A stunning private collection of antiques, artworks and furniture from the renowned Dillée family will be offered at Sotheby's in Paris this March.
Scheduled for March 18, the auction will include 450 lots comprising French decorative arts and antique furniture spanning the 17th to the 19th centuries, along with old master paintings, sculptures and other treasures.
 These French Regency period ewers have a $690,000 high estimate |
For 90 years the Dillée family have stood amongst the most important collectors in France. Their expertise and passion have seen them inextricably linked with the art market and the auction world since 1925, when the collection was established by Bernard Dillée.
Assembled by three generations, including Jean-Pierre Dillée and its current curator, Guillaume Dillée, the collection will offer countless items either fresh to the market or appearing for the first time in decades.
Highlights will include a pair of French Regency period ewers in crackled celadon and gilt bronze, estimated at €400,000-€600,000 ($460,000-$690,000); a pair of Louis XVI patinated gilt bronze wall lamps with cannons, estimated at €200,000-€300,000 ($230,000-$345,000); and a pair of Louis XV flat-backed armchairs in gilt beechwood, made circa 1765-1770 and estimated at €120,000-€180,000 ($140,000-$200,000).
"Our auction house is deeply honoured to be entrusted once again with the sale of an iconic collection of works of art, which, in this instance, has been carefully selected by the expert eyes of three generations of the Dillée family," said Mario Tavella, deputy chairman of Sotheby's Europe and chairman of private collections.
"Their Cabinet d'Expertise has seen some of the most beautiful objects go through its doors before being passed onto collectors, auction houses and institutions. We are hoping that the Dillée sale will attract new and old generations of collectors, as well as the notable museums that the Dillée family has dealt with in the past."
