There are a variety of Art and Collectibles sold by art auction houses every year that go beyond traditional paintings. In Part 1 of this series, we explore the top-selling paintings from ArtCurial, Sotheby’s, and Christie’s from 2019.
Now, we’re exploring all the other art that made headlines last year – antique furniture, jewelry, musical instruments, sculptures, cars and more.
Top Sculptures of 2019
First we have Rabbit by the American artist Jeff Koons which is a polished, stainless steel rabbit that’s just over three feet high. The auction started at $40 million with Rabbit ultimately reaching $91,075,000 which broke the record for all of Christie’s auctions in 2019 and the record for a sale by any living artist.
Rabbit, Jeff Koons, 1986
Sold for $91,075,000 at Christie’s
Also at Christie’s, a Roman marble statue of the Emperor Hadrian sold for $5,950,000.
At a Sotheby’s auction, Claude Lalanne broke his own record with a sculpture called Choupatte (tres grande) when it sold for €2,172,500 ($2,410,052) and After by Giambologna went for $4,233,510 at an Artcurial auction.
After, Giambologna, c.1600
Sold for $4,233,510 at Artcurial
Top Collectibles of 2019
At the beginning of the year, Artcurial’s Motorcar Department had a win with the sale of an Alfa Romeo 8C 2900 B Touring Berlinetta from 1939. This gorgeous car sold for €16.7 million or $19,006,200.
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Alfa Romeo 8C 2900 B Touring Berlinetta, 1939
Sold for $19,006,200 at Artcurial
To continue, we have a Safavid ‘polonaise’ carpet made by Iranian royal ateliers for the future Polish king. It’s woven with pure gold and was sold for £3,724,750 due to its impeccable condition at Christie’s.
Safavid ‘polonaise’ carpet, 17th century
Sold for £3,724,750 ($4,844,931) at Christie’s
Another top sale was the Walschot-Schoffel Kifwebe African mask which went for $4,215,000 at Christie’s and set the record for any Songye artwork. It seems to have been incredibly important for hundreds of years to the Songye people of what is now referred to as the Republic of Congo.
Walschot-Schoffel Kifwebe African mask
Sold for $4,215,000 at Christie’s
Somma di arithmetica by Luca Pacioli is considered to be the most important book on mathematics to come out of the Renaissance. Written in 1494, Pacioli was a friend of Leonardo da Vinci and the rare book sold for $1,215,000 at Christie’s.
David Gilmour’s black Fender Stratocaster guitar, known lovingly as “The Black Strat” became the world’s most expensive guitar in 2019 when it sold at Christie’s for an incredible $3,975,000. The instrument was what Gilmour played on Pink Floyd’s iconic records including Dark Side of the Moon, Wish You Were Here, Animals, and The Wall.
David Gilmour’s “The Black Strat” – Fender Stratocaster guitar
Sold for $3,975,000 at Christie’s
As for European treasures, a German parcel-gilt silver-mounted nautilus shell cup sold for £395,250 and a royal Spanish commode sold for $447,000, and, to round out the lot, a Chinese Kangxi falangcai double lotus bowl earned its place as a top lot when it went for HK$87,200,000 (US$11,221,500), all at Christie’s auctions.
Top Antique Furniture of 2019
Of the notable sales from Artcurial in 2019, one includes a mahogany bookcase by Pierre Chareau which went for $276,265 and a unique ceiling lamp with 20 lights by Jean Royere, going for $311,836.
Mahogany bookcase, Pierre Chareau
Sold for $276,265 at Artcurial
Top Jewelry and Watches of 2019
Apart from the impressive paintings that reached high prices at Sotheby’s in 2019, another sale that made waves last year came from the jewelry section when a rare and exquisite fancy vivid purplish pink diamond and diamond ring sold for $19,900,000.
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Rare and exquisite fancy vivid purplish pink diamond and diamond ring
Sold for $19,900,000 at Sotheby’s
A spectacular unmounted diamond also sold for millions at Sotheby’s as did a Cartier sapphire and diamond bracelet.
Sotheby’s also sold incredible watches for millions including a George Daniels timepiece for £3,615,000. Be sure to check out our round-up of the top 8 watches sold in 2019.
Space Traveller I timepiece, George Daniels, 1982
Sold for £3,615,000 ($4,701,271) at Sotheby’s
Additionally, a diamond and platinum ring sold for $385,326 and a Bovet and Fleurier mid-19th century gold, enamel, and pearl set from the Napoleon Foundation sold for $60,362, both at Artcurial.
Finally, we have an astonishing piece of jewelry – the art deco belt brooch by Cartier that sold for $1,545,000 at Christie’s. It’s complete with Indian jewels and was designed for Sybil Sassoon, Marchioness of Cholmondeley who wore it to the coronations of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth II.
Art deco belt brook, Cartier
Sold for $1,545,000 at Christie’s
Overall, you can see that 2019 showed a good mixture of backgrounds, genres, countries, and eras. These top sellers across various auction houses are just some of the incredible art that switched hands last year. Don’t forget to check out Part 1 of our Top Auction Highlights to see the paintings that made the top spots in 2019.
