Rothschild Family Selling Off Vast Collection of Royal Antiques
BATTLE FOR WORLD / SPUTNIK NEWS | April 24, 2019 | The article highlights that the Rothschild family is offering up a vast trove of furniture and artifacts once owned by European monarchs for auction at Christie’s in London – the auction, which consists of 57 lots, will be convened 4th July 2019.
The main attraction of the auction is a pair of inlaid, Flemish-made giltwood cabinets commissioned circa 1713 by King Philip V of Spain, which are estimated to fetch a price of somewhere between £1.5 – £2.5 million. In the collection is a mahogany writing desk made for Marie Antoinette circa 1780 by Jean-Henri Riesener, the French queen’s favorite cabinet maker, could fetch as much as £1 million.
The controversial banking dynasty is renowned for buying up the most expensive and lavish antiques from the sadness of wars and revolution – the 1789 French Revolution gave the family many pieces into their collection from the Palace of Versailles. The family’s style, called ‘le gout Rothschild’ influenced many wealthy American families, such as the Astors, the Rockefellers, and the Vanderbilts.
The Christie’s auction in London, buyers from all over the world are expected, coming from Russia, Asia and the Middle East. The article notes that the Rothschilds rarely offer up pieces from their vast reserves for sale. The last time a sizable collection was offered for auction was in the year 1999, when antiques owned by barons Nathaniel and Albert von Rothschild were sold by Christie’s. From that collection, a royal commode by Riesener fetched £7 million and is now on view at Versailles in Paris.
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