Bronze figures of rats and rabbits had 15.7 million euro each!

yesterday passed the last two sessions faery auction works from the collection of Yves Saint Laurent (Yves Saint-Laurent) Berger and Pierre (Pierre Bergé) . Recall that the auctions, which took place in and Tuesday , had a record amount. The majority of works exhibited at these auctions have exceeded their estimeyty, some even many times. Remember though to a still life by Henri Matisse with primrose (Henri Matisse), which is estimated at 12-18 million euros, and brought the whole 36 million *. Or «Armchair with dragons» Eileen Gray (Eileen Gray), which lasted for 22 million euros at estimeyte 2-3 million. In general, the sensation on sensation and sensation sits drive. Bidding on 25 February, which were mainly represented by objects and antiquities from Asia, is not podkachali. The most expensive lots were two Chinese bronze sculpture - head of the rats and rabbits, which previously adorned the fountain at the Imperial Palace. Jury evaluated them in the 8-10 million euro each, and brought in 15.7 million (20 million dollars).

P rat and rabbit was related scandal - recently group of Chinese lawyers appealed to the Court for an Berger prohibit selling national treasures . Representatives of the State Agency for the Conservation of Cultural Heritage of China, Christie's wrote a letter asking to withdraw the work from bidding. On Monday, the French court ruled that Berger has the right to display the figure in the auction - all the same they had been stolen from China, long before Berger in Saint-Laurent had bought them. In addition, the heirs of the emperors of the Qing Dynasty, which previously belonged to the work, had not filed a lawsuit - but under French law, only they have the right to demand the return of the sculptures to their homeland. Scandal with the rat and rabbit may adversely affect the image of Christie's in China, whose market auction house is trying to win. Shortly before the auction Pierre Berger said that the figures will return to China only if the Government would respect human rights, freedom of the Tibetans, and will take the Dalai Lama. Immediately thereafter, representatives of Christie's made it clear that this statement is not supported, but the sculpture at auction was not yet removed.

Head of rats and rabbits were established in the mid XVIII century. Their authors, Jesuit missionary Giuseppe Castiglione (Giuseppe Castiglione). Along with ten other zodiacal figures are decorated with a fountain in one of the summer palaces of the imperial family. In autumn 1860, at the end of the Second Opium War, British and French soldiers set fire to the palace and stole the sculpture. In 2000, Sotheby's auction in Hong Kong has exhibited a bronze tiger's head with a zodiac fountain. She left for 2 million dollars. A few days before the auction took Christie's, which were presented to the bull's head and a monkey. The first had 980 thousand dollars, the second - 1.03 million. Both auction provoked protests from local deputies. Figures bought and Suha (Yi Suhao), consultant of the Chinese business group Poly. Now they are owned by this group of the museum. In 2003, billionaire Stanley Ho of Macau (Stanley Ho) has acquired privately boar's head and gave her the same museum Poly. After four years at Sotheby's was head of a horse, which also bought the Ho. He paid for his sculpture of 8.9 million dollars. The horse, like the wild boar was a gift from China.

Yesterday's auction, Christie's has 42.86 million euro (54.6 million dollars) at estimeyte 19,1-24,8 million euros. Of the 64 lots offered at auction, only one remains unsold. The amounts that have brought some work, simply amazing. The most expensive lot (other than the rat and rabbit) was a bronze sculpture «Janus», which created a sculpture of a circle Primatichcho Francesco (Francesco Primaticcio). The work was estimated at 100-200 thousand euros, but has it's dreadful to say, much as 2 million euros (2.6 million dollars). Mark of one million euro surpassed the one lot - marble torso athlete, which was established in I - II century BC. It was sold for 1.3 million euros (1.7 million dollars) at estimeyte 300-500 thousand euro.

a lot of work yesterday, went beyond estimeyta. For example, a cameo on onyx c depicting bearded warrior, established in the XVI century, estimated at 8-12 thousand euros, and has 91 thousand euro (116 thousand dollars). A two statues of river gods, made a follower Dzhamboloni (Giambologna), went for 115 thousand euros (147 thousand dollars), with estimeyte 15-25 thousand. Buyers Christie's, willing to fight to the last for items from the collections of Saint Laurent, one can understand. Working with such provenansom - the dream of everyone who invests in art.

Trades pieces from the collection of the famous couturier has become one of the most successful sales to private collections in history. They brought 374 392 500 euro (484 426 456 dollars) when estimeyte 200-300 million euros. Unsold stayed only 31 of the 689 lot.

Material prepared Yulia Maksimova

Sources: christies.com , artinfo.com , bloomberg.com , artinvestment.ru