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The French branch of the Rothchilds look to raise 30mm from large furniture and art sale

Art, furniture and more from the Rothschild family’s private collection could fetch $30m in unprecedented New York sales at Christie’s

The autumn auctions will mark the first dedicated sales in North America tied to the powerful banking family

A vast collection of art, furniture, silver, ceramics and jewellery long held in the private collection of the Rothschild banking dynasty is expected to sell for as much as $30m over several auctions this autumn at Christie’s New York.

The sales will mark the first dedicated auction in North America of works from the French branch of the longtime banking family. Most of the lots were acquired in the 19th century by Baron James Mayer de Rothschild—the founder of the French branch of the family—his wife, Betty, and their son Alphonse, and have remained in their descendents’ collection since.

“This is the sort of thing that, 100 years ago, 150 years ago, the market would have gone crazy for. We don't get a bulk of this type of material coming up for sale anymore,” Rendell says.

The auctions will take place over several days, starting with an evening sale on 11 October, two day sales and a concurrent live auction in which some lots will start at prices as low as $100, according to Christie’s.

As for why the family is selling the collection now, Rendell believes it may be a “rationalisation” and a “generational shift” in attitude. “Not everybody lives like a 19th-century Rothschild, even the Rothschilds,” he says.

https://www.theartnewspaper.com/2023/09/05/art-furniture-and-more-from-the-rothschild-familys-private-collection-could-fetch-30m-in-unprecedented-new-york-sales-at-christies