Christie's has concluded a remarkable auction of the Stern collection in Paris, achieving a total of €14,496,101 across two sessions held on 11 and 12 December. The sale, which exceeded initial estimates of €3 to €4.5 million by nearly five times, attracted more than 550 active bidders and demonstrated sustained collector interest in prestigious European art and decorative objects.
The collection, assembled over more than a century by three generations of the Stern banking family, encompassed an exceptional range of specialties including Old Master paintings, sculpture, Asian art, 18th-century decorative works, and 20th-century design. The diversity of the holdings and their largely unseen market appearance generated significant competitive bidding across all categories.
Among the sale's standout performances, a pair of painted water fountains by Hubert Robert commanded €3,720,000, achieving ten times its low estimate and establishing itself as the top lot. The work exemplified the strength of Old Master paintings within the collection, which attracted particularly intense interest from international buyers.
Sculpture proved equally compelling for collectors. A celebrated paired composition depicting classical abductions—featuring a rare 17th-century Florentine cast after Giambologna's marble and an early 18th-century cast after François Girardon's Pluto and Proserpina from Versailles—realised €2,866,000, more than ten times its initial estimate. A 17th-century bronze attributed to Francesco Fanelli depicting Mercury and Cupid achieved €1,768,000 against an estimate of €80,000–120,000.
The collection's enamels and glassware section reflected the refined taste of Alice Stern. An Émile Gallé vase sold for €107,950 against an estimate of €3,000–5,000, while three vases by Jean Dunand achieved €69,850, ten times their estimate. A notable pre-emption by the Musée des Arts décoratifs in Paris secured an enamel plaque representing the Allegory of Ceramics by Théophile Soyer for €12,700.
Silver from the collection, sourced from major historic sales of the 1970s and 1980s including the David-Weill collection, totalled €1,077,214, with most lots substantially exceeding their estimates. A pot à oille by Robert-Joseph Auguste, silversmith to Kings Louis XV and Louis XVI, sold for €120,650.
Etienne de Couville, auctioneer and decorative arts specialist heading the sale, noted that the results reflected collectors' continued interest in prestigious provenances and confirmed Paris's position as a major centre for collection sales. Approximately 73 per cent of lots sold above their high estimates, underscoring the collection's quality and market appeal.
SayArt / Sayart Teams
