From 8-12 December, the Monte-Carlo Auction House HVMC will hold a series of sales in five categories, ranging from luxury leather goods to modern art, as well as high-end wine and watches. Here are some highlights from their breathtaking selection.
The auction marathon begins with 400 jewellery lots, which will be split into two sales over 8-9 December. The first sale, which includes important pieces (such as David Webb's spectacular cocktail ring, a Dame Sitard Cartier watch and a platinum Boucheron ring), will close with some truly exceptional gems: a pair of gold earrings from 1950, whose estimate is close to half a million. Each clip is decorated with an oval-cut Burmese ruby weighing 5.12 carats, itself surrounded by pear-cut diamonds. The stones, as well as each of the diamonds, are accompanied by their certificate.
The lots that make up the second sale are no less impressive, as evidenced by this ring with a royal pedigree. Encircled with diamonds and set with an 18.42 carat antique cushion-cut Kashmir sapphire, this extraordinary jewel from a princely family is estimated by experts at between €800,000 and €1.2 million (£683,000-850,000).
The accompanying certificates are supplemented by a letter from Mrs Alessandra Spingardi and Dr Lore Kiefert from the Gübelin Laboratory, which reads: "The most important event in the history of sapphire took place at the beginning of the 1880s. A landslide in the Himalayan mountains of Kashmir revealed a source of sapphires that has become legendary for the quality of its stones. The very special blue colour of Kashmir sapphires forge their identity, they are highly sought after by connoisseurs and collectors. The natural sapphire described in this certificate has a richly saturated and homogeneous color, combined with a great transparency and a perfectly proportioned size. In addition, this remarkable gem has been spared any heat treatment. Such features are rare in a Kashmir sapphire of this size... "
On 10 December, Epicureans will be delighted to discover a sale of extraordinary wines and truffles. Punctuated by a very nice selection of Barolo bottles, a Dom Pérignon champagne from 2000 and a bottle of Armagnac Sempé from 1900, the auction session will end with a set of white truffles from Alba, whose weight and price per kilo will be communicated before the start of the auction.
Watches will be in the spotlight the next day. Several watchmaking masters like Patek Philippe, Audemars Piguet, Breguet and Jaeger Lecoultre will be represented, but the highlight of the auction will be from none other than Bovet Pininfarina, with a Tourbillon Ottanta men's wristwatch numbered 15/80. Featuring the convertible Amadeo system, this titanium model can take on three different forms and function as a wristwatch, a pocket watch or a table watch. The Ottanta was born from the collaboration between the watch manufacturer Bovet and the Italian car design company Pininfarina. It has gradually become the star of a full-fledged collection, and remains in production to satisfy the demand of collectors.
For the women, nothing can compare to the Rolex Pearl Master Datejust with a jewel look dated 2000. This 18k yellow gold wristwatch has a bezel set with calibrated sapphires, a bracelet set with brilliantly cut diamonds and sapphires, and a mother-of-pearl dial.
Next up is a collection of leather goods, with 130 exceptional lots featuring luxury giants such as Dior, Gucci, Fendi, Yves Saint Laurent and Louis Vuitton. However, it is Hermès that will take centre stage, with pieces such as a 30 cm Birkin bag in black porosus crocodile, and a 32 cm red porosus crocodile Kelly bag. A stylised Christmas tree in the style of the Hermes boxes will also be presented, alongside a Toucan porcelain service from Limoges and a superb carbon fibre flâneur bike.
The sales will conclude on 12 December with a modern and contemporary art auction consisting of over 130 lots. The flagship work, Variant Orange Wall, is by the father of op-art, Josef Albers. This master of abstract painting made his debut at the Weimar Bauhaus, where he studied under Johannes Itten from 1920 to 1923 before opening a glass painting studio. A master at the end of his studies, he went on to teach ‘Theory of Materials’ and ‘Theory of Work’ for ten years. Variant Orange Wall, an oil on masonite from 1946-58, is a composition of geometric coloured solids with inscriptions and calculations written in pencil in the margin. The work was produced just a few years before the publication of Interaction des Couleurs, Albers' work which is still considered a classic today in teaching the visual arts.
Exceptional works by Frank Stella, Zao Wou-Ki, Jules Pascin, Bernard Buffet and Kees Van Dogen will round out this stunning collection.
Sales will take place 8-12 December at the Auction House in Monte Carlo, so mark your calendars!
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This article is sponsored by HVMC
