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Pickfair Estate Auction: featuring the Collection of Mary Pickford;
Fine & Decorative Art, Furnishings, Jewelry & Memorabilia
November 22nd & 23rd at The Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, California
LOS ANGELES, CA - Antiques, fine and decorative art, furniture, and memorabilia will be among the wide selection of stylish offerings from the estate of Mary Pickford in a sale to be held by Julien’s Auctions at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, California on November 22 and 23, 2008.
Mary Pickford, “America’s Sweetheart” during the golden age of silent film, and in addition to her illustrious cinematic career, her achievements in the Hollywood movie industry include co-founding United Artists film studio, co-founding the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, and being the first actress to leave her hand and footprints at Grauman’s Chinese Theater in Hollywood. Together with Douglas Fairbanks she became “Hollywood Royalty” and during their marriage they created Pickfair, the legendary Beverly Hills mansion that hosted dignitaries, foreign heads of state and all the major celebrities of the day. Mary Pickford was married for over four decades to her third husband Buddy Rogers, a talented jazz musician and actor who starred in Wings, the first ever film honored with an Academy Award for “Best Picture”.
"We are proud to bring to auction the stylish Pickfair collection owned by movie pioneer Mary Pickford, the true darling of Hollywood and founding member of the Academy", said Martin Nolan, Executive Director of Julien's Auctions.
The Pickfair sale features many furnishings that can be seen in vintage Hollywood press releases and magazine pictorials in publications such as Architectural Digest, House and Garden, and the Los Angeles Times. Some of the fabled and exotic items coming to the block include a partial Capo Di Monte Napoleon à Josephine dinnerware service (est. $8,000-$10,000), a pair of fine Chinese carved rhinoceros tusks (est. $6,000-$8,000), a Continental silver, gold, enameled and garnet encrusted small coffer which was a gift to Mary Pickford from Grand Duchess Maria of Russia (est. $3,000-$4,000), a Thai damascene silver lotus form covered urn which was a gift to Mary Pickford from the King of Siam (est. $1,000-2,000),and a pair of Adam style paint decorated armchairs (est. $1,500-$2,500).
Still Life Painting by Paul de Longpré
(Est. $20,000-$30,000)
Highlighting fine art selections in the sale are two oil on canvas still life paintings by Paul de Longpré (est. $20,000-$30,000each), a Philip Mercier painting of children in a pastoral setting (est. $25,000-$35,000) and a landscape attributed to Asher Durand (est. $15,000-$25,000).
“Mary Pickford had a wide range of collecting interests, from Asian decorative arts to Staffordshire figurines to books on spirituality, and all of them are well represented in the sale. She obviously loved entertaining guests for dinner in great style at Pickfair, as evidenced by her many fine table centerpieces and sets of china, silver and crystal,” says Rebecca Markman, Independent Antique Expert for Julien’s Auctions.
Pickfair Signed Guest Books 1926-1962
(Est. $8,000/10,000)
Among the many personal effects to be sold are two handmade leather bound Pickfair guest books signed by dignitaries and guests between the years of 1926-1962 (est. $8,000-$10,000), a set of Moser gilt and acid etched vanity containers (est. $1,000-$2,000), and a 14k yellow gold compact by Cartier (est. $1,200-$1,800).
Mary Pickford’s 14k Yellow Gold
Five Charm Bracelet
(Est. $1,500 - $2,000)
Pickford jewelry featured in this sale include a 14k yellow gold five charm bracelet with personal engraved messages from Buddy Rogers to Mary Pickford, (est. $1,500-$2,000), a platinum, yellow gold and white diamond ring (est. $800-$1,200), and a 14k yellow gold and diamond covered Moviga wristwatch (est. $800-$1,200).
This auction will present a special opportunity for collectors to purchase property once belonging to America’s Sweetheart from Hollywood’s Golden Age.
Auction Network will conduct a live high-definition streaming video webcast of the Pickfair Estate Auction. Auction Network will provide fans around the world a front row seat to watch the action and excitement of the event and the ability to bid in real-time via the Internet. In addition to the broadcast, registered bidders can see the current bid status as well as the upcoming lots to prepare them to bid on their most-desired collectibles.
Public Exhibition
November 17th – November 21st at The Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, California:
(10:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. Daily)
Registering to Bid
Registration is required to bid in this live auction and can be done either in person at the Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, California, or by visiting www.juliensauctions.com before the sale or by calling (310) 816-1818. Online bidding registration can be completed via Auction Network online.
Placing Bids
There are four ways to bid in this sale:
- Bid through Auction Network on Internet using real-time and absentee bidding
- Place bids in the room by attending the auction
- Bid over the telephone through an auction house representative, who sits in the room and conveys the bid to the auctioneer
- Enter Absentee bids. Absentee bid forms are printed in the back of each catalogue, and are also available by calling Julien’s Auctions or online at www.juliensauctions.com
About Julien’s Auctions
With expertise specializing in entertainment memorabilia, Julien’s Auctions has quickly established themselves as the premier auction house in high profile celebrity and entertainment auctions. Julien’s Auctions presents exciting, professionally managed and extremely successful auctions with full color high quality auction catalogues unlike any other auction company. Previous auctions include the collections of Cher, Madonna, U2, Barbara Streisand, Muhammad Ali, Debbie Reynolds, the estate of Marilyn Monroe and many more.
About Auction Network
Auction Network provides evergreen, live auction and interactive programming 24/7 via an Internet-delivered “television” channel that includes both a full-time, real-time feed of set-schedule programming as well as additional content on demand, and consumer interfaces with auctions and auction companies allowing them to become aware of auctions around the world and to buy online, on location or via mobile devices. The interactive environment allows users to watch others bid live or join live auction bidding interactively wherever they are. Auction Network also delivers high energy TV personalities who take the viewer through exclusive previews of items and the historic, emotional stories associated with them.
NOTE TO EDITORS:
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