Van Cliburn, the most famous pianist of his generation, and Fort Worth's most celebrated native son, died just more than a year ago.
The auction house, Christie's, held the second auction of antiques and collectibles from Van Cliburn's estate on March 3 and 4 in New York City. The first auction was held in conjunction with Cliburn himself in 2012 before his death.
The Christie's auction also featured lots from the estate of Noreen Drexel of Newport, R.I., and was titled: Two Distinguished American Collections. The Van Cliburn collection itself realized $1,014,850.
One lot that went far above its $2,000-$3,000 estimate consisted of two Chinese whitish-green, carved jade plaques. The Asian market gobbled them up for a staggering $87,500. And lot 452 was a silver cup and cover with the maker's mark of Paul De Lamerie, made during the reign of George II in London in about 1740. It was estimated to fetch between $20,000 and $30,000 and far exceeded expectations with a sales price of $47,500.
Andrew McVinish, head of Private and Iconic Collections, commented: "The strong results of the sale confirm buyers" appetite for exceptional works of great provenance and continues the tradition of Christie's offering prominent private collections at auction. With 98 percent sold by lot, this sale demonstrates the demand and interest in items of the highest aesthetic qualities. The top lot of the sale, two Chinese white jade plaques, sold for more than 10 times its pre-sale estimate, realizing $87,500."
Capera Ryan, senior vice president and managing director of the Southwest region for Christie's, said, "The objects he collected in a way tell the story of his life. As he played all over the world, he'd always buy himself something."
Among Cliburn's many collecting passions was his love of silver. A lavish oval silver tea tray was made in 1834 by Benjamin Smith in London, during the brief seven-year reign of William IV. The tray was engraved with an Earl's coat-of-arms and a crest. This piece alone held a staggering estimate of between $50,000 and $80,000. When the hammer finally fell on lot 445, it sold for $56,250.
