The nine-light candelabrum took £860,000 before buyer’s premium, a figure well over its £400,000-600,000 estimate.
The centrepiece features the muscle-bound figure of Hercules wielding his club at the mythical nine-headed Hydra. The piece was made for the Duke of York by Edward Cornelius Farrell in 1824-25 and the 35in (89cm) centrepiece weighs a total of 1128 oz (70.5lbs).
Koopman’s director said that the dealership was “delighted to have been the successful bidder” on the centrepiece adding that it “ticked all the boxes” for the business which likes to deal in the rare and unusual.
The sale at Christie’s King Street auction ran from March 22-23 and comprised 700 lots from the collection of property magnate Robert de Balkany. The sale achieved a 98% sell through rate by value and 99% by lot.
Andrew Waters, head of private collection sales for Christie’s UK said that the sale attracted “registered bidders from 53 countries and record number of online bidders for any sale staged at our King Street saleroom. The outstanding success of this sale demonstrates the continued appetite for furniture, decorative arts and design worldwide.”
