From October 31st to November 9th, Sotheby’s Paris will be hosting a series of events, titled: Une Demeure Princière, La Résidence de son Altesse Cheikh Hamad Bin Abdullah Al Thani. This auction is widely considered one of the most significant decorative arts and single-owner sales of the entire year in France.
First, Sheikh Hamad bin Abdullah Al Thani is a market-defining force. The legendary 2022 sale of his Hôtel Lambert contents shattered records by fetching €76.6 million ($75.4 million). The caliber of pieces collected by Sheikh Hamad is so high the French national museums often use their right of pre-emption to step in and forcefully buy his lots directly from the auction block for state archives rather than letting them go to private bidders.
In addition, the collection is so large, instead of occupying a single gallery like most collections, his 1,400+ lots will be taking over both of Sotheby’s premier historic Parisian headquarters — 76 and 83 Rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré. Une Demeure Princière is predicted to outperform all rival auctions this year in terms of quantity, design, and provenance.
This auction is a masterclass in how a single modern collector can fundamentally influence as well as move the entire art market, in just a couple of weeks. You can learn more about the exhibition and auction at Sotheby’s Paris.
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The collection of His Highness Sheikh Hamad bin Abdullah Al Thani is vast. It spans several centuries and genres. So to help you, we selected 48 of our favorite standouts. Then, we separated our favorites into multiple sections to help you navigate our list easier.
The first separation is: “Medium-to-High Provenance” and “Low-to-Medium Provenance“. The “Medium-to-High Provenance” section is for those who prioritize Provenance when purchasing high-end artwork. Here you will clear and long histories or royal names.
The second set of separations occurs under “Low-to-Medium Provenance“. Here we have separated Paintings, Decoration, Charger/Decorative Plates, Dinnerware, and Silver Figural Salts — from each other. Most of the items in this section have limited or unclear histories and/or less influential names.
MEDIUM-TO-HIGH PROVENANCE
1. A Monumental Roman Marble Figure of a Youth, 1st/2nd Century A.D., with late 17th/early 18th Century Restorations
Provenance: Thomas Herbert, 8th Earl of Pembroke, 1656-1733, Wilton House, Wiltshire; Henry, 9th Earl of Pembroke, 1693-1749; Henry, 10th Earl of Pembroke, 1734-1794; George Augustus, 11th Earl of Pembroke, 1759-1827; Robert Henry, 12th Earl of Pembroke, 1791-1862; George Robert Charles, 13th Earl of Pembroke, 1850-1895; Sidney, 14th Earl of Pembroke, 1853-1913; Reginald, 15th Earl of Pembroke, 1880-1960; Sidney Charles, 16th Earl of Pembroke, 1906-1969
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2. A Roman Marble Figure of Dionysos, circa 2nd Century A.D., with 18th Century Restorations
Provenance: Joseph Leeson, 1st Earl of Milltown (1711-1783), Russborough House, Ireland; Joseph Leeson, 2nd Earl of Milltown (1730-1801), Russborough House, Ireland; Brice Leeson, 3rd Earl of Milltown (1735-1807), Russborough House, Ireland; Joseph Leeson, 4th Earl of Milltown (1799-1866), Russborough House, Ireland; Joseph Henry Leeson, 5th Earl of Milltown (1829-1871), Russborough House, Ireland; Edward Nugent Leeson, 6th Earl of Milltown (1835-1890), Russborough House, Ireland; Sir Edmund Russborough Turton (1857-1929), Russborough House, Ireland; Geraldine Evelyn (stanhope) Leeson, 6th Countess of Milltown (1841-1914), Russborough House, Ireland; Sir Edmund Russborough Turton (1857-1929), Russborough House, Ireland
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3. A Roman Marble Figure of Artemis, 1st/2nd Century A.D
Provenance: probably Cardinals Paolo Emilio Cesi (1481-1537) and Federico Cesi (1500-1565), garden of the Palazzo Cesi on the Janiculum, Rome; William Waldorf Astor, later Viscount Astor of Hever (1848-1919), Hever Castle; Gavin Astor, 2nd Baron Astor of Hever, Hever Castle
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4. A George II ebonised, parcel-gilt walnut and marble side table, circa 1730 | (featuring friezes, borders with egg-and-dart mouldings, legs with acanthus and shells carvings, parcel-gilt)
Provenance: Henry Petty-Fitzmaurice, 3rd Marquess of Lansdowne (1780–1863); Thence by descent at Lansdowne House until at least 1865; Moved to the Bowood, Wiltshire; Sotheby’s, 1920; William Lever, 1st Viscount Leverhulme (1851–1925); Given to his son, William Hulme Lever, 2nd Viscount Leverhulme (1888–1949), with replaced top, and delivered to Thornton Manor, Merseyside; By descent to Philip William Bryce Lever, 3rd Viscount Leverhulme (1915–2000);
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5. Pietro Cipriani (circa 1679-1745), after the Antique Florence, circa 1723 – 1724 | Busts of Geta and Plautilla (bronze) by Pietro Cipriani (c. 1679-1745)
Provenance: Purchased by Thomas Parker, 1st Earl of Macclesfield; By descent to Richard, 9th Earl of Macclesfield, Shirburn Castle
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6. Portrait of Count Edgard de Barral, 1910 by Bernard Boutet de Monvel (1881 – 1949)
Provenance: Commissioned by Count Edgard de Barral
Exhibited: Salon de la Société Nationale des Beaux-Arts, Paris, 1910
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7. Twenty-four Sèvres porcelain fond bleu agate plates from the ‘Petites Vues de France’ service (each featuring a scene depicting a different view of France such as Chateau de Coucy, Château de Beaugency, Vallée de L’Ouche, and Sisteron, bordered with a bleu agate, gilt trellis, and small rosettes) | By: Sèvres, circa 1858
Provenance: By repute, given by Emperor Napoleon III to Frédéric Le Play in 1858-1859; Ader Tajan, Palais Galliera, 1972
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8. A set of eight George II silver sauceboats, Samuel Courtauld, London, 1757
Provenance: Francis Egerton, 3rd Duke of Bridgewater (1736-1803); thence by descent to his nephew George, 2nd Marquess of Stafford K.G. (1758-1833); thence by descent to the late Duke of Sutherland
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9. A 126-piece Royal Fürstenberg and Berlin porcelain composite part dinner service (featuring bouquets of flowers and scattered sprigs below a ‘Reliefzierat’ pattern moulded border with gilt trellis and branches divided by rocaille sections), various dates | circa 1860
Provenance: By repute, commissioned by George V, King of Hanover (1819-1878)
LOW-TO-MEDIUM PROVENANCE
Paintings
10. Portrait of Count Edgard de Barral, 1910 | By: Bernard Boutet de Monvel (1881 – 1949) | Provenance: Commissioned by Count Edgard de Barral | Exhibited: Salon de la Société Nationale des Beaux-Arts, Paris, 1910
11. Portrait of Louis XVIII (1755-1824), King of France | By: Studio of François-Pascal-Simon Gérard, called Baron Gérard | Provenance: Collection of Baron Seillière, Castle of Mello (Oise)
12. Portrait of Elizabeth I (1533–1603), Queen of England | By: painter unknown, English School, circa 1595 | Provenance: Possibly commissioned by Sir Thomas Hesketh (1548–1605) and hung at Heslington Hall in North Yorkshire
13. Portrait of Louis XVIII (1755-1824), King of France | By: Studio of François-Pascal-Simon Gérard, called Baron Gérard | Provenance: Collection of Baron Seillière, Castle of Mello (Oise)
14. Portrait de Madame Shipwreck Kelly (Brenda Duff Frazier) | By: Bernard Boutet de Monvel (1881 – 1949) | Provenance: Estate of Brenda K. Frazier
Decoration
15. Pietro Cipriani (circa 1679-1745), after the Antique Florence, circa 1723 – 1724 | Busts of Geta and Plautilla (bronze) by Pietro Cipriani (c. 1679-1745) | Provenance: Purchased by Thomas Parker, 1st Earl of Macclesfield; By descent to Richard, 9th Earl of Macclesfield, Shirburn Castle
16. A Louis XV tulipwood, amaranth, holly wood and gilt-bronze marquetry mechanical desk (featuring an interior with twelve side drawers, a frieze drawer, and doors to the outer sides( | circa 1760-1770, stamped Pierre Garnier | Provenance: Possibly delivered to the président de Boulainvilliers, Anne-Gabriel-Henri Bernard, Marquis de Boulainvilliers (1724-1798), Château de Passy; Mes Couturier et Nicolay, Hôtel Drouot, Paris, 1984
17. A pair of English gilt-brass and crystal thirty-six-light chandeliers in Adam style (featuring garlands and a large central urn, drip pans and canopies) | By: Wilkinson Ltd, late 20th century | Provenance: Acquired from Wilkinson Ltd.
18. A pair of French gilt-bronze mounted ebonised pearwood bibliothèques | Signed: Jeanselme, circa 1853-1861 | Provenance: La Mésangère – Albert Vandervelden, Liège, Belgium, 2009
19. A William and Mary walnut sofa, late 17th century, the needlework by Leonora Jenner | Provenance: Probably Auberon Thomas Herbert, 8th Baron Lucas, 11th Baron Dingwall; Lt. Col. Leopold Jenner DSO, Avebury Manor, Wiltshire
20. A pair of French porcelain green-ground pot-pourri vases and covers (featuring pendant garland of flowers painted against a gold-ground upper section, gilt porcelain ring handles, domed covers with a flower garland border and acanthus finial) | circa 1800 | Provenance: With Didier Aaron & Cie., Paris, 2010
21. Two lacquer chests (karabitsu), Japan (featuring one decorated with aoi mon and the other with prunus and bamboos) | Edo period, 19th century | Provenance: Galerie Camoin Demachy, Paris, 2012
22. A Swedish gilt-metal mounted reverse-glass painted mirror (floral-decorated), second half of the 19th century, in the manner of Burchardt Precht | Provenance: Christie’s London 2013
23. A large famille-verte ‘figural’ hexagonal vase, China, Qing dynasty, 18th / 19th century | Provenance: Sotheby’s Amsterdam, 2009
24. A transition gilt-bronze mounted green-painted cartel clock and bracket (decorated with a covered vase, laurel leaves and rocaille ornament), circa 1765, the dial signed Julien Le Roy | Provenance: The Phipps Family Trust
25. A set of four reverse glass paintings, Austria, late 18th century (one depicting a fisherman, another a horseman, another a bird seller, and another a man serving a drink — within green painted and parcel-gilt rococo-style frames) | Provenance: Sotheby’s London, The Collection of Gianni Versace, Villa Fontanelle, Moltrasio, 2009
26. An Empire style patinated bronze, gilt-bronze and alabaster lamp, late 19th century, in the manner of Pierre-Philippe Thomire (featuring an alabaster base decorated with goat heads and garlands on winged lions, a shaft with three female figures supporting a basketwork bowl, and a blue pleated silk shade surmounted by a swan); (electrified) | Provenance: Cabinet Alberto Pinto, 2017
27. A gilt-bronze and lacquer low table by Maison Baguès (featuring a bamboo shaped base, resting on four legs joined by a stretcher, and a black lacquer tray decorated with Asian-inspired bird and floral motifs | circa 1970 | Provenance: Galerie Jean-Luc Ferrand, Paris, 2017
28. A Louis XV giltwood canapé d’alcôve (featuring a water-green moiré silk velvet upholstery, a back centred by a cartouche decorated with a heart, and front legs decorated with a fan motif) | circa 1750, attributed to Jean-Baptiste Tilliard | Provenance: Artcurial, Paris, 2009
29. A Louis XV style gilt-bronze mounted lacquered wood commode (featuring an Asian-inspired landscape and village scene), 20th century | Provenance: Galerie Jean-Luc Ferrand, Saint-Ouen, 2017
30. A set of four gilt-bronze and Wedgwood porcelain two-light wall appliques (featuring a circular Wedgwood porcelain plaque depicting a classical scene and a smaller medallion with a profile bust of a classical male figure) | circa 1920 | Provenance: Denton Antiques, London, 2011
Charger/Decorative Plates
31. A large silver-gilt charger (featuring a scene of the Le Concert a Madame La Comtesse de Saint Brisson, bordered with four medallions between trophies of arms | probably German, late 19th century | Provenance: The Cowdray Sale: Works of Art from Cowdray Park and Dunecht House, Christie’s London, September 2011
32. A German silver charger (embossed and chased with hunting and countryside scenes) | maker’s mark ED, Augsburg, 1651-1654 | Provenance: Sotheby’s Paris, 2010
33. A German silver dish (embossed with clusters of grapes and fruits and two putti playing musical instruments), Hans Johannes II Leucker, Augsburg, circa 1640-1645 | Provenance: Dorotheum Vienna, 2010
Dinnerware
34. A suite of French silver candelabra and candlesticks (comprising two candelabra and four candlesticks, in the Régence style with scrolling branches, decorated with strapwork, masks and phoenixes) | By: G. Boin-Taburet, Paris, circa 1880 | Provenance: Sotheby’s Paris, 2010
35. A 36-piece Paris (Stone, Coquerel et Le Gros) porcelain topographical part dessert service (each piece printed in sepia with titled scenes of notable Parisian buildings or interiors, including L’Intérieur de Notre-Dame à Paris, Vue @de la Place Vendôme and Vue de L’Ecole Militaire, within a border of green printed vine and a narrow acanthus scroll border at the rim, each edged in gilt bands), second quarter 19th century | Provenance: Lascelles Family Collection, Harewood House
36. A set of sixteen Paris (Feuillet) porcelain blue-ground topographical plates (each painted with a view of a French city, within a gilt frame and flower garland border, including, the Jardin des Tuileries, the Louvre, the Palais Royale, and the ports of Dieppe, Bourdeaux and Rouen) | circa 1830-40 | Provenance: Jacques Garcia, 2009
37. A pair of French silver-mounted claret jugs (featuring glass bodies with spiral fluting, handles with scrollwork, and lids with leaf finials) | Edmond Tétard, Paris, circa 1880 | Provenance: Sotheby’s Paris, 2009
38. A 23-piece Berlin (K.P.M.) porcelain chinoiserie part dessert service (each piece painted with vignettes of chinoiserie figures at various pursuits, within a border painted in iron-red and gilding with flower sprays), 19th century | Provenance: The Alberto Pinto Collection, Christie’s Paris, 2017
39. A 116-piece Continental moulded and gilt glass assembled part service (each piece lightly moulded with flutes beneath or within a feathered gilt rim, the glasses with wrythen-moulded stems), 20th century | Provenance: Collection Alberto Pinto, Christie’s Paris, 2017
40. A 49-piece English porcelain part dessert service (featuring iron-red and green enamels, gilding with a central stylised flowerhead, garland medallion, and foliate scrollwork border) | circa 1815 | Provenance: Kenneth Neame Antiques, 2010
41. A 74-piece Continental porcelain pale blue-ground part dinner service (each piece painted with a flower spray within a pale blue-ground border with trailing gilt foliage, gilt rims) | late 19th century | Provenance: Alberto Pinto Collection, acquired 2009 (by repute).
42. A 18-piece Sèvres porcelain fond agate part coffee service (featuring a painted border of pansies and roses or blue flowers, gilt stylised flowerheads and foliate borders) circa 1812 | Provenance: The Alberto Pinto Collection, Christie’s, Paris, 2017
43. A 18-piece punch set including a pair of J. & L. Lobmeyr engraved punch jugs and sixteen punch cups (featuring faceted sides, rocaille scroll, and rococo cut pattern) | late 19th/early 20th century | Provenance: Dorotheum, Vienna, 2017
Silver Figural Salts
44. A pair of Victorian silver figural salts, Walter & John Barnard, London, 1887
45. A pair of Victorian silver figural salts, R&S Garrard, London, 1853
46. A pair of silver figural salts, Garrard & Co. Ltd., London, 1929
47. A pair of Victorian silver figural salts, Charles Johnston Hill, London, 1891
48. A pair of Victorian silver figural salts, John S. Hunt, London, 1856
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Note: Bidders are advised to exercise due diligence and consult the comprehensive condition reports provided by Sotheby’s before making a purchase. We also recommend you use the aid of Independent Art Advisors, Asset Managers, Specialized Provenance Researchers, Legal Historians, and/or Freelance Furniture & Decorative Arts Conservators before bidding on an item.
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The Extraordinary Treasures of a Singular Parisian Residence | Sotheby’s
