinterest board! Thanks for this post, Meg!
ReplyDeleteI am a sucker for Chinoiserie, so those two pieces really caught my eye.
DeleteI'm sure you know how the interweb can take you down a rabbit hole...this post led me to the auction items, and I wondered about those military medals. So I looked up what they were, and ended up getting into a whole Astor/Marshall family history. Man, did they marry a lot! Most of them had at least 3 marriages, and how Brooke ended up with Vincent...very interesting! He would only give his 2nd wife a divorce if she found him a replacement, and the first selection said flatly, "No, I don't even like you". He even told her he probably wouldn't live long (romantic!). The 2nd choice was Brooke; being a recent widow, she said yes. He died not long after. What a life she had!
ReplyDeleteI would bid on that great trio of silver pitchers!
Your post made look around at our own possessions. One day will someone rifle through our things, and put them up for auction? I am going to be rather particular when it comes to naming my heirs!
ReplyDeleteI see from the other comments that I would have a lot of competition for those lovely book cases.
Kirk