Outlander: From Screen Icons to Collectors’ Treasures

Posted on August 10, 2026August 13, 2026 by Jenny Serra

From the moment I stepped out of the London heat and into the calm leaf-lined corridor of 101 New Bond Street on August 5th I was transported into the captivating world of Outlander. Delighted to be attending the auction to bid on behalf of a Scottish client I’d been counting the days.

As soon as Outlander hit our screens here in the U.K in 2015, it was obvious that this historic/time travel series was going to be a hit. The name Outlander has become synonymous with Scottish history and romanticism and the show catapulted many of its stars to new heights of fame, creating an enormous international following. This had a remarkable impact on visitor numbers to Scotland in a largely positive way. However, the need for repairs to historic sites due to visitor numbers soon became evident. Growing up near Culloden Battlefield I took many Sunday walks on the moor, so as the seasons progressed it was distressing to witness first-hand the pressure that had been put on the area surrounding the Clan Fraser grave in particular, resulting in the need for cordons, replanting etc. Fortunately, the National Trust For Scotland handled this sensitively and on my last visit it had recovered well.

Following the conclusion of the final season of Outlander, plans were made to offer for sale many of the costumes and props from the various eight seasons. This decision was met with a mix of positive and negative opinions – some people wishing a museum could be opened to keep collection together. Sony have kept many originals for their archive, but overall, the numbers of props and costumes are vast, more than 10,000 garments were made for Season 2 alone.

Fans of the series were delighted to learn that Bonhams Auctioneers were to hold the auction of this iconic collection, following their huge successes with The Crown and Downton Abbey auctions. With an online only auction from June 18th till August 6th and a separate live auction in Bonhams flagship saleroom on August 5th there was something for everyone.

The craftsmanship and attention to detail in the costumes was evident when viewed up close, many were modern silks, hand embroidered in the 18th century manner. Some of the more elaborate outfits took months to make, with blowtorches and cheese graters used to simulate age and daily wear! The dressing rooms on set had to be altered, some of the dresses with cages would not fit through regular doors.

Following the costumes and props being on display to the public, the room was transformed for the day of the auction. After an Outlander trailer on the big screen behind the rostrum, we had a warm introduction by one of our auctioneers for the day, Charlie Thomas, (Head of House Sales and Private & Iconic Collections).

Bidding soon got underway with a real sense of anticipation amongst the room bidders and staff poised for telephone bids.

Lasting five hours, with each auctioneer taking an hour at a time, the pace was steady but exciting.

Auction highlights included;

Lots 2 a blue and white vase, and 4, a painted sign, brought £2,816 and £4,096 respectively. Both appear in the opening sequence of Series 1, Episode 1.

Lot 9: Claire’s white dress, which sets the story of her travelling back in time through the standing stones, realised an impressive £7,040 against a £1,500-2,000 estimate.

Lot 20: Claire’s rings. The tension was palpable in the room during this lot, with 2 online bidders battling it out, this group of three rings finally sold for £28,160, against a pre-auction estimate of £3,000-5,000.

Lot 38: Claire’s stunning red dress, the hammer came down at £12,160, against a £3,000-5,000 estimate, selling to an online bidder.

Lot 56: Jamie’s Culloden outfit, estimate £1,500-2,000, has a deep historical and emotional connection for many, the lot finally achieving £8,960. Rumour has it that it was purchased by an institution so hopefully it will be on display for years to come.

Lot 43: Sawny, the hand carved wooden snake took £4,000 to an absentee bidder, memorable as a poignant moment between Jamie and brother.

Lot 69: Claire’s Bat Suit was happily reunited with Terry Dresbach, (Costume Designer Seasons 1-4,) who secured it for £4,480.

For me lot 12, was a real bargain on the day. Fifteen large, hand-painted panels from Geillis’s attic room sold for just £2,816. Inspired by a painted ceiling at Culross Palace in Fife, and tarot cards magnified, these needed a fair amount of wall space!

Next came a surprise, as special guest Graham McTavish came out to auction lot 14. He brought his charm and charisma to the rostrum and really seemed to enjoy offering this lot. Stopping briefly to replace his white jacket with that of his character Dougal, (this was subsequently offered the following day at the online auction realising £1,664). This was a fabulous and unexpected moment to remember for those in the room and following online.

The costumes and props of Outlander Seasons 1-8 represent much more than their monetary value, they’re part of the show’s history and cultural legacy. Their function has changed forever, and will continue to be enjoyed in private collections, museums, institutions, and homes around the world for years to come.

With a 100% sell rate the auctioneer was presented with the customary white glove which was a fitting end to a wonderful day.

All realised prices include buyer’s premium. Please see www.bonhams.com

Masterpieces from the Joe Lewis Collection at Sotheby’s

Posted on March 11, 2026March 12, 2026 by Jenny Serra

Works from the Joe Lewis Collection recently took centre stage at Sotheby’s London, where four important paintings by Francis Bacon, Lucian Freud and Leon Kossoff helped drive a strong evening auction and highlighted continued demand for the School of London.

These four major paintings formed the centrepiece of Sotheby’s Modern and Contemporary Art Evening Auction held during London’s spring “Marquee Week” of high-profile International Modern and Contemporary art sales.

These four significant works from Lewis’s holdings – by leading figures of the “School of London” – generated intense market interest and played a key role in the success of the event. The auction totalled 51 lots, consigned by various owners which most unusually for a mixed owner evening auction ultimately achieved a “white-glove” result, meaning every single lot offered in the auction was sold. By tradition as the hammer falls on the last lot of the auction the auctioneer is presented with a pair of white gloves and a round of applause for him or her and the sale team. In this case the auctioneer was Oliver Barker (see photo of him receiving white gloves in a previous auction).

Background: The Joe Lewis Collection

Joe Lewis is a British billionaire investor and currency trader whose family trust controls Tottenham Hotspur football club. Over several decades he has quietly assembled a private art collection, reportedly keeping many works aboard his superyacht Aviva. I first came across Joe at the start of my career as Head of Modern British Art at Christie’s in the 1980’s.

Back then both main auction houses were public companies so their shares were traded on the stock market and Joe became a significant Christie’s shareholder as well as being a regular bidder in our auctions. I remember being struck by his search for only the best works in our sales. He was quite content to pass on anything he considered second best and focus on only the best quality pre-eminent works. He is known to have collected significant works by Matisse and Picasso as well as many post-war British painters. He also has a strong interest in the later School of London artists who were a loosely connected group of figurative artists active in London during the mid-20th century. The movement included artists such as Michael Andrews, Frank Auerbach, Francis Bacon, David Hockney, Lucian Freud, and Leon Kossoff, who all pursued expressive figurative painting during a period when abstraction dominated international art.

The Sotheby’s sale marked one of the first times Lewis publicly attached his name to artworks from his collection, making the consignment a notable event in the art market…

The sale included the following four museum-quality paintings that Lewis had owned for nearly three decades:

Lot 18 , Francis Bacon — Self-Portrait (1972)

• The top lot of the group
• Sold for £16,035,000, the pre sale estimate was £8-12 million, this same picture was last sold at auction in 1994 for £330,000.

This picture was Painted after the death of Bacon’s lover George Dyer, making it one of the artist’s most psychologically charged works. It was given by the artist to his doctor who saw him through this hugely difficult time in his life.

Lot 17 Lucian Freud – portrait of a young painter (the sitter is Freud’s friend and fellow artist Ken Brazier)

Sold for £7,166,000 pre sale estimate £4-6 million

Lot 19 Lucian Freud, Blond Girl on a Bed

This is a portrait of Sophie de Stempel one of Lucian’s muses.
Sold for £7,140,000 pre sale estimate £6-8 million

Lot 16 Leon Kossoff — Children’s Swimming Pool

(This is a scene at Willesden public swimming pool between 1969 and 1972 and is one of only five large scale paintings of this subject, Kossoff described the scene as ‘chaos, light and movement’)

It sold for £5,241,000, (£600-800,000 estimate) this same picture last sold at auction in 1992 for £190,000 and is now a new world auction record price for Kossoff, and the previous highest price for the artist was set in 2018 at £1,388,750 for a view Of Willesden Junction.

Altogether these four works alone realised £35.8 million, accounting for approximately ¼ of the £131 million 51 lot sale total.

Auction Results and Market Context

The Lewis Collection works helped drive strong results for the rest of this auction with bidding coming from collectors across around 40 countries, with more than 6,000 visitors attending the various preview exhibitions. These results and the high attendee numbers strongly suggested increased confidence in the London art market despite all the geopolitical uncertainty prevailing at the time of the sale.

Works by canonical artists such as Bacon and Freud remain highly sought after by collectors seeking stable investments and the success of these works reinforced the lasting market strength of post-war British figurative painting.

The sale demonstrated how a small group of exceptional works from a single collector can shape the success and narrative of a major auction season.

Conclusion

This season’s London marquee sales across all the sale rooms raised a total value of £277.5 million, with a 63.9% increase over the comparable London sales in March 2025. This was despite an increasingly uncertain geo-political and economic outlook, the market showed signs of increased confidence, with a 24.5% increase in the number of lots offered for sale compared to last year, combined with fewer withdrawn and unsold lots

The Leonard Lauder Auction

Posted on November 20, 2025November 20, 2025 by Jenny Serra

If I were to ask if you’ve heard of Estée Lauder, you will instantly know the beauty products, perhaps not the person. If I ask the same question about Leonard A. Lauder (1933-2025) you’re likely to struggle to answer.

That is until last Tuesday evening (Nov 18th 2025) when he achieved instant fame when his Gustav Klimt masterpiece painting sold for $236.4 million at Sotheby’s in New York – thus setting a new auction record for the turn of the 20th-century Viennese artist, and simultaneously making it now the most expensive work ever sold at Sotheby’s and the most expensive Modern artwork ever sold at auction.

The family business that brought the wealth to enable Leonard Lauder to build one of the finest art collections of the late 20th century came from the world famous family business, founded by his mother in 1946.

Born Josephine Esther Mentzer in 1908, Estée Lauder was raised in Queens, New York, by her mother Rose, who was born in Sátoraljaújhely, Hungary, and her father Max, who was born in Pressburg (now Bratislava, Slovakia). The name Estée was a variation of her childhood nickname, Esty.

Estée first became interested in beauty as a young girl, when her uncle, a chemist, came to live with her family. He created velvety skin creams at home—first in the kitchen, then in a stable behind the family house, which they turned into a laboratory. From her uncle, Estée learnt how to formulate skin creams and expertly apply them to the skin. In the late 1920s, Estée met Joseph Lauter. After they married in 1930 and moved to Manhattan, the couple adopted the surname Lauder, correcting a misspelling that dated back to the time when Joseph’s father emigrated from Austria to the United States.

Estée began selling skin care and makeup in beauty salons, demonstrating her products on women while they were sitting under hair dryers. In 1946, she and Joseph officially launched the company, and a year later they landed their first major order—$800 worth of products from Saks Fifth Avenue.

Estée and Joseph raised their sons around the family business, which was often a topic of discussion at the family’s dinner table. Leonard A. Lauder (1933-2025) and Ronald S. Lauder (born 1944) would both go on to join the company, leading its growth with an eye for innovation. Today, three generations of the Lauder family have served the company in executive roles.

As Chairman Emeritus of the Company, Leonard was deeply involved in the business and day-to-day operations until his death in June this year. He joined the company in the 1960’s which began a lifetime’s dedication to the family business and with the personal wealth it brought him, he was able to personally collect art and also support art institutions across the USA. Like many successful American business people he strived throughout his life to give back to his country as much as it had given him and his family in opportunities.

When asked about his collection he famously said, “People often ask me which is my favourite picture. I can talk to you about any picture in my collection hanging on any wall and if I’m near it, that’s my favourite picture. You have to train your eye, train your mind and the more you see the more you are able to see, so you have to study art, work hard and enjoy it all”.

Leonard was a particularly important and significant supporter of the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York. He was Chairman and a trustee from 1977 to 2011. During this time he was one of the Museum’s most significant benefactors—including a milestone gift of $131 million in 2008 from The American Contemporary Art Foundation, Inc., of which he was President. Lauder championed the Museum’s collection over the course of the last four decades. Since 1975, he helped the Museum acquire 948 works of art, 760 of which he gifted personally; an additional 188 were brought in with the assistance of acquisition committees and other generous collectors. His dedication to building museum collections also extended beyond the Whitney. He generously promised a major collection to the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, and in 2013 he pledged on his death an extraordinary gift of seventy-eight Cubist masterworks by Pablo Picasso, Georges Braque, Juan Gris, and Fernand Léger to the Metropolitan Museum of Art which they have now received.

Leonard Lauder was a teacher, a steward, and a generous New Yorker, he redefined what it means to be a patron of the arts.

The core of the collection was offered in a standalone 24-lot gala evening sale on Tuesday 18th November 2025, marking the inaugural auction at Sotheby’s new headquarters building on Madison Avenue New York, previously the site of the Whitney Museum. The room was packed to the rafters and the sale was led by one of the finest and most intricately conceived of the celebrated full-length portraits Klimt created during Vienna’s early 20th century Golden Age. Depicting the young Elisabeth Lederer, the daughter of Klimt’s greatest patrons, the painting has never before appeared at auction.

The pre sale estimate was not published in the catalogue but ‘available on request’ and rumoured to be in the region of $150 million. The bidding on this masterwork lasted for about 20 minutes, the auctioneer, Oliver Barker, opened the action at $130 million, and the price climbed steadily by intervals of $2 million, then $5 million.

The fight slowed as the price approached $170 million, but eventually Sotheby’s staffer David Galperin came in at $171 million with a surprise bid and then a three-way battle was joined and there were six bidders in total.

When the price reached $200 million, applause erupted and a Sotheby’s staffer on the phone won with his final bid which with buyer’s premium was $236.4 million.

Complementing the portrait were two signature square-format landscape paintings of Attersee, Klimt’s beloved summer retreat: Blumenwiese, a jewel-like mosaic of wildflowers from 1908, and Waldabhang bei Unterach in Attersee of 1916, painted with the broader, lyrical touch of Klimt’s mature style. These works, too, have never been available at auction. It is truly exceptional to see perhaps one major Klimt painting in a year so to have three in one auction is truly extraordinary.

Also unprecedented is the offering of six iconic sculptures by Henri Matisse. Major works by Edvard Munch, Pablo Picasso, Agnes Martin, Claes Oldenberg and Coosje van Bruggen, among others, reveal the full sweep of Mr. Lauder’s peerless eye. This exceptional collection, shines a new light on the full breadth of Mr. Lauder’s far-ranging connoisseurship.

Summary of results

Sotheby’s had already guaranteed the final price for the collection leaving them on the hook for some $400 million, according to market sources. In the weeks leading up to the auction, it had sought an investor(s) willing to place irrevocable bids on the three Klimt paintings, jointly valued at $300 million. Just 10 hours before the auction, Sotheby’s online catalog didn’t have any symbols signifying that it had succeeded in finding backers for the works, however by 9 a.m. on the day of the sale symbols had appeared alongside all but six of the lower-value lots in the sale…the final total for the evening was a shade over $700 million…phew!

While the results of auction sales are always fascinating and relevant to the Art Market as a whole, remember that they represent a price achieved on the day and at the time of the auction and only that. Therefore, as soon as is practical it’s important to add your new purchases to your existing insurance valuation and to of course to review your whole insurance valuation on a regular basis.

Michael Baggott’s Legacy in Silver

Posted on August 21, 2025August 21, 2025 by Jenny Serra

Woolley & Wallis will sell the private collection of the late TV expert and silver specialist Michael Baggott over three auctions at its Salisbury salerooms. Michael was a much-loved expert and TV personality, having starred in BBC’s Flog It! Bargain Hunt, and Antiques Roadshow. He was also the author of An Illustrated Guide to York Hallmarks 1776-1858 (2012) and As Found: A Lifetime in Antiques (2024) as well as writing regularly for the journal of the Silver Spoon Club of Great Britain, The Finial.

My first meeting with Michael was during work experience as a viewing assistant at a provincial saleroom. Fresh out of university and instantly hooked by the excitement of the saleroom, I was eager to help in any way I could. On viewing duty, and placed behind the silver cabinets, I was completely blown away by his incredible knowledge of the subject. This awe very much continued over the years, as I progressed into cataloguing and valuing – I would nervously check his Twitter feed as catalogues went online and sales took place – had I missed anything? Were my group lots really what I had thought them to be – or was he in possession of another of his astutely procured finds, courtesy of my cataloguing? As we know in this incredible industry, there is always something new to learn and Michael in particular left no stone unturned, yet was so generous with his knowledge.

Likely to be the most comprehensive collection of York silver to ever reach the open market, Michael’s collection also features examples from Liverpool, Chester, Dundee, Newcastle, Bristol, Exeter and Aberdeen.

The first part of Michael’s collection was sold on 16th July, with 152 lots on offer, including a large selection of flatware, salvers, nutmeg graters, card cases, snuff boxes, sauce boats and many more unique items, such as medicine spoons, tipstaffs, and a tongue scraper!
The top selling piece unsurprisingly was a York item, a rare George III provincial silver tontine chamberstick and snuffer, by Hampston and Prince, York 1793. Commemorating a Tontine agreement between twelve subscribers, and detailing their names and dates of death. This piece was offered with an estimate of £1,000-1,500, and reached a total of £8,190 (inclusive of Buyer’s Premium).

Another piece from the collection with an extraordinary history and provenance was a George IV silver mounted naval snuff box. This piece was inscribed ‘Made of the wood from Northern Discover Ships by Michael Jones at Deptford, 5th May 1824.’ It is thought that this refers to the 16th century English ships of the same name, sent to discover a northern sea route to Asia. This intriguing snuff box sold for £5,670 (inclusive of Buyer’s Premium).

One of the conversation pieces of the sale was a ceremonial silver spade. Not only for its shape and size, but the assay date letter. Assayed in York anywhere from one to five years after the Assay Office officially closed, this spade has a date letter of a ‘Y’. In Michael’s own notes on the piece, “this is a previously unknown date letter and is arguably one of the rarest pieces of York silver known.”

The spade was made by John Bell of York, and “presented to the Lady Mayoress of York, Mrs W. Fox Clarke, on the occasion of her planting a tree in St. George’s Field in commemoration of the marriage of H.R.H the Prince of Wales with Princess Alexandra of Denmark, March 10th 1863.” Estimated modestly at £1,000-2,000, this piece sold for £4,032 (inclusive of Buyer’s Premium).

Another piece that serves to demonstrate the width and breadth of the collection is a George IV silver-gilt sideboard dish by Edward Thomason of Birmingham, assayed in 1826 and engraved with a scene of The Drunken Silenus given wine by a satyr. This lavishly decorated dish was based on the Drunken Silenus design for the Tazza Farnese circa 1599-1600. This piece totalled £5,040 (inclusive of Buyer’s Premium) against an estimate of £2,000-3,000.

Michael Baggott’s remarkable collection of silver will be split over three sales at Woolley & Wallis, with the final two auctions taking place on 21st & 22nd October and in late January / early February; the date for next year is yet to be confirmed. It certainly will be interesting to glimpse the remaining pieces in this wonderfully curated collection, and undoubtedly witness more fantastic results.

Further Sale Highlights:

What the July Sales Reveal About the Old Master Market

Posted on July 17, 2025July 23, 2025 by Jenny Serra

The results of the Old Master Sales in London last week established two things. First, the gulf in the fortunes of the two great rivals Sotheby’s and Christie’s has been reinforced and second, there is such a dearth of decent Old Masters available, that both auction houses had to bulk the Day Sales with rather modest 19th Century British and Continental paintings of the traditional type, i.e. not Pre-Raphaelite or Impressionists, both of which schools still have a keen following, in order to get reasonable-sized sales. Both day sales made a little over £4M.

Sotheby’s evening sale of the best Old Masters made £14.47M with all but 5 of the 31 lots finding buyers. The newly discovered early oil painting by Turner of the Hotwells in Bristol, making a surprising £1.8M against an estimate of £200,000-300,000. This painting came up at Dreweatts last year and made £400. Subsequent cleaning revealed a signature, and all Turner scholars now agree that it is his missing R.A. exhibit of 1793, which was always thought to have been a watercolour.
The top price was the beautiful panel painted in oil and tempera of the Saint Quirinus of Neuss by the Renaissance Master Lorenzo di Credi. Saint Quirinus was a Christian soldier martyr from the 4th Century, who is very rarely depicted. This did not prevent him making £2.7M with buyer’s premium.

Christie’s evening sale had 39 lots and like Sotheby’s, sold all but 5. The total of £55.26M however, was nearly 4 times greater than Sotheby’s and was mostly accounted for by the magnificent Canaletto of the Bucintoro returning to Venice on Ascension Day. This large canvas, measuring 86 x 138 cm, was in almost pristine state and at £31.935M, including premium, exceeded the previous world record for the artist by more than 60%.

Another hefty price was the glamorous still Life by Jan Davidsz. de Heem of fruit, a pie, a silver tazza, a wanli bowl, strong box and ewer on a draped table, which although not as flamboyant as the one in Jordan Saunders’ sale, made £3.67M.

One might have supposed that paintings by Pieter Brueghel the Younger, who is little more than a factory churning out pastiches of his fathers’ work, would suffer in the current picky climate, but both offerings sold. The “Visit to the Farm”, making £819,000, more than double the bottom estimate. The pretty little still life by Balthasar van der Ast did not fare so well and failed to sell against an estimate of £200,000-300,000. Old fashioned taste, I suppose.

The star lot at Bonhams sale was the portrait of Sir Edward Monins by George Gower, the leading portraitist at the end of Queen Elizabeth I’s reign. Sir Edward is wearing a very elegant doublet of narrow black and gold hoops and despite looking somewhat like a cut out (there is no sense of volume in the shoulders) made a very strong £1.1M against an estimate of £200,000-300,000. Once again, proving the power of image over draughtsmanship!

Sotheby’s has $1.8B of debt, its owner, Patrick Drahi, has a reputed $3B of debt. A lifeline was thrown to them by ADQ, an Abu Dhabi sovereign wealth fund, which has purchased a $1 billion share. What percentage this represents, no-one is sure. One thing is certain though, the Art Market is shrinking. Masterpieces are in short supply and the value of many Works of Art, especially Old Masters is declining. Christie’s, on the other hand, is owned by Francois Pinault of Artemis Group, one of the richest men in the world, with an estimated wealth of $19.7 billion. Both Sotheby’s and Christie’s have seen turnover drop by several billion over the last 2 years and can probably expect the slide to continue.

Perhaps re-branding themselves as purveyors of luxury goods rather than auctioneers of fine Works of Art has undermined the status of what they sell. What is certain is that so much antique stuff – porcelain, glass, silver, brown furniture and old paintings, doesn’t chime with modern taste and shows no sign of making a comeback, but there is always a market for a masterpiece.

Birkin No.1: Jane’s Own Handbag Goes Under the Hammer

Posted on July 10, 2025August 13, 2025 by Jenny Serra

Jane Birkin’s original Birkin bag, a legendary prototype that sparked the creation of one of the world’s most iconic and coveted handbags, is currently being sold at Sotheby’s in Paris.

This historic piece, distinguishable by unique features like its attached shoulder strap and “J.B.” stamp, was designed for Birkin in 1984 after a chance encounter. Having been used by Birkin for nearly a decade and previously auctioned for charity in 1994, it has since been owned by a private collector and exhibited in prestigious museums. Now, as the highlight of Sotheby’s “Fashion Icons” sale running from 26th June to 10th July, this black leather artifact, still bearing traces of its storied past, including humanitarian stickers and even cat bite marks, is poised to fetch a significant sum, potentially setting a new record for a Birkin bag at auction.

This isn’t just any Birkin; it’s the very first one ever made, custom-designed for Jane herself and it boasts seven unique design elements that you won’t find in any other Birkin bag, making this prototype truly a unique buy.

So, let’s start with how it came about. In 1984, Jane Birkin found herself on a flight from Paris to London, seated next to Jean-Louis Dumas, the then chief executive of Hermès. Birkin was struggling with her existing handbag – a wicker basket – whose contents had spilled across the aisle. She expressed her frustration to Dumas, lamenting the difficulty of finding a stylish yet functional bag large enough to hold all her essentials, especially baby bottles (she had her daughter Lou Doillon at the time). Dumas, ever the visionary, was intrigued by her predicament. He listened intently as Birkin described her ideal bag: something softer than a rigid briefcase, but still substantial enough to be practical for everyday use. He then sketched a design on the spot, reportedly on the back of an airplane sickness bag – a rectangular, supple holdall with a distinctive flap and clochette. Thus, the concept for the Birkin bag was born.

It’s not the first time one of Jane Birkin’s Hermes Handbags has been sold at auction, in 2021 at Bonham’s her Birkin 35 in Togo sold for £119,000, five times its presale estimate!

The sale of Jane Birkin’s Original Birkin is slightly more significant in that it’s the very first one ever made, custom-designed for Jane herself, based on her ideas and it boasts seven unique design elements that you won’t find in any other Birkin bag, making this prototype truly a unique buy.

Shoulder strap

Perhaps the most striking detail of the bag is its integrated shoulder strap. This wasn’t just a design choice; it’s a feature that was never replicated in any commercially produced Birkin. Though Hermès later offered a limited edition with a detachable strap in the 1990s, Jane’s original stands alone as the only Birkin to boast a fixed, non-removable shoulder strap.

Size

Breaking from the standard 40 and 35 sizes of the Hermès Birkins, Jane’s Original Birkin offered a distinct hybrid design. It ingeniously combined the sleek width and height of a Birkin 35 with the more spacious depth of a Birkin 40, another truly unique specification.

Hardware

Initially, it featured gilded brass hardware. This early detail evolved when the Birkin officially launched, moving to gold-plated hardware distinguished by a check mark stamp. As the Birkin line matured, Hermès diversified its hardware choices, eventually offering palladium, rose gold, and other finishes.

Rings / Pontet

Another unique detail is its closed metal rings which the leather straps thread through to close the bag, this is reminiscent of the Hermès Sac Haut à Courroies (HAC). In contrast, early commercial Birkin’s, introduced until the early 1990s, featured rings open at the bottom. Today’s Birkin bags now display rings that are open at the top.

Studs and zippers

Hers features notably smaller bottom studs than those found on later production bags. Additionally, its zippers were sourced from Éclair, a detail unique to this prototype. In the 1990s, Hermès partnered with Riri, who remains the exclusive zipper manufacturer for all Birkin bags today.

Initials

More than just an accessory, it was a deeply personal extension of herself, proudly marked with her “J.B.” initials on the front flap. It quickly became her constant companion, often cradled close in her arms as she took it everywhere. The bag’s well-loved condition eloquently speaks to years of dedicated use by the iconic actress and singer, embodying her inimitable style and spirit.

And finally, a rather quirky element, Jane Birkin preferred natural, well-maintained nails over polished fake nails. Ever practical, she kept a nail clipper readily accessible, tethered to a chain inside her Birkin and hanging from the shoulder strap’s base, ensuring her nails were always perfectly trimmed.

This prototype was more than just a fashion statement; it became inseparable from Jane herself. She carried it daily for nearly a decade, and its well-worn condition reflects her life on the move. Her Birkin served not only as a functional accessory but also as a canvas for her activism. Jane famously adorned it with stickers supporting Médecins du Monde and UNICEF, transforming the luxury handbag into a powerful symbol of her humanitarian efforts.

The impending sale of Jane Birkin’s original Birkin prototype at Sotheby’s is poised to significantly impact the broader Hermès market. By potentially fetching a record-breaking sum, this historic auction will not only set a new benchmark for bags with unparalleled provenance but also likely elevate the perceived value and desirability of all Birkin bags, from new releases to vintage models, across the primary and secondary markets. This event powerfully reinforces Hermès’ narrative as the epitome of luxury, craftsmanship, and timeless investment, further solidifying the Birkin’s status as the most coveted handbag in the world and intensifying collector interest in rare and unique pieces.

Update! The Birkin sold at auction for an incredible £7.4m, becoming the most valuable handbag ever sold at auction.

Insuring the Infamous: Valuing Al Capone’s Custom Timepiece

Posted on July 10, 2025July 29, 2026 by Jenny Serra

We have seen watches boasting fantastic provenance hitting the auction block this year, including a limited edition Omega Speedmaster owned by Neil Armstrong selling at RR Auctions for $2.1 million, a Rolex Daytona ‘Big Red’ gifted to F1 Driver Jean-Pierre Jabouille selling at Phillips for $215,900, and a Rolex GMT-Master, owned by Sheila Scott OBE ‘Britain’s Queen of the Air’ selling at Spink for £30,000.

Perhaps one of the most notorious and nefarious watches to be offered in the June Watch Sales was a platinum Patek Philippe pocket watch, owned and customised by the legendary Chicago born gangster, Al Capone. Dating to 1919, this 42mm open face pocket watch was custom-cased in platinum, and personalised with ninety single-cut diamonds spelling out the initials ‘AC’ to the case back. Interestingly, the pocket watch is missing its minute hand, and undoubtedly would have some real tales to tell, of a criminal provenance that belies its sleek and stylish Art Deco aesthetic.

Reputedly, Capone was unhappy with the original ‘plain’ case of this timepiece, and took the watch to a jewellers to re-case in this striking platinum and diamond design. Making a ‘project’ out of this Patek pocket watch, Capone was an early adopter of the customised watch. As Sotheby’s catalogue notes point out, “such a watch was hardly subtle, and ultimately it was tax evasion that enabled the federal government to send Capone to jail, eventually landing him in the legendary Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary.”

Sold with a provenance letter from Capone’s granddaughter, Barbara Mae Capone, this watch was estimated at $80,000-160,000, and reached mid-estimate inclusive of fees. The watch was last sold in 2021 by Witherells Auctioneers for $229,900 against a $25,000-50,000 estimate. At the June sale in 2025 it made just $95,250.

So what could account for this drop in hammer price? Perhaps it was simply offered too soon after its initial sale. In 2021, the piece was completely ‘market fresh,’ and so the buzz and interest around this piece understandably would have been much greater, even compared to Sotheby’s world-class marketing and lot presentation.

The watch was sold in 2021 as part of an ‘estate sale’ together with 174 other lots relating to the Capone family. This sale included letters from Alcatraz, photographs, pistols, jewellery, watches and furniture. Browsing this sale does provide a real insight into Al Capone’s personal life, his belongings, style, and manner of collecting. Similarly personalised stickpins, cufflinks, and accessories really help to contextualise and allow us to picture the pocket watch as part of a larger collection. Pieces such as the 14k white gold and diamond notebook cover in particular, are decorated in such a similar manner that they may well have been commissioned by Al Capone at the same time – this piece sold for $36,300 against a $2,000-5,000 estimate.

As the value trajectory of this legendary pocket watch will show, the value of provenanced items and fine timepieces can fluctuate! Various factors including timing, the appetite of the market, condition, originality, working order, can impact collections in the short to medium term. I have no doubt that in the long term, this watch will continue to grow in value, but it serves to show the importance of regular valuations of your items to protect against over or under insurance.

Images with thanks to Sotheby’s and Witherills Auctioneers.

The Scottish Colourists

Posted on June 19, 2025June 19, 2025 by Jenny Serra

I have a long list of personal artistic heroes from all eras, each is talented in their own ways however rare among my list of heroes are groups of artists. One notable and exceptional group of my ‘hero’ artists are the Scottish Colourists, all hugely talented individuals in their own right whose love of colour, light, form and the open air sing out from all of their pictures.

The Scottish Colourists were a group of four artists—Samuel John Peploe, Francis Cadell, George Leslie Hunter, and John Duncan Fergusson—who all worked primarily in the early 20th century and are celebrated for bringing bold, modern European artistic influences into Scottish art. Though they were not a formal movement during their lifetimes, their work is now collectively recognised as a group of four and their work is admired by private collectors across the world for its vibrant palette, modernist approach, and synthesis of Scottish subject matter with the avant-garde styles of France.

The four drew heavily on French Impressionism, Fauvism, and Post-Impressionism art, particularly from the work of Manet, Cézanne and Matisse, the Colourists emphasised light, colour, and compositional clarity. Each artist had strong personal ties to France, where they absorbed the stylistic innovations of the Parisian art world, returning to Scotland with a fresh and radical aesthetic.

Francis Cadell – Artist Profile

Full Name: Francis Campbell Boileau Cadell
Birth: April 12, 1883, Edinburgh, Scotland
Death: December 6, 1937, Edinburgh, Scotland

Early Life & Family

Francis Cadell was born into a well-to-do, cultured Edinburgh family. His father, Dr. Francis Cadell, was a distinguished surgeon and Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh. His mother, Mary Hamilton Boileau, came from a family with military and aristocratic ties. Cadell was raised in a supportive environment that encouraged his artistic pursuits from an early age.

At just 16 years old, he moved to Paris to study at the prestigious Académie Julian, an experience that would shape his early style and expose him to the modernist developments then unfolding in France.

Education & Career

After Paris, Cadell continued his studies in Munich before settling back in Scotland. His career truly flourished in the years following World War I, during which he served in the army. His style matured into a distinctive blend of elegant modernism, defined by clean lines, vibrant but controlled colour, and a refined sense of composition.

Cadell was particularly associated with the New Town of Edinburgh and the Hebridean island of Iona, both of which featured prominently in his work. His paintings ranged from chic interiors and society portraits to luminous seascapes and landscapes.

Style & Legacy

Cadell’s work is known for its:

Bold yet harmonious colour palette
Strong decorative sense
Elegantly stylized compositions

He was deeply influenced by the French avant-garde, particularly Manet and Matisse, however he maintained a distinctly Scottish sensibility in his choice of subject matter.

Although he faced financial difficulties later in life and died in relative obscurity, Cadell’s reputation has since grown. Today, he is celebrated as one of the key figures in Scottish modern art and an integral member of the Scottish Colourists.

Samuel Peploe - Artist Profile

Full Name: Samuel John Peploe
Birth: January 27, 1871, Edinburgh, Scotland
Death: October 11, 1935, Edinburgh, Scotland

Early Life & Education

Samuel Peploe was born into a wealthy Edinburgh family. His father, Robert L. Peploe, was a successful banker, and the young Samuel was initially expected to carve out a professional career in law or banking. However, his artistic talent and passion for painting quickly became evident. After briefly studying law, Peploe chose instead to pursue art, enrolling first at the Trustees’ Academy in Edinburgh, and then continuing his training in Paris at the Académie Julian and later at the Académie Colarossi , also in Paris and run by the artist’s model and sculptor Filippo Colarossi.

While in Paris, Peploe was exposed to the then revolutionary work of the Impressionists and Post-Impressionists, particularly Édouard Manet, whose influence would echo throughout Peploe’s mature work.

Career Development

Peploe initially painted landscapes, portraits, and interiors, but found his distinctive voice in still-life painting. His early palette was quite restrained, characterised by tonal subtlety and a sense of quiet harmony.

By the 1910s and 1920s, Peploe had begun experimenting with bolder colour and tighter compositions, reflecting his deepening interest in Cézanne and Fauvism. His move toward high-keyed colour, simplified forms, and carefully balanced arrangements made his work instantly recognisable and marked a radical departure from the much more conservative narrative traditions of Scottish painting.

Peploe painted in France, particularly in Paris and on the coast of Brittany, he also worked extensively in Scotland, especially in the Hebrides, where he often painted alongside Francis Cadell.

Style and Technique

Peploe’s work is known for:

Vibrant colour and a bold, deliberate brushstroke
Carefully structured compositions, often with objects placed on crisp white tablecloths or against dramatic black backdrops
A modernist sensibility rooted in observation, yet transformed by formal abstraction

He is particularly celebrated for his still lifes—featuring flowers, fruit, ceramics, and drapery—which demonstrate his acute sensitivity to form, space, and light. He was not fully appreciated during his lifetime, however Peploe’s work gained greater recognition after his death. Today, he is widely regarded as one of the most significant Scottish artists of the 20th century. His paintings are held in major collections, including the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art, and continue to be highly sought after by collectors.

Personal Life

Peploe married Margaret MacKay in 1910. The couple had one son, Denis Peploe, who also became a painter. Despite periods of financial hardship, particularly during World War I, Peploe remained dedicated to his artistic vision until his death in 1935.

George Leslie Hunter – Artist Profile

Full Name: George Leslie Hunter
Birth: August 7, 1877, Rothesay, Isle of Bute, Scotland
Death: December 7, 1931, Glasgow, Scotland

Early Life & Background

George Leslie Hunter was born into a large family in Rothesay on the Isle of Bute, but at the age of 15, he emigrated with his family to California, settling near San Francisco. Unlike the other Scottish Colourists, Hunter was largely self-taught, and his route to painting was highly unconventional.

In his early years, Hunter worked as a graphic illustrator and cartoonist, producing drawings for magazines and newspapers. He also studied briefly at the California School of Design, but his development was largely informal. After the 1906 San Francisco earthquake, which destroyed much of his early work, he returned to Scotland, determined to devote himself fully to painting.

Career Development

Hunter’s career was a story of struggle, persistence, and transformation. He began exhibiting in Glasgow and quickly became known for his expressive landscapes and still lifes. In 1908, a trip to Paris introduced him to French modernism, especially the work of the Impressionists and Post-Impressionists, and began a shift in his style toward more vivid colour and looser brushwork.

A pivotal moment came in 1922 when Alexander Reid, a prominent Glasgow art dealer, organized a joint exhibition of Hunter’s work alongside that of Peploe, Fergusson, and Cadell. This show helped solidify the public’s perception of the four artists as the Scottish Colourists, though they never formally operated as a group.

Style & Technique

Hunter’s style is marked by:

Luminous, radiant colour, often layered in broken brushstrokes or loose, spontaneous patches
A sensitive, emotionally charged handling of paint, conveying a direct response to nature and atmosphere
A focus on landscapes, still lifes, and harbour scenes, especially views in around Fife, Loch Lomond, Provence, and the south of France

His still lifes—particularly those with fruit, jugs, and flowers—show his remarkable ability to create harmony and vitality with colour and form. His landscapes, meanwhile, often capture a shimmering, almost dreamlike sense of place.

Despite his technical sophistication, Hunter remained plagued by self-doubt, frequently reworking or even destroying his own paintings, believing them inadequate. This insecurity, combined with physical and mental health struggles, affected both his output and recognition during his lifetime.

Personality & Later Years

Hunter was known for his eccentric and unpredictable temperament, often struggling with bouts of depression and illness. He lived a somewhat bohemian lifestyle, moving between France and Scotland, and was known for his intense periods of creativity followed by periods of complete withdrawal.

By the late 1920s, Hunter’s work had matured into a distinct and powerful style. However, his health deteriorated sharply. He died in 1931 at the age of 54, just as he was beginning to receive the recognition he had long sought.

J.D. Fergusson – Artist Profile

Full Name: John Duncan Fergusson
Birth: March 9, 1874, Leith, Edinburgh, Scotland
Death: January 30, 1961, Glasgow, Scotland

Early Life & Education

J.D. Fergusson was born in Leith, the port district of Edinburgh, into a middle-class family. Originally intended for a career in medicine, he soon abandoned formal education to pursue his passion for art. He studied briefly at the Trustees’ Academy in Edinburgh but quickly rejected its academic approach. Like Hunter, Fergusson was largely self-taught, relying on travel, observation, and personal exploration to shape his style.

In the late 1890s, he began spending time in Paris, a city that would deeply influence his artistic direction. There, he immersed himself in café culture, intellectual life, and the art scene, encountering the work of Impressionists, Fauves, and Post-Impressionists firsthand.

Paris and the Avant-Garde

From 1907 to 1914, Fergusson lived in Paris, and this period proved to be a catalyst for his future development as an artist.During this time he connected with artists and writers in the heart of the European avant-garde, including Matisse, Derain, and members of the École de Paris. He exhibited at the Salon d’Automne, becoming part of the broader modernist movement.

Fergusson embraced the Fauvist love of vibrant, unmixed colour, as well as Cubist ideas about structure and form, although he remained committed to a personal and sensual response to the world, particularly the human figure.

Artistic Style and Themes

Fergusson’s work is distinguished by:

Vivid, expressive colourful and confident brushwork
A strong focus on the female form, often idealized and stylized, exploring themes of vitality, movement, and beauty
Engagement with dance and performance, especially during his time in Paris
A tendency toward rhythmic composition and sculptural solidity, blending Fauvism with classical influences

His later work shows a shift toward a more structured, monumental style, especially in his depictions of nudes and dancers, which reflect both modernist abstraction and an enduring interest in classical balance.

War and Return to Britain

With the outbreak of World War I, Fergusson returned to the UK and was devastated by the loss of many Parisian friends and the fragmentation of the vibrant prewar cultural scene. He spent time in London and Edinburgh, eventually settling in Glasgow.

During the interwar years, he became a driving force in the Scottish art world, founding the New Art Club in Glasgow and later the New Scottish Group, advocating for modernist principles in Scottish art.

Personal Life

A deeply cosmopolitan and passionate figure, Fergusson was also a writer, thinker, and art theorist. He had a lifelong partnership with Margaret Morris, a pioneering dancer and choreographer whose work strongly influenced his art. Through Morris, Fergusson developed a keen interest in movement, rhythm, and human anatomy, which became central motifs in his paintings and sculptures.

Later Years and Legacy

Fergusson lived a long and productive life, remaining active into his 80s. He died in 1961 in Glasgow, by which time his reputation had undergone a significant revival. His legacy is that of a true modernist—one who brought the spirit of European avant-garde into Scottish art and insisted on the emotional and intellectual richness of modern painting.

The Fergusson Gallery in Perth, Scotland, holds an extensive collection of his work and remains a major centre for studying his contributions to British and European art.

Legacy of the Colourists

While J.D. Fergusson was perhaps the most forward-looking and intellectually ambitious of the Scottish Colourists, Peploe and Cadell refined the still life and landscape, and Hunter brought lyrical spontaneity, Fergusson aimed for something larger: a synthesis of body, rhythm, and spirit in a modern idiom.

The legacy of the Scottish Colourists perhaps most significantly lies in their transformation of Scottish painting, bridging the gap between traditional academic approaches and the modernist spirit of the early 20th century. Today, they are recognised not only for their technical skill and aesthetic innovation, but also for their pivotal role in placing Scottish art on an international stage.

What Went Wrong (And What Went Right) at Sotheby’s Old Masters Sale?

Posted on June 12, 2025June 12, 2025 by Jenny Serra

The much-vaunted sale at Sotheby’s in New York of the collection of Old Masters from the Jordan and Thomas A. Saunders III collection did not hit the high notes, which Sotheby’s had predicted, when offered on May 21st.

The title of the sale was “Elegance and Wonder: Masterpieces from the collection of Jordan and Thomas A. Saunders III”. A more accurate description might have been “Unchallenging Old Masters, in lovely state, from….”, but perhaps that is a little uncharitable. There were, however, no religious pictures, only one from classical mythology, no history paintings and no portraits of characterful old codgers, just pretty young people and children. In fact, one of the most expensive casualties was the charming portrait of Miss Julia Peel by Sir Thomas Lawrence P.R.A., (1769-1830) which was unsold against an estimate of $6-8M, the low estimate being more than double the current world record for the artist at auction!

16 of the 43 paintings (37%) failed to find buyers on the day and the sale total of $65 million was well below the pre-sale estimate of $80-120 million.

So what went wrong? Apart from the state of geo-politics, surprising economic upheavals triggered by the Trump administration and the volatility of crypto currencies, which all contribute to a feeling of uncertainty, what else might have made the sale feel a bit of a damp squib?

I think the first thing to focus on is the estimates. These were probably set a year ago, when the world was a rather different place and proved to be ambitious and seldom exceeded. Furthermore, if one delves into the specifics of the sale, certain facts reveal themselves, which may, in part, explain what happened. The last couple of years, for instance, has shown a softening of the market for Dutch and Flemish pictures and this may explain why two van Kessels, a Brueghel, a Bosschaert, and a Hulsdonck still life all failed to sell. The Osias Beert (1580-1623), however, did sell at $1.39M, so it’s not simply that the genre feels outdated.

The beautiful little still life by the Utrecht artist, Adriaen Coorte (1665-1707), of a porcelain bowl of wild strawberries made $2.978m, a strong price, when one considers that the three small paintings by Coorte in the Ashmolean Museum, Oxford, bought for Daisy Linda Ward by her husband and gifted to the Ashmolean by her, cost £24 for the three in the 1920s. Different times, I know, but all the same, to have risen 372,250 times in 100 years is a significant uplift!

Among other Dutch pictures to catch the eye was the Brazilian landscape by Frans Post (1612-1680).

Apparently, this came from the attic of a barn on a farm in Connecticut, covered in soot. It cleaned up very nicely and made a world record price for the artist of $7.4M, over 50% more than his previous best. It shows the town of Olinda in Brazil, with the ruins of the Jesuit church and various exotic plants. It must have been painted by Post from drawings done on the spot, when he was back home in Haarlem, as it has a bright blue sky. The oil paintings done in Brazil have white skies, as he had no blue pigment with him!

Another super-glamorous painting was the flamboyant upright canvas of flowers in a vase by Jan Davidsz. De Heem (1606-1684), the Netherlandish painter, living in both Utrecht and Antwerp, who was arguably the most brilliant still life painter of his generation in Europe. The painting, which was delivered to the Saunderses in a plastic rubbish bag, to hide its departure from the previous owner’s wife, also made a world record for the artist of $8.8M.

So what is one to make of these results? The sale made 15% less than the bottom estimate and had a large unsold rate. The estimates were very bullish, which will always make the results look less successful, but it achieved 7 world records! I think it just says that we don’t really have a clue what is going to happen, but if the right people are in the mood, there will be fireworks.

PS. I can’t review this sale without making mention of one other world record price – that of the Luis Melendez (1716-1780) still life of a cauliflower, a basket of eggs and fish and assorted kitchen utensils, which made $6.2M. The Saunderses had bought it from the collection of Michale Hornstein in Canada, but not without a struggle. Hornstein had amassed a great collection of Old Master paintings and via George Wachter, at Sotheby’s New York, the Saunderses had access to it. When they arrived to inspect the pictures for sale, Hornstein said he had changed his mind about the Melendez, at which point Thomas Saunders said if I can’t have the Melendez, I’m not buying anything. It was duly dragged out from under a bed and sold.

Melendez took to still life painting because he failed to become court painter in Madrid and, therefore, had no commissions, but there was always a market for a beautifully painted still life. He lived in abject poverty and in a letter of 1772 to the King, stated that he owned only his brushes. I wonder what he would have made of the $6M Cauliflower? It’s a pity that Artist’s Resale Rights don’t apply to Old Masters.

A Tale of Two Tiaras…

Posted on June 5, 2025June 11, 2025 by Jenny Serra

Two tiaras, remarkably similar in design and created by Cartier for two society sisters are on display and sale in London this week.

A hotly anticipated lot in Bonhams’ 5^th June London Jewels Sale is the Astor turquoise and diamond tiara, owned by Nancy, Viscountess Astor. Estimated at £250,000-300,000, this incredibly rare piece dating from 1930 is seen on the market for the first time since it was sold to Lord Astor by Cartier London. The Astor Tiara comprises an earlier bandeau, circa 1915, that was adapted by Cartier using these beautiful turquoise carvings. The order for these carvings’ dates to 1929 and the finished piece was purchased soon after completion in 1930.

Incredibly, and reunited once more in London, is a second tiara, commissioned six years later for Nancy’s sister, Phyllis. Part of Cartier’s permanent collection, this remarkable reiteration and commissioned piece is on display as part of the Cartier exhibition at the V&A until November.

In the early 1930s, Lady Nancy Astor loaned the tiara to her sister, Phyllis Langhorne Brand for a court presentation at Buckingham Palace. Inspired by this exquisite Cartier jewel, Nancy’s brother-in-law, the Hon. Robert Henry Brand (1878-1963), commissioned Cartier to produce a similar turquoise and diamond tiara in 1935.

There are differences between the Astor and Brand tiaras, commissioned within six years of one another, yet both display the international influences in Cartier’s jewels of the time. The Astor tiara is detailed with carved turquoise plumes, leaves and scrolls that were drawn from Egyptian, Indian and Persian motifs. Similarly, the Brand Tiara features a teardrop shaped Boteh motif that originates to Iran, where turquoise was originally mined. The scrolling terminals on each were likely influenced by traditional headdresses worn in Thailand and Cambodia (V&A, 2025).

Sisters coveting one another’s clothing, jewellery – and tiaras – is a tale as old as time. Nancy and Phyllis were two of the five famously beautiful Langhorne sisters, born in Danville, Virginia, and four of whom found exciting and covetable lives in British Society. Nancy Astor met and married the 2^nd Viscount Astor in 1906 and moved into Cliveden, Buckinghamshire. She quickly became a prominent part of the British social elite, and through her advocating for temperance, welfare, education reform and women’s rights in parliament she became the first woman to take her seat in Parliament, serving from 1919 to 1945.

Phyllis moved to London in 1913 and married English economist Robert Brand, “the Wisest Man in the Empire” in 1917. The two sisters were incredibly close – I would recommend further reading of their letters in Vanity Fair’s The Lady Vanquishes feature, written by James Fox in 2020.

These two tiaras not only display Cartier’s height of creativity and society commissions of the early 20^th century, reflecting an international flair for design and a commitment to excellence. They also represent the tale of the two Langhorne sisters, their bond and shared – impeccable – taste.

Update: As expected, the Astor Tiara attracted a huge amount of interest from across the globe and was fiercely contested at Bonhams 5^th June London Jewels Auction. Exceeding its pre-sale estimate three times over, this exceptional piece sold for a hammer of £700,000, totalling £889,400 inclusive of fees.

The Brand Tiara will be on display at the V&A Cartier Exhibition until November 2025.