Ranked first among independent French wine auction houses, Besch Cannes Auction will begin their week of sales with a major wine and spirits auction. Divided into three sessions and spanning 27-29 December, an incredible 1,772 lots will go under the hammer.
Particularly notable are the many bottles of Chartreuse included in the sale. A liqueur first dating from the 17th century, Chartreuse was considered an 'elixir of long life' with medicinal value, made with a secret formula of herbs. It was not until 1737 that monks from the Monastery of the Grande-Chartreuse, near Grenoble, received the recipe and began to produce what is known as Green Chartreuse. From then on, the Chartreuse was created and marketed by the religious order of the Carthusians, whose emblem of the globe surmounted by a cross surrounded by seven stars still adorns the bottles.
In the set offered by Besch Cannes Auction, three bottles are particularly outstanding: two bottles of yellow Chartreuse (lots 132 and 133), as well as a bottle of green Chartreuse (lot 134), all three produced before the Carthusians were expelled from France in 1903. After this point they took the secret of their liqueur manufacturing with them to Tarragona, Spain, where they created a new distillery.
The next day, 30 December, Besch Cannes Auction will continue with works of art, in an auction that ranges from Impressionism to contemporary art. Among the 216 lots in this eclectic sale is an Indian ink on paper signed by Joan Miró, dating from 1953.
A painter of Catalan origin who was one of the main figures of the Surrealist movement, Miró was also a sculptor, engraver and ceramist. In works usually dominated by a palette of primary colours, the artist developed a complex and hypnotising dream world. The monochromatic scheme of this ink on paper allows focus to fall on the apparent simplicity of the motifs, enigmatic shapes typical of Miró’s artistic universe.
On the same day, Besch Cannes Auction will continue at the end of the afternoon with a sale of modern and collector's watches, including a Rolex GMT-Master watch. Issued by Rolex as early as 1955, the GMT-Master was designed as a navigation instrument for travellers, simultaneously displaying the times of two different time zones.
The model shown here, with automatic movement, is made of steel and gold and was designed around 1979.
On 31 December, the auction house will offer an auction dedicated to fashion that will bring together some of the biggest brands, including Louis Vuitton, Chanel, Christian Dior, Yves Saint-Laurent and Hermès. The catalogue epitomises luxury and glamour, with a total of 38 lots including furs and jewellery.
The week of sales will conclude on the afternoon of 31 December with a fine jewellery sale. Among the 279 lots offered for auction, one exceptional piece is this two-tone gold ring, adorned with a captivating natural pink diamond and enhanced with several smaller diamonds. The rarity of the gem further adds to its beauty: it is estimated that only 1 in 100,000 diamonds can be classified as being pink in colour.
Another two-tone gold ring is sure to captivate. Adorned with a large natural yellow diamond, itself surrounded by other diamonds, this ring embodies the prestige and know-how of fine jewellery. The refinement and finishes of this jewel transform it into a work of art that can be worn on the finger.
Bidding will be available online or by phone, or live in person in the lounges of the Hotel Martinez Cannes, 73 Boulevard de la Croisette, Paris. For all information relating to the conditions of these sales, please consult the Besch Cannes Auction website.
