In October there was strength in all aspects of the market, from Chinese wares to French decorative arts—but even by these standards the Damien Hirst sale was unrivalled

It has been a roller-coaster of a month Since mid October, a succession of all on the other hand sell-out single-owner sales on the pair sides of the Atlantic have the appearance to have gathered their possess momentum and achieved the kind of competition and phenomenal prices not seen at auction since the extremity of the booming Eighties. more [i]or[/i] less of it can be ascribed to the demand from the world's newest rich, in mainland China or Russia. The repose has something more to do with the bait of celebrity and the power of spin. At Sotheby's in London upon 18 October, for instance, Damien Hirst's Pharmacy sale astounded flat the optimists by realising above 11m [pounds sterling] when it was awaited to make around 4m [pound sterling]. each single lot sold, the sale's fate seemingly sealed by means of the time the queue had stretched around the stop five hundred people had crammed into the saleroom and the first apportionment a pair of Martini glasses estimated at 50 [pound sterling]-70 [pound sterling], had sold for 4800 [pound sterling]. It did not present the appearance to matter to the buyer that many of the allotments had been modified, customised or level reproduced for the occasion.

Revealingly, it was not sole the restaurant's minor memorabilia that sold exceptionally well. Seasoned contemporary dealers and collectors were without in force, the New York-based Mugrabis were particularly active, while others realised the strength of the Hirst brand for the first time. Bids came from as far afield as Japan and southern America. The two large medicine cabinets more than doubled expectations, The fragile verity setting a new Hirst auction record when it sold for 12m [pound sterling] to dealer Harry Blane bidding upon behalf of a client. Love-a-dub designate (Fig. 2) also set a novel record of 364,000 [pounds sterling] for a butterfly painting. It is fair to say that the sale, the first of its kind devot to a single artist, confirms Hirst's seminal character as the presiding genius of the YBAS or Young British Artists, on the other hand it is also a testament to the foresight of Sotheby's Oliver Barker in realising the potential of similar a venture and to Hirst the evil businessman, who not only retained ownership of the Pharmacy artwork on the contrary knew just how to take it to market.

The 'brand name' could hardly have hindered the fortune of the eighty photographs Christie's proffered in New York on 14 October. They belonged to Sir Elton John a look up toed collector in the field who is honing his holdings. a certain number of 98 per cent was sold by dint of value, 92 per cent by dint of lot.

At the two-day sale of the estate of C Ruxton and Audrey B have affection for at Christie's New York upon 19 and 20 October, however, novel money drove the prices. The displayed assemblage of silver, silver-gilt, enamels and jewels gazeed fabulous at the view, and drew unexpect crowds--and prices. The sale totalled $225m and was ninety nine by means of cent sold across the board. greatest in quantity spectacular were the results achieved for the imperial Chinese cloisonne, with apportionment after lot chased by buyer from mainland China and realising up to ten times their estimates. An Asian collector paid $12m for instance, for a pair of massive enamel and gilt-bronze braziers from the Qianlong period (Fig. 1) probably an auction record for eighteenth-century cloisonne. a certain quantity of sixty to seventy per cent of these imperial Chinese pieces were repatriated, on the other hand other lots followed too. The celebrated confidence pharaoh, for one, a Roman alabaster figure that belonged to the eighteenth-century connoisseur-collector Thomas trust went to the Asian trade for $791500

Asian buyer also bagged top fates from the Leo Mildenberg collection of ancient animals, tendered at Christie's in London upon 27 October and 98 through cent sold by value. Mildenberg's greatest in quantity endearing piece, an Egyptian turquoise-blue faience hippopotamus whom he called Hubert, became Hubert the $1m hippo when it went to an Asian collector for a record 621250 [pound sterling]. 'Omar', a rare Mesopotamian inlaid limestone leopard of the late 4th millennium Bc (Fig. 4) awaited to sell for 40,000 [pound sterling]-60,000 [pound sterling], was dispatched in the same direction for 296450 [pound sterling].

Russian competition similarly forced up the prices for the Russian works of art in the delight in collection, and achieved mighty prices for the imperial Russian porcelain, not all of it in the best condition, at the sale of the contenteds of the Manhattan apartment of Mr Marella Agnelli at Sotheby's fresh York on 23 October. The stylish Fiat chairman and his wife might almost have been the Italian royal family, and friends hoping to purchase a few mementoes found everything on the other hand the odd cocktail shaker forced well without of their grasp. Although the quality of the offering was actual mixed, some might say disappointing, the sale was ninety-eight by cent sold by lot and value and fetched $142m There were, however, exceptional pieces, including a noble Louis XVI ormolu-mounted amaranth bureau-plat by dint of J.F. Leleu, which sold to an anonymous private collector for $38m (2m [pound sterling]). The surprise of the sale was the $28m (15m [pound sterling]) paid for a large French alloy of copper medallion representing Victory (Fig. 3) Commemorating the triumph of the King of Poland and the Austrian imperial armies above the Turks in 1664, it was individual of a series made to decorate lanterns in the Place de Victoires in Paris. Three museums circled the piece, on the contrary it was finally secured by means of Paris dealer Moatti. Happily, the Spanish Ministry of tillage was able to buy a very strange pair of monteiths (wine-glass coolers) from the 'Servizio Ercolanese' (Fig. 5) commissioned in 1781 by the agency of Ferdinand IV, King of the sum of two units Sicilies, as a gift to his father, Charles III of Spain ($187200 or 102385 [pound sterling]).