Friday, February 27, 2009

Late Antiquity at auction : Paris & New York

Estimated between 10,000 and 15,000 euros, lot #689 of the Christie's sale 1209 (a Roman marble column dated from 3rd-4th century AD) yesterday made 85,000 euros at auction. It is easy to think that this high price for such an archaeological item is the consequence of its prestigious provenance. In fact the Yves Saint Laurent and Pierre Bergé Collection sale contained many record-breaking but in the case of this column, it confirms the encouraging results of two other sales that included late antique objects : Christie's sale 2056 (Antiquities) in december 2008 (see results) and Pierre Bergé and Associates sale in January 2009 (see results particularly for lot 417). 
Photo above : THEfunkyman on flickr