2024 closes with a series of prestigious sales
The sale also revealed a rediscovered treasure: two large enamel portraits by Léonard Limosin, the renowned Renaissance enameler. Created around 1564, they were likely commissioned by Catherine de’ Medici for her cabinet of enamels. Collectors recognized the significance of these works, inspired by Ovid’s Heroides and depicting Achilles and Leander, each achieving €195,000.
A rare chalcedony glass ewer, crafted in Venice around 1500 and exemplifying the complex technique of imitating agate patterns, doubled its low estimate, selling for €300,000. Meanwhile, a delicate Tazza filigranée à retortoli far exceeded its €20,000 - €25,000 estimate, reaching €169,000.
At Millon, the pre-Columbian and Indonesian art chapter of the exceptional Liliane and Michel Durand-Dessert collection was showcased, with a statue of a young man, likely representing the Aztec god Tezcatlipoca—one of the creator gods in the Mexican pantheon—selling for €390,030.
Perhaps a sparkling Christmas gift, an old-cut oval diamond presented by Ferri & Associés on December 19 found a new home for €115,700.
A beautiful sculpture of a Seated Cat by Swiss sculptor Édouard Marcel Sandoz delighted an admirer of the artist. Sold by Jean-Marc Delvaux’s it doubled its high estimate, soaring to €102,400.
Finally, on Thursday, Magnin Wedry offered a sale dedicated to unpublished manuscripts by Guillaume Apollinaire. The most coveted piece was an autograph manuscript of La Chanson du Mal Aimé, which sold for €105,300.
