Vintage luggage made by Louis Vuitton was a fitting addition to this year’s aptly named ‘Travel in Style’ ski sale at Christie’s South Kensington.
Usually included in CSK's Interiors sales,
the trunks clearly benefited from this fresh approach with
crossover appeal, helping the 20-lot section offered on January 23
to better pre-sale expectations, with all bar two lots getting
away.
The stand-out lot, and the most expensive
item of the sale, was a 2ft 4in x 3ft 4in (71cm x 1.01m) striped
canvas high trunk from the late 19th century, pictured here Its
£4000-6000 estimate proved way off the mark as multiple bids from
the phones and the room took it to the knock-down price of
£30,000.
Why?
"It was primarily due to the fact that it
was an early model covered in the dark and light beige version of
Louis Vuitton's striped canvas which was introduced first in 1876,"
said Clare Borthwick, specialist at Christie's. "It is quite rare
that one comes up for auction especially in such excellent
condition.
"The other reason it did so well was
simply because a number of people wanted it."
Although believed to be a record price for a Louis Vuitton trunk
at auction, there have been others that have also brought
substantial sums of late. In August 2012 an early 20th century
wardrobe trunk found in an attic in Camden, Maine, sold at James D.
Julia for $30,000 (£20,000).
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