On July 3, Sotheby’s London will hold its fourth, Treasures, Princely Taste sale, consisting of 49 lots of furniture and decorative arts that were commissioned by or made for European rulers and dynasties including the Medici family, Catherine the Great, and Napoleon. The works range in date from the 16th- to the 20th- centuries and emanate from some of the most prestigious aristocratic collections in Europe.
An expected highlight is a late Renaissance antique marble table top with elaborate inlay, Roman, last quarter of the 16th century, that was brought to England from Florence in 1840, by the Rev. Mr. Sanford and which has a reputed Medici provenance, according to notes kept in the family archives. It is expected to sell for between £800,000 to £1.2 million ($1.2–1.9 million).Another expected highlight is a circa 1810 silver-mounted and inlaid amboyna mahogany medal cabinet by François-Honoré-Georges Jacob-Desmalter. Sotheby’s experts say the piece may have been commissioned by either Napoleon or Baron Dominique Vivan Denon, and was most recently in Burton Hall in Lancashire. It is expected to sell for £300,000 to £500,000 ($463–772,000).
Mario Tavella, chairman of furniture and decorative arts at Sotheby’s, said of the works on offer: “In addition to their desirability relating to the sumptuous materials of which they are composed and the craftsmanship of the greatest artists of their time, these treasures — formerly the preserve of kings, princes and popes — each carry with them a fascinating story.